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Degenkolb victorious in Gent-Wevelgem

John Degenkolb (Germany/Giant-Shimano) won his first Spring Classic race, Gent-Wevelgem, in a bunch sprint Saturday after an exciting day of racing in Flanders and France. Last year's winner, Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Cannondale), who took Friday's E3 Prijs Harelbeke title, placed third.

John Degenkolb (Germany/Giant-Shimano) won his first Spring Classic race, Gent-Wevelgem, in a bunch sprint Saturday after an exciting day of racing in Flanders and France. Last year’s winner, Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Cannondale), who took Friday’s E3 Prijs Harelbeke title, placed third.

News came before the start that Orica-GreenEdge had withdrawn Canadian Svein Tuft from the race as a precaution following his concussion suffered at the E3 Prijs.

The day’s break formed straight after the gun. Manuele Boaro (Italy/Tinkoff-Saxo), Sebastian Lander (Denmark/BMC), Marcel Aregger (Switzerland/IAM Cycling), Jacobus Venter (South Africa/MTN-Qhubeka) and Frederik Veuchelen (Belgium/Wanty-Groupe Gobert) went away, and after 35-km of racing, the quintet had 10:30 on the peloton.

The breakaway enjoyed the first trio of hellingen in France with a large lead, though it did take a wrong turn before making its way back into Belgium. Meanwhile, back in the peloton, the usual Classics crashes and mechanicals created havoc for many riders. Ian Stannard (Great Britain/Sky) was the first man from the peloton to animate the race, choosing the Catsberg to launch an attack, but he later crashed out.

By the time the escape was on the first ascent of the dreaded Kemmelberg, its gap was down to 2:00 with 72-km remaining. Only Lander didn’t make it up and over with his breakmates. With the second pass of the Baneberg approaching, four chasers injected themselves between the escape and peloton with a minutes separating all three groups.

Boaro attacked on the Baneberg and led the race up the Kemmelberg as crashes continued to plague the peloton. All the big dogs like Sagan, thumb-injured Tom Boonen (Belgium/Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland/Trek) and Sep Vanmarcke (Belgium/Belkin) were up front and accounted for.

There was only the Monteberg hellingen left to climb, with a select group of 25 chasing Boaro. Boaro could not stay away on the final hill and with 35-km to go, the group of about 40 riders was compact. With pure sprinters like Andre Greipel (Germany/Lotto-Belisol) in the bunch, those with winning aspirations had to think about breaking away. As tense kilometres ticked by, riders consumed last drinks and gels and watched one another.

As the leading group passed the sombre fields of the Ypres cemetery, Silvan Dillier (Switzerland/BMC), who had been in the chase group 45-km earlier, flew up the road, drawing Movistar’s Andrey Amador (Costa Rica) and Belgian champion Stijn Devolder (Trek). The trio had a 16-second gap with 17-km remaining and their lead grew over the next 3-km. The favourites began to panic.

In the pursuing peloton, another crash took Greipel and Tyler Farrar (USA/Garmin-Sharp) out of contention and slowed the chase. It was then that Omega Pharma-QuickStep took the race by the scruff of the neck and started eating into the trio’s lead. The breakaway, once looking imperious, was now in peril on the backstreets of Wevelgem.

The fugitives’ goose was cooked at the red kite marking the final kilometre. A crash created a small group to fight out the sprint and it was Degenkolb and Andre Démare (France/FDJ) surging around Sagan to take the champion and runner-up spots.

The Flanders Classics continue next Sunday with the Monument Tour of Flanders.

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