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Dwars door Vlaanderen: yep, it’s Jumbo-Visma again

Guillaume Boivin with a strong ninth place

March 29, 2023
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If you Jumbo-Visma fatigue is inflating this spring, turn away. Christophe Laporte, “gifted” Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday by teammate Wout Van Aert, won Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, the midweek portion of Flanders Classic week. The Dutch Bees have claimed half of the eight one-day WorldTour races, including the last three, and two of the five WorldTour stage races. It was a fine result for Canada’s Guillaume Boivin, who came ninth.

Introduction

The “Three Tenors”—Wout Van Aert, two-time winner Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar—were absent, but Strade Bianche victor Tom Pidcock was back following a concussion suffered at Tirreno-Adriatico, as was 2021 runner-up Laporte.

The Canadian contingent was Hugo Houle, back from illness, Boivin and Nick Zukowsky.

Starting with the Volkemberg at the 64 km mark, there were 8 sectors of cobbles and 11 hills to climb. The toughest tests were two trips up the Knokteberg-Trieu (1.1 km of 7.4 percent) and the Kanarieberg (1.1 km of 8.5 percent) situated in the middle of the course. The final climb was Nokere, 800 metres of 4 percent, 9 km from the finish in Waregem.

Zukowsky was one of six escapees who dashed away early. After four of the 11 hills, the sextet’s gap was under two minutes. Trek-Segafredo rode at the front of the peloton on the early hills.

Nick Zukowsky in the breakaway.

The Berg Ten Houte fragmented the field, Julian Alaphilippe putting in the initial surge. Zukowsky was dislodged before the Kanarieberg, where Tiesj Benoot put in a strong acceleration in the peloton. With a breakaway foursome left out front, Benoot, teammate Laporte and six others galloped towards the second climb of Knokteberg-Trieu in between the escape and the peloton.

On Ladeuze, the longest climb of the race, the Benoot-Laporte group expanded its lead over the peloton, the remnants of the breakaway still tantalizingly 30 seconds up the road with two ascents and 33 km to go. Alexander Kristoff and Oier Lazkano toiled relentlessly to keep ahead of the Benoot-Laporte nontet. With only the Nokere to climb, it was under a minute from Kristoff and Lakano to the peloton, the Jumbo duo’s chase still in between.

Alas, the intrepid duo was swept up with 6 km to go and the attacks flared. Laporte skipped away, Lazkano and Dane Mikkel Frølich Honoré lighting out in pursuit. But the Frenchman wouldn’t be denied Part II of Flanders Week. Lazkano was runner up and Neilson Powless rounded out the podium.

All three Canadians finished in the top 100.

The second Monument of the season, the Tour of Flanders, is Sunday.

2023 Dwars door Vlaanderen
1) Christophe Laporte (France/Jumbo-Visma) 4:06:20
2) Oier Lazkano (Spain/Movistar) +0:15
3) Neilson Powless (USA/EF Education-Easypost) s.t.
9) Guillaume Boivin (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) s.t.
48) Nick Zukowsky (Canada/Q36.5) +3:32
87) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +3:38