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Luca Paolini takes biggest win of career at Gent-Wevelgem

March 29, 2015
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Italian Luca Paolini of Katusha soloed to a thrilling victory in Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields raced under dreadful conditions. Paolini’s biggest career win also made him the oldest winner of Gent-Wevelgem at 38.

A small inconsequential breakaway formed early and chiseled out a gap of 8:30. The winds were treacherous, the rain chilling and the skies grey and foreboding. As the peloton edged closer there was a large crash that sent Gert Steegmans (Belgium/Trek) to the hospital and fragmented the main group. At this point some people, including the IAM team director Rik Verbrugghe, called for the race to be neutralized.

Before the first of three climbs in France–including two consecutive runs up the Casselberg–the crosswinds continued to cause havoc. Most of the favourites were in the first group, but Classics riders like Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium/BMC) and sprinters like Arnaud Démare (France/FDJ), Nacer Bouhanni (France/Cofidis) and André Greipel (Germany/Lotto-Soudal) were caught in the second bunch. Though all four eventually latched on to the 50-man group, the huge second group couldn’t make inroads into the gap.

Just before the final French climb of the Catsberg, one of several of LottoNL-Jumbo’s Dutch bumblebees in the lead group, Maarten Tjallingii, lit out on his own. By the time the race returned to Belgium and the Baneberg loomed at the 88-km to go mark, Tjallingii had a 50-second lead.

The Baneberg was the first of three climbs the riders would face twice in a circuit outside Wevelgem. The Kemmelberg is the most feared climb of the trio–530-metres of 11% cobbles. Seven men used the Baneberg as a springboard for an surge away from the bunch but Katusha brought them back. Most of Tjallingii’s lead was preserved by the start of first trip up the Kemmelberg with 79-km remaining, but it was shaved down to 10-seconds by the top of the haul.

As the men headed towards the Monteberg, word came that Floortje Mackaij (The Netherlands/Liv-Plantur) won the women’s 117-km race with five climbs, including Kemmelberg twice. Her compatriot Janneke Ensing (Parkhotel Valkenburg) was runner up and Chloe Hosking (Australia/Wiggle) rounded out the podium.

Tjallingii stayed out in front and found a partner in Jurgen Roelandts (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal), who soon dispatched the Dutchman with 73-km to go. On the long stretch between the first Monteberg and the second Baneberg, a strong chasing quintet scurried up the road and after it had pulled out a decent gap, the five found Luca Paolini (Italy/Katusha) strengthening their squad. Soon after the juncture, the E3 Harelbeke winner Geraint Thomas (Great Britain/Sky) crashed courtesy of the wind and roadside grass.

Thomas chased back on as Roelandts continued to pull out his gap. He had 2:00 on his pursuers by the time he hit the Baneberg for the second time with 48-km remaining. The chase contained seven men after Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Etixx-QuickStep) bridged over. Terpstra already had a Belgian teammate in the little crew, Stijn Vanderbergh, who quickly got to work. The chase was 2:45 ahead of the peloton, which looked more dispirited at every kilometre.

With 45-km remaining, it looked like Gent-Wevelgem would come down to a contest between Roelandts, Thomas, Vanderbergh, Terpstra, Paolini, Sep Vanmarcke (Belgium/LottoNL-Jumbo), Daniel Oss (Italy/BMC) and Belgian champion Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Soudal), who didn’t have to work.

Roelandts grunted his way up the Kemmelberg, remarkably keeping his 2:05 gap by the top. Terpstra attacked on the Kemmelberg and crested with Thomas. Paolini and Oss fell off the pace, but the Katusha man was part of the remainders of the chase reforming before the final climb, the Monteberg, and whittling away some of Roelandts’s lead. After the Monteberg and with 32-km remaining, the Belgian’s lead over the closing sextet was less than a minute.

Once he reached Ieper (better known as Ypres) with 23-km to go, Roelandts would have a tailwind to help him. The chase had to first pull back Roelandts and then shake the best sprinter, Debusschere. After Ieper Roelandts started to sag as Vanderbergh drove the pace behind. Finally, after 60 solo kilometres, the brave Roelandts was reeled in with 17.5-km to go.

Terpstra flatted and faced a slow change. After a sapping chase back, Terpstra attacked and only Paolini could follow. Thomas attempted to bridge, sending Vanmarcke and Debusschere out the back. Vandenbergh lagged too, but made the junction. Vanmarke and Debusschere wrecked themselves in the effort to latch on again. With 7.5-km to go it was a sextet again. The race slowed as breath was drawn and cat and mouse games began.

Paolini had enough of the trackstand scene and darted up the road with 6-km remaining. The rest of the group dithered and the Katusha man became the first Italian to win since 2002. Terpstra sprinted to the runner-up spot and Thomas took his second podium in three days.

Thomas looks a likely lad for next Sunday’s Tour of Flanders.

Only 39 riders completed the very difficult and unpleasant course but Canadians Hugo Houle (Ag2r) and Dominique Rollin (Cofidis) weren’t among them.


2015 Gent-Wevelgem
1) Luca Paolini (Italy/Katusha) 6:20:55
2) Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Etixx-QuickStep) +0:11
3) Geraint Thomas (Great Britain/Sky) s.t.

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