Van Aert runs away with mini-Tour of Flanders E3 Saxo Bank Classic
Belgian superstar victorious in a quarter of the 2022 WorldTour rounds so far
The cobbled classics season continued on Friday with the E3 Saxo Bank Classic in Belgium. Accordingly, a Belgian giant, Wout Van Aert took the win, breaking free alongside teammate Christophe Laporte with 42 km remaining. Van Aert adds the victory to his Omloop Het Nieuwsblad triumph last month and a time trial win in Paris-Nice. Jumbo-Visma has earned three of the first eight rounds of the 2022 WorldTour.
?? #E3SaxoBankClassic #SAMENWINNEN@WoutvanAert and @LAPORTEChristop make it a 1️⃣-2️⃣ for the team? pic.twitter.com/8fcPX5TWAp
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) March 25, 2022
The Course
This was Tour of Flanders country, with many of the same climbs. Riders had many hills, cobbled sections and cobbled hills to negotiate in their 204 km starting and finishing in Harelbeke. The attacks might begin as early as the Taaienberg with 80 km to go, but certainly there would be action on the Paterberg/Oude Kwaremont pairing that began with 43 km remaining. After that there were still two hills and a cobbled section.
A seven-man break bounced over the first half of the course.
The team takes control of the peloton on the Kanarieberg, the third climb of the day pic.twitter.com/f14Y9rvqvK
— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) March 25, 2022
By the time of the Knokteberg, the fugitives had a 2:00 lead. By the Taaienberg the gap was under a minute. Jumbo-Visma whipped along the peloton into Taaienberg‘s foot. Van Aert powered up the gutter, taking seven riders with him, including two teammates Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot.
Van Aert’s group caught the fugitives with 75 km to race. There were now 14 riders out front. Ineos chased back in the main bunch. Tiesj Benoot made a surge to thin out the numbers. By the Boigneberg, Van Aert and company had 30 seconds. With Ineos closing the gap to 12 seconds on the Eikenberg, Jhonatan Narváez brought several riders over, swelling it to 17.
On the Paterberg Van Aert pulled the gang up the gutter. Van Aert and Laporte distanced the others and hit the Oude Kwaremont 19 seconds clear, but the chase found a few seconds by the peak.
The last 30 km of the race lacked drama as the chase couldn’t make inroads into the Jumbo-Visma duo’s growing advantage and it was clear that the Belgian champion was going to win. The two riders eased over the line arm in arm. From the chasers Stefan Küng rounded out the podium.
Cobbled Belgian Classics continue on Sunday with Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields.
2022 E3 Saxo Bank Classic
1) Wout Van Aert (Belgian/Jumbo-Visma) 4:36:19
2) Christopher Laporte (France/Jumbo-Visma) s.t.
3) Stefan Küng (Switzerland/Groupama-FDJ) +1:35
