Who to watch at the Monuments after E3 Harelbeke
Winners, losers, and what to look for at Gent-Wevelgem before next week's racing
Niki Terpstra’s win at E3 Harelbeke on Friday was a beautiful race, and we should all hope that he took the time to celebrate properly by finishing that oversized glass of 6.6% Kwaremont beer. After riding the last 24km to Harelbeke solo, having dropped his teammate Yves Lampaert shortly after the final climb up Karnemelkbeekstraat, surely Terpstra deserves it.
But, while watching Quick-Step Floors tactical work deliver the teams Dutchman perfectly to the finish was fantastic entertainment, the race also serves as a great preview of what viewers can expect leading into the cobbled classics. With just a week remaining until Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix following shortly after, E3 Harelbeke traditionally serves as a last test for teams looking to finesse their fitness and strategy before Spring’s big, one day Monuments. Here’s what E3 reveals about who’s looking good, and who might be looking to try make last minute adjustments tomorrow at Gent-Wevelgem.
Terpstra won E3 in an impressive solo ride to the finish, but his win should tell viewers about more than just his own strength. Looking cool, collected, and like he was out for a Sunday coffee ride until well within the last 10km, Terpstra is definitely strong going into the peak of Classics season. What other teams should be worried about, though, was Quick-Step Floors impressive display of team tactics. The Belgian squad has never lacked for strong riders. In the past, though, their depth has as often been their downfall as it has been an advantage. The remarkable cohesion and teamwork displayed Friday shows that internal power struggles could be a thing of the past.
RELATED: Terpstra triumphs in first 2018 WorldTour Flanders Classic, the E3 Harelbeke
Philippe Gilbert, who was visibly on a good ride at E3, happily sat on his BMC rival, Greg Van Avermaet, foiling any attempt to close down Terpstra and Lamaert’s lead. Gilbert then took the opportunity to rub Van Avermaet’s nose in it just a little, easily out sprinting BMC’s leader for a Quick-Step Floors 1-2 finish. E3 marked the Belgian squads fifth straight one day win on Belgian soil, and the whole squad appears to be riding high on that success. They were a major driving force behind splitting the race, and had the strength and tactical know-how to take advantage on Friday, and other teams should be worried.
At the other end of the spectrum, BMC had numbers at E3, but seemed to have no clue how to use them. Van Avermaet’s attempt to chase Terpstra solo was foiled when Tiesj Benoot (Lotto-Soudal) bridged to join, dragging Gilbert with him. Not a good sign for BMC’s leader’s strength, but not nearly as bad as what went down over the last 30km when the chase group consolidated behind Terpstra, who was by then flying solo. Though Stefan Küng and Jurgen Roelandts there with G.V.A., BMC made no concerted effort to chase the lone leader. Quick-Step Floors were doing what they could to disrupt the group, but BMC couldn’t even set up a significant attack from the chasers. Instead, they waited until inside the last 10km to send off some feeble fliers, which were quickly marked by the well-rested Quick-Step squad. BMC have another chance to sort out a strategy at Gent-Wevelgem, but if Sunday doesn’t go well, there’s slim chances that Van Avermaet will steal a Monument from the BMC squads national rivals.
Lotto-Soudal, who played a big part in breaking up the race after a disruptive crash blocked much of the peloton from advancing. While that is part luck, both Classics-focused Belgian squads were in the right place when the roads narrowed: at the front of the race. Tiesj Benoot showed his strength used to win Strade Biachi hasn’t faded at all, chasing down Van Avermaet’s attempt to bridge to Terpstra and Lampaert. With his fifth at E3, fourth at Tirreno-Adriatico, and grueling Strade win, Benoot is not likely done with 2018 just yet.
While they were quieter at E3, both Sep Vanmarcke (EF Education First-Drapac) and Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) showed they are primed for a good performance going into the Monuments. Both were caught behind the crash, Naesen raced with a visibly bloody knee, and still made their way back up to the chase group before the finish. Vanmarcke, especially, relied on excellent work from his EF Education First-Drapac to get back to the front, showing that the whole squad is ready to try for more in the coming weeks. Both riders will be worth watching on Sunday to see if they can repeat Friday’s showing when not caught out by a crash.
Three time World Champion Peter Sagan, though, appeared to struggle on Friday. Caught up in an earlier crash, Sagan was subsequently dropped when the chasing group he was in hit the base of the Oude Kwaremont. Sagan should never be counted out completely, and tends to perform his best when the stakes are the highest. He also has a history of shutting down early during a race if he decides it is no longer worth the extra effort, so it may not be wise to read too much into his performance Friday. Appearances can be deceiving, and Sagan is a master at hiding his true form.
Other squads that will be looking for a better showing on Sunday to gain confidence going into Flanders are the beleaguered Team Sky, who only managed to get Gianni Moscon to the front at E3, a race the squad has won twice in recent years, and Sunweb. Michael Matthews was, like Sagan, distanced when the chasers hit Oude Karemont and was never able to get back up to where the race was happening.
