Timothy Dupont (Veranda’s Willems) continued what has been a marvelous breakthrough season by taking one of the biggest one-day wins of his career at Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. The Belgian timed his sprint well to come around Fernando Gaviria after Etixx-QuickStep had been forced to start their lead-out too early and easily held the Colombian off to take the victory, with Raymond Kreder (Roompot) beating Kenny Dehaes (Wanty) in a close battle for third.

 

For years, Timothy Dupont had a relatively anonymous career as a sprinter in Belgian continental teams. He usually mixed it up in the lower part of the top 10 in the Belgian 1.1 races but nothing suggested that he would ever become a top sprinter.

 

Things slowly started to change when he moved to the Roubaix team in France in 2014. In the shadow of Baptiste Planckaert, he gradually improved and in 2015 he suddenly became a consistent top sprinter in all the big French Coupe de France races.

 

For the 2016 season, Dupont returned to Belgium with the Veranda’s Willems team and that marked the start of his big breakthrough. A strong start to the season culminated in a first highlight when he won the hard final stage of the 3 Days of West-Flanders and later in March he took the biggest win of his career in the uphill sprint at Nokere Koerse.

 

Since then, Dupon thas been up there in almost every single Belgian one-day race and French stage race, He has taken numerous wins in .2 events and regularly been on the podium in the bigger races. The results have made him a hot topic on the transfer market and he is reportedly close to signing a contract with LottoNL-Jumbo.

 

Today Dupont took another big step towards the WorldTour when he powered to victory in one of the oldest Belgian one-day races, Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. With a well-timed sprint, he came around Fernando Gaviria in the bunch kick and won the race with a comfortable margin.

 

The sprint came after an ill Marcel Kittel had been forced to abandon and this forced Gaviria to suddenly take over the sprint role after he had been on the attack almost all day. That left him tired for the sprint and as a strong attack from Truls Korsaeth (Joker) in the finale forced Etixx-QuickStep to launch their lead-out too early, Dupont could grab the opportunity to go for the win.

 

The 101st edition of Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen was held on the well-known circuit in Koolskamp. It was 12.3km long and was covered 16 times for an overall distance of 192.4km (the first part of the first lap was neutralized). The circuit was completely flat and included a small cobblestone section after 3km of racing. Most of the circuit didn’t have any technical difficulties and the finish line came at the end of a long, straight road of more than 2km.

 

A sick Boris Vallee (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) was the only non-starter as the peloton gathered on acloudy  day in Belgium. Unsurprisingly, the start was very fast and it was difficult to get clear. Among others, Frantisek Sisr (Team Quick Step) was very active, but after more than 10km of racing things were still together.

 

While Florent Delfosse (Wallonie) became the first rider to leave the race, Nikolas Maes, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Etixx- Quick Step), Greg Henderson (Lotto Soudal), Mike Teunissen (LottoNL-Jumbo), Mads Pedersen (Stölting), Anders Skaarseth (Joker), Rudy Barbier, Jeremy Leveau (Roubaix) and Joeri Calleuw (Veranda's Willems) managed to get clear but after three laps things were back together. Teunissen tried again, but instead it was a 5-rider group with Skaarseth, Brian Van Goethem (Roompot), Benjamin Verraes (Cibel) and Aidis Kruopis (Veranda's Willems) which got gap. They had not much luck either and after 45km of racing, the move was neutralized.

 

Suddenly, a very dangerous 14-rider group with Frnando Gaviria, Iljo Keisse, Nikolas Maes, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Etixx-Quick Step), Sean De Bie, Pim Ligthart (Lotto Soudal), Quentin Jauregui (Ag2r), Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo ), Gianni Marchand (Cibel), Kristoffer Halvorsen, Bjørn Tore Hoem (Joker), Alexis Caresmel (Veranclassic), Joeri Calleuw (Veranda's Willems) and Dan McLay (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) was established, and after five laps they had built up a gap of 30 seconds. Unfortunately, Halvorsen crashed out of the break but the other 13 were working hard to keep their advantage.

 

Topsport Vlaanderen started to chase hard, and after 63km of racing, the gap was reduced to just 13 seconds. However, the hard pace meant that the peloton was split in two. The first group managed to catch the leaders at a time when the second group with Tom Van Asbroeck (LottoNL-Jumbo), Davide Martinelli (Team Quick Step) and Jakub Mareczko (Wilier) had lost 52 seconds.

 

The attacks started again, and this time it was Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo), Michael Carbel (Stölting), Gerry Druyts (Crelan), Amund Grondahl (Joker), Alexis Caresmel (Vera Classic) and Jimmy Duquennoy (Wallonie) who got clear. Finally, the peloton slowed down and thus the gap quickly went out to 1.30. In fact, it reached 3 minutes while a regrouping took place before Lotto Soudal began to chase.

 

A big acceleration in the crosswind split the field in two and suddenly a first group with the entire Etixx-QuickStep and Lotto Soudal teams and riders like Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo), Brian Van Goethem (Roompot), Amaury Capiot (Topsport,) Eugert Zhupa (Wilier), Joeri Calleuw and Aidis Kruopis (Veranda's Willems) had a gap of 26 seconds to the peloton. They quickly caught the six leaders, and so 27 riders had gathered in front with a lead of 27 seconds.

 

Roy Jans (Wanty), Anders Korsaeth (Joker), Dries De Bondt (Veranda’s Willems), Arjen Lyvins (Veranda’s Willems), Timothy Dupont (Veranda’s Willems) tried to bridge the gap but they were still 15 seconds behind the leaders when they hit the final 60km. At this point, the peloton was still at 30 seconds. 

 

Boeckmans had bad luck to puncture out of the front group and soon found himself back in the chase group. However, he managed to get back to the front. After Korsaeth had bridged across alone, the entire chase group made it back with 55km togo.

 

LottoNL-Jumbo lined out their entire team on the front of the peloton and stated to chase hard. Meanwhile, the attacking started in the front group when Frantisek Sisr (Etixx-QucikStep) made a move. Truls Korsaeth (Joker) joined him and moment later a small group with the likes of Frederik Frison (Lotto Soudal), Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-QuickStep) and Zhupa also made it across. A group with Van Keirsbulck and Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) also made the junction and the group quickly opened a 20-second advantage as they started the 13th lap. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was caught by the peloton.

 

Fernando Gaviria, Marcel Kittel, Frantisek Sisr, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Etixx-QuickStep), Michael Goolaerts, Kris Boeckmans Frederik Frison (Lotto Soudal), Brian Van Goethem (Roompot), Roy Jans (Wanty), Eugert Zhupa (Wilier), Joeri Calleuw, Aidis Kruopis (Veranda's), Ole Forfang and Truls Korsaeth (Joker) made up the front group and LottoNL-Jumbo were again on the defensive so they started to chase hard with Sep Vanmarcke. He neutralized a small attempt from Rob Ruijgh (Crelan). Crelan then took over and brought back a move from Emiel Wastyn (An Post).

 

A small group with Nikolas Maes (Etixx-QuickStep), Tom Van Asboeck, Mike Teunissen (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Topsport Vlaanderen) made it across to the leaders. The latter had barely made the junction before he went on the attack and together with Forfang he got a small advantage at the start of the third last lap.

 

Etixx-QuickStep had five riders in the group and so started to work hard with Sisr, Gaviria and Van Keirsbulck, quickly bringing the two leaders back. Meanwhile, Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNL-Jumbo) exploded in spectacular fashion.

 

Teunissen was very aggressive in the front group and then Maes and Frison made a failed attempt. At the same time, Kittel was dropped from the front group due to a mechanical.

 

There was no cooperation in the front group which was brought back as they entered the final 30km. Zhupa took off as soon as the junction was made and he stayed clear for a few kilometres before he was brought back.

 

There were numerous attacks and it was Tom Dernies (Wallonie) who managed to surge clear in a solo move. The Belgian started the penultimate lap with an advantage of around 15 seconds.

 

There was no organized chase in the peloton and so Dernies managed to maintain the gap while Van Keirsbulck took off in a solo move. Hofland bridged the gap as they tackled the cobbles and moments later Korsaeth also made the junction.

 

The three chasers joined Dernies as they hit the final 19km before Gaviria and Frison attacked from the peloton. That move failed an instead Henderson, Gaviria and another Joker rider bridged the gap to the leaders. Another group also latched onto the back but Veranda’s Willems shut it down with 16km to go.

 

Dernies, Gaviria , Korsaeth and Franck Bonnamour (Fortuneo-Vital Concept) went again and they managed to create a 10-second advantage before Lotto Soudal stated to chase with Frison and Henderson. Their work paid off as they brought the front quartet back just as they crossed the finish line for the penultimate time. At this point, a sick Kittel left the race.

 

Wesley Kreder (Roompot) attacked just after the passage of the line and he was joined by Korsaeth, Calleuw and Justin Jules (Veranclassic) to form a quartet which hit the cobbles with a 10-second advantage. Again Lotto Soudal were on the defensive and started to chase hard with Sean De Bie.

 

Etixx-QuickStep decided to go all in for the sprint and a big turn from Van Keirsbulck neutralized the break. Korsaeth attacked again and managed to reopen a 5-second advantage.

 

Etixx-QuickStep lined up their seven remaining riders on the front and Van Keirsbulck rode on the front to keep the gap at 5 seconds. Surprisingly, the gap even went out to 10 seconds when Iljo Keisse took over 3km from the finish.

 

Sisr was the next rider in the Etixx train but he failed to make any inroads. With 1.5km to go, the gap had even gone out to 12 seconds.

 

Korsaeth passed the flamme rouge with an advantage of 9 seconds and showed little sign of fatigue. That forced Etixx-QuickStep to launch the lead-out earlier than planned. Nikolas Maes took a huge turn before Davide Martinelli dropped Fabio Sabatini and Gaviria off. The Italian did the final big turn to bring Korsaeth back while Aidis Kruopis did a splendid job to drop Dupont off on Gaviria’s wheel. When the Colombian was forced to start his sprint earlier than planned, the Belgian easily came around to take one of the biggest wins of his career, with Gaviria having to settle for second and Raymond Kreder taking third.

 

With Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen done and dusted, attention turns to tomorrow’s harder Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem that is a typical Flemish classic with 15 small climbs.