After the big opening of the Flemish cycling season last weekend, racing in the Walloon part of Belgium kicks off in more modest surroundings on Wednesday. With several pave sectors and short, steep climbs, Le Samyn resembles a Flemish race more than a typical Walloon classic and usually allows some of the lesser known riders to shine in the absence of their captains.

 

Belgium is divided into two major regions that don’t agree about much. However, they both share the love for cycling and both areas host some of the biggest cycling races in the world, including two of the monuments. Racing in the two regions are pretty different though, with the Flemish cycling calendar dominated by its cobbles and short, steep hellingen and the Walloon races usually characterized by the longer climbs in the Ardennes.

 

The Flemish cycling season always has a grandiose start with the opening weekend’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and for many those races signal the real start of the road season. Those two races are both typical Flemish races and are major events on the international calendar.

 

The Walloon highlights in the Ardennes are still far away and so it is no surprise that the start of the season in this part of Belgium is a bit more low-key. Traditionally it all kicks off on the Wednesday after the Flemish opening with the small Le Samyn semi-classic.

 

The race may take place in Wallonia but actually it has a perfect calendar date as its nature makes it look more like a Flemish classic. It doesn’t take place in the Ardennes and the key challenges are the weather, cobbles and hellingen, just as it was the case this past weekend in Flanders.

 

Le Samyn was first held as a professional race in 1968 and so has a long history. However, it still lacks the prestige of the major races and the big names usually head home after the opening weekend to prepare for Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. This opens the door for some of the domestiques to go for glory on the cobbles and together with the weekend stage race Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, it offers an alternative path for young riders and support riders who haven’t been selected for the two major WorldTour stage races.

 

The course

Le Samyn has usually been a typical Belgian classic with lots of wind, narrow roads, short climbs and a few pave sectors. Traditionally it has suited the powerful sprinters as it has usually been decided in a bunch sprint on the tough uphill drag to the line.

 

In 2015, however, the sprinters may have a harder time than usual. After several years with an unchanged format, the organizers have made a significant change to the finishing circuit to include more cobbles, including a very difficult 700m sector just 2km from the line. The local riders who have had a look at the course all expect it to be more selective than it has been in the past.

 

The 201.2km race starts in Quaregnon and finishes at the traditional site in Dour and can be split into two parts. The first part is made up of a 102.3km journey through the area north of Dour. After a flat opening, the riders get into the hillier area where they tackle the short Cote de Mainvault, Cote de la Folie, Cote des Papins and Cote du Semenil in quick succession between the 30km and 50km marks. Then they head back onto flat roads to go back to Dour.

 

Just before the first passage of the finish line, the riders enter the finishing circuit and here they will get their first taste of the difficult pave sector that has been given the maximum 3-star difficulty rating. They continue straight to the finish line where they end the race by doing four laps of the new 24.7km finishing circuit.

 

The circuit is very similar to the one that has been used in the past and includes the two pave sectors and two hellingen that have always characterized it. However, the organizers have included that extra cobbled section near the end. The first challenge is an easy 1-star pave sector before the riders reach the cobbled Cote de la Roquette which has been given a two-star rating. It comes 13.1km from the finish and leads to the Cote d’Audregnies 6.1km later. With 2.6km to go, the riders hit the 700m 3-star pave which is slightly rising. From there it is slightly uphill all the way to the well-known finish in Dour. The finale is non-technical as there are no turns inside the final kilometre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather

The weather always plays a huge role in all Belgian races. Wind and rain can make it very selective while sunny, calm conditions favour the sprinters. This year the conditions will resemble those the riders had in the weekend as there will be plenty of sunshine and a 7-degree temperature but there will also be lots of wind.

 

A strong wind will be blowing from a westerly direction which means that the riders will have lots of crosswind in the opening section and there will be lots of crosswind on the finishing circuit too. Here the riders will first have a crosswind, then a headwind and then a crosswind as they go up the two climbs. As they approach the final pave sector, they will turn into a cross-tailwind which they will enjoy for the final part of the race.

 

The favourites

In the past few years, Le Samyn has not been a very selective race. Partly due to rather pleasant weather conditions, the two climbs on the finishing circuit have not been enough to challenge the sprinters and so a bunch sprint has decided the race in most of the latest editions, with Dominik Klemme’s solo win in 2011 being the major exception. However, the uphill finishing straight has made things complicated for the pure sprinters and it is no coincidence that it has been won by stronger guys like Philippe Gilbert, Jens Keukeleire, Arnaud Demare, Alexey Tsatevich and last year’s winner Maxime Vantomme.

 

This year the new course makes things a lot more complicated and most expect the race to be a lot more selective. Local riders have done a recon of the new pave sector and they have described it as pretty difficult. As it comes very close to the finish, it may be used to launch a late attack and a good position at the end of that zone will be crucial for a good overall result. Furthermore, the windy conditions should add an extra element of excitement to the race and this year’s race is likely to be the hardest in recent history.

 

It is definitely not impossible for a small group to escape on the final pave and they may go on to decide the race on the uphill finishing straight, especially if the windy conditions have made the race a hard one. It should be a very nervous affair and this will automatically make it very fast. Hence, the most likely scenario is that it will be a gradual elimination like a typical Flemish classic, with a small group sprinting for the win in the end.

 

Lotto Soudal have had a very good start to the season but due to bad luck, they didn’t have much success in the opening weekend. Now they will be eager to get their revenge on home soil and Le Samyn offers the first chance. None of their major stars are in attendance but they go to the race with a roster that includes several good cards.

 

Kris Boeckmans has twice finished second in this race and he is perfectly suited to the uphill sprint. At Lotto Soudal, he rarely gets the chance to sprint for himself but in this race he should be their leader. The Belgian has shown excellent condition, most notably in last Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne where he was the only rider who could stay with Sep Vanmarcke, Tom Boonen and Zdenek Stybar when they attacked on the Kwaremont. Earlier he won a stage in the Etoile de Besseges and he seems to be riding stronger than ever before.

 

Boeckman rarely participates in the bunch sprints but last year he showed amazing speed when he got rare opportunities in the Tour of Turkey and the Criterium du Dauphiné. With his good condition, he will be hard to drop on the cobbles and the sprint is simply tailor-made for him. If he is well-positioned at the end, he will be the man to beat and he is our favourite to win the race.

 

However, he faces tough opposition, most notably from Trek and Etixx-QuickStep. The former line up with Gert Steegmans, the Van Poppel brothers and Giacomo Nizzolo and so they have the best lead-out. Usually, Nizzolo will be the protected sprinter and he is perfectly suited to an uphill sprint. The Italian has had a slow start to the year due to a foot injury but he got better during the Etoile de Besseges and is keen to get a confidence boost ahead of his first goal at Paris-Nice. He doesn’t have a lot of experience of the cobbles but if his team can protect him well, he will be one of the big favourites as on paper he is the fastest sprinter in this race.

 

Of course Etixx-QuickStep have the best team for this race and they will try to use the cobbles and the wind to make it as hard as possible. Their best card is Gianni Meersman who is another rider who loves these uphill sprints. The Belgian has proved that he is in excellent condition as he has already taken two wins but he is not very experienced on the cobbles. With the best team at his side, however, he could be the one to benefit from the tough conditions and he is generally very hard to beat in this kind of uphill sprint.

 

Bryan Coquard didn’t have much luck in the sprint last Sunday but he seemed to be very strong on the cobbles. His tiny stature means that he is not perfectly suited to this kind of races but he is very fast in an uphill sprint. If his team can protect him well, he definitely has the speed to win this race.

 

2014 was a breakthrough year for Jonas Vangenechten who left Lotto Soudal to get more chances to chase personal success. Until now he has mostly been working for Matteo Pelucchi at IAM but even though the Italian will be at the start tomorrow, this uphill sprint should be better for the Belgian. In the late races of 2014, he proved that he has become a lot stronger in these tough conditions and on paper he is one of the fastest riders in this race.

 

Baptiste Planckaert has had an amazing start to the season with lots of good showings in Haut Va, Besseges and Marseille. He seems to be in great condition and is clearly one of the strongest sprinters at the moment. On paper, there are faster sprinters than him in this race but if the race turns out to be a hard one, he will definitely be in the mix.

 

Roy Jans was left frustrated at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne as he never really got the chance to sprint. However, the Belgian won a stage in Besseges and seems to be in very good condition at the moment. He is not the best rider for tough conditions but he has a strong team at his side and can count on the experience of Bjorn Leukemans. If he can make the selection, he has the speed to finish it off.

 

With the late passage of the cobbles, there is a chance for a strong rider to make a late move and this opens the door for Niki Terpstra. Last Saturday he underlines that he is one of the best riders for these races and with lots of wind forecasted, this could turn into a really tough affair. If that is the case, Terpstra may launch a late attack and then he will be very hard to catch. Terpstra’s teammates Stijn Vandenbergh and Yves Lampaert may try similar moves but may have a harder time finishing it off.

 

MTN-Qhubeka have lots of fast riders for this race but it seems that Tyler Farrar and Theo Bos will both be riding in support of an in-form Kristian Sbaragli who has twice finished fifth in this race. He may not be fast enough to win the race but with a good lead-out he could create a surprise. Despite the tough finish, another win for an in-form Pelucchi cannot be ruled as he has improved his endurance a lot over the winter. Raymond Kreder has been riding really well all year and should be a contender in the sprint FDJ youngsters Marc Sarreau and Lorenzo Manzin will be keen to test themselves in this kind of uphill sprint and Adrien Petit will be keen to finally make things right after two third places in this race. Finally, Steegmans and Van Poppel could take over from Trek if Nizzolo is not feeling well and they both have the speed to excel in this race.

 

***** Kris Boeckmans

**** Giacomo Nizzolo, Gianni Meersman

*** Bryan Coquard, Jonas Vangenechten, Baptiste Planckaert, Roy Jans, Niki Terpstra

** Kristian Sbaragli, Tyler Farrar, Matteo Pelucchi, Raymond Kreder, Stijn Vandenbergh, Yves Lampaert, Gert Steegmans, Danny Van Poppel, Adrien Petit

* Lorenzo Manzin, Marc Sarreau, Maxime Vantomme, Daniel Schorn, Florian Vachon, Tiesj Benoot, Thomas De Gendt, Scott Thwaites, Ralf Matzka, Florian Senechal, Michael van Staeyen, Christope Laporte, Michel Kreder, Theo Bos, Sebastien Delfosse, Antoine Demoitie, Kevin Ista, Gaetan Bille