Niki Terpstra (Etixx-QuickStep) proved that he is back on track after his injury in the summer when he powered to victory in Dwars door Het Hageland whose combination of cobbles and gravel roads has given it the nichname of the Belgian Strade Bianche. In a thrilling finale, the Dutchman powered up the final cobbled climb to pass the fading Jelle Wallays (Lotto Belisol) and drop Wout Van Aert (Crelan) and Florian Senechal (Cofidis) who had to settle for second and third respectively.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Niki Terpstra: I thought Wallays would make it

It takes a hard man, a strong team, a flawless tactic and a perfect bike to win a race of attrition, such as Dwars door het Hageland, and Etixx – Quick-Step had them all on Friday afternoon, when 32-year-old Niki Terpstra stormed to his second success of the season, following a perfectly timed attack in the closing meters of the 198-km long one-day event which is sure to become one of the fans' favourite from now on.

 

Dwars door het Hageland began under a cloudy sky in Aarschot, where some 180-odd riders riders gathered at the start for a race that included 11 hills and 20 sections of pavé and dirt roads. The opening kilometers were rather calm, but everything exploded on the first cobbled sector, where the peloton was split under the impetus of Etixx – Quick-Step and Tom Boonen, the winner of RideLondon Classic, who was joined by 17 other men, including teammates Niki Terpstra and Lukasz Wisniowski.

 

Once the first unpaved section was left behind, 50 riders bridged to the leaders and opened a 1:30 advantage over the second group, but the skirmishes kept on coming and other groups took off, because the race was very hard to control due to the rain and the technical course which didn't give the bunch a minute of respite. The final 60 kilometers of the race proved to be the most important, as they were jammed with cobbled hills and dirt roads which led to the peloton being blown to pieces.

 

Lukasz Wisniowski was one of the riders to get infiltrated in the 11-man group that pulled away and built a two-minute advantage over the pack. 2014 Paris-Roubaix winner Niki Terpstra was part of the first chasing group which eventually made the junction with less than 30 kilometers to go, just when things started to become more serious. As expected, the riders couldn't stick together on the dirt roads of Belgium and Wout Van Aert (Crelan-Vastgoedservice) tried to take advantage of that, but despite holding a 15-second advantage at one point, he was reeled in by a fantastic Wisniowski.

 

As soon as he was caught, Jelle Wallays (Lotto-Soudal) launched a strong attack and looked to have the win in the bag, but once again the Polish rider of Etixx – Quick-Step came to the fore and controlled the margin of the lone leader, before Niki Terpstra took things into his own hands. In the technical last kilometer of the race which was set to finish on a short and punchy cobbled climb leading to the Diest Citadel, Wallays began to struggle and lose ground just as Terpstra was upping the pace. A powerful acceleration of the three-time Dutch champion saw him make the catch with 200 meters to go and leave everyone else behind, soloing to the win, his second of the year following the one in Le Samyn.

 

"It was a pretty tough race, due to the harsh weather conditions. We had some showers in the first two hours and that made for some nervous racing on the cobblestones. The peloton was split pretty early and I  had to fight in order to make it to the front group, where Lukasz worked hard and did a great job in keeping a high tempo", said Terpstra, who brought Etixx – Quick-Step its 41st success since the start of the season.  

 

"Wallays was strong and it wasn't easy to reel him in, but I gave everything, rode really fast on that last climb and took this beautiful victory, my second one of the season, and one which comes after that injury I had at the start of the summer. I'm very happy, because it's always nice when you cross the finish line first, as this gives you more confidence for your next races.

 

"It was hard on those cobbles. I always had the feeling that they would pass me. But after the last turn, I knew I would make it to the finish and I was happy. I rode the final climb as hard as possible.

 

“Wallays? He was very strong. It was important to have Wisniowski. Without him, it would have been impossible. I thought that he would stay away but the last climb made the difference. He was a nice target for me.

 

“This race? Occasionally this is nice. If you win, everything is beautiful but it shouldn’t be crazier than this. We should have no competition to make the craziest course.”

 

Wout Van Aert: Terpstra was the strongest on the final climb

"I had to let him get a few meters,” Wout Van Aert said. “Then I knew that he had had enough to do it. I was also over the limit. Terpstra was the strongest on the last climb. It was spectacular, very funny too. The last 30km were very difficult. I had a little more to save money for the move. I should hsave saved more energy during the race.

 

“We’ll see what the future holds. Paris-Roubaix? I want to do that race but it can also be combined with cyclo-cross. " 

 

Jelle Wallays after near-miss: I was beaten by a better rider

Two Lotto Soudal trainees participated in today’s race: James Callum Shaw and Michael Goolaerts.  The spectators saw a very attractive race, Jelle Wallays was one of the protagonists but was unable to take the victory.

 

The race exploded on the first cobbled section of the day as the peloton split in two and a front group of eighteen riders was formed. Jelle Wallays was part of it and he really showed himself in the break. Several moments later, the leaders got reeled in by the first part of the peloton. After that, a few other attempts were made. Wallays was again one of the escapees. At about twenty kilometres from the finish, a chasing group with among others Sean De Bie bridged the gap to the front so more than twenty riders entered the hard finale of this race.

 

Again it was Jelle Wallays who distinguished himself as he attacked at about twelve kilometres from the finish. The Belgian rider rode really strong and he managed to obtain a twenty-second gap. Unfortunately, he was caught inside the final uphill kilometre. Niki Terpstra won the race just ahead of Wout Van Aert, Wallays finished at the fourth place.

 

The impressive attempt of the 27-year old Wallays didn’t pay off but he was very close to the victory. Nevertheless, it was a great performance as he rode in the front of the race almost the whole day. Lotto Soudal rode an aggressive race and finished with two riders in the top ten. Sean De Bie finished ninth.

 

Kris Boeckmans crashed and abandoned the race as a precaution.

 

Jelle Wallays said:

 

“It’s a pity of course that I was reeled in inside the finale kilometre but I’m very happy about the way I raced today. I tried to ride an aggressive race right from the beginning and these efforts paid off. I was part of the first break, after that I tried to go clear several other times. Eventually, we entered the finale with about twenty riders and a few moments later I decided to attack. I finished fourth, that’s very close to the podium. But it isn’t a shame to finish behind a rider such as Niki Terpstra.

 

“I didn’t aim for a good result in this race beforehand. I have just been a few days to the Ardennes to train, so it was a bit unclear whether the legs would be good or not. It was a very hard race, but I like that. It was an aggressive race right from the beginning and that suits me. At GP Cerami, the scenario was a bit the same but I managed to win the race. Today, I was very close to the victory but that’s racing. I know that I gave my all and I was beaten by a better rider.

 

“I felt good and I’m clearly in a good shape, that’s very positive with the coming races in mind: Tour de l’Ain and Vuelta a España. It will be my first Grand Tour and I’m really looking forward to it.”

 

Marco Marcato confirms form with top 5 on Belgian gravel roads

The team Wanty-Groupe Gobert rode a fantastic race with Marco Marcato and Mark McNally in the leading group, Jenthe Biermans in the first chasing grop and then in the leading group and Jérôme Baugnies and Dimitri Claeys in the second chasing group. Marco Marcato is the best finisher with a 5th place.

 

"I think only in Belgium you can organize such a race,” he said. “It was hard from the beginning. My condition is not bad at the moment. Anyway I paid a little bit for the fact that I didn't know the parcours. Maybe next time it will be different. But in the end it was a really nice race. Even the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are worse than Dwars door het Hageland.

 

Stagiaire Jenthe Biermans (14th) said:

 

"I'm happy with my first race for Wanty-Groupe Gobert. I spent the day at the front. I had a puncture in the last 5 kilometres. Maybe a top ten was possible today."

 

 

Madison Genesis rider impresses on Belgian gravel roads

For MadTom Stewart made another show of strength in the Dwars Door het Hageland, finishing eighth against top-class opposition – including eventual winner Niki Terpstra.

 

Stewart was part of the main move of the day and coming into the final 10-kilometres, would fight with the biggest names for victory.

 

Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal) would kick things off with a solo attack, with the others giving chase in the final four kilometres. As Terpstra and others – including cyclo-cross world champion Wout Van Aert moved off the front – Stewart remained in the group, saving his energy for the final cobbled climb to the finish, where he would cross the line best of the rest in eighth.

 

Madison Genesis were involved in all of the action prior to Stewart’s move, with the near-200km course featuring pave, gravel roads and farm tracks, all of which made racing tough and unpredictable.

 

Tobyn Horton and Matt Holmes made the early break which included Tom Boonen, but the danger was sensed and the group was taken back.

 

It was inevitable another move would go clear and this time Tom Stewart and Alex Blain made the selection of 35. Again this move failed but on the third time of asking, 11 riders including Stewart moved clear of the peloton.

 

Extreme amount of bad luck for strong Roompot team in Belgium

The team leaders of Roompot - Orange Peloton do usually not seek for an excuse for poor results but in Dwars door het Hageland bad luck played a very important role. Tim Kerkhof, Michel Kreder and Nick van der Lijke were strong but due to mechanicals they could not finish it off.

 

When the peloton split to pieces, Kerkhof, Van der Lijke and Michel Kreder were consistently up front. Especially the former made a good impression. A puncture on the last of the dirt roads, less than five kilometers from the finish, ended his race.

 

The former U23 national champion was frustrated, “mostly because I felt very strong. I was at the front during the entire race and was really good even in the final. But on such a course the risk of punctures is somewhat bigger. It is a shame but hopefully I can convert the form that I have since the National Championships into a good result in the next races," said Kerkhof who eventually finished 15th.

 

Also Nick van der Lijke was sure prevented from making the result that "was in the legs." The Dutchman was part of the leading group of ten when he broke his bike about 25 kilometers from the finish at the Citadel of Diest. "Then I was with Michel Kreder (17th) twenty seconds behind the leaders. We rode hard but you know that it's never going to slow down in this race. It is a shame because a really good result was possible,” said van der Lijke who finished 22nd.

 

Cycling Academy mixes it up with the starts in Belgium

Cycling Academy went against the big boys in the Dwars door het Hageland race in Belgium, names like Tom Boonen and his Etixx - Quick-Step Cycling Team buddies.

 

When it came to the money time they were right there with Mihkel Räim and Daniel Turek. Both the Estonian and Czech got into the main breakaway of the strongest riders of the race. The "viking" suffered from a flat in the most crucial moment of the last selection but Turek was part of a chasing group before he crashed one km from the finish.

 

"They were fantastic, " said sports director Nicki Sørensen. "The showed they belong with the best and with some better luck they could have done much more"

 

Stölting captain taken out by mechanical on Belgian gravel roads

It looked good for Alex Kirsch at Dwars door het Hageland – Aarschot (1.1) for a long time. But with 21 km to go, he suffered a mechanical and dropped back from the group that was to race for the win.

 

20.75 km of the 194.1 km were unsealed, partly on cobbles, but mostly as gravel paths. Alex Kirsch had a puncture on the very first cobblestone section at km 54 while a number of pre-race favourites ramped up the pace and a group of twenty riders got away from the peloton.

 

Kirsch could make his way back through the field, though, and made contact with the front group of about 35 riders after 114 km. This group fell apart again on the gravel sections, and with 30 km to go, Kirsch was 47 seconds behind the front, chasing in a group with a.o. the eventual winner Niki Terpstra (Etixx – Quick Step). But on the 3.5 km Grontbroekstraat gravel road Kirsch had a mechanical at a point in the race where the team cars had been diverted from the narrow race course, losing all options for a good placing.

 

The other Team Stölting Service Group riders also suffered their share of mechanicals and crashes. Sven Reutter was the first when he crashed on the first 50 km, later stagiaire Willi Willwohl had two punctures. Jonas Tenbrock suffered a puncture in the second half of the race, but did make it to the finish.

 

Sports Director Gregor Willwohl said: “It was a great, exciting race on a beautiful parcours. I would love to come back, our riders liked it as well. And the race was safe, too. In the finale, I received a message on the radio that Alex needed his spare bike – but we were on a diversion at that moment. When we had made it back to the course, he had already come past, and then we were diverted again. Our mechanic was on one side of a closed level crossing, the race was on the other side. Alex did get the bike, but the race was over.”