Peter Sagan (Cannondale) took his second big victory in a cobbled classics when he conquered today's big Tour of Flanders dress rehearsal at the E3 Harelbeke. Despite showing some signs of weakness when Geraint Thomas (Sky) and Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) attacked on the Oude Kwaremont, he made it back to the front to form a quartet that also included Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and easily responded to the many Omega Pharma-Quick Step attacks in the finale before taking a convincing sprint win. The defending champion Fabian Cancellara (Trek) crashed just before the decisive climb of the Paterberg, spent the entire day in chase mode, and had to settle for 9th.

 

After a disappointing performance in the Milan-Sanremo, Peter Sagan got his classics campaign back on track when he took a big win in today's E3 Harelbeke. The Slovakian rode a smart race in the traditional Tour of Flanders dress rehearsal to control a four-rider front group in a difficult situation before using his impressive sprint skills to take a comfortable victory.

 

Sagan showed signs of weakness when Geraint Thomas and Niki Terpstra attacked on the Oude Kwaremont with 30km to finish and seemed to have blown up when he crested the summit. However, he used his excellent acceleration to bridge back up to the leading trio that also included John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano).

 

Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) also joined the group that had caught the three remnants of the early escape while behind Fabian Cancellara (Trek) was in a fierce pursuit. The Swiss had crashed just before the crucial climb of the Paterberg and with his teamate Stijn Devolder he had been desperately trying to get back to the front.

 

After the Kwaremont, Cancellara picked up several riders until a chase group of just around 20 riders formed in pursuit of the front octet. Devolder and Cancellara were doing all the work as all their companions were content to sit on.

 

Sagan knew that he was in a difficult situation and so he launched an attack on the Karnemelkbeekstraat 20km from the finish. The three early escapees all dropped off but more importantly, Degenkolb was also unable to keep up the pace.

 

Degenkolb fell back to the chase group where he asked his teammate Dries Devenyns to join Devolder in the pace-setting but the duo kept losing time to the front quartet that worked well together. Cancellara made one final desperate attempt to get across but had used up all his energy and so it was clear that the winner would be from the front group.

 

Inside the final six kilometres, the Omega Pharma-Quick Step duo launched several attacks, with Vandenbergh being the most active but both Thomas and Sagan closed everything down. Hence, Sagan got the end that he had hoped for when it was all set to be decided in a sprint finish.

 

Thomas closed down a final desperate attack from Vandenbergh inside the final kilometre and launched hi sprint immediately after making the junction. However, he had no response to Sagan who took a very easy sprint win over his three companions.

 

Behind, Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) and Tony Gallopin (Lotto Belisol) made late attacks to take 5th and 6th while Borut Bozic (Astana) beat Tyler Farrar (Garmin) and Cancellara in the sprint for 7th.

 

Most of today's actors will be back in action again on Sunday in the Gent-Wevelgem where Sagan is the defending champion. For that race, they will be joined by several sprinters who fancy their chance on the easier course in the next race of the holy period of Belgian cycling.

 

A test for the Tour of Flanders

As always, the E3 Harelbeke offered the Tour of Flanders contenders a great chance to test their legs on the same course that will be used for the biggest Flemish classics. The race brought the riders over 212.2km with a start and finish in Harelbeke and was its usual difficult affair as it zigzagged its way through the Flemish Ardennes. The riders had to tackle no less than 17 hellingen during the race and several pavé sectors, with the Taaienberg and the duo of Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont set to be decisive. From the top of the final climb, the Tiegemberg, 15.7 flat kilometres remained to the finish in Harelbeke.

 

After the very cold conditions in last Sunday's Milan-Sanremo, the riders were pleased to be greeted by much warmer weather in Belgium. The race took off under beautiful sunshine, with the temperatures reaching a very pleasant 16 degrees.

 

Bad start for Topsport

Topsport Vlaanderen got their race off to a bad start as an ill Jelle Wallays was a non-starter. Furthermore, Tim Declercq and Vladimir Gusev (Katusha) went down already in the neutral zone but both managed to rejoin the peloton in time for the real start.

 

As it had been the case in the Dwars door Vlaanderen, the race was off to a furious start as many riders wanted to be part of the early breakaway. One of the first to give it a go was Frederik Veuchelen (Wanty) who was already on the attack last Wednesday as he took off with a rider from Europcar and MTN-Qhubeka. However, Lotto Belisol were very attentive in the peloton and brought things back together.

 

Attacking continues

The attacking continued but as the peloton was speeding along at a pace of more than 50km/h, it was impossible to get away. The riders even reached the Katteberg after 33km of racing without any escape going clear.

 

Just after that first climb, the riders tackled the paved Holleweg. Laurens De Vreese (Wanty) and Florian Senechal (Cofidis) used the rough surface to attack and exited the sector with a 5-second gap. Jerome Cousin (Europcar) and Maxime Daniel (Ag2r) set off in pursuit and the duo managed to join the two leaders.

 

A front quintet is formed

The peloton seemed to be content with the situation and started to slow down. Jay Robert Thomson (MTN-Qhubeka) realized that it was now or never if his team should be part of the action and he managed to bridge across on his own.

 

The quintet passed the Haaghoek pavé, the Leberg and the Paddestraat before they hit a long section with no major obstacles and they started to build up a solid gap. On the Leberg, they were 1.20 ahead but as the peloton took some time to refuel, the advantage reached 7 minutes.

 

A big crash

Several teams worked together to stabilize the gap in the long flat section at the midpoint of the race but a the battle for position heated up on the run-in to the La Houppe which was the first climb in the finale, the advantage started to come down.

 

A big crash brought down several riders, including Mathew Hayman and Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEDGE) who were both forced to abandon. Oscar Gatto (Cannondale), Gerald Ciolek (MTN), Jens Keukeleire (Orica-GreenEDGE), Bjorn Leukemans (Wanty), and Rudiger Selig (Katusha) also hit the deck but all were able to continue.

 

Stannard goes down

Due to the crash, the peloton split into two groups, with the first one being 4.40 behind the leaders and the second one being 20 second further adrift. Garmin were riding hard on the front but things got back together in time for the Boigneberg to start.

 

Ian Stannard (Sky) was the next rider to crash and the Omloop winner spent a long time in lone pursuit, passing several groups which had been held up in the earlier crash. Up ahead, it was IAM in control, with Martin Elmiger leading the peloton onto the climb.

 

Belkin in control

The first important climb was expected to be the Eikenberg which came 93km from the finish. Things got strung out  on the ascent but there was no real acceleration. Nonetheless, several riders were dropped as the selection had now started for real.

 

When the riders hit the Stationsberg, Belkin had taken control, with Jos Van Emden position Vanmarcke near the front. Behind, Thor Hushovd (BMC) was one of several riders to drop off and even though he would later rejoined the peloton, he left the race way before the finish in Harelbeke.

 

Wynants goes down

The riders were now approaching the Taaienberg which is always a key climb in the race and this heated up the action. All the big teams were fighting hard on the front, with Yaroslav Popoych (Trek) and Vandenbergh both hitting the front on different occasions.

 

Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) was unfortunate to crash just at the crucial moment and a little later it was bad luck for Maarten Wynants (Belkin) who crashed in the sprint towards the bottom of the climb. He nearly brought down his captain Vanmarcke who had to brake and lost his position near the front of the group.

 

A selection is made

Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Belisol) and Luca Paolini (Katusha) accelerated on the climb without making a real attack and on the top, the peloton had split into pieces. Due to the crash, Vanmarcke was chasing hard in between the first two groups while Terpstra and Devolder were back in the third group, the former having suffered a front wheel puncture.

 

At the top, the first group slowed down and this opened the doors for attacks. Michael Mørkøv (Tinkoff-Saxo) was the first to give it a go and for the next several kilometres, constant moves were made, with Michael Schär (BMC), Vandenbergh, Jasper Stuyven (Trek), Bram Tankink (Belkin), Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEDGE), Lloyd Mondory (Ag2r), Bozic, Silvan Dillier (BMC), Damien Gaudin (Ag2r), Manuel Quinziato 8BMC), Marcel Sieberg (Lotto), Christian Knees (Sky) Bert De Backer (Giant), Nikolas Maes (OPQS), Jean-Pierre Drucker (Wanty) all being part of the action.

 

Pozzao rejoins the front

Most of the groups rejoined and when finally a Lampre-led group with Filippo Pozzato also made the junction a big peloton had formed. Meanwhile, Sagan and Vanmarcke had bad luck as they both had to stop due to mechanicals.

 

The escapees hit the Knokteberg with a 2.40 advantage as the peloton had again upped the pace due to the battle for position. This ended the aggression and instead all the big teams patrolled the front.

 

A battle for position

Cousin had bad luck to puncture out of the lead group but he quickly rejoined the leaders while Trek with Stuyven, Garmin with Steele Von Hoff, and OPQS with Iljo Keisse all led the peloton at different points. The hard battle brought the gap down to less than 2 minutes with 58km to go.

 

Van Avermaet was the next favourite to have a mechanical at a crucial point as it happened at a point where the battle for position was really fierce on the run-in to the Rotelenberg. He managed to rejoin the front as the peloton again slowed down after the climb, allowing Cancellara to drop back to his team car to discuss the situation.

 

More bad luck for Vanmarcke

The gap went up from 1.30 to 1.50 during the small breather while Vanmarcke's string of bad luck would not end. He suffered another puncture at a point where the pace was again fierce and he didn't get back to the front in time for the riders to again hit narrow roads.

 

The riders were now approaching the Kapelberg which preceded the decisive pair of the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont and just at this crucial moment, a big crash happened near the front. Cancellara was one of the riders to go down and even though he was unhurt, it took some time to get a new bike and get back  into the race.

 

Canncellara in chase mode

Lotto Belisol were now riding hard on the front of a small 25-rider group that had escaped as a consequence of the crash. Cancellara was on his own in desperate chase mode as he kept passing several riders on his way back to the front.

 

On the Paterberg, De Vreese attacked from the front group which was enough to leave Daniel and Thomason behind. In the peloton, Vanmarcke went hard all the way to the top and as Terpstra took over, a group with that duo, Van Avermaet, Bozic, Sagan, Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), Degenkolb, and Devenyns had formed. Tom Boonen (OPQS), Vandenbergh, Roelandts, Gallopin, Paolini, Farrar, and Ignatas Konovalovas (MTN) joined from behind and they started to cooperate well.

 

Cancellara reaches Devolder

Cancellara was now leading a small group with Zdenek Stybar (OPQS) glued to his wheel. They joined a Garmin-led group with Nick Nuyens and Sebastian Langeveld that also included his teammate Devolder. With Devolder going to the front to work, they made it up to a group with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) before the Kwaremont.

 

On the key climb, Thomas accelerated hard and only Terpstra and Degenkolb could match his pace. Sagan was with Vandenbergh and Van Avermaet a little further behind while Boason Hagen was next in line.

 

Sagan bridges across

Sagan left his companions behind while Devolder, Cancellara and Stybar caught Boonen. Over the top, Thomas, Terpstra, and Degenkolb caught Senechal, De Vreese and Cousin while Sagan made a fantastic acceleration to also make the junction.

 

Cancellara, Stybar, Devolder, and Boone  caught Paolini and Vanmarcke and later also made it up to a group with Gallopin, Roelandts, Devenyns, Boasson Hagen, Bozic, Van Avermaet and Konovalovas. Vandenbergh was the final rider to join the leader to make it an 8-rider group that was now 13 seconds ahead.

 

Sagan makes his move

On the Karnemelkbeekstraat with 26km to go, Sagan made his first attack and while Thomas, Terpstra and Vandenbergh easily shut it down, Degenkolv, De Vreese, Cousin and Senechal fell off. Senechal and Cousin were quickly back in the next group that was led by Cancellara and Devolder and which constantly lost ground.

 

Degenkolb and De Vreese were also picked up by that group, prompting Devenyns to join Devolder in the chase. However, the duo was no match to the front quartet who were 40 seconds ahead when they rached the Varentstraat.

 

Cancellara with one final attempt

Stybar punctured out of the chase group but had no trouble getting back on. Meanwhile, Sagan led the front group all the way up the final climb of the day, the Tiegemberg.

 

This was where Cancellara made one final attempt to bridge across. Paolini was on his wheel and Vanmarcke and Stybar also made the junction. However, Boasson Hagen, Devenyns and Van Avermaet combined forces to bring it back together but the acceleration brought the gap down to 30 seconds.

 

Terpstra sits on

De Vreese went off the road while Cousin, Devolder and Konovalovas all got dropped but they managed to rejoin the chase group. Meanwhile, the cohesion in the front group finally disappeared when Terpstra decided to just sit on while the work was left to the three other.

 

Nonetheless, the gap constantly went up as all the work was left to Devenyns. Hence, the riders started attacking each other, with Bozic and Gallopin both making unsuccessful moves.

 

Devolder goes back to work

Back in the group, Devolder went straight back to work and together with Devenyns, he restored order. However, the gap was now 46 seconds and it was clear that the winner would be one of the leaders.

 

With 6km to go, Terpstra made the expected attack but Sagan was quick to shut it down. Vandenebergh was the next to give it a go but this time Thomas closed it down.

 

Repeated attacks from Vandenbergh

Vandenbergh tried again 4.2km from the line but again Thomas was quick to react. When the big Belgian went again, Sagan closed it down.

 

Inside the final 2km, the four escapees started to look at each other and Sagan went to the front to keep up the pace a bit. Vandenbergh tried again at the flamme rouge but Sagan easily brought it back together.

 

Easy win for Sagan

Vandenbergh made on final attempt with 600m to go and this time Thomas reacted. The Welshman went straight to the front as he launched his sprint but he was no match to Sagan who easily passed him to take the win. Terpstra narrowly edged out Thomas in the sprint for second.

 

Gallopin made a late bid for 5th but inside the final kilometre he was joined by Vanmarcke. The duo managed to stay away to the finish, with Vanmarcke winning the sprint. Bozic, Farrar, Cancellara, and Van Avermaet had a close sprint for 7th and ended the race in that order.