photo credits @WTFK
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) opened up his Spring campaign with a victory in Ename Samyn Classic, vanquishing Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) at the end of the 199km cobbled race.
The race began with an early break with eight riders., but the peloton didn’t let them get too far. And, as the final hour approached, the fireworks began with 70 kilometers to go, with Alpecin-Deceuninck hitting the front in an effort to set up Van der Poel.
In the end, it all came down to a sprint on the cobbled Rue de Belle Vue, with the Dutch rider timing his sprint to perfection during the uphill finish with a full 200 meters to go, blasting to the front ahead of Magnier, Jeannière, while other fast finishers including Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech)
“I was feeling pretty strong already during the race, but it wasn’t hard enough to make a difference. There were a lot of people watching me,” Van der Poel said after his win.
“At 50km from the finish I said to my teammates I’ll save my legs to go for the sprint because I knew that on a finish like this, I’m capable of winning. So, that’s what I did and I’m very happy with this win.
Ename Samyn featured 20 sectors of cobbles, mostly centred around a circuit of Dour in southern Belgium, and so therefore proved the perfect terrain for two-time Paris-Roubaix winner Van der Poel. The upcoming Monuments – Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Roubaix – will once again be the key target for the first part of the Dutchman’s season, with a record-breaking fourth Flanders win on the cards.
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