What the stars said after the cobblestone clash – VeloNews.com

What the stars said after the cobblestone clash – VeloNews.com

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The Tour of Flanders proved to be breathtaking as always this weekend.

From the overwhelming friction of the Deceuninck-Quick-Step power play to the final slug festival between Kasper Asgreen, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, the cobblestone monument more than matched the pre-race hype.

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Asgreen defeated the favorites and stole the show on Sunday, but what were the other stars saying after the cobblestone clash? Here’s what:

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step): 42

Julian Alaphilippe was active in the final hours of the race, attacking on the second climb of Oude Kwaremont and working with Asgreen to increase pressure on Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. The Frenchman struggled to reach the final selection only to be thrown off the wheels when Asgreen attacked to take van Aert and van der Poel 27 km from the end.

Having entered the race as one of the top favorites, Alaphilippe finished in 42nd, 2:35. His next scheduled race is Liège-Bastogne-Liège, later this month.

“We rode very well and assumed our responsibility. We were well represented in the final. Kasper was one of our strong guys. He rode perfectly. It was a beautiful victory, he deserves it. He’s a great guy, a machine. It is not the last race that he wins. “

“I was happy to accompany you a little bit in the final. I tried something at Kruisberg, but I saw that it would be complicated for me. Unfortunately, I split in the final kilometers. My legs exploded. I had colic everywhere.

“I tried to support Kasper as best I could and tried to stay with the group as long as possible. I also have races in the Ardennes yet to come. Now I need to recover. It has been a long day.”

Patrick Lefevere (Deceuninck-Quick-Step manager)

Veteran coach Patrick Lefevere watched as his team won their fourth classic of the year, and Kasper Asgreen’s second in just nine days. Lefevere is currently shaping the future of his team as he works to renew sponsor deals and extend deals with his pilots, many of whom are out of contract at the end of 2021.

“On the one hand I am very satisfied, on the other hand I was finalizing Kasper’s new contract this week. I think it will cost me a little more now. Well, that is part of the game, of course. “

“It is no surprise that Kasper won today. I was coming. Two years ago Kasper was already 2nd in the Tour of Flanders, last year he also participated [finishing 13th] and this year he won the E3 Saxo Bank Classic in a magnificent way.

“This week we talked about your run with him. He was a little offended – he said, ‘You think I can’t run, but I can run. I’ve won sprint races. ‘He is convinced of his qualities and makes it happen. He’s a maniac for riding a bicycle. He’s a very calm guy and knows very well what he’s doing and makes a lot of sacrifices for his sport – he hasn’t come home since Milan-Sanremo. “

Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe): 15th

Peter Sagan was out of the mix for much of the day, while challenging for a second win against the odds in Flanders. Having had to reschedule his start to the season after a coronavirus attack and a long quarantine period, the Slovakian was just beginning to recover in the weeks before De Ronde.

Sagan missed the decisive moves when Mathieu van der Poel and Deceuninck-Quick-Step made a series of attacks in the final 60 km, but opened the way for the second chase group to finish 15th, 2:15 ago. It will now cool its jets before the Giro d’Italia next month.

“The Tour of Flanders, as expected, was very difficult and fast. We had a strong squad and I would like to thank them for their work, but, unfortunately, when the decisive attacks came, my current form was not enough to answer and follow them. I need to keep working to reach the level I had before I was infected with COVID. “

Greg Van Avermaet (Ag2r-Citroën): 3rd

Greg Van Avermaet made an astute run, keeping his gold helmet down and saving his bullets for when he needed it most. Having mounted De Ronde 14 times in his long quest for victory in his home monument, the Ag2r-Citroën captain used his experience to make his move at the key moment. “Golden Greg” left the chase group with three kilometers to go and defended himself from a challenge from Jasper Stuyven to claim third place.

Van Avermaet’s podium was his best result in Flanders since he finished second in 2017. It also marks the high point of a consistent season – albeit off pace – that saw him in the top 20 of all the classics he started, except Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in late February.

“I am very happy to be back on the podium after a few years, in a race that I love so much. I’ll try again, but it’s not getting any easier.

“I’ve been on the podium a few times with a sad face because I thought more was possible. But this time I was all smiles behind my mask. I made the most of it, and more than third place was not possible. I am satisfied.

“I was fine, but I didn’t have the legs to go with Mathieu, Wout or Alaphilippe, so I had to do it at my own pace. There were certainly more than three pilots stronger than me. With my experience and knowledge of the course, I knew that I had to try to stay in the group. If some of the others broke, my chances would increase and maybe a podium was possible. “

Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo): 4th

Like Greg Van Avermaet, Jasper Stuyven was unable to match the main accelerations over the final icebergs on Sunday. Even so, the Trek-Segafredo captain struggled until the final hour to join the chase group after Kasper Asgreen and Mathieu van der Poel left.

Stuyven was the first to react to Van Avermaet’s move in the podium race, but he faded when his veteran rival made it to the finish line at Oudenaarde. Having won Milano-Sanremo in March, Stuyven has had one of his best classic campaigns so far and will now take a break before returning to focus on the Ardennes.

“I did not react immediately [to Van Avermaet] and then I thought, okay, come on. I mean, I thought it would be very difficult and also, when he replaced me, I could feel that there was a difference in power. In the sprint, I tried, but it was clear that I had no legs for the third.

“I think it is good to get a fourth place at the end. In Flanders, it is my best result and it is not so bad to get the first and fourth places in the first two monuments of the season. I have to be happy; Of course, I would have liked to have finished with a podium, but that’s how it is. “

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