BLTAGNE CLASSIC: De Lie’s Tactical Victory

it is

31.8.

Plouay> Plouay

263 km

De Lie

Although the organizers Bretagne Classic Every year they try to find all possible hills in the area and keep their classics on huge ransom over 260 kilometers, we do not see such attractive cycling here and usually do it sprinters. But last year we watched the super expedient Hirschiho brandwhich managed to separate from a large group and to win tightly. The question was whether someone in good form will not try to repeat this Swiss Kokok. Hirschi himself was not good this year enough to believe in Repet.

At first, the race was standard, there was a classic leak in the front and the kilometers were counted to the finish and thus real racing. But already 95 kilometers ahead of the finish on one of the hills, surprisingly began to attack. It was responsible for it Isaac del Toro from UAE. The young Mexican wants to show these weeks that he could also be the leader of the team in Vuelta, but when he was sent for another race, he will be the strongest. Burgos won, Hamburg was not his playground, so he wanted to surprise in Plouay today.

With Del Toro, various racers jumped there, but they did not want to help him very much and these struggles were deleted, but it destroyed the original escape. In a moment of peace he tried it so Kasper Asgreen. They released him. Already 55 km before the tape began to be busy again in the peloton. Tried it Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor). UAE liquidated everything. These struggles meant that the peloton had been split and the rear remained also Olav Kooij. Almost all Visma was assembled and solved the problem. Asgreen was catching up 33 km before the finish.

The following small hills went high and new and new people were still trying it. For a while there was a separate eight -member group where there were also stars such as McNulty, Hair or Schmid. But no game has worked out more than 15 seconds of a lead. In the penultimate hill, however, left the super -team four with which the package had great problems – Brandon McNulty (UAE), Maxim van Gils (Red Bull), Valentin Madouas (Groupama) and Luis Barré (Intermarch). They worked out twenty seconds.

– Our most prestigious race –

– Our most prestigious race –

In the last Brdko 3.5 km before the tape it really warmly, again tried again Alaphilippe. There was an alternately cooperated there. Once great, once weak. It seemed that the group could come to the tape in front, but they could not tact for a while. But they couldn’t do it. They looked after each other, did not want to alternate, and it always means one thing – the end of hope for all. Finally, a large 60-member group was spurned.

Finally, all the pitfalls with the strain he managed Olav Kooijbut the Visma leader began to sprinkle too early after such a difficult course. Could not handle it and Arnaud de Lie (Lotto) did everything right. He was on his rear wheel, sucked him and overcame him at the final hundred. Frustrated Dutchman without the last shots on the tape jumped yet Emilien Jeanniére z TotalEnergies.