Nine days, a Novena of days until Easter by the Christians’ count on April 4th. But a Novena of days as well until Beligum’s Cobbled Monument the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, also on April 4th—Easter Sunday itself this year. Today was the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, the first of the most prestigious Cobbled Classics in this period. It starts the proper straight string of Belgian Cobbled Classics that shall lead up to Flanders and Scheldprijs this year—alas I have not the heart to dwell on Paris-Roubaix’s postponement once again. In two days’ time shall be Gent-Wevelgem with its longer distance providing it even more prestige than today’s E3. Ah! But where Gent-Wevelgem has its own spice and unique challenge with the Flanders Fields’ crosswinds and the assaults of the Kemmelberg, E3 can claim prestige in its own right and be the “Dress Rehearsal” for the Tour of Flanders itself—for the course profile looks so similar, if still 20% shorter than the Ronde Monument. Yes, at this point the musical numbers should be prepared, all the stage blocking done for each scene, the costumes fitted properly, the tickets bought, and of course the script should be fully written and memorized by now. Thus with these elements in mind, the Deceuninck-Quickstep Wolfpack set about crafting a battle plan here that could prove a winning strategy later for Flanders itself. Deceuninck-Quickstep—whose riders have in recent years named themselves the Wolfpack—have been the finest Classics team for a generation already. So why thus far has this year seemed different and required more racking brain power to figure out supreme tactics? The answer of course is that while Quickstep shall have the current World Champion Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer in their ranks for his second Tour of Flanders this year after his promising debut last year was cut short by a crash with a motorbike, the two Mightiest Aces in the race shall not be on their team. Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) have of late been often getting the better of Alaphilippe…and everyone else as well. They have been the two strongest and the ones dictating the pace of most races this Spring. In this E3 Dress Rehearsal, this mini-Tour of Flanders, the Wolfpack would need to make a stunning statement to show hope of reversing such a trend. And despite their current World Champion Muskeeter Alaphilippe not lining up today, with 80km to go of E3, the Wolfpack did just that.
The main racing of the day had already been heating up for some 10km, but with 80km to go it came to full boil. Into the Tiaaenberg—occasionally called the “Boonen-berg” after former Quickstep Wolfpack legend Tom Boonen of Cobbled Classics supreme fame—the Wolfpack had six or seven of their men stringing out the peloton at the foot of that climb. Crosswinds were blowing or at least threatening, and the Wolfpack in their dominance were grabbing the race by the scruff of the neck. It was beloved el Tractor Tim DeClercq that led his Quickstep teammates into the climb—surely this is the job he has always been best at and made for. DeClercq could be a Classics leader on any other team, but with a relatively duller sprint he plays to his strength and becomes an indispensable part of the Wolfpack. It is he in the Classics and Grand Tours who rides on the front for hours keeping the breakaways in check or is actively leading the impetus to bring the escapees back. To do such a job, and especially to be renown for always doing such a job, he must often sacrifice himself while riding with the strength of three men: he is the Tractor indeed. Thus it was he and another Wolfpack member that put their foot all the way down on the gas pedal on the Tiaaenberg to allow their plethora of talented leaders and options go on the attack. Yes, this was the Quickstep play: they would take it to the Mighty Aces of Van Der Poel and Van Aert this day. Four Quickstep Wolves were let out of the cages and on the loose over the Tiaaenberg, and they made the alarm bells sound for the Mighty Aces. Van Der Poel and Van Aert covered the quartet of Wolves, but with them only Matteo Trentin (UAE), Michael Matthews (Bike Exchange), and Jasper Stuvyen (of Trek-Segafredo and Sanremo fame) could also cover the moves. Yes, it always ultimately had to be the Wolfpack’s strategy: play a numbers game, stack the deck. If they could make it work here in the Dress Rehearsal, that would bode well for Flanders itself in nine days’ time.
The four Quickstep Wolves in this group were too many to even properly name, but surely three were Czech Zdenek Stybar of Cyclocross fame, Kasper Asgreen the Champion of Denmark, and home-soil hero John Deere Yves Lampaert—and the fourth was most likely Frenchman Florian Senechal. Surely, with more than half this Wolfpack there in addition to Van Aert, Van Der Poel, Trentin, Matthews, and Stuvyen, this nonet had the firepower to chase down the early breakaway of the day and stay clear of the chasing pretenders behind. But just as we all rubbed our hands together, Wout Van Aert had a rear-wheel puncture. He had to drop back and get a neutral service wheel. And this is where the race became extremely intriguing. After the wheel change, Van Aert fell back 40 seconds behind this group that contained a quartet of Wolves into what remained of the peloton where he had two or three Jumbo teammates left. For the next 10km, these Jumbo teammates drilled it on the front of the peloton to bring Van Aert back within reach of the group with the four Wolves who had caught the early breakaway already. It was actually masterfully done and a good dress rehearsal for these Jumbo Wasps as well. With 66km, the Jumbo Wasps got leader Van Aert within five seconds of the Van Der Poel and Wolfpack led group. But literally at the very instant Van Aert himself bridged the five second gap to make contact with the group, with Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R) and other stragglers behind on his wheel, Mathieu Van Der Poel instantly attacked again to hurt his archrival. A couple of the Quickstep Wolves were immediately on Van Der Poel as Van Aert—gassed as he was—behind surged up the ranks of the group to cover any new gaps that were about to form. Seeing his attack was covered, and all the riders were only strung out in one long line, Van Der Poel the Madman sat up after such a big effort. And then, in tune with his hunting Wolf-mates, Kasper Asgreen launched a perfectly timed solo attack with such prowess, a grizzled old Alpha in any Wolfpack would have growled howls of approval. Kasper Asgreen, in the Danish Champion’s Red with White Cross Jersey, was the Lone Wolf on the long-range mission for his Wolfpack brothers behind. Ah! Asgreen must have known what he was potentially strapping in for, and he must have been relishing the moment. You see, Asgreen, can do a good Time Trial, and though it was from a shorter distance, last year he won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with a long-range Lone Wolf attack just like this. Yes, though there was still 66km to go, all could assume Asgreen’s engine would not fail him: it would be down to others to bridge up to him, for anyone else to have a shot at winning now.
And with Lone Wolf Asgreen away, the Quickstep Wolfpack had their ideal Plan-A playing out just as scripted. For the next score of kilometers or more, Asgreen would never have more than half-a-minute’s lead, but because of the equalizing nature of cycling: that lead started to appear a hefty chasm to bridge. The equalizing nature of which I speak is that despite riding over three or four Cobbled Bergs where there were ample places to launch attacks, even the Mighty Aces could not find any noteworthy separation. Every time one of them, or even the lesser men, attacked—and to be sure there were a flurry of attacks—there was always a Quickstep Wolf covering the move. With so many Wolves in this Wolfpack—so linked by instinct—they could rotate and take turns covering the attacks, thus providing ample recovery for their other Wolf-mates. If you didn’t already, now you are starting to understand what I meant by “stacking the deck.” And here was the other beauty to the strategy, why it was the supreme Plan-A. Every time someone attacked, no matter who, even the Mighty Aces: the covering Wolf did not work and share the pace with the attackers. Instead, they all acted as anchors and anvils to any group that tried to break away from the peloton…and they were totally in the right to do so. They had a Lone Wolf teammate up the road in a winning position, if the gap held to the finish why would any of these Wolf-mates help another rival bridge up to him? Meanwhile, none of the prey—the ones not part of the Wolfpack—wanted to drag a Wolf for a free-ride behind them who would simply launch a solo attack themselves when the Lone Wolf out front was finally caught. Thus yes, all including the Mighty Aces knew it would prove difficult to foil the Wolfpack this day.
The Mighty Aces, Van Aert and Van Der Poel then understood they would have to be economical. With the remaining climbs, they knew there were still places to launch Herculean attacks that could ideally drop all or most, and the biggest goal of these attacks to come would have to be to erode Quickstep’s numerical advantage. With still some 50km to go, Lone Wolf Asgreen in his Danish Champ’s Jersey was eating up the road and still had a 25 second gap on a chasing group of six containing Oliver Naesan (AG2R), Anthony Turgis (Direct Energie), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Fenix), Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X), Marco Haller (Bahrain Victorious), and—as you knew it had to include—Quickstep Wolf Florian Senechal sharing none of the pace enjoying as free a ride as possible; the small peloton of favorites behind were quickly losing time even to that group. Van Aert and Van Der Poel were still saving their powder for a big attack to come. And that attack finally came on the famous Paterberg…yes, another great spot to preview what shall be the final climb in the Tour of Flanders itself. At the base, Lone Wolf Asgreen had about half-a-minute on the six chasers led by AG2R’s Oliver Naesan, and about a minute-lead on the other favorites group that were being led by a Jumbo teammate of Van Aert who was burying himself to close the down the gap. From that group of favorites, Van Aert then launched an attack and the only three that could match that Ace were the other Ace Van Der Poel, A2GR’s Golden Greg Van Avermaet, and the Quickstep Wolfpack’s Zdenek Stybar. With two Wolf-mates up the road, Stybar was of course not going to help with the pacing, nor even Van Avermaet because he had strong teammate Naesan up the road as well. Meanwhile, Van Der Poel did actually also have Alpecin teammate Vermeersch up the road too, but Mathieu came up to the front to share the pace with archrival Wout anyways. Perhaps the Alpecin team figured Vermeersch wasn’t a great bet to win in such company, and/or Van Der Poel figured he was already making an effort so he might as well help even his archrival so that they group could actually get into a winning position. A couple of kilometers later, Asgreen, the chasing six, and the Mighty Aces’ four all came to the Oude Kwaremont climb—in Flanders this is the penultimate climb before the ultimate Paterberg…here at E3 the order is reversed. At 38km to go, at the top of the steep part of the Kwaremont, the Mighty Aces’ group caught the chasing six and were within 20 seconds of Lone Wolf Asgreen.
Thus at this point we come to another intriguing situation where we can simply appreciate this wonderful age of cycling with such larger-than-life characters. Instead of being cagey or just mildly coy, the Mighty Aces acting in what beautifully could not be distinguished as confidence or hubris immediately started taking up the lion’s share of the pace-making despite two Wolves of the Quickstep Wolfpack sitting behind like anchors smacking their lips in delight. Yes, Van Aert and Van Der Poel both knew they had to work—even work together—if they were going to have a chance to bring back Lone Wolf Asgreen and have a chance to win the race themselves, but the twist was simply their complete silent willingness to take the burden upon themselves to the benefit of all the other rivals. AG2R had their two best and top Classics riders in this group in Van Avermaet and Naesan, and yet neither did any meaningful share of the work. No one can even say those two AG2R riders were riding cowardly, they were only riding a cagey-crafty no-brainer smart race: if the two Mighty Aces were willing enough to do all the work themselves, of course they would let them. That is the strange thing, why didn’t Wout or Mathieu speak to them and harangue at least one of them to help with the pace? And why didn’t Van Der Poel’s teammate Vermeersch spend his last energy working to bring back Asgreen for his team leader in his Dutch Champion’s Jersey? Yes, this is the larger-than-life aspect of this scene: seeing the two Mighty Aces simply not even thinking to ask for any help from the lesser ones, even though in such situations no matter the stature of the top favorites a few in the group should have had reasonable cause to contribute to the pace. While the Mighty Aces were doing most of the work, another Quickstep Wolf, John Deere Yves Lampaert, successfully bridged up to the group with Ineos Grenadier Dylan Van Baarle. Unfortunately, only a few kilometers later Lampaert had a rear-wheel puncture and all his energy bridging to the group turned out to be for naught, because with 21km to go the final decisive climb of the day was approaching and there would not be enough time for Yves to slowly claw his way back again.
Before the Tiegemberg, the traditional last climb of E3, both Mighty Aces did actually sit back and take a minor rest from pace-making duties. Into the Tiegemberg, Lone Wolf Asgreen still had a 30 second lead—ah! surely he was really the best Lone Wolf the Wolfpack could ask for to do such a long range attack like this—and it was Van Aert behind that started the attacks with Van Der Poel glued to his back wheel. As Van Aert swung over, Van Der Poel increased the blistering pace even more. Surprisingly, the pace proved too much for the Mighty Ace Wout Van Aert, still not on top form or he had he clearly un-astutely done too much work today? Over the top of the Tiegemberg with Mighty Ace Mathieu Van Der Poel went the Wolfpack’s Zdenek Stybar and Florian Senechal, and Golden Greg Van Avermaet of AG2R. AG2R teammate Naesan caught up on the short descent, and Dylan Van Baarle the Grenadier with all his might bridged to the elite group a couple kilometers later. With 16km remaining in the race, Van Der Poel dragged this group within 8 seconds of Lone Wolf Asgreen singlehandedly, and then finally both the Belgian AG2R riders, Naesan and Van Avermaet, jumped in to help Van Der Poel close the last remaining gap. Of course, the Stybar and Senechal Wolves sat-in as Van Der Poel and the AG2R riders closed the last meters to Lone Wolf Asgreen who had by now been solo for about 50km already. Behind Van Aert led a small chasing group, but their efforts clearly would be futile. Meanwhile, the last member of the Van Der Poel chasing group, Grenadier Van Baarle did not a share of the chase to Asgreen, because he was gassed from his bridging effort. But with 12km to go, Van Der Poel and the AG2R riders did finally indeed catch Asgreen. From there, finally the Wolfpack would have to rotate turns with Mighty Ace Van Der Poel to make sure Mighty Ace Van Aert behind stayed behind. At that point, all began rotating turns including Van Baarle, all except for the just recently caught No Longer Lone Wolf Kasper Asgreen—he sat-in having the excuse he had ridden solo for 50km already.
And so with 10km to go, how would the endgame of this chess match on wheels play out? Van Der Poel was the favorite for a sprint, but with three Wolves still in the group, the Pack had to try shot-gunning some more attacks first before the sprint. With 8km to go, status quo. With 6km to go, status quo. But with 5km to go, from the back, attacking across the road so that a traffic median would be between him and the others who would try to cover the move, Kasper Asgreen the Champion of Denmark wearing the Red Jersey with its White Cross solo attacked once more. Again, with master class prowess, Asgreen attacked while Mighty Ace Mathieu Van Der Poel was already on the front doing his turn of the pacing, and thus Van Der Poel the Madman had not the energy to accelerate to cover the move. This close to the finish, races can be won or lost with just split-second hesitation: in that moment neither Naesan nor Van Avermaet nor Van Baarle attempted to cover the move or to bridge to Asgreen. Just a few seconds later, Oliver Naesan would try to launch an attack himself to bridge up to Lone Wolf Again Asgreen, but Wolf-mate Senechal was instantly on him again like an anchor. And that was it. That last 5km was a miniature replay of the past 50km Asgreen was already away. Van Der Poel tried attacking himself, but he couldn’t shake the Wolfpack or anyone else for that matter. Kasper Asgreen, the Champion of the Danes, came across the line solo to take his finest and most well-earned win of his career. To wrap up the day with a bow, Florian Senechal finished off Van Der Poel in the sprint for 2nd to give Quickstep the winning 1-2.
Thus on a Friday Spring afternoon, in the Dress Rehearsal for the Monumental Ronde Van Vlaanderen to come, the Deceuninck-Quickstep Wolfpack defeated the two Mighty Aces. The Wolfpack stacked the deck and played all their cards right. They forced or simply allowed the Mighty Aces to do way too much of the work. The Wolfpack have executed a winning strategy, and in nine days’ time, they shall have to do it all again when the curtains rise on the biggest stage for the main performance. It was a great win for Kasper Asgreen the Dane. It was a massive confidence booster for the Quickstep Wolfpack who have shown they know all the musical numbers, surely all the blocking for every scene, and all of their lines from the script as well. But there is one thing the Mighty Aces—and even Quickstep’s own World Champion Musketeer—have often done in their rises into larger-than-life titans of the sport…
…They have torn-up the scripts.
Cycling Odysseys 