<\/p>\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Remco Evenepoel accelerates up the Cauberg. Both he and Mattias Skjelmose are looking at the road ahead but Romain Gr\u00e9goire is fixated on the two riders in front of him as he is about to be dropped. With Evenepoel able to ditch the Frenchman finisseur here, all that would be left would be to out-sprint Skjelmose and this time there was no surprise. This was the moment the race was won.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n An early breakaway of nine with Huub Artz (Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9), Filip Maciejuk (Movistar), Marco Frigo (NSN), Warren Barguil (Picnic-PostNL), Siebe Deweirdt (Flanders-Baloise), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5), Joseba Lopez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Valentin Retailleau (TotalEnergies) and Abram Stockman (Unibet Rose Rockets).<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n RedBull-Bora-Hansgrohe led the bunch for a long time but less of a pursuit and more a chaperone role, containing their advantage with Tim van Dijke and Danny van Poppel on hand to prevent the lead going beyond four minutes. Textbook stuff.<\/p>\n Indeed by the time the TV coverage started the status quo persisted. Having been spoilt by long range moves in the Ronde and a relentless Paris-Roubaix this was more subdued.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n With less than an hour to go Romain Gr\u00e9goire attacked on the Kruisberg. Remco Evenepoel followed and along came Mattias Skjelmose, Matteo Jorgenson, K\u00e9vin Vauquelin, plus Mathieu Burgaudeau who soon vanished. It saw four of the top-five picks from this blog\u2019s preview were going clear. This isn\u2019t to seek applause for perception, more that the obvious names in the action.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n The plot twist came when K\u00e9vin Vauquelin crashed, seeming to resume pedalling too soon after taking a left hand bend and grounding his pedal causing him to wash out. This took out Artz \u2013 who\u2019d come back from the early breakaway \u2013 and Matteo Jorgenson to crash, the American broke a collarbone, ruining his long-held plans for the Ardennes. A surprise but not a shock on a tight course that often feels like it\u2019s one turn away from taking an alley behind a row of houses.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n This left Gr\u00e9goire, Skjelmose and Evenepoel clear. With the Frenchman the fastest on paper for a sprint, Evenepoel rode hard the penultimate time up the Cauberg to eject him. This climb is unremarkable but after 230km it was a mountain to climb for Gr\u00e9goire. Evenepoel did not need to attack, just set a pace too high for Gr\u00e9goire. Having been on the receiving end of this in the Ronde<\/a> now it was Evenepoel\u2019s turn to look back and adjust his pace accordingly to keep the rival at bay.<\/p>\n It was d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu<\/em> with Evenepoel and Skjelmose away again in the finish of the Amstel. But how could the Dane win this time? His turns were looking shorter and less applied. They rode together up the Cauberg with nobody behind in sight to panic their sprint.<\/p>\n Evenepoel had Skjelmose in front and as the finish got closer, a flicker of doubt: what if Skjelmose\u2019s lighter build could be an advantage in a late sprint, to go from low speed to high. Evenepoel was leaving it late but with 150m he launched in a low gear, almost too low for a sprint but this saw him accelerate, pass and go clear while Skjelmose looked to have the same kind of spaghetti legs endured by Poga\u010dar in Roubaix and could barely sprint.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Beno\u00eet Cosnefroy won the sprint for third, he joined a counter-move and was the quickest. This group eased on the last lap to give the lead two almost two minute\u2019s lead. A nod to Marco Frigo of NSN who was away all day but still able to latch onto this group and even had the audacity to launch the sprint.<\/p>\n