E3 Harelbeke 2015: Geraint Thomas solos to victory

The E3 Harelbeke features 19 hills, lots of cobblestones and 219 kilometres. Cancellara is out after a crash. The all-decisive attack at the Oude Kwaremont is by Stybar and Thomas, and they are accompanied by Peter Sagan. The Welshman attacks with 4 kilometres left and powers to victory. Stybar is second and Trentin third. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results E3 Harelbeke 2015

1. Geraint Thomas (gbr)
2. Zdenek Stybar (cze) + 0.25
3. Matteo Trentin (ita) + 0.38
4. Alexander Kristoff (nor) s.t.
5. Sep Vanmarcke (bel) s.t.
6. Matti Breschel (den) s.t.
7. Jürgen Roelandts (bel) s.t.
8. Jack Bauer (nzl) s.t.
9. Jens Keukeleire (bel) s.t.
10. Daniel Oss (ita) s.t.

Race report
Once the flag is dropped the first riders try to break clear. A group of six races to a 3 minutes gain with 27 km’s done. They go by the names of Sean De Bie, Dries Devenyns, Sébastien Turgot, Kristian Sbaragli, Andrea Dal Col and Sjoerd van Ginneken.

Fabian Cancellara is one of the victims of a big crash and he abandons. Partly because the pack turned into a riding field hospital the gap balloons to ten minutes. At the Taaienberg the ecapees’ gain is 4’55”. Dal Col has been dropped by then. A couple of hills down the road its end of story for Sébastien Turgot also. The Rotelenberg is his Waterloo, while Van Ginniken is dropped at Kapelberg.

Devenyns is the last man standing, but his party is over as well when Stybar and Thomas attack at Oude Kwaremont. Peter Sagan bridges the gap and they are off.

Behind the trio BMC leads the chase, but when their leader Van Avermaet crashes with 15 km’s left the tempo is gone.

With 4 km’s left Thomas attacks. Sagan can’t react and when Stybar starts the chase it’s too late.

This is today’s route.

E3 Harelbeke 2015: Route, profile, scheduled times, and more

Click on the images to zoom

Geraint Thomas


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