Norwegian champion takes bumpy cobbled sprint and his first international pro victory
After fourth place on stage one, and second place on stage two, Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) has finally taken his first international victory in the professional ranks, in stage 3a of the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde. The Norwegian champion was led out perfectly by his team, which controlled most of the 112.1km stage – to and from the North Sea resort of De Panne – and launched him out of the final corner with 250 metres to go.
Despite the long sprint, over the uneven cobbled surface, Kristoff managed to hold off a strong challenge from Andre Schulze (Team NetApp), crossing the line half a bike length clear of the German, with Kenny van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM) in third.
“I did it in 2010 also, so I remember the cobbles, and I also saw it one time before the finish line,” Kristoff told the Sporza TV cameras afterwards. “It’s difficult; sprinting on cobbles is not so easy, your wheels are jumping around; but I felt strong and the team did a very good effort, keeping me in the front.
“I had the best lead out at the end and I could save energy in the last few K’s and in the sprint I felt strong,” the Norwegian explained. “Okay, I started a bit early, and almost – at the end – some guys come on my side [Schulze – ed], but I managed to hold them off.”
“I’m really happy with the victory,” he added.
The short, flat morning stage was characterised by a long breakaway from Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator), Rob Goris (Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas), Clinton Avery (Champion System), Jonathan Breyne (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) – who had been in the long break the previous day – and Andrea Di Corrado (Colnago-CSF Inox). The five of them escaped in the first hour of racing, building a maximum lead of 2’44” with 50km to go, but were eventually reeled in on the 8.4km finishing circuit around the towns of De Panne and Koksijde.
A number of teams battled for control of the peloton in the closing kilometres, but it was Katusha that managed to deliver Kristoff to the final corner first.
Time bonuses on the line mean that Kristoff starts the 14.7km afternoon time trial with a clear six second lead over second place Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana), who could only manage seventh on the stage. With a number of strong time triallists just a few seconds further back however, the Norwegian sprinter faces a tall order to hold on and take the overall honours.
“That we will see,” Kristoff smiled. “I really never raced full speed in a time trial, so I’m a little bit nervous about that. I will give everything I’ve got, but I don’t have so [many] seconds to the real specialists, so…
“It will be difficult to keep the jersey, but I will try.”
The break gets going but its never going to work
Kristoff’s Katusha team was controlling the peloton when Van Hecke jumped away, not far from Gistel, the home town of Flemish legend Johan Museeuw. Goris and Avery quickly followed the young Belgian, with Breyne, and finally Di Corrado joining them to make the group up to five.
After the first hour the leaders had covered 46.5km, and had opened up a lead of 1’10” over the peloton, and their lead continued to grow; Di Corrado took the first intermediate sprint, after 54km, with the peloton 2’27” behind.
Project 1t4i was now leading the peloton with Katusha, looking for a second victory for German wunderkind sprinter Marcel Kittel. Despite this, the gap was still growing to the five leaders and, with 50km to go, it was up to 2’44”; at this point though, the Lotto-Belisol and FDJ-BigMat teams lent their muscle to the chase and it began to creep down again.
Project 1t4i was doing the lion’s share of the work however, and reduced the deficit by 20 seconds in the next five kilometres.
As the peloton entered the town of Diksmuide – with its IJzertoren monument, preserved trench systems, and other memorials to World War I – with 42km to go, a number of teams began to fight for ownership of the peloton. First Lotto-Belisol came forward, followed by Europcar, the Omega Pharma-Quick Step, and the resultant increase of pace slashed the gap to 1’35” as the race entered the final 40km.
As the peloton followed the meandering course of the river Ijzer though, the pace relaxed a little an the gap stabilised. The five members of the break were beginning to look a little nervous however, and were continually glancing over their shoulders towards the peloton that they knew was coming. This may have contributed to the confusion as four out of five of them briefly took a left fork, when the course followed the right one along the river; only Goris seemed to know where he was going, but was soon joined by the others again.
The fugitives begin to get nervous but their lead begins to grow again
The confusion and hesitation, along with a renewed impetus in the peloton from FDJ-BigMat, meant that the quintet’s lead dropped below a minute at the 32km to go point. The five managed to reorganise themselves however, and it began to grow again, peaking at 1’22” with 25km to go before Lotto-Belisol and FDJ-BigMat began to reel it in again.
Once again, several teams began to battle for the lead, with Vacansoleil-DCM being overtaken by Team Type 1-Sanofi. The American team pulled the peloton into the final 20km, where the gap to the leaders once again dropped below the minute mark.
The rest of the sprinters teams began to lend a hand and, into the final 15km, they had cut the gap to 40 seconds as they passed through Oostduinkerke, the scene of the previous day’s stage finish, with 16km to go.
With 14km to go, as the leaders entered Koksijde, the lead was just 22 seconds and the team cars were pulled out of the gap. Spidertech p/b C10 joined the chase, and the gap closed further.
With the peloton on their heels, Di Corrado attacked the other four and tried to get away alone; he was chased down quickly, but Breyne – clearly feeling the previous day’s attack in his legs – was unable to respond.
The four remaining leaders were in sight along the long, straight road with ten kilometres to go, but Di Corrado tried again. The other three were right on him however, as they felt the breath of the Landbouwkrediet-Euphony-led peloton on their backs.
Into the finishing circuit it’s all over bar the sprinting
As the quartet crossed the line to start the 8.4km finishing circuit, it was just three seconds clear, but the sprinters teams were still unwilling to close it down just yet.
There was a brief moment of concern in the rear of the peloton, as it widened across an area of tram lines. A series of bunny hops from a number of riders took them back to safety however, and there were no crashes.
Up front Di Corrado was the first of the four to sit up, and the others capitulated with just over six kilometres to go. Katusha was now on the front of the peloton in force, aiming to deliver race leader Kristoff his much-needed stage victory.
There was a small crash near the front, as world under-23 champion Arnaud Démare (FDJ-BigMat) skidded off in the dust at the side of the road with 3km to go; the incident brought down a few riders – including Kittel’s lead out man Roger Kluge (Project 1t4i) and sprinter Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF Inox) – but mercifully few others were affected. The incident caused a small split in the peloton, but it was closed again with two kilometres to go.
Katusha was still leading the peloton, but Project 1t4i and Team Type 1-Sanofi were jostling for position behind them. The Russian team took it into the final corner, launching Kristoff towards the line, and the Norwegian champion finished it off, with Schulze closing as he hit the line.
Six seconds time bonus for Kristoff meant that he would start the afternoon time trial with a clear lead over the rest of the peloton; with a number of strong time triallists not far behind him however, it will be a tall order for the Norwegian to hold on.