Peter Sagan's encore was expected or Greg Van Avermaet's victory, both unlucky for a disastrous fall on the last pass of the Kwaremont. The Tour of Flanders 2017, regardless of the good or bad cher always accompanies cycling races, aired an impressive performance by Philippe Gilbert, who 54 km to the finish in Oudenaarde sprinted on the second ascent of the Kwaremont, one of the legendary walls of the Ronde, transforming the classic Flemish monument into a crazy solitary time trial.
Sagan, who ended up on the ground after grazing a barrier with a spectator's anorak that ended up in the spokes of his bicycle, had to surrender to the bad luck. Van Avermaet fared better, ended up hitting the world champion, who got up immediately and, despite being wounded in the thigh, resumed his furious pursuit of the unleashed Gilbert.
With him were two Dutchmen, the young Van Baarle and Niki Terpstra: the latter, Gilbert's companion on the Quick-Step Floors, obviously did not give any change to the Bmc leader: for Greg Van Avermaet, winner of the E3 Harelbeke and the Ghent-Wevelgem, the dream of scoring a fantastic hat-trick on Flemish soil vanished in the face of the monstrous showdown of Gilbert who arrived all alone in Oudenaarde.
With his Belgian champion's jersey on display, he had plenty of time to savor his triumph as he crossed the finish line lifting his bike on his arms as a sign of jubilation and excessive power. Van Avermaet had to settle for second place 28” ahead of Terpstra.
To complete the team success of Quick-Step Floors, a battleship at the start of the season, there could also have been the great Tom Boonen, author of a stretch on the legendary Grammont wall, 95 km from the finish, which caused a sudden selection in the group of the best, catching Sagan and Van Avermaet on the counterattack.
But Boonen, three times winner of the Ronde – record holder in the roll of honor of the Flemish classic like Buisse, Magni, Leman, Museeuw and Cancellara – in his last performance on walls, was put out of action by a mechanical accident. Now he has only one last goal left: to attempt a historic five at the next Roubaix.
But on the infernal cobblestones of northern France, Boonen will have to contend with an increasingly eager Sagan to break his fast of victories, a bad customer like Van Avermaet, who despite not winning yesterday showed he is in exceptional form. and many other suitors, from John Degenkolb and Alexander Kristoff, ready to raise the stone trophy in the historic Vélodrome.
And who knows if even Gilbert, after the amazing feat in the Ronde that follows his success at the Three Days of De Panne, might want to go back to racing Roubaix, a classic he has always avoided after having faced it only once in 2007 in total anonymity of a 52nd place.
