©Gent-Wevelgem

 

Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields: Biniam Girmay makes history

On Sunday, Biniam Girmay became the first rider from the African continent to win a classic in the WorldTour. Breaking away from the peloton about twenty kilometers from the finish along with Christophe Laporte (Team Jumbo-Visma), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and Dries Van Gestel (Team TotalEnergies), the Eritrean showed authority during the final sprint, winning ahead of his breakaway companions, in particular Laporte who is very fit at the moment: “I came here at the last minute and I am writing history in cycling,” explained Binian Girmay. “This victory will change a lot of things for my future and that of African cyclists. In the sprint, I was up against strong riders, but I had confidence. Now I will go home and prepare for the Giro d’Italia.”

In the women’s race, Elisa Balsamo made it three for three. After the Alfredo Binda-Commune Trophy in Cittiglio on Sunday, March 20th, and the Exterioo Classic Bruges-La Panne last Wednesday, the Italian world champion won her third consecutive victory by beating Marianne Vos, winner in 2021, in a very close sprint.

The results: 

Men: 1. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux), 2. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), 3. Dries Van Gestel (TotalEnergies)…

Women: 1. Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo), 2. Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma), 3. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ceratizit WNT Pro cycling)…

*****

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya: a first for Higuita

Colombian champion Sergio Higuita won the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya on Sunday at the end of the 7th and final stage: “This victory is very special for me because I have never won a WorldTour stage race,” explained the 24 year old rider. On Sunday, he was able to contain the attacks of his opponents, in particular those made by Carapez, who was on his heels in the general classification: “The team has done a great job all week and it’s fantastic to finish this race with the overall victory. I expected a lot of attacks, and the moves went as planned, but the team had things under control.”

The results: 1. Sergio Higuita (Bora Hansgrohe), 2. Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), 3. Joäo Almeida (UAE Team Emirates)…

Stages won by Michaël Matthews (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), Kaden Groves (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën Team), Joäo Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), Ethan Vernon (Quick-Step Alpha Vynil Team), Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), Andrea Bagioli (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team).

*****

Oxyclean Classic Bruges-La Panne: Merlier confirms his status

The Belgian Tim Merlier confirmed his current excellent form by winning the Classic Bruges-La Panne on Wednesday. After a hotly contested sprint, he won the photo-finish ahead of Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen: “Three victories, including two in the WorldTour, I’m very proud,” said Merlier. “The chaos before the sprint was indescribable. I was already happy to cross the finish line in one piece, but the fact that I won makes this moment doubly good.”

The results: 1. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix), 2. Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), 3. Nacer Bouhanni (Team Arkéa-Samsic)…

*****

E3 Saxo Bank Classic: Van Aert and Jumbo-Visma on display

The Jumbo-Visma once again struck a blow on Thursday in Harelbeke. Wout van Aert crushed the race and his companion Christophe Laporte finished in the same time as his leader. After the hat-trick during the first stage of Paris-Nice on March 6, the Dutch team made another strong impression just ten days before the Tour of Flanders: “We won, of course, but it was not easy. We are not invincible. We have to keep our focus, because to do otherwise would be the worst thing we could do,” said the winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad a month earlier. On a personal level, the Belgian can be satisfied with his form at the moment: “It means a lot to me to win in a great Flanders classic and I am very proud of it for my team.” 

The results: 1. Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma), 2. Christophe Laporte (Team Jumbo-Visma), 3. Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ)…

*****

La Roue tourangelle Centre Val de Loire, Trophée Harmonie Mutuelle: 70 wins and counting for Bouhanni 

Nacer Bouhanni posted the 70th victory of his career on Sunday by winning the 20th edition of the La Roue Tourangelle. The former double champion of France had not won since September 27, 2020.

The results: 1. Nacer Bouhanni (Team Arkéa-Samsic), 2. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), 3. Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies)…

*****

The races to come:

Dwars door Vlaanderen 30/03 www.ddvl.eu

La Route Adélie de Vitré 1/04 www.routeadelievitre.com

Gran Premio Miguel Indurain 2/04

Volta Limburg Classic 2/04 www.voltalimburgclassic.nl/nl/

Ronde van Vlaanderen Tour des Flandres 3/04 www.flandersclassics.be/nl