For cycling supporters (and for Saxo Bank's ones in particular),this year Gent-Wevelgem was the demonstration of the importance that luck has in cycling races.You can be in super form,run a wonderful race from a tactical point of view,feel as good as never before but still,if bad luck is against you,you can't win.And,unfortunately for Saxo Bank supporters,this afternoon bad luck targeted Matti Breschel as his victim for 2010 Gand-Wevelgem.
This afternoon I started to watch the race when there were still 82 kms to go.At that moment Boonen and Cancellara had already abandoned the main peloton,whereas Steurs, Madrazo, Pronk and Bak were at the head of the race.Behind them there were Curvers and Hoogerland and me spent some seconds wondering why Johnny had attacked so early in the race.Anyway all these riders were recaught by the peloton after the first ascent of Kemmelberg. At that point Liquigas exploited the crosswinds to create a selection in the peloton.Guys like Freire and Gilbert were imprisoned in the second group of riders for some kms,but they eventually made it back to the Liquigas' group (Freire obviously had to work his way to the Liquigas' group all alone because all his teammates had already disappeared from his side).Also Astana's golden boys Gasparotto and Iglinsky made it back to the first riders' group with about 55 kms to go.Before of facing the series of slopes for the second time the head of the race was therefore formed by Quinziato, Dall'Antonia, Oss, Bennati, Kuschinsky, Paolini, Breschel, Farrar, Goss, Eisel, Hincapie, Maaskant, Cooke, Vanmarcke and Van Summeren.The curious thing about Van Summeren is that someone in my family confused him for Van Hummel for unknown reason and therefore they started to scream happily "oh Van Summeren's there as well!!" before of being brought back to reality by me.
On the Mont Noir the young Daniel Oss followed Iglinsky as the Kazakh attacked.After the Kemmelberg at the head of the race there were Matti Breschel, Freire, Hincapie, Vanmarcke, Roelandts, Gilbert, Eisel, Oss, Iglinsky and Kuschinsky.30 seconds behind them there was a 4 men group formed by Knees,Farrar,Paolini and Baden Cooke.
At that point of the race,Fangirl was obviously flying high in the sky.In fact Breschel was in the first group of riders and seemed in a great form,whereas Cooke was just 30 seconds behind him and wasn't helping the other riders who were with him because he obviously didn't want Paolini and Farrar to enter Breschel's group and threaten the Dane's chances of victory."It couldn't go any better for Saxo Bank",I thought."If things stay this way until the finish-line,Breschel will surely win or,at least,arrive in top 3.And then,even if Farrar and Paolini make it to the first group and start to threaten Breschel's victory/podium,Baden Cooke won't be as tired as them and therefore he will outsprint everyone in the finale".
This afternoon I started to watch the race when there were still 82 kms to go.At that moment Boonen and Cancellara had already abandoned the main peloton,whereas Steurs, Madrazo, Pronk and Bak were at the head of the race.Behind them there were Curvers and Hoogerland and me spent some seconds wondering why Johnny had attacked so early in the race.Anyway all these riders were recaught by the peloton after the first ascent of Kemmelberg. At that point Liquigas exploited the crosswinds to create a selection in the peloton.Guys like Freire and Gilbert were imprisoned in the second group of riders for some kms,but they eventually made it back to the Liquigas' group (Freire obviously had to work his way to the Liquigas' group all alone because all his teammates had already disappeared from his side).Also Astana's golden boys Gasparotto and Iglinsky made it back to the first riders' group with about 55 kms to go.Before of facing the series of slopes for the second time the head of the race was therefore formed by Quinziato, Dall'Antonia, Oss, Bennati, Kuschinsky, Paolini, Breschel, Farrar, Goss, Eisel, Hincapie, Maaskant, Cooke, Vanmarcke and Van Summeren.The curious thing about Van Summeren is that someone in my family confused him for Van Hummel for unknown reason and therefore they started to scream happily "oh Van Summeren's there as well!!" before of being brought back to reality by me.
On the Mont Noir the young Daniel Oss followed Iglinsky as the Kazakh attacked.After the Kemmelberg at the head of the race there were Matti Breschel, Freire, Hincapie, Vanmarcke, Roelandts, Gilbert, Eisel, Oss, Iglinsky and Kuschinsky.30 seconds behind them there was a 4 men group formed by Knees,Farrar,Paolini and Baden Cooke.
At that point of the race,Fangirl was obviously flying high in the sky.In fact Breschel was in the first group of riders and seemed in a great form,whereas Cooke was just 30 seconds behind him and wasn't helping the other riders who were with him because he obviously didn't want Paolini and Farrar to enter Breschel's group and threaten the Dane's chances of victory."It couldn't go any better for Saxo Bank",I thought."If things stay this way until the finish-line,Breschel will surely win or,at least,arrive in top 3.And then,even if Farrar and Paolini make it to the first group and start to threaten Breschel's victory/podium,Baden Cooke won't be as tired as them and therefore he will outsprint everyone in the finale".
Unfortunately,with about 15 kms to go,Breschel punctured while riding on a very narrow street.The neutral service mechanics weren't as fast as Menchov's ones during the last stage of Giro 2009 and it took them more than 30 seconds to change Matti's rear wheel.By the time Breschel jumped on his saddle again,Fangirl had stopped flying high in the sky.If you've seen the film Ice Age 2,you'll probably remember the scene in which one of the 2 opossums is flying and then hurts badly against a tree.Well,at that point of today's race Fangirl felt just like that opossum.And if Fangirl felt like that,I don't even dare to imagine how Breschel felt.Probably he was too concentrated/shocked/ horrified to think about the Ice Age's opossums,also because at first it seemed that he could have made it back to the first riders' group with ease.But then the mechanics started to have problems with his wheel and so he could come back on the road just after Farrar's group.Baden Cooke obviously waited for Matti and then he started to ride full gas in order to catch the riders who were at the head of the race.The gap between Freire's group and Breschel's one soon got smaller,but then Kuschinsky managed to create a gap between Freire and the rest of the first group riders.Of course Eisel,Hincapie,Oss and all the other riders who were at the head of the race started to ride a la bloc as soon as they realised that Freire wasn't with them anymore and therefore the gap between the first group and Breschel's one increased a lot.And since there's no limit to bad luck,Fangirl's favourite rider in the first group,Maxim Iglinsky,soon got dropped as well,making me feel even more disappointed.
With about 2 kms to go,Sep Vanmarcke attacked.Freire had scolded him earlier in the race because he wasn't taking turns and the Begian decided to use the strength he still had in his legs to give it all in a last attack.Anyway Vanmarcke soon started to bang his thigh with his fist because of cramps and he even stopped pedalling,allowing the chasing group led by Roelandts to catch him easily.The former Belgian national champion remained at the head of the little group whereas all the others began to prepare the sprint.Italian young hope Daniel Oss chose the worst sprinting position (2nd behind Roelandts) whereas Bernie Eisel found a very good place.
With about 2 kms to go,Sep Vanmarcke attacked.Freire had scolded him earlier in the race because he wasn't taking turns and the Begian decided to use the strength he still had in his legs to give it all in a last attack.Anyway Vanmarcke soon started to bang his thigh with his fist because of cramps and he even stopped pedalling,allowing the chasing group led by Roelandts to catch him easily.The former Belgian national champion remained at the head of the little group whereas all the others began to prepare the sprint.Italian young hope Daniel Oss chose the worst sprinting position (2nd behind Roelandts) whereas Bernie Eisel found a very good place.
With 400 meters to go Hincapie started the sprint,but Eisel easily rode past him and went to get a great and well deserved victory. Second was Vanmarcke who,according to the Italian chronists and to Logic "had previously attacked because he was the slowest of the group". Well,if the slowest of the group can manage to outsprint guys like Gilbert,Oss,Hincapie and Roelandts,then I'd like to be as slow as him.3rd was then Gilbert,whereas George Hincapie was 4th. 5th was Daniel Oss (who ran a great race),6th was Roelandts and 7th was Iglinsky.Unlucky Matti Breschel eventually came 8th.
So,this was 2010 edition of Gent-Wevelgem.In spite of the bad luck that ruined Breschel's chances of victory,I have to say that it was a very exciting race.In fact the winner's name was uncertain until the very end and,when it was finally known,I was really happy for him.In fact Eisel often sacrifices himself for Columbia' sprinters and therefore he really deserved a victory like this one.And as far as Matti Breschel is concerned,I'm sure he'll surely get great results in the next classics.
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