The excited crowds, the noise of the cobbles, the succession of hills… there’s no doubt about it, the Belgian Classics are back at last to the delight of all.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
As usual, the opening weekend of the Classics got underway with the demanding Het Nieuwsblad circuit. The sports management team lined up an experienced group led by two leaders, Peter Sagan and Anthony Turgis, to get the better of the nine cobbled sections and thirteen hills. Although our racers are very well acquainted with every twist and turn of the route, that doesn’t necessarily exclude an unlucky break. Peter Sagan and Anthony Turgis were not spared this misfortune, and suffered punctures and minor falls. Wout Van Aert finally won the day, ahead of everyone else. Team TotalEnergies left disappointed but not despondent.
Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne
The day after the first World Tour race of the season for the Team, we set off with (almost) the same cyclists. Battered by his falls the previous day, Anthony Turgis nonetheless stuck to his guns and was motivated to excel for the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne race. The racer came within a hair’s breadth of victory last season. This year, in the end Fabio Jakobsen gained the upper hand. Anthony was boxed in and didn’t manage to sprint. Dries Van Gestel, who arrived in sixth place, provided a noteworthy performance.
