Jumbo-Visma continues to impress in the cobbled classics of the spring season as Christophe Laporte takes a solo victory in Dwars doors Vlaanderen. The Frenchman broke away from a small group with four kilometers to go and nobody could catch him, securing Jumbo-Visma’s fifth win of the season and their dominance in this year’s cobbled races.
Laporte Shines in Dwars doors Vlaanderen
Laporte was strong on the climbs and made the selections, and the collaboration in the group was good. The early break included Alexander Kristoff, Ward Vanhoof, Nickolas Zukowsky, Oier Lazkano, Leon Heinschke, and Yevgeniy Gidich, and they opened a three-minute gap as the peloton chased. However, the peloton split under pressure, and a number of crashes occurred.
Soudal-Quick Step’s Julian Alaphilippe took matters into his own hands with a number of jabs and attacks on the front of the peloton, while Belgian champion Tim Merlier crashed. Tiesj Benoot made a searing attack with 66 km to go, and Laporte joined him in the attack group that caught and passed the early break with 6.5km to go.
The attack group worked together to hold off the peloton and catch the break, but Laporte’s decision to attack rather than trust his sprint finish made all the difference. Laporte jumped away from the group with four kilometers to go and nobody could follow him.
Neilson Powless Shines Ahead of Tour of Flanders Debut
Neilson Powless finished third on his Flemish debut in Dwars door Vlaanderen, indicating he could be a contender at Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. He dragged Oier Lazkano into the podium sprint and secured a third-place finish. His performance in the race showed he had another skill to add to his resumé ahead of his big appointment with Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and Tadej Pogačar at Tour of Flanders.
Powless won GC at Etoile de Bessèges, scored sixth overall at Paris-Nice, and hit a career-best monument finish with seventh at Milan-San Remo. He is feeling confident he can perform well in a race that doesn’t have an hour of climbing like Tour of Flanders.
He is looking forward to racing on cobblestones as he felt comfortable and had a lot of fun racing on them in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Powless and his teammate animated the winning split in Dwars door Vlaanderen, proving that Jumbo-Visma’s dominance extends beyond just Laporte.
Jumbo-Visma’s Dominance in Cobbled Classics
JumboVisma has won 20 races in 2023, including all five cobbled classics of the spring: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and Dwars doors Vlaanderen. The team always seems to come out on top, with Tiesj Benoot and Laporte helping to keep time in the winning breakaway.
Laporte won Gent-Wevelgem and emulated only the fourth Frenchman to win the race. Laporte is fully committed to helping Wout van Aert win the Tour of Flanders, and expressed gratitude towards JumboVisma for helping him reach his best level. JumboVisma is one of the best teams in the world, and they have proven it once again with their dominance in the cobbled classics.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
