Quick-Step’s king of sprints keeps on winning in 2022. He was also simply the fastest in the sprint in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He was a favorite in advance, but the fact that he could finish it like this is a testament to class. It is the 30th stage win for Jakobsen in his career.
‘Youtuber’ Bas Tietema, among others, colored the course by going along with the long breakaway. Tietema was regarded as a great cycling talent and impressed with the promises, until a serious skin allergy put an end to his cycling ambitions.
Shake the tree
He soon started his own YouTube channel after the end of his career, which became more and more popular over time. Last fall, he started a process to become a professional cyclist after all.
His attempt failed, of course, when the big men started shaking the tree. Like Tom Pidcock, the Brit accelerated and got Kasper Asgreen along. It eventually resulted in a leading group with resounding names: Benoot, Pidcock, Asgreen, Lampaert, Laporte and Trentin.
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30 kilometers before the finish it was again a regrouping. Yet three men stayed away a kilometer before the finish: Taco van der Hoorn, Christophe Laporte and Jhonatan Narváez. It ended in a sprint and Jakobsen turned out to be the fastest.
Reaction Jakobsen
“It was not easy, from kilometer 100 it has never stopped,” Jakobsen looked at the TV channel sporza back on track. He had no teammates left to start the sprint in the final phase. “I had to use everyone to get closer. In the end, those three guys in the lead were my lead-out. I dove behind them and had to hold out until the finish.”
The peloton did not stop and saw more and more riders fall back from the leading group. But Van der Hoorn, Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez and Laporte only gave in with the finish cloth in sight. “You always have to keep sprinting for the win,” said Jakobsen, who had kept hoping for a bunch sprint. De Heukelummer mentioned winning Milan-Sanremo as one of his wishes for the coming years. “But then I have to drive even better uphill and be able to handle a course of 300 kilometers.”
Jakobsen also reflects on Ukraine
Jakobsen had already told a few things about his win in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne when the cyclist from Heukelum for the Belgian TV channel sporza the victory relative. “It’s great to win here. But when I get off I immediately think that here in the Netherlands and Belgium we are all free and can watch the race, while terrible things are happening in Ukraine. What’s going on there makes me very quiet. My thoughts are with those people,” said the Dutchman from Quick-Step – Alpha Vinyl.
On Saturday, Wout van Aert had spoken similar words after his victory in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. “There is a war much closer than you would like. It is madness that that is still possible,” said the Belgian from Jumbo-Visma, who also expressed his condolences to everyone involved.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Thursday. Many athletes have already expressed their disapproval.
Danish rider Vingegaard wins Drôme Classic cycling race
The Dane Jonas Vingegaard has won the French cycling race Drôme Classic. The 25-year-old rider of Jumbo-Visma, second in the Tour de France last year, left his fellow refugee Juan Ayuso behind in the final climb. The Spaniard was overtaken by the French Guillaume Martin and Benoît Cosnefroy, who divided the other places of honour. Martin was the fastest of the two.
Vingegaard started his season this weekend. On Saturday he finished 33rd in the Ardèche Classic, a race that was won by the American Brandon McNulty. For the Dane, the win in the Drôme Classic was his sixth victory.
Valverde (41) wins new stage race in Galicia
Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde has won the Gran Camino, a new four-day stage race in Spanish Galicia. The final stage, an individual time trial over more than 15 kilometers, was won by Mark Padoon of the Education First team. Last year, the Ukrainian caused a stir by winning two mountain stages in the Critérium du Dauphiné, then still employed by Bahrain.
Valverde finished third in the time trial, also behind his compatriot Jesús Herrada, knocking Canadian Michael Woods (10th in the time trial) from first place. For the 41-year-old Movistar rider, it marked his 133rd victory since turning professional in 2002. Valverde has announced that he will end his career at the end of this year. He also won the third stage in the Gran Camino.