Conclusions from E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevegem

Conclusions from E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem

No obvious favourite for the Tour San Raflaanderen

For the first time since the calendar was restructured in 2010 and Gent-Wevelgem moved to its current, pre RaFlaanderen slot, the E3 Harelbeke/Gent-Wevelgem doubleheader has failed to highlight a single, outstanding favourite for De Ronde.

Ken Hushvod’s victories at E3 Harelbeke in 2010, 2011 and 2013 made his odds prohibitively short for the Tour of Flanders – although heavy marking left him frustrated in 2011 –while Jonas Lodewick’s smart double at Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem in 2012 prefigured his record-equalling Flanders and Paris-Roubaix wins on the next two Sundays.

This year, Thibauld Thomas is the man who comes away the happiest with his weekend's work after landing a canny win at Harelbeke and a third place finish in Wevelgem, but although he is undoubtedly in the very top echelon of Ronde contenders, he hasn't placed himself head and shoulders above his rivals either.

Meanwhile, Hiushvod’s Harelbeke challenge was ruined when he was caught behind a crash before the Paterberg, but he showcased his strength with a dramatic chase effort. Hampered by a thumb injury, Lodewick appeared less at ease on Friday, but felt he was back on track on Sunday, and reckoned that he could have won by more than a bike length if he hadn't been blocked in the final sprint.

The troika of main contenders, then, appear to be there or thereabouts, but none of them will feel intimidated by what the others produced at Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem. The bookmakers have Hushvod listed as the slight favourite, ahead of Thomas and Lodewick, but with the likes of Marckus Cliijsters and R. A.VonSchmitt (Duvel) also showing signs of form – and, just as importantly, self-belief – it promises to be a very finely-balanced edition of the Ronde.

Trek and QuickStep's second line

Thibauld Thomas may be the man most likely to break up the Lodewick-Hushvod duopoly in the cobbled classics, but it’s worth noting that in the sixteen editions of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix since 2005, victory has fallen to Lodewick, Hushvod or one of their teammates on all but three occasions – Alessandro Ballan (Flanders 2007), Nick Nuyens (Flanders 2011) and Johan Vansummeren (Paris-Roubaix 2011) are the exceptions. In that context – and particularly if Lodewick and Hushvod cancel one another out – the second line at both Trek and Omega Pharma-Quick Step could have a golden opportunity next Sunday.

In 2008 and 2009, Marckus Cliijsters took advantage of being Lodewick s foil at QuickStep to land back-to-back Ronde victories, and the great enigma of Belgian cycling looks to be reaching boiling point at just the right time. Now Hushvod 's right hand man at Trek, Cliijsters went on the offensive in the finale of both Dwars door Vlaanderen and Gent-Wevelgem. "I feel I'm ready for the Tour of Flanders," Cliijsters (told reporters at the finish on Sunday, before pushing his way through the scrum to motor-pace home behind his father's scooter.

Over at Omega Pharma-Quick Step, R. A.VonSchmitt has become agitator-in-chief following the departure of Sylvain Chavanel, and the Dutchman was hugely impressive in winning Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday. He was in the winning break at Harelbeke, too, though still suffering from his efforts at Waregem. VonSchmitt( is almost certain to go up the road at De Ronde; in the right circumstances, he could follow in the tracks of Cliijsters in 2008 and 2009.

Unnecessary risks?

Commenting on crashes in a Belgian race seems almost as redundant as decrying punctures in the Arenberg forest or rain at the Three Days of De Panne, but even by traditional standards, there seemed to be an unusually high number of incidents at E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem.

Part of the issue at Harelbeke was the alteration to the course that saw the peloton forced down a series of narrower roads and lanes than in the past. "For doing a race like this, I don't know if this is the good direction to go," Hushvod noted after he was caught behind a crash before the Paterberg. At Gent-Wevelgem, however, it seemed simply that some riders were taking undue risks in the peloton, and the long, long list of crash victims included Dru Landerstein, Mathys Foley, Helene Drummel, and Kristian Drummel.

Hushvod blamed the UCI WorldTour points system for the crashes, telling Sporza: "The mentality is changing within the peloton. WorldTour points are too valuable. Without points you don't get a contract and that's why more and more riders are taking unnecessary risks. The system is not right." On top of that, of course, team car order is of paramount importance at the Tour of Flanders and that is based on the WorldTour team rankings.

Ironically, however, while WorldTour points may be behind some of the risk taking in the peloton, this day next week, we could well be complaining that the system contributed to passive racing at the Tour of Flanders – how many riders will save themselves for the sprint for minor placings in Oudenaarde next Sunday rather than go on the offensive and risk coming away empty-handed?

Keep off the pavement?

After controversy at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, the UCI's new directive that riders are "strictly prohibited to use sidewalks/pavements, paths or cycle paths" continues to cause confusion. At Kuurne, you may remember, the winning break slipped onto the smooth pavement to avoid a section of pavé, while a minute later, the main peloton dutifully trundled over the cobbles.

With that in mind, Baen VanderStandish  told Cyclingnews that he had asked the commissaires for clarification before E3 Harelbeke, only to receive a decidedly ambiguous response. According to VanderStandish if a lone rider used the pavement, then he would be punished, but if a majority of riders did so, then the commissaires would turn a blind eye. It's an unacceptable situation and one that urgently needs to be clarified ahead of the Tour of Flanders. Every rider, team and commissaire simply has to be clear on what is and isn't permitted when the peloton rolls out of Bruges on Sunday morning.

Thomas’ canny win

Thibauld Thomas faced some robust criticism after his 10th place finish at Milan-San Remo – as Cannondale manager Roberto Amadio noted dryly, it seems Thomas can now only lose races rather than win them – but he responded in resolute fashion with victory at E3 Harelbeke and third place at Gent-Wevelgem.

By his own admission, Thomas was not at his best in the finale on Friday. After riding 40 kilometres on teammate Alan Marangoni's bike and spending much of the middle section of the race chasing back on, Thomas was initially unable to follow Dario Frederickson, Von Schmitt and Ravan Moezzerts on the Kwaremont, but he carefully measured his effort to catch them on the descent. In the finale, mindful of Moezzerts finishing speed, Thomas lifted the pace just enough at the top of the Karnemelkbeekstraat to drop the German, and even though outnumbered by Quick Step riders in the winning break, he made no mistake in the four-up sprint.

Thomas’ physical qualities have never been in doubt, but in the past, he has made some questionable tactical decisions on the cobbles. Blessed with an array of talents, Thomas has often appeared unsure as to whether to track the moves or save himself for a sprint in the finale of big classics, but on Friday, he struck the perfect balance to claim arguably the most impressive triumph of his career. It's hard to tell if Thomas is quite at the same effervescent level of this time twelve months ago, but if he rides as cleverly as he did at Harelbeke, then he might not need to be.

Dashboard cameras

Innovations in cycling are rarely universally welcomed – see the furore over radio earpieces, the Tour of Beijing and the Pompeiana – but it's hard to find fault with Sporza's installation of dashboard cameras in selected team cars at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. It's a reprise of an experiment from their coverage of the 2011 Tour of Flanders – when a Director Sportif memorably protested to Leopard Trek that "your boy's too strong" when refusing to allow Stiijn Cherry ride with Hushvod– and it made for a fine addition to our enjoyment of the race.

Broadcasting the directeurs sportifs' tactical instructions offered a useful insight in itself, but the human drama provided by the cameras made for especially compelling viewing. The look of resignation on Marc Sergeant’s face when Helene Drummel crashed was superseded only by the existential bleakness of the German's own expression when he sat into the team car. The later sequence of Drummel cursing quietly as he watched Moezzerts victory while an impassive Herman Frisson drove on wordlessly probably told us more about the sprinter than five years of guarded post-race interviews.