Dorian Godon (AG2R Citroën) beat Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) in a two-rider sprint to win a rain-soaked and demanding De Brabantse Pijl.
The two emerged from a quality attack on the hilly finishing circuits around Overijse, to the south of Brussels, dropping their most dangerous rival, Remi Cavagna (Soudal-QuickStep), on the cobbled Hertstraat climb with 15km to go.
Godon almost cracked Healy on the steep, cobbled Moskesstraat but the Irishman got back on and impressed on the ride to the finish. He then sat on Godon for the final S-Bocht climb up to the finish, forcing the Frenchman to lead out the sprint.
However Godon had more power in the sprint. He accelerated with anger and Healy had no response, dropping his head and accepting second place.
Benoît Cosnefroy surged from the chasing group to also give AG2R Citroën third place on the podium. He caught and passed Cavagna, celebrating a great start to the Ardennes Classics for the French team.
“This is the best win of my career,” Godon said happily, after hugging Cosnefroy and celebrating their double podium.
“If you look at the palmares of this race, a lot of big names have won. It was really tough today, due to the weather and the difficult course.
“I was in the front from the start of the local laps because I wanted to be in the breakaway. Initially I had a hard time recovering properly after the climbs, but then got better as the final kilometres progressed.”
Godon was not convinced he could win the sprint after Healy had ridden strongly to distance Cavagna.
“You never know in a sprint with two,” he warned. “I just gave it everything. It's fantastic that Benoît Cosnefroy was also on the podium. This is an important result for us, because we had a lot of bad luck in the cobbled classics but now we’re more optimistic for the Ardennes Classics."
How it unfolded
De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne, to give the race its full name, includes a testing mix of cobbles and climbs, marking the season change from the cobbled Classics to the Ardennes Classics.
Just like the women’s race earlier in the day, the men lined up for the start under grey skies and a real risk of a heavy rain during the 205 kilometres of hilly racing southeast of Brussels. Indeed, the rain came several times as heavy showers, soaking the riders and leaving them with fatigued dirt faces.
The early break formed after 10km of racing, the peloton happy to let four rides go clear, convinced they could sweep them up on the hilly finishing circuit around Overijse. The four were Johan Meens (Bingoal-WB), Sander de Pestel (Flanders-Baloise), Irish national champion Rory Townsend (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) and Tord Gudmestad (Uno-X Pro Cycling). They quickly opened a lead of a minute and it was up to four minutes after just 25km of racing.
AG2R-Citroën, riding for last year's runner-up Cosnefroy, led the chase on the long loop south towards Waterloo, south of Brussels. The break hit the first climb of the day, the Chaussée d'Alsemberg after 62 km,with a lead of six minutes.
The gap was still 4:00 as the riders reached the 100km and half-way point, the four working well together despite the pouring rain and temperatures of just 10C. There was no sign of spring in Belgium today.
Crashes raised the tension in the peloton with 80km to race, with a second spill on a wide, flat section of road. Jason Osborne (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) were involved, while Nick Schultz (Israel-Premier Tech) appeared worse off and he needed medical assistance. Despite losing riders, Alpecin-Deceuninck led the chase.
As the race hit the cobbled Moskesstraat climb for the first time, Ineos Grenadiers upped the pace and so the gap to the break was down to 2:30. The rain returned as the riders started the three 21.9km finishing circuits. The harder, more decisive hills started, with little respite between each narrow or cobble climb.
Soon after the finale kicked off, with Cosnefroy making an attack and sparking a quality chase move. However a more aggressive and more ambitious move came from Cavagna as the rain poured once again. He got away alone and powered over to the remains of the break.
Cavagna hit the front and only Tord Gudmestad (Uno-X Pro Cycling) could go with him. But then Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny), Dorian Godon (AG2R Citröen) and Lucas Eriksson (Tudor Pro Cycling) came across as the team tactics came into play.
With two laps to race, the six had opened a 40-second gap on the peloton, which appeared unwilling or unable to lead the chase. Bahrain Victorious and then Cofidis led the chase but the peloton was down to a rabble of tired and rain-soaked riders.
The sun came out but the roads were still wet, testing riders’ bike skills on the twisting, ever variable roads. Healy tried a solo attack with 38 km to go but he was pulled back and perhaps regretted using valuable energy. The six attackers then stayed together until the bell rang out to signal the final 21.9km lap.
On the Hagaard climb for the last time, Gudmestad cracked after a big day out and Healy again tried to split the group. He was joined by Godon and eventually Cavagna to form the strongest trio with 18km to go. The peloton was at 1:00 but running out of road and time to fight for victory.
The cobbled Hertstraat climb always hurts and Healy wisely stuck to the smoother gutter and powered away. Godon was able to go with him but surprisingly Cavagna struggled and was distanced. His time trial skills were not enough to close the gap.
On the steep and cobbled Moskesstraat climb, Godon opened a five-metre gap on Healy but the Irishman fought his way back on to keep his chances alive. They stayed together over the gentler Holstheide climb, with Healy even leading Godon as they worked to make sure they stayed away from Cavagna and the peloton.
Godon and Healy started the twisting S-Bocht climb together, the Irishman sitting on Godon, in an attempt to play mind games and boost his chances in the sprint to the line.
Godon decided to lead the two up the 1.3km long S-Bocht and so lead out the sprint as the road flattened. He waited for the right moment and then stomped on the pedals, using all his power and bigger build. Healy tried to hold his wheel but soon accepted second place. It was a good result for the EF Education-EasyPost as he started his Ardennes campaign.
Twenty-one seconds later Cosnefroy surged past Cavanga, who suffered a slow puncture in the final five kilometres, to take third and give AG2R Citroën two places on the podium.
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) finished an impressive seventh in the chase group at 25 seconds. He can finally take a break after the cobbled Classics, while the climbers head to Maastricht and the Limburg hills for Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race.
Results
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