Jean Pierre Drucker of BMC has won the 2015 RideLondon Classic.
The highlight of a weekend festival of cycling in London, culminated in a 200km Category 1.HC race which took the riders out and around Surrey before heading back to London for a finish on The Mall.
A race previously, won by Arnaud Demare and British rider Adam Blythe, attracted some big names despite the weekend's Clasica San Sebastian, won by Rotherham's Adam Yates, Tour Of Utah and the Tour Of Poland.
Although there was no Andre Greipel, the Manx Missile in Mark Cavendish led the list of sprinters who were fancied to become the third winner of this race.
The first break took its time to form and the riders were still altogether through Richmond Park as some fourteen and a half thousand who had taken part in the 100 mile sportive including a number of celebrities such as Martin Johnson, the former England Rugby Manager, made their way through the finish line on the mall.
When the break did form, it was Mark Cavendish of a five rider Etixx Quick Step team, who was in it, along with Timo Roosen of LottoNL-Jumbo, Giacomo Belato of Nippo Vini-Fantini and Kristian House of JLT Condor.
Cavendish's group was pulled back and a new group of Erik Rowsell of Madison Genesis, Pete Williams of One Pro Cycling, Sander Helven of Topsport, Riccardo Stacchiotti of Nippo and Lander Seynaeve of Wanty Group.
Heading towards Dorking to go, they had a lead of five minute but that was dropped to 4.13 with 136kms left and 3.55 five kilometres later.
Rowesell took the six points on the first KOM climb at Leith Hill, before Stacchiotti punctured.
Williams and Seynaeve battled for the first of four sprint points at Dorking with Williams taking the points.
Rowsell took the second and third KOM climb and with a hundred kilometres remaining the five out front were 1.11 clear on the A24.
Stacchiotti took the second sprint ahead of Williams and with new signing Alex Peters doing plenty of work for Team Sky on the front of the peloton who were 1.49.
On a lovely, warm afternoon, Williams had to change his back wheel yet again.
Rowsell took the next KOM points as the gap went out to 2.54 and Stacchiotti took the third sprint ahead of Williams, who led the sprint competition by a point.
With 73kms to go, there was a crash which took down a number of riders whilst Ed Clancy did well to avoid being held up like a number of Lotto-Soudal riders.
Rowsell went off the front of the break to take the final KOM points at Ranmore Common and Willams took the sprint.
The peloton continued to work and went in to the final cllmb.
Philippe Gilbert of BMC with team mate and Tour De France 2015 time trial winner Rohan Dennis, came to the front as it split in the peloton on the climb up to Box Hill.
The escapers were caught and a small group of eleven riders took a lead with more trying to join them.
Mark Cavendish and Rohan Dennis launched an attack with 41kms left.
They were swiftly brought back and Kenneth Van Roy of Lotto Soudal, Mike Teunissen of LottoNL-Jumbo, Ben Swift of Team Sky, Sep Vanmarcke of LottoNL-Jumbo and Leigh Howard of Orica GreenEdge were part of an eight man attack.
Going through Esher, they had taken a lead of 46 seconds and through Kingston the lead went out to 59 seconds.
There were big crowds through Raynes Park as the lead went out to 1.51 and with 16.4kms, the gap went out to two minutes.
Wimbledon hosted the final sprint of the day and Ben Swift, Teunissen and Drucker tried an attack before the front group came back together.
Sep Vanmarcke, went on the attack and got away before leading the riders into Putney with 10kms left.
Vanmarcke nearly was hit by a motorbike and told the rider to get out of the way in no uncertain terms, whilst his team mate Teunissen did his best to slow the pace and allow Vanmarcke to stay out with a lead of nineteen seconds going into the final seven kilometres.
Past Chelsea Bridge and Vanmarcke was time-trialling as the gap dropped to fifteen seconds and 2.38 over the peloton.
Swift, Drucker and Teunossen tried to get to him and with two kilometres to go, they caught Vanmarke.
It was out of these four who would win and under the flam rouge and on to The Mall.
There was Jean Pierre Drucker who won in 4,47.43.ahead of Teunissen and Ben Swift.
Source: DSG
