Terpstra Wins Dwars door Vlaanderen

26 March 2014 03:41

Niki Terpstra of Omega Pharma Quick Step won the one day classic race that is Dwars door Vlaanderen.

A gruelling 200.8kms from Roeselare to Waregem over cobbles and climbs.

Movistar' Alex Dowsett tried to attack after 25kms and was quickly brought back by a strong field.before Kris Boeckmans, James Vanlandschoot and Kenneth Vanbilsen and Garmin-Sharp's veteran British rider David Millar launched a raid on a stage where speeds for the first hour had reached an average of 51km/h.

Twenty seconds clear was as far as they got and with 122km to go, they were joined by Gediminas Bagdonas (AG2R La Mondiale), Dmitriy Muravyev (Astana Pro Team), Stephen Cummings (BMC Racing Team), Paolo Longo Borghini (Cannondale), Romain Zingle (Cofidis), Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling), Songezo Jim (MTN - Qhubeka), Nikolas Maes (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step), Gatis Smukulis (Team Katusha), Daniel Schorn (Team NetApp-Endura), Christopher Sutton (Team Sky), Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff-Saxo), Kenneth Van Bilsen and Tom Van Asbroeck (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise), Markel Irizar and Eugenio Alafaci (Trek), John Murphy (UnitedHealthcare), and James Van Landschoot (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) and Jos van Emden of Belkin.

They had a lead of three minutes at the foot of the Nieuwe Kwaremont climb which came after 93kms and 2.30 over the The Kattenberg and then the Leberg,

Jos van Emden led them over the Valkenburgb before there was another crash involving Testi from Androni.

By the time of the Taaineberg climb with 54kms to go, there had been an attack from a split peloton by Tom Boonen whilst at the front. Van Asbroeck, Van Bilsen, Zingle, Irizar Aranburu, Van Emden, Saramotins and Maes led as David Millar dropped off the back of the group.

The escapers were caught and with thirty kilometres to go, Niki Terpstra of Omega Pharma Quick Step went off, brielfy followed by Team Sky's Ian Stannard.

Terpstra had a fourteen second lead with three climbs to go before he was chased down by Devolder, Steegmans, Valverde and Sorensen.

However, Terpstra stayed away and inside the final kilometre, the Devolder group was caught. Terpstra took the win with Tyler Farrar second ahead of Bozic, Drucker, Chavanel, Debuschere, Van Asbroeck, Gatto, Keukeleire and Hutarovich.

Source: DSG