Peloton Perspectives

The Junior edition of the famed professional classic was first organized in 2004 and won by Geraint Thomas, with Mads Pedersen and Tom Pidcock other notable winners. 17 cobblestone sectors are packed into an 111-kilometer race with the finish, just as the pros, on the famed Roubaix Velodrome.

The widely discussed chicane at the entrance to the famed-dreaded-popular Arenberg Forest cobbles was a non-issue, VdP was dropped off in perfect position where he did his thing and destroyed what was left of the peloton leaving only a small group in contention.

None of which intimidated our American boys as they took the start for the 120-kilometer Stage 1. Captained by the experienced Otis Engle who expertly guided the team through the movements of the peloton, the team worked perfectly to place Barry and Streif in good position at the entrance to the finishing circuits.

The 13-men were flying up the road, the gap increasing, the race splintered into pieces. Van der Poel calmly sat up, looked back and with an incredible display of sang froid, waited for his troops to regroup, go to the front, and begin to reassemble the race.

The boys, undaunted by the competition, rode the front; Ashlin was their man on form and they kept him there the entire day, bringing him back, through the 175-man, 40-car caravan (It took an hour), after a crash, depositing him and Noah Streif, in perfect position at the entrance to the finishing circuits (more Univest nostalgia?) with 30-k to go.

Enzo and Ashlin were the two youngest racers at the meet, racing in their first real 17-18 category race of that level. Their brilliant teamwork, matched with their perfectly complimentary racing qualities, have seasoned observers, such as Bjorn De Roo, who was there with his family cheering them on, predicting big things.

"This is the most tired I've ever been in my life," he said after the win, "The level here is so much higher than in the US and I had to fight with everything I had."

It is in working with Enzo that I understood why this young generation is dominating road cycling now. They are so fluent in the language and analysis of data, have Strava and Zwift as reference points, absorb hours upon hours of race coverage and have a world of science to draw from. A different species.

I found myself on the start line of “The London-Paris” that year; after a spring spent jumping into club races I was finally fit again. An English friend had offered me an extra entry and there I was, not at all knowing what was in front of me. Was it a race? Or just a ride?

The final true stage exploded into action, all sorts of craziness happening left and right. 4th and 9th overall, Carlos Rodríquez and Sepp Kuss, on the ground and bleeding profusely.

The peloton is exhausted, except for certain single-day champions, as we saw yesterday in the photo finish between Tour of Flanders winner Kasper Asgreen and Milano-Sanremo champ, and victor, Matej Mohorič.

It's about 70-k to go, the trio only seem to have a minute, so it must be doomed, the chores are calling… but suddenly the Green Jersey goes all Mafia Boss in the peloton, slamming Campenaert’s Lotto Dstny teammate, Pascal Eenkhoorn, into the barriers as the Dutchman was trying to jump up to the break.

Of course, the hits will keep on coming, they’re just too easy to make, and while I’m certainly not going to convince anyone in the suspicious camp with this piece, I can offer some perspective.

You can see the exhausting effects of this approach in the long breaks the racers must now take between races.

I was reminded of that practice while reading an article in L’Equipe yesterday, about a time trial ‘innovation’ brought about by Team Ineos.

At around this same time, Tom Pidcock, who’s been sitting in 12th overall, 8’:40” down, had made his way up to the break, and we all thought that a Jai Hindley type of long-range General Classification raid was in the cards, but somehow his Ineos team called him back to the field.

The dreaded Col de Joux Plane was the final battleground of the day, 11.7-km, 8.5% average gradient climbing up to 1690-meters, chock full of spectators primed and ready to witness what was certain to be an historic and vicious fight.

Michal Kwiaktowski was warmly gracious in his post-race interview, thanking his fellow breakaway companions for having worked to hard together, complementing their collective desire to, against almost every prognosis of the stage (again!), hold off the charging peloton on the 17.7-km slopes of the Grand Colombier.

Everyone wanted to be in on the action in what was the final ‘normal’ stage before today’s Grand Colombier then the Alps this weekend.

The small climber was fourth in last year’s Tour and a podium place became the unique focus for his Groupama-FDJ team this season, controversially leaving their sprinter Arnaud Démare home in favor of another climber for the squad.