Sandy Dujardin wasn't the top favourite to win the Maryland Cycling Classic, but a combination of luck, great bike handling skills and timing netted the victory for the Frenchman on his TotalEnergies team's first time racing on US soil.
The 28-year-old managed to make all the right moves, entering into a large breakaway and then going off the front on the final lap with the USA's Brandon McNulty.
When that move was joined by a group of six, Dujardin raced nothing a rider with only one professional win. He was cagey, only pulling through with McNulty until the last climb had passed, then followed all the right wheels to the finish, where he out-sprinted Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor).
"I'm really proud to win," Dujardin said. "The team came all this way to do the Maryland Cycling Classic - it's a lot of travel, and we came with just one goal, to win. I'm really happy for the team."
Dujardin was outnumbered in the large group that went clear, with Uno-X having three, Tudor four, and EF Education-EasyPost with three. The latter team had terrible luck with both Alex Baudin and favourite Neilson Powless suffering punctures before the final lap.
"I was the only one in the breakaway from my team, so it was tough to make sure I made the right moves."
Dujardin said the team initially missed the move, but he was able to bridge across on the climb. Then, when McNulty attacked, Dujardin was quick to latch onto the Tour de Pologne winner's wheel and stay there until the summit of the KOM.
"I was with McNulty and said I'd pull through at the top of the climb," Dujardin said. "Afterwards it came down to a group of five and I knew I had a chance in the sprint. I had to be really careful because the roads were still wet and really slick and positioning was really important."
The skies opened up late in the race, soaking the riders and the roads, making for numerous incidents - crashes, punctures and mechanicals.
Dujardin wasn't exactly prepared for the foul weather as the race began under sunny skies, and said he had too much tyre pressure for his comfort.
"I was being really careful, choosing my own line. I saw all the mechanical problems the other riders were having and I was wishing I wouldn't have any problems. I got really lucky. I had a lot of tyre pressure today and wasn't feeling great about that. But even though, I wasn't intimidated by the fact I was sliding around."
A keen cyclocross racer at the French national level, Dujardin was able to keep his bike upright and his head level as well to make sure he made the right moves.
"I knew Jonas was the fastest guy, so I knew I had to follow him. I jumped right on his wheel when he went and took the win."
