Deceuninck-QuickStep carried over their dominance of one-day racing from the cobbles to the gravel this weekend as Julian Alaphilippe claimed victory at Strade Bianche on his debut appearance. Alaphilippe beat Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang after a lengthy battle with the Dane over the race’s gravel roads.
Rising star Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) was the only rider that could hold onto them as they moved clear over the final sectors. He lost contact with the pair on the penultimate gravel section and had to endure a drawn-out chase to find them once again in the final kilometre.
Van Aert dropped back again as the riders made their way up the steep final climb towards the Piazza del Campo in Siena and it was a duel between Fuglsang and Alaphilippe for the victory.
Fuglsang made the first move but it was not enough to shake Alaphilippe, who counter-attacked and overtook his rival to add to Deceuninck-QuickStep’s tally of victories this spring.