Cavendish sprints to Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne win

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Mark Cavendish claimed his second win in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne after out-sprinting Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) and Elia Viviani (Team Sky) on Sunday, saving Etixx-QuickStep’s blushes after the team's capitulation Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite. 

One of the beautiful aspects – and there are many - to the opening weekend of racing in Belgium’s cauldron of cobbles is that teams can quickly make amends for mistakes they’ve made in the first race. And Etixx-QuickStep, with Cavendish providing an exemplary lesson in sprint tactics – helped the team exorcise their demons with a win that will have done his contractual position at the team the world of good.

Cavendish was everywhere he needed to be during the race – first making contact with a dangerous break that formed on the slopes of the Côte de Trieu and then, more crucially, on Kristoff’s wheel with 200 metres to go. Even when Etixx did falter – eventually running out of gas in the last kilometre – Cavendish swooped to edge out Kristoff.

“The team were incredible the whole day. We talked this morning and Wilfried Peeters didn’t think I could make but the riders all believed in me,” Cavendish rather controversially said after crossing the line before returning to a more expected party line. “We went full gas on the Oude Kwaremont but there was a headwind so the group was always going to come back. Then it was up to me in the sprint.”

With Katusha controlling the front of the peloton for most of the two final circuits through Kuurne, Etixx were forced to burn matches as they tried to position Cavendish where he needed to be. Trentin lost contact with just over five kilometres remaining and when Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) launched an dangerous attack and quickly gained 11 seconds, the sprinters' teams were forced to respond.

Having controlled the most telling break of the day, cracks in Etixx’s train were beginning to understandably surface but Cavendish used his experience as well as his speed to make sure he was positioned on Kristoff’s wheel.

“We used our guys too early because of the headwind in the last corner. Tom [Boonen] went to go but I already left him to go onto Kristoff’s wheel. I thought that was better. I knew it was going to be hard but I’ve been going well all year. I’m super proud to get this victory for Etixx QuickStep.”

Pride for Cavendish but relief for Patrick Lefevere who had found himself on the back foot last night after Ian Stannard had singlehandedly taken apart his team in Omloop, a feeling that Cavendish will not doubt remind his boss of when the pair sit down for contract negotiations later this year. Next stop, as Cavendish confirmed is Milan-San Remo, and another shoot out with the defending champion, Kristoff. All roads lead to via Roma.

How it unfolded

On a cold, fresh morning the peloton regrouped on Sunday with the majority of yesterday’s players returning for act two of the opening weekend in Belgium.

It took over 30 kilometres for the opening break to forge clear with Mattia Pozzo (Nippo - Vini Fantini) Sjoerd van Ginneken (Team Roompot), Jimmy Engoulvent (Europcar), Xandro Meurisse (AN Post), Fredrik Backaert, Dimitri Peyskens (Team 3M), Thomas Vauborzeix (Veranclassic-Ekoï) Eugert Zhupa (Southeast Pro Cycling) jumping clear.

Over the first climbs the eight-man move maintained a three-minute lead over a peloton that had elected for Katusha and Etixx to position a man each on point.

A relative armistice was maintained until the bunch reached the Côte de Trieu, where Tom Boonen and Sep Vanmarcke both accelerated from the field. They brought riders with them but by the time the race hit the next climb of the Oude Kwaremont weaknesses in the main field were exploited once more with both Etixx and Vanmarcke’s LottoNL-Jumbo team creating a group of 19 riders.

Etixx were well represented with Boonen and Cavenish among their troop, Vanmarcke had one teammate, Gilbert another, Kristoff was on his own, while Ian Stannard had Team Sky’s Elia Viviani for company. On another day it may been enough to settle the race but with such a long run in to the finish – 51km from the crest of the final climb of the Nokereberg to the finish – and with MTN, Cofidis and AG2R in hot pursuit, the group could only manage to establish a lead of just over a minute.

By now the remnants of the break were being picked up in their ones and twos and when the break of Vanmarcke and Boonen was eventually brought to heel the chances of a bunch sprint looked all but certain.

The only rider unwilling to read from that script was Gilbert, who tore off with just under five kilometres of racing remaining.

Katusha, Team Sky, and then Lotto Soudal took turns of slowly pulling the BMC rider back but the effort took its toll with fragmented leadouts emerging from the final corner. Katusha and Kriftoff still looked to be in the best position as Viviani remained in contention but locked onto Kristoff’s wheel was Cavendish and Etixx’s much needed victory.

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