Fleeman wins Zwift Classics Richmond Challenge

(Image credit: Zwift)

Dan Fleeman took top honours Friday at the Zwift Classics Richmond Challenge, attacking up the final climb on areplica of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships Road Race course in Richmond, Virginia, to win ahead of Joey Walker and D. Graasvold.

Fleeman's devastating counter to Walker's initial attack brought him home three seconds ahead of Walker and nearly seven seconds ahead of Glaasvold.

Team Vitus collected the team prize in the points ranking based on KOMs and intermediate sprints, earning 121 points to the the Indoor Specialists team of Fleeman, which garnered 117. Canyon ZCC was third at 97 points.

The riders raced two laps of the virtual Richmond course that featured two sprints and two KOMs per lap, making a total of eight intermediate scoring opportunities and even more points available for crossing the finish line first.

Alistair Brownlee initially blew the race apart with a climb on Box Hill that whittled the lead group down to about 25 riders. Sprints on the course started putting pressure on, but the group remained together.

The first trips up Libby Hill and 23rd Street further broke things up, with Tom Pidcock losing touch with the leaders and falling into one of the groups that tailed off the back.

In the end it was, Walker who launched the decisive attack on the final climb up 23rd Street to the finish, but Fleeman was able to track him down as he sailed away from the select final group, holding off a chase from Walker and Graasvold.

The Zwift Classics series started April 5 with the Yorkshire Grand Prix and continued with the London International on April 9, followed by the Trofeo Bologna on April 13. The events take place every four days. Pro/Am women’s teams and Pro/Am men’s teams alternate racing the six different events.

Pro/Am women’s teams raced the Yorkshire Grand Prix (April 5) and the the Trofeo Bologna (April 13), and will take the lead again for the Watopia Cup (April 21).

The Pro/Am men’s teams race the London International (April 9), Richmond Challenge (April 17) and Crit City Slam (April 25).