On Saturday, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad launched as usual the highly anticipated Flemish Classics season. Across the Belgian bergs, the race opened from far, and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team found itself in a difficult position for a long time. Stefan Küng still managed to get back into the mix in the final but couldn’t conclude his good performance with a convincing result. Behind two fugitives, the Swiss rider took 16th place in the sprint within a small bunch.
The sweet smell of cobblestones, bergs, and winding roads was back on Saturday. From Ghent to Ninove, over a bit more than 200 kilometres, a first fight between the “Flandrians” was expected for the opening of the Belgian calendar on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Eleven cobbled sectors and twelve bergs were there to liven up the day, but the fight started much earlier than expected. After only sixty kilometres of racing, and while a first breakaway of nine men had established, the bunch was split into pieces in the crosswinds. Barely twenty riders were able to find their way into the first group, and unfortunately, no rider from Groupama-FDJ was there. “We missed the split, and from then on, we were always one step behind,” said Stefan Küng. “The group went with several favorites, and we then had to pull behind, because Stefan was there to achieve a result,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “We took part in the chase, but there weren’t many teams to help us.” The first bunch quickly caught the breakaway, while the second pack found itself between forty-five seconds and a minute behind for a long time. Thanks to the work of Fabian Lienhard, Clément Russo and Sam Watson, the gap significantly dropped with about fifty kilometres to go. “We managed to come back to twenty seconds,” said Frédéric, “but they attacked again in the front, and we only had Stefan and Lewis left in the peloton.”
“The final didn’t turn out well for Stefan”, Frédéric Guesdon
At the front, the first group also hugely reduced since only six men were leading entering the last hour of racing, while the peloton caught all the riders in-between at the bottom of the Molenberg. Stefan Küng then tried to launch a counterattack but could not break away. “I felt pretty good, but the race was a bit blocked because many teams were represented in the front,” said the Swiss rider. In the lead, Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Christophe Laporte, Tom Pidcock, Tom Skujins and Arnaud De Lie worked together to keep a good lead over the peloton. Yet, following the American’s attack before the Muur, all the gaps narrowed. This is how the main, yet small bunch, almost returned to the five chasers. Fighting hard in the iconic Muur, also the day’s penultimate climb, Stefan Küng regained hope within a pursuit group. But it was in the Bosberg, eleven kilometres from the finish, that the leading men were caught. Due to a big push towards the top, a dozen men found themselves at the front, including the leader of Groupama-FDJ. “There were only ten or twelve guys left, but it immediately attacked from both sides,” Stefan added. “It was difficult, being on my own, but it’s because my teammates worked beforehand.”
Jan Tratnik and Nils Politt were able to open a gap nine kilometres from the goal, and due to a lack of cooperation within the chasing group, a small bunch of around thirty riders reformed behind the leading duo. The pursuit did not bear fruit, however, since Tratnik eventually took the victory ahead of Politt, and eight seconds ahead of Van Aert, winner of the bunch sprint. Stefan Küng got involved in the finish but had to settle for sixteenth place. “When everything came back together in the Bosberg, we thought we were going to turn things around after our difficult start,” said Frédéric. “Unfortunately, the final didn’t turn out well for Stefan. He was there, but it’s frustrating because he had the physical condition to achieve a much better result. Unfortunately, the race circumstances mean that it is not always the strongest who wins. In the end, it’s a race to forget.” “This is how it is, but thanks to the guys for the good work,” added Stefan. “On the climbs and on the cobbles, I was feeling good, but we need to be even more attentive. We will do the debrief together and try to do better in the next races.” However, he will not line up on Sunday for Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, where he will be replaced by Laurence Pithie.
No comment