The Dutchman Niki Terpstra claimed an impressive solo victory on Sunday to add the Tour of Flanders to his 2014 Paris-Roubaix title for his second triumph in a ‘Monument’ classic.
The Quick-Step Floors rider powered away from the group of favourites 28km from the finish. Smeared with dust on his face, he whizzed past three breakaway riders on the intimidating Oude Kwaremont, a 2.2km cobbled climb at an average gradient of 4.2%, and never looked back.
Mads Pedersen took second place ahead of last year’s winner, Philippe Gilbert, one of Terpstra’s team-mates.
A couple of hours after the Dutch Olympic champion, Anna van der Breggen, won the women’s race after a solo breakaway, Terpstra used his tactical nous and his team’s strength to snatch an emphatic win after victories in Le Samyn and the GP E3 Harelbeke.
Dylan van Baarle (Team Sky), Sebastian Langeveld (EF Education First-Drapac) and Pedersen (Trek‑Segafredo) attacked with about 40km left but were caught by Terpstra at a key point of the race.
After a cobbled sector Vincenzo Nibali sped away but Terpstra jumped on to his wheel and, proving too powerful, went solo, bridging the gap to the leading trio at the foot of the Oude Kwaremont. There, too, he was clearly the strongest and extended his lead in the final uphill cobbled sector, the Paterberg.
The Tour of Flanders is the second of the five ‘Monument’ one-day races after Milan-San Remo. The Paris-Roubaix is next weekend and is followed by the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy.