Flandrien Rules in Junior-Vlaanderen

Mar 25, 2015 – Belgium’s Jelle Wallays stole a march on world champion Michal Kwiatkowski to win the semi-classic Dwars door Vlaanderen one-day race on Wednesday.

AFP/Yuzuru Sunada

The Dwars, which means ‘Across Flanders’, is one of the main build-up races ahead of the Spring Classics, which begin on Friday with E3 Harelbeke.

Wallays was part of a four-man breakaway but he distanced his companions just before the finish to cross the line alone. His compatriot and Topsport Vlaanderen team-mate Edward Theuns won a sprint for second ahead of another Belgian Dylan van Baarle, with Poland’s Kwiatkowski fourth.

The Pole is one of the favourites for the three Ardennes Classics in the second half of April. Before then the main attention will be on the Tour of Flanders on April 5 and Paris-Roubaix a week later. The Dwars is one of the six co-operating races known as the Flanders Classics, of which the Tour of Flanders is the most important.

Milano San Remo, Italy’s premiere classic was perhaps on of the best classics ever, with several moments of uncertainty on who could and would win the race. Similarily, the Strada-Bianche, a race also held in Italy, saw a hard attack in the final meters that would seal the victory for one lucky rider. If you love classics, and want to read more, click on the links with underlined text.

Final 2-Kilometers of Dwars door Vlaanderen

Formation of winning breakaway and a crash taking out several riders and Moto

Dwars door Vlaanderen Results

1. WALLAYS, Jelle (TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE) 4:36:032
2. THEUNS, Edward (TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE) +2
3. VAN BAARLE, Dylan (CANNONDALE – GARMIN)
4. KWIATKOWSKI, Michal (ETIXX – QUICK STEP) + 4
5. VAN KEIRSBULCK, Guillaume (ETIXX – QUICK STEP) + 1:05
6. BENOOT, Tiesj (LOTTO SOUDAL) + 1:08
7. LEMOINE, Cyril (COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS) s.t.
8. DEBUSSCHERE, Jens (LOTTO SOUDAL) s.t.
9. MAES, Nikolas (ETIXX – QUICK STEP) s.t.
10. TCATEVICH, Aleksei (KATUSHA) s.t.