Alexander Kristoff imposes itself forcefully on Heistse Pijl 2024. A sprint of great power that allowed the expert Uno-X Mobility runner to prevail Casper Van Uden (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) e Amaury Capiot (Arkéa – B&B Hotels). Well launched by his teammate Tord Gudmestad, the 1987 class launched an irresistible sprint for his rivals, dominating the sprint that had become inevitable when the last attacker, Axel van der Tuuk (Metec – SOLARWATT p/b Mantel) was caught ), just under eight kilometers from the finish, without the following climb allowing anyone to extend their lead.
The arrival video
The story of the race
Many attacks in the initial stages, but soon a group of five riders forms the lead. I am the one composing it Daan van Sintmaartensdijk (BEAT Cycling Club), Axel van der Tuuk (Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel), Maxime Duba (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Jente Klaver (VolkerWessels Cycling Team) e Mauro Verwilt (Tarteletto-Isorex), to whom the group grants up to a maximum of 3’40” of advantage, a gap that drops to 2’25” with 100 kilometers to go after Team dsm-firmenich PostNL takes the lead of the peloton to increase pace.
Subsequently, however, the pace drops and the advantage of the breakaway goes back above three minutes, so a few kilometers later it increases Tosh Van Der Sande (Visma | Lease a Bike), which together with Jan-Willem Van Schip (Parkhotel Valkenburg) tries to get back on track. The two get closer to 2′ from the group in the lead, but then they are no longer able to gain ground, while behind them the group moves to 2’50” with -50 from the end thanks to the work of Bora hansgrohe And TDT-Unibet.
The two pursuers are thus caught once they enter the final 40 kilometres, with the group at that point 1’45” behind. The gap continues to fall rapidly, falling under a minute with thirty kilometers to go, after a new counterattack attempt is quickly neutralized by Bora-hansgrohe and Intermarché-Wanty. With also Uno-X Mobility And Team dsm-firmenich PostNL to make their contribution, no one has any more chances to extend their lead and the gap from the head of the race continues to decrease rapidly.
Twenty kilometers from the end, Van der Tuuk takes the lead, while behind him Duba is caught first, but the adventure of the other three is also now close to the end, with the reunion taking place just before the sign indicating ten kilometers at the conclusion. Same fate, two kilometers further on, for the last survivor and from that moment the sprinters’ teams further raise the pace to organize a now inevitable sprint.
