Elia Viviani (Sky) proved that he doesn’t have to fear anyone in the pure bunch sprints when he claimed victory in the sprint royale on the second stage of the 3 Days of De Panne. Having been positioned perfectly on Marcel Kittel’s (Etixx-QuickStep) wheel, he came around the German in the final 100m to take a very prestigious win. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) picked up 4 bonus seconds by taking third and so extended his overall lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Elia Viviani: I really needed this win after a very bad period

Elia Viviani produced a textbook sprint to win stage two of the Three Days of De Panne ahead of Marcel Kittel and race leader Alexander Kristoff.

 

The Italian was perfectly positioned by Ian Stannard, Christian Knees, Danny van Poppel and Andy Fenn in the closing stages of the 211.1km trek from Zottegem to Koksijde, and latched on to Kittel's wheel with two kilometres to go.

 

Kristoff (Katusha) opened up his sprint early in the finale, but Viviani bided his time brilliantly and rounded Kittel (Etixx - Quick-Step) in the last 100 metres to seal a sensational result.

 

The victory was Viviani's second of the season and puts him another step closer to achieving his goal of 10 successes in 2016.

 

After the race, Viviani told TeamSky.com: "My team did a great job for me. Ian and Christian kept me near the front and then Andy and Danny rode brilliantly to get me in the perfect position behind Kittel. As we came onto the finishing straight I knew I was in the best spot. It was a technical sprint, with a cross headwind from the right, and I knew I had to stay calm until the last 100m. That was the perfect time to go and today was my time.

 

"I really needed that win and this is a great moment for me. I haven't had a big result since coming back from the track World Championships, so this is good for me personally, and for the team."  

 

A sprint finish was always predicted on day two, and although the break had held a gap of around seven minutes with 80km to go, a determined chase saw them swept up in the last 15km.

 

Team Sky led the peloton as the battle of the lead-outs ensued, with Fenn, Knees and Van Poppel each putting in big turns before Viviani settled at the back of Etixx - Quick-Step's train as the peloton swept under the flamme rouge.

 

The 27 year old then proved the fastest finisher and let out a roar of delight once he'd taken his win.

 

No sooner had he stepped off the podium than Viviani was already targeting Thursday morning's split sprint stage, and he admitted his performance in Koksjide had been a huge boost to his morale.

 

He added: "I definitely want to try and do something there as well and then Scheldeprijs is my next big goal. I'm going to miss the the Tour of Flanders to ensure I'm 100% for that, and today's result has given me a lot of confidence."

 

"The  Worlds was not a major goal. My real goal is the Olympics. But still, when you go so close to the rainbow jersey, it is clear you do not forget it overnight.  I lost a really close last sprint at the Track Worlds and that stayed in my head these past few weeks. You don’t forget that in a day or a week. And the road races haven’t helped me – when you go to Tirreno and Gaviria beats you by two bike lengths, for sure it’s not the best thing that you want,” he told Cyclingnews and Velopro.net.

 

“Last night I arrived at a point and said ‘Either I react, or I stop the first part of my season now and come back for Giro d’Italia.’ And well, I think I reacted really, really well.”

 

“This win was very important for me, and when you win ahead of two champions like that, it adds value to my win for sure. It comes at a time when I wasn’t on top form, my head was down because the results weren’t coming.

 

“I really needed to take a win in this moment because after Track Worlds I didn’t get the results I needed in Tirreno, in San Remo, in Gent-Wevelgem – the races where I want to do well in the next few years.

 

“I saw Katusha coming up with Kristoff but I waited and waited. Then with 125m to go, I said ‘Ok, if I want to pass Kittel, I need to go now.’ I started with 53x12 and then I put it in the 11 for the last 50 metres to take more speed. That's what I did. It was close but it was good in the last 100 meters, very fast for me.

 

“I’m not disappointed not to be in the team for the Tour of Flanders. I’m not in really, really good condition. I did a perfect sprint today, but yesterday night I was in a bad condition with my head and with the legs.

 

“Only yesterday when I spoke with Rod [Ellingworth] and the team, I said I’d prefer to take some rest days if they had someone who could do a better job than me, because it’s been a busy period for me.”

 

“That’s another reason not to do Flanders, so I’ll be more ready for Scheldeprijs and Roubaix.

 

"On Sunday we have a very strong team for the Tour of Flanders, but personally I'm not part of it.  I wanted it to be like that. It would be too crazy to claim a place in the selection if you know others can be do a better job for our leader. The Tour of Flanders is not for me, but the Scheldeprijs and Paris-Roubaix are. A very important Tour of Italy is also coming up and I also want to show myself in the sprints. The good legs have come back. "

 

“After yesterday, I think Kristoff will win in Flanders. Kristoff yesterday was unbelievable. We did a really hard day on the bike yesterday, one of the strongest in my life. So Kristoff won a really, really good stage yesterday. He was impressive.”

 

"I'm not in perfect shape but I have to thank the team for believing in me. When they told me this morning, they believed I could do a good sprint, I thought I had to do the perfect sprint for the victory. To beat and Kristoff is necessarily a good thing. "

 

Marcel Kittel: I gave Elia Viviani a perfect lead-out

Etixx-QuickStep came to the front and did some monster pulls, stretching out and slimming the peloton, while also protecting Marcel Kittel. After Fabio Sabatini and Maximiliano Richeze did their share of work, the German opened his sprint with 300 meters to go, but Elia Viviani (Team Sky) came strong from behind and outpaced him, taking the victory.

 

“Maybe what can help us is that Peter Sagan got a million second places so maybe it is not the end of the world,” he told Cyclingnews. “I can tell you I’m really disappointed but it’s not a pity to lose against Viviani. The team worked really hard to make it a sprint and did a great lead out, and then I had to start my sprint early or otherwise I might not have been on the podium and that was a risk. Viviani got a great lead out from my team and also from me. That’s basically it but I think the team is really strong, I’m really strong and I try to see it positively. Both the team and I are very strong and have confidence; that's very encouraging for my next goal of the season, Scheldeprijs.

 

“The self-confidence is there otherwise I wouldn’t have started my sprint so early. I saw in the video just now, when I started my sprint all the other guys immediately had a gap so I think I can be confident. I want to win. I’m not here to be second but that is the way it is. For me, until now the focus was not on this first part of the season. Now Scheldeprijs and the Giro d’Italia is where I’m aiming and I feel that I’m on a very good way.”

 

Alexander Kristoff: I don’t think my advantage is big enough

A sprint for third place gave Team KATUSHA’s Alexander Kristoff a four-second bonus and widened his overall lead to five-seconds in the 40th Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde on Wednesday. With two stages to come tomorrow, Kristoff still holds hope of defending his title from last year.

 

”I could see many guys were tired from yesterday, including myself. I could tell that I did not have the best legs today. In the sprint we managed to get to the front but we were a little bit behind at the corner so we had to use a lot of energy. Jacopo almost had a crash, so we lost the wheel of Michael Mørkøv. That also ruined the sprint a little bit for us because we had to brake and then go again. So when I hit the 200 meter sign, I passed Jacopo but I had almost nothing left. It was all I could do to get on the wheel and follow. I got four bonus seconds but would have been better off with the ten for winning. I don’t think I have enough time to win the overall even if I win the early stage tomorrow. I think Westra is very strong in the TT and also Lutsenko can be dangerous, so it will be hard to protect the lead but I will try,” said race leaderAlexander Kristoff.

 

"I got four bonus seconds, every second. But I think my advantage over Lieuwe Westra is just too small to to face the individual time trial with peace of mind. We'll see what I can do. I will do everything to keep the white jersey until the end, but it is very difficult. "

 

"During the stage I saw many riders were tired. The grueling stage from Tuesday will certainly have something to do with it. Also, I was not at one hundred percent and could not have my best legs in the sprint. It cost a lot of energy to be in front. That took a lot of strength and I had to brake when they almost crashed in front of me. Thus, I lost some speed and I had to move up again. I could only take the wheel of Marcel Kittel and had to settle for third place.”

 

Coming to the final corner before the finish line, Kristoff was with his teammates Michael Mørkøv and Jacopo Guarnieri but they found themselves a few riders off the front as the closing meters ticked over. Kristoff came up the middle as Marcel Kittel (Etixx – Quick Step) and Elia Viviani of Team Sky ramped up their sprints on the left-hand side of the course. At the last second Viviani nipped Kittel on the line to win by half a bike length with Kristoff close behind for third. His overall lead of five seconds on the general classification has him ahead of Alexey Lutsenko with another five to Lieuwe Westra, both of Astana. KATUSHA teammate Michael Mørkøv sits in ninth place at 49-seconds. Kristoff also holds the points jersey.

 

No penalty for Viacheslav Kuznetsov

“We were riding with six Katusha riders together, like many teams do before the finale of the race. I was sitting in Kristoff’s wheel and that French guy (I did not know him) was constantly trying to take my position. That is OK, we even were shoulder to shoulder some time but then he hit me in my side. Then I reacted," Kuznetsov said in a statement provided by the Katusha team after he hit Alexandre Pichot during the stage.

 

"I know that that was wrong, but it was happened. I really apologize for it. I wanted to do that in the race too but that guy was gone. Afterwards I spoke with his teammate Petit. He in bad English and I in bad English. ;-) “

 

Kuznetsov will not take the start for Thursday's stage as he has a fever but should be better for Tour of Flanders.

 

Nicola Bom not seriously injured after bad crash in De Panne

It was a big scare for Nicola Boem but luckily nothing serious after the heavy crash he was involved in today during the second stage of Driedaagse De Panne. The Bardiani-CSF rider who was immediately transported to Veerne hospital, suffered bruises and contusions on the right side of his face and shoulder. Medical checks excluded any broken bones. During the next days the team will evaluate if he can ride at Volta Limburg Classic on Saturday.

 

For Bardiani, Paolo Simion took 7th place in the bunch sprint in Koksijde while Alessandro Tonelli stood out with 140 km in the breakaway.

 

Marc Sarreau proves his potential in De Panne

In the presence of many of the best sprinters in the world, Marc Sarreau took a satisfying eighth place after good work from his FDJ teammates.

 

''It was indeed very likely that it would end in a sprint," explains sports director Frédéric Guesdon. "So we decided to fcosu everything on Marc. More so after the Kemmelberg since the wind had turned around. Daniel Hoelgaard had a concern along the way since he had his raincoat in the rear wheel and it took time to get back to the pack, before being forced to dismount on a cobbled sector. He rejoined the peloton but he paid for that effort in the finale."

 

In the last kilometers, Johan Le Bon, Olivier Le Gac and Murilo Fischer positioned their sprinter.

 

"The idea was to place Marc two kilometers from the finish because it is still difficult to fight with trains like Lotto-Soudal, Katusha, Etixx-Quick Step and Team Sky who allowed Viviani to prevail. The work was well done and I'm happy because the young people are there to learn. And then there is another sprint to do."

 

The sports director of the FDJ team plans the morning half-stage on Thursday by remembering the good work of Sébastien Chavanel and William Bonnet which allowed Marc Sarreau to take the last corner in second position in 2015. "I think Marc works better this year than last year ..."

 

In the afternoon, there will be the traditional time trial and it will be one for Johan Le Bon. Remember his second place in the time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico. 

 

Erik Baska proves his speed in De Panne sprint

At the end of another nervous stage at Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, Tinkoff’s young sprinter Erik Baška came over the line in ninth position after a hard day out battling climbs and crosswinds. In a strong position coming into the final few kilometres, Baška slipped backwards and had to come from some way back in the push for the line, once again showing a strong turn of speed in a bunch kick.

 

The race all came back together after the remnants of the day’s breakaway were reeled in with 15km to go. From here the situation remained stable but nervous heading into the finish as the sprint trains lined up for a fast finsh. The guys worked hard to get Baška into a strong position before dropping him off to do his sprint.

 

Sport Director Tristan Hoffman explained further how the team’s race panned out.

 

“The plan today was to go for a sprint with Erik Baška at the end if the group was all back together. We saw with his win in Handzame that he has a fast finish, and today he was up there but not close enough to the front to mix it for the win. But we can still be satisfied with a ninth place.”

 

The race got underway to a steadier start than the previous day, with a breakaway of eight riders pulling clear. Behind this the peloton was happy to let them go set a tempo that saw the break extend its lead to over seven minutes. At 211.1km, the longest stage of the race, there was plenty of time to bring the break back and so the Tinkoff riders set about sticking together and out of trouble over the day’s five categorised climbs, included the Kemmelberg.

 

The race threatened to split inside of 85km to race as crosswinds split the peloton into echelons, but as the pace eased and the direction of the race changed, the groups gradually came back together.

 

“It was hard again in the crosswinds but eventually the race came back and the guys were all up there,” explained Hoffman. “It was nervous in the bunch and on the cobblestones Michael Kolar and Juraj Sagan both came down in a crash but they were able to rejoin and finish in a good way."

 

The front eight was reduced to three as they started to attack each other, and in the final 25km just one remained out front, with a fast reducing gap over less than two minutes. Maciej Bodnar punctured at this point but was able to rejoin, looking relaxed ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s time trial.

 Once the race had all come back together, all eyes were on the bunch sprint.

 

“With two kilometres to go the guys brought Erik to the front and onto the back of Quickstep's lead-out, inside the front 10 riders. This was a good situation but it was hectic and he did what he could to take ninth.”

 

Hoffman finished by saying: “Tomorrow morning we will look to another sprint, and we’ll make a plan this evening for that. And then for the afternoon time trial, Bodnar is focused on a result. There are still opportunities for us here and the guys are focused on the final day tomorrow.”

 

Erik Baška gave his thoughts on the stage from the team bus, saying: “It was a hard day, a steady tempo from the beginning as the break was let go but then the wind started to increase and the race got harder. Then at 110km we started the climbs, up and down on narrow roads and there were some splits in the bunch here, with Michael and I in the second group so we had to ride to get back to the front.

 

“Then in the crosswinds there were four of us that got held up in the crash on the cobblestones, so again we had to push to get back up there. Overall I’m satisfied with my shape – it’s getting better and better now, but I would like to be further up in the result today.”

 

Modolo leaves De Panne due to stomach pain

The ambitions for LAMPRE-MERIDA in the 2nd stage of the Three Days of De Panne were lowered when Sacha Modolo didn't take the start, struck in the night by gastrointestinal problems.

 

In the absence of the winner of two stages at the Belgian race in 2014, the sports directors Scirea and Pedrazzini asked the other 4 riders (Ferrari, Kump, Pibernik and Zurlo) to search for breaks and work for Kump in the sprint.

 

The quartet of LAMPRE-MERIDA did its best after Pibernik had been involved in a crash 18km from the line.

Pibernik and Zurlo then led the pair Ferrari-Kump into position behind the other train formations and then Ferrari helped the Slovenian to look for a good wheel to follow, but he failed to find a good position.

 

The Slovenian made a sprint comeback on the right side of the road, coming close to the top 10: Kump crossed the line in 11th place.

 

Luke Durbridge remains in GC contention in De Panne

Stage two of Driedaasge De Panne-Koksijde ended in bunch sprint with Luke Durbridge of ORICA-GreenEDGE finishing safely in the front group to retain sixth place on the general classification.

 

After a fast and windy 211kilometres Slovenian Luka Mezgec claimed fourteenth place in the hectic bunch sprint behind stage winner Elia Vivaini (Team-Sky). Durbridge is 46seconds behind race leader Alexander Kristoff (Team-Katusha) going into the third and final stage tomorrow.

 

Sports director Laurenzo Lapage was happy that ORICA-GreenEDGE finished the race in one piece after a big crash at the start of the stage.

 

“The team rode really well today,” said Lapage. “There was a worrying moment at the start when a crash happened but thankfully we managed to avoid it and everyone came through ok.

 

“Luke (Durbridge) positioned himself very intelligently throughout the race, he stayed up near the front when the splits happened and did a great job going over the Kemmelberg.”

 

“The team tried to work for Luka (Mezgec) in the final kilometres for the sprint,” continued Lapage. “The boys did well to keep him up there but he just didn’t quite have the legs in the last 100metres.

 

“We are in a decent position going into the last stage, hopefully we can look after Luke in the morning race and keep him in good condition for the afternoon time trial.”

 

20-year-old Dane remains in fourth place in De Panne

Stage 2 of the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde (2.HC) was another good day for Team Stölting Service Group. Jonas Tenbrock showed himself in the break, and in the final Mads Pedersen and Alex Kirsch tried their luck in the sprint, where Alex took 17th place.

 

Tenbrock did well in the break and took one of the five mountain sprints. Mads Pedersen and Alex Kirsch got into a great position for the sprint Kirsch still made the 17th place.

 

“This was another good team performance,” said Sports Director André Steensen. “Everyone worked hard for Mads and Alex and showed dedication on a tough stage with crashes and crosswinds. We had Jonas riding well in the break, and when he was caught he still helped his teammates ahead of the sprint; it’s great to see team spirit like that. In the sprint Mads and Alex were well-positioned directly behind the Etixx – Quick Step train, but Mads had to hit the wind early to avoid a crash – that cost us a better result. But the most important thing is that he kept his 4th place overall before the final day tomorrow.”

 

Kiwi lead-out man gets his chance in De Panne bunch sprint

Scott Thwaites as best placed BORA – ARGON 18 rider in the GC was well protected by the team until the final. He crossed the line at the same time as the stage winner and is still in a promising position in the GC in 19th spot just 5 seconds behind 5th place. In the final the team tried to support Shane Archbold this time, but there was a lack of energy due to a lot of crashes during the last days. He finished the stage in 22nd place, with Elia Viviani taking the stage victory.

 

“Our goal today was to just be aware if bigger groups split from the peloton. There have been some situations in the beginning of the stage where we have been in a pretty good position. But the peloton regrouped again. In the sprint we tried to support Shane today, but I think he did not have the legs today and could not pull through his sprint to the end. Tomorrow in the morning we want to help Phil [Bauhaus] to go for a good result. For Scott everything is up to the time trial. We will see how good he can defend himself against the specialists,” sports director Enrico Poitschke said.

 

Jakob Fuglsang prepares for De Ronde with first taste of cobblesin De Panne

"I worked for the team and for me,” said Jakob Fuglsang. “Sunday is the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and I want to do my best.

 

"Racing here in Flanders is a new experience, compared to other races it is decisive to be in the top positions. If you're too far back you're out of the game.

 

"It 's another way to ride. The streets are narrow and there are rain and wind. You have to always be ahead, otherwise you will be in trouble.”

 

"Today we did a good race ,” commented Astana sports director Gorazd Stangelj. “The team has assumed the responsibility to defend our position in the standings and controlled the race.

 

"Tomorrow, after the morning stage, the afternoon time trial will decide the final winner. Lutsenko has only 5 seconds to recover, but also Westra has concrete hopes of recovering the 10 seconds separating him from race leader Alexander Kristoff.”

 

Vliegen wins mountains jersey, Küng targets time trial in De Panne

Loïc Vliegen has retained the King of the Mountains jersey and Rick Zabel is sitting in seventh place on the General Classification, 48 seconds behind race leader Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).

 

BMC Racing Team Sports Director Max Sciandri said it was a relatively calm stage for the team.

 

“Our priorities were to keep Rick Zabel and Stefan Küng out of trouble with a focus on the GC, and to keep Loïc Vliegen in the King of the Mountains jersey, which we managed to do,” Sciandri said.

 

The third and final day of Driedaagse de Panne-Koksijde is split into two stages, the first being a 111.5km race in the morning followed by a 14.2km Individual Time Trial in the afternoon.

 

“Our focus is very much on both stages tomorrow. We’ll look to be up there in the sprint in the first stage and then we have a couple of riders, especially Stefan Küng, who will look to give it a real go in the time trial. I think we will see some good results,” Sciandri confirmed.

 

"I have reached my goal. The red jersey is mine," said Vliegen. "Since the first day it has been my goal. Now I was not going with the right break, but I got enough points yesterday. This Three Days De Panne-Koksijde is already a success for me with this red mountains jersey. On Saturday I will ride the Volta Limburg Classic in the Netherlands. A race that suits me.”

 

Three ONE riders soldier on in De Panne

After only 8km a group of 6 riders including Marcin Bialoblocki left the front of the peloton and were quickly joined by 10 additional riders creating a generous breakaway of 16. Reluctant to let it go, the peloton quickly closed it down and everything was back together only a few kilometres later.

 

On the way to Oudenaarde the peloton was exposed to strong crosswinds causing it to string out into one long line as riders battled against the elements. A crash 12km into the stage brought down a large number of riders some of which needed medical assistance, ONE Pro Cycling were positioned near the front of the peloton and narrowly avoided the accident.

 

Crossing the cobbles on the way at the bottom of the first climb, Marcin Bialoblocki was stopped in his tracks as a crash unfolded in front of him. Out of position and a little further behind Martin Mortensen abandoned the race at 113km leaving Kristian House, Hayden McCormick and Marcin Bialoblocki to ride the cobbles and endure the remaining Belgian climbs. Heading into the final two climbs of the day, the peloton was fighting for position. Increasing in speed the peloton split with House and McCormick remaining in the front group as Bialoblocki found himself in the group group behind.

 

14km to go and everything came back together. Hayden McCormick and Kristian House started to position themselves for a big bunch sprint with the plan that House would lead out McCormick to the line. As predicted the bunch jostled for position as teams prepared to deliver their sprinters to the finish. The young Kiwi claimed 36th position while ‘The Dude’ took 48th, with Marcin Bialoblocki not far behind.

 

Manuel Belletti sustains concussion in De Panne

It was a day to forget for Team Southeast – Venezuela at Driedaagse De Panne. In 10 kms the team lost both Manuel Belletti and Andrea Fedi.

 

The former rider tried to hold on but the pain in his knee which started already last week, was too much to carry on in the race.

 

Manuel Belletti crashed after10km, sustaining a concussion. The Romagnolo rider has been transfered to the Hospital of Oudenaarde where luckily no fractures were found. Belletti will spend the night in the hospital where he will remain under observation.

 

The remaining riders Filippo Pozzato and Giuseppe Fonzi finished just behind the bunch.