Belgian fastman Jasper Philipsen has powered to victory in the Paris-Bourges one-day Classic.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck racer took the 198 kilometre category 1.1 race in a bunch sprint ahead of Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ), second again like last year, and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).
With a front group of around 100 riders still ahead in the last 20 kilometres a bunch sprint seemed almost inevitable.
Groupama-FDJ and then Lotto Soudal kept the pace relentlessly high, and after Démare had opened up his sprint, Philipsen soared past for the victory.
How it unfolded
With hindsight, a powerful attack by soon-to-retire Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal) with around 40 kilometres to go was possibly the one moment when the race, held on a near-flat course in warm autumn sunshine, could have ended in anything but a bunch sprint.
But Gilbert’s move was quickly flattened after Groupama-FDJ clamped down his attack, at which point Lotto Soudal visibly moved to their plan ‘A’ as Gilbert's teammate Victor Campanaerts laid down a searing pace on the front.
Working almost single-handedly as the peloton roared through a number of tiny villages on broad-well surfaced roads - ‘ca va tres vite [it’s very fast]’ as the race commentator observed on several occasions - former Hour Record holder Campanaerts maintained such a high speed it was impossible for any breaks to go clear.
TotalEnergies, Cofidis and Groupama-FDJ also tried to lend a hand. And as the 100 strong front group neared the finish in Bourges their combined effort on broad, dead-straight ‘A’ roads continued to ensure that the peloton stayed together.
After a short dash down a narrow lane and over a river bridge, when the peloton then powered onto the wide 500-metre finishing straight set on the Boulevard de la
Republique avenue, Groupama-FDJ were best placed. But even as Coquard came up to Démare’s shoulder on his right, Philipsen was blasting past close to the Frenchman's left, claiming the win by a good bike’s length just fractions of second later.
A winner two weeks ago of the Omloop van het Houtland Philipsen’s latest victory is his second in a fortnight and his ninth in a remarkable season. Its highlights were two stage wins for the Belgian sprinter in the Tour de France, including the last of the race on the Champs-Elysées.
And after taking victories in the early season UAE Tour, Philipsen is ending his season with his arms aloft, too.
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