Races and defining moments · Tour of Flanders · 2017
When Philippe Gilbert rode away on the Oude Kwaremont
An attack more than 50 kilometres from the finish first looked like team tactics. Philippe Gilbert continued alone and reached Oudenaarde with his advantage intact.
An attack more than 50 kilometres from the finish first looked like team tactics. Philippe Gilbert continued alone and reached Oudenaarde with his advantage intact.
Quick-Step opens the race
Quick-Step Floors had several possible winners and used them actively. On the second passage of the Oude Kwaremont the team increased the pace. Gilbert escaped with a group before continuing alone with more than 50 kilometres remaining.
No waiting for the finale
A long solo ride in Flanders costs energy on cobbles, climbs and exposed roads. Gilbert could have waited for help or saved his attack for later. Instead, he maintained the pressure while the chase was divided by conflicting interests.
Sagan, Van Avermaet and the crash
Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen were among the strongest chasers. On the final Oude Kwaremont, Sagan crashed after making contact with a jacket hanging over the spectator barrier. Van Avermaet and Naesen were also brought down.
Alone in Oudenaarde
Gilbert reached the finish alone, ahead of Van Avermaet and Niki Terpstra. It was his first Tour of Flanders victory and another monument alongside Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of Lombardy.
Radio did not decide everything
Racing in the 2010s was often described as controlled. Gilbert showed that an early attack could still upset the plan. Team radio could provide time gaps. It could not make the chase agree.
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