Jasper Stuyven takes sensational solo win at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
The Belgian Trek-Segafredo rider broke from a leading group with 17km to go and held on to take the win
Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafrdo) took a sensational solo victory at the 68th edition of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday after attacking a select leading group with 17km remaining.
The Belgian was left disappointed after a tactical miss-step at Saturday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but more than made up for it after he finished around 17 seconds ahead of the peloton to take the victory in a race which has traditionally lent itself to sprinters.
23-year-old Stuyven had made it into a select leading group which formed after several attempts, with the likes of Luke Rowe (Team Sky), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Tom Boonen among the six-man group.
They quickly established a decent gap on the run-in to the first of two 15km finishing circuits, with Stuyven making the jump shortly before the second.
>>> ‘The UCI must act over Stig Broeckx motorbike crash, or it’s the law of the jungle’
As the main bunch, with sprinters teams working hard to chase down the breaks, closed the gap on the Boonen group, eventually catching them with 2.5km to go, Stuyven's 30 second advantage barely moved and it quickly became clear that he was on for a glorious solo victory.
There was even time to prepare his celebration as crossed the finish line of after 200.7km of racing, with Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) going head-to-head in the sprint for second.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
They quickly passed Boonen who was till off the front, with the Norwegian Kristoff taking his second runner-up spot in Kuurne in two year's after Mark Cavendish's win in 2015.
The first half of the day had been a fairly sedate affair, with an 11-man break, that included Britain's Yanto Barker (One Pro Cycling), establishing a massive gap of eight minutes on the peloton.
The break was progressively pulled back though, and had circa two minutes when the action really began on the ascent of the Oude Kwaremont climb.
Many of the race's sprinters lost contact with the bunch at that point, and while some were able to clamber their way back, some, like Sky's Elia Viviani, failed to make it back to the front of the race.
The main break was then caught with around 46km to go, but by that time the action had really begun, with the likes of World Champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) attempting to form a race-winning break as happened at Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday,
The biggest controversy came as Belgian rider Stig Broeckx (Lotto-Soudal) was taken out by a medical motorbike with around 35km to go. He quickly abandoned the race and was taken to hospital.
And while that left a slight sour mark on the race, nothing was able to dampen Stuyven's day as he crossed the finish line after his huge solo effort, taking the biggest win of his career alongside his Vuelta a España stage win from last year.
Result
Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne 2016 (200.7km)
1. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo, in 4-53-50
2. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha, at 17 secs
3. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo
5. Lukas Wisniowski (Pol) Etixx-QuickStep
6. Nicolo Bonifazio (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
7. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff
8. Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
9. Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) IAM Cycling
10. Scott Thwaites (GBr) Bora-Argon18, all same time
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Follow on Twitter: @richwindy
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
-
'Our costs are going up but customers can’t pay more': Community bike shops are making cycling affordable, but can they afford to keep the doors open?
Not-for-profit setups designed to make cycling accessible are feeling the pinch - but the communities they're designed to serve can keep them alive
By Isobel Duxfield Published
-
Small Cost, BIG Features | Is This Indoor Training Platform Worth The Switch?
icTrainer costs 9x less than the market leader but this indoor training platform is still jam packed with features
By Sponsored Published
-
Star triathlete Taylor Knibb to take on world's fastest cyclists in the Olympic time trial
Colorado-based 26-year-old Taylor Knibb will be representing Team USA in both the individual time trial and triathlon at the Paris Olympics.
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
Celebrated pro triathlete Taylor Knibb fourth in her Trek-Segafredo debut
Triathlon star Taylor Knibb signed with Trek-Segafredo mid-season to combine a short road racing calendar with her existing triathlon schedule.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tweets of the week: Trek's new Lidl kit, Alaphilippe's unusual training and the Cavendish/Thomas show
Your favourite social media roundup from the world of professional cycling
By Adam Becket Published
-
Rider who shot former head of state's cat has Trek-Segafredo contract terminated
Antonio Tiberi was previously suspended without pay, but now fired after his actions during suspension did not meet team's criteria
By Adam Becket Published
-
New Trek Ballista is brand's ‘fastest, most aerodynamic’ helmet yet
Company drew on pros expertise in designing new lid
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Trek-Segafredo get excited about kit, and Tadej Pogačar raps
It might be the off season, but there are still a couple of things happening, kind of
By Adam Becket Published
-
'This was my most beautiful victory' - Giulio Ciccone overwhelmed by Giro d'Italia win
The Italian powered to an impressive solo victory on stage 15 of the Giro on Sunday
By Ryan Dabbs Published
-
Which WorldTour team has the best kit for 2022? We take a look through the wardrobe
Now almost all the kits are out, here are our measured ratings of racing kit ahead of the 2022 season
By Adam Becket Published