Published on : 10/18/2020
The 33 year old Belgian rider did a great performance at the Tour of Flanders by taking the 6th place. A great reward at the end of the season for this specialist of the classics.
It was one of the most eagerly awaited appointments of this end of season like no other. Even at the heart of such a hectic calendar, even without spectators, the Tour of Flanders is a must-see event for the cycling world.
Claeys with the best
The Cofidis riders honoured their colors. Christophe Laporte was regularly seen setting the tempo at the front of the peloton. And then, as the finish approached and the pace hardened at the front of the race, Dimitri Claeys caught up with the leading group.
At the finish, the 33-year-old Belgian finished in the chasing group behind the winning duo Van der Poel-Van Aert. He crossed the line in 6th place, a great performance considering the extreme difficulty of the event.
THEY SAID...
ALAIN DELOEUIL, sports director:
"It's a nice 6th place. We are very happy for Dimitri who is a very dedicated and professional rider. He showed that by surpassing himself, he could be in the wheel of the best riders. All in all, it's a very nice collective performance by the team. Julien (Vermote) tried to integrate the breakaway and the riders were always very well placed. We could see that there was a real will to do well and they were rewarded at the finish with Dimitri's result".
It was one of the most spectacular stages of the Giro with 185 km and 4 passes to be climbed between the airbase of Frecce Tricolori and Piancavallo. Just like since the beginning of the second week, the Cofidis riders have been working hard. At the beginning of the stage, Nathan Haas was part of the first group of breakaway riders.
He does not suffer from any fracture
And then, at 2:44 pm, about 50 kilometers from the finish, Nicolas Edet was caught in a collective fall, in a curve, while he was part of the 'pink jersey' group. Edet was quickly assisted by the medical teams of the race, that took him to Piancavallo where he had made x-rays. Although he was badly injured in the right knee, the climber did not suffer any fractures
This is a hard blow for the team and its climber. After crashing during the first two stages of the Giro Nicolas had returned to his best level, we could see it on his 12th stage this Friday. Despite this heavy loss, the Cofidis team will try to recover as much as possible on the second rest day on Monday before attacking the third and final week of the Giro.