2015 Tour of Flanders

Bicycle race the women's race 2015 Tour of Flanders for Women September 2019 2015 Tour of Flanders 2015 UCI World Tour 8 28http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-confirm-worldtour-calendar-2015 UCI confirm WorldTour Calendar 2015 4 January 2015 Cycling News 10 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160310130820/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-confirm-worldtour-calendar-2015/http://www.uci.ch/road/calendar/detail#date=20150401&view=list&categ=257&country=0&classc=0 2015 UCI Calendar 4 January 2015 UCI Schoten - Scheldeprijs, 8 april 2015, aankomst_(D11).JPG Alexander Kristoff became the first Norwegian winner Picture of cyclist Alexander Kristoff during a podium ceremony 300px 5 April 2015 264.9 km 6h 26' 32" Alexander Kristoff KAT 2015 NOR Niki Terpstra EQS 2015 NED Greg Van Avermaet BMC 2015 BEL 2014 2016 The 2015 Tour of Flanders (nl 2015 Ronde van Vlaanderen) was the 99th edition of the Tour of Flanders one-day cycling race. It took place on 5 April and was the eighth race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. The race was one of the cobbled classics and was the second of the cycling monuments on the 2015 calendar. The 2014 champion was Fabian Cancellara; he was not able to defend his title after breaking two vertebrae in a crash at E3 Harelbeke. The race was initially dominated by a breakaway group of up to seven riders before the favourites in the chasing group started to attack on the climb of the Taaienberg, 36 km mi off from the finish. Eventually, Alexander Kristoff and Niki Terpstra broke free and contested the victory in a two-man sprint, won by Kristoff, who became the first Norwegian to win the race. Greg Van Avermaet finished third. Route The route of the 2015 edition of the race was only slightly adjusted from that of the 2014 edition, with two climbs added to the route in the first 100 km mi off, the Tiegemberg and the Berendries.Brown Gregor Tour of Flanders route tweaked but not radically changed for 2015 http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/tour-flanders-route-tweaked-not-radically-changed-2015-146614 4 April 2015 Cycling Weekly 26 November 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207234756/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/tour-flanders-route-tweaked-not-radically-changed-2015-146614 7 February 2016 It was 264.9 km off in length, 5.8 km off longer than in the previous year and featured 19 small climbs, some of them cobbled.Tour of Flanders 2015: The Route http://www.cyclingstage.com/tour-of-flanders-2015/route-tof-2015/ cyclingstage.com 7 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207235609/http://www.cyclingstage.com/tour-of-flanders-2015/route-tof-2015/ 7 February 2016 5 April 2015Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Ronde_van_Vlaanderen_Tour_des_Flandres_2015 ProCyclingStats 4 April 2015 7 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207235020/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Ronde_van_Vlaanderen_Tour_des_Flandres_2015Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres 2014 - Classic http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Ronde_van_Vlaanderen_2014 ProCyclingStats 4 April 2015 7 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207235027/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Ronde_van_Vlaanderen_2014 The race started in the Belgian city of Bruges, in the Grote Markt, with a 9.2 km off on neutral zone. The racing began after the riders passed through Loppen, on the outskirts of Brugge. The first part of the route was a 43.6 km on off route south to the city of Kortrijk, passing through Zwevezele, Ardooie and Izegem. This part of the route was almost entirely flat.KAART. Het parcours van de Ronde van Vlaanderen 2015 http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/dmf20150331_01607612 4 April 2015 Het Nieuwsblad 1 April 2015 7 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207235141/http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20150331_01607612Tour of Flanders 2015: Preview http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-flanders-2015/preview/ Cyclingnews.com 7 February 2016 3 April 2015 Ryan Barry https://web.archive.org/web/20160207210414/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-flanders-2015/preview/ 7 February 2016 live After Kortrijk, the route turned east towards the region known as the Flemish Ardennes.RVV2015 Elite Men Roadmap http://rvv.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/2821/original/rvv2015-elite-men-roadmap-15maa15.pdf?1426502025 rvv.be Flanders Classics 31 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150410101158/http://rvv.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/2821/original/rvv2015-elite-men-roadmap-15maa15.pdf?1426502025 10 April 2015 dead The final 150 km mi off were kept from the 2014 edition, with the toughest part of the race starting at the steep Koppenberg. In the last 45 km mi off, five climbs were set to prove decisive: the Steenbeekdries at 39 km mi off remaining, the Taaienberg at 37 km mi off remaining, the Kruisberg with 28 km mi off to go, the Oude Kwaremont at 17 km mi off remaining and finally the Paterberg, 13 km mi off before the finish. Several climbs needed to be tackled more than once, as the route took two laps of a circuit. These included the Oude Kwaremont, which was ridden three times, first after 112 km mi off as the second climb of the day and the Paterberg, which was featured twice. Teams As the Tour of Flanders was a UCI World Tour event, all 17 UCI WorldTeams were invited automatically and were obliged to send a squad.http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rulesandregulation/16/82/39/2-ROA-20150619-E_English.pdf UCI Cycling Regulations: Part 2: Road Races page 110 article 2.15.127 Union Cycliste Internationale 20 August 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150702030045/http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rulesandregulation/16/82/39/2-ROA-20150619-E_English.pdf 2 July 2015 Eight Professional Continental teams received wildcard invitations.Windsor Richard Tour of Flanders 2015 wildcard teams revealed http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/tour-flanders-2015-wildcard-teams-revealed-157290 31 March 2015 Cycling Weekly 12 February 2015 10 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160310130932/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/tour-flanders-2015-wildcard-teams-revealed-157290 UCI WorldTeams ALM AST BMC OPQ FDJ IAM LAM LTB MOV OGE GRS GIA KAT BEL SKY TTS TFR 2015 UCI Professional Continental teams TSV WGG COF EUC TNE MTN ROO AND 2015a 2015 Pre-race favourites The field of the race was marked by the absence of defending champion Fabian Cancellara (TFR 2015)Clarke Stuart Cancellara out of Classics after E3 Harelbeke crash http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/fabian-cancellara-crashes-out-of-e3-harelbeke-164108 31 March 2015 Cycling Weekly 27 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20160310130928/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/fabian-cancellara-crashes-out-of-e3-harelbeke-164108 10 March 2016 and former winner Tom Boonen (OPQ 2015), both ruled out by crashes earlier in the season. Several riders were named as potential favourites for the victory, among them Geraint Thomas (SKY 2015), who came into the race after a victory at E3 Harelbeke and a third-place finish at Gent–Wevelgem just a few days before. In the absence of Cancellara, TFR 2015 yes's squad was led by Stijn Devolder, the only former winner in the peloton, although he was not considered to have the best chances. OPQ 2015 yes's squad featured Niki Terpstra, Zdeněk Štybar, and Stijn Vandenbergh, all of whom were considered serious contenders. KAT 2015 was led by Alexander Kristoff and Luca Paolini, the latter of which had proven his good form by winning Gent–Wevelgem earlier in the week, but had declared to work for Kristoff for this race. Other possible contenders included Milan–San Remo winner John Degenkolb (GIA 2015) and Peter Sagan (SAX 2015), although Sagan's form had been called into question prior to the race. In addition, commentators named Greg Van Avermaet (BMC 2015), Sep Vanmarcke (RAB 2015), Lars Boom (AST 2015), Filippo Pozzato (LAM 2015), Jürgen Roelandts, Jens Debusschere (both LTB 2015), and Sylvain Chavanel (IAM 2015) among the high number of possible contenders. Tour of Flanders 2015 preview - Cycling Weekly http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-of-flanders-2015-preview-164723 7 February 2016 Cycling Weekly 1 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207212622/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-of-flanders-2015-preview-164723 7 February 2016 Can Geraint Thomas lead Sky to glory in the Tour of Flanders? https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/tour-of-flanders-2015-preview-can-geraint-thomas-lead-team-sky-to-glory-10153327.html 7 February 2016 The Independent 2 April 2015 Hughes David https://web.archive.org/web/20160207212819/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/tour-of-flanders-2015-preview-can-geraint-thomas-lead-team-sky-to-glory-10153327.html 7 February 2016 Barry Ryan of Cyclingnews.com declared the race "wide open and [...] a nightmare to predict". Race report thumb|Bradley Wiggins leads a small group at Oude Kwaremont.|alt=Cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggings leads a small group of riders over a cobbled road section during the race. The race started with a small delay caused by a farmers' strike. When racing got under way, five riders broke free of the pack after 20 km mi off: Jesse Sergent (TFR 2015), Damien Gaudin (A2R 2015), Ralf Matzka (BOH 2015), Matt Brammeier (MTN 2015), and Dylan Groenewegen (ROO 2015), while Clément Venturini (COF 2015) was briefly in the front group as well before dropping back. At Sint-Eloois-Winkel, there was a bonus sprint, in which Brammeier won his body weight of 73 kg lb on in local beer. Lars Bak (LTB 2015) and Marco Frapporti (AND 2015a) were able to bridge the gap to the leaders, creating a group of seven at the front. After 60 km mi off of racing, the leaders were about seven minutes clear of the peloton, but the gap started to come down once the riders reached the first climbs.Kristoff conquers Tour of Flanders http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-flanders-2015/results/ cyclingnews.com 25 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160225194134/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-flanders-2015/results/ 25 February 2016 5 April 2015 There were several attacks from the main group when it navigated the area around Oudenaarde, with André Greipel (LTB 2015 yes) featuring in all of them, to no avail. Just before the cobble section of the Haaghoek, a neutral car by supplier Shimano tried to overtake the leading group and hit Sergent, who fell and had to withdraw with a broken collarbone, which later required surgery. With the lead group now down to six riders, they led the main field by three minutes, with SKY 2015 leading the chase, after their rider Bradley Wiggins had recovered from an earlier crash. Another incident involving a car by Shimano occurred a little later when it crashed into the back of a FDJ 2015 team car, which in turn brought down rider Sébastien Chavanel, forcing him to abandon as well. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/05/alexander-kristoff-wins-tour-of-flanders Alexander Kristoff wins Tour of Flanders as Geraint Thomas falls short 5 April 2015 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 https://web.archive.org/web/20160225193935/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/05/alexander-kristoff-wins-tour-of-flanders 25 February 2016 25 February 2016 thumb|left|The peloton during the race|alt=A large group of cyclists on a cobbled road section. On the Kaperij, the tenth climb, Bak and Gaudin were able to break free from their group. On the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, Greipel again unsuccessfully attacked, before the main field reached the breakaway at the top of the climb. On the Koppenberg, Greipel again attacked and an increase in tempo caused Wiggins and other riders to lose contact. At the front, Geraint Thomas (SKY 2015 yes) and Stijn Devolder (TFR 2015 yes) led the chase to bring back Greipel. Once they reached him, Alexey Lutsenko (AST 2015) was on the attack after the climb, leading at a maximum of half a minute. At the climb of the Taaienberg, 36 km mi off from the finish, the favourites came into play. Niki Terpstra was the first to move, with Greg Van Avermaet following after crossing the top, soon followed by a larger group. On the third and final lap of the course, Lutsenko attacked the 26-rider strong group again, joined by Van Avermaet and Nelson Oliveira (LAM 2015). They were caught before the Kruisberg, soon followed by an attack by Terpstra and Alexander Kristoff. The two created a thirty-second lead and held it to the finish, even with a counter-attack from Van Avermaet and Peter Sagan late on. Terpstra did not contribute to the pace making over the last kilometre, trying to use Kristoff's slipstream to win a sprint. This proved unsuccessful however, as Kristoff took the second monument victory of his career, outsprinting Terpstra to the line. He became the first Norwegian to win the race. Post-race Kristoff was delighted with his win, saying: "I'm really happy to win, it's a really good feeling [...] My family is here today, and it was a big dream and my big goal this season and I managed to do it." On his run-in to the finish line with Terpstra, he commented: "At the end, I came with Niki, and he didn't really want to work with me, but I understand that. In the end I could still beat him." Geraint Thomas was disappointed with his performance, tweeting after the race that he "just lacked the legs of last weekend", referring to his E3 Harelbeke victory.Wynn Nigel Alexander Kristoff wins Tour of Flanders http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/alexander-kristoff-wins-tour-of-flanders-165193 Cycling Weekly 7 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160307163459/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/alexander-kristoff-wins-tour-of-flanders-165193 7 March 2016 5 April 2015 The magazine Cycling Weekly commented on the race by criticising the route as "more attritional [...] than it is tactical", citing the lack of attacks and the teams' reluctance to send riders into break-aways. Reporter Stephen Puddicombe also criticised Niki Terpstra for not attacking Kristoff before the finish, writing: "Did Terpstra really believe he had any hope of winning the two-man sprint against one of the quickest finishers in the world?"Puddicombe Stephen How the 2015 Tour of Flanders was won http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/how-the-2015-tour-of-flanders-was-won-165268 Cycling Weekly 7 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160307162825/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/how-the-2015-tour-of-flanders-was-won-165268 6 April 2015 7 March 2016 Results CyclistTeamTimeUCI World TourPoints 1Alexander Kristoff NORKAT 2015 6h 26' 32"100 2Niki Terpstra NEDEQS 2015 + 0"80 3Greg Van Avermaet BELBMC 2015 + 7"70 4Peter Sagan SVKSAX 2015 + 16"60 5Tiesj Benoot BELLTS 2015 + 36"50 6Lars Boom NEDAST 2015 + 36"40 7John Degenkolb GERTGA 2015 + 49"30 8Jürgen Roelandts BELLTS 2015 + 49"20 9Zdeněk Štybar CZEEQS 2015 + 49" 10 10Martin Elmiger SUIIAM 2015 + 49"4Source:http://uitslagen.kbwb-rlvb.com/index_bestanden/pdf2012/2015/RVVHEREN2015UITSLAG.pdf PDF Uitslag - Résultat - Result Uitslagen KBWB-RLVB Royal Belgian Cycling League 5 April 2015 12 July 2021 References External links http://www.rvv.be/en Category:Tour of Flanders Tour of Flanders Tour of Flanders