2016 E3 Harelbeke

2016 cycling race in Belgium 2016 E3 Harelbeke 2016 UCI World Tour 6 28 E3 Prijs Harelbeke-2016 poster.svg Logo of the 2016 E3 Harelbeke 300 Actor Wim Opbrouck portrayed on the official poster 25 March 2016 1 206.4 km 4h 49' 34" Michał Kwiatkowski SKY 2016 POL Peter Sagan TNK 2016 SVK Ian Stannard SKY 2016 GBR 2015 2017 The 2016 E3 Harelbeke (officially the Record Bank E3 Harelbeke) was a one-day cycling classic that took place on Friday 25 March 2016. It was the 59th edition of the E3 Harelbeke; it was the second one-day race of the 2016 UCI World Tour and the first of the cobbled classics.Wynn Nigel UCI WorldTour calendar 2016 http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/uci-worldtour-calendar-2016-193076 Cycling Weekly 5 December 2015 6 November 2016 The race started and finished in Harelbeke, covering a distance of 206.4 km. The principal difficulty in the race came from the fifteen climbs of hills in the Flemish Ardennes. These mainly came in the second half of the race. The principal favourites for victory were Peter Sagan (TNK 2016) and Fabian Cancellara (TFR 2016). The race was won by Michał Kwiatkowski (SKY 2016). He formed a breakaway 30 km from the finish with Sagan and, despite hard work from the EQS 2016 team and from Cancellara, they came to the finish together. Kwiatkowski comfortably won the sprint and Sagan took second place. Kwiatkowski's teammate Ian Stannard won the group sprint for third place, eleven seconds behind. Route thumb|The cobbled climb of the Paterberg, the steepest hill in the race The E3 Harelbeke starts and finishes in the city of Harelbeke in West Flanders.Technical Guide 2016 12 The principal difficulty in the race comes from the climbs – many of them cobbled – that appear in the 205 km on route; many of these climbs also appear in the Tour of Flanders, including the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. In 2016, there were several changes to the route from previous years, with a shorter distance and fewer climbs; Cycling Weekly suggested that these could make the race slightly easier than previous editions.Puddicombe Stephen E3 Harelbeke 2016 preview http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/e3-harelbeke-2016-preview-217729 13 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 24 March 2016 The route left Harelbeke to the southeast, crossing the Scheldt river at Kluisbergen and proceeding through the outskirts of Oudenaarde. The first climb was the Katteberg after 30 km; there was then a flat section of cobbled road – the Paddestraat – before the roads turned to the east. The route passed to the north-east of Zottegem, then further east as far as Ninove with 65 km completed. Here the roads turned back to the west into the Flemish Ardennes. The second climb of the day was La Houppe, which came after 115 km; the riders then continued into Ronse, the half-way point of the race, for the cobbled climb of the Oude Kruisberg. There were then seven climbs in the following 35 km: the Knokteberg, the Hotondberg, the Kortekeer, the Taaienberg (cobbled), the Boigneberg, the Eikenberg (cobbled) and the Stationsberg (cobbled). At this point there were 57 km and five classified climbs remaining.Technical Guide 2016 18–23 The next climb, the Kapelberg came 10 km later and was immediately followed by the Paterberg, the steepest climb of the day with 700 m yd of cobbled road at an average gradient of 12% and sections of 20%. This was then followed after 4 km by the partially cobbled, 2.2 km on climb of the Oude Kwaremont. The penultimate climb of the day was the Karnemelkbeekstraat, 30 km from the finish. At this point, the route crossed back over the Scheldt and returned north-west towards Harelbeke. The final climb, the Tiegemberg, came with 18 km remaining. The last part of the race was flat, with the final 3 km a final loop through Harelbeke to the finish line.Technical Guide 2016 12–14Technical Guide 2016 23–25 + Categorized climbs in the 2016 E3 HarelbekeTechnical Guide 2016 18–25 Number Name Distance from finish (km kilometres) Road surface Length (m metres) Average gradient (%) Maximum gradient (%) 1 Katteberg 176 asphalt 600 6.7% 8% 2 La Houppe 112 asphalt 3440 3.3% 10% 3 Oude Kruisberg 98 cobbles 800 4.8% 9% 4 Knokteberg 89 asphalt 1530 5.3% 13.3% 5 Hotondberg 86 asphalt 1200 4% 8% 6 Kortekeer 79 asphalt 1000 6.4% 17% 7 Taaienberg 74 cobbles 650 9.5% 18% 8 Boigneberg 66 asphalt 2180 5.8% 15% 9 Eikenberg 63 cobbles 1200 5.5% 11% 10 Stationsberg 58 cobbles 460 3.2% 5.7% 11 Kapelberg 47 asphalt 900 4% 7% 12 Paterberg 42 cobbles 700 12% 20% 13 Oude Kwaremont 37 asphalt/cobbles 2200 4.2% 11% 14 Karnemelkbeekstraat 31 asphalt 1530 4.9% 7.3% 15 Tiegemberg 19 asphalt 1000 6.5% 9% Participating teams There were 25 teams selected to start the race. All 18 UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited;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 February 2016 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 the race organisers also gave wildcard invitations to seven UCI Professional Continental teams. These included two Belgian teams (WGG 2016 and TSV 2016), two French teams (FVC 2016 and DEN 2016), an Italian team (STH 2016a), a Dutch team (ROO 2016) and a German team (BOH 2016).Organisatie E3 Harelbeke kent zeven wildcards toe http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20160215_02129060 13 April 2016 Het Nieuwsblad 15 February 2016 nl The E3 Harelbeke organisation allocates seven wildcards Each team was permitted to enter eight riders.Technical Guide 2016 8 OBE 2016a and DDD 2016 each entered seven riders and BMC 2016's Greg Van Avermaet withdrew through illness, so 197 riders started the race.E3 Harelbeke (start list) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/E3_Harelbeke_2016_Startlist ProCyclingStats 13 April 2016 22 March 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170322215403/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/E3_Harelbeke_2016_Startlist deadGreg Van Avermaet out of E3 Harelbeke due to illness http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greg-van-avermaet-out-of-e3-harelbeke-due-to-illness/ Cycling News 25 March 2016 25 March 2016 Immediate Media Company UCI WorldTeams ALM AST BMC CPT 2016a DDD EQS FDJ IAM LAM LTS MOV OBE 2016a TGA KAT TLJ SKY TNK TFR 2016 UCI Professional Continental teams BOH DEN FVC ROO STH 2016a TSV WGG 2016 Pre-race favourites The 2015 champion, SKY 2016's Geraint Thomas, was not present to defend his title; he was riding the 2016 Volta a Catalunya instead. Peter Sagan (TNK 2016), who won the 2014 race, did start, as did Fabian Cancellara (TFR 2016), who had won the race on three occasions in the past, and Tom Boonen (EQS 2016), who held the record for the most victories with five. Cancellara was riding the race for the final time, having announced that the 2016 season would be his last as a professional, and was in strong form with victories in the Strade Bianche and a time-trial stage of the 2016 Tirreno–Adriatico. Sagan, the reigning world champion, had also been performing strongly, but did not have any victories so far in 2016. Boonen had not demonstrated any strong form.E3 Harelbeke and Gent–Wevelgem provide key test before Tour of Flanders http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/e3-harelbeke-2016/preview/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 24 March 2016 Although Boonen had not shown strong form, he came to the race with a strong team. His teammates included Niki Terpstra, Zdeněk Štybar, Stijn Vandenbergh and Matteo Trentin, all of whom were possible winners of the race. Despite Thomas's absence, Sky also brought a strong team: they had Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and the former world champion Michał Kwiatkowski.Brown Gregor Preview: Van Avermaet primed for E3 victory http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/belgian-classics-continue-with-e3-harelbeke-despite-attacks_399594 13 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 24 March 2016 16 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160416125621/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/belgian-classics-continue-with-e3-harelbeke-despite-attacks_399594 dead Other possible victors included Sep Vanmarcke (TLJ 2016), Alexander Kristoff (KAT 2016), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Jürgen Roelandts (LTS 2016) and Lars Boom (AST 2016). Greg Van Avermaet would also have been among the favourites, but he was ruled out of the race due to illness. Race summary After 40 km of racing, an eight-man breakaway formed. The riders involved were Bert De Backer (TGA 2016), Antoine Demoitié (Wanty–Groupe Gobert), Nico Denz (AG2R La Mondiale), Tony Hurel (Direct Energie), Sjoerd van Ginneken (ROO 2016 y), Reto Hollenstein (IAM 2016), Jay Thomson (Dimension Data), and Wouter Wippert (CPT 2016a). They extended their lead to five minutes with 55 km completed, but their advantage was reduced to less than four minutes by the efforts of EQS 2016 y in the peloton. It was reduced to less than two minutes by the time the riders reached the Taaienberg with 73 km remaining, as Trek put an effort into bringing the lead group back.Rogers Neal To the line! Kwiatkowski wins a thrilling E3 Harelbeke ahead of Sagan http://cyclingtips.com/2016/03/to-the-line-kwiatkowski-wins-a-thrilling-e3-harelbeke-ahead-of-sagan/ 13 April 2016 CyclingTips 26 March 2016 21 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160421163926/http://cyclingtips.com/2016/03/to-the-line-kwiatkowski-wins-a-thrilling-e3-harelbeke-ahead-of-sagan/ deadKwiatkowski wins E3 Harelbeke over Sagan http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/e3-harelbeke-2016/results/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 25 March 2016 On the Taaienberg, Tiesj Benoot (Lotto–Soudal) led the peloton, with Boonen right behind him. A ten-rider group broke away from the peloton over the climb, with Benoot and Boonen joined by Roelandts, Cancellara, Boom, Vanmarcke, Daniel Oss (BMC) and three other Etixx–Quick-Step riders (Terpstra, Štybar and Trentin). On the next climb, the Boigneberg, Cancellara's rear derailleur failed and it took more than a minute for his team to bring him a replacement bike, putting him a long way behind the other favourites. Shortly afterwards, the breakaway was caught by the chasing group; the combined group was then caught by another group that contained Sagan and Kwiatkowski to create a 20-man lead group, although Štybar soon suffered a puncture and fell out of the group. Cancellara, meanwhile, was in a group led by his teammates Yaroslav Popovych and Markel Irizar around two minutes behind. By the time the race reached the Paterberg, the gap was around half a minute. On the climb, Cancellara attacked from the chasing group, with Štybar on his wheel; meanwhile, a ten-man group broke away from the leaders. After the Paterberg and the subsequent Oude Kwaremont, Cancellara and Štybar eventually reached this group. On the next hill, the Karnemelkbeekstraat, Sagan and Kwiatkowski attacked; over the next 5 km they extended their lead to over 20 seconds. This extended to 30 seconds on the Tiegemberg and reached 36 seconds on the final stretch to Harelbeke.Powlison Spencer Kwiatkowski defeats Sagan at E3 http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/road/kwiatkowski-defeats-sagan-at-e3_399794 13 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 25 March 2016 17 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160417070533/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/road/kwiatkowski-defeats-sagan-at-e3_399794 dead The Etixx–Quick-Step riders were forced to do all the work in the chasing group, as none of the other riders in the group would collaborate with them. After a long effort from Terpstra, Boonen took up the effort on the front of the chasing group and the gap to Sagan and Kwiatkowski began to reduce. The gap fell to under 11 seconds with 1 km remaining, but the leading pair were not caught. After going under the flamme rouge, Kwiatkowski manoeuvred Sagan to the front and surprised him by opening up his sprint with 300 m yd remaining. Sagan was unable to respond and Kwiatkowski took the race victory, with Sagan four seconds behind.Ryan Barry Kwiatkowski lays down Tour of Flanders marker with E3 Harelbeke victory http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kwiatkowski-lays-down-tour-of-flanders-marker-with-e3-harelbeke-victory/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 25 March 2016 The chasing group finished 11 seconds behind, with Stannard beating Cancellara in the sprint for third place. Results Result (top 10 of 106 finishers)http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/E3_Harelbeke_2016 E3 Harelbeke (result) ProCyclingStats 13 April 2016 1 Michał Kwiatkowski POL SKY 2016 4hr 49' 34" 2 Peter Sagan SVK TNK 2016 + 4" 3 Ian Stannard GBR SKY 2016 + 11" 4 Fabian Cancellara SUI TFR 2016 + 11" 5 Jasper Stuyven BEL TFR 2016 + 11" 6 Lars Boom NED AST 2016 + 11" 7 Tiesj Benoot BEL LTS 2016 + 11" 8 Sep Vanmarcke BEL TLJ 2016 + 11" 9 Jempy Drucker LUX BMC 2016 + 11" 10 Daniel Oss ITA BMC 2016 + 11" Post-race analysis Reactions thumb|Michał Kwiatkowski (pictured in 2015) won the race. Kwiatkowski's victory was his first since joining Team Sky at the beginning of 2016. He said after the race that his main target was still the Ardennes classics rather than the remainder of the cobbled classics season, but that there was no reason why he could not succeed in both. He pointed out that he was glad to have escaped with Sagan as they worked well together – they had arrived at the finish of the 2014 Strade Bianche in a similar situation, with Kwiatkowski the winner there as well. He said that he thought he had surprised Sagan by sprinting first, rather than waiting for Sagan's sprint. He also acknowledged that he knew from his own experience a year before that it was "very difficult" to race with the pressure of the world champion's rainbow jersey. Sagan revealed that he had been told on the radio that he had to ride hard to stay away from the chasing group, but that he had no power left in the final part of the race as he had done the majority of the work in the breakaway. Nevertheless, he said that he was happy with the race.Ryan Barry Sagan 'without legs' in the finale of E3 Harelbeke http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-without-legs-in-the-finale-of-e3-harelbeke/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 25 March 2016 Cancellara, meanwhile, said that, although he was disappointed with the result in itself, he had pride in the way he had performed in coming back from his mechanical failure. After his long pursuit, with the help of several teammates in different groups, he had barely been able to follow the other riders in the group on the Tiegemberg.O'Shea Sadhbh Cancellara proud of team effort after mechanical at E3 Harelbeke http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-proud-of-team-effort-after-mechanical-at-e3-harelbeke/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 25 March 2016 UCI World Tour standings In the season-long UCI World Tour competition, Kwiatkowski moved into the top ten thanks to the points won in the race. Sagan, meanwhile, moved from seventh to third, just ten points behind the leader, BMC's Richie Porte. Poland moved into the top ten of the nations' rankings, while Sky remained top in the teams' rankings.UCI WorldTour Ranking - 2016 http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D102007&SportID%3D102&CompetitionID%3D24055&SeasonID%3D490&EventID%3D12146&GenderID%3D1&ClassID%3D1&EventPhaseID%3D1444755&Phase1ID%3D1444787&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?56560 uci.ch Union Cycliste Internationale 13 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160413183227/http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp%40PageID%3D102007%26SportID%3D102%26CompetitionID%3D24055%26SeasonID%3D490%26EventID%3D12146%26GenderID%3D1%26ClassID%3D1%26EventPhaseID%3D1444755%26Phase1ID%3D1444787%26TaalCode%3D2%26StyleID%3D0%26Cache%3D2.html?56560 13 April 2016 25 March 2016 dead UCI World Tour standings on 25 March 2016 yes 1 Richie Porte AUS BMC 2016 159 2 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2016 156 3 Peter Sagan SVK TNK 2016 149 4 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2016 115 5 Simon Gerrans AUS OBE 2016a 112 6 Sep Vanmarcke BEL TLJ 2016 141 7 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2016 104 8 Michał Kwiatkowski POL SKY 2016 102 9 Ben Swift GBR SKY 2016 88 10 Alberto Contador ESP TNK 2016 86 References Sources E3 Harelbeke Technical Guide https://www.e3harelbeke.be/files/uploads/2016/RecordBank_E3H_technische%20gids_2016_LR_zonder%20afloop.PDF 13 April 2016 2016 Harelbeke Kon. Wielerclub Hand Technical Guide 2016 10 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160310070627/https://www.e3harelbeke.be/files/uploads/2016/RecordBank_E3H_technische%20gids_2016_LR_zonder%20afloop.PDF dead Footnotes 30em External links http://www.e3harelbeke.be e3-harelbeke/2016 E3 Harelbeke (2016) Category:E3 Saxo Classic E3 Harelbeke E3 Harelbeke