Fakhiri Abdel recorded his first result in the pro peloton by winning the most prestigious cobbled race of them all…the Roubaix Classic. The 23 year old Saudi, riding for the Danish outfit Team Brandt, surprised many pundits by producing a virtuoso performance on the treacherous lanes of northern France to lift the title.
Abdel, despite his youth and relative inexperience, displayed incredible ability on the
pavé and had no problems staying in the lead group with his more established rivals. With the pre-race favorites watching each other on the approach to the finishing climb, Abdel shot from the back of the pack and powered up the hill to earn the adulation of the crowd as he crossed the line in first place. Defending champion Sieuwerd Bouwens, the bookies’ favorite, of FFL edged out Ib Eibye of Tirilla for second place.
The race organizers were said to be disappointed that the Classic did not attract a fuller field, with only fifteen of a possible twenty teams turning up at the start line. Many speculate that this was due to scheduling conflicts with this week’s first ever edition of Tweedaagse van Antwerpen.
The traditional warm-up to the Roubaix Classic, the Pre-Roubaix, was won by Geeraard de Zwaan of Los Estados Unicos. De Zwaan outsprinted his rivals on the flat finish to record his seventh career | | win and subsequently move into seventh place in the World Rankings.
Lucas Fisher of Ahploeg, the reigning Roma CB champion, beat last year’s defending champion Kelemen Nae of Tirilla into third place. And an as yet unknown, Fakhiri Abdel, finished in a respectable thirteenth place…lucky for some!
Pascal Lannoye got his season off to a great start with an important victory in the Lisbon GP. The Belgian Champion recorded his second victory in the event, with an awesome sprinting display in the Portuguese capital. The FFL rider, who really really doesn’t want to be this season’s Most Disappointing Rider, proved he is still a force to be reckoned with, by beating all the world’s top sprinters on the Avenida da Liberdade.
Telek@m’s Luciano Nibali came close to his first ever pro victory, but eventually had to settle for second place ahead of Jens Waesbergen of Cyklista.
The sprinting action continued on the other side of the Atlantic, where Freek van Weenen won the LA Pursuit in front of a jam-packed crowd on Rodeo Drive.
The skils rider and current Dutch Champion beat fellow compatriot and defending champion Airik's Ralph van Bon in a tight finish, whilst Antony Safina of Aguias do Guadiana claimed third place.
Snyltarane’s Garth
| | Neiman won the only serious climbing race of the week, Liechtenstein Rundfahrt, in commanding style. The Englishman, fresh from sixth place at Alpe d’Huez, rode away from the leading group to record his fourth pro victory and move into the top 25 in the World Rankings.
Defending champion and fellow countryman, Sterling Dorsher of FFL, had to be content with second place, whilst the resurgent Nico Holt of Ursus RT completed the podium.
Ireland’s Rodney Hodgson recorded his first victory of the season in the hilly Glasgow-Dundee. The Team Atlantic man attacked before the punishing final climb and managed to stay away to earn the points to regain his World No.2 status.
Cway’s Jack Lowman and Natanael Soloano of Ursus RT finished second and third respectively.
Ireland provided the setting for the final race of last week, and the grueling Dublin-Sligeach provided a worthy winner in the form of CCFC’s Giovanny Enrico. The Italian, who has two Top 5 places at the Germany Tour on his palmarès, destroyed the field on the final wet climb into Sligeach to record the fourth victory of his career.
Iraqi Riyad Hashim delivered his first result for skils since his transfer from Z with a fine second place, and Legia’s Radek Lukaszewski took the final place on the podium.
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