Our team was prominent in the penultimate cobbled race of the month.
Casper Pedersen produced an impressive display in Dwars door Vlaanderen, which despite being under 200 kilometers and featuring only twelve hills, ended up being one of the most entertaining classics of the season. In his second season with Soudal Quick-Step, the Dane booked a place in the strong breakaway that formed late in the race, after 50 kilometers, helping the 11-man men group build a two-minute advantage over a peloton that initially was in no rush to bring them back.
A proper chase was ignited in the final 80 kilometers and the gap began to drop, but a huge crash that occurred with 60 kilometers to go completely altered the race, as many of the favourites were forced to abandon. Soon after, a small but strong group rode away, and the speed was incessant there, and as a result the margin of the leaders was cut to just 20 seconds.
Casper continued to ride a valiant race, accelerating at one point as they took on another climb and leaving everything out there even after the chasers bridged across, but the huge effort he put in from the beginning of the day eventually took its toll on the brave Dane. The 28-year-old was distanced on a cobblestone segment, despite his best efforts to remain with the rest of the leaders.
In the end, it was Julian Alaphilippe who finished as our best man at the race won by Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) with a late attack, as the Frenchman came home together with a large chasing group.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
Julian Alaphilippe 
Casper Pedersen 