Renewi Tour

Muur-Kapelmuur, which until 2011 shaped the Ronde van Vlaanderen, earning a place in the cycling history books as one of the most iconic climbs of the sport, made a much-anticipated appearance at the Renewi Tour, which left behind the days for the sprinters and turned its attention to the fight between the general classification contenders, as they travelled to Geraardsbergen.

With so many hills packed into Friday’s stage, including the Taaienberg and the Bosberg, it was only logical that the attacks would come early. As soon as the riders tackled the Muur for the first time, the very notion of a compact peloton completely vanished, as those brutal slopes splintered the bunch into multiple groups, all fighting to make up time and limit the losses to the three riders that went clear. As it always happens on these roads, Soudal Quick-Step was visible once the going got tough, putting in a solid effort in their attempt to keep Paul Magnier in contention.

The young Frenchman, third last weekend at the ADAC Cyclassics and runner-up at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on these very roads, rode an impressive race and finished not far from the top ten on this stage won by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), a result that elevated him more than 50 positions in the standings, up to a promising 12th.

Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images