Cyclingflash
Strong Per Strand Hagenes beats breakaway companions after thrilling Antwerp Port Epic

Strong Per Strand Hagenes beats breakaway companions after thrilling Antwerp Port Epic

Per Strand Hagenes once again demonstrated his class in the Visma | Lease a Bike kit. The 22-year-old Norwegian impressively outpaced his fellow escapees after a particularly thrilling edition of the Antwerp Port Epic. Pau Miquel finished second, ahead of Dries De Bondt.

With 28.5 kilometers of cobbles and 41.5 kilometers on unpaved roads, the Antwerp Port Epic is one of the most interesting 1.1 races of the year. This year too, the battle around the Port of Antwerp was intense, as six WorldTeams lined up on Pentecost Monday. Among them were some notable names, including Tim Merlier, Dries De Bondt, Per Strand Hagenes, and Filippo Fiorelli.

Many abandons, but no early breakaway
After none other than Sanne Cant signaled the start of the race, the peloton’s first accelerations were eagerly awaited. The cycling fans were soon served, but the initial breakaway attempts were short-lived. Jochem Kerckhaert and cyclocross rider Michael Vanthourenhout tried to escape, but the peloton was not willing to let just any break go.

Bram Dissel, Valentin Retailleau, Bogdan Zabelinsky, Elmar Abma, Anders Sorensen, Viktor Vercouillie, and Michiel Coppens then joined forces. These seven riders pulled ahead of the peloton briefly, but not for long, as the peloton was right on their heels. This quickly led to a regrouping, but it was certainly not the start of a calm race interlude. Three other riders then saw their chance to attack.

Ian Kings (Visma | Lease a Bike), Matthew King (Atom 6 Bikes), and Sebastian Nielsen (Team ColoQuick) had to work hard but managed to gain about twenty seconds on the restless peloton. Due to multiple counterattacks, the pace stayed high and the three frontrunners were soon caught again.

Chaos reigning
By then, the peloton had already tackled the first unpaved sections, which only increased the tension. Emīls Liepiņš thrived on these parts, chose to take a risk, and was eventually joined by Robin Orins. Together they hoped to build a solid gap, but this proved to be wishful thinking. After a brave effort, they were caught again.

This did not discourage the other riders, as attacks kept coming relentlessly. This phase of the race was marked by chaos: punctures, mechanical issues, and crashes were common. Shadow favorite Jenthe Biermans went down on one of the unpaved stretches. As a result, the peloton thinned out even more.

Dangerous break with Hagenes and De Bondt
Marvin Peters and Pau Martí escaped this chaos, as the Dutchman and Spaniard had attacked earlier. Their lead grew to as much as a minute, but with over forty kilometers to go, they were caught by nine other, above all dangerous, riders: Dries De Bondt, Per Strand Hagenes, Brent Van Moer, Martin Svrček, Sandy Dujardin, Pau Miquel, Victor Van de Putte, Toon Vandebosch, and Ward Vanhoof.

It was all hands on deck in the peloton, which was not surprising given that Hagenes, De Bondt, and Van Moer among the front group were all potential winners. Soudal Quick-Step took the responsibility to lead the peloton despite Svrček’s presence in the front, but they were already facing a deficit of nearly a minute. Was this a decisive moment in the race?

Powerful Renard makes the bridge
It certainly seemed so, though one rider was strong enough to bridge the gap. In-form Alexis Renard impressively closed the gap to the front group, and we started the last 25 kilometers with nine breakaway riders (unlucky Vandebosch was dropped due to mechanical troubles). The attackers were evenly matched, leading to a long wait for a new plot twist.

About nine kilometers from the finish, Hagenes lit the fuse, but the Norwegian couldn’t get away. A few kilometers later, Svrček tried to capitalize on a moment of inattention among his fellow attackers, but the strong and alert Hagenes and De Bondt quickly bridged back to the Slovak’s wheel. The other breakaway riders hesitated, but Van Moer brought them all back.

Hagenes strongest and smartest in thrilling finale
Van Moer not only closed the gap but attempted to surprise his rivals with three attacks, though he mainly became an ideal target for Hagenes. The Norwegian patiently waited for his moment, accelerated from Van Moer’s slipstream, and immediately created a gap in the last five hundred meters. De Bondt saw it happen, tried to respond, but it was all too late.

Watch Hagenes' finish here:

The unleashed Hagenes did not allow himself to be reeled in and was able to raise his arms in victory again after more than two years — since his win at the 2023 Sparkassen Münsterland Giro. Miquel took second place, ahead of De Bondt.