Tom Crabbe (Flanders-Baloise) denies Lukas Kubis stage win in Ster van Besseges
Belgian talent Tom Crabbe surprisingly took the opening stage victory of the Étoile de Bessèges. After the early breakaway by his teammate Victor Vercouille was caught near the harbor, the 20-year-old Crabbe launched a surprise punch finish to outsprint Lukas Kubis of Unibet Rose Rockets.
In recent years, Étoile de Bessèges has consistently started with a stage to and from Bellegarde. This year was no different. The finish of the opening stage was, as tradition, on the Côte de la Méditerranée, a 700-meter climb averaging eight percent. A perfect finale for riders like Lukas Kubis of Unibet Rose Rockets.
It took a while, but eventually a classic breakaway group formed. It consisted of Victor Vercouille (Flanders-Baloise) and three Continental riders: Léandre Huck (Van Rysel Roubaix), Nils Aebersold (Elite Fondations), and Jaakko Hänninen (Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur), who placed third at the 2018 U23 World Championships. Samuel Leroux (TotalEnergies) tried to bridge across to the quartet but got caught in the chasse patate (the ‘mouse chase’).
Attackers make their escape count
In the peloton, Decathlon CMA CMG led the chase. Paul Lapeira’s team received support from Unibet Rose Rockets, Groupama-FDJ United, and Alpecin-Premier Tech. Quite some firepower, you’d think, yet the attackers held firm. With twenty kilometers to go, they still had a lead of over two minutes. Hänninen was dropped at that point.
Aebersold, who had been riding on the limit for a long time, also faded in the last five kilometers. Vercouille and Huck kept pushing, but at the foot of the Côte de la Méditerranée, the peloton was within reach. A ten-second gap seemed too little. Indeed, Vercouille dropped Huck, but in the last three hundred meters he was also swallowed up by the peloton. Top favorite Lukas Kubis had already launched his sprint.
Crabbe surprises Kubis
The Slovak champion looked set for victory, but Tom Crabbe had other plans. The 20-year-old Belgian from Flanders-Baloise was the only rider able to hold Kubis’ wheel. And he had something extra in his legs, as in the final straight he passed the Unibet Rose Rockets rider. Thus, the win went to Flanders-Baloise after all. Kubis had to settle for second place.
