The proof in this instance was in the winning. Or as Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) put it on arriving in the press room after the opening stage of the Three Days of De Panne in Zottegem: “I cannot be that bad when I won the race.”
Kristoff’s Tour of Flanders defence was cast into doubt over the weekend when he struggled at E3 Harelbeke and then withdrew from Gent-Wevelgem altogether, citing illness. On the start line in De Panne on Tuesday morning, however, he stressed that his health was not a concern. Victory four hours later, a repeat of his triumph on the corresponding stage in 2015, lent credence to his words.
“I didn’t feel as strong as I did on this stage last year, but a win is a win,” Kristoff said. “I felt better than I did in Harelbeke, so for sure it was the sickness that affected me there. I was hoping to feel a bit stronger today, actually, but there are still two more days to come.”
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A year ago, Kristoff underscored his status as the favourite for the Tour of Flanders by soloing to victory here in Zottegem, the first of three successive stage wins that set up him for final overall victory at the Three Days of De Panne.
This time around, Kristoff had two riders for company in the finale, though his win was no less hard fought. The wind-buffeted peloton fragmented shortly after leaving the start in De Panne, and Kristoff spent his afternoon in the Flemish Ardennes at the head of the race.
Kristoff was live to the danger when Lieuwe Westra (Astana) attacked on the Ten Bosse with 30 kilometres remaining, bridging up with Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) and Luke Rowe (Sky). Despite losing Rowe to a puncture at the foot of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, they reached the finish with a lead of 36 seconds over the main peloton.
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