Mathieu van der Poel sprinted to victory at Le Samyn on Tuesday, in what was his first road race of the season.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider had added the cobbled semi-Classic to his schedule late, but the decision to race was vindicated as he out-powered Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) on the run in to Dour.
It was the first time Van der Poel raced on the road - and the cobbles - since since winning the cyclo-cross World Championships for a record-equalling seventh time last month.
The Dutchman was originally set to begin his 2025 road season at Tirreno-Adriatico next week, but it was revealed that he would race Le Samyn on Monday; he said: "If the itch gets too strong, you just have to race."
Tuesday's race was nailed on for a sprint after a powerful move was caught with 14km to go. Rather than a solo attack, Van der Poel decided to wait for the sprint, a move which proved wise, with the 30-year-old showing his power in a novel way.
"I was feeling pretty strong already during the race, but it wasn’t hard enough to make a difference," he said post-race. "I felt also a lot of people watching me, so I think at 50km from the finish line, I said to my teammates I was going to save my legs for the sprint, because I knew a finish like this is something I was capable of winning, and that’s what I did. I’m very happy with this win."
"With a finish like that that climbs up a little, and the last five minutes with cobbles, it’s very, very hard," he continued. "So I knew it could be a chance for me to sprint. I opened my sprint with confidence, and it was enough to win."
Le Samyn featured 20 sectors of cobbles, mostly centred around a circuit of Dour in southern Belgium, and so therefore proved the perfect terrain for two-time Paris-Roubaix winner Van der Poel. The upcoming Monuments - Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Roubaix - will once again be the key target for the first part of the Dutchman's season, with a record-breaking fourth Flanders win on the cards.
Van der Poel's victory was Alpecin-Deceuninck's second consecutive win on the cobbles, after Jasper Philipsen won at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the women's Le Samyn was won by Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) after a powerful sprint, with the European champion victorious for a fourth time this season.
