Even before the riders hit the cobbled sectors in northern France, the race had already come to life. Ashlin Barry, part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development and making his professional debut, went clear with a group of eight riders. When the American and his fellow escapees were caught about sixty kilometers from the finish, the Dutch squad took control of the race. Hagenes launched an attack and was joined only by Segaert.

With Zingle still in the reduced peloton behind, the team looked well positioned for victory in the French classic. Even more so when the strong Norwegian launched a solo move on the final cobbled sector. Despite holding a small gap over Segaert, Hagenes managed to stay clear for a long time - but not long enough. His brave effort came to an end two kilometers from the finish in Denain. His Belgian breakaway companion did manage to stay ahead of the chasing peloton, while Zingle finished fifth.

“We made it a really tough race today”, Hagenes says afterwards. “In the end, I just didn’t have enough energy left to follow Segaert. In those situations, it’s always difficult to decide what to do. I could have waited for him and gone for the sprint, but I chose not to. Still, I take a lot of positives from today for the upcoming classics.”

Sports director Robert Wagner echoed his rider’s thoughts. “We saw a very strong Per today. Just like in Samyn, he showed real courage. With the big classics coming up, his form is clearly there. He was the strongest on the cobbles today. That it doesn’t quite work out in the final kilometers is a bit of an anticlimax, but for me the most important thing is that we raced very well as a young team.”

“Before the race, we made a tactical plan, and everything went exactly as intended - except for the win. In the end, it’s impressive that Axel was still able to sprint to fifth place after such a tough race. I also really enjoyed watching Ashlin. Last year he was still racing as a junior, and to make your pro debut like this is very strong. With this way of racing, we can look ahead with confidence to the coming weeks”, Wagner concludes.