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VeloNews News Road
Road

Photo Essay: Cobbles season is underway

E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem kick off a flurry of major WorldTour races on Belgium's tough, cobblestone roads.

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2016
Only days after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, the E3 Harelbeke race had a moment of silence in honor of the victims. The banner reads: “Disaster offers the opportunity to show one’s courage.” Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The E3 Harelbeke course is chock full of rolling hills before the more infamous bergs later in the race. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The village in Zottegem had numerous displays showing their love of cycling as they bid on being the Dorp van de Ronde or official town of the Tour Flanders for 2017. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Team staff make the rounds on the course, positioning themselves in key spots with the necessary items such as bottles and wheels. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The peloton rolled over La Houppe intact with the more severe climbs still to come. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
World champion Peter Sagan showed that bike handling skills are needed even on the climbs as the group got a little too close for comfort. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Niki Terpstra made his way up the Taaienberg under escort of his Etixx – Quick-Step team. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
After breaking his rear derailleur near the Taaienberg, Fabian Cancellara chased in earnest with the help of Yaroslav Popovych. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
On the Oude Kwaremont there is only one beer to be served, the ale of its namesake. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Stijn Vandenbergh did the lion’s share of the work for his Etixx team as they headed toward the Paterberg. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Fighting hard to get back in the race, Fabian Cancellara chased hard up the Paterberg with Stybar on his wheel. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Terpstra led the race up the Oude Kwaremont with most of the race favorites in tow. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Peter Sagan looked back as he made the decisive attack that created the winning breakaway. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Michal Kwiatkowski led Peter Sagan toward the finish with all the climbs behind them. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Etixx – Quick-Step put their ace men on the front to try bringing back the escape of Sagan and Kwiatkowski. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Kwiatkowski had the better legs at the end of the day and sprinted away to the win in Harelbeke. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Michal Kwiatkowski smiled for the crowd of Belgians as he made his way to the top step of the podium. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Team Cofidis took the stage for the team presentation at the start of the 2016 Gent-Wevelgem. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Niki Terpstra was one of the top riders Etixx – Quick-Step brought to this year’s Gent-Wevelgem. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Race favorite Peter Sagan took a quick survey of the weather at the start in Deinze. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Only a few kilometers into the race and a breakaway was formed on a day of turbulent winds and threatening rain. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Always the jokester, Taylor Phinney seemed happy to be back in Europe and competing at the top level in Gent-Wevelgem. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The peloton stayed mostly together during the early kilometers, taking shelter from the wind as much as they could in Gent-Wevelgem 2016. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The peloton rolled through Diksmuide with no sense of urgency knowing a lot more wind, cobbles, and climbs lay ahead. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
De Moeren is a flat stretch of road near the coast that is notorious for treacherous echelon-inducing crosswinds and this year was no exception. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Jack Bauer and Kristijan Koren of Cannondale Pro Cycling fought to chase back across De Moeren in brutal crosswinds. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Gent-Wevelgem took a short detour into France, giving fans a chance to bring out the French tri-colore and support their favorite riders. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
With the race shattered into pieces from the high winds, Dimension Data and BMC set a fast pace to keep their rivals on edge in advance of the series of climbs to come. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
What was left of the peloton made its way across the rolling fields of Belgium in Gent-Wevelgem. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Tom Boonen led his Etixx squad up the first of two passes over the Kemmelberg. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
For riders that succumbed to the high winds and tempo of the race, they were still happy to give their soigneurs a lift to the team car. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Matteo Trentin and Daniel Oss led an escape before the second pass of the Kemmelberg, hoping to maintain their advantage to the finish in Wevelgem. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The peloton flew past the Berks memorial of World War I in West Flanders. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Fans gathered around an imposing memorial to the French soldiers who fought on the battlefields of Belgium atop the newly used backside of the Kemmelberg. The Roman goddess Victoria has a melancholic gaze that earned her the nickname ‘The Sad Angel of Kemmel Hill.’ Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Viacheslav Kuznetsov led up the new ascent for the second pass of the Kemmelberg with a look back on his advantage over the chasing peloton. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The second pass of the Kemmelberg is crunch time for the race, and world champion Peter Sagan put in an acceleration that would ultimately shape the outcome of the day. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
With the final breakaway formed, containing Cancellara, Sagan, Vanmarcke, and Kuznetsov (out of frame), only 20 kilometers of flat roads remained before the finish. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Sagan sprinted clear of his breakaway companions to claim his first vistory of 2016. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The curse is broken as Peter Sagan takes his first win of 2016 in Gent-Wevelgem, wearing the rainbow jersey. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Multi-time winner Tom Boonen congratulated Peter Sagan on his triumph in Wevelgem. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Easter Sunday in Belgium brought out a wide array of race fans in Wevelgem. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The Slovakian flag was flying high as Peter Sagan fans rejoiced at their hero’s victory in Wevelgem. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

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