Whilst it has not always been a picture for the future Classics stars of tomorrow, E3 Junior has a very strong list of past winners in Jasper Philipsen, Edo Maas, Axel Van der Tuuk and Tobias Lund, plus podiums for Leo Hayter and Xandres Vervloesem.
This year’s startlist does miss a few good riders from the teams who start. We miss Theo Storm, Josh Tarling, Vlad Van Mechelen, Kristian Egholm and Menno Huising. That being said, we have a strong start list filled with amazing talents, and this was a really hard star system for me to give out to be honest, and not just because I’m inexperienced at predicting junior racing. Then again, those of you who read my U23 previews will know I’m not exactly great at that either!!
I’ll do a detailed course look in the next section, but you get the gist: a lot of the famous climbs of the region, followed by about 18.5km of flat, really making this a hard race to call. That’s too far for a solo rider to hold off the pace, but then again in the juniors it can happen. It’s also too hard a course to see a mass sprint, but then we did see that at U23 Wevelgem. This should be a thrilling race
THE COURSE
118.5km long, with nine climbs and two more cobbled roads, this is a stern test of the riders today. The opening 45km is flat, before the riders summit the long Knockteberg Trieu climb at 47.5km (1,7km at 7.3%). That’s quickly followed by the much easier Hotond, and by 64km raced, we can add Kortekeer (1km at 6.1%), Stationsberg (0.7km at 4%) and the Mariaborrestraat cobbles.
The riders get just under 10km to recover before the famous climbs arrive. Up first is Kapelberg with 73.5km raced (0.8km at 5%), and 4km later is the ferociously steep Paterberg, short at 400m but maxing out at over 20%, before the riders then go over the bone-shuddering Oude Kwaremont, long at just over 2km and averaging 4%, steepening as you pass the old town.
At the Kwaremont’s summit, there are 36km to go and 3.5km later the riders go over a climb long(ish) in length and definitely long in name: Karnemelbeekstraat (1.5km at 5.4%).
21km to go sees the2km long Varent cobbled road and the Tiegemberg (0.9km at 4.3%) is the day’s last climb just 2,5km later, so there’s 18.5km left. After that, tactics and legs will win the day, if the race is not over already!
THE CONTENDERS
Winner Candidates: Leandre Lozouet (AG2R U19), Artem Schmidt (Cannibal), Sente Sentjens (ACROG-Tormans)
Podium Contenders: Noa Isidore (AG2R U19), Zak Erzen (Slovenia), Tobias Svarre (NPV-Carl Ras)
Outsiders: Niels Michotte (Luxemburg), Jed Smithson (Fensham Howes-MAS Design), Frank Aron Ragilo (Cannibal), Henrik Pedersen (NPV-Carl Ras)
Jokers: Steffen De Schuyteneer (AVIA-Rudyco), Daan Van den Berg (WWV), Victor Hannes (ACROG-Tormans)
Leandre Lozouet just feels like a Classics rider, and the 3rd place finish at Roubaix showed why. Add in 2nd at Tour de la Pevele and you see a man adept at the hard cobbles. There is a question on how he goes on the hilly hellingen instead of pave, but I think he will be fine. He’s got a strong team with another potential race winner here, plus solid men in Cormac Nisbet, August Birk Hundt. Talented debutant Ilan Barhoumi and Alexandre Binggeli. I like Lozouet here.
Artem Schmidt has been a consistent winner at junior level, and even if he hasn’t won on the cobbles yet, I don’t see why he can’t win here. One of the better TT riders as a junior, he can win solo, and can make his move early or late, depending on his team tactics. Cannibal are strong here, with the Dane Frederik Lykke, Oceania RR champ Oscar Chamberlain, Lauri Tamm and Rokas Adomaitis. Plus, like AG2R, they have another card to discuss later.
Sente Sentjens destroyed the field in his first ever junior race at Kuurne this year, and top 15s in Roubaix and Gent-Wevelgem went on to further underline how good he is in the Classics. When you see that he can TT well too, and climbs handily, it’s hard to not think he can win this race.
Noa Isidore is Lozouet’s running mate here, and was already 9th in Kuurne. He is another really solid Classics rider, and given his team’s strength, can have a big part to play. I don’t think he and Lozouet are helping each other as domestiques, I think they should be co-leaders and can work together to try and win. In this field, Isidore can at least make the podium.
Zak Erzen is another of the young riders who are here from 2005, but the Slovenian was 5th at Nokere Koerse, 14th at Wevelgem and 12th at Roubaix. Like Sentjens, he’s brilliant already at these races, and could be on for his first podium at junior level. He’s a rider to follow very closely in the coming year.
Tobias Svarre rides on the strong NPV team, and has already been second at Wevelgem and won two stages and the GC at the South Limburg Tour. His form is amazing, and he’s pretty quick in a sprint too. Having a good team, plus his own strength and qualities, he should lead NPV and be a favourite to at least make the podium. He can absolutely win this race though.
Roubaix winner Niels Michotte hasn’t quite shown his skills translate to the Flandrian hills yet, but he is an outsider here. He showed he can solo at Roubaix, but he will have a big target on his back now. Furthermore, his Luxemburg team is not as strong as if he was with his AG2R trade team, so that’s why he is a little further down this list.
Jed Smithson rode to 3rd in Wevelgem, and is pretty quick in a sprint too. He’s new to this level, but already looks right at home. I think another top ten could be on the cards here, after 10th at Nokere and 5th at Guido Reybrouck.
Frank Aron Ragilo can be a really big weapon for Shmidt in this race, but the Estonian can also play a role for himself too. Already 3rd at Guido Reybrouck and 11th at Roubaix, he’s good on the cobbles and isn’t slow to sprint either. If things get tactical, he could be a man to win from a late move after the climbs.
Henrik Pedersen put on a clinic to win the Omloop van Borsele last weekend, and is in fine form for this race. I’d still think Svarre should lead the team, but having an in-form number two is something all the best teams at this race have. But like I said with Ragilo, guys like Pedersen could escape late if the big names keep an eye only on each other and steal the show.
Steffen De Schuyteneer is a young rider who was already 4th in Kuurne, a big result to start his junior career. This race could offer him another chance to show himself off. I don’t think he can win, but a top result should be doable. After an aggressive showing in Gipuzkoa Klasika where he won two jerseys, Daan van den Berg could be an option for the Dutch WVB team in the absence of Huising. Hannes may be more of a climber style, but he was 4th at Gipuzkoa overall last weekend, so his form is there, and in the juniors, if you have the form, you can win. It also helps all eyes will be on teammate Sentjens.
Peloton Parlour 