Flanders: Betrayal or Circumstance?

During his tenure at US Postal/Discovery Channel, Stijn Devolder (Quick Step - Innergetic) was somewhere in-between having immense talent and harnessing it. With his definitive move off the front this past Sunday to take the 92nd edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, it looks as if Devolder has finally been able to mate the two.

The current Belgian champion has always been a personal favorite because of his attacking style [would Hincapie have won K-B-K in 2005 without Devolder’s unrelenting attacks on Boonen?] and his espousement of wearing Belgian knee warmers [see inset; buffed to a true glossy embrocated finish] even in the nastiest conditions.

But Devolder’s win this past Sunday was surprising, both in its decisiveness and occurrence.

Like most Belgians, Devolder dreamed of winning the Classics, but he was actually brought over to Quick Step in the off season to support team leader, Tom Boonen, in the one-day races, and to be a GC contender in the Grand Tours.

From Tom Boonen's sound bite after the race, it sounded as if Devolder had failed to follow the team's plan for the day [and reneged on his contract].

"I had the legs to win the race, but the tactics in the race prevented me from showing that," said Boonen. "He (Devolder) was supposed to serve as a launch pad for me, but the way things developed meant the whole scenario changed."

But was it truly a betrayal of the cycling kind or simply a circumstance of even the best laid plans falling by the wayside as the race unfolded?

From all accounts, those in the lead pack were well aware and even "fearful" of Boonen's form and good legs, as most were either afraid to attack too early or chase down Devolder once he went off the front for fear of a Tornado touching down in Flanders.

Once Devolder went away for the final time, it was Boonen who played the good teammate by sequestering his desire for victory and following the cardinal rule of not chasing down a teammate in the lead [and potentially help others come forward to win the day].

In the end, it was Devolder who covered the 264 kms fastest. The only betrayal that could have been surmised from this year's Ronde was that to Stijn Devolder himself if he had indeed sat up and not gone for the win.

MORE:
- Cyclingnews: Arndt Takes Flanders High Road
- Velonews: Favorites Have Regrets After Flanders


With Teammates Like These Who Needs Enemies...

Boonen's comments following this year's Flanders were reminiscent of George Hincapie's following the 2006 edition of the same race. But in 2006, Hincapie had more than a legitimate argument with then Discovery teammate Leif Hoste.

Below are some of the more egregious betrayals on the road.

2006 Ronde van Vlaanderen
Boonen beat Hoste in a two-up sprint finish with George Hincapie easily slotting into third.

Hincapie had been US Postal/Discovery Channel's team leader for the Classics for quite some time. The plan that day was to pull for George, but it was Hoste who went away and worked with Boonen up to the line. Hincapie was gracious in defeat but his disappointment was clearly noticeable.

"I'm a bit disappointed because we didn't win. Hoste played his card and that's alright. Sadly, my legs felt better than ever but I couldn't show it. In the pursuit, Bettini covered every move the others made. After 260 kilometres, everything is possible. If you look to my sprint, you'll see that I'm a few bike lengths ahead of the others."

Why is this considered a betrayal? Once Hoste and Boonen were away, Hoste could have easily sat on his wheel and refused to work. But he worked with Boonen, and took the more than superior sprinter to the line with him, along with his minuscule chance for the win.

2002 Vuelta a Espana - Stage 15
With Aitor Gonzalez lying in second overall just one second behind Oscar Sevilla, rumours began to fly about a rivalry between the pair, especially with Gonzalez set to leave Kelme at the end of the year.

On Stage 15, Sevilla ran into difficulty on the steep slopes of the Angliru. While both riders refused to acknowledge a rivalry, and stated that they were more focused on holding off the riders behind them on GC, Gonzalez began to force the pace even as his team leader began to drift steadily backwards.

The move by Gonzalez aided the other favorites, as "Roberto Heras and Joseba Beloki moved to the front of the group, along with Francesco Casagrande, who briefly took over the pace-setting from Gonzalez. Within moments, however, US Postal's Heras accelerated with 6km to left to climb, including some of the steepest portions of the climb. Only Gonzalez could muster the strength to try to follow, and he himself was put in difficulty in no time."

Gonzalez ended up with the overall and Sevilla came in fourth, 3.26 in arrears.

Why is this considered a betrayal? Sevilla was Kelme's leader after Heras had moved on to US Postal. It was only Sevilla's lack of time trialling skill that prevented him from winning the race the previous year as he lost the overall on the final stage, an ITT, to Angel Casero.

1986 Tour de France
In 1985, a young and ambitious Greg Lemond was prevented [and even lied to] by La Vie Claire team management from taking his chances for an overall victory. After the race, team leader Bernard Hinault promised ["as he had bled for me, so I will bleed for him."] the American support in the future.

That promised was quickly superseded by Hinault's ambition for a 5th Maillot Jaune the following year as The Badger attacked relentlessly in the mountains. The turmoil between the two caused a divisiveness among teammates with half riding for Lemond and the others riding for Hinault.

Lemond prevailed despite the Frenchman's best efforts to dissuade him.

Photos: Reuters (top); Wielernieuws.be (inset)