One of Britian’s top Juniors, Jonathan Dibben (Hargroves Cycles) was fifth in the Junior Kuurne-Brussells-Kuurne after winning the bunch kick a mere two seconds behind a break of four riders that just held on.
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Larry Hickmott writes … British success in all age groups is quite common at the highest level and a rider destined for a pro career is Hargroves Cycles rider Jon Dibben. A second year junior, Jon won the bunch kick only two seconds behind the winner in a race that finished around an hour before the Men’s one where Mark Cavendish did the business for Team Sky. Having seen Jon race, I would not be surprised to see him in a team of that type by the time he’s 20.
The trip was organised by John Barclay who is an old hand at taking riders to Belgium and so five Brits headed over the water in a couple of cars with John Barclay and some of the rider’s parents. The riders were Jon Dibben, Jake Kelly, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Dan Pearson and Luke Hall.
Their race started and finished in the same place as the senior event and they faced a lot of the climbs the pros were doing as well. Jon’s first road race of the season was the Perfs Pedal a few weeks ago which Jon admit seems quite a while ago. He was keen to do better in Kuurne this year than the year before. Back then, he was spat after 70 kilometres and finished six minutes down after going into the race after an ODP camp and still gaining form for the coming road season.
Jon explained to VeloUK that the race was full on from the word go where 150 under 19 riders all very keen to get going smashed it from the start. “Once we hit the hills (they faced seven climbs in the race) they’d smash it over the top and there’d be splits everywhere and then they’d ease up a bit and the groups would come back together again.â€
A break of six dominated most of the race but it was a constant fight in the peloton which was averaging over 40k an hour on the lump parcours and by the end of the race, only 80 or so riders were left from the 150 at the start.
Jon explained that it wasn’t just about getting a result but also staying up right and with lots of crashes early on, that wasn’t as easy as it sounds. The break of six were eventually brought back and it was then really on as breaks came and went and the winning move didn’t go until six kilometres to go with the eventual winner not making his move until there was only a k and a half to go, jumping across to the break and then winning the sprint.
Jon was banking on the break coming back but although there were a few lead out trains going, there wasn’t a concerted effort to bring the riders out front back. Jon though could see they were within touching distance and looking at the finish, downhill with a tailwind, he thought his only chance was to go over 300 metres out and maybe, just maybe, catch them unawares.
So Jon, after he’d been sitting on Tao Geoghegan Hart’s wheel for the last 10k (bloody good job Tao did says Jon), went for it, knowing that once he got up to speed it was a case of just reving it out on his restricted gear (52×14). Unfortunately for Jon, the leaders went earlier in the sprint as well and they held him off by a few seconds with Jon winning the bunch sprint.
Was he happy with the result? “Sure†he said. “Everyone wants to win but I won the bunch kick and was just happy with how the legs responded to the racing. You train hard but you can come to a race and it can all be very different so I am glad how I felt. After finishing six minutes down last year, I’m happy with 5th!â€
The racing was quite different to what he’ll do when he races in Britain this year in the Junior Peter Buckley Series. With five man teams, the racing in Belgium was impossible for one team to control and so there was none. Jon added that while he feels there will be some good quality racing in Britain this year, there isn’t the strength in depth there is in a race in Belgium.
“In Britain, it’s more about 10 or 15 riders throwing in the attacks and controlling the race but in Belgian it was full on. I sat in the wheels and was fighting all the way at 40k an hour plus. It’s not like you can roll along in the bunch and sit in the top 30 like here; there, it was always a fight to stay up there.â€
Jon will have a season of world class racing overseas with Nation Cup events for GB in between racing in Britain for Hargroves Cycles.
Tao Geoghegan Hart meanwhile, who was riding strongly in a training camp with Dibben recently, said on his own twitter feed “managed to get Dibben up there and he did the buisness, won the bunch sprint just behind a late break of 4, so 5th for the big man..! Great race at KBK yesterday. Felt mint over the climbs and made a few splits, however all came back together for bunch kick…”
Result
1 Niels Vanderaerden 02:58:30
2 Félix Pouilly @ same time
3 Piotr Havik Avia Fuji Youth Team @ same time
4 Richard Dijkshoorn Restore Cycling @ same time
5 Jonathan Dibben 00:02
6 Maxime Farazijn @ same time
7 Kevin Deltombe Avia Fuji Youth Team @ same time
8 Tom Bosmans @ same time
9 Christophe Noppe @ same time
10 Lennard Hofstede Restore Cycling @ same time
11 Sebastien Piry @ same time
12 Tiesj Benoot Avia Fuji Youth Team @ same time
13 Gianni Bossuyt Avia Fuji Youth Team @ same time
14 Jeremy Le Croq @ same time
15 Baptist Vermeulen @ same time
16 Alexander Geuens @ same time
17 Carbel Svengaard @ same time
18 Daan Schouten AWV De Zwaluwen @ same time
19 Mathias Van Gompel @ same time
20 Anthony Morel VC Beauvoisien Oise @ same time
21 Merijn Korevaar GRC Jan Van Arckel @ same time
22 Elias Helleskov @ same time
23 Piet Allegaert @ same time
24 Timon Van Reek @ same time
25 Bram Van Renterghem @ same time
26 Bert Demeersseman @ same time
27 Kevin Nobus @ same time
28 Wessel Zennipman @ same time
29 Michael Cools Avia Fuji Youth Team @ same time
30 Nicolas Miccoli @ same time
31 Jake Kelly @ same time
32 Jan Logier @ same time
33 Tao Geoghegan Hart @ same time
34 Mike Vlietstra @ same time
35 Mathias Depypere @ same time
36 Grégoire Deneve VC Beauvoisien Oise @ same time
37 Jochum Buchener WV Viking – Waterland @ same time
38 Glenn Cauwelier @ same time
39 Nicky Gieskens @ same time
40 Levi Tindal WV Viking – Waterland @ same time
41 Ricardo Van Dongen Wwv-vacansoleil-bhv-maas @ same time
42 Dries Van Gestel @ same time
43 Simon Sellier @ same time
44 Bart Dielissen @ same time
45 Stephan Bakker WV Viking – Waterland @ same time
46 Cedric Vanhoutteghem @ same time
47 Daniel Pearson @ same time
48 Simon Kenn @ same time
49 Jeremi Suin @ same time
50 Joeri Jacobs @ same time
51 Florian Van Eslander @ same time
52 Jan De Bart @ same time
53 Enzo De Masure @ same time
54 Niels Van Eeckhoutte @ same time
55 Loic Breysse @ same time
56 Jesper Yserbijt @ same time
57 Tuur Vannevel @ same time
58 Laurent Pieters @ same time
59 Tanguy De Groeve @ same time
60 Cedric Verbeken @ same time
61 Peter Mathiesen @ same time
62 Vadim Deslandes @ same time
63 Maarten Van Den Berg AWV De Zwaluwen @ same time
64 Jeroen Smits WV Viking – Waterland @ same time
65 Benjamin Declercq @ same time
66 Arne Savelon @ same time
67 Aron De Ketele @ same time
68 Fabien Grellier @ same time
69 Nicolas Vandeputte @ same time
70 Mathias Moller @ same time
71 Jan Herregodts @ same time
72 Alexis Guilcher @ same time
73 Dylan Carpentier VC Beauvoisien Oise @ same time
74 Steven Kochanski @ same time
75 Miel Houffleyn @ same time
76 Ruben Pols @ same time
77 Beau Duvigneau @ same time
78 Jordy Keldermans Wwv-vacansoleil-bhv-maas @ same time
79 Jasper Van Der Schelden 00:16
80 Arn Vanhoutte 01:45
81 Constant Thiebaut VC Beauvoisien Oise 01:46
82 Jeffrey Bryssinck 01:56
83 Martijn De Meestere 02:07
84 Yoann Ballay 02:10
85 Robbe Vangheluwe 03:10
86 Axel Flet 05:26
87 Jaco Van Beusichem Westland Wil Vooruit @ same time
88 Simon Hamann-larsen 05:40
89 Michael Goolaerts 06:23
