Photo gallery: New name, same off-road goodness at the 2018 Antwerp Port Epic
Back in 2015, in the lead-up to the 90th edition of Schaal Sels, race organisers knew they had to try something different. The Belgian one-day race had grown stale and was in desperate need of a modern facelift. So, in what can only be described as a masterstroke, they added more than 50km of gravel and cobblestone farm roads to the race, turning it into something of a hybrid between Paris-Roubaix, a cyclocross race, and the local road race it had originally been.
In the years that followed, the reinvented Schaal Sels attracted plenty of international attention. And then, in the lead-up to the 2018 event, organisers made another change: they split Schaal Sels in two.
As race organiser Ben Simons explained, the plan was to maintain the local character of the original event (held around the town of Merksem) while letting the race’s new identity flourish.
“Due to the increasing national and international media attention, it has been decided to make a division,” he said, “which means that further international growth and the local character in Merksem do not interfere with each other.”
The old, pre-2015 race, which began way back in 1921, would continue as 14 laps of a flat, 13km circuit around Merksem. Still called “Schaal Sels”, the 2018 edition was held on August 26 and was won by Timothy Dupont (Wante-Groupe Gobert) in a bunch sprint.
The new version of the race, with its off-road elements, would be hosted by the bigger nearby city of Antwerp and would be known as the “Antwerp Port Epic”. The first edition of that race was held this past weekend and it was every bit as tough and photogenic as the 2015 to 2017 editions of Schaal Sels were.
Starting among the shipping containers of the eponymous Antwerp Port, the 206km race featured 32km of cobbles plus 30km of gravel, grass and other off-road surfaces. Kristof Ramon was there to shoot all the action and, as ever, he did a spectacular job.
- The official race start in the port of Antwerp.
- The peloton riding through the port of Antwerp.
- Riders trying to force a breakaway.
- Stijn Devolder (Veranda’s Willems – Crelan) and Jonas Koch (CCC – Sprandi Polkowice) got to know each other a bit more than they might have wanted.
- Brice Feillu (Fortuneo-Samsic) gets on the radio after a mechanical issue.
- Tyler Williams (Israel Cycling Academy) and his teammate Ben Perry crashed into a no-parking sign and Williams was left lying down in what looked to be a serious crash. Fortunately all turned out relatively OK — he apparently just sustained some serious bruises.
- Team Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij at the helm over the cobbles.
- Entering a tunnel under the Antwerp Harbour.
- Kevin Pauwels (Marlux-Bingoal) goes down while cornering.
- A breakaway group hits a grass section.
- Martijn Budding (Roompot Nederlandse Loterij) , Jan-Willem Van Schip (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij) and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) riding off the front.
- Pawel Bernas (CCC Sprandi Polkowice) joined the lead group.
- Van Keirsbulck and Van Schip leading the race.
- World cyclocross champion Wout Van Aert (Veranda’s Willems-Crelan) chases the leaders.
- Van Keirsbulck on his way to an impressive solo victory over the cobbles.
- Van Schip chasing Van Keirsbulck after crashing out of the lead a few minutes earlier.
- Van Aert leads the chase.
- Van Schip has a little breakdown after finishing, realising his late race slip might have cost him the victory.