Ackermann caps off textbook team ride to outkick Girmay in inaugural Classique Dunkerque and ends nearly two-year win drought

While most eyes in the cycling world were fixed on stage four of the Giro d’Italia this Wednesday, France played host to the very first edition of the Classique Dunkerque. As a curtain-raiser to the Four Days of Dunkirk, the organisers introduced a brand-new one-day race with 1.Pro status, immediately earning its place on the international calendar. With no fewer than ten WorldTour teams on the start list, the French debut drew a strong field.

Riders faced 193.5 kilometres of racing, starting in Dunkirk and finishing in Lens. The route opened with flat roads before rolling into a slightly more undulating middle section. But with a flat run-in to the line, all signs pointed to a bunch sprint for the win. With fast finishers like Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) on the start line, the sprint train engines were warming up early.

It didn’t take long for a breakaway to establish itself after the flag dropped. Four riders jumped clear: Abram Stockman (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Luca De Meester (Wagner Bazin WB), Kenny Molly (Van Rysel Roubaix) and Similien Hamon (CIC-U-Nantes). The peloton was happy to let them go, and the quartet quickly built up a lead of over seven minutes.

Gradually, the bunch began to reel them back in. As the race entered its hillier middle section, the gap dropped to just under two minutes. That’s when the action began to stir in the bunch, with riders like Connor Swift (INEOS Grenadiers) and Gil Gelders (Soudal Quick-Step) upping the pace and driving the chase. The peloton was closing in fast.

On the final climb of the day, the punchy Côte de Notre Dame de Lorette (1.1 kilometres at 7.6 percent), it was Abram Stockman who dropped his fellow breakaway companions. But the peloton, led firmly by INEOS Grenadiers, was just 15 seconds behind. A small move went clear on the climb, featuring Samuel Watson (INEOS Grenadiers), Robbe Dhondt (Picnic PostNL) and Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), but they were quickly reeled back in with 24 kilometres to go.

The race hit the flat final run-in with the bunch still all together, and just to make things more chaotic, a heavy downpour greeted the riders. Axel Huens (Unibet Tietema Rockets) gave it one last go off the front, but soon after, a nasty crash disrupted the finale. Several riders went down, tumbling over one another, though most of the sprint favourites managed to avoid it and stayed upright.

Israel-Premier Tech had their lead-out perfectly lined up for Ackermann, with Tudor and Groupama-FDJ also well-positioned. Coquard was the first to launch, with Dainese locked onto his wheel, but it was Ackermann who came flying around the outside. The German powered to a commanding sprint win ahead of Girmay and Dainese.