Le Samyn is the opening of the Walloon cycling season next Tuesday. The race is characterized by several cobbled sections and small streets around the finish place Dour. It is an interesting race, because many different types of riders can win. It was still last year all-rounder Matteo Trentin who won. Who succeeds him? Cycling Flash looks ahead!
History
1968 was the year that the Belgian race was organized for the first time. At the time, the race was still called the Grand Prix Fayt-le-Franc. This name refers to the village of the same name, where the finish of the race was also located, in the province of Hainaut. The first edition was won by the Frenchman José Samyn. The 23-year-old driver won a stage in the Tour de France a year earlier.
A few months after his victory of the GP Fayt-le-Franc, however, disaster struck for Samyn. During a fair race in Zingem, East Flanders, he collided with a spectator. Samyn sustained a brain injury, which ultimately proved fatal. A very sad story. After the death of the rider, the organization decided to rename the GP Fayt-le-Franc to the GP José Samyn. Later that just became Le Samyn, which is also the current name.
Gilbert at his victory in 2008 – photo: Cor Vos
The honors list is convincingly dominated by Belgians. Johan Capiot (1992, 1994 and 1995), the father of Amaury Capiot, is the record winner with three victories. Shortly after, another Belgian, Henrik Redant (1989 and 1990), and Dutchman Niki Terpstra (2016 and 2018) followed with two wins in Le Samyn.
For the rest, there are still a lot of great names on the honors list. For example, Herman Van Springel once won the competition. Claude Criquielion, Robbie McEwen, Philippe Gilbert and Arnaud Démare, among others, did the same.
Last ten winners Le Samyn
2022: 
Matteo Trentin
2021: 
Tim Merlier
2020: 
Hugo Hofstetter
2019: Florian Senechal
2018: 
Niki Terpstra
2017: Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
2016: Niki Terpstra
2015: Kris Boeckmans
2014: Maxime Vantomme
2013: Alexey Tsatevich
Latest edition
On the way to Dour, a leading group of six drove away last year. The most striking name in it was Sam Welsford, a rider of Team DSM. The early flight played no role in the final. That final really opened on the Côte de la Roquette. Oliver Naesen, who then had to deal with bad luck, led the dance up the climb and immediately after the summit Matteo Trentin and Victor Campenaerts took the upper hand.
Then there was a large leading group, several favorites were present. At 22 kilometers from the finish, the leading group fell apart for a second time: Dries De Bondt, Stan Dewulf, Josef Černý, Bert Van Lerberghe, Loïc Vliegen, Campenaerts, Trentin, Hugo Hofstetter and Dries Van Gestel broke away. The rest of the attackers were caught by the peloton again.
Trentin made course – photo: Cor Vos
On the cobblestones of the Roquette, in the absolute final, Trentin pushed hard. Not much later, on the Chemin de Wihéries, the Italian did exactly the same. Trentin impressed, but didn’t pull away. In the last kilometers, Dewulf and Campenaerts tried to avoid the sprint through several jabs. They didn’t succeed, we sprinted for the win. Trentin was the strongest in that sprint. Hofstetter was second, De Bondt third.
Rash Le Samyn 2022
1. Matteo Trentin (UAE Emirates)
2. Hugo Hofstetter (Arkéa Samsic)
3. Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix)
4. Stan Dewulf (AG2R Citroen)
5. Loïc Vliegen (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert)
Match report
Journey
The course of Le Samyn has not changed compared to last year. The start is therefore again in Quaregnon, a town in the province of Hainaut. It has been here since 2015 that the start of the Walloon race is given. The total distance from Le Samyn is 209 kilometers.
After the start, the riders head west towards Hautrage, followed by a northward loop through Autreppe and Leuze, among others. Just like last year, the peloton will remain entirely on Walloon territory. Furthermore, there is not much to say about the start-up phase of the competition. There may be some wind, but due to the flat roads, not too much will happen.
After the riders have completed a good 90 kilometers, they reached the first local circuit. They will complete this four times in total. The first obstacle in that round is the Rue du Vert Pignon. The cobblestone section of a good 100 meters is a warm-up. Then there are two slopes. These are the Rocket coast and the Coast of the Nonettes. Both slopes are very short.
Finally, the riders then head to the cobblestones of the Belle Vue Street. In the intermediate zone, the wind has free play. On the cobblestone strip itself, the road is very narrow and the cobblestones are, as usual, in bad shape. In short: an ideal place to set the course to your will. Moreover, this strip is only one kilometer from the line. The finish in Dour is slightly ascending, so that as a sprinter you can also explode in the last meters.
Tuesday 28 February: Quaregnon – Dour (209km)
Start: 12:25 p.m
Finish: between 5.10 pm and 5.35 pm
Favorites
The biggest name on the Le Samyn start list is without a doubt Fabio Jakobsen. The European champion finished 24th in Dour last year and in 2018 he finished thirteenth. The Dutchman from Soudal Quick-Step must hope for a closed course and a sprint from a thinned peloton at the end, but that is certainly not a certainty in Le Samyn.
However, that was the case two years ago, when Tim Merlier won. Should it end in a sprint, Jakobsen is the favourite. Jakobsen can count on Casper Pedersen and Jannik Steimle, among others, to create that scenario. Kasper Asgreen is the other eye-catcher at Soudal Quick-Step. The Dane had to miss the Opening Weekend due to illness, but has recovered sufficiently to race in Le Samyn.
Another fast man at the start of Le Samyn is Hugo Hofstetter. The Frenchman from Arkéa Samsic does not only have fast legs, he can also handle a tough race. In 2020 he shot to victory in Le Samyn and last year he was second. So an expert. Last year, the 29-year-old Hofstetter won once, that was in Tro-Bro Léon. The Walloon one-day race Le Samyn was made for Hofstetter.
Hofstetter will be close to winning – photo: Cor Vos
Israel-Premier Tech moves to Wallonia with a strong block. James Nizzolo, Sep Vanmarcke and Jens Reynders, all three can make a shot at victory. We mainly look at Italian Nizzolo and the experienced Vanmarcke. They can form a strong block and in that way blast to victory in Dour. The same goes for the men of AG2R Citroën. There we see a nice duo on the start list; Oliver Naesen and Stan Dewulf. The two Belgians should certainly be able to finish in the top-10, but more is also possible.
The strongest team at the start is difficult to pinpoint. One of those candidates is certainly Alpecin-Deceuninck. At first we indicate Søren Kragh Andersen On. The Dane is one of the big names on the start list. Kragh Andersen has already won a stage in the Tour de France twice, but seems made for one-day work. In Le Samyn he might get an excellent opportunity to write a first one-day race on his palmares.
Kragh Andersen has already made a goal of Le Samyn, he said in conversation with Cycling Flash: “I skip Strade Bianche because I want to be good at Le Samyn. It is a smaller race, but a classic.” He gets help from Dries De Bondt, among others. There is also Kaden Groves with the Belgian team, the Australian is the man for a sprint. Kragh Andersen was disappointing in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
Does Kragh Andersen hit the target in Dour? – photo: Cor Vos
Victor Campenaerts is a rider we will definitely see on Tuesday. VocSnor of Fields is a rider who always races offensively and this racing method can come in handy in Le Samyn. Attacking often pays off here, just think of Trentin’s victory last year. Lotto Dstny can also count on Florian Vermeersch, who should also be able to score well here.
The Belgian teams all come to Le Samyn with contenders. So is Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Of Mike Teunissen do they have a strong iron in the fire. However, Teunissen is not alone, because Hugo Page, Niccolò Bonfiazio, Laurenz Rex (who crashed in the Omloop), Taco van der Hoorn and Loïc Vliegen also have a chance. They are all outsiders, but dangerous outsiders.
Campenaerts will want to score points in Le Samyn, in all areas – photo: Cor Vos
Jasper Stuven does not drive for a Belgian team, but is a candidate winner. The driver from Leuven only drove Le Samyn twice in his career. Three years ago he finished fourteenth. Stuyven is basically a rider who must be able to survive all cobblestone sections and slopes, which immediately makes him interesting. On top of that, he is also not slow to measure up. The same also applies to Alberto Dainese, defending Team DSM’s colours. However, the question is whether Dainese is still there after the obstacles. If so, he is one of the men to keep an eye on.
Finally, we mention a number of outsiders. These are Belgians Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa Samsic), Timothy Dupont (Tarteletto-Isorex), Tom Devriendt (Q36.5), Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bingoal WB), Dutchman David Dekker (Arkéa Samsic) and New Zealander Patrick Bevin (Team DSM ). Perhaps the biggest outsider is Søren Wærenskjold. The Norwegian from Uno-X sprinted impressively to a victory in the Saudi Tour and must also be able to handle this work.
The final field of participants for Le Samyn is not yet known. Therefore, final changes may be made
Favorites according to WielerFlits
****Hugo Hofstetter
*** Søren Kragh Andersen, Victor Campenaerts
** Fabio Jakobsen, Giacomo Nizzolo, Jasper Stuyven
* Sep Vanmarcke, Mike Teunissen, Oliver Naesen, Alberto Dainese
Website organization
Participant list (ProCyclingStats)
Weather and TV
The riders will have to dress warmly for Le Samyn on Tuesday. Weatheronline expect temperatures not to rise above 5 degrees Celsius. The sun will shine, which may make it even more pleasant. However, it will not be really pleasant, because with a predicted wind force of 3 or 4 Beaufort it will also blow strongly. It promises to be a tough day.
Le Samyn can be followed live on television. The broadcast starts Sporza op A at 3:10 pm. Sporza also broadcasts the Walloon race for the women a little earlier, at 1.45 p.m. This information can also be read in the article every day Cycling on TV.
