Three Blues in Harelbeke
22 March 2013

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

Amador, Rojas and Ventoso fight for top-ten finish into 30-rider in pursuit of the group that searched for a dominating Cancellara in the E3 Prijs

Movistar Team played a remarkable role in the 56th edition of the E3 Prijs Harelbeke, a World Tour event held on Friday in Belgium over a 209km parcours including thirteen of the famous ‘hellingen’ in the final ninety. Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara (RLT) claimed the plaudits for the third time in his career after a solo attack in the final 30k of racing, with the race splitting behind with around 20 riders into the peloton, including José Joaquín Rojas, Fran Ventoso and a brilliant Andrey Amador, fighting with the top cobblestone riders in the bunch.

The Costa Rican rider kept the wheels with a reduced group of pursuers that featured most notably Tom Boonen, later caught by a big group with Rojas and Ventoso that couldn’t do anything against a powerful Cancellara, with Sagan, Oss, Thomas, Langeveld and Chavanel into an elite group coming across the finish one minute behind. More than two after the Swiss rider came the Movistar Team fighters, with Rojas (14th), Ventoso (17th) and Amador looking for better opportunities on Sunday into Gent-Wevelgem, another UCI World Tour event.