Photo finish after race of constant attacks sees Belgian take outright record in the “Mini Ronde van Vlaanderen”
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) confirmed his return to the top of the sport with his fifth victory in the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, taking a tight sprint finish ahead of three-time World champion Oscar Freire (Katuasha). The big Belgian, who has endured two torrid, injury hit seasons, opened up his sprint as soon as the finish line was in view; Freire waited patiently, launching his trademark late jump for the line, but Boonen managed to hold on to his lead and crossed the line just under half a wheel ahead.
In taking his fifth victory – with the other four consecutively between 2004 and 2007 – Boonen becomes the outright record holder in the Flemish Semi-Classic; he moves ahead of the legendary Emperor of Herentals, Rik van Looy, with whom he previously sat with four wins.
“I was trying to make it a nice race,” said Boonen. “It was not only important for a good result, but also important for the head a little bit and the sensations on the climbs. That’s why I was doing a few big attacks. I wasn’t really saving myself for the sprint. But then in the end, everything came together and I think everybody was suffering. It doesn’t matter if they were in the front or the back.
“I was not very comfortable in the sprint but sure, I was still going to do a good sprint and was trying to win,” he added. “I could get 2nd or 3rd, it’s always possible, but in the end I won; so I’m happy.”
Behind the battle between the former World champions, Bernhard Eisel (Team Sky) – released from his duties as lead out man to World champion Mark Cavendish for the day – won the battle for third ahead of a far larger group than would have been expected, given the aggressive nature of the race.
The 203km race, which is known as the Mini Ronde van Vlaanderen, was peppered with attacks; not least from Boonen himself, as he sought to force a selection on the steep cobbled climbs of the Taaienberg and Paterberg. Select groups managed to force themselves clear on a number of occasions, but the race always conspired to reform as those behind were not content to miss out.
“For me it’s like a test,” Boonen explained. “I attack a lot of times at this race. I really would like to win, but at the same time this race is something like a test for the upcoming races. Yes, I was really focused to try to win the race, but at the same time I want to try to do something to see my condition and the condition of the other competitors.”
The final attack came from Boonen’s Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate, French champion Sylvain Chavanel, along with Dmitriy Muravyev (Astana), who escaped shortly before the Knokteberg with just over 25km to go. Despite disruption from the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team, the duo was eventually reeled in with seven kilometres to go.
There were several attempts to get away in the closing kilometres, not least from Flemish veteran Leif Hoste (Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas), but the sprinters teams kept things together into the finish, where Boonen took the victory.
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After a fast start the break gets a hand from Belgian railways
With 50km covered in the first hour of the race, there was little chance for any riders to break clear; finally, after 59km though, a nine-rider group did get away, made up of: Gert Dockx (Lotto-Belisol), Gregor Gazvoda (AG2R La Mondiale), Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Luca Ascani, Oscar Gatto and Kevin Hulsmans (all Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), Sébastien Delfosse (Landbouwkrediet) and Damien Gaudin (Europcar).
As they steadily built up their lead, the seven riders were aided by a railway crossing at the 75km point, which was open for them but closed ahead of the peloton. Thanks to the unscheduled – although not unexpected – interruption, the nine riders managed to get their lead up to its maximum of 5’20”.
It began to come down almost immediately however and, as they crossed the top of the Muur van Geraardsbergen – eschewed by this year’s Ronde – after 99km, it had been cut by a full minute to 4’20”, with most of the work being done by Omega Pharma-Quick Step.
As the gap dropped to below two minutes, with just over 70km to go, on the fast approach to the Boigneberg climb, there was a crash in the middle of the peloton, with a number of riders falling into the roadside ditch. David Millar (Garmin-Barracuda) and Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar) were among the fallers, but Jan Ghyselinck (Cofidis), Jens Mouris (GreenEDGE), Sebastien Hinault (AG2R La Mondiale) and Koen de Kort (Project 1t4i) were forced to leave the race by ambulance.
The bunch was neutralised at the front, by Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Garmin-Barracuda, to allow any crashed riders to get back on, and the gap rose back up to two minutes.
As the race approached its closing phase, a number of the favourites were having problems near the back of the peloton. Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) came down in a low speed crash, and Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) appeared to be having trouble holding the pace on the cobbles of the Eikenberg; the Belgian champion was clearly having an off day and abandoned soon afterwards.
The Taaienberg is the Boonenberg again
With 60km to go, Omega Pharma-Quick Step was on the front again, and had reduced the gap to 1’31”. As the peloton hit the Taaienberg Boonen – just as he had done in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – attacked on the steep cobbles, and – just as had happened in the Omloop – Sep Vanmarcke (Garmin-Barracuda) was right on his tail.
A very select group began to form behind Boonen, made up of Cancellara, Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil-DCM), Luca Paolini (Katusha), Leif Hoste (Accent.jobs-Verandas Willems) and Omloop winner Vanmarcke. Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing), John Degenkolb (Project 1t4i) and Boasson Hagen soon chased across, with Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) leading the next chase group, which included Daniel Oss and Peter Sagan (both Liquigas-Cannondale), and Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan).
The climb had reduced the group up front to six, made up of the three Farnese Vini-Selle Italia riders, with Mørkøv, Gaudin and Dockx.
Nobody else had made it across from Omega Pharma-Quick Step however, and, having created the move, Boonen had isolated himself. The former World champion was clearly not happy with the composition, or size, of the group and all but stopped its progress as the peloton was just 15 seconds behind and catching.
Not prepared to wait though, Gallopin attacked. The Frenchman was chased down by Hoste – who’d left the peloton with Oss – and pursued by Freire, Chavanel and Daniele Bennati (RadioShack-Nissan) as the Kruisberg approached, but it all came back together just as it was about to begin.
Sebastian Langeveld (GreenEDGE) attacked, but the 2011 Omloop winner wasn’t able to get far; the peloton was all together at the top; the six leaders were now just 19 seconds ahead and Omega Pharma-Quick Step was back in control as the Paterberg approached
Hulsmans signalled Gatto past as the steep cobbles began and the Italian sprinted away from the others. Not far behind Boonen repeated his Taaienberg acceleration, pulling a string of similar riders along, and overhauled everybody but Gatto and Gaudin. The punchy Italian was still 17 seconds clear as he accelerated down towards the Oude Kwaremont, with the Frenchman in pursuit.
A similar group to previously had formed behind the two remaining leaders, with most of the big names having a teammate present, but it was all back together again for the long cobbled drag.
Cancellara looking strong again but totally out of luck
Gatto hit the Kwaremont alone, as the group meandered along behind him. The peloton was beginning to drift further back now, with the selection seemingly made. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) hit the front, stringing out the group, but then Cancellara accelerated past him with Vanmarcke, Boonen, Pozzato and Sagan clinging desperately to his wheel.
Just as the winning move looked to have been made however, Cancellara punctured however, leaving just the four of them away and they were soon back in the group. At the top, the Swiss champion was getting new front wheel and a drink from a RadioShack-Nissan mechanic in the line of soigneurs, when Carlos Barredo (Rabobank) suddenly rode into him.
Meanwhile, as Cancellara fought his way back up to the peloton, up ahead Chavanel, Dmitriy Muravyev (Katusha) and Simon Spilak (Astana) attacked. There was no a nine man group chasing, with Boonen – at the back – Pozzato, Vanmarcke, Leukemans, Sagan, Paolini, Degenkolb, Matti Breschel (Rabobank), Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana), Ballan and Van Avermaet.
Gatto was now 22 seconds ahead of the chasing trio, as he hit the Knokteberg with 26km to go, but they were gaining. 45 seconds back, Leukemans and Vanmarcke tried to escape the rest, but Sagan led the rest of the group across. The effort had seemingly been more than Vanmarcke could spare however, and he was dropped as the group carried on the strong pace he’d set.
The chasing trio caught Gatto shortly after the top of the climb but, as Chavanel and Muravyev pressed on, the Italian suffered a puncture and was passed by the peloton as he waited for a new wheel.
The break is over but another one begins
With 20km to go a massive chase from Cancellara saw the following peloton catch up with the Boonen group, which was now 27 seconds behind the two leaders. With a number of Omega Pharma-Quick Step riders now blocking the chase on the Varent cobbles, Chavanel and Muravyev’s lead was growing; up to 32 seconds as they hit the Tiegemberg with 16km to go.
At the top of the climb, with 14km and no more climbs to go, the duo was 14 seconds clear and, despite attacks from Stijn Devolder (Vacansoleil-DCM), Vincent Jérôme (Europcar), Sagan, Leukemans and Vanmarcke, they managed to stretch it to 15 seconds as they hit the 10km banner.
Ian Stannard (Team Sky) hit the front of the peloton, but there was no real organisation and the duo’s lead began to open a little. Impatient once again, Devolder put in another attack, but the two-time Ronde van Vlaaderen winner could only manage to dangle halfway between the leaders and the bunch before sitting up again.
With Liquigas-Cannondale joining Stannard in force, the gap finally closed and, with 7km to go, the two leaders sat up and shook hands. The British rider was still at the head of the peloton as it passed under the 5km banner, and only pulled off as they passed under the 3km banner. As the peloton inevitably eased up, Hoste put in a big attack on the opposite side of the road, but the veteran was patiently reeled in by Omega Pharma-Quick Step with two kilometres to go.
Saxo Bank briefly had control of the front, but Omega Pharma-Quick Step took it back as the race entered the final kilometre. Boonen launched a long sprint and, despite Freire’s attempt to come around in the final metres, the Belgian hung on to win by just under half a wheel.