(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
With a storybook attack on the penultimate ascent of the 93rd Ronde van Vlaanderen, the legendary helligen #15 Muur-Kapelmuur (Mur de Grammont), 2008 Ronde winner Stijn Devolder (Quick.Step) made a the perfect move at the perfect time to take his second consecutive win at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. His Quick.Step team rode brilliantly all day and controlled the race in all the most decisive moments Sunday; Quick.Step always seems to be the team to beat at the Ronde van Vlaanderen as the last rider to win back to back Rondes was Devolder's teammate Tom Boonen in 2005-06.
Devastating Devolder
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Before Boonen, the last back-to-back winner was 36 years ago as Eric Leman won the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1972-73. 29 year old Devolder is from a small village near Harelbeke and is considered as not just a classic Belgian classics man; he is current Belgian time trial champion and has shown flashes of strength in Grand Tours, finishing third overall in the 2007 Tour de Suisse. Once Devolder flew the coop over the Muur-Kapelmuur, he put his time trialing skills to good work and rode home like a runaway train to the win in the village of Meerbeke.
It was a deja-vu moment in Meerbeke today, as Devolder first covered his eyes in disbelief, then pointed to the sky for his Ronde van Vlaanderen victory salute; the only difference from 2008 was that Devolder wasn't wearing a Belgian champions jersey. Afterwards, a seemingly astonished Devolder told Belgian TV “My friend (Frederiek Nolf) died at the Tour of Qatar in February, and so I promised myself to remember him the first time I won a race this year,” Devolder said. He was talking about Nolf, the Topsport Vlaanderen team rider who died in his sleep one week before his 22nd birthday. I've been working very long and hard to win this race again and am really happy I won. I've had some knee problems at the beginning of the season, but I kept believing in my chances to win here. I was convinced that I would come back for (the Ronde) and I kept telling my people that I would win here for a second time."
Devolder described the 93rd edition Ronde, saying "it was kind of funny race today as it was quite warm. There were some strong guys away in front and no real collabotation behind. I was waiting for the Berenderies and when Pozatto went, I could still close down on him. Eventually everybody came back together and I just waited for the Eikemolen. I thought I could get away there and I did; then it was just waiting for the Muur. When I attacked there, it was all or nothing and I just gave it my all. I always dream of winning (Ronde van Vlaanderen) and after this win, I hope to come back again to win here." A minute behind Devolder, Cervelo's emerging talent Heinrich Haussler soloed home for second, while Silence-Lotto's Phillipe Gilbert finally showed flashes of his 2008 form to win the bunch sprint just behind Haussler. The 24 year old German, already second at Milano-Sanremo two weeks ago was brought up in Australia and again demonstrated that he is becoming a major talent. Haussler told Belgian TV that "yeah, today I'm happy with second, because to be honest, I didnt' have the legs to do anything much." Haussler explained how he notched his second consecutive second place in one of cycling's monuments, saying "in the finale today, we were riding for Thor (Hushovd) but with 1km to go, Thor told me to attack and it worked."
Talking about his Ronde experience, Haussler marveled at the atmosphere of racing one of the biggest races in the world. "Already on the first climb, where I was riding near the front, it was an amazing atmosphere; I had goosebumps! The Belgian fans are just crazy for cycling. For me this is the biggest and most important race of the season and hope to win it during my career. I'm still happy with my second place at Milano-Sanremo this year as I'm starting to be up there with the big guns." Third place Phillipe Gilbert was bittersweet with his 3rd place; he explained post-race "well before the race, the press was saying I didn't have much form so I wanted to do something here. So I am happy to be on the podium and my form is improving. I am now looking forward to the Ardennes classics."
Boonen-Pozzato slugfest
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Pre-race favorite Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) and Quick.Step's Tom Boonen had a battle royale on the hellingen of Ronde van Vlaanderen today, attacking each other all race long. Once again, Quick.Step managed to get the better of Pozzato with their strength in numbers strategy via Devolder, Boonen and Chavanel, while Katusha could only count on Sergei Ivanov in the finale. A somewhat chastened Pozzato explained post-race that "I wasn't super today; Tom (Boonen) was the strongest man in the race and (Quick.Step) was the strongest team. Congtaulations to them. Like last year, Devolder managed to get away early and Boonen couldn't chase him"
Quinziato (R) and Chavanel (L) made the race today in Flanders
(Photo: Luca Bettini )
Pozzato's fellow Italian Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) had a heroic ride today at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. The 29 year old rides well in the Northern Classics and on the 11th climb of the day, Berendries with 44km to go, he followed the acceleration of Quick.Step's Chavanel to bridge up to the front. 'Quick.Step had the strongest team today for sure. Chavanel was up front with me and didn't push it when he could have played his own chances. Yes, when Devolder came up to us he was strong, but I felt good. Unfortunately I had cramps on the Muur and it was a shame, because I might have had a good chance to win today. But when Devolder came across he was really strong and had the strongest team in the race." Sunday's biggest losers at the Ronde van Vlaanderen was Columbia; although Ina Teutenberg won the womens race and Marcus Burghardt ended up 7th, the American squad didn't figure at all in key moments at this year's Ronde. Pre-race dark horse George Hincapie was almost invisible during the race and ended up in a crash with Cervélo's Thor Hushovd in the last 200m.
Foggy morning race start at Grote Market in Brugge
(Photo: Luca Bettini)
How It Happened
On a cool, foggy morning in the Groote Markt of the charming Belgian
coastal city of Brugge in west-Flanders 198 riders took the 'officiële
start' at 10:05 for 261km of racing across Flanders in the 93rd edition
of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. The weather had changed from the beautiful
spring sunshine of a few days earlier to cooler, mist air that softened
the pointy stepped roofs of Brugge and had the peloton well wrapped up.
Over the first part of the course during the first 100km, there were
some early attacks, but nothing stuck as the nervous peloton chased
everything down. Four teams were blood tested by the UCI this morning before the start of the Ronde; Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, Française des Jeux, Vorarlberg-Corratec and Landbouwkrediet-Colnago but all riders were fund fit to start.
After two hours and 86km of racing, the peloton was still together in Wetteren, this year's "Village Of The Ronde", with 44km still to race before hellingen #1, the Molenberg. Brits Roger Hammond (Cervélo) and Steven Cummings (Barloworld) made a move after Wetteren, but didn't get any liberty and it was peloton groupee' approaching Herzele, where the race heads back west towards the Vlaamse Ardennen (Flemish Ardennes). The morning mist had started to lift as huge crowds lined the roads and attack after attack enlivend the race as four riders got away after Zottegem; Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), Filip Meirhaeghe (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago), Sébastien Turgot (BBox Bouygues Télécom) and Wim De Vocht (Vacansoleil)
got a gap. The combination was good and with 125km to race, the quartet was 1' ahead as the top teams behind stopped chasing. Katusha and Cervélo were riding easy tempo as the midday sun shown now down on the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
Kuschynski and De Vocht dumped Turgot and Meirhaeghe before the first climb of the day, Molenberg while back in the peloton, riders were peeling off vests and arm warmers as the sun warmed up. In Ooudenarde, home of the Tour Of Flanders museum with 115km to race, Kuschynski and De Vocht had 1'30" on Turgot and Meirhaeghe and 2'45" on the chasing peloton. Steven Cozza (Garmin) made a solo move in Ooudenarde but eventually the American was countered by Topsport Vlaandren riders. With 105km raced on the Huispontweg cobbles, the break had 1' on the chasers and 2'30" on the peloton with Katuscha's Michailov on the front and Quick.Step lurking just behind and the pace was fast at 43.5km average. 10km later, with 94km to race, Turgot and Meirhaeghe were eventually absorbed by the chasing peloton.
A broken chain on Koppenberg nixes Cance's chances at Flanders
(Photo: Luca Bettini)
As hellingen #3, the Oude Kwaremont approached after 178km, the pace had increased and the gap of the two front runners had dropped well below 2' as Cancellara and his Saxobankers had hit the front and upped the pace. Cervélo took over the tempo at the base of the steep Oude Kwaremont but took it easy and Leonardo Duque (Cofidis) led over the top, but Cervélo swarmed the front again on the false flat and their new rhythm split the peloton in two. By hellingen #4, Paterberg after 182km, the break had 45", with Cervélo's Klier, Boonen, Rabobanker Flecha and Pozzato just behind. Lloyd (Cervélo), Quinziato (Liquigas) and Chavanel (Quick.Step) went off the front and were joined by Bandiera (Lampre), Hoste (Silence-Lotto), Guesdon (Francaise des Jeux). A 15 man group then got a 10" gap on the peloton with most of the favorites, but this group was absorbed before hellingen #5, the steep, narrow Koppenberg with 70km to go. Chavanel lead the escape, while behind Pozzato and Boonen flexed their muscles followed by Devolder, Flecha and Kroon (Saxo Bank) while Fabian Cancellara had a mechanical as he snapped his new chain and eventually just turned around and rode back down the Koppenberg with the chain wrapped around his neck.
In the feed zone, the front group was followed by an ever smaller peloton over hellingen #6: Steenbeekdries, followed by hellingen #7 Taaienberg. Chavanel was driving the break 50" ahead of the chase group with Boonen and Pozzato visible. Quick.Step's race tactics were picture perfect, as they were putting on the pressure on the other teams to chase, most notably Columbia who had missed the break. On the Taaienberg, Boonen attacked hard while Pozzato was right on him in round two of their celebrity death match. They gapped the chase, but then Gilbert and Staf Scheirlinckx (Silence-Lotto) and Burghardt (Colombia) got across and the chase group then swelled quickly to a dozen riders.
At hellingen #8, Eikenberg with 60km to go, the break was 40" ahead while Cervélo's Haussler was trying to control chase as Saxo Bank surged with Brechsel and Kroon while Boonen and Pozzato were watching each other behind. It looked more and more that the winner of the Ronde would come from this 20 strong chase group with the fast pace at 42.5km / hr average after almost four hours of racing. On the Varent climb, the break continued to drive hard while Boonen was surrounded by three teammates as the pace slowed behind. early attacker De Vocht had a rear flat and was forced to drop from the front break.
On the Leberg ascent with 50km to race, the break was led by Liquigas and still included Cervlo's ungainly Daniel Lloyd. The escape was now 1'40" ahead of the now reconstituted 60 strong chase group, led by lanky Markus Burghardt, then countered by Bert Scheirlinckx, covered by Eisel and Hammond. Up hellingen #11, Berendries, 44km the break's lead was 1' and Liquigas rider Kuchinsky couldn't match the acceleration of Chavanel, but was covered by Quinziato and Hoste. In the chase group behind, Pozzato attacks again but Boonen was right there with Devolder. Quinziato, Chavanel and Hoste were up front, with Boonen, Devolder, Pozzato and Bandiera managing to get across and the front of the race was Quinziato (Liquigas) Boonen, Devolder, Chavanel (Quick.Step), Hoste (Silence-Lotto), Pozzato (Katusha) and Bandiera (Lampre) with 37km to. Quick.Step quickly played their Chavanel card again, who escapes with Quniziato. On hellingen #14, Eikenmolen with 27km still to race, the front duo was still 17" ahead of solo chaser Van Hecke and 30" ahead of main chase group as Devolder then attacked hard at the same place he did in last year's win.
With 21km to go, there were now 4 up front; Quniziato, Chavanel, Devolder and Van Hecke with the Quick.Step strategy of total domination working perfectly. Devolder punched it on #15 Muur-Kapelmuur (Mur de Grammont) and rode home for the solo win, while the rest of the break was absorbed in the final kilometers. Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) attacked solo with 1000m. to go for 2nd, while Silence-Lotto's Philippe Gilbert was 3rd. Today's race fastest ever on the current 261.5km course that starts in Brugge,
with a blazing average speed of 43.455 km/h.
93rd Ronde van Vlaanderen / 261km
1. Stijn Devolder (Quick Step) 6h01'08"
2. Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) @ 59"
3. Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) @ 1'05"
4. Filippo Pozzato (Katusha)
5. Martijn Maaskant (Garmin)
6. Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank)
7. Marcus Burghardt (Columbia)
8. Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil)
9. Martin Elmiger (Ag2r-La Mondiale)
10. Bert De Waele (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) @ all same time
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