In a nail-biting finale filled with thrills, spills and chills, defending champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) rode to a magnificent win in the 107th edition of Paris-Roubaix. The 28 year-old Belgian captured his third edition of the Queen of the Classics today, going solo in the final 15km on the 4th sector of pave', the Carrefour de l'Arbre, after two consecutive crashes behind him in the finale sprung the man from Mol from the other front riders to win. Boonen made his Paris-Roubaix debut in 2002 with US Postal finishing 3rd, 9th in 2004, winning in 2005, then 2nd in 2006, 6th in 2007. The only time Boonen has ever been out of the top 10 in Paris-Roubaix was in 2003, when he was 24th. With his win today, Boonen has clearly shown he is the best Roubaix rider of his generation, joining the pantheon of the cobblestone riders like Belgians Johan Museeuw, Eddy Merckx and Rik Van Looy of three-time Paris-Roubaix champions. Only Roger De Vlaminck has won Paris-Roubaix more with his 4 victories, but Boonen will certainly get the chance to equal or best him during the remainder of his career.


Although Boonen won Paris-Roubaix last year, it was certainly the high point of his 2008 season, as an out-of-competition positive test for cocaine and other personal issues caused the Belgian star to be un-invited to the Tour de France and suffered plenty of personal embarassment over his predicament. But Boonen moved back to Belgium from Monte Carlo, got back with his old girlfriend and buckled down over the winter to get back to his roots as a classics monster man. Already this season, Boonen has won the Tour Of Quatar and his 4th Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and today's win can be seen as Boonen's greatest classics win ever. "The race was very hard today," said the muscular Belgian got his third pave' trophy. "I didn't see Thor crash," Boonen explained. "This was a fantastic win for me today. It wasn't easy, with riders like Flecha and the Lottos in the break." Boonen also praised his arch-rival and runner-up, saying "In the finale,  Pozzato was close...today was a battle between two great riders." But what Boonen left unsaid was that he won, not the Italian.

Today's Roubaix runner-up Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) chose to look at his best-ever Roubaix finish as a moral victory, although the classy 27 year old Italian found it hard to hide his disappointment to lose to his arch-rival Boonen. "Yes, Boonen was really strong today. But I had some bad luck today. When Flecha crashed, Boonen got a 50-meter gap on me, then Hushovd pulled really hard then he crashed. So it could have gone differently today." But Katusha boss Andrei Tchmil, himself a former Paris-Roubaix winner (1994) was not unhappy at all with Pozzato performance today. "I think he did a great job. We did our maximum and (Pozzato) didn't have any teammates to support him. But without the crash things might have been different today. Pozzato this year is better than ever, and stronger than ever, especially mentally and will just continue to improve." Pozzatto talked of his chase of Boonen in the final kilometers, saying "I thought it was possible for me to catch him for a while. With all those police and photographer motorbikes, Boonen might of had a little bit of slipstream for a while, but I only had one bike at my side, with no one ahead. But in the end Boonen was too strong and there was nothing for me to do."

As always, crashes conditioned today's Paris-Roubaix, perhaps more than usual. A big crash early-on in the Trouée d'Arenberg with 91km to race took down 30 riders and split the peloton, allowing a selection of 30 front riders to get a gap on the others. But the spectacular crashes in the Carrefour de l'Arbre with 17km to go. While in the lead break of six, Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) attacked at the start of the decisive sector of pavé and was quickly followed by Tom Boonen. A desperate Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) tried to jump across to the move and his front wheel slid out on the slippery cobbles, taking down the two Silence-Lotto riders, Hoste and Van Summeren. Pozzato, who had ridden a perfect tactical race up until then by closely marking Boonen, was sitting last wheel and just managed to squeeze by the three crashed riders without going down, but Hushovd & Boonen had already gone. The big Norwegian turned on the afterburners to gape the others, but 1km later, while following Boonen through a tight cobbled lefthander, Hushovd crashed, thus leaving the door open for Boonen to fly to victory in Roubaix. Eventually Hushovd made the podium, beating the two Silence-Lotto riders in the velodrome sprint for third. "I didn't have the chance to win today win because of my crash. My arm is still hurt from my crash last week in the Tour of Flanders and I was shaking a bit, but I just don't know what happened in the crash. At the end, I had good legs and I attacked, then Boonen followed me," said Hushovd.

How It Happened
Easter Sunday morning was cool and partly cloudy in the Place Palais in Compiègne for Paris-Roubaix, the Queen of the Classics with 27 sectors of pavé that total 52.9km on the way to the finish in the Roubaix Velodrome, the last major race to finish on a cycling track. After numerous attacks in the first hour, an 11 rider breakaway finally got away after 40km in the village of Ham. The international break had two French riders; Steve Chainel (Bouygues) and Yoann Offredo (Francaise des Jeux), two Dutch riders. Joost Posthuma (Rabobank) and 2001 winner Servais Knaven (Milram); one Dane, Kasper Klostergaard (Saxo Bank); one Italian, Angelo Furlan (Credit Agricole); one Belgian, Maarten Wynants (Quick Step); one German Andreas Klier (Cervélo), an Aussie, Wes Sulzberger (Francaise des Jeux); a Kiwi, Greg Henderson (Columbia) and one American, Steven Cozza (Garmin). The pace was slow, less than 38km/hr average and some light rain was falling and a northerly headwind was limiting the advance of the break. At the start of the first pave', Sector 27 from Troisvilles to Inchy, the almost dozen escapees had a lead of 1'30", with 161km still to race, while 2007 U23 Tour of Flanders winner Gatis Smukulis (Ag2r) was trying to bridge to the front group. The pace was slow up to that point, less than 38km/hr average and Smukulis was soon pulled back.

As soon as the cobbles started, the peloton's chase behind became disorganized and the break's lead zoomed to 4' as the rain showers ceased. Silence-Lotto, who missed the break was riding tempo on the front of the peloton to keep the leaders gap in check. The pace picked up in front and with 107km to go in Denain, had closed the gap is down to 3'05", with Liquigas and Silence-Lotto still chasing. As the escape entered Sector 17, the legendary Trouée d'Arenberg with 92km to Roubaix, huge crowds lined both sides of the cobbled path through the forest. The break was 2'40" ahead of the chase, where Saxo Bank lead the chasing peloton into the Arenberg, but Quick Step's Chavanel soon took over at the front. Almost immediately, a major crash took down many riders, and caused a huge split in the peloton.

The ended the Trouée with a lead of 2'05", while Haussler (Cervélo) led the chase out of the terrible Sector 17. Quick Step was still in command, with Hincapie & Burghardt (Columbia), Flecha (Rabobank), Cancellara, Breschel & Goss (Saxo Bank) all up front in this elite group, while Quinziato (Liquigas), who had punctured, was chasing with Quick Step's Devolder & Chavanel. At Sector 16, Hornaing-Wandignies, the longest stretch of pave' (3.7km) of the day with 82km to go, the lead group of 11 had 1'35" on the chase group of Haussler, Hammond (Cervélo), Boonen, Devolder & Chavanel  (Quick.Step), Flecha (Rabobank), Guesdon (Française Des Jeux), Cancellara, Arvesen & Breschel (Saxo Bank), Hincapie, Eisel, Sieberg & Burghardt (Columbia), Veelers (Skil-Shimano) and Hoste (Silence-Lotto), among other names. Garmin's Maaskant didn't make it across. Things were looking rosy for Columbia at that point, as Sector 15 Warlaing to Brillon started, but Hincapie's broken rear wheel then complicated things for them. His teammate, Gent-Wevelghem winner Edvald Boasson Hagen was there to help him chase back, but the 35 year old American never quite made it back into the race.

With Sector 14 over, Saxo Bank put down the hammer in a long crosswind stretch and the gap to the break was now 1 minute and falling. Just behind in the chasing peloton, Boonen attacked in Sector 13 and got a gap along with his Quick.Step teammate Weylandt, Van Summeren (Silence-Lotto), Quinziato (Liquigas), Pozzato (Katusha), Cancellara and Breschel (Saxo Bank); forcing Cervélo to chase hard behind. At the end of Sector 13, a photo moto crashed into a crowd of spectators and fifteen people were injured, including a four year old child.

Finally after almost 160km of liberty, the 11 man break was absorbed by the chase with 61km to go race, which created a 21 rider lead group, but not for long. With Sector 12 next up, Quick.Step sent Weylandt on the attack and Haussler, Klostergaard, Flecha and Quinziato bridged to him. This five man group gained time over the rest of the chasers, consisting of a dozen riders: Boonen, Wynants, Chavanel (Quick.Step), Pozzato (Katusha), Breschel Cancellara (Saxo Bank), Henderson (Columbia), Klier, Hushovd (Cervelo) Hoste & Van Summeren (Silence-Lotto) and Guesdon (Francaise des Jeux). But Boonen didn't like the odds with Haussler and Flecha up front, so on Sector 11, Boonen cranked up the pace and brought it back together. With 50km to go in Paris-Roubaix, there were now fifteen riders up front, with George Hincapie chasing all-out on the front of a Columbia-led chase trailing at 1'.

On Sector 10, Boonen cranked up the pace yet again and on the tough 3km Mons-en-Pévèle pavé, the key selection of the day was made. Boonen, Pozzato, Flecha, Hushovd, Van Summeren and Hoste were away, while Cancellara's Saxo Bank struggled mightily to stay in the race. By Sector 10, Cysoing to Bourghelles, the front six had a 1' lead. Boonen did a fast bike change but got back in in less than 1km as the others were taking a breather. It was status quo over the next few sectors until Sector Four, Carrefour de l’Arbre when chaos ensued from the crashes and Boonen flew the coop. He and his former teammate Pozzato had a tense pursuit match all the way to the finish in Roubaix, but Boonen held off the Italian for a decisive win in Roubaix. Boonen explained post-race "When I could finally hear (Quick.Step sports director) Wilfried Peeters on the radio with 5km to go, I was confident because my gap was growing, not falling and when he told me I had 24 seconds on Pippo at that point I knew I had the race won." Pozzato came in 47" later, while Hushovd beat Hoste and Vansummeren for the final podium spot and Flecha ended up 6th at 2'14". Bad luck again struck Colombia's George Hincapie, who broke a wheel at just the wrong time and ended up a disappointed 44th, 6'32" behind Boonen. For US Pro Continental team BMC Racing, it was a rough day as only two riders finished and one was outside the time limit, while the rest of the team was forced to abandon.

107th Paris-Roubaix
France, April 12, 2009, 259km
1. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step  / 6h15'53" 41.34km/hr. average speed
2. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Katusha @ 47"
3. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo @ 1'17"
4. Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence-Lotto @ same time
5. Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Silence-Lotto @ 1'22"
6. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank @ 2'14"
7. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo @ 3'13"
8. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step @ 3'15"
9. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas @ 5'00"
10. Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo Bank @ 5'29"