Saturday 28th February, the Belgium race season started traditionally with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Because of the take over of the daily newspaper Het Volk by Het Nieuwsblad, the name of this course changed.
The course leads the peloton over a distance of 203 km along the Flandrien landscape. It starts in Arteveldestad and contains 11 slopes from which the Muur van Geraardsbergen is best known. There are also 7 sections of cobbles. The finish is in Gent.
Early during the course, Duclos-Lasalle (COF), Blot (COF), Zen (Palmans), Boucher (LAN) and De Vocht (VAC) extracted themselves. They went up to 6 minutes ahead of the peloton.
Caethoven (Agritubel), Tjallingii (RAB), Kuschynski (LIQ) and Thurau (Elk Haus) chased the front runners. However, they didn't stop for a closed railroad crossing in Nukerke. The jury disqualified them immediately.
Later on, Rabobank attacked: on the Taaienberg (147 km) Nuyens, Langeveld, Posthuma and Flecha went ahead. The others couldn't follow them. However, later on many others rejoined so a chasing group was formed. Quick Step and Silence-Lotto were in the lead.
Langeveld (RAB) and Haussler (CER) took off to the first riders and reached them later on. They stayed ahead till the last meters of the course. About 200 meters before the finish, Klier (CER) rolled out the red carpet for his teammate Hushovd (CER) which won the mass spurt just before Ista (Agritubel) and Flecha (RAB).
Unfortunately Langeveld (RAB), Pozzato (KAT) and Velits (MRM) hit the ground. What about Rabobank? They attacked whole day and didn't win.
Results:
1. Hushovd (CTT)
2. Ista (AGR)
3. Flecha (RAB)
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