Tour of Flanders, World Cup Round 2

Belgium, April 2, 1995

Race Preview

G.Bugno, last year's winner says "It's the most difficult [World Cup] race to win."

The Form Guide

Maurizio Fondriest (Italy)

"You can expect the best Fondriest. I'm going for victory, nothing less," said the former world champion. "Note it down, I'm going to ride a super Tour of Flanders."
In good form -- won De Panne ITT (16 kms) this week.
Beaten recently by L.Jalabert in Milan-San Remo.
Expects his greatest rival at Flanders to be Johan Museeuw (Belgium), who placed second last year.

Johan Museeuw (Belgium)

Finished 2nd to Bugno in sprint last year.
Finished 2nd to Bugno in sprint last year.
Won in 1993.
Finished 37th at De Panne ITT at almost 2 minutes back.

Laurent Jalabert (France)

Not starting Tour of Flanders.
Not racing Paris-Roubaix next week.
Racing again at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, 16 April.

Other possible winners

Franco Ballerini (Italy).
Fabio Baldato (Italy).
Maxmilian Sciandri (Italy).
Edwig Van Hooydonck (Belgium) -- winner twice before.
Andrei Tchmil (Russia).

Race Report

Meerbeke, Belgium
Johan Museeuw (Belgium) dropped Fabio Baldato (Italy) fifteen kilometers from the finish to win the Tour of Flanders World Cup race for the second time in three years today. His decisive attack came on a steep cobble-stone climb. "I had a super day," said Museeuw, 29 years old. "This was one of the greatest days of my career."

Museeuw's victory was not without some misfortune. He punctured 53 kilometers from the finish and saw his 19 breakaway companions head up the road. "First I thought, now it's all over," Museeuw said.

But he road very hard after the wheel change and managed to catch the group again 41 kms from the finish, just when Baldato broke away. After a brief rest, Museeuw started his chase for Baldato at the 33 kilometer mark and caught him three kilometers further on. Tchmil made an attempt to bridge up to the two leaders but was unable to bridge before Museeuw's final attack on the climb.

Race Distance: 261 kms

  1. Johan Museeuw (Belgium, Mapei-GB)         06:36:24
  2. Fabio Baldato (Italy, MG-Technogym)        + 01:27 secs.
  3. Andrei Tchmil (Moldova, Lotto)
  4. Claudio Chiappucci (Italy, Carrera)           2:03
  5. Gianluca Bortolami (Italy, Mapei-GB)
  6. Jesper Skibby (Denmark, TVM)
  7. Michele Bartoli (Italy, Mercantone Uno)       2:05
  8. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia, Novell)           3:25
  9. Maximilian Sciandri (Britain, MG-Technogym)
 10. Franco Ballerini (Italy, Mapei-GB)            3:28
 11. Stefano Zanini (Italy, Gewiss-Ballan)         5:09
 12. Maurizio Fondriest (Italy, Lampre-Panaria)
 13. Hendrik Redant (Belgium, TVM)                 5:17
 14. Giovanni Lombardi (Italy, Polti)
 15. Wilfried Peeters (Belgium, Mapei-GB)
 16. Herman Frison (Belgium, Lotto-Isoglass)
 17. Marc Sergeant (Belgium, Lotto-Isoglass)
 18. Maarten den Bakker (Netherlands, TVM)
 19. Johan Capiot (Belgium, Ceramiche Refin)
 20. Rolf Aldag (Germany, Telekom)                all s.t.

Full Listing of Results

1. Museeuw 261km in 6.36.24
2. Baldato at 1.27
3. Tchmil same time
4. Chiappucci 2.03
5. Bortolami
6. Skibby same time
7. Bartoli 2.05
8. Ekimov 3.25
9. Sciandri same time
10. Ballerini 3.28
11. Zanini 5.09
12. Fondriest same time
13. Redant 5.17
14. Lombardi
15. Peeters
16. Frison
17. Sergeant
18. Den Bakker
19. Capiot
20. Aldag
21. Scirea same time
22. Sorensen 8.08
23. Michaelsen
24. Cipollini same time
25. Fidanza 8.39
26. Abdoujaparov
27. F. Bontempi
28. Dietz
29. Hundertmark
30. Pianegonda
31. Mulders
32. Yates
33. Zberg
34. Holm
35. Tafi
36. G. Bontempi
37. Bugno
38. Nelissen
39. Gotchenkov
40. Moreels
41. Willems
42. Van Hooydonck same time
43. Roscioli 11.57
44. Andreu
45. Armstrong
46. Van Bon
47. Hoffman
48. Verstrepen
49. Colombo same time
50. Van Bondt 13.21
51. Serpellini 13.53
52. Bertolini
53. M. De Clrecq
54. Vanderaerden
55. Marie
56. Verhoeven
57. Ferrigato
58. Van der Poel
59. Missaglia
60. Laukka
61. Fornaciari
62. Vasseur
63. Rue
64. Edo
65. Imboden
66. P Van den Abeele
67. Stenersen
68. Serrano
69. Zabel
70. E. De Clercq
71. Spruch
72. Wesemann
73. Roes
74. Hodge
75. Leysen
76. Bauer
77. Martin same time
78. Duclos-Lassalle 15.26
79. De Meester
80. Assez
81. Zen
82. Knaven
83. Nottebart
84. Van Camp
85. Durand
86. F. Van den Abeele
87. Raab
88. Mattan
89. Ludwig
90. Desbiens
91. Meijs
92. Capelle*
93. Feys
94. Thijs
95. Cattai
96. Brasi
97. Bramati
98. Dernies

(191 starters, 91 finishers)

*L'Equipe notes of Capelle, classified 92nd, that there is solid evidence that he in fact retired.

The Video in Words - from Roger Thomas

The first serious attack took place at km54, when the Mapei-GB team of Museeuw sent Tafi forward. In a break accompanied by Roscioli (Refin), Martinelli (Polti) and Steels (Vlaanderen 2002), Tafi gained a maximum lead of 5 minutes and cleared the Tiegemberg (125km), the first of the 15 climbs, with a lead of 4.50. Steels and Martinelli fell back because of mechanical problems and Tafi then shook off Roscioli to stay alone to cross the Kwaremont (153km).

After the Kwaremont, Tafi drove on alone, with a lead of 3 minutes on the peloton. A counter-attack was launched by Bauer (Motorola), Hoffman (TVM), Pianegonda (Polti), Peeters (Mapei) and Roscioli, who had been caught. With 80km to go [soon after the ninth climb] Tafi's lead went back up to 3.45 on a peloton that had split into two main groups, such riders as Duclos-Lassalle, Durand, Brochard and Colotti having fallen back into a second group.

Tafi was caught at the second feed at Zottegem (km218) and almost immediately after, with 41km to go, Baldato (MG) attacked at about the time Museeuw was briefly held up by a puncture [Museeuw enjoyed a rapid wheel change thanks to his team-mate Ludwig Willems being at hand]

Baldato had about 30 seconds on the first group of favourites when, with 29km to go, Museeuw decided to go after him alone. He caught up with Baldato on the small climb at Brakel (km230, 30km to go) and the pair worked together as far as the Mur at Geraardsbergen. Behind this tandem, Tchmil made a solitary attack in pursuit.

Museeuw attacked on the Mur and took off alone with 16km to the line. Tchmil caught Baldato at the foot of the Bosberg, but over the last dozen kilometres of flat Museeuw built up a minute and a half lead. Baldato found the strength to outsprint Tchmil for second place.