Men's Elite Road Championship, June 27
Preview
Johan Museeuw told the local press in Belgium this week that: "I am not the
favourite. It is an upside-down world. Riders that usually do not win can
have a chance here. I tip Verheyen tippen, or Wauters, but not myself. During
May in the Sierra Nevada I felt good for the first time. It was a great feeling.
I was climbing fast and able to attack again. That came after 3 weeks of intensive
training with physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalck. After the classics I rode for
two hours a day only. I was working under his direction. I had to reduce the
40 or 50 kilo difference in strength between by left and right knew. It is much
better now but still not in order. I will ride the classics after the Tour though.
An even greater incentive for the former world champion is the fact that the
pain has now disappeared. Museeuw: "In the RVV there was pain. I was third but
on the Muur it was torture with the pain. I was prepared to stand the pain but
not forever. I felt it was not good for me. It was not sport but constant
misery and I was demoralised. But that only lasted a short time. The work has
helped to ease my knee capsule. My muscles are strong enough now and my knee
is much better."
What preparation has Museeuw been doing for the Belgian road championships?
He trained in the Sierra Nevada and rode the Tours of Germany, Luxembourg
and Switzerland. Without forcing anything and without going constantly into
the red. Museeuw: "But I have not really stopped working. I am in form at
present but I mainly worked as a domestique for the team. On Sunday, I will
try for myself but it will be a tough race. It will depend on the form I have
on the day, of-course.
What about Mapei teammate and sprinter Tom Steels? Peter Van Petegem, seems
to be the major threat from TVM. Museeuw: "Because the hills are only short
I think he will be there. But Peter is the man in form. He knows every metre of
the Kloosterstraat. He knows how the wind affects the parcours. He can also
climb. In the RVV he showed that. A third championship for me would be very
nice - that is for sure. But my main aim this year is to win one of the
big classics."
Geraardsbergen, 252.8 kms:
Ludo Dierckxsens (Lampre) always tries to attack to win races.
On the first lap though he was aggressive. The decisive attack
came later. Mapei (with Museeuw, Merckx, Steels) was not in a
group of some 18 riders. But Merckx managed to get back into
the top group.
The lead group of 6 riders comprised Merckx, Dierckxsens, Vanhaecke,
Bruylandts, Demarbaix and Verheyen. The major attack by eventual
winner Ludo Dierckxsens came with 50 kms to go. Merckx and co
tried to match his move. The chasers, however, did not work
well together. In the Abdijstraat, Geert Verheyen, Merckx, Vanhaecke
and Bruylandts broke away from the chasing group. But by this
time Dierckxsens had built an unassailable lead.
34-year old Ludo Dierckxsens turned professional late in life.
This year a contract problem with his former team Lotto saw
him move to the Italian/Belgian team of Lampre-Daikin. This is
his first major win with the team and the first since the
doping cloud descended on his team. The big loser according to
the Belgian press is Lotto, who let him go.
Reaction from Ludo Dierckxsens, who was in the clouds:
"Everyone thought that I am a joker but I alway mean business.
Today, certainly I was serious and I felt that I had good legs
and the others sat as a block and didn't attack."
4th place-getter Dave Dave Bruylandts: "It is disappointing
that I didn't get a podium place. I was well prepared for
this race."
Axel Merckx had no problems with the victory by Dierckxsens:
"Today he was two classes stronger than us."
AVS: 40.990 km/h
1. Ludo Dierckxsens (Bel) Lampre-Daikin 6.08.52
2. Michel Van Haecje (Bel) Tönissteiner-Colnago 2.13
3. Axel Merckx (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step 2.13
4. Dave Bruylandts (Bel) Palmans-Ideal 2.36
5. Erwin Thijs (Bel) Team Cologne 7.13
6. Kris Gerits (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 7.13
7. Geert Van Bondt (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites 7.13
8. Geert Verheyen (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 7.13
9. Tom Stremersch (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 7.13
10. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 7.13
11. Davy Daniels (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 9.20
12. Eric De Clercq (Bel) Collstrop at 1 lap
13. Steve Vermaut (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 at 1 lap
14. Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 at 1 lap
15. Glen D'Hollander (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 at 1 lap
16. Tony Braecke (Bel) Collstrop at 1 lap
17. Tom Desmet (Bel) Collstrop at 1 lap
Started: 94
Classified: 11
Thanks to Daniel Grevesse, Belgium
Complete Starting List
Mapei-Quick Step
1 Tom Steels
2 Leif Hoste
3 Bart Leysen
4 Axel Merckx
5 Johan Museeuw
6 Wilfried Peeters
Lotto-Mobistar
9 Mario Aerts
10 Koen Beeckman
11 Sébastian Demarbaix
12 Christophe Detilloux
13 Fabien De Waele
14 Wim Feys
15 Manu L'Hoir
16 Thierry Marichal
17 Chris Peers
18 Jo Planckaert
19 Andrei Tchmil
20 Jean-Denis Vandenbroucke
21 Kurt Van de Wouwer
22 Paul Van Hyfte
23 Rik Verbrugghe
24 Geert Verheyen
25 Peter Wuyts
Vlaanderen 2002
28 Wilfried Cretskens
29 Davy Daniels
30 Stijn De Shoenmaecker
31 Glen D'Hollander
32 Kris Gerits
33 Jurgen Guns
34 Wesley Huvaere
35 Nico Renders
36 Tom Stremersch
37 Kurt Van Lancker
38 Jurgen Van Roosebroeck
39 Karel Vereecke
40 Steve Vermaut
41 Andy Vidts
Home Market-Ville de Charleroi
45 Ronny Assez
46 Ludovic Capelle
47 Jurgen De Buysschere
48 Stéphane Hennebert
49 Romeo Hernandez
50 Filip Meirhaeghe
51 Grégory Schoelens
52 Werner Vandromme
Collstrop
55 Danny Baeyens
56 Erwin Bollen
57 Tony Braecke
58 Danny Daelman
59 Eric De Clercq
60 Koen Deschuytter
61 Tom Desmet
62 Bart Everaert
63 Laurenzo Lapage
64 Hans Redant
65 Francky Van Haesebroucke
66 Wim Vansevenant
Palmans-Ideal
69 Ben Berden
70 Dave Bruylandts
71 Hans De Clercq
72 Mario De Clercq
73 Nico Eeckhout
74 Mark Janssens
75 Karl Pauwels
76 Gert Vanderaerden
77 Jurgen Vandewalle
78 Steven Van Malderghem
79 Jurgen Vermeersch
Spar-RDM
82 Frank Corvers
83 Etienne De Wilde
84 Matthew Gilmore
85 Paul Herijgers
86 Geert Omloop
87 Wim Omloop
88 Peter Peys
89 Gianni Rivera
90 Rik Van Slycke
TVM-Farm Frites
93 Johan Capiot
94 Geert Van Bondt
95 Hendrik Van Dijck
96 Peter Van Petegem
Ipso-Euroclean
99 Steven De Neef
100 Andy De Smet
101 Bart Heirewegh
102 Tim Lenaers
103 Jan Poppe
104 Philip Vereecke
105 David Verreth
Tönissteiner-Colnago
108 Franky De Buyst
109 Johan De Geyter
110 Davy Delme
111 Bert Roesems
112 Eddy Torrekens
113 Michel Vanhaecke
Cofidis
116 Steve De Wolf
117 Peter Farazijn
118 Nico Mattan
119 Frank Vandenbroucke
Others
122 Ludo Dierckxsens - Lampre-Daikin
123 Johan Verstrepen - Lampre-Daikin
126 Sven Nijs - Rabobank
127 Marc Wauters - Rabobank
130 Hans De Meester - Team Gerolsteiner
133 Patrick D'Hont - La Française des Jeux
136 Marc Streel - Team Home-Jack & Jones
139 Erwin Vervecken - SEFB
142 Erwin Thijs - Team Cologne
Thanks to Daniel Grevesse, Belgium
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