65th G.P. Stad Zottegem/Dr. Tistaert Prijs - 1.4Zottegem, Belgium, August 21, 20012000 Results Results Past Winners Jo Planckaert wins in ZottegemBy Jeff Jones
Jo Planckaert (Cofidis) has won his first race of the season, taking the 65th edition of the Dr. Tistaertprijs held in Zottegem. The Belgian sprinter was the quickest of the leading group of 17 riders, beating Dutch champion Jans Koerts (Mercury) and Aart Vierhouten (Rabobank). A late attack by Lotto's Paul van Hyfte was chased down by Planckaert's teammate Chris Peers inside the last kilometre, paving the way for a tough uphill sprint. The Dr. Tistaertprijs is a traditional kermis race that was upgraded to UCI 1.4 status in 1999, and will be a UCI 1.3 event in 2002. The parcours is a fairly standard kermis course: One big lap of 34 kilometres, followed by eight small laps of 19.1 kilometres. Each lap the riders had to tackle the Grotenberge (1 km, but not particularly steep) and a couple of false flats. The sun was shining, there was no wind, and the ice-cream van was playing the first few bars of "Mr Sandman" as it followed the race.
There was no question that Zottegem's own sportsman of the year 2000, Scott Sunderland (Fakta), was the sympathetic crowd favourite. Given the lack of steep climbs and the mentality of the pack, it was going to be a big ask for the Australian to win. There were plenty of riders here hungry for UCI points as the 'official' transfer season opens on September 1. Also, a good showing today means an invite for next year, when the race is worth more points. Thus, the race started fairly fast and remained that way, with several attacks going in the first half, unable to gain more than 1'30 before it came back together. Provided they were stationed near the centre of town, the large crowd could see the riders a couple of times every 25 minutes, spending the rest of the time drinking beer, eating suikerwafels, and placing bets on the race with colourful racing identities who happened to have set up stalls on the parcours.
It was all rather a pleasant way to spend the day, with the bike race acting as the perfect foil for the rest of the entertainment at the kermissfeer. After the general thinning down of the peloton, the racing intensified with just over two laps (45 km) to go, as a group of 18 riders escaped. This included Hans de Clercq and Paul van Hyfte (Lotto), Chris Peers and Jo Planckaert (Cofidis), Wim Vansevenant and Jans Koerts (Mercury), Aart Vierhouten and Geert Verheyen (Rabobank), Ivailo Gabrowski (Jean Delatour), Roberto Lochowski (Fakta), Roger Hammond (Collstrop), Gian Paolo Cheula (Mapei), Kris Gerits (Vlaanderen), Bjorn Cornelissen and Edwin Dunning (AXA), Jos Lucassen (Cologne), Jürgen Vermeersch (Landbouwkrediet) and Jürgen Werner (Nürnberger).
Of these, only Vermeersch couldn't handle the pace and was dropped, leaving 17 riders to contest the finish. On the last lap, they had 1'30 on the fragmented peloton, and the winner would certainly come from this front group. Lotto's Paul van Hyfte produced the best attack, hammering off the front with 4 kilometres to go and looking like a winner. However the sprinters and their teammates in the bunch hadn't given up, and mounted a concerted chase through the streets of Zottegem for the final time. With 1 km to go, Van Hyfte was caught as the leaders zig-zagged their way to the finish on Kasteelstraat. Coming up the rise it was Jans Koerts and Jo Planckaert head to head, with Planckaert edging in front in the final 10 metres. Vierhouten placed third, followed by Lochowski and Hammond.
After several second places in recent weeks, Planckaert was finally rewarded with a win and the flowers, and he is hoping for a strong finish to his season. "The pre-season was a total flop, when I got sick shortly before the Ronde van Vlaanderen," he said afterwards. "I therefore have to make it up during the month of September. There are plenty of nice races to come, where I can show that Jo Planckaert is still a racer."
Results - 187 km1 Jo Planckaert (Bel) Cofidis 4.16.00 (43.820 km/h) 2 Jans Koerts (Ned) Mercury 3 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Rabobank 4 Roberto Lochowski (Ger) Fakta 5 Roger Hammond (GBr) Collstrop-Palmans 6 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Mercury 7 Bjorn Cornelissen (Ned) Axa-VVZ CT 8 Jürgen Werner (Ger) Nurnberger 9 Hans De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 10 Kris Gerits (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim 11 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Rabobank 12 Ivailo Gabrovski (Bul) Jean Delatour 13 Chris Peers (Bel) Cofidis 14 Jos Lucassen (Ned) Team Cologne 15 Edward Dunning (Ned) Axa-VVZ CT 16 Paul Van Hyfte (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 17 Gianpaolo Cheula (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 0.40 18 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Domo-Farm Frites 2.01 19 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Fakta 20 Graziano Gasparre (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 21 Aurélien Clercq (Swi) Post Swiss 22 Dany Baeyens (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans 23 David Lefèvre (Fra) Cofidis 24 Marc Streel (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans 25 Rik Reinerink (Ned) Bankgiroloterij-Batavus 3.10 26 Gregory Rast (Swi) Post Swiss 27 Chris Matthys (Bel) Flanders-Prefetex 6.32 28 Erwin Thijs (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans 29 Tim Lenaerts (Bel) Flanders-Prefetex 30 Raymond Meijs (Ned) Team Cologne Courtesy of Ronald Schipper Past winners2001 Jo Planckaert (Bel) Cofidis 2000 Michel van Haecke (Bel) 1999 Etienne De Wilde (Bel) 1998 Paul Van Hyfte (Bel) 1997 Frank Hoj (Den) 1996 Chris Peers (Bel) 1995 Hendrik Redant (Bel) 1994 Marc Wauters (Bel) 1993 Pierre Herinne (Bel) 1992 Marc Dierickx (Bel) 1991 Peter De Clercq (Bel) 1990 Marco Van der Hulst (Ned) 1989 Gino Van Hooydonck (Bel) 1988 Chris Scharmin (Bel) 1987 Nico Verhoeven (Ned) 1986 Patrick Cocquyt (Bel) 1985 Raoul Bruyndonckx (Bel) 1984 Luc Colijn (Bel) 1983 Mario Mariotti (Bel) 1982 Rudy Colman (Bel) 1981 Gery Verlinden (Bel) 1980 Etienne Van der Helst (Bel) 1979 Pol Verschuere (Bel) 1978 Daniël Willems (Bel) 1977 Herman Vrijders (Bel) 1976 Fons De Bal (Bel) 1975 Jan Raas (Ned) 1974 André Dierickx (Bel) 1973 Maurice Dury (Bel) 1972 Herman Van Springel (Bel) 1971 Albert Van Vlierberghe (Bel) 1970 Fernand Hermie (Bel) 1969 Willy Vanden Eynde (Bel) 1968 Frans Melckenbeeck (Bel) 1967 Roland Vande Rijse (Bel) 1966 Jo De Roo (Ned) 1965 Frans Aerenhouts (Bel) 1964 Clément Roman (Bel) 1963 Jean-Baptist Claes (Bel) 1962 Jef Schils (Bel) 1961 Frans Schoubben (Bel) 1960 Jef Schils (Bel) 1959 Arthur De Cabooter (Bel) 1958 Roger Baens (Bel) 1957 Willy Schroeders (Bel) 1956 Lucien Matthijs (Bel) 1955 André Auquier (Bel) 1954 Gilbert Desmet I (Bel) 1953 Leon Delathouwer (Bel) 1952 Leopold Schaeken (Bel) 1951 Maurits Blomme (Bel) 1950 Maurits Blomme (Bel) 1949 Maurits Blomme (Bel) 1948 Emile Vanderveken (Bel) 1947 Michel Remue (Bel) 1946 Maurice Van Herzele (Bel) 1946 Michel Van Elsué (Bel) 1945 K. De Baere (Bel) 1944 No race 1943 P. Depredomme (Bel) 1942 Albert Ritserveldt (Bel) 1941 Georges Claes (Bel) 1940 No race 1939 Marcel Kint (Bel) 1938 Louis Janssens (Bel) 1937 Sylvain Grysolle (Bel) 1936 P. Van Teemsche (Bel) 1935 Michel Buyck (Bel) 1934 André Verlinden (Bel) |
