15th Ster Elektrotoer - 2.4

Netherlands, September 12-16, 2001

Stage 1 - September 12: Den Bosch - Den Bosch, 191.1 km

BankGiroLoterij: first all, then nothing

By Bert Saarloos*

Before the start there was a minute of silence in honour of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the USA. Then began a lively ride of 194.6 km with start and finish in 's Hertogenbosch (or as the Dutch say Den Bosch), former host of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France.

Just after 5 km, a group of nine riders, including Australian Corey Sweet, formed, but the peloton gave them little space. Two other groups tried to get away, equally unsuccessful. A fall split the pack in two. It got back together again, but Bjarke Nielsen (CSC-Tiscali) had to step out of the race.

After 38.9 kilometres the regrouped and complete peloton reached the first mountain sprint. Well, mountain...Since there are no hills in this part of the Netherlands it is drawn on 'top' of a bridge over a highway near Moergestel. Rudi Kemna, a sprinter, took the points from Roberto Lochowski and Corey Sweet. Two more riders abandoned, Michael Steen Nielsen (CSC-Tiscali) and Donatas Virbickas (Collstrop).

Vincent van de Kooij (Rabobank) escaped and reached the first sprint alone at 67 km. Rudi Kemna was second, Bastiaan Krol third. Then BankGiroLoterij took command. It brings Van der Kooij back and tears the peloton into pieces on the paved sections near Bladel. Twenty riders are in front, including the complete BankGiroLoterij squad. Three riders could not keep up with the high pace (46 km/h in the second hour) and Angelo van Melis had a mechanical defect.

The remaining sixteen (14 Dutch and 2 Australians) were: Tom Cordes, Camiel van den Bergh, Bram de Waard, Wally Buurstede, Jay Sweet, Björn Cornelissen, Edwin Dunning, Bert Hiemstra, Rudie Kemna, Bram Schmitz, Corey Sweet, Jan van Velzen, Remco van der Ven, Bart Voskamp, Pieter Vries and Julien Smink. They had a gap of a minute.

Behind the now fourteen riders (Corey Sweet and Vries had to let go) the peloton regrouped and the teams of Gerolsteiner, Rabobank, Fakta and Löwik joined forces. But it took them sixty kilometres to set things right. Near Schijndel (135 km) everything is back together again, but not for long, as sixteen riders take off: Christophe Detilloux (Collstrop), Xavier Jan (Bigmat), Luuc Hutten, Roy Sentjens (Rabobank), Artur Babaitsev (Nürnberger), Martin Derganc, Andrej Gimpelj (Krka), Edwin Dunning, Renger Ypenburg (AXA), Arne Kornegoor (Löwik), Allan Bo Andresen (Fakta), Frederico Morini, Marcel Strauss, René Haselbacher (Gerolsteiner), Michael Albasini, Andrea Moletta (Fassa Bortolo). Apparently the BankGiroLoterij team put so much effort in the former break that they completely missed this one.

As the leaders pass the finish line in 's Hertogenbosch for the first time (173 km), where Renger Ypenburg won the points sprint from Detilloux and Strauss, they had a lead of 1'35". On the two laps of twenty kilometres they worked well together and extended the gap to two minutes. Allan Bo Andresen (Fakta) is the best sprinter of the break group. The Dane clearly beats Christophe Detilloux and René Haselbacher.

*Bert Saarloos is a correspondent for Dagblad de Limburger

Results

1 Allan Bo Andresen (Den) Team Fakta                  4.06.51
2 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
3 René Haselbacher (Aut) Team Gerolsteiner
4 Artour Babaitsev (Rus) Team Nürnberger
5 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
6 Roy Sentjens (Ned) Rabobank
7 Michael Albasini (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
8 Andrej Gimpelj (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
9 Martin Derganc (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
10 Luuc Hutten (Ned) Rabobank
11 Xavier Jan (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
12 Edwin Dunning (Ned) AXA-VVZ
13 Arne Kornegoor (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
14 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Team Gerolsteiner
15 Renger Ypenburg (Ned) AXA-VVZ                         0.12
16 Federico Morini (Ita) Team Gerolsteiner               0.23
17 Joost Legtenberg (Ned) AXA-VVZ                        2.01
18 Raphael Jeune (Fra) CSC-Tiscali
19 Michael Skelde (Den) Team Fakta
20 Andy Vanhoudt (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans                 2.09
21 Pascal Hermes (Ned) van Vliet - Weba                  2.13
22 Arno Wallaard (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
23 Julien Smink (Ned) MGI Fietsen
24 Jorne Videler (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
25 Jeroen Boelen (Ned) MGI Fietsen
26 Henne Van Zanten (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
27 Bastiaan Krol (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
28 Matthijs Delen (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
29 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
30 Jens Mouris (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
31 Danny Jonasson (Den) CSC-Tiscali
32 Bram De Waard (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
33 Vincent Van Der Kooij (Ned) Rabobank
34 Jean-Pierre Verstraten (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
35 Jürgen Werner (Ger) Team Nürnberger
36 John Talen (Ned) MGI Fietsen
37 Branko Filip (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
38 Jörn Reuss (Ger) Team Nürnberger
39 Frank Van Dulmen (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
40 Bert Scheirlinckx (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
41 Thierry De Groote (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
42 Remco Van Der Ven (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
43 Gerben Van De Reep (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
44 Bas Giling (Ned) Rabobank
45 Roberto Lochowski (Ger) Team Fakta
46 Wally Buurstede (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
47 Ronald Mutsaars (Ned) Rabobank
48 Jurgen De Jong (Ned) AXA-VVZ Cycling Team
49 Vincent Cali (Fra) Collstrop-Palmans
50 Lylian Lebreton (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
51 Allan Johansen (Den) Team Fakta
52 Dominique Rault (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
53 Walter De Kok (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
54 Alexandre Chouffe (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
55 Peep Mikli (Est) Bert Story - Piels
56 Daniel Van Elven (Ned) AXA-VVZ
57 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
58 Jimmy Hansen (Den) Team Fakta
59 Uwe Hardter (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
60 Uwe Peschel (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
61 Tom Cordes (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
62 Kees Jeurissen (Ned) MGI Fietsen
63 Boris Premuzic (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
64 Lars Bak (Den) Team Fakta
65 Angelo Van Melis (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
66 Bostjan Mervar (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
67 Jan Van Velzen (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
68 Bart Voskamp (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
69 Alain Van Katwijk (Ned) MGI Fietsen
70 Bram Schmitz (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
71 Olivier Asmaker (Fra) CSC-Tiscali
72 Jay Sweet (Aus) BigMat Auber 93
73 Walter Bonca (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
74 Koen Das (Bel) Team Nürnberger
75 Stéphane Heulot (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
76 Oliver Penney (Swi) MGI Fietsen
77 Danny Van Looy (Ned) MGI Fietsen
78 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
79 Sebastian Wolski (Pol) Team Nürnberger
80 Marco Fincato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
81 Pieter Vries (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
82 Marcel Luppes (Ned) AXA-VVZ
83 Bjorn Cornelissen (Ned) AXA-VVZ
84 Thomas Muhlbacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
85 Frederik Penne (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
86 Maarten Lenferink (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
87 Volker Ordowski (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
88 Bert Hiemstra (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
89 Oscar Pozzi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
90 Rudi Kemna (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
91 Richard Slabbekoorn (Ned) van Vliet - Weba            2.36
92 Camiel Van Den Bergh (Ned) Bert Story - Piels         2.50
93 Andre Van De Reep (Ned) van Vliet - Weba             13.49
94 Roel Egelmeers (Ned) Rabobank
95 Lennart Van Drimmelen (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
96 Hans Dekkers (Ned) Rabobank
97 Corey Sweet (Aus) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
98 Mart Louwers (Ned) Rabobank
99 John Sulkers (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
DNF Bjarke Nielsen (Den) CSC-Tiscali
DNF Michael Steen Nielsen (Den) CSC-Tiscali
DNF Donatas Virbickas (Ltu) Collstrop-Palmans

Sprints

Netersel - 67.6 km

1 Vincent van der Kooij (Ned) Rabobank            3 pts
2 Rudi Kemna (Ned) Bankgiroloterij                2
3 Bastiaan Krol (Ned) Löwik-Tegeltoko             1

’s Hertogenbosch - 173.0 km

1 Renger Ypenburg (Ned) AXA                       3 pts
2 Christoph Detilloux (Bel) Collstrop             2
3 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner               1

Mountains

Viaduct Moergestel - 38.9 km

1 Rudi Kemna (Ned) BankGiroLoterij 
2 Roberto Lochowski (Ger) Fakta 
3 Corey Sweet (Aus) BankGiroLoterij

General classification after stage 1

1 Allan Bo Andresen (Den) Team Fakta                  4.06.41
2 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans           0.02
3 René Haselbacher (Aut) Team Gerolsteiner               0.06
4 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Team Gerolsteiner                 0.09
5 Artour Babaitsev (Rus) Team Nürnberger                 0.10
6 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
7 Roy Sentjens (Ned) Rabobank
8 Michael Albasini (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
9 Andrej Gimpelj (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
10 Martin Derganc (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
11 Luuc Hutten (Ned) Rabobank
12 Xavier Jan (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
13 Edwin Dunning (Ned) AXA-VVZ
14 Arne Kornegoor (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
15 Renger Ypenburg (Ned) AXA-VVZ                         0.19
16 Federico Morini (Ita) Team Gerolsteiner               0.33
17 Joost Legtenberg (Ned) AXA-VVZ                        2.11
18 Raphael Jeune (Fra) CSC-Tiscali
19 Michael Skelde (Den) Team Fakta
20 Andy Vanhoudt (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans                 2.19
21 Vincent Van Der Kooij (Ned) Rabobank                  2.20
22 Rudi Kemna (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus              2.21
23 Bastiaan Krol (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko              2.22
24 Pascal Hermes (Ned) van Vliet - Weba                  2.23
25 Arno Wallaard (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
26 Julien Smink (Ned) MGI Fietsen
27 Jorne Videler (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
28 Jeroen Boelen (Ned) MGI Fietsen
29 Henne Van Zanten (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
30 Matthijs Delen (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
31 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
32 Jens Mouris (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
33 Danny Jonasson (Den) CSC-Tiscali
34 Bram De Waard (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
35 Jean-Pierre Verstraten (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
36 Jürgen Werner (Ger) Team Nürnberger
37 John Talen (Ned) MGI Fietsen
38 Branko Filip (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
39 Jörn Reuss (Ger) Team Nürnberger
40 Frank Van Dulmen (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
41 Bert Scheirlinckx (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
42 Thierry De Groote (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
43 Remco Van Der Ven (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
44 Gerben Van De Reep (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
45 Bas Giling (Ned) Rabobank
46 Roberto Lochowski (Ger) Team Fakta
47 Wally Buurstede (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
48 Ronald Mutsaars (Ned) Rabobank
49 Jurgen De Jong (Ned) AXA-VVZ Cycling Team
50 Vincent Cali (Fra) Collstrop-Palmans
51 Lylian Lebreton (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
52 Allan Johansen (Den) Team Fakta
53 Dominique Rault (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
54 Walter De Kok (Ned) Team Lowik Tegeltoko
55 Alexandre Chouffe (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
56 Peep Mikli (Est) Bert Story - Piels
57 Daniel Van Elven (Ned) AXA-VVZ
58 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
59 Jimmy Hansen (Den) Team Fakta
60 Uwe Hardter (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
61 Uwe Peschel (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
62 Tom Cordes (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
63 Kees Jeurissen (Ned) MGI Fietsen
64 Boris Premuzic (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
65 Lars Bak (Den) Team Fakta
66 Angelo Van Melis (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
67 Bostjan Mervar (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
68 Jan Van Velzen (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
69 Bart Voskamp (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
70 Alain Van Katwijk (Ned) MGI Fietsen
71 Bram Schmitz (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
72 Olivier Asmaker (Fra) CSC-Tiscali
73 Jay Sweet (Aus) BigMat Auber 93
74 Walter Bonca (Slo) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije
75 Koen Das (Bel) Team Nürnberger
76 Stéphane Heulot (Fra) BigMat Auber 93
77 Oliver Penney (Swi) MGI Fietsen
78 Danny Van Looy (Ned) MGI Fietsen
79 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
80 Sebastian Wolski (Pol) Team Nürnberger
81 Marco Fincato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
82 Pieter Vries (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
83 Marcel Luppes (Ned) AXA-VVZ
84 Bjorn Cornelissen (Ned) AXA-VVZ
85 Thomas Muhlbacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
86 Frederik Penne (Bel) Collstrop-Palmans
87 Maarten Lenferink (Ned) Bert Story - Piels
88 Volker Ordowski (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
89 Bert Hiemstra (Ned) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
90 Oscar Pozzi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
91 Richard Slabbekoorn (Ned) van Vliet - Weba            2.46
92 Camiel Van Den Bergh (Ned) Bert Story - Piels         3.00
93 Andre Van De Reep (Ned) van Vliet - Weba             13.59
94 Roel Egelmeers (Ned) Rabobank
95 Lennart Van Drimmelen (Ned) van Vliet - Weba
96 Hans Dekkers (Ned) Rabobank
97 Corey Sweet (Aus) BankGiroLoterij-Batavus
98 Mart Louwers (Ned) Rabobank
99 John Sulkers (Ned) van Vliet - Weba

Mountains classification

1 Rudi Kemna (Ned) BankGiroLoterij 
2 Roberto Lochowski (Ger) Fakta 
3 Corey Sweet (Aus) BankGiroLoterij

Sprints classification

1 Vincent van der Kooij (Ned) Rabobank            3 pts
2 Renger Ypenburg (Ned) AXA                       3
3 Rudi Kemna (Ned) Bankgiroloterij                2
4 Christoph Detilloux (Bel) Collstrop             2
5 Bastiaan Krol (Ned) Löwik-Tegeltoko             1
6 Marcel Strauss (Swi) Gerolsteiner               1