57th Omloop Het Volk - 1.1

Belgium, March 2, 2002

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Blow-by-blow report

11.49: Start without two riders: Anton Chantyr, Eddy Seigneur. Robbie McEwen is too late for signing the start sheet, but he starts.

11.49: Official start. Victor Hugo Pena attacks, but only for 2 km.

12.16: After 7 km Hans De Meester attacks: 15 seconds. Than Pascal Deramé joins De Meester. The two have 23 seconds.

12.31: De Meester and Deramé are in Petegem aan de Schelde; they have 1.05" to Jacky Durand and 3.20" to the peloton.

12.43: The two leaders are 5 km before the Kluisberg. Durand is at 1.50", peloton at 5 minutes.

12.55: Just before Côte de Trieu it's 2.55" from De Meester and Deramé to Durand and 6.16" to peloton.

13.11: Hans De Meester lost a little on the Kwaremont, but Deramé can't take more than 10 meters. Durand lost time.

13.16: After the Oude Kwaremont, Durand is back in the peloton, now in three parts. Leaders have still 6 minutes.

13.23: Five kilometres before the Muziekbos: De Meester and Deramé have 5.05" on first group, 5.50" on group two, 6.30" on group three and 6.50" on group four.

13.34: The two leaders have 3.55" on the peloton of 40 riders (3.55"). A second group follows on 4.50". The riders of AG2R lead the pack.

13.50: In Parike, after 75 km, Deramé and De Meester still have 3 minutes on group one, group two is a few hundred meters behind.

13.57: On the Muur van Geraardsbergen the game is over for Hans De Meester and Pascal Deramé. In the descent Paolo Bettini attacks and Tom Boonen is following him.

14.04: Bettini and Boonen are back in the peloton. In Ophasselt the Mapei-duo Kevin Hulsmans and Davide Bramati attack. They take a few hundred meters.

14.11: Just before the feed zone the two Mapei's are back in the peloton. But... another attack by Laszlo Bodrogi of Mapei...

14.29: With still 98 km to go to the finish we have two leaders: Bodrogi and D'Hollander. Seven riders a few hundred meters behind: De Jongh, Cioni, Schweda, Demeyere, Sciandri, Milesi, Weigold.

14.32: Two leaders have 8 seconds to group of 7. Tom Steels abandoned after he punctured and fell, he was beside the road in the mud...Pain in his breathing and less air...Eric Vanderaerden later: "We expect he isn't injured. He is in the car to the finish and we hope he starts tomorrow."

A lot of spectators on the parcours, it's beautiful sunny weather. A lot of banners for Frank Vandenbroucke, by example 'VDB come back SVP'

14.38: With 89 km to the finish the peloton is at 1.28". Hendrik van Dijck leads the pack on the Eikenberg.

14.44: Still 7 leaders: Steven de Jongh (Rabo), Laszlo Bodrogi (Mapei), Dario Cioni (Mapei), Glenn d'Hollander (Lotto), Maximilian Sciandri (Lampre), Raphael Schweda (Team Coast) and Geoffrey Demeyere (Vlaanderen Interim).

Milesi and Weigold can't follow anymore. The peloton is in Horebeke, still 83 km.

14.50: The Lotto-train (Aerts, Eeckhout, Van Petegem and Tchmil) leads the peloton of 130 riders on the road to the Leberg.

14.53: Fall in peloton, incl. Geert Omloop and Nico Mattan (he is angry and throws his bike in the grass). Andrea Brognara of Alessio is the most injured rider in this fall and waits for an ambulance.

14.58: Leaders have 1.14" and on their way to the Molenberg.

15.07: Nico Mattan comes back in the peloton after his fall.

15.13: Leaders reach the Molenberg. Peloton at 1.22". Jans Koerts punctures in peloton.

15.15: At the top of the Molenberg the peloton (lead by Servais Knaven and Bettini) at 55".

15.20: Peloton is still 40-55 riders, rest lost. Bert Roesems (Palmans) fell. Leaders have still 47" and 60 km to finish.

15.22: Leaders have to wait for a train... peloton meet the leaders. Second peloton comes together with the first peloton.

After the train has passed the 7 leaders may go (but Steven van Malderghem of Landbouwkrediet-Colnago slips along with the leaders) and the two pelotons can follow after 42 seconds.

What will they do with Van Malderghem? He wasn't allowed to follow the 7 leaders!

15.26: Peter van Petegem leads the peloton, followed by Jo Planckaert, Robbie McEwen, Tchmil.

15.28: Group with Van Petegem come close to the leaders. How many minutes will it take to bring them all together?

15.31: All together now.

15.36: Piziks and Christophe Stevens fell (and others too). Average: 39,704 km/h till now.

15.40: Steven van Malderghem out of race, because he didn't wait at the railway-crossing.

15.42: A group of 20 leaders with a strong Lotto-presence: Demeyere, Tchmil, Van Petegem, D'Hollander, McEwen, Sørensen, Bodrogi, Bettini, de Jongh, Sciandri, Van Haecke, Hulsmans, Peers, Planckaert, Mattan, Vasseur, Høj, Schweda, Van Dijck, Hushovd. Peloton at 40".

15.50:The Domo team leads the peloton.

15.50: Peloton still at 36".

16.00: Still 30 km to the finish.

16.04: Peloton lost time: 50".

16.10: With 24 km to go there is a split in the leaders group on a cobble section. Nine lost contact: Demeyere, Sorensen, Bodrogi, De Jongh, Sciandri, Mattan, Vasseur, Schweda and Hushovd.

Eleven leaders have 19 seconds to group of 9. First peloton at 1.35", second peloton at 6 minutes.

16.16: Still 19 km to and 28". Attack by Frank Høj (Team Coast). Lotto has to follow, Glenn d'Hollander tries but can't reach him.

16.18: 18 km and Høj has 10"; no one can follow.

16.21: 16 km and Høj has 15", several attacks in the group by Tchmil, Van Petegem (Bettini follows), Peers, Bettini and Van Haecke; but nobody can leave the group.

16.23: 13 km and Høj is still the leader with 12". McEwen doesn't work in the group.

On the Vogelzangstraat, a cobbled section of 1300 meters, Peter van Petegem can get away, because Tchmil give him the chance and let a gap go. Within a minute PvP has 100 meters.

16.25: With 12 km to go, Høj still has 15" to Van Petegem, but he is getting closer and closer.

16.27: Omloop Het Volk has two leaders: Høj and Van Petegem. Tchmil breaks every attempt in the group.

16.30: Still 8 km to the finish, the two leaders reach Lokeren. Group at 19".

16.32: Still 7 km and 24".

16.35: Still 5 km and 30".

16.36: Some attacks in the group: Peers and Bettini, but every time Tchmil controls.

16.37: Still 3 km and 35".

16.39: The two have spoken with each other. Probably they will fight for the victory and split the prize money.

16.40: In the group, a final attack by Van Haecke.

Frank Høj is 10 meters behind Peter van Petegem. At 400 meters Høj attacks, but within a few seconds Van Petegem is in his wheel and can make the jump.

Peter van Petegem takes his third Omloop Het Volk in a time of 4.52.30 (41.436 km/h). Second is Høj at 4 seconds, followed by Van Haecke at 15 seconds. McEwen leads the bunch home for fourth.

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