Three Days of the Panne

Preview
Stage One
Stage Two
Stage 3a
Stage 3b and Final

Trois Jours de La Panne/Driedaagse van De Panne (Belgium, cat 2.2) April 2-4

The Three Days of La Panne began today (April 2) with a 174km stage from Harelbeke to Zotegem. The winner OLaf Ludwig (Ger, Telekom) beat the rest of a five-strong break in the final sprint. Second was Frederic Moncassin (Fr, GAN) and third Fabio Baldato (It, MG-Technogym).

The other stages:

Stage 2 April 3 Zotegem--Koksijde (234km)
Stage 3 part 1 April 4 La Panne--Koksijde (118km)
Stage 3 part 2 April 4 time trial at La Panne (16.2km)

The principal participants:

MG TECHNOGYM: Bartoli, Baldato, Jaermann, Fontanelli
MAPEI-GB: Museeuw, Bomans, Steels, Peeters, Ballerini, Tafi
SAECO: Cipollini, Furlan; 
LOTTO: Nelissen, Tchmil;
POLTI: Lombardi, Pianegonda; 
PANARIA: Spruch; 
FESTINA: Michaelsen, Boscardin, Brochard, Magnien;
TELEKOM: Ludwig, Aldag, Holm; 
TVM: Skibby, Van Petegem, Hoffman, Blijlevens
VLAANDEREN 2002: Baguet, Thijs, Feys
RABOBANK: Ekimov, Sorensen, Van Hooydonck, Van Der Poel
MOTOROLA: Armstrong, Sciandri, Peron
BRESCIALAT: Radaelli, Strazzer;
ROSLOTTO: Fondriest, Gontchenkov, Lino
GAN: Moncassin, Desbiens, Gaumont, O'Grady, Seigneur
AKI:Konychev, Mentheour, Delphis
CERAMICHE REFIN:Planckaert, Abdujaparov, Roscioli
COLLSTROP: Capiot, Heynderickx
PALMANS:Koerts
SAN MARCO: Vanderaerden
CEDICO: Hennebert, Van Den Abeele
FORELDORADO:Veenstra, Talen
IPSO-ASFRA: Naessens
VOSSCHEMIE: Verhelst
TONISSTEINER:Willems

Stage 1 Harelbeke - Zottegem 174 km:

  1. Olaf Ludwig (Ger) Telekom                  4.01.05
  2. Frederic Moncassin (Fra) Gan                  s.t.
  3. Fabio Baldato (Ita) MG-Technogym              s.t.
  4. Wilfried Peeters (Bel) Mapei-GB             + 0.02
  5. Vjatjeslav Ekimov (Rus) Rabobank            + 0.04
  6. Marco Serpellini (Ita) Panaria              + 0.21
  7. Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) San Marco Group    + 1.54
  8. Brian Holm (Den) Telekom                      s.t.
  9. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Team Polti          s.t.
 10. Rolf Jarmann (Sch) MG-Technogym               s.t.
 11. Andrea Peron (Ita) Motorola                   s.t.
 12. Lance Armstrong (USA) Motorola                s.t.
 13. Ludwig Willems (Bel) Mapei-GB                 s.t.
 14. Mario Cipollini (Ita) Saeco                 + 1.58
 15. Asiat Saitov (Rus) Kelme-Artiarch           + 2.14
 16. Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita) MG-Technogym         s.t.
 17. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei-GB               s.t.
 18. Denis Zanette (Ita) Aki-Gipiemme              s.t.
 19. Eddy Seigneur (Fra) Gan                       s.t.
 20. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Festina                s.t.
 21. Marco Milesi (Ita) Bresciaslat                s.t.
 22. Mario de Clercq (Bel) Palmans               + 3.13
-------
 29. Andrea Tafi (Ita)
-------
 32. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Mapei-GB
-------
 39. Stefano Casagranda (Ita) MG-Technogym
-------
 42. Michele Bartoli (Ita) MG-Technogym
-------
 74. Johan Museeuw (Bel) Mapei-GB
-------
 87. Maurizio Fondriest (Ita) Roslotto-ZG
-------
109. Rolf Sorensen (Den) Rabobank               + 3.47
-------
127. Giorgio Furlan (Ita) Saeco                 + 7.02

Stage One Report

The rest of the day's events were overshadowed by a collision 10 metres beyond the finish line between second-placed Frederic Moncassin and a photographer of the Belgian newspaper Belang Van Limburg who was not fast enough on his feet. Moncassin, who had been wearing a helmet, was taken to hospital in Gand where it was found that he had a fractured petrous (the mass of bone around the inner ear). He was kept in hospital for 24 hours' observation.

The next day Dr Schryver at the hospital reported that the break was clean and there was no deplacement of the bone. Nevertheless, he said, "the wound could have been mortal. In cases of this sort there is a risk of meningitis or of pressure on the cerebral cortex. That's why I kept him all night on a drip and on antibiotics. He must continue treatment and must rest completely for a month." Moncassin had a bad night, but complained about the pain in his shoulder rather than his head injury. He had been in good form and was specifically preparing for Paris--Roubaix on April 14. The photographer suffered a fractured nose and collar bone.

Belgium was cold and wet with intermittent snow. Between the Muur at Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg, a group escaped -- Olaf Ludwig, Mario Cipollini, Fabio Baldato, Rolf Jaermann, Brian Holm, Gianluca Pianegonda, Lance Armstrong, Andrea Peron, Viatecheslav Ekimov, Marco Serpellini and Wilfried Peeters. Moncassin and Zbigniew Spruch rapidly bridged the gap to them.

With 500m to go, Ludwig, who was being carefully watched by Moncassin and Baldato, broke clear just as heavy snow began falling...

Stage Two

Andrei Tchmil (Rus, Lotto) won the 234km Stage 2 of the Three Days of La Panne today between Zottegem and Koksijde (April 3). Second was Massimo Strazzer (It, Brescialat) and third Wiebren Veestra (Neth, Foreldorado-Golff). Stage one winner Olaf Ludwig (Ger, Telekom) retained the overall lead.

Stage 2 Zottegem-Koksijde 246 km:

 1. Andrej Tchmil (Ukr) Lotto                   5.51.52 (41,948 km/h)
 2. Massimo Strazzer (Ita) Brescialat            + 0.01
 3. Wiebren Veenstra (Ned) Foreldorado-Golff
 4. Emmanuel Magnien (Fra) Festina
 5. Francesco Arazzi (Ita) San Marco Group
 6. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Polti
 7. Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM
 8. Silvio Martinello (Ita) Saeco
 9. Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) San Marco Group
10. Olaf Ludwig (Ger) Telekom                   all s.t.

Overall:

 1. Olaf Ludwig (Ger) Telekom                  9.52.45
 2. Fabio Baldato (Ita) MG-Technogym            + 0.09
 3. Wilfried Peeters (Bel) Mapei-GB             + 0.12
 4. Vjatjeslav Ekimov (Rus) Rabobank            + 0.15
 5. Marco Serpellini (Ita) Panaria              + 0.56
 6. Andrea Peron (Ita) Motorola                 + 2.02
 7. Brian Holm (Den) Telekom                    + 2.04
 8. Lance Armstrong (USA) Motorola              + 2.06
 9. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Team Polti        + 2.07
10. Rolf Jarmann (Sch) MG-Technogym               s.t.

(French rider Frederic Moncassin [Gan] crashed into a photographer after
coming in second on the first stage and is out of the race.)

Stage 3a 118km Road Race

In the morning's Stage 3/1, 118km between Kojsijde and Saint-Idesbald, Massimo Strazzer outsprinted Jeroen Blijlevens and Wiebren Veenstra.

Stage 3a De Panne - Koksijde 118 km:

 1. Massimo Strazzer (Ita) Brescialat           2.47.39 (42,231 km/h)
 2. Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM
 3. Wiebren Veenstra (Ned) Foreldorado-Golff
 4. Wilfried Nelissen (Bel) Lotto
 5. Claudio Camin (Ita) Brescialat
 6. Silvio Martinello (Ita) Saeco
 7. Jo Planckaert (Bel) Refin-Mobilvetta
 8. John den Braber (Ned) Collstrop-Lystex
 9. Mario Cipollini (Ita) Saeco
10. Robert McEwen (Aus) Rabobank
11. Mario de Clercq (Bel) Palmans
12. Tom Steels (Bel) Mapei-GB
13. Denis Zanette (Ita) Aki-Gipiemme
14. Geert van Bondt (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002
15. Ronny Assez (Bel) Ipso-Asfra
16. Johan Capiot (Bel) Collstrop-Lystex
17. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Polti
18. Fabio Baldato (Ita) MG-Technogym
19. Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) San Marco Group
20. Mauro Bettin (Ita) Refin-Mobilvetta         all s.t.

Stage 3b - 16.2 ITT

Viatcheslav Ekimov's fifth place in this afternoon's (April 4) final 16.2 time trial stage (stage 3/2) of the Three Days of La Panne was sufficient to give him overall victory. Ekimov came in 13 seconds behind the stage winner, Maurizio Fondriest. The previous day's overall leader Olaf Ludwig was at 1.21.

Overall final second was Wilfried Peeters with Ludwig third.

Stage 3b, Individual time trial La Panne-La Panne 16,2 km:

 1. Maurizio Fondriest (Ita) Roslotto-ZG         20.08 (48,278 km/h)
 2. Alexander Gontchenkov (Ukr) Roslotto-ZG     + 0.03
 3. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Festina              + 0.18
 4. Rossano Brasi (Ita) Team Polti              + 0.19
 5. Vjatjeslav Ekimov (Rus) Rabobank            + 0.27
 6. Michelangelo Cauz (Ita) Aki-Gipiemme        + 0.30
 7. Marco Serpellini (Ita) Panaria              + 0.32
 8. Steffen Wesemann (Ger) Telekom              + 0.36
 9. Denis Zanette (Ita) Aki-Gipiemme            + 0.37
10. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Team Polti        + 0.38
11. Andrea Peron (Ita) Motorola                 + 0.46
12. Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Refin-Mobilvetta       + 0.47
13. Federico De Beni (Ita) Brescialat           + 0.48
14. Emmanuel Magnien (Fra) Festina              + 0.52
15. Cristian Salvato (Ita) Refin-Mobilvetta       s.t.

Final overall:

 1. Vjatjeslav Ekimov (Rus) Rabobank          13.01.14
 2. Wilfried Peeters (Bel) Mapei-GB             + 0.23
 3. Olaf Ludwig (Ger) Telekom                   + 0.39
 4. Marco Serpellini (Ita) Panaria              + 0.44
 5. Fabio Baldato (Ita) MG-Technogym            + 0.57
 6. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Team Polti        + 2.03
 7. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Festina                s.t.
 8. Andrea Peron (Ita) Motorola                 + 2.06
 9. Denis Zanette (Ita) Aki-Gipiemme            + 2.22
10. Rolf Jarmann (Sch) MG-Technogym             + 2.25
11. Brian Holm (Den) Telekom                    + 2.38
12. Eddy Seigneur (Fra) Gan                       s.t.
13. Ludwig Willems (Bel) Mapei-GB               + 2.58
14. Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) San Marco Group    + 3.02
15. Maurizio Fondriest (Ita) Roslotto-ZG        + 3.22
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20. Lance Armstrong (USA) Motorola              + 3.51
21. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei-GB             + 4.05
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48. Michele Bartoli (Ita) MG-Technogym          + 6.45
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60. Johan Museeuw (Bel) Mapei-GB                + 6.51
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70. Andrej Tchmil (Ukr) Lotto                   + 9.15

WINNERS 1990-1996:

1990 Nijboer (Ned)
1991 Nijdam (Ned)
1992 Maassen (Ned)
1993 Vanderaerden (Bel
1994 Roscioli (Ita)
1995 Bartoli (Ita)
1996 Ekimov (Rus).