Gent-Wevelgem, Cat 1.1

Belgium, April 9, 1997


1996 Results

Past Winners

Results

Report

Previous Winners - 1934-1996

1996	Tom Steels (Bel) Mapei-GB
1995    Lars Michaelsen (Den)
1994    Wilfried Peeters (Bel)
1993    Mario Cipollini (Ita)
1992*   Mario Cipollini (Ita)
1991    Djamolidine Abdujaparov (Uzb)
1990    Herman Frison (Bel)
1989    Gerrit Solleveld (Ned)
1988    Sean Kelly (Irl)
1987    Teun Van Vliet (Ned)
1984    Guido Bontempi (Ita)
1983    Leo Van Vliet (Ned)
1982    Frank Hoste (Bel)
1981    Jan Raas (Ned)
1980    Henk Lubberding (Ned)
1979    Francesco Moser (Ita)
1978    Ferdi Van Den Haute (Bel)
1977    Bernard Hinault (F)
1976    Freddy Maertens (Bel)
1975    Freddy Maertens (Bel)
1974    Barry Hoban (Eng)
1973    Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1972*   Roger Swerts (Bel)
1971    Georges Pintens (Bel)
1970    Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1969    Willy Vekemans (Bel)
1968    Walter Godefroot (Bel)
1967    Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1966    Herman Van Springel (Bel)
1965    Noel De Pauw (Bel)
1964    Benoni Beheyt (Bel)
1962    Rik Van Looy (Bel)
1961    Frans Aerenhouts (Bel)
1960    Frans Aerenhouts (Bel)
1959    Leon Van Daele (Bel)
1958    Noel Fore (Bel)
1957    Rik Van Looy (Bel)
1956    Rik Van Looy (Bel)
1955    Briek Schotte (Bel)
1954    Rolf Graf (Sch)
1953    Raymond Impanis (Bel)
1952    Raymond Impanis (Bel)
1951    Andre Rosseel (Bel)
1950    Briek Schotte (Bel)
1949    Marcel Kint (Bel)
1948    Valere Ollivier (Bel)
1947    Maurice Desimpelaere (Bel)
1946    Ernest Sterckx (Bel)
1945    Robert Van Eenaeme (Bel)
1939    Andre Declerck (Bel)
1938    Hubert Godart (Bel)
1937    Robert Van Eenaeme (Bel)
1936    Robert Van Eenaeme (Bel)
1935    Albert Depreitre (Bel)
1934    Gustave Van Belle (Bel)

1992* Djamolidine Abdujaparov disqualified
1972* Frans Verbeeck disqualified

Results

 1. Philippe Gaumont (France) Cofidis 		4.45.00
 2. Andrei Tchmil (Ukraine) Lotto 
 3. Johan Capiot (Belgium) TVM 
 4. Sergei Outchakov (Ukraine) Polti 
 5. Andrea Ferrigato (Italy) Roslotto 
 6. Henk Vogels (Australia) GAN 
 7. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) GAN 
 8. Fabrizio Guidi (Italy) Srigno 
 9. Johan Museeuw (Belgium) Mapei GB 
10. Giuseppe Calcaterra (Italy) Saeco 
11. Cyril Saugrain (France) Cofidis 
12. Felice Puttini (Italy) Refin 
13. Mario Scirea (Italy) Saeco 
14. Marc Wauters (Belgium) Lotto 
15. Paolo Fornaciari (Italy) Saeco 		all same time 
16. Peter Van Petegem (Bel) TVM
17. Davide Casarotto (Ita) Scrigno                   
18. Dirk Baldinger (Ger) Polti
19. Ludwig Willems (Bel) Lotto           all s.t.                           
20. Dario Pieri (Ita) Scrigno              + 2.15          
21. Jacky Durand (Fra) Casino
22. Claudio Camin (Ita) Brescialat
23. Rob McEwen (Aus) Rabobank
24. Danny Daelman (Bel) Palmans
25. Tom Desmet (Bel) Collstrop
26. Giancarlo Raimondi (Ita) Brescialat
27. Peter Spaenhoven (Bel) Palmans
28. Nicola Loda (Ita) MG
29. Ludo Dierickxens (Bel) Tonissteiner-Saxon
30. Enrico Cassani (Ita)
31. Rik Van Slycke (Bel) RDM           all s.t

 72. Frederic Moncassin (Fra)    
 74. Brian Holm (Den)                 all s.t.
 84. Frank Hoj (Den)             	3:41
 92. Erik Zabel (Ger)            
109. Jesper Skibby (Den)               10:22
121. Magnus Backstedt (Swe)            12:46
132. Matthew Gilmore (Aus)      
144. Frankie Andreu (USA)             all s.t.

Philippe Gaumont wins Gent-Wevelgem

Frenchman Philippe Gaumont headed a sprint finish contested by about 20 riders to win the 208-km Gent-Wevelgem race on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Andrei Tchmil was second and Belgian Johan Capiot third.

``I kept some reserves...until 300 metres from the finish and then went flat out,'' Gaumont told Eurosport/21 television.

He said he was now confident of doing well in Sunday's Paris-Roubaix World Cup race.

``I was 22nd last year because I did not really know all the course. This year I have a better feeling about it. It would be too big-headed to say I expect to win but I'll put in a strong showing,'' he said.

Wednesday's race ended with a sprint after attempts by world champion Johan Museeuw to break up the field in the hilly Kemmelberg section of the race succeeded only in splitting the pack into a large and small group.

The final 50-km section on the flat saw riders adopt cat-and-mouse tactics with each attack quickly closed down.

About Philippe Gaumont (Cofidis)

Last season (with Gan) he won Vierdaagse van Duinkerken and the Tour of Oise. Later he was out of business for one month after using Nandrolon. Gaumont will start next Sunday in Paris-Roubaix .

Other Comments

Peter van Petegem: 'My legs were super; but i couln't finish the job. The finish-line was a little too far for me'.

The Lotto-team had three riders in front of the course: Andrei Tchmil, Ludwig Willems and Marc Wauters. Willem: 'It's a pity that Tchmil couldn't clear it.'

Johan Museeuw was alone in the final. After the finish of Gent-Wevelgem the Mapei-team trained for Paris-Roubaix.

More Reports

Philippe Gaumont has returned from hell. The Frenchman has conquered Gent-Wevelgem with a long sprint. In 1996, Gaumont was caught three times by the anti-doping control: positive for anabolic steroids His case was parallel to that of Desbiens, Durand and Laurent and he was at the center of a big discussion. His team Gan, didn't allow him to race and the French Cycling Federation suspended him for six months. But in the middle of so many other doping cases by cyclists, Gaumont surprised everyone by serenely relatinh what had happened. He pointed out doctor Patrick Nedelec, as the one responsible for the anabolic steroid. He was one of the few guilty ones to confess. "I have said exactly how things went in order to satisfy my conscience. I have faced up to the situation and I have paid more than all the others. Now I have nothing more to be forgiven about".

Yesterday, however, Philippe Gaumont won in big sprint, without being apt for the sprint. The 24 year old Frenchman from Piccardia, was launched well by his teammate Cyril Saugrain and took off at 400 meters, resisting the return of Tchmil and Capiot. Gaumont races with Cofidis of Guimard, close to Fondriest and Rominger: "Two extraordinary captains, two examples for the young riders", says the Frenchman.

The race had been, once more, uncontrollable. The first part of the race was characterized by a long escape by Belgian Karl Pauwels, who gained as much as a 2'05" advantage before the double crossing over Mount Kemmel. On the attack was also Johan Museeuw, the champion of the world who took care of 'selecting' the group at the first passage and then sifted the rest on the second, when he answered an attack by Axel Merckx. Things changed on the Flemish race and Johan Museeuw found himself without teammates in a small group of 19, amongst which were: Fabrizio Guidi, Tchmil, Van Petegem, Casarotto, Ferrigato, Fornaciari, Scirea and Calcaterra. The chase behind was led by Telekom and by Aki-Safi and were about to catch up with them when Zabel had a flat and that made the Telekom train stop. Also in the secodn group, was Mario Cipollini, who despite a fall, looked like he was having a good day.