GP de Wallonie (Belgium, Cat 1.2), May 16

NAMUR, Belgium, GP de Wallonie (Cat. 1.2) 204 km:

 1. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei-GB            4.47.00 (42,613 km/h)
 2. Bo Hamburger (Den) TVM                      + 2.26
 3. Franck Corvers (Bel) Lotto                  + 3.08
 4. Simone Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti            + 5.42
 5. Eddy Bouwmans (Ned) Foreldorado-Golff       + 5.46
 6. Casper van der Meer (Ned) Palmans           + 5.49
 7. Davy Dubbeldam (Ned) Foreldorado-Golff        s.t.
 8. Marc Streel (Bel) Tonissteiner-Saxon        + 5.57
 9. Paul van Hyfte (Bel) Lotto                    s.t.
10. Mirko Gualdi (Ita) Team Polti               + 6.12
11. Luc Leblanc (Fra) Team Polti                + 7.08
12. Stephane Hennebert (Bel) Cedico             + 7.17
13. Michel Nottebaert (Bel) Ipso-Asfra          + 7.22
14. Carlo Bomans (Bel) Mapei-GB                 + 7.45
15. Maarten den Bakker (Ned) TVM
16. Rudy Verdonck (Bel) Collstrop
17. Bart Leysen (Bel) Mapei-GB
18. Thomas Brozyna (Pol) US Postal-Montgomery   + 7.52
19. Erik Breukink (Ned) Rabobank
20. Bart Voskamp (Ned) TVM
21. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto                  + 8.09
22. Glenn D'Hollander (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002     + 8.25
23. Mario Aerts (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002           +11.36
24. Hendrik van Dijck (Bel) TVM                 +13.40
25. Richard Groenendaal (Ned) Rabobank          +14.00
26. Eddy Torrekens (Bel) Tonissteiner-Saxon     +1425
27. Kurt van Lancker (Bel) Ipso-Asfra

Race Report from Ben Bosmans

Although this race is a 1.2 race, not many stars were interested. Between the classics season and the great Giro d'Italia there are a lot of races with an opportunity for the middle-class riders. With still 80 km to go, 6 riders attacked, F Ballerini, B Hamburger, F Corvers, Simone Rebellin, Mario Aerts and Marc Streel.

Behind them a field of about 25 riders.

With 40 km to go, Mario Aerts (Bel) and neo-prof and Marc Streel (Bel) had to the others go on a very steep climb.

On the Cote de Warnant (30km to the end), Ballerini attacked (after have spoken with his team-leader Patrick Lefevre), only Bo Hamburger followed.

At 10 km on the Citadel of Namur (with a climbing percentage of 8 %) Ballerini showed he was the strongest and won with more than 2 min(!) ahead of the competition.

Ballerini was superior and very pleased with his first victory of the season, 14th victory total in his 11th season. Not very much, but included are a lot of big races (like Paris-Brussels, Het Volk (Ghent), Paris-Roubaix and the GP d'Amerique, a former WC race held in Montreal 1990).

He will take part in the Amsterdam Citerium behind the derny together with some team-mates. After that he will take a 2 week vacation. His next race will be the Tour d'Austria. Surprisingly there will be a strong delegation of Mapei GB in this Austrian open tour (only 1.5)

Also: The Belgian Olympic Committee selected the following riders for Atlanta: 

First Four on UCI Rankings:

 1. Museeuw, 
 2. Vandenbroucke, 
 3. Steels, 
 4. Bruyneel 
and
 Wilfried Peeters (in support of Museeuw).

Only Bruyneel will ride the time-trial.