11th Classic Haribo - 1.3

France, February 22, 2004

2003 Results Results Past winners

Hushovd stays on course

Frantic finale takes out favourites in crash

By Chris Henry

Thor Hushovd
Photo: © AFP

Big Norwegian Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) sprinted to victory in today's Classic Haribo, overcoming the elements on another day of cold, wet racing in southern France. Hushovd emerged upright and up front, leading the sprint in the final 500 metres after Robbie McEwen's Lotto-Domo leadout train slid into the barriers in the final corner, taking out other race favourites including two-time defending champion Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r-Prévoyance) and Baden Cooke (FDJeux.com).

"I knew it was going to be slick in the final corner," Hushovd said, looking considerably cleaner than his colleagues after a quick sprucing up for the podium. "Thankfully I took the inside line. I was lucky to miss the crash, but I was still very strong in the sprint."

One day after a miserable day for the Tour du Haut Var, opening round of the Coupe de France series, the Classic Haribo found the peloton once more driving through sheets of rain and dark skies. With a flatter parcours than the Tour du Haut Var, the Classic Haribo is often a race for the sprinters. With top finishers like Cooke, Kirsipuu, and McEwen in the field, the early break of the race seemed a long-shot at best.

Dimitry Fofonov, energized after his second place yesterday, was once more on the attack, this time with Phonak's Nicolas Jalabert for company. The duo steadily built an advantage over the peloton, as a chasing duo of Davide Bramati (Quick.Step-Davitamon) and Bobbie Traksel (Rabobank) tried to make the lead party a foursome.

Bramati and Traksel were steadily gaining on the two men up front, but it seemed this was not to be Traksel's day. First a misjudged turn forced him to waste energy catching back up to Bramati, then he slid out in a left hand turn, dropping his chain in the process and adding pain and frustration to the duo's chase. Traksel rejoined Bramati each time, but their momentum was never strong enough to catch Fofonov and Jalabert. The leading duo even eased their pace somewhat, content to work as four rather than two, but the junction never happened and they were forced to pick up their own pace once more as the Lotto-led peloton began its chase in the final 30 kilometres.

With under a minute on the Bramati/Traksel group and an advantage over the peloton tumbling to barely 2'30, the break's chances began to fade quickly as the sprinters marshaled their troops for a bunch finish along the Canebière in Marseille. First Bramati and Traksel were swept up, then Jalabert faded back, leaving only Fofonov to persist with his day-long effort. It wouldn't be enough, and in the final 12 kilometres the bunch was all together heading towards a wet and wild showdown.

As Lotto-Domo powered the peloton into the final left corner before the line, McEwen's leadout men lost all control and sent the race's main protagonists careening into the barrier. As the rest of the field slipped through on the inside, Oktos-Saint Quentin's Franck Pencolé started the final charge to the line, desperately looking for his sprinter Saulius Ruskys behind. Ruskys was lost in the shuffle, and it was Hushovd who took control, hitting the wind and never looking back to take an emphatic win ahead of Gabriele Balducci (Saeco) and teammate Sébastien Hinault.

His top rivals may have missed their chances, but Hushovd has grown increasingly confident in his own sprinting abilities. "I trained a lot behind the scooter this winter," he said with a smile, "and I did a lot of sprints."

Results - 197 km

1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole                           4.49.27
2 Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Saeco
3 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole
4 Angelo Furlan (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi
5 Rik Reinerink (Ned) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
6 Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
7 Jimmy Casper (Fra) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
8 Franck Renier (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
9 Ludovic Capelle (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
10 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
11 Ludovic Auger (Fra) Auber 93
12 Elio Aggiano (Ita) Team LPR
13 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick.Step-Davitamon
14 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
15 Ciaran Power (Irl) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
16 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick.Step-Davitamon
17 Wesley Van Speybroeck (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
18 Aitor Hernandez Gutierrez (Spa) Team LPR
19 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco
20 Nicola Gavazzi (Ita) Saeco
21 Franck Pencole (Fra) Oktos-Saint Quentin
22 Chris Peers (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
23 Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
24 Andris Nauduzs (Lat) Domina Vacanze
25 Koen Barbe (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
26 Laurent Brochard (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance
27 Grégory Rast (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
28 Lilian Jegou (Fra) Crédit Agricole
29 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems
30 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com
31 Gerben Löwik (Ned) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
32 Jo Planckaert (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
33 Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Lotto-Domo
34 Michael Skelde (Den) Alessio-Bianchi                            0.08
35 John Nilsson (Swe) Auber 93                                     0.10
36 Christophe Rinero (Fra) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover
37 Anton Murilo Fischer (Bra) Domina Vacanze
38 Marco Zanotti (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie
39 Massimiliano Gentili (Ita) Domina Vacanze
40 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère                     0.13
41 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Rabobank
42 Paul Van Hyfte (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
43 Jacky Durand (Fra) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
44 Jehudi Schoonacker (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
45 Ludo Diercxksens (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
46 Daniel Schnider (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
47 Stéphane Berges (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance
48 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Quick.Step-Davitamon
49 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                        0.19
50 Pierre Bourquenoud (Swi) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover
51 Oscar Camenzind (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems                    0.21
52 Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
53 Frédéric Amorison (Bel) Quick.Step-Davitamon
54 Christophe Brandt (Bel) Lotto-Domo
55 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) AG2r Prévoyance
56 Thomas Ziegler (Ger) Gerolsteiner
57 Bo Hamburger (Den) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
58 Saulius Ruskys (Ltu) Oktos-Saint Quentin
59 Yuri Mitlushenko (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
60 Max Van Heeswijk (Ned) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
61 Gert Vanderaerden (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
62 Nico Eeckhout (Bel) Lotto-Domo
63 Benoît Joachim (Lux) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
64 Carlos Dacruz (Fra) FDJeux.com
65 Franck Bouyer (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
66 Andy Flickinger (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance
67 Kristof Trouve (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
68 Ronald Mutsaars (Ned) Rabobank
69 Laurent Paumier (Fra) Auber 93
70 Eddy Seigneur (Fra) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover
71 Andrea Ferrigato (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
72 Erwin Thijs (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
73 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) FDJeux.com
74 Andy De Smet (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
75 Roger Beuchat (Swi) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie          0.29
76 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
77 Marco Serpellini (Ita) Gerolsteiner
78 Cyril Dessel (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems
79 Thorwald Veneberg (Ned) Rabobank
80 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
81 Gerrit Glomser (Aut) Saeco
82 Jan Van Velzen (Ned) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
83 Loïc Lamouller (Fra) Auber 93
84 Massimo Iannetti (Ita) Domina Vacanze
85 Stefano Casagranda (Ita) Saeco
86 Marco Milesi (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie
87 David Meys (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
88 Gilles Bouvard (Fra) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover
89 Hans De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Domo                                 0.36
90 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi                             0.40
91 Ronald Schür (Ned) APAC Cycling Team
92 Ruslan Ivanov (Mda) Alessio-Bianchi
93 Valery Kobzarenko (Ukr) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
94 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
95 Antonio Bucciero (Ita) Saeco
96 Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Oktos-Saint Quentin
97 Marc Lotz (Ned) Rabobank
98 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Rabobank
99 Stijn Devolder (Bel) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
100 Leif Hoste (Bel) Lotto-Domo
101 Kirk O'Bee (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
102 Geert Omloop (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
103 David Zabriskie (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
104 Jeff Louder (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
105 Daniele Masolino (Ita) Team LPR
106 Matthew Wilson (Aus) FDJeux.com                                0.48
107 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
108 Tony Bracke (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
109 Yoann Le Boulanger (Fra) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover             0.51
110 Alexandre Naulleau (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
111 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Lotto-Domo                               0.55
112 Maxim Gourov (Kaz) Oktos-Saint Quentin
113 Davide Bramati (Ita) Quick.Step-Davitamon                      1.00
114 Damon Kluck (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
115 Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago                   1.06
116 Ruslan Gryschenko (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
117 Hans Dekkers (Ned) Rabobank
118 Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Auber 93                              1.10
119 Roger Hammond (GBr) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
120 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prevoyance                            1.13
121 Antonio Cruz (USA) US Postal Service presented by Berry Flo    1.20
122 Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover                 1.56
123 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone         2.00
124 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie        2.02
125 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Crédit Agricole
126 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Lotto-Domo                                 2.34
127 Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Lotto-Domo                                 5.46
128 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick.Step-Davitamon
129 Alexandr Arekeev (Rus) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
130 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
131 Viktor Rapinski (Blr) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
132 Bobbie Traksel (Ned) Rabobank
133 Christophe Edaleine (Fra) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
134 Médéric Clain (Fra) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
135 Roberto Sgambelluri (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie
136 Jean-Cyril Robin (Fra) FDJeux.com
137 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie
138 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Crédit Agricole
139 Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
140 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) FDJeux.com
141 Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie
142 Sergeï Krushevskiy (Uzb) Oktos-Saint Quentin                   7.35
143 Fabien Sanchez (Fra) FDJeux.com                                8.41
144 Christophe Agnolutto (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                     8.42
145 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Crédit Agricole
146 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems                  8.44
147 Nicolas Dion (Fra)                                            25.00
148 Siro Camponogara (Ita) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team      25.13
149 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner                             28.19
150 Nicolas Portal (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance                          29.58
DNF Giosuè Bonomi (Ita) Saeco
DNF Dario Pieri (Ita) Saeco
DNF Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner
DNF Sven Montgomery (Swi) Gerolsteiner
DNF Olaf Pollack (Ger) Gerolsteiner
DNF Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank
DNF Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) US Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
DNF Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Alessio-Bianchi
DNF Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Alessio-Bianchi
DNF Bradley Mcgee (Aus) FDJeux.com
DNF Niki Aebersold (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
DNF Michael Albasini (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
DNF Giampaolo Cheula (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie
DNF Christophe Kern (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
DNF Rony Martias (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère
DNF Julian Dean (NZl) Crédit Agricole
DNF Damien Nazon (Fra) Crédit Agricole
DNF Jans Koerts (Ned) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
DNF Bert Hiemstra (Ned) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
DNF Francesco Planckaert (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
DNF Bart Voskamp (Ned) Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf
DNF Nicolas Reynaud (Fra) R.A.G.T Semences-MG Rover
DNF Massimo Giunti (Ita) Domina Vacanze
DNF Timothy Jones (Zim) Domina Vacanze
DNF Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Domina Vacanze
DNF Filippo Simeoni (Ita) Domina Vacanze
DNF Michel Van Haecke (Bel) MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
DNF Claudio Astolfi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
DNF Alessandro Donati (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
DNF Steven Caethoven (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
DNF Wouter Van Mechelen (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
DNF Lénaïc Olivier (Fra) Auber 93
DNF Tristan Valentin (Fra) Auber 93
DNF Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
DNF David McKenzie (Aus) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
DNF Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Bul) Oktos-Saint Quentin
DNF Benjamin Levecot (Fra) Oktos-Saint Quentin
DNF Andrey Mizourov (Kaz) Oktos-Saint Quentin
DNF Massimo Boglia (Ita) Team LPR
DNF Claudio Lucchini (Ita) Team LPR
DNF Luca Nardello (Ita) Team LPR
DNF Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Team LPR
DNF Andrey Karpachev (Rus) Team LPR

Past winners

2003 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prévoyance
2002 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prévoyance
2001 Hans De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
2000 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prévoyance
1999 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole
1998 Lauri Aus (Est) Casino
1997 Frédréric Guesdon (Fra)
1996 Laurent Jalabert (Fra)
1995 Giuseppe Citterio (Ita)
1994 Erik Zabel (Ger)

Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com