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Giro finale
Photo ©: Bettini

 UCI codes explained

10th Colliers Classic (GP Aarhus) - 1.1

Denmark, April 30, 2006

2005 Results   Results    Past winners

Thijs takes the cake

By Michael Gernaa, Procycling.dk

Erwin Thijs (Unibet.com)
Photo ©: Ulrik Møberg
(Click for larger image)

The calendar shows spring but the weather at today's Colliers Classic in Aarhus, Denmark felt more like winter. Temperatures of 5 degrees plus light drizzle and chilling winds met the riders at the start, but that didn't prevent Erwin Thijs (Unibet.com) from taking the win with a strong sprint finish.

The race started very fast into the chilling headwind, and after the peloton more or less had stayed together for the first 120km, Thijs took his chance. Shortly before the KOM at Stilling he attacked and rapidly opened up a gap of 3 minutes. With 79 km to go a different chasing group formed and tried to reel the Belgian back, but when he started the five local laps in Aarhus he still had a 50-second advantage. Most observers thought it was only a matter of time before he was caught and the mass-sprint finale could start.

Instead, young Norwegian talent Edvald Boasson bridged the gap to Thijs, and when they started the last lap it was 37 seconds to the nearest chasers. The win was going to be contested between these two, and as they entered the final stretch Boasson had a few metres, but Thijs opened the sprint and there was no way the Norwegian was going to catch him.

It was Thijs' 22nd career victory and explained after the finish that the final few hundred metres had been easy - he had relaxed when Boasson bridged in order to save energy for the sprint finale and that had paid off. Thijs is looking forward to one more season in the saddle before joining the Unibet Espoirs team as a sports director.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Ulrik Møberg/www.procycling.dk

Images by Michael Gernaa/www.procycling.dk

Results

1 Erwin Thijs (Bel) Unibet.com                         4.41.21
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Maxbo Bianchi           0.01
3 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Ubbink-Syntec                       0.19
4 Zdnek Mlynar (Cze) AC Sparta Praha                      0.21
5 Jacob Moe Rasmussen (Den) Team GLS                          
6 Sergio Miguel Vieira Ribeiro (Por) Barbot-Halcon            
7 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Team Maxbo Bianchi                      
8 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Skil-Shimano                          
9 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Unibet.com                                
10 Wolfram Wiese (Ger) Team Regiostrom Senges                 
11 Jos Van Emden (Ned) Rabobank Continental team              
12 Allan Johansen (Den) Team CSC                              
13 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Rabobank Continental team           
14 Michael Reihs (Den) Team Designa Køkken                    
15 Michael Skelde (Den) Glud & Marstrand-Horsens              
16 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC                             
17 Malaya Van Ruitenbeek (Ned) Van Vliet-EBH-Advocaten        
18 Martin Mortensen (Den) National Team Denmark               
19 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Skil-Shimano                  0.27
20 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Skil-Shimano                 0.30
21 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC                       1.05
22 Roy Hegreberg (Nor) Glud & Marstrand-Horsens               
23 Dariusz Rudnicki (Pol) Intel-Action                        
24 Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Van Vliet-EBH-Advocaten             
25 Marvin Van Der Pluijm (Ned) Ubbink-Syntec                  
26 Daniel Foder (Den) Team Designa Køkken                     
27 Martin Voss Christiansen (Den) Glud & Marstrand-Horsens    
28 Mathé Pronk (Ned) Unibet.com                               
29 Michael Mørkøv (Den) Team GLS                              
30 Gideon De Jong (Ned) Procomm-Van Hemert                    
31 Rene Jørgensen (Den) Team Designa Køkken                   
32 Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Van Vliet-EBH-Advocaten             
33 Evgeny Popov (Rus) Rabobank Continental team               
34 Are Hunsager Andersen (Nor) Team Sparebanken Vest          
35 Tom Veelers (Ned) Rabobank Continental team                
36 Jacob Kodrup (Den) National Team Denmark                   
37 Mads Bugge Andersen (Den) Team Vison Bikes                 
38 Huub Duyn (Ned) Rabobank Continental team                  
39 David Boucher (Fra) Unibet.com                             
40 Martin Prazdnovsky (Svk) Team Sparebanken Vest             
41 Glenn Bak (Den) National Team Denmark                      
42 Brian Vandborg (Den) Team CSC                              
43 Tamas Lengyel (Hug) Team Sparebanken Vest                  
44 Christian Knørr (Den) National Team Denmark                
45 Folkert De Haan (Ned) Ubbink-Syntec                        
46 Stian Sommerseth (Nor) Team Maxbo Bianchi                  
47 Claus Michael Møller (Den) Barbot-Halcon                   
48 Carlos Manuel Pinho Oliveira (Por) Barbot-Halcon           
49 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Team Designa Køkken                   
50 Lasse Bøchmann (Den) Team GLS                          1.16
51 Michael Berling (Den) Glud & Marstrand-Horsens             
52 Jacob Nielsen (Den) Glud & Marstrand-Horsens               
53 Benjamin Wittrup Justesen (Den) Team Vison Bikes           
54 Rick Flens (Ned) Rabobank Continental team                 
55 Michael Larsen (Den) Team Designa Køkken                   
56 Piet Rooiyakkers (Ned) Skil-Shimano                        
57 Kasper Klostergaard Larsen (Den) Team CSC                  
58 Lars Nybo Nielsen (Den) Team Vison Bikes               1.23
59 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC                          1.24
60 Rune Udby (Den) Glud & Marstrand-Horsens               1.34
61 Jakob Frederik Kollerup (Den) Team Vison Bikes         2.53

Starteres: 114
Classified: 61

Courtesy of Ulrik Moeberg/Procycling.dk


Past winners

2005 Jacob Moe Rasmussen (Den) Team GLS           196 kms in 4.45.27
2004 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC             196 kms in 4.39.05
2003 Jakob Piil (Den) Team CSC                    196 kms in 4.34.18
2002 Laurent Jalabert (Fra) CSC-Tiscali           196 kms in 4.40.11
2001 Michael Sandstod (Den) CSC-World Online      190 kms in 4.34.06

2000 Arvis Piziks (Lat) Memorycard-Jack&Jones     190 kms in 4.21.08
1999 Allan Johansen (Den) Team Chicky World       190 kms in 4.28.12
1998 Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Kross-Selle Italia   190 kms in 4.28.37
1997 Bjarne Riis (Den) Deutsche Telekom

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