67th Gent-Wevelgem - PT

Belgium, April 6, 2005

Photography

The race

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us

Helemets anyone?
After Tom Boonen's win on Sunday the crowds were thick around the Quick.Step team bus.
The group gets up to full speed coming out of Tourhout.
Nobody was going to get by Quick.Step without asking.
A second group rolls though after the wind caused a split.
The pace quickens with the wind almost to their backs
Cofidis riders sit comfortably in the second group.
Iker Flores Galarza (Euskatel) feels the pain on the Kemmelberg.
Siro Camponogara (Navigators) concentrates on the climb.
Simone Cadamuro (Domina) suffers
Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) speeds over the cobbles.
Baden Cooke (Francaise des Jeux) keeps up with Magnus Backstedt (Liquigas-Bianchi).
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto), race winner blasts over the top of the Kemmelberg.
The well worn cobbles of the Kemmelberg.
Eric Baumann (T-Mobile) on the Kemmelberg
Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) leads a chase for Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Fassa Bortolo).
Tom Boonen fans were in full force today.
Magnus Backstedt (Liquigas-Bianchi) keeps up with Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole).
Wilfried Cretskens (Quickstep) keeps up the pace with 1 lap of the Kemmelberg to go.
Two times over the Kemmelberg took its toll on everyone.
Filippo Pozzato (Quick.Step) makes his way over the cobbles.
Uros Murn (Phonak) Slovenian national champion.
Those cobbles can be pretty scary, as Marcus Burghardt finds out.
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Fassa Bortolo) makes a break for it the last time up the climb.
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) made it look easy, but it wasn't.

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Splits were the order of the day, as usual
The peloton in two bits, separated by the road divider
The peloton races under cloudy skies in Gent-Wevelgem
It gets messy at the back
Along the coast it was a small peloton
Along the coast
Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) was run over by a moto, and received stitches to his knee
The aftermath of the Klier crash
Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) in pain on the ground
Fabrizio Guidi (Phonak) in pain after breaking his right wrist
Fabrizio Guidi (Phonak): Everybody hurts
The scene on the Kemmelberg
Flecha and Boonen drive it up the Kemmelberg on lap 1
Flecha and Boonen go over the top on lap 1
Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) gets ready for that cobbled corner
Allan Davis (Liberty) descends the Kemmelberg
Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) didn't have the legs today
Filippo Pozzato (Quick.Step) had a good day, until he crashed
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) ...ouch!
Daniele Bennati (Lampre) grinds up the Kemmelberg
Nico Eeckhout (Jacques) in a lot of pain
Juan Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo) on the second descent of the Kemmelberg
Mattan leads Kroon and Pozzato off the Kemmelberg
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) driving the break
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) had that look in his eye
Cancellara and Flecha drive the break
Daniele Bennati (Lampre) leads the chase behind Mattan and Flecha
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) wins Gent-Wevelgem ahead of Juan Antonio Flecha
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) is a happy man as he crosses the line to win Gent-Wevelgem
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) on the podium after winning
Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) gets a post-race recovery drink
The Mattan clan on the podium
Daniele Bennati (Lampre) on the podium
The podium (L to R): Juan Antonio Flecha (2nd), Nico Mattan (1st) and Daniele Bennati (3rd)…and the kids

Pre-race

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Jeff Jones/Cyclingnews.com

Stijn Devolder (Discovery) will be in the thick of the action today
Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) was happy to pose for a photo with one of the local disabled children
Carlos Barredo signs an autograph or two
Quick.Step had its own compound isolated from the rest of the team compound
The teams compound was packed
Deinze's church which overlooks the Grote Markt
The sign on
A good vantage point to watch the start
Massive crowds turned out to watch the start in Deinze
Fueling up before the start…