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49th Brabantse Pijl - 1.1
Belgium, March 29, 2009
Geslin nails Brabantse sprint
By Gregor Brown
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Frenchman Anthony Geslin made his presence in an elite selection count by overpowering his escape companions in a thrilling finale of the Brabantse Pijl in Beersel, Belgium. The Française des Jeux rider beat former teammate Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) after a last-minute attack by Fabian Wegmann (Milram), who finished third.
"This is the biggest win of my career," he said after the 193.5-kilometre race.
Geslin finished third in the 2005 World Championship won by Tom Boonen. His last win was in July when he won the Tour du Doubs.
Geslin, Pineau, Wegmann, Christian Knees (Milram), Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank), Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil) and Xavier Florencio (Cervélo TestTeam) entered the final kilometre with a gap of around 15 seconds on the chase.
Knees did the muscle work for teammate and German Champion Wegmann. Wegmann fired off the back of the eight-man move at 230 metres out, down the right hand side of the road. Geslin passed on the left and Pineau nipped in for second.
"Wegmann went early, but there was a headwind on the finishing straight and I was able to pass," said Geslin.
"I am not disappointed," said Pineau. "It's great to be second, even though it's been a long time since I won."
An escape of the day went before the 40-kilometre marker with Jurgen Van de Walle (Quick Step), Alexandr Pliuschin (AG2R La Mondiale), Yukiya Arashiro (Bbox Bouygues Telecom), Frédéric Guesdon (Française des Jeux), Sébastien Minard (Cofidis), Thomas Fothen (Milram), Marc De Maar (Rabobank), Theo Eltink (Skil-Shimano), Dominique Rollin (Cervélo TestTeam), Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) and Matthew Brammeier (An Post - Sean Kelly Team). The move lasted for the southern journey of the race, but faded in the finale.
Pineau, Knees and Geslin hit the front with 30 kilometres to go. Saxo Bank's Kroon led the charge on the Bruineput climb (-27km) to form a group that would stick to the end. Cervélo charged on the leaders to launch Simon Gerrans and Florencio. The latter joined to make it eight.
The gap was 17 seconds at 15 kilometres remaining, 16 seconds at -12km and 18 seconds at -8km. Philippe Gilbert desperately tried to close the gap and give his Silence-Lotto team a card to play. It did not work; the escape topped the final climb, Lingbuter, with 16 seconds.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by DCP/Bert Geerts
- Vacansoleil's Gerben Löwik before the start.
- Gert Steegmans (Katusha) looking cheerful before the off.
- Grischa Niermann (Rabobank) had his race face on early.
- Rabobank's Kai Reus waits for the gun.
- Kai Reus (Rabobank) on his way to 81st place.
- Saxo Bank's Karsten Kroon stayed in the right place to finish fifth.
- Karsten Kroon looks around to see who the man to beat is.
- Dutch roder Karsten Kroon looking chilled before the start.
- Kurt Asle Arvesen (Saxo Bank) was a workhorse at the front of the race.
- Laurens Ten Dam, Pieter Weening and Robert Gesink wait for the race start.
- Rabobank boy Laurens Ten Dam heads to the line before the gun.
- Björn Leukemans (Vancansoleil) has been making his return to competition this season.
- Marc De Maar (Rabobank) keeping it real in the pack.
- The Milram boys wait in impressive surroundings.
- Silence-Lotto rider Olivier Kaisen gets the show on the road.
- With the sun shining the riders head out on the road to Beersel.
- Karsten Kroon leads the peloton early in the race.
- Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) finished ninth.
- Rabobank's Pieter Weening before proceedings got underway.
- It wasn't long before Weening tried to jump.
- Climbing phenom Robert Gesink prefers the taller stuff to Belgian flatlands.
- Silence-Lotto and Saxo Bank chase the leading group.
- Cervelo's Aussie rider Simon Gerrans keeps working hard.
- Simon Spilak (Lampre) wasn't giving much away before the start.
- The bunch kept it together early in the race.
- The laders kept trying but their efforts were in vain.
- Wim Van Huffel is riding for Vorarlberg Corratec this season.
- The peloton is kept honest by the escape group up the road.
- And it was hard work!
- Vacansoleil's Björn Leukemans looked good before the start.
- No smiles as the pace was high throughout the race.
- Milram's Fabian Wegmann would finish third.
- Skil Shimano's Floris Goesinnen sees the lighter side of things.
- The podium (l-r): Fabian Wegmann, Anthony Geslin and Jérôme Pineau.
- Française Des Jeux's Anthony Geslin wins the 49th Brabantse Pijl.
- The Milram boys wait for the start.
Images by Tim Van Wichelen/www.Cyclingview.be
- The early breakaway led by Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step).
- Saxo Bank's Matt Goss drives the bunch
- Kurt Asle Arvesen (Team Saxo Bank) in front of the strung-out peloton.
- Milram's Fabian Wegmann takes a look at the break that formed with 30km to go, which would fight out the finale.
- In his usual style, Carlos Barredo takes control of the peloton.
- Fabian Wegmann opened the sprint with 200 metres to go.
- Xavier Florencio (Cervelo Test Team) was the quickest to respond to Wegmann.
- Philippe Gilbert (Silence Lotto) sprints for the ninth place.
Images by Cyclingnews
- Anthony Geslin (Française Des Jeux) celebrates his victory in the 49th Brabantse Pijl.
Results
1 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Française Des Jeux 4.00.22 (44.54km/h) 2 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step 3 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Team Milram 4 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 5 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank 6 Frederik Willems (Bel) Liquigas 0.03 7 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Cervelo TestTeam 8 Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram 0.07 9 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Silence-Lotto 0.20 10 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française Des Jeux 11 Niko Eeckhout (Bel) An Post-Sean Kelly Team 12 Gerben Löwik (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 13 Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago 14 Johan Coenen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 15 Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 16 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step 17 Paul Martens (Ger) Rabobank 18 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Cervelo TestTeam 19 Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo Bank 20 Pierre Rolland (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom 21 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 22 Ben Hermans (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 23 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank 0.38 24 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 0.40 25 Francesco Reda (Ita) Quick Step 1.03 26 Biel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 1.48 27 Grega Bole (Slo) Amica Chips-Knauf 28 Kenny Van Braeckel (Bel) Revor-Jartazi Cycling Team 29 Frank Hoj (Den) Team Saxo Bank 30 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 31 Koen Barbe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago 32 Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Liquigas 33 Dominique Rollin (Can) Cervelo TestTeam 34 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) AG2R La Mondiale 35 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago 36 Simone Ponzi (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C. 37 Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Skil-Shimano 38 Marcel Wyss (Swi) Cervelo TestTeam 39 Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 40 Iker Camano (Spa) Fuji-Servetto 41 Josep Jufre (Spa) Fuji-Servetto 42 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quick Step 43 Martin Mortensen (Den) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 44 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 45 Mikael Cherel (Fra) Française Des Jeux 46 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Silence-Lotto 47 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Française Des Jeux 48 Yohann Gene (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom 49 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 50 Maarten Neyens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 51 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 52 Michal Golas (Pol) Amica Chips-Knauf 53 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Cervelo TestTeam 54 Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram 55 Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom 56 Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 57 Murilo Fischer (Bra) Liquigas 58 Filip Meirhaeghe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago 59 Jan Bakelants (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator 60 Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 61 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick Step 62 Martin Reimer (Ger) Cervelo TestTeam 63 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 64 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Quick Step 65 Ronny Scholz (Ger) Team Milram 66 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram 67 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C. 68 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 69 Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 70 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBox Bouygues Telecom 71 Kenny De Haes (Bel) Team Katusha 72 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team Saxo Bank 73 Matheus Pronk (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 74 Steven Van Vooren (Bel) An Post-Sean Kelly Team 75 Jean-Charles Senac (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 76 Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team 77 Blaise Sonnery (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 78 Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Contentopolis-AMPO 79 Romain Zingle (Bel) Verandas Willems 80 Sergio Dominguez Munoz (Spa) Contentopolis-AMPO 81 Kai Reus (Ned) Rabobank 82 Wim Vanhuffel (Bel) Vorarlberg - Corratec 83 Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha 84 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team Saxo Bank 85 Matthew Goss (Aus) Team Saxo Bank 86 Florent Brard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 87 Bert Roesems (Bel) Cinelli-Down Under 88 Daniel Musiol (Ger) Vorarlberg - Corratec 89 Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Silence-Lotto 90 Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Verandas Willems 91 Reto Hollenstein (Swi) Vorarlberg - Corratec 92 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Team Katusha 93 Alexander Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale 94 Bart Dockx (Bel) Silence-Lotto 95 Benny De Schrooder (Bel) An Post-Sean Kelly Team 96 Julien Belgy (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom 97 Sébastien Portal (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 98 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 99 Martin Velits (Svk) Team Milram 100 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) An Post-Sean Kelly Team 101 Matthias Russ (Ger) Team Milram 102 Francesco Rivera (Ita) Amica Chips-Knauf
