37th GP Pino Cerami - 1.3

Belgium, April 12, 2002

2001 Results Results Past winners

The podium
Photo © Miwako Sasaki

O'Bee wins Pino Cerami

The Navigators Cycling Team recorded another European win today in the GP Pino Cerami, where US criterium champion Kirk O'Bee once again showed his strength. O'Bee beat Belgians Dave Bruylandts (Domo) and Serge Baguet (Lotto), securing the win with a late attack and a powerful sprint. It was O'Bee's second success in less than a week after winning the GP Rennes last Sunday.

The 1.3 categorised race saw 22 teams take the start, with a 128 kilometre loop followed by four laps of a 16 km finishing circuit, which included two short, steep climbs. The start was fast with a number of attacks seeing a group of 28 riders split off the front after 27 km. The peloton was not content to let this break go, despite good representation from all the major teams. The gap never grew to over a minute and they were brought back just before the finishing circuits.

A counter attack saw another 14 riders get clear, with Tacconi and Navigators the only teams having two riders in the break. However, Lotto's Serge Baguet had missed it due to an untimely wheel change, something which he was to regret later on.

In the peloton, Lotto chased to bring the gap down to 20 seconds on the second last lap, allowing Baguet to jump across on the cobbled 15% hill as his teammate Glenn d'Hollander was dropped. That was the closest that the peloton got and the break was left to contest the win.

Dave Bruylandts attacked with 12 km to go, and only O'Bee could go with him. The two gradually built up a 20 second lead, with O'Bee's teammate Chris Baldwin keeping an eye on the group. Bruylandts attacked with 1 km to go, but O'Bee was right on his wheel, easily coming round at 300m to go to win. Behind them, Baguet got away in the closing kilometres to take third.

"This has been an awesome trip" said O'Bee, "The team is riding great, and I've been feeling pretty strong".

Results - 186 km

1 Kirk O'Bee (USA) Navigators Cycling Team         4.18.00
2 Dave Bruylandts (Bel) Domo-Farm Frites              0.01
3 Serge Baguet (Bel) Lotto-Adecco                     0.10
4 Mauro Zinetti (Ita) Index-Alexia                    0.15
5 Paolo Bossoni (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi
6 Ludovic Auger (Fra) Big Mat-Auber 93
7 Zbigniew Piatek (Pol) Mróz
8 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team fakta
9 Andrej Hauptman (Slo) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi
10 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Navigators Cycling Team  0.26
11 Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
12 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa
13 Björn Glasner (Ger) Team Cologne
14 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Mapei-Quick Step Espoirs
15 Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi      1.05
16 Piotr Chmieliewski (Pol) Mróz                      1.06
17 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Mapei-Quick Step Espoirs      1.19
18 René Jörgensen (Den) Team fakta
19 Arkadiusz Wojtas (Pol) Team Nürnberger Versiche    1.21
20 Nico Sijmens (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim            1.36
21 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step Espoirs
22 Erwin Thijs (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop                1.38
23 Andy Cappelle (Bel) Marlux-Ville de Charleroi      1.40
24 Roger Hammond (GBr) Palmans-Collstrop
25 Ciaran Power (Irl) Navigators Cycling Team
26 Alberto Vinale (Ita) Alessio
27 Joona Laukka (Fin) Jean-Delatour
28 Wim Van Huffel (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
29 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Index-Alexia
30 Thierry De Groote (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop          1.40
31 Petr Bencic (Cze) Wüstenrot - ZVVZ
32 Walter Bonca (Slo) Perutnina Ptuj-Krka Telekom
33 Holger Sievers (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung
34 Ryan Cox (RSA) Team Cologne
35 Marc Streel (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
36 Johan Coenen (Bel) Marlux-Ville de Charleroi
37 Michael Skelde (Den) Team fakta
38 Cyril Saugrain (Fra) Big Mat-Auber 93
39 Marc Chanoine (Bel) Marlux-Ville de Charleroi
40 Geoffrey Demeyere (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim
41 Manu L'hoir (Bel) Team fakta
42 Glenn D'Hollander (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
43 Jörg Strauss (Swi) Team Cologne
44 Frederik Willems (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step Espoirs
45 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Alessio
46 Bruno Thibout (Fra) Jean-Delatour
47 Mauro Gerosa (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi
48 Christian Werner (Ger) Team Nürnberger Versicherung
49 Diego Ferrari (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi

Past winners

2001 Scott Sunderland (Aus) Team fakta          181 km in 4.24.00 (41.33)
2000 Jan Bratkowski (Ger) Mercury               181 km in 4.12.00 (43.09)
1999 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Team Polti            199 km in 4.50.00
1998 Marco Serpellini (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas 199 km in 4.43.00 (42.402)
1997 Race Cancelled
1996 Marco Serpellini (Ita)
1995 Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita)
1994 Michele Bartoli (Ita)
1992 Laurent Dufaux (Swi)
1991 Andrej Tchmil (Mol)
1990 Maximilian Sciandri (Ita)
1989 Stefan Joho (Swi)
1988 John Talen (Ned)
1987 Rolf Sörensen (Den)
1986 Urs Freuler (Swi)
1985 Paul Haghedooren (Bel)
1984 Gerrie Knetemann (Ned)
1983 Bernard Hinault (Fra)
1982 Ronny Van Holen (Ned)
1981 Joop Zoetemelk (Ned)
1980 Joop Zoetemelk (Ned)
1979 Daniel Verplancke (Bel)
1978 Gerrie Knetemann (Ned)
1977 Joseph Jacobs (Bel)
1976 Willy Teirlinck (Bel)
1975 Eddy Verstraeten (Bel)
1974 Marc Demeyer (Bel)
1973 Ferdinand Bracke (Bel)
1972 Christian Callens (Bel)
1971 Georges Van Coningsloo (Bel)
1970 André Dierickx (Bel)
1969 Frans Mintjens (Bel)
1968 Julien Stevens (Bel)
1967 Willy Planckaert (Bel)
1966 Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1965 Jan Boonen (Bel)
1964 André Noyelle (Bel)

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