Tour de Belgique - 2.3

Belgium, May 22-26, 2002

2001 Results Preview Stage List Start List

The Stages

Prologue - May 22: Oostende - Oostende ITT, 7.2 km
Stage 1 - May 23: Oostende - Knokke-Heist, 221 km
Stage 2a - May 24: Knokke-Heist - Mechelen, 121 km
Stage 2b - May 24: Mechelen - Mechelen ITT, 14 km
Stage 3 - May 25: Mechelen - Bilzen, 220.9 km
Stage 4 - May 26: Bilzen - Marche-En-Famenne, 160 km

Preview

The Tour of Belgium is making a comeback after a 12 year hiatus. The race, ranked 2.3, takes place from May 22-26 and will attract a strong field. That's impressive when you consider that the Giro d'Italia, Midi Libre and Bayern Rundfahrt are on at the same time (not to mention the Tour of Japan, FBD Milk Ras, Olympia's Tour, Giro Ciclistico della Provincia di Cosenza, Azerbaijan Tour, Triptyque Ardennais, International Junioren Driedaagse van Axel and Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin). Of course, not all these events are open to division I teams, but it gives an idea of how popular May is for cycling races.

In fact, 10 teams of the top 25 are enrolled, including Mapei-Quick Step, Lotto-Adecco, Cofidis, Domo-Farm Frites and Telekom. "In my days, the Tour of Belgium was one of the highlights of the season" said Eddy Merckx, chairman of the substantial supporting committee of the Tour of Belgium. "And it will be again" added Nico Mattan.

The demigods of Belgian cycling, Johan Museeuw and Andrei Tchmil will be heading towards Oostende, to start the Tour with the prologue the day after. Also Merckx, Mattan, Planckaert, Aerts will be present.

Lotto-Adecco training partners Serge Baguet - still recovering from the muscle injury he sustained in Pino Cerami - and Peter Van Petegem - out with the stomach virus that has put quite a few riders on the sideline lately - will not be competing. Scott Sunderland (EDS-fakta) will start the Tour of Belgium after another forced two-week break caused by the same bug.

Auction for Children's charity

Belgian Premier Verhofstadt, member of the Committee of the Tour of Belgium and the Tour Organizing Committee will stage an auction of which the full profits will go to the "Levenslijn Kinderfonds" (Life-line Children Fund).

The "Bike out of Hell", with which Johan Museeuw won Paris-Roubaix, the kimono of Gella Vandecaveye (world Judo champion in München), the Golden Shoe Award of soccer star Wesley Sonck; are a few of the items that will be auctioned.

Start List

Mapei-Quick Step                   Lotto-Adecco
 
1 Tom Steels (Bel)                 11 Andrei Tchmil (Bel)
2 David Canada Garcia (Spa)        13 Nico Eeckhout (Bel)
3 Gerhard Trampusch (Aut)          15 Hans De Clercq (Bel)
6 Charly Wegelius (GBr)            16 Gorik Gardeyn (Bel)
7 Eddy Ratti (Ita)                 17 Christophe Brandt (Bel)
8 Fabian De Waele (Bel)            18 Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus)
                                   19 Glenn D'hollander (Bel)
                                   20 Mario Aerts (Bel)
 
Cofidis                            Domo-Farm Frites
 
21 Nico Mattan (Bel)               31 Leif Hoste (Bel)
22 Jérôme Neuville (Fra)           32 Servais Knaven (Ned)
23 Jo Planckaert (Bel)             33 Axel Merckx (Bel)
24 Médéric Clain (Fra)             34 Johan Museeuw (Bel)
25 Peter Farazijn (Bel)            35 Leon Van Bon (Ned)
26 Robert Sassone (Fra)            36 Marco Milesi (Ita)
27 Cédrick Loue (Fra)              37 Romans Vainsteins (Lat)
30 Robert Hayles (GBr)             38 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel)
 
Team Telekom                       La Francaise Des Jeux
 
41 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz)      52 Jimmy Casper (Fra)
42 Bobby Julich (USA)              53 Regis Lhuillier (Fra)
43 Kevin Livingston (USA)          54 Jean-Patrick Nazon (Fra)
46 Gian Matteo Fagnini (Ita)       55 Franck Pencole (Fra)
47 David Kopp (Ger)                56 Christophe Mengin (Fra)
49 Dirk Reichl (Ger)               57 Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
50 Stefan Schumacher (Ger)         58 Matthew Wilson (Aus)
                                   59 Thomas Bodo (Fra)
 
Ag2R Prevoyance                    Bonjour
 
61 Ludovic Capelle (Bel)           71 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra)
62 Mikel Astarloza (Spa)           72 Pascal Derame (Fra)
63 Linas Balciunas (Ltu)           74 Frédéric Mainguenaud (Fra)
64 Alexandre Grux (Fra)            75 Damien Nazon (Fra)
66 Laurent Estadieu (Fra)          76 Olivier Perraudeau (Fra)
67 Nicolas Inaudi (Fra)            77 Franck Renier (Fra)
68 Arturas Kasputis (Ltu)          78 Thomas Voeckler (Fra)
                                   80 Emmanuel Magnien (Fra)
 
Tacconi Sport-Emmegi               Lampre-Daikin
 
81 Gianluca Bortolami (Ita)        91 Ludo Dierckxsens (Bel)
82 Gabriele Balducci (Ita)         92 Matteo Frutti (Ita)
83 Paolo Bossoni (Ita)             93 Alberto Loddo (Ita)
84 Dmitri Gaynitdinov (Rus)        94 Manuel Quinziato (Ita)
85 Nicola Minali (Ita)             96 Zbigniew Spruch (Pol)
86 Gianluca Sironi (Ita)           97 Jan Svorada (Cze)
87 Andrej Hauptman (Slo)           98 Johan Verstrepen (Bel)
89 Diego Ferrari (Ita)             99 Marco Pinotti (Ita)
 
Landbouwkrediet-Colnago            Bankgiroloterij-Batavus
 
101 Michel Van Haecke (Bel)        111 Bart Voskamp (Ned)
102 Claudio Lucchini (Ita)         113 Pieter Vries (Ned)
103 Kurt Van Landeghem (Bel)       115 Remco Van Der Ven (Ned)
104 Salvatore Scamardella (Ita)    116 Rudi Kemna (Ned)
105 Jürgen Vermeersch (Bel)        117 Gerben Lowik (Ned)
107 Sébastien Mattozza (Bel)       118 Rik Reinerink (Ned)
108 Masahiko Mifune (Jpn)          119 Bert Hiemstra (Ned)
109 Jeff Louder (USA)              120 Jan Van Velzen (Ned)
 
Palmans-Collstrop                  Vlaanderen-T Interim
 
121 Erwin Thijs (Bel)              131 Yoeri Beyens (Bel)
123 Roger Hammond (GBr)            132 Arne Daelmans (Bel)
124 Andy De Smet (Bel)             133 Kris Gerits (Bel)
125 Björn Leukemans (Bel)          134 Jurgen Guns (Bel)
126 Geert Omloop (Bel)             135 Ruud Verbakel (Bel)
127 Bert Roesems (Bel)             136 Andy Vidts (Bel)
128 Wim Vansevenant (Bel)          137 James Vanlandschoot (Bel)
129 Davy Commeyne (Bel)            138 Jan Verstraeten (Bel)
 
Marlux-Ville de Charleroi
 
141 Andy Cappelle (Bel)
142 Kristoffer Ingeby (Swe)
143 Johan Dekkers (Bel)
144 Steven De Neef (Bel)
145 Christian Poos (Lux)
147 Gaetan Marques (Fra)
148 Christophe Stevens (Bel)
149 Johan Coenen (Bel)