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| Cav at Gent-Wevelgem, 2009 (image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0) |
"Jered Gruber @jeredgruberEven in the early stages of this year's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, World Champion Mark Cavendish looked the most likely winner - Team Sky had sent him to the race with seven strong riders, six of them experienced Classics capable of winning this race for themselves (as one of them, Chris Sutton, proved last year). Halfway through they'd got themselves arranged into a clever tactical layout with Cav well-protected to preserve his freshness when the breakaway was pulled back in, but enough of them near the front to have a shot at the line if the break made it.
It's funny when something lives up to the hype, tales, and stories. Belgian racing is everything you've heard. All true, no exaggeration."
With 50km to go, the outcome looked even more certain. By now Sky looked as though they riding a team time trial - turning a big ring, eating up the miles and paying little attention to the break that had split into weaker, competing groups and thus doomed itself. They waited until the 20km to go point before picking up the pace and beginning to put pressure on Lotto-Belisol; home to Andre Greipel, the only rider in this race with a chance of stopping Cav.
A small amount of lost time with a slightly fudged right corner as the Manx star avoided street furniture made no difference and by the time they entered the final 5km the team had formed a spearhead at the front of the peloton, too confident in their abilities to trouble themselves unduely when FDJ briefly took over. In the end, it was an easy win - Sky's strategy ran like clockwork, and Cav hardly broke into a sweat as he crossed the line to take his first victory of 2012. FDJ's Yahueni Hutarovich tried to catch him, but by the time he'd got his front wheel level with the Missile's back wheel the 26-year-old was already sitting up in celebration. There are those who will complain it wasn't the exciting, heroic triumph that fans expect from the Classics, but it was a superbly clever one - because it worked so well and for the psychological effect: if Cav can do that without even trying, what can he do when he makes an effort?
That a British rider has won a Classic would always be good news; but the fact that it was Cav is better still. Right now, cycling is on the cusp of becoming bigger than it has ever been in this country; perhaps bigger even than it has been in France for many years. Cav is the highest-profile rider since Tom Simpson, maybe even more so, and today's victory will make it onto more than a few news reports tonight - each time that happens, the British public like cycling just a little bit more. Nice one, Mark. Tom would've been proud.
(results below)
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| Mark Cavendish is the first British rider to win this race and the first current World Champion to do so since Johan Museeuw in 1997. It's also the second win here in two years for Sky as Christopher Sutton won last year. |
Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling 4:27:30
2 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat
3 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
4 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
5 Alexander Serebryakov (Rus) Team Type 1 - Sanofi
6 Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i
7 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Team Europcar
8 Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
9 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha Team
10 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
11 Guillaume Boivin (Can) Spidertech p/b C10
12 Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEdge Cycling Team
13 Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
14 Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
15 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team
16 Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team
17 Guillaume Blot (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller
18 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Cervelo
19 Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team
20 Leif Hoste (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
21 Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) Team Type 1 - Sanofi
22 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
23 Michaël Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
24 Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
25 Steven Caethoven (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
26 Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha Team
27 Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
28 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
29 Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia
30 Martin Gilbert (Can) Spidertech p/b C10
31 Baptiste Planckaert (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
32 Timon Seubert (Ger) Team NetApp
33 Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
34 Thomas Leezer (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
35 Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) An Post - Sean Kelly
36 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
37 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
38 Robin Stenuit (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole
39 Rony Martias (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
40 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) GreenEdge Cycling Team
41 Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling
42 Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
43 Kevin Lacombe (Can) Spidertech p/b C10
44 James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
45 Fabio Polazzi (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole
46 Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar
47 Edwig Cammaerts (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
48 Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
49 Grischa Janorschke (Ger) Team NetApp
50 Maxime Vantomme (Bel) Katusha Team
51 Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
52 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team
53 Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
54 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin-Cervelo
55 Christophe Laborie (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
56 Niels Wytinck (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly
57 Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
58 Pieter Ghyllebert (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly
59 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
60 Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller
61 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
62 Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
63 Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team
64 Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet
65 Alexey Tsatevitch (Rus) Katusha Team
66 Stijn Neirynck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
67 Roy Curvers (Ned) Project 1t4i
68 David Boucher (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
69 Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team
70 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia
71 Johan Le Bon (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller
72 Florent Barle (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
73 Markus Eichler (Ger) Team NetApp
74 Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Lotto Belisol Team
75 Matti Helminen (Fin) Landbouwkrediet
76 Philippe Legrand (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole
77 Hugo Houle (Can) Spidertech p/b C10
78 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
79 Stijn Ennekens (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly
80 Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling
81 Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-Cervelo
82 Travis Meyer (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
83 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team Type 1 - Sanofi
84 Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team
85 Martin Mortensen (Den) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
86 Romain Lemarchand (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
87 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar
88 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
89 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling
90 Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
91 Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi
92 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling
93 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
94 Greg Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team
95 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
96 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Cervelo
97 Ole Gabriel Rasch (Nor) FDJ-Big Mat
98 Mark Mcnally (GBr) An Post - Sean Kelly
99 Laurent Evrard (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles - Credit Agricole
100 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team
101 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
102 Jérémie Galland (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
103 Steve Houanard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
104 Jetse Bol (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
105 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
106 Koen Barbe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
107 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
108 Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team
109 Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale
110 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia
111 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:20
112 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team
113 Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:00:29
114 Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:35
115 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
116 Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-Big Mat
117 William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
118 Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:40
119 Wouter Mol (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
120 Niko Eeckhout (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly
121 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
122 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:01:30
123 Matti Breschel (Den) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:46
124 John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i 0:01:54
125 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
126 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:02:08
127 Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
128 Aliaksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Katusha Team 0:02:12
129 Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:19
130 Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
131 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
132 Alex Dowsett (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:03:05
133 Bernard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling
134 Jimmy Casper (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:31
135 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Type 1 - Sanofi
136 Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Team NetApp 0:04:52
137 Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Project 1t4i 0:05:25
138 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia
139 Matthew Wilson (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
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