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Already on a roll, can Boonen repeat at Ghent?

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Photo: Graham Watson

Sandwiched in between last Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and this Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix is Wednesday’s Ghent-Wevelgem, a slightly shorter “semi-classic” which rejoins the sport’s highest classification on the UCI’s new ProTour. When the World Cup was created in 1989, Ghent-Wevelgem had to make due with hors categorie status, as only two events were allowed per country, and Belgium’s Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège occupied those precious spots.

Unlike the hilly Flanders course and the heavily cobbled Roubaix, crosswinds often play a major factor at Ghent-Wevelgem, a 208km counterclockwise loop around western Flanders leading from the town of Deinze out to the North Sea and back along a route from the coastal town of De Panne to Wevelgem. Two major ascents each of the Monteberg (at 148km and 169 km) and Kemmelberg (150km and 171 km) will also play a pivotal role, and with 25km of paved roads from the final ascent of the Kemmelberg to Wevelgem, the race can remain wide open until the traditional final sprint. Twice in the past four years, the race has come down to a photo finish, with American George Hincapie narrowly defeating Leon Van Bon in 2001, and German Andreas Klier beating out Aussie Henk Vogels in 2003.

Hincapie (Discovery Channel), Klier (T-Mobile) and Vogels (Davitamon-Lotto) all return to the start this year in the town of Deinze, just southwest of Ghent, as does last year’s winner Tom Boonen, who handedly outsprinted Swede Magnus Bäckstedt and Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu, also both returning. With Boonen’s display of strength at Flanders Sunday, combined with his powerful victories at the Tour of Qatar and the E3-Prijs Harelbeke, he enters Ghent as the overwhelming favorite. Some, however, are questioning whether he might save some strength in his legs for Sunday’s more prestigious Paris-Roubaix, the “queen of the classics.”

Asked how his win in Flanders might affect his position for Ghent and Roubaix, Boonen answered, “I think I’m in the same position I was in before the Tour of Flanders. I think I was the favorite anyway, so it doesn’t change a lot. At Roubaix there will be the same riders as Flanders, and they will all do the same as they tried to do there, they will try to beat me. I don’t think it will change at all for Ghent-Wevelgem, but it all depends on the race develops and how the weather is. If it is a race like last year, there’s a good possibility that the race will end up like last year. I am feeling strong, so we will hope to control the race for as long as possible, and that is the most important thing to me.”

The Route

Bäckstedt is another rider that will start Ghent but is expected to save himself for Roubaix, while 2003 Flanders-Roubaix winner Peter Van Petegem will not race in Ghent.

But many teams will be looking for redemption on Wednesday, including T-Mobile, which had two riders in the winning six-man breakaway at Flanders and still couldn’t seal the win, continuing its winless streak of 2005. Second-place at Flanders, Klier will hope to repeat his 2003 Ghent victory, as will teammate Erik Zabel, who rode courageously at Flanders, attacking relentlessly until initiating the final break.

Also looking for a better showing this time around will be Discovery, which missed the key breakaways at Flanders and came away with a somewhat disappointing seventh place for Hincapie. Brit Roger Hammond, Russian veteran Viatcheslav Ekimov, Dutchman Max Van Heeswijk and Belgians Leif Hoste and Stijn Devolder will back Hincapie, the fourth-place finisher at Ghent last year. As at Flanders, Discovery comes to Ghent as one of the strongest teams, and anything less than a podium finish will be viewed as a disappointment.

But there are plenty of other teams looking for a spot on that podium. Davitamon-Lotto boasts Vogels, American Fred Rodriguez (who finished second at Ghent in 2002), two-time Ghent winner sprinter Tom Steels and his Belgian compatriot Nico Mattan. It’s an all-star classics quad the Belgian team brings, hoping to close out the Belgian early-season with a major win.

Another strong team that was shut out at Flanders is Rabobank, who will likely pin its hopes on Dutch compatriots Steven de Jongh and Karsten Kroon; missing is world champion Oscar Freire, to injury, and Erik Dekker, who is sitting out Ghent after racing in Flanders.

The American Navigators Insurance squad nearly pulled off its biggest win to date with Vogels in 2003, and hopes to put it all together this time around with sprinter Kirk O’Bee.

Another to watch for is Lampre's Alessandro Ballan, one of the main antagonists at Flanders on Sunday. Ballan won a stage and finished second overall at the recent Three Days of De Panne, and could light a fire at Ghent. Aussie Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) showed some form at Flanders, and could be a real threat in the finishing straight in Wevelgem.Results- 2004