One sight we certainly didn't expect to see in the very first kilometres of the race was this. Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert working at the front of the main field. I guess that means that Sylvain Chavanel is OPQS' leader today.
An early breakaway eventually succeeded to escape. Quite surprising considering the names in it. Sebastian Langeveld (79 COB), Matthew Hayman (76), Tomas Vaitkus (76), Maxim Iglinski (75) and Maarten Wynants (75). No teams seemed to mind though, as there was no chase.
The pace eventually picked up though, and the peloton was down to just 19 riders with over 60 kilometres to go! Still OPQS in control, and still Gilbert at the front, taking a lot of turns for his team. Boom, Curvers and Docker were also still there, representing us.
A big shock then. Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd, one of the pre-race favourites, was unhitched off the back of the 'pack'. The line also snapped for American champion George Hincapie and Docker.
Not far later, we saw the first attack from the favourite group. It's defending champion Sylvain Chavanel who wants to try his rivals' legs up one of the un-paved climbs. No immediate reaction.
Chavanel quickly caught up with the five early escapees up front, distancing the main competition by over a minute in just a few kilometres! The French champion certainly does want another title in this race.
We then reached Geraardsbergen, where the next attack came. This time a punchy little kick from Nick Nuyens right at the foot of the Muur. Also Fabian Cancellara started to move now, possibly seeing this attack as a possible springboard for an own one.
The leading group and the favourite group melted together up the Muur, but Chavanel wasn't done. In the steepest part, just before the top, he kicked again, trying to build up his advantage again. Behind, Filippo Pozzato and Björn Leukemans tried to make the junction too.
Chavanel got company from Pozzato just as we hit the foot of the last climb of the day, the Bosberg. Also catching on to this move now was Gert Steegmans, who so far had been completely invisible.
Unfortunately for us, Boom really started to struggle near the top of the Bosberg. Together with Niki Terpstra and early escapee Hayman, he got gapped by the other favourites slightly, with a gap opening up.
To our delight, the gaps eroded when everyone was back together after the top. The names in the group were now: Nuyens, Franzoi, Pozzato, Cancellara, Vaitkus, Leukemans, Chavanel, Steegmans, Langeveld, Boom, Iglinski, Wynants, Hayman and Terpstra.
A really tired Boom managed to dig up enough energy to place himself on Chavanel's wheel just before the sprint was going to kick off. Leukemans was leading Franzoi and Pozzato at the front.
Franzoi immediately jumped around Leukemans once the sprint started, hitting the front. Boom completely exploded when Chavanel launched up alongside the front.
Out of nowhere came Steegmans, catapulting himself to the front under the Flamme Rouge. Pozzato seemed to be the only one with anything left in the tank to even try to close down the Belgian. Boom had gone boom and was now nowhere to be seen.
Not even Pozzato could close the gap, and Gert Steegmans could celebrate a dominant sprint victory. Pippo P and Nuyens was the fastest behind, taking second and third, with Cancellara and the hugely surprising Wynants completing the Top 5 today. An exhausted Boom could only manage a 13th.
Wow, great effort by Steegmans! Really surprising win. A bit unlucky sprint for Lars Boom but still a nice result, I think. Great race report by the way!
Very nice screens!
And I just realized that the name Boom (means "tree" ) looks awkward for English-speaking people Edited by fcancellara on 29-02-2012 22:26
Thanks! Great to see such support even without any notable result!
One week after de Ronde van Vlaanderen comes the French equivalent, Paris-Roubaix. It's in most people's eyes seen as even bigger and more prestigious than the Ronde, as it's older and includes much more paved road. Record holder for most wins is Roger de Vlaeminck, who won four in 1972, '74, '75 and '77.
Three men, Fabian Cancellara, Lars Boom and Thor Hushovd destroyed the rest of the field in the last kilometres, and entered the velodrome together. The God of Thunder then crushed the other two in the sprint for the victory. Veelers unable to repeat his Top 10 from the Ronde as 11th.
The course:
Unlike the Ronde, Roubaix is flat as a pancake. Well, more or less at least. But it's not famous for being a really hard hilly classic. No, it's famous, or maybe infamous, because of the brutal cobbled sections along the route. Some of them are in such bad shape it's hard to pass over them. A great race should be expected.
Project squad:
Boom will be trying to improve his 13th from the Ronde here. However, we're a bit worried that his not-on-absolute-top form might once again cause problems for him. Also Curvers will be looking for a result here, racing in a free role today. Docker and Posthuma will try to spice up the racing a bit.
After his incredibly strong performance and surprise victory in the Ronde, Gert Steegmans has to be seen as the big favourite here. Fabian Cancellara, Nick Nuyens and Sylvain Chavanel will all be dangerous too, hoping for revenge after their miss last week. Positive however, is the fact that many of the top names from the Ronde are missing. Filippo Pozzato for example.
A furious pace delivered by mainly OPQS and Radioshack in the beginning of the race shut down everyone trying to escape. Therefore still no breakaway when we hit the first cobbled section, after one third of the race!
More action was needed according to us, so halfway through that section, Joost Posthuma punched away from the front. As a bit of an outsider team, we thought that we needed to try some special tactics.
Even though the pace at the front of the main field wasn't especially hard, Posthuma struggled to stretch out the advantage his attack gave him. A few kilometres after the jump he was still just a minute in front.
Just moments later, we realized that the pace hadn't been that easy after all. All of a sudden, the huge main field was splitted in four groups! Fortunately Boom's good position placed him in the first of those.
Then we decided it was pointless for Posthuma to push on right in front of the first peloton, so we called him down to help the team instead.
We were of course not finished however. A minute later, we reached the infamous forest of Arenberg. Just as we entered it, Docker was sent away as replacement for the tired Posthuma. No lifted pace this time.
This proved to be a clever move. Docker quickly bounced out his advantage to over two minutes, with the gap still growing. Still, it was a pity he didn't get any company, as it's a nightmare to push the cobbles alone.
It took all the way until with just over thirty kilometres to go before the peloton started to chase. Lotto and Garmin began the pursuit, with OPQS soon taking over control.
A few kilometres after that, Juan Antonio Flecha kicked off the real race by being the first of the main favourites to attack. The peloton was on full speed now though, so no one cared to react.
That proved to be a good decision, as it was soon all back together again. Same for the day's brave man, Docker, who also got swepped up now.
All empty after the long solo ride at the front, Docker dropped right through and off the back of the peloton. Also De Backer couldn't take anymore now, leaving us with Boom and Curvers.
Onto the next cobbled section, and now even more action. Sylvain Chavanel was the man causing it, by jumping off the front. Immediately covering this was Fabian Cancellara and again, Flecha.
Even they couldn't resist the rampaging pace the peloton was riding at at the moment though, and it was once again all back together.
Not for long at all though, as Chavanel was off again on the next section, just seconds later. This time only followed by a surprisingly strong Lars Bak.
The company was only temporary though, as Chavanel proved way too strong for the rest, gapping the closest followers by about half a minute.
Unfortunately, this acceleration was too much for both Boom and Curvers, who was the stronger of the two today. Still a quite big group ahead, so a Top 10 seemed far away at this moment.
Meanwhile, Chavanel entered the velodrome still slightly ahead of the rest. Strangely, his own team mate Gert Steegmans was now speeding up behind, trying to latch onto the wheel of the man up front.
Curvers and Boom took the turn onto the famous velodrome in a trio also including Maxim Iglinski. All chances of a top result were now completely vanished. Too bad for us.
Back to the front, where we now had two OPQS boys, as Steegmans managed to claw his way up to Chavanel. Seems like they don't need Tom Boonen after all!
It was clear who was the stronger of them though. Once the sprint kicked off, Chavanel just blew Steegmans off his wheel like he was nothing. Behind those, Cancellara was coming back at them.
No one could come close to Chavanel though. He was most likely the strongest last week in the Ronde, but missed out, and now gets his revenge. Steegmans as clear second looked more disappointed for missing out than happy for his team.
In a photofinish, only Cancellara could stop OPQS from taking a triple, with Terpstra as close fourth. Hushovd back to his old self as fifth, with Nuyens in sixth.
Curvers and Boom finished alongside each other in 16th and 17th. Another very disappointing day for us. Let's move to the Ardennes now and hope for better results there!
Wow, OmegaPharma was dominating a lot here. Steegmans again on the podium and with Terpstra another man far in front. Didn´t expect something like that.
Pretty unlucky day for your team, as I thought Bos could do better but sometimes there is no luck. Anyway, I´m looking forward to the next reports.
I have to say those results are a bit more human from you Great reports and very unlucky as well, but with the previous results I'd still say cobbled classics had been quite an good success for your team. What a OPQS domination, Stegmans had to be in form of his life.
well even YOU cant win every race but nice results in the classics before the ronde especially the win from docker - now good luck for some better results in the hilly classics!
Pity Boom had no energy. 
