BiciRace.com :: 2005 Gent-Wevelgem

2005 Gent-Wevelgem, Report

Gent-Wevelgem, Belgium

6 April

Mattan Catches Flecha and Wins the Gent-Wevelgem

Nico Mattan (Davitamon Lotto) has won the 67th Gent-Wevelgem. He countered Juan Antonio Flecha (Fassa Bortolo) in the closing meters to win.

Today the wind played havoc all day and tore the peloton into pieces. Devolder, Ivanov and Hincapie lost connection with the first group. Boonen drove hard and Hincapie packed it up. And for Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) it was a day better forgotten, he had a bad fall, adding to T-Mobile's slow start to the 2005 season.

As a light rain started, on the first round of the Kemmelberg, Quick-Step forced a fast pace for Tom Boonen. After the descent there was a front group of Boonen, Cretskens, Hulsmans (Quick-Step), Bennati (Lampre-Caffita), Walters (Navigators), Hayman, Kroon (Rabobank), Backstedt (Liquigas-Bianchi), Michaelsen, Breschel (CSC), Kirsipuu, Hushovd (CA), Eeckhout (Jacques), Steels, Mattan, (Davitamon Lotto), Cadamuro (Domina), Cancellara, Flecha (Fassa Bortolo), Adamsson (Barloworld), Cooke (FDJ) and Cruz (Discovery). But, the group behind wasn't giving up, T-Mobile and Phonak were trying to keep the gap manageable, as were Rabobank.

It was on the second pass of the Kemmelberg that the main winning group formed. In that group were Bennati (Lampre-Caffita), Flecha, Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo), Pozzato (Quick-Step), Hushovd (CA), Backstedt (Liquigas-Bianchi), Cooke (FdJ) and eventual winner, Mattan (Davitamon Lotto).

Flecha Powers, photo: Fassa Bortolo

Ten K to the line, Mattan attacked several times, to finally get a gap. He hammered and held the gap for some time. But it was Flecha who jumped and attacked hard when his small group approached Mattan. In the closing kilometers it was Flecha, followed by Mattan, and then Cooke, all solo. Flecha kept on the pressure and looked certain for a victory. But with 700m to go Mattan put in a massive surge to pass Flecha at 200m and take the win in the Gent-Wevelgem.

Results: 208K, 4:57'07", ave: 42.57 K-hr
1 Nico Mattan (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto
2 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Fassa Bortolo 0.02
3 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre-Caffita 0.09
4 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Fassa Bortolo
5 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole
6 Baden Cooke (Aus) Française Des Jeux 0.16
7 Tom Steels (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 0.18
8 Simone Cadamuro (Ita) Domina Vacanze
9 Erik Zabel (Ger) T-Mobile
10 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Cofidis
11 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Crédit Agricole
12 Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Liquigas-Bianchi
13 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Liquigas-Bianchi
14 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank
15 Gregory Rast (Swi) Phonak
16 Antonio Cruz (USA) Discovery Channel
17 Matti Breschel (Den) Team CSC
18 Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) MrBookmaker-Sports Tech
19 Vladimir Gussev (Rus) Team CSC
20 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) T-Mobile
21 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak
22 Ludovic Auger (Fra) Française Des Jeux
23 Lars Michaelsen (Den) Team CSC
24 Frédéric Guesdon (Fra) Française Des Jeux
25 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank
26 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step
27 Iñigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
28 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank
29 Nicola Loda (Ita) Liquigas-Bianchi
30 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) Quick-Step
31 Roy Sentjens (Bel) Rabobank
32 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Rabobank
33 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick-Step 0.31
34 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Quick-Step 0.36
35 Wim De Vocht (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 0.57
36 Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Quick-Step 1.08
37 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Rabobank 2.05
38 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak 2.55
39 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team CSC
40 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Lampre-Caffita
41 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Française Des Jeux
42 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
43 Unai Yus (Spa) Bouygues Telecom
44 Alessandro Cortinovis (Ita) Domina Vacanze
45 Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa) Illes Balears
46 Bert Roesems (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 2.57
47 Inaki Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
48 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak
49 Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Lampre-Caffita
50 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner
51 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Caffita 3.01
52 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick-Step
53 Eric Baumann (Ger) T-Mobile 6.57
54 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
55 Pedro Horrillo (Spa) Rabobank
56 Stefan Adamsson (Swe) Barloworld-Valsir
57 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Crédit Agricole
58 Henk Vogels (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto
59 Marco Zanotti (Ita) Liquigas-Bianchi
60 Wesley Van Speybroeck (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-T-Interim
61 Mauro Gerosa (Ita) Liquigas-Bianchi
62 Gianluca Sironi (Ita) Liquigas-Bianchi
63 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Crédit Agricole
64 Michael Albasini (Swi) Liquigas-Bianchi
65 Ludo Dierckxsens (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
66 Servais Knaven (Ned) Quick-Step
67 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto
68 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-T-Interim
69 Thomas Bruun Eriksen (Den) Team CSC
70 Allan Davis (Aus) Liberty Seguros-Würth
71 Isaac Gálvez (Spa) Illes Balears
72 Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner
73 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Barloworld-Valsir
74 Matthé Pronk (Ned) MrBookmaker-Sports Tech
75 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Caffita
76 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Cofidis 12.25
77 Siro Camponogara (Ita) Navigators
78 Hilton Clarke (Aus) Navigators
79 Jeff Louder (USA) Navigators
80 Josu Silloniz (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi