BOONEN LIKE MERCKX 1

April 12 ^th 2009 - 19:21

The official start of the race was given at 11:05 under a cloudy sky but no rain for the 187 riders registered. Several attempts and falls occurred during the first 40 kilometres but not the slightest rider managed to break free from the pack. The first hour of racing was ridden at the fairly fast pace of 45.7 km/h. It wasn’t before kilometre 42 that a group of 11 men managed to take off including Maarten Wynants (QST), Kasper Klostergaard (SAX), Angelo Furlan (LAM), Steven Cozza (GRM), Gregory Henderson(THR), Yoann Offredo (FDJ), Wesley Sulzberger (FDJ), Joost Posthuma (RAB), Servais Knaven (MRM), Steve Chainel (BTL) and Andreas Klier (CTT). The front bunch saw its lead go from 20’’ at kilometre 48 to 1’15 at kilometre 82. The gap reached 2’ on Smukulis and 2’30’’ on the pack at kilometre 90. At the exit of the first cobblestone sector (n°27), the leading men had a 2’55 lead that then reached 3’35’’ at the exit of sector n°23 and 3’40’’ after sector n°22. Exiting sector n°21, Offredo failed to follow his companions after suffering mechanical problems and found himself 1’ adrift at the end of sector n°19 while the pack was at 3’15. The gap started dropping however as the pack that had caught Offredo moved closer at 2’45. The situation changed dramatically in the famous Trouée d’Arenberg (sector n°17). A group of 20 men led out by title holder Tom Boonen (QST) started pressuring the escapees as the gap dropped to 1’45 at the end of the zone. At the exit of sector n°16, a pack of around 80 riders had bunched up together behind the leaders who still had a 1’30 lead. The favourites (around thirty men) eventually caught the front riders in sector n°12. Five men were then to take off: Wouter Weylandt (QST), Kasper Klostergaard (SAX), Juan-Antonio Flecha (RAB), Manuel Quinziato (LIQ) and Heinrich Haussler (CTT). This group finally was caught back by all the top guns. With 50 kilometres to go, 15 riders pulled away. A few kilometres later, in the Mons-en-Pévèle sector (km 210,5), 6 men made the difference: Boonen (QST), Hoste, Van Summeren (SIL), Flecha (RAB), Hushovd (CTT) and Pozzato (KAT). Their lead went fom 45” at the exit of zone n°9 to 1’05 at the exit of zone n°7. Immediately after the entry of the Carrefour de l’Arbre sector, Boonen pulled away while behind Hoste, Van Summeren and Flecha suffered falls. At the exit of that zone, Boonen had a 10” lead over Pozzato and 35” over a group of three including Hoste, Van Summeren and Hushovd. Flecha who was forced to change bikes was dropped well behind at over a minute. Slowly but surely the gap between Boonen and Pozzato started increasing: from 15” at the exit of zone n°2, to 27” with 4 kilometres to go and finally 40’’ under the red flame. Boonen hung on to his lead and crossed the finish line triumphantly on his own. Beating Pozzato and Hushovd, the Belgian claims his third Paris-Roubaix in fine fashion.