Belgian solos for 53km to equal Roger De Vlaeminck’s record; Sébastien Turgot is first Frenchman on the podium in a generation
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) rode himself into the record books, and the legends of the greatest one-day race in the World, with an imperious fourth victory in Paris-Roubaix. The Belgian, who took the previous week’s Ronde van Vlaanderen in a three-way sprint, forced himself clear of the rest of the race favourites with 53km to go, and rode alone to the historic velodrome. With Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate Niki Terpstra disrupting the chase behind him, Boonen managed to open up a lead of more than one and a half minutes as he rode into the finish.
With four Paris-Roubaix victories, Boonen equals the great Roger De Vlaeminck’s 35-year-old record, and becomes the most successful Cobbled-Classic rider in history. He has also become the first rider to have won the Flanders-Roubaix double twice, and is the only rider to have won the two cobbled Monuments, Gent-Wevelgem and the E3 Prijs in the same season.
“I was not really thinking about these records or these victories,” said Boonen afterwards. “I was really working hard to be on my top level these two or three weeks. I was already happy to have reached this level and I didn't have any big crashes this year so far. When I started winning [E3 Prijs] Harelbeke I knew I would be good for others.
“When I look back on these two or three weeks, it's been amazing,” he continued. “It's my second double and I realise now I am the only one who did this 'double' two times. I realise now I am maybe be the best guy to ever ride on these cobblestones, on these roads. It's special, but think I need some time. My career isn’t over yet."
Boonen attacked with Terpstra with 56km to go, but his Dutch teammate was not able to follow the Belgian’s accelerations on the next cobbled sector at Auchy-lez-Orchies, leaving him a long, solo ride to the finish.
“I was not planning on this,” Boonen said of his solo win. “But when I arrived in front with Niki and he dropped off, I was thinking 'OK, I already have Flanders. Why not try to win my fourth Paris-Roubaix in a very special way?' I started battling myself. The wind was not really helpful, but with 30 seconds I thought 'OK, it's also hard for everyone else'.
On the last few cobbled sectors a chase group of Lars Boom (Rabobank), Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky), Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing) and Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat) formed, but could make no impression on Belgian. Ladagnous suffered a late puncture, and the remaining group of three was caught by Terpstra and Sébastien Turgot (Europcar) as they began the final lap of the velodrome. Turgot took the sprint for second, ahead of Ballan - in a photograph reminiscent of Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle’s 1993 victory over the late Franco Ballerini - to take France's first podium in the race since Frédéric Guesdon’s 1997 victory.
“I was only afraid there was a fresh rider coming, like Pippo Pozzato or Ballan,” Boonen said.
Rather than catch the Belgian however, the chasing group drifted further back, giving Boonen a final margin of victory of 1’39”.
"I was thinking a lot about my girlfriend [Lore Van De Weyer] who is working on our house," he said. “I thought about her a lot during the final and this victory is for her.”
A tailwind start sees the break go late
The race rolled out of Compiègne under overcast skies, with a brisk tailwind that meant the first hour was ridden at an average of 48.4kph, and none of the many attempts to escape the peloton was successful. After 67km however, Kenny Dehaes (Lotto-Belisol) and Frederik Veuchelen (Vacansoleil-DCM) managed to forced themselves clear; they were joined by Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack-Nissan), Veuchelen’s Vacansoleil-DCM teammate Bert-Jan Lindeman, David Boucher (FDJ-BigMat), Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank), Dominik Klemme (Argos-Shimano), Laurent Mangel (Saur-Sojasun), Aleksejs Saramotins (Cofidis) and Grischa Janorschke (Team NetApp) and the break of the day was formed.
As much of the peloton paused for a “comfort break” the break was allowed to open up a significant lead and, as they reached the first sector of cobbles at Troisvilles - section 27 - after 97.5km, the twelve riders were 4’10” ahead. Over the next few sectors the gap opened a little further, reaching its maximum at 130km - just past the race’s halfway point - of 4’35”.
A crash in the peloton on the Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes sector with 110km to go brought down a number of riders, including Guesdon, riding his last ever race. The 1997 winner was soon back on his bike however, but faced a fight to make his way back up to the peloton, which was being led by the BMC Racing Team; steadily winding up the pace and easing the breakaway back.
With 100km to go, the leaders’ advantage was down to 2”42”, as the decisive section of the race was about to begin.
The Arenberg Forest destroy the hopes of many as usual
As the leaders hit the famous Arenberg Trench, with less than 90km to go, their lead had dropped to little more than two and a half minutes. Janorschke spectacularly slipped on the damp cobbles and came down, bringing Van Keirsbulck and Popovych down with him.
Team Sky had led the peloton through the village of Arenberg, but as the cobbles arrived Boonen took over and began to string the bunch out on the terrible surface. Behind him, both George Hincapie (BMC Racing) and André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) punctured - as Dehaes did up ahead, making it a disastrous sector for the Belgian team.
Boonen’s teammate Sylvain Chavanel took over into the second half of the 2.4km sector and, as the the French champion rejoined the tarmac, the gap to the leaders was down to 1’45”. Behind him, the peloton was in pieces, as teammate Gert Steegmans came forward to take the lead.
The group up front had been reduced to just eight riders, thanks to the crashes and punctures of Arenberg, and, in response to the Omega Pharma-Quick Step aggression, Ballan, Flecha, Ladagnous, Turgot, Jimmy Casper (AG2R La Mondiale) and Maarten Wynants (Rabobank) fought their way clear of the front.
The counterattacking group quickly made its way towards to the eight leaders with 70km to go, but Steegmans put in a massive turn and led a group up to them. With 66km to go, as Steegmans was still fighting to close the gap, the break was finally caught, and Chavanel promptly attacked.
The French champion was joined by Turgot, Mangel, Ladagnous and Michael Schär (BMC Racing). The five riders did not get far ahead, thanks to a chase from Team Sky and Vacansoleil-DCM but, before they were caught, BMC Racing’s captain Thor Hushovd came down on a roundabout. The former World champion was the only faller in the strange incident, but his race was now effectively over.
Chavanel punctures but Boonen attacks
Just as the group was about to be caught, on the Orchies sector, with less than 60km to go, Turgot attacked, and disaster struck Chavanel as he suffered a puncture. Boonen chose this moment to attack however, with Terpstra on his wheel, and with Pozzato in tow the two teammates escaped. Ballan managed to fight his way up to the group, which in turn caught up with Turgot, but as they left the cobbles the Belgian kept the pressure on and the two Omega Pharma-Quick Step riders rode away from the others.
On the Auchy-lez-Orchies sector, with 53km to go Boonen left the former Dutch champion behind, and set off alone for the finish. A crash for Pozzato and Stijn Devolder (Vacansoleil-DCM) in the chase group behind disrupted its rhythm and reduced its numbers further.
With 40km to go Boonen had a lead of 40 seconds but, as another group bridged up to the chasers behind, it brought the Team Sky presence up to four. Terpstra was there too now though, and the Dutchman began to do what he could to block the British team’s chase.
In pursuit of Boonen were: defending champion Johan Vansummeren (Garmin-Barracuda), Terpstra, Boom and Maarten Wynants (both Rabobank), Ballan, Flecha, Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Mathew Hayman and Ian Stannard (Team Sky), Luca Paolini (Katusha), Ladagnous and Turgot.
It's Boonen vs Team Sky and the Belgian is winning
With 35km to go Stannard dropped back, having given his all, but as Boonen crossed the short cobbled sector at Templeuve with 33km to go, his lead had grown to 53 seconds.
On the Cysoing sector, as he passed under the 25km banner, Boonen forced his lead over the magic minute as he powered over the cobbles. Hayman was leading the three-man Sky train, but making no progress.
Flecha decided that it was time to take the front though, pulling Vansummeren, Ballan and Boom clear, just as Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana) and Matteo Tosatto (Saxo Bank) joined the chase group from behind.
On the tarmac roads on the approach to Camphin-en-Pévèle Boom changed his bike, climbing onto his cyclocross bike for the challenging last cobbled sectors. As Boonen hit the sector, passing 20km to go his lead topped 1’20” and kept growing.
Flecha and Ballan pulled away again as they hit the sector, with Boom chasing across once more. The Dutchman promptly escaped and began to close the gap a little, cutting it to 1’10” on the Carrefour de l’Arbre; Flecha, Ballan and Ladagnous were just a few seconds behind him.
With 15km Boonen’s lead was 1’09”, which grew again to 1’14” as he left the final tough sector at Gruson. Boom was caught by the three chasers, and Ballan was the next to give chase, but Boom and Flecha wouldn’t let him get away.
Podium dreams for Ladagnous disappeared though, as he punctured - having to take a wheel from the neutral service bike - and the others rode away from him.
With 10km to go, as Boonen rode across the railway crossing that saw Leif Hoste, Peter Van Petegen and Vladimir Gusev disqualified in 2006, he was 1’22” clear, which rose again to 1’33” as he hit the last real sector at Hem.
While it was not a tough sector, it had been the cause of many punctures in the past; having ended Museeuw’s dream of a fourth victory in the 2004 edition. With his team car right behind him however, Boonen would have had time for a wheel or bike change, but the Beglian suffered no such problems.
History awaits Boonen as the velodrome is in sight
The chasers were now no longer working together, as they sized up one another for the second step on the podium.
Into the final five kilometres Boonen was beginning to tire, having to get out of the saddle as he took each corner on the way into Roubaix. On the final drag up towards the velodrome the Belgian began to grimace through his Museeuw-style goatee, but on the descent down the other side he began to smile and pointed four times to the TV camera bike.
As he approached the final, gentle sector of cobbles at the entrance to the velodrome, he held up four fingers.
He sprinted around the first half-lap, raising his fist to the crowd as he crossed the line to take the bell, and stayed in the drops all the way around the final lap. On the finishing straight he finally sat up, raised four fingers again, and then both arms together as he crossed the line.
“The velodrome finish line, it's the only one where you can do two laps where all the people are," said Boonen. "It's the only finish line where you have one kilometre where you can bond with the people that are there. It's just just such a special race.
“Paris-Roubaix, only one race like it in the world,” he added. “A race like this needs a special finish. I think changing this finish line would be very stupid. It's almost more Paris-Roubaix - finishing here - than the cobblestones. I was really enjoying my two laps."
Boom led the chasing trio onto the track, but Terpstra and Turgot caught them, just as the took the bell. In the back straight the Dutchman opened up, but was passed by Flecha leading; Turgot came past with Ballan however, with the Frenchman taking the first home podium since 1997.