Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium history | 2008 edition | 2010 edition

Ghent-Ghent, 204.5 km / 42.641 km/hr
164 starters / 144 classified finishers

Race Story | Complete results | Course map

Thor Hushovd wins the 2009 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The race: This was the first year the Belgian season opener was run as the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Originally, the race was called the Omloop Het Volk, run by the Flemish Het Volk newspaper. The paper's intention was to compete with the Nieuwsblad's Tour of Flanders.

In 2008 Het Volk ceased publication and merged with Het Nieuwsblad. As a result, the race was given its new name, but was still run the same, an early season race with lots of short, sharp climbs and enough cobblestones to keep things interesting.

Also, though this is actually the 62nd running of the race, the organizers count a couple of cancelled editions and we are conforming to that system starting this year.

It was a pleasant sunny day in late February when 164 riders left Ghent. The day's early break lasted until the Molenberg, the race's final climb.

More breaks went off and were caught. Two-time winner Philippe Gilbert was particularly aggressive, but his two major escape attempts that day were neutralized.

It was a late attack by Sebastian Langeveld and Heinrich Haussler that blew things up. Tom Boonen's teammate Sébastien Chavanel threw himself completely into the task of catching the fleeing duo for Boonen. Near the line the Langeveld/Haussler pair were caught.

Langeveld tried to get out of everyone's way by moving to the side of the road. He didn't see a speeding Filippo Pozzato speeding up the side of the road, causing the Italian to crash. Pozzato's crash also ended up blocking Tom Boonen.

But Cervelo had taken over the sprint and gave Thor Hushovd a perfect lead-out. The powerful Norwegian won the race with Kevin Ista taking second.

Complete results:

1. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) 4hr 47min 45sec
2. Kevin Ista (Quick Step) s.t.

3. Juan Antonio Flecha (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
4. Greg Van Avermaet (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
5. Marcus Burghardt (Columbia) s.t.
6. Frederic Amorison (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
7. Andreas Klier (Cervelo) s.t.
8. Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) s.t.
9. Niki Terpstra (Milram) s.t.
10. Tom Boonen (Quick Step) s.t.
11. Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom) s.t.
12. Bram Tankink Rabobank) s.t.
13. David Boucher (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
14. Nick Nuyens (Rabobank) s.t.
15. Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
16. Joost Posthuma (Rabobank) s.t.
17. Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) s.t.
18. Wim De Vocht (Vacansoleil) s.t.
19. Romain Feillu (Agritubel) @ 45sec
20. Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ) s.t.
21. Roy Sentjens (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
22. Robbie McEwen (Katusha) s.t.
23. Baden Cooke (Vacansoleil) s.t.
24. Geert Verheyen (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
25. Johan Coenen (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
26. Loyd Mondory (Ag2R) s.t.
27. Mathew Hayman (Rabobank) s.t.
28. Gabriel Rasch (Cervelo) s.t.
29. Cyril Lemoine (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
30. Nico Sijmens (Cofidis) s.t.
31. Koen Barbe (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
32. Cédric Pineau (Ag2r) s.t.
33. Gerben Löwik (Vacansoleil) s.t.
34. Peter Wrolich (Milram) s.t.
35. Michael Schär (Astana) s.t.
36. Matti Breschel (Saxo) s.t.
37. Stijn Vandenbergh (Katusha) s.t.
38. Yoann Offredo (FDJ) s.t.
39. Roy Curvers (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
40. Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil) s.t.
41. Brice Feillu (Agritubel) s.t.
42. James Vanlandschoot (Verandas Willems) s.t.
43. Rony Martias (Bouygues Telecom) s.t.
44. Staf Scheirlinckx (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
45. Nicholas Jalabert (Agritubel) s.t.
46. Serguei Ivanov (Katusha) s.t.
47. Bert Scheirlinckx (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
48. Martijn Maaskant (Garmin-Slipstream) s.t.
49. Marc de Maar (Rabobank) s.t.
50. Hayden Roulston (Cervelo) s.t.
51. Ben Hermans (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
52. Mickael Delage (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
53. Gianni Meersman (FDJ) s.t.
54. Filip Meirhaeghe (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
55. Alexandre Pichot (Bouygues Telecom) s.t.
56. Christophe Laurent (Agritubel) s.t.
57. Jacopo Guarnieri (Liquigas) s.t.
58. Kevin Neirynck (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
59. Sébastien Turgot (Bouygues Telecom) s.t.
60. Arnaud Labbe (Bouygues Telecom) s.t.
61. Roger Hammond (Cervelo) s.t.
62. Jeremy Hunt (Cervelo) s.t.
63. Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) s.t.
64. Fumiyuki Beppu (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
65. Preben van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
66. Koen de Kort (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
67. Kurt Hovelijnck (Quick Step) s.t.
68. Frank Hoj (Saxo) s.t.
69. Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Cofidis) s.t.
70. William Frischkorn (Garmin-Slipstream) s.t.
71. Kilian Patour (Garmin-Slipstream) s.t.
72. Arnaud Gerard (FDJ) s.t.
73. Stijn Devolder (Quick Step) s.t.
74. Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas) s.t.
75. Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) s.t.
76. Lars Ytting Bak (Saxo) s.t.
77. Murilo Fischer (Liquigas) s.t.
78. Daniel Oss (Liquigas) s.t.
79. Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step) s.t.
80. Maarten Wynants (Quick Step) s.t.
81. Kevin van Impe (Quick Step) s.t.
82. Bert de Backer (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
83. Kevin de Weert (Quick Step) s.t.
84. Enrico Franzoi (Liquigas) s.t.
85. Anthony Geslin (FDJ) s.t.
86. Frederik Willems (Liquigas) s.t.
87. Tom Veelers (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
88. Floris Goesinnen (Skil-Shimano) s.t.
89. Leif Hoste (Silence-Lotto) @ 1min 15sec
90. Stuart O'Grady (Saxo) s.t.
91. Jean Zen (Palmans) s.t.
92. Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) @ 1min 24sec
93. Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ) @ 1min 30sec
94. Sebastian Langeveld (Rabobank) @ 1min 35sec
95. Dmitriy Muravyev (Astana) @ 1min 41sec
96. Tomas Vaitkus (Astana) @ 1min 52sec
97. Joanthan Hivert (Skil-Shimano) @ 1min 57sec
98. Anders Lund (Saxo) @ 2min 36sec
99. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) @ 2min 59sec
100. Marcus Ljungqvist (Saxo) @ 3min 34sec
101. Renaud Dion (Ag2r) @ 7min 0sec
102. Wesley Sulzberger (FDJ) s.t.
103. Bert Grabsch (Columbia-Highroad) s.t.
104. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-Highroad) s.t.
105. Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
106. Thomas Fothen (Milram) s.t.
107. Maxime Vantomme (Katusha) s.t.
108. Nikolay Trusov (Katusha) s.t.
109. Bart Vanheule (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
110. Frederik Vuechelen (Vacansoleil) s.t.
111. Kaspar Klostergaard Larsen (Saxo) s.t.
112. Leonardo Duque (Cofidis) s.t.
113. Guillaume Blot (Cofidis) s.t.
114. Biel Kadri (Ag2r) @ 12min 32sec
115. Stefan van Dijk (Verandas Willems) s.t.
116. Stefan Rucker (Elk Haus s.t.
117. Mattias Brandle (Elk Haus) s.t.
118. Dieter Cappelle (Palmans) s.t.
119. Wilfried Cretskens (Silence-Lotto) s.t.
120. Vicente Reynes (Columbia-Highroad) s.t.
121. Bernhard Eisel (Columbia-Highroad) s.t.
122. Marcel Sieberg (Columbia-Highroad) s.t.
123. Matthias Friedemann (PSK Whirlpool) s.t.
124. Martin Müller (Milram) s.t.
125. Sébastien Delfosse (Landbouwkrediet) s.t.
126. Aurélien Clerc (Ag2r) s.t.
127. Gerald Ciolek (Milram) s.t.
128. Artur Gajek (Milram) s.t.
129. Aart Vierhouten (Vacansoleil) s.t.
130. Huub Duyn (Garmin-Slipstream) s.t.
131. Timothy Vangheel (Palmans) s.t.
132. Sven Van den Houte (Verandas Willems) s.t.
133. Sven Renders (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
134. Mathieu Criquielion (Verandas Willems) s.t.
135. Oleksandr Kvachuk (ISD) s.t.
136. Sébastien Chavanel (FDJ) s.t.
137. Dominique Rollin (Cervelo) s.t.
138. Tom Vanbecelaere (Palmans) s.t.
139. Thomas de Gendt (Topsport Vlaanderen) s.t.
140. Michael Friedman (Garmin-Slipstream) s.t.
141. Romain Villa (Cofidis) s.t.
142. Ian Stannard (ISD) s.t.
143. Frantisek Rabon (Columbia-Highroad) s.t.
144. Bolat Raimbekov (Astana) s.t.

2009 Het Nieuwsblad race map: