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Boasson Hagen wraps up Eneco win
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Columbia-HTC's Edvald Boasson Hagen won the Eneco Tour on Tuesday after winning the final stage, a 13.1km individual time trial in Amsfoort, the Netherlands.
The 22-year-old Norwegian finished ahead of France's Sylvain Chavanel in the overall standings after the Frenchman clocked the fourth fastest time in the time-trial in the seven stage ProTour race through Belgium and the Netherlands.
American Tyler Farrar, second in the overall standings, withdrew ahead of the final stage, saying he hoped to rest up for this weekend's start of the Vuelta a España.
Rabobank riders Sebastian Langeveld and Maarten Tjallingii finished second and third respectively in the technically difficult final stage, made even more challenging by rain.
"It's a fantastic achievement, my first in an important stage race. I'm very, very happy," said Boasson Hagen. "On this wet road you had to be careful but I had to take some risks all the same to win.
"I was really confident because I was supported by a very strong Columbia team."
That statement was echoed by Columbia sports director Tristan Hoffman, who said that the overall race title depended on a team with a focus on the jersey. "Without (teammates), winning wouldn't have been possible for Edvald, and he knows that. The Eneco Tour is a race which is always decided by very small margins, so that makes it hard to win and easy to lose, and a strong team like Columbia-HTC is vital for success."
Hoffman was also quick to credit Boasson Hagen’s performance in the final time trial for protecting a lead earned by the entire Columbia team.
"Edvald did a great ride. It was a very technical, tricky time trial with a lot of corners and speed bumps, but he still knew exactly what to do," said Hoffman. "The weather didn't help either. It had rained hard in the morning and then was starting to dry up in the afternoon, so it was very hard to judge your effort on each corner and how big a risk to take. I gave Edvald all the information I could, and he only slightly misjudged one corner. Apart from that he came through fine."
It was the eighth success this season for the Norwegian, including a stage of the Giro d’Italia. Boasson Hagen, however, will not compete in the Vuelta, which starts in Amsterdam on Saturday, in order to rest for the final races of the season, including the world championship at the end of September.
Boasson Hagen’s victory at the Eneco Tour takes the tally of wins for Columbia-HTC men's team in 2009 to 71.
Final Top-three
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (N), Columbia-HTC
2. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Quick Step, at 0:45
3. Sebastian Langeveld (Nl), Rabobank at 00:47
