Weylandts’ Nokere-Koerse victory shows Quick Step’s depth
Quick Step is so deep in talent on its classics team it can put up a half-dozen candidates for victory. With the team’s big stars Tom Boonen and Paolo Bettini resting their guns for Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, other riders are getting a chance to step into the spotlight. Last week, it was Gert Steegmans winning two stages at Paris-Nice.
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By Andrew Hood
Quick Step is so deep in talent on its classics team it can put up a half-dozen candidates for victory.
With the team’s big stars Tom Boonen and Paolo Bettini resting their guns for Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, other riders are getting a chance to step into the spotlight. Last week, it was Gert Steegmans winning two stages at Paris-Nice.
On Wednesday in the 63rd Nokere-Koerse in Belgium, rising star Wouter Weylandt took advantage of his opportunity.
The 23-year-old easily out-kicked the pack in the 196km course through cool and windy weather to claim the mid-week semi-classic for his first win this season.
“I’m very happy with this victory. Today was a difficult race, conditioned by the strong wind and bitter cold. The team was super and they put me in the best position for the final sprint,” Weylandt said. “On Easter, I’ll be racing the Ronde Van Groen Hart-Utrech, where I already won last year. This result even gives me more confidence for (Waregem) on March 26, a very important race in which I want to do well.”
Three riders tried their luck early, with David Boucher, Sep Vanmarcke and Bjorn Papstein peeling away at 50km. The trio opened up a gap of more than 10 minutes before the sprinter teams got busy with the chase.
With 45km to go, the gap was down to three minutes and Vanmarcke fought to the end, but the main pack swallowed him up to set up the mass sprint.
Weylandt — a fourth-year pro who enjoyed a breakthrough season last year with five wins – made easy work of his rivals to snag the victory. Coming through second was Jurgen Roelandts (Silence-Lotto) while Andre Greipel (High Road) slotted in for third. American John Devine (High Road) came through 33rd with the main pack.
Results
1. Wouter Weylandt BEL Quickstep
2. Jurgen Roelandts BEL Silence – Lotto
3. Andre Greipel GER Team High Road
4. Bobbie Traksel NED Cyclingteam P3transfer – Batavus
5. Sjef De Wilde BEL Willems Verandas
6. Yauheni Hutarovich BLR Francaise des Jeux
7. Niko Eeckhout BEL Topsport Vlaanderen
8. Fabien Bacquet FRA Skil-Shimano
9. Frederic Amorison BEL Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
10. Dennis Pohl GER Team C3 Gruppe
11. Bert De Waele BEL Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
12. Matthias Friedemann GER Team C3 Gruppe
13. Johan Coenen BEL Topsport Vlaanderen
14. Mark Renshaw AUS Crédit Agricole
15. Tom Veelers NED Skil-Shimano
16. Johann Offredo FRA Francaise des Jeux
17. Daniel Lloyd GBR An Post -M.Donnelly-Grant thornton -Sean Kelly Team
18. Rene Joergensen DEN Designa Køkken
19. Mathieu Criquielion BEL Mitsubishi-Jartazi
20. Johnny Hoogerland NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
21. Kurt Hovelijnck BEL Topsport Vlaanderen
22. Paidi O’Brien IRL An Post -M.Donnelly-Grant thornton -Sean Kelly Team
23. Geert Steurs BEL Silence – Lotto
24. Tobias Erler GER Team C3 Gruppe
25. Bauke Mollema NED Rabobank
26. Kristof De Zutter BEL Willems Verandas
27. Stefan Ganser GER Team Kuota – Senges
28. Jan Kuyckx BEL Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
29. Gennady Mikhaylov BEL Mitsubishi-Jartazi
30. Wim De Vocht BEL Silence – Lotto
31. Aart Vierhouten NED Cyclingteam P3transfer – Batavus
32. Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR Team High Road
33. John Devine USA Team High Road
34. Stefan van Dijk NED Mitsubishi-Jartazi
35. Tomas Buchacek CZE PSK Whirlpool-Author
36. Stijn Ennekens BEL Willems Verandas op 20 sec.
37. Janek Tombak EST Mitsubishi-Jartazi
38. Andreas Klier GER Team High Road
39. Dmytro Grabowskyy UKR Quickstep
40. Bastiaan Gilling NED Cycle-Collstrop
41. Steffen Wesemann GER Cycle-Collstrop
42. Frantisek Rabon CZE Team High Road
43. Romain Zingle BEL groupegobert.com CT
44. Yannick Talabardon FRA Crédit Agricole
45. Tom Criel BEL Cycle-Collstrop op 31 sec.
46. Matthe Pronk NED Cycle-Collstrop op 34 sec.
47. James Vanlandschoot BEL Mitsubishi-Jartazi
48. Koen Barbe BEL Topsport Vlaanderen
49. Arnaud Gerard FRA Francaise des Jeux
50. David Kopp GER Cycle-Collstrop
51. Jean-Paul Simon BEL Josan-Mercedes Benz – Aalst Cycling Team op 40 sec.
52. Igor Abakoumov RUS Mitsubishi-Jartazi
53. Michiel Elijzen NED Rabobank
54. Kenny Van Braeckel BEL Willems Verandas
55. Kevin Hulsmans BEL Quickstep
56. Quincy Vens BEL Davitamon-Win for Life-Jong Vlaanderen
57. Bjorn Papstein GER Team C3 Gruppe
58. Justas Volungevicius LTU Rietumu Bank – Riga
59. Rike Dijkxhoorn NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
60. Kasper Jebjerg DEN Designa Køkken
61. Arnoud Van Groen NED Cyclingteam P3transfer – Batavus
62. Jérémy Roy FRA Francaise des Jeux
63. Maarten Den Bakker NED Skil-Shimano
64. Laszlo Bodrogi HUN Crédit Agricole
65. Kenny Van Hummel NED Skil-Shimano
66. Kristof Vandewalle BEL Topsport Vlaanderen
67. Wim Botman NED Cyclingteam P3transfer – Batavus
68. Philip Meirhaeghe BEL Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
69. Tom Leezer NED Rabobank
70. Greg Van Aevermaet BEL Silence – Lotto
71. Thomas Bodo FRA Differdange – Apiflo Vacances
72. Bram Schmitz NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
73. Ivor Bruin NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
74. Jan Boven NED Rabobank
75. Geert Omloop BEL Mitsubishi-Jartazi
76. Dimitri Claeys BEL Davitamon-Win for Life-Jong Vlaanderen
77. Detlef Moerman BEL Willems Verandas
78. Viktor Folkesson SWE An Post -M.Donnelly-Grant thornton -Sean Kelly Team
79. Markku Ainsalu EST Rietumu Bank – Riga
80. Jonathan Hivert FRA Crédit Agricole
81. Maurice Vrijmoed NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
82. Maxime Mederel FRA Crédit Agricole
83. Arturs Ansons LAT Rietumu Bank – Riga
84. Rene Obst GER Team C3 Gruppe
85. Timothy Vangheel BEL Cyclingteam P3transfer – Batavus
86. Pieter Jacobs BEL Silence – Lotto
87. Vojtech Dlouhy CZE PSK Whirlpool-Author
88. Bert Roesems BEL Silence – Lotto
89. Sebastien Rosseler BEL Quickstep
90. David Boucher FRA Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
91. Hubert Schwab SUI Quickstep
92. Andre Schulze CZE PSK Whirlpool-Author
93. Leonardo Scarselli ITA Quickstep
94. Sebastian Forke GER Team C3 Gruppe
95. Bram De Groot NED Rabobank
96. Dennis Kreder NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
97. Emmanuel Ruitenbeek NED Van Vliet – EBH Elshof
98. Laurens Ten Dam NED Rabobank
99. Nick Gates AUS Silence – Lotto
100. Martin Mares CZE PSK Whirlpool-Author
101. Rick Flens NED Rabobank op 2min. 16 sec.
102. Kenny Lisabeth BEL An Post -M.Donnelly-Grant thornton -Sean Kelly Team op 2min. 57sec.
103. Stanislav Kozubek CZE PSK Whirlpool-Author op 3min.01sec.
104. Kevin Neirynck BEL Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner op 3min. 59 sec.