The 89th edition of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic saw the emergence of Tom Boonen in the Flemish classics.[1]
This edition was run under clear skies and good weather. Even past the feared Muur van Geraardsbergen there were still a handful of riders in the front group: favorites Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) and Peter Van Petegem (Davitamon-Lotto), Erik Zabel and Andreas Klier (T-Mobile), Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo), and Alessandro Ballan (Lampre). Klier set the tempo to keep the group together for a final sprint, hoping for Zabel to win.
Given Boonen's reputation as a sprinter, he surprised his adversaries by launching a solo attack in the run-in to the finish to counter van Petegem's attack, after the Bosberg climb. Despite being chased by the two T-Mobile riders, he managed to take a solo win to Meerbeke.
