Hushovd keeps his distance from Petacchi.

Because of his second consecutive victory all the attention in Deinze is for the world champion Tom Boonen. The phlegmatic cyclist makes no secret about it that his wish is to win the triptych Vlaanderen – Wevelgem – Roubaix in one year, following the example of Rik Van Looy. Ex-cyclist and co-commentator Hans De Clercq makes his debut as course director for this 68th Gent – Wevelgem, Jo Plankaert is his driver.

A firm spring breeze tightens the first phase of the competition. After 50km Kenny van Hummel and Carlos Zarate take the offensive. But not for long, after an escape of about 50km they got caught up again. With the wind behind they drive past Moeren towards the hilly country. A flee from the young duo Vladimir Gusev – Bernhard Eisel near Stavele, is undone before the first mount of the Kemmelberg.

Under the leadership of Thor Hushovd and Fabian Cancellara the bunch starts mounting the feared Flemish hill in block.

A real breakaway is reached in the extension and the descending of the climb.

Under influence of our national Vansevenant a small group with a.o. De Jongh, Geslin, Cortinovis and Haselbacher succeed in making a breach.

All five of them reach rather quickly a lead of one small minute.

When passing the Kemmel for the second time the ‘peloton’ wakes up and the leading cyclists on top only have a 26” lead left on a long stretched group in which Tom Boonen is cycling at the end. A first bunch, of about 40 cyclists, but without favourites Boonen, Mattan, Steels, van Bon, Hoste and Devolder catches up with the front cyclists after 172km. Within no time the group with the world champion under influence of a strong Milram presence finds itself with an unbridgeable gap. With men such as Knees, Cortinovis, Velo and Zabel side to side, the last 30km seem right up the alley of the sprinter Alessandro Petacchi.

Trials of Vansevenant, Guesdon, and ex-champion Michaelsen are useless.

When Roesems at 15km of the finish line puts on a finishing spurt the Milram boys of Petacchi have great difficulty in catching up with ‘long Bert’.

At one km of the finish line Roesems is tired and Pozzato passes by like a rocket. It seems like the Italian is going for the championship but in the shadow of the tribunes the sprinting ‘peloton’ is there.

Hushovd was the quickest at the end before Kopp and a very disappointed Petacchi.

Staf Scheirlinckx is the first Belgian cyclist at the 21st place ...

RESULT: 193 participants of whom 121 are qualified.

1) Thor Hushovd (NOR), 210 km in 4h 53’, an average of 42 km 960m/h.

2) David Kopp (AUT)

3) Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)

4) Filippo Pozzato (ITA)

5) George Hincapie (USA)

6) Fabian Cancellara (SWI)

7) Bernhard Eisel (AUT)

8) Erki Pütsep (EST)

9) Allan Davis (AUS)

10) Kurt-Asle Arvesen (NOR)