Fabian Cancellera of Trek Factory Racing won the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour Of Flanders).
The second monument race in the Belgian Classic series attracted a seriously strong field including Sir Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky as well as local favourite. three times winner Tom Boonen of Omega Pharma Quick Step and last year's winner Fabian Cancellera.
They signed in and took the start in Bruges for this 259.1km race which finishes in Oudenaarde.
Quickly out was Australian Luke Durbridge who crashed and was sent to hospital along with IAM Cycling's Martin Elmiger before the first break of the day came after forty kilometres and featured Stig Broeckx (Lotto Belisol), Davide Appolonio (AG2R), Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge), Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Sharp),Wesley Kreder (Wanty Group), Alexander Kuchynski (Katusha), Andrea Palini (Lampre Merida), Taylor Phinney (BMC), James Vanlandschoot (Wanty Group), Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen) and Romain Zingle (Cofidis).
Another early crash saw Garmin Sharp's Johan Vansummeren crash after hitting a woman who was crossing the road. The woman, a 65 year old was left with life threatening injuries according to Belgian Police and whilst Vansummeren left hospital, the woman was in an artificial coma, needing brain surgery.
pic.twitter.com/xxX6hgqGErTwenty kilometres later and this group had taken a lead of 5.08.
Appollonio has punctured and dropped out of the lead group, leaving ten riders up front with a four minute lead and 200kms of racing left.
The first of the seventeen climbs was the Oude Kwaremont which saw the ten riders out front crest with a lead of 5.21 watched by massive crowds.
The gap was down down by a minute as they reached the Eikenburg and the Wolvenberg with 125km to go.
Lotto's Jurgen Roelandts went down and looked in a bad way on the drive in front of a house just out of Mater.
Just after the two kilometres long Kerkgate section of cobbles, Tom Boonen tried to attack from the peloton but he quickly marked and soon sat up.
With 111,4kms, there was a big crash at the bottom of the Kerk with some riders hitting a fence. Stijn Devoler was one who crashed causing a concertina effect and halting or forcing a number of riders off their bikes.
Yaroslav Popovych crashed heavily as did Tony Gallopin and Gabriel Rasch of Team Sky as the race went into the final one hundred kilometres.
The lead group started to split and was down to six as Darryl Impey led the riders over the Valkenburg climb.
There was lightening and thunder as Orica Green Edge sent a man up the road in Docker who were 2.42 ahead with 85.5kms to go.
Docker was caught as Impey led the riders on the start of the Kaperij climb.
Gaudin of AG2R was next to attack from the peloton but was brought back to so Trentin, Quinziato and Berni Eisel of Team Sky went after the escapers, who were 1.07 clear on the Kanarieberg.
With 68kms to go, there was another crash in this punishing race which saw a couple of riders in a ditch and four kilometres later, Drucker and Martin Reimer of MTN Qhubeka hit the deck.
The pace was up as the riders hit the Oude Kwaremont fro a second time.
With the gap at 1.07, Kenny Van Bilsen made it to the Eisel group which was just ahead of the peloton which had Peter Sagan in the centre anf Team Sky's Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe handily placed with 54.8kms left.
Up front was Impey, Phinney and Stig Broeckx and they were clear of a crash with 52kms to go which took out a number of Tinkoff Saxo riders, plus a couple of BMC riders and Devolder yet again, who for the fifth time got back on his bike and carried on.
Phinney stormed up the Paterberg but their lead was only forty seconds and so it was onto the Koppenberg.with only Impey clear and 43kms of racing left on what was now a sunny day.
Impey was caught and Geraint Thomas attacked but was passed by Boasson-Hagen, Devenyns, Vandenburgh and BMC's Greg Van Avermaet on the Steenbeekdries.
The Taaienberg was next and Edvald Boasson-Hagen and Dries Devenyns were first over that with an eleven second lead over a group which included Peter Sagan of Cannondale, Fabian Cancellera of Trek Factory Racing, Tom Boonen, Nicky Terpstra and John Degenkolb.
Into the final thirty kilometres and onto the Kruisberg with van Avermaet and Vandenbergh off the front on the cobbles.
Onto the final climb of the Oude Kwaremont for a third time and van Avermaet and Vandenbergh were only 13 seconds ahead of Sep Vanmarcke and Cancellera and 23 seconds ahead of the group containing Sagan.
The Paterberg was the final climb of the race with 13.3kms to go. Vanmarke and Cancellera had the front two in their sights and caught Vandenbergh as van Avermaet crested with a ten second lead.
van Avermaet was caught with 10.8kms to go as Cancellera tried to buly the rest of the quartet into doing some work as behind them Alexandr Kristoff of Katusha tried to bridge to the front four.
Kristoff was joined by Terpstra but Van Avermaet, Cancellera, Vandenbergh and Vanmarke were 31 seconds ahead with four kilometres to go.
The attacks amongst the front four started with all four riders trying and failing to get away. Vandenbregh attacked down the left inside the final kilometre.
Like a track race, the riders tried to pysche each other out but with a hundred metres to go, Fabian Cancellera, suddenly went and won in 6.15.25 for his third victory in this race ahead of van Avermaet and Vanmarcke.
Geraint Thomas finished eighth.
Source: DSG
