Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium history | 1999 edition | 2001 edition

Ghent-Lokeren, 204 km / 40.664 km/hr
195 starters / 66 classified finishers

A perfectly fit Johan Museeuw wins after a perfectly timed set of attacks.

The race: Unlike recent editions of this race, the 2000 edition of the Omloop Het Volk got off to a relatively easy start. The peloton was content to race slower than 39 km/hr for the first couple of hours.

There were eleven climbs in this race, the Molenberg being the last, confronting the riders with 55 kilometers to go. By this point the peloton had broken into three groups, with the best riders having made their way into the front group. Among them were Andrei Tchmil, Johan Museeuw, Franco Ballerini, Daniele Nardello, Tom Steels, Romans Vainsteins and Steffen Wesemann. 1999 winner Frank Vandenbroucke was initially with the leaders, but didn't have the horsepower to stay with them this year.

It was the patch of pave with fifty to go that did the job. Museeuw attacked. Wesemann, Knaven and Ballerini knew the race was being decided right there and were quickly on the powerful Belgian's wheel. The peloton never saw the quartet again.

Museeuw was enjoying extraordinary form that day. With thirteen kilometers still left to race, he attacked again, and there was nothing the other three could do. Museeuw drove home to finish, crossing the line nearly a minute ahead of his former breakaway companions.

This was Museeuw's first Het Volk win. A few weeks later he would go on to win his second of his three victories in Paris-Roubaix.

Complete Results:

There is disagreement regarding some placings, starting with 18th place. The superb Memoire du Cyclisme gives Jimmy Casper 18th rather than Lars Michaelsen. Both rode for FDJ in 2000. There are about five other placings for which there are differing records. I have done my best to post the most accurate possible results list.

1	Johan Museeuw	Mapei-Quick Step	5hr 1min
2	Steffen Wesemann	Deutsche Telekom	@ 52sec
3	Servais Knaven	Farm Frites	s.t.
4	Franco Ballerini	Lampre-Daikin	s.t.
5	Romans Vainsteins	Vini Caldirola-Sidermec	@ 1min 52sec
6	Tom Steels	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
7	Tristan Hoffman	Memory Card-Jack & Jones	s.t.
8	Andrei Tchmil	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
9	Jan Kirsipuu	AG2R Prévoyance-Décathlon	s.t.
10	Daniele Nardello	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
11	Jo Planckaert	Cofidis	s.t.
12	Kai Hundertmarck	Deutsche Telekom	s.t.
13	Chris Peers	Cofidis	s.t.
14	Mario Aerts	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
15	Andreas Klier	Farm Frites	2min 22sec
16	Stuart O'Grady	Crédit Agricole	s.t.
17	Jan Schaffrath	Deutsche Telekom	3min 14sec
18	Lars Michaelsen	FDJ	s.t.
19	Lauri Aus	AG2R Prévoyance-Décathlon	s.t.
20	Alessandro Baronti	Cantina Tollo-Regain	s.t.
21	Stéphane Barthe	AG2R Prévoyance-Décathlon	s.t.
22	Jean-Patrick Nazon	FDJ	s.t.
23	Bart Leysen	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
24	Ludovic Auger	Big Mat-Auber 93	s.t.
25	Oleg Pankov	Collstrop	s.t.
26	Guido Trenti	Cantina Tollo-Regain	s.t.
27	Martin Van Steen	Farm Frites	s.t.
28	Laurent Brochard	Jean Delatour	s.t.
29	Tom Desmet	Tonissteiner-Colnago	s.t.
30	Ronny Assez	Flanders - Prefektex	s.t.
31	Mirko Celestino	Polti	s.t.
32	Wilfried Peeters	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
33	Paul Van Hyfte	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
34	Roger Hammond	Collstrop	s.t.
35	Frank Corvers	Memory Card-Jack & Jones	s.t.
36	Nico Mattan	Cofidis	s.t.
37	Nico Eeckhout	Palmans-Ideal	s.t.
38	Thierry Marichal	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
39	Geert Omloop	Collstrop	s.t.
40	Ralf Grabsch	Deutsche Telekom	s.t.
41	Geert Verheyen	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
42	Simone Bertoletti	Lampre-Daikin	s.t.
43	Kurt Van Lancker	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
44	Fabian De Waele	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
45	Karsten Kroon	Rabobank	s.t.
46	Peter Van Petegem	Farm Frites	s.t.
47	Wim Feys	Palmans-Ideal	s.t.
48	Jurgen Guns	Vlaanderen 2002	s.t.
49	Enrico Cassani	Polti	s.t.
50	Hans De Clercq	Palmans – Ideal	s.t.
51	Steve De Wolf	Cofidis	s.t.
52	Fabio Secchi	Polti	s.t.
53	Michel Van Haecke	Tonissteiner-Colnago	s.t.
54	Kristof Trouve	Vlaanderen 2002	s.t.
55	Gabriele Missaglia	Lampre-Daikin	s.t.
56	Rolf Sorensen	Rabobank	s.t.
57	Paolo Fornaciari	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
58	Peter Farazijn	Cofidis	s.t.
59	Matthias Kessler	Deutsche Telekom	s.t.
60	Marc Wauters	Rabobank	s.t.
61	Frédéric Guesdon	FDJ	s.t.
62	Coen Boermam	Rabobank	s.t.
63	Frank Vandenbroucke	Cofidis	s.t.
64	Emmanuel Magnien	FDJ	s.t.
65	Jan Boven	Rabobank	4min 32sec
66	Christophe Mengin	FDJ	5min 4sec