Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium history | 2000 edition | 2002 edition

Ghent-Lokeren, 200 km / 41.096 km/hr
196 starters / 70 classified finishers

Results | Photos

Michele Bartoli wins the opening Belgian race of the 2001 season wearing the Italian Champion's jersey.

The race: The 2001 edition of the Omloop Het Volk, the first big Belgian race of the season, had nine rated ascents and 18 kilometers of cobblestones. That was more than enough to test the peloton.

After eighteen kilometers of racing, seven riders were finally able to get clear of the peloton. They were kept on a short leash and by the 84th kilometer at the Muur van Geraardsbergen (or Mur de Grammont in French), the septet had a gap of four minutes.

That was close enough for riders like Michele Bartoli and Andrei Tchmil to bridge across. Others followed and after 120 kilometers of racing, the front group had swelled to 17.

Soon the front group was hammered by attack after attack. No one stayed off the front of that group for long, but seven were dropped.

And still the attacks kept coming. And still, no one could get away.

Michele Bartoli led out the sprint, crossing the line first. He thought this was sign of a superb season to come. But that was Bartoli's only big win in 2001. 2002 saw Bartoli get five big wins, including Amstel Gold and the Tour of Lombardy.

Complete Results:

1	Michele Bartoli	Mapei-Quick Step	4hr 52min
2	Hendrik Van Dyck	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
3	Matthé Pronk	Rabobank	s.t.
4	Arvis Piziks	CSC-World Online	s.t.
5	Fabian De Waele	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
6	Daniele Nardello	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
7	Maarten Den Bakker	Rabobank	s.t.
8	Paul Van Hyfte	Lotto-Adecco	@ 18sec
9	Didier Rous	Bonjour	@ 2min 15sec
10	Pieter Vries	BankGiroLoterij-Batavus	2'58''
11	Hans De Meester	Collstrop-Palmans	5'49''
12	Frank Høj	Team Coast	s.t.
13	Andreas Klier	Deutsche Telekom	s.t.
14	Mauro Radaelli	Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola	s.t.
15	Emmanuel Magnien	FDJ	s.t.
16	Peter Van Petegem	Mercury-Viatel	s.t.
17	Gianluca Bortolami	Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola	s.t.
18	Rolf Sørensen	CSC-World Online	s.t.
19	Sergey Ivanov	Fassa Bortolo	s.t.
20	Geert Omloop	Collstrop-Palmans	s.t.
21	Nico Eeckhout	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
22	Hans De Clercq	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
23	Fabrice Salanson	Bonjour	s.t.
24	Ivan Basso	Fassa Bortolo	s.t.
25	Peter Farazijn	Cofidis	s.t.
26	Gordon McCauley	Landbouwkrediet-Colnago	11'02''
27	Denis Lunghi	Colpack Astro	s.t.
28	Lars Michaelsen	Team Coast	s.t.
29	Roger Hammond	Collstrop-Palmans	s.t.
30	Michel Van Haecke	Landbouwkrediet-Colnago	s.t.
31	Tom Desmet	BankGiroLoterij-Batavus	s.t.
32	Frédéric Guesdon	FDJ	s.t.
33	Alessandro Cortinovis	Colpack Astro	s.t.
34	Jan Schaffrath	Deutsche Telekom	s.t.
35	Christophe Mengin	FDJ	s.t.
36	Andrei Tchmil	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
37	Koen Beeckman	CSC-World Online	s.t.
38	Andrej Hauptman	Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola	s.t.
39	Tom Flammang	Cofidis	s.t.
40	Ludovic Capelle	AG2R Prévoyance-Décathlon	s.t.
41	Thierry Marichal	Lotto-Adecco	s.t.
42	Nicolay Bo Larsen	CSC-World Online	s.t.
43	Kim Kirchen	Fassa Bortolo	s.t.
44	Aart Vierhouten	Rabobank	s.t.
45	Sven Nys	Rabobank	s.t.
46	Bart Voskamp	BankGiroLoterij-Batavus	s.t.
47	Bert Hiemstra	BankGiroLoterij-Batavus	s.t.
48	Max Van Heeswijk	Domo-Farm Frites-Latexco	s.t.
49	Bart Leysen	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
50	Jurgen Van Roosbroeck	Vlaanderen-T Interim	s.t.
51	Thor Hushovd	Crédit Agricole	s.t.
52	Stuart O'Grady	Crédit Agricole	s.t.
53	Roberto Petito	Fassa Bortolo	s.t.
54	Bert Scheirlinckx	Collstrop-Palmans	s.t.
55	Jo Planckaert	Cofidis	s.t.
56	Matthias Kessler	Deutsche Telekom	s.t.
57	Matteo Tosatto	Fassa Bortolo	s.t.
58	Ludo Dierckxsens	Lampre-Daikin	s.t.
59	Wilfried Peeters	Domo-Farm Frites-Latexco	s.t.
60	Jurgen Guns	Vlaanderen-T Interim	s.t.
61	Paolo Bossoni	Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola	s.t.
62	Chris Peers	Cofidis	s.t.
63	Nico Mattan	Cofidis	s.t.
64	Raphael Schweda	Team Coast	s.t.
65	Wim Vansevenant	Mercury-Viatel	s.t.
66	Stefano Zanini	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
67	Geert Van Bondt	Mercury-Viatel	s.t.
68	Luca Scinto	Mapei-Quick Step	s.t.
69	Zbigniew Spruch	Lampre-Daikin	s.t.
70	Romans Vainsteins	Domo-Farm Frites-Latexco	s.t.

2001 Het Volk Race photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Michele Bartoli on the Grammont

There was enough painful Pavé to break things up.

Maruo Radaelli (Tacconi Sport) and Bartoli round a corner.

The race is Bartoli's. Lotto's Hendrik van Dyck is second.

And Bartoli gets the big trophy