The 2007

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and orga ...

cycle race was the 91st edition of this monumental classic and took place on April 8. The day's break formed at kilometer 29 and included José Vicente García (Caisse d'Epargne),

Laurent Mangel Laurent Mangel (born 22 May 1981 in Vesoul, Haute-Saône) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2014 for the , and teams. Major results ;2004 : 1st Overall Tour Nord Isère ::1st Points clas ...

(AG2R),

Enrico Franzoi Enrico Franzoi (born 8 August 1982 in Mestre) is an Italian professional cyclo-cross and road bicycle racer, who currently rides for Italian amateur team ASD Salese. Franzoi was previously a member of UCI ProTeams and . Franzoi has won the Ita ...

(Lampre),

Maarten Tjallingii Maarten Pieter Tjallingii ( ; born 5 November 1977) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016. Career Born in Leeuwarden, Tjallingii's biggest win was the 2006 Tour of Belgium. A frequent partici ...

(Skil-Shimano),

Aleksandr Kuschynski Aleksandr Kuschynski (born October 27, 1979) is a Belarusian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2015 for the , , , and teams. Kuschynski was a three-time winner of the Belarusian National Road Race C ...

(Liquigas),

Evert Verbist Evert Verbist (born 27 June 1984) is a Belgian road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in term ...

(Chocolade Jacques) and

David Boucher David Boucher (born 17 March 1980) is a Belgian road cyclist, who currently rides for Belgian amateur team Acrog–Tormans. Personal life Midway through the 2013 season, Boucher – previously a French rider – became a naturalised B ...

(Landbouwkrediet). Shortly after the Berendries climb

Fabian Cancellara Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began ...

made a successful move to bridge up to the break and was followed by

Gert Steegmans Gert Steegmans (born 30 September 1980 in Hasselt) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was noted for a strong finishing sprint and could compete in the sprint with fellow Belgian cyclist, and ...

. The break was caught on the run-in to the

Muur van Geraardsbergen The Muur van Geraardsbergen (English: ''Wall of Geraardsbergen/Grammont'', French: ''Mur de Grammont'') is a steep, narrow road with cobblestones in Geraardsbergen, Belgium. It is also known as Kapelmuur, Muur-Kapelmuur or simply Muur. The hil ...

and on the Muur the decisive attack came from

Alessandro Ballan Alessandro Ballan (born 6 November 1979 in Castelfranco Veneto, Veneto) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI World Tour team . He is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships, in ...

, who was followed by

Leif Hoste Leif Hoste (born 17 July 1977) is a retired Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI Professional Continental Team team . Born in Kortrijk, Hoste's career highlights included winning two stages and the overall title at the ...

. Pre-race favourite

Tom Boonen Tom Boonen (; born 15 October 1980) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the and teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed in ...

() could not respond to the attack, perhaps due to his fall earlier in the race that hurt his knees and wrist.

Karsten Kroon Karsten Kroon (born 29 January 1976) is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for , a UCI ProTeam. He retired at the end of the 2014 season. Career Born in Dalen, Kroon showed his talent as an amateur by winnin ...

and

Tomas Vaitkus Tomas Vaitkus (born 4 February 1982) is a Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist riding for UCI Continental team . Vaitkus, nicknamed Tomas the Tank Engine, made his Tour de France debut in the 2007 edition but had to abandon after a serio ...

attempted to pursuit the two leaders but could not make it. The lead duo worked together during the run-in to the finale. Ballan opened the sprint and was overtaken by Hoste, who looked to have won it, but Ballan managed to catch onto his wheel and pass him just before the line.

Luca Paolini Luca Paolini (born 17 January 1977) is an Italian former road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2015. He started his sports career in the early 2000s by joining (2000–2002), UCI ProTeam directed by Patrick Lefevere. With ...

took 3rd, ahead of Kroon and Gusev. There was no

Quick Step-Innergetic Soudal–Quick-Step () is a Belgian UCI WorldTeam cycling team led by team manager Patrick Lefevere. The directeurs sportifs are Davide Bramati, Iljo Keisse, Klaas Lodewyck, Wilfried Peeters, Tom Steels and Geert Van Bondt. The team is nick ...

rider in the top ten.

Course

The course includes 18 listed climbs and 22 sections of

cobblestones Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fr ...

: · at km 96, WANNEGEMDORP - 400m cobbles
· at km 99,

LEDE Lede may refer to: * Lead paragraph (US English), the first paragraph of a composition Places * Lede, Belgium, a municipality in Flanders * Lède, a river in France * Lede Formation, a geologic formation in Belgium People * Marquess of Lede of ...

- 200m cobbles
· at km 100, EINE DOORN - 1700m cobbles
· around km 108, 300m cobbles
· at km 122, LIPPENHOVESTRAAT - 1200m cobbles
· at km 126,

PADDESTRAAT The Paddestraat (English: ''Toad Street'') is a 2.3 km long cobbled road in the municipality of Zottegem, in East Flanders, Belgium. The road is a regular location of the springtime cycling classics in Flanders. In 1995, the cobbled road of ...

– 2400m cobbles
· at km 128, ROBORST - 200m cobbles
· at km 134, (1)

Molenberg Molenberg (literally Millhill) is a former mining colony in the south-western part of Heerlen, southeastern Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , sub ...

w/300m cobbles
· at km 137, KERKGATE - 3000m cobbles
· at km 142, VOLKEGEM - 200m cobbles
· at km 143, (2) Wolvenberg
· at km 145, KATTENBERG - 1200m cobbles
· at km 165, (3) Kluisberg
· at km 173, (4) Knokteberg
· at km 180, (5)

Oude Kwaremont The Oude Kwaremont (English: ''Old Kwaremont'') is a road in Kluisbergen, a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The Oude Kwaremont, contrary to popular belief, is not the name of a hill, but the name of one of the cobbled roa ...

w/1500m cobbles
· at km 183, (6)

Paterberg The Paterberg is a hill in the municipality of Kluisbergen, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With its top at 80 m, it is one of many hill formations in the Flemish Ardennes, close to Wallonia. The slopes of the hill were unpaved unt ...

w/400m cobbles
· at km 188, (7)

Kortekeer Kortekeer is the name of an uphill road in the municipality of Maarkedal, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With its top at 88 m, it is one of the many hills in the Flemish Ardennes. The road is narrow with steep bankings on either si ...

· at km 190, MARIABARRESTRAAT - 2100m cobbles
· at km 192, (8)

Steenbeekdries Steenbeekdries is an uphill cobbled road in the municipality of Maarkedal, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With its top at 69 m altitude, it is one of many hill formations in the Flemish Ardennes, in the south of East-Flanders. Th ...

w/800m cobbles
· at km 194, (9)

Taaienberg The Taaienberg is a hill in the municipality of Maarkedal, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With its top at 90 m, it is one of many hill formations in the Flemish Ardennes, in the south of East-Flanders. The slopes of the hill are pa ...

w/800m cobbles
· at km 196, ONDERBOSSENAARSTR - 200m & 300m cobbles
· at km 199, (10)

Eikenberg The Eikenberg (English: ''Oak Hill'') is a hill and road in the municipality of Maarkedal, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With an 82 m altitude top, it is one of many hill formations in the Flemish Ardennes, in the south of East ...

w/1200m cobbles
· at km 203, (11) Boigneberg
· at km 208, HAAGHOEK - 2000m cobbles
· at km 211, (12)

Leberg The Leberg is a hill and uphill street in Elst, part of the municipality of Brakel, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Its top is at 99 m altitude, making it one of the highest hills of the Zwalm region, just north of the Flemish Ar ...

· at km 215, (13)

Berendries The Berendries is an uphill street in Michelbeke, part of the municipality of Brakel, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Its top is at 98 m altitude, making it the highest hill of the Zwalm region, just north of the Flemish Ardennes ...

· at km 220, (14) Valkenberg
· at km 226, (15) Tenbosse
· at km 232, (16) Eikenmolen
· at km 241, VESTEN – 700m cobbles
· at km 243, (17) Muur – Kapelmuur w/700m cobbles
· at km 247, (18)

Bosberg The Bosberg (English: ''Forest Hill'') is a hill in the Pajottenland in Belgium with its top located on the border of East Flanders and Flemish Brabant. The road leading to the top is surfaced in concrete in the lower parts and cobbled in the stee ...

w/400m cobbles

General standings

2007-04-08: Brugge-Meerbeke, 255 km.

External links

*
Cyclingnews.com results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tour of Flanders, 2007 2007 UCI ProTour 2007 2007 in Belgian sport