Boonen Takes Ghent-Wevelgem

Last updated : 27 March 2011 By Kev Monks

Tom Boonen got past Brit Ian Stannard to take the Ghent-Wevelgem classic race this afternoon.

Team Sky's Ian Stannard was in the group which broke after thirty five of the 201km race which started in Denize to go, along with Quick Step's Sylvain Chavanel and Liquigas' Peter Sagan and Maciej Bodnar.

Mark Cavendish was trying to catch Stannard, following a puncture and then after being brought back to the front, he was forced to break hard as Britain's Jeremy Hunt rode into a ditch to avoid two Movistar riders who had crashed. 

Stannard avoided this drama but Boonen caught him as did the sprinters to take the race.

Daniele Bennati finished second with Tyler Farrar in third and Andre Greipel in fourth.

Stannard refused to admit this was a missed opportunity for a victory and told cyclingweekly.com: "I just thought I'd go and try to stay in until the end. "We kept our time gap right at 25 seconds, that was kind of cool. "Missed opportunity? I gave it all I had to get the opportunity, so I wouldn't say it was missed."

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In Corsica, Simon Geschke has won the second stage of the Critérium International. The German Skil-Shimano rider was the fastest in the morning stage that ended in a peloton sprint. Geschke beat the Brazilian Murilo Fischer (Garmin-Cervelo). 

The final stage was a time trial and saw Bradley Wiggins just miss out on a victory.

The Team Sky rider (pictured above) was beaten by two seconds by Andreas Klodden and it was Frank Schleck who did enough to ensure that he won the race overall.

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Emma Pooley won the opening round of the Women's World Cup when rode home first in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in Italy on Sunday.

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Alberto Contador (pictured below) has won the Volta a Catalunya. Contador was in the peleton for the final stage which was won by Cofdis' Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) ahead of Rigoberto Uran Kenny De Haes (Omega Pharma) in Barcelona.

Ireland's Danny Martin finished third overall

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Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM & Jeff Matthews.