February 25, 2012 (Gent, Belgium) – Team SpiderTech powered by C10 travelled north to Belgium today to partake in the opening race of the Flanders Classics race, the 67th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, to kick start the Belgium road race season.

First held in 1945, this race is traditionally held on the last Saturday of February, the day before the Kuurne-Brussels-Kurne. The Omloop is a marquee event on the race calendar and for many professional cycling teams. The 204-kilometre course featured 10 climbs and nine cobble-stone sections, some many kilometres long. Some sections of this course are also part of the course for the World Classic Tour of Flanders, which is held in April.

With big stars in the race, such as former World Champion Thor Hushovd and 2011 top-ranked World Tour rider Philippe Gilbert racing with BMC, everyone expected a hard-fought race with high tempos.

Unfortunately for Team SpiderTech and many more teams in the race, mechanical issues and minor crashes were frequent in today’s race. Keven Lacombe suffered two punctures, which hurt the team in its effort to be part of the key breaks.

Belgium rider Sep Vanmarcke of Garmin-Barracuda took the victory in the race, the first for a Belgium rider since 2008, when Philippe Gilbert had won. The victory ends the drought of a Belgium victory. As the record books shows, 59 of the 67 editions of the Omloop have been won by a Belgium racer.

Guillaume Boivin, a sprinter and identified leader, said: “I was just a bit too timid on the Taaienberg. I was held up behind a crash when Boonen attacked. Keven [Lacombe] did a great job keeping me in position today.” Boivin was the top SpiderTech rider to cross the finish line in 94th position.

Steve Bauer said after the race: “It was a classic day. This was a first for Team SpiderTech at Omloop. And the experience we gain every time we race one of these races is invaluable for the guys.”

Tomorrow, Team SpiderTech will race the semi-classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, another Belgium staple on the road racing calendar.

Be sure to follow the race on Twitter, with frequent updates from the team car, and play the first “Guess The Gap” game of 2012 to win some cool Team SpiderTech swag.

Results
1. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Garmin-Barracuda 4:52:34
2. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
3. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Esp) Sky Procycling
4. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:25
5. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6. Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
7. Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
8. Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
9. Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar
10. Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
11. John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i
12. Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team
13. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team
14. Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
15. Bobbie Traksel (Ned) Landbouwkrediet
16. Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar
17. Leif Hoste (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
18. Oscar Gatto (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
19. Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
20. Frédéric Amorison (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
21. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
22. Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
23. Bernard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling
24. Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling
25. Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
26. Ian Stannard (Gbr) Sky Procycling
27. Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling
28. Dominique Rollin (Can) Fdj-Big Mat
29. Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team
30. Matti Breschel (Den) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:36
31. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:41
32. Koen De Kort (Ned) Project 1t4i
33. Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:00:51
34. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
35. Andreas Klier (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:54
36. Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:59
37. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team 0:01:05
38. Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:01:32
39. Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:05:22
40. Kevin Hulsmans (Bel) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
41. Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) Team Type 1-Sanofi 0:05:30
42. Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Project 1t4i
43. Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
44. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team
45. Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team Type 1-Sanofi
46. Vicente Reynes Mimo (Esp) Lotto Belisol Team
47. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
48. Maxime Vantomme (Bel) Katusha Team
49. Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
50. Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
51. Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
52. Romain Lemarchand (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
53. Johan Le Bon (Fra) Bretagne-Schuller
54. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
55. James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
56. Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Greenedge Cycling Team
57. Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne-Schuller
58. Bjorn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
59. Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Greenedge Cycling Team
60. Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
61. Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar
62. Steve Houanard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
63. Anthony Geslin (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
64. Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar
65. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
66. Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
67. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team
68. Mickael Delage (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
69. Ole Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Fdj-Big Mat
70. Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
71. Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
72. Koen Barbe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet
73. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
74. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
75. Jeremy Hunt (Gbr) Sky Procycling
76. Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling
77. Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
78. Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
79. William Bonnet (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
80. Stijn Neirynck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
81. David Veilleux (Can) Team Europcar 0:07:45
82. Edwig Cammaerts (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
83. Markus Eichler (Ger) Team Netapp
84. Evert Verbist (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
85. Rob Goris (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
86. Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
87. Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
88. Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
89. Aliaksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Katusha Team
90. Jack Bauer (Nzl) Garmin-Barracuda
91. Baden Cooke (Aus) Greenedge Cycling Team
92. Dirk Bellemakers (Ned) Landbouwkrediet
93. Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team Netapp
94. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10
95. Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Team Netapp
96. Michael Schär (Sui) BMC Racing Team
97. Martin Elmiger (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale
98. Paul Martens (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team
99. Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha Team
100. Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
101. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha Team
102. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha Team
103. Mathieu Halleguen (Fra) Bretagne-Schuller
104. Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne-Schuller
105. Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
106. Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
107. Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
108. Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin-Barracuda
109. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda
110. Nico Sijmens (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
111. Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet
112. Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Esp) Rabobank Cycling Team
113. Kevyn Ista (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s 0:12:44
114. Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s
115. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Type 1-Sanofi
116. David Boucher (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
117. Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Farnese Vini-Selle Italia
118. Timon Seubert (Ger) Team Netapp
119. Christophe Laborie (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
120. Sander Cordeel (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
121. Andy Cappelle (Bel) Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s