All classifications
| 1 | Stuart O’GRADY |
| 2 | Juan Antonio FLECHA |
| 3 | Steffen WESEMANN |
| 4 | Bjorn LEUKEMANS |
| 5 | Roberto PETITO |
| » overall rankings |
Starters' list | Time schedules
The race
Sunday 15 April 2007| Paris (Compiègne) > Roubaix - 259.5 km |
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The newsflashes
17:11Flecha takes second place
Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain, Rabobank) was second, Germany’s Steffen Wesemann (Team Wiesnehof) was third. Bjorn Leukemans (Belgium, Predictor Lotto) and Roberto Petito (Liquigas) was 5th.
17:08O’Grady wins Paris-Roubaix
Stuart O’Grady (Australia, Team CSC) wins the 105th edition of Paris-Roubaix.
16:52Four behind O’Grady
Flecha, Leukemans, Petito and Wesemann are now chasing, 50 seconds behind O’Grady.
16:49Michaelsen crashes
Lars Michaelsen has crashed heavily in the Carrefour de l’Arbre.
16:46Flecha chases behind O’Grady
O’Grady is in one of the race’s classics, the Carrefour de l’Arbre (km 242.5). Flecha has left the chasing group to chase on his own.
16:44O’Grady now leads by 50 seconds
O’Grady leads by 50 seconds with 17 kms to go. The Australian looks ideally placed to become the first Australian to win the Queen of classics!
16:40O’Grady leads by 25 seconds
Stuart O’Grady leads the first chasing group by 25 seconds.
16:37O’Grady in the lead
Stuart O’Grady, who had joined the Flecha group with Steffen Wesemann, is now alone in the lead.
16:34Devolder attacks
Devolder broke away from the Boonen group to chase the leading group at the start of cobbled sector 6 (km 234).
16:33Van Impe and Kopp caught
Van Impe and Kopp were caught by the first chasing group with 25 kms to go.
16:30Boonen surges!
Boonen has deciced it was time to go in Cysoing (km 232).
16:27Boonen with Hoste and Burghardt
the 2005 winner Tom Boonen is accompanied by Fabio Baldato (Lampre), Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile), Leif Hoste (Predictor Lotto), Staf Scheirlinckx (Cofidis), and Stijn Devolder (Discovery Channel).
16:24Boonen reacts
Burghardt has counter-attacked behind Wesemann, quickly followed by Boonen. Title holder Cancellara has not been able to follow after Boonen’s surge.
16:22Wesemann attacks
Steffen Wesemann (Team Wiesenhof) attacks in sector 7.
16:18Situation of the race at kilometre 220
Leaders: Van Impe and Kopp
Chasing group: Breschel, Michaelsen, Flecha, Leukemans, Ralf Grabsch, Petito, Pollack.
Peloton: Boonen, Cancellara, Hammond, Hoste... 52 seconds behind.
Two men in the lead
Van impe and Kopp are alone in the lead after dropping Pollack (km 219).
16:10Ballan no longer in contention
Ballan is no longer with the other favourites as the race reaches sector 9.
16:05Boonen and Cancellara lead the chase
At the end of cobbled sector 10 (km 214), Boonen and Cancellara were together at the front of the peloton, followed from a distance by Hoste and Gusev.
15:58The three leaders in sector 10
Van Impe, Kopp and Pollack are now in sector 10 (Mons en Pevele).
15:54Four men break from the peloton
Four men, Flecha, Rosseler, Leukemans and Michalsen have parted company with the peloton and are now chasing what is left of the morning break.
15:48Peloton splits as Boonen raises tempo
Tom Boonen went up a gear, splitting the peloton. Backstedt and Pozzato are dropped.
15:45Three men in the lead
Kopp, Van impe and Pollack have parted company with the leading group sensing the chasing bunch were nearing.
15:37The bunch 35 seconds adrift
The bunch, including most favourites except Magnus Backstedt and Frederic Guesdon, is now 35 seconds between the 21 leaders at kilometre 196.
15:35The race in the new Marc Madiot sector
The race is in new cobbled sector 13, named after 1985 and 1991 winner Marc Madiot (km 194.5 in Beuvry la Foret). Madiot’s Francaise des Jeux team leader Frederic Guesdon, the 1997 winner, is unfortunately out of contention.
15:3021 riders left in the front
Twenty one riders are in the leading group and lead the bunch by exactly one minute at kilometre 191.
15:28Hoste and Michaelsen attack
Leif Hoste (Predictor Lotto) and Lars Michaelsen (CSC) attacked in cobbled sector 14 (km 190) but were reined in.
15:23The leading group in cobbled sector 14
The leading group are in cobbled sector number 14 at kilometre 188. The bunch are 1:40 behind.
15:18The bunch 1:55 behind
The main peloton, including all the favourites, were 1:55 behind the leading group at kilometre 184.
15:16Puncture for Backstedt
Magnus Backstedt, the 2004 winner, has punctured.
15:15Ballan and Burghardt in the peloton
Dropped in Arenberg, Ballan and Burghardt made it back in the Boonen group. A peloton of about 60 riders are now 1:50 behind the leading group.
15:04Grabsch caught
Ralf Grabsch has been caught by the first chasing group. His compatriot David Kopp (Gerolsteiner) is now in the lead.
15:02Average speed in 4th hour
The average speed in the fourth hour of the race was 38.6 kph. The overall average speed was 43.4 kph.
15:01All the favourites in the main bunch except Ballan
After Arenberg, a chasing group of some 25 riders has taken shape including most favourites: Tom Boonen, Peter Van Petegem, Fabian Cancellara, Leif Hoste, Magnus Backstedt, Filippo Pozzato, Vladimir Gusev, Philippe Gilbert, Juan-Antonio Flecha, Stefen Wesemann or Nico Eeckhoudt.
Tour of Flanders Alessandro Ballan is missing.
Boonen leads the peloton
Tom Boonen has seized the reins of the peloton in and out of Arenberg, imposing a hell of a pace which made a lot of damage at the back.
14:50Half a dozen riders crash in Arenberg
Half a dozen riders have crashed in Arenbeg, including three riders from Predictor Lotto.
14:48Peloton in Arenberg as well
The peloton tackled the Arenberg trench with a Predictor Lotto rider in the lead. Tom Boonen and Fabian Canceallara are in the front too.
14:46Chasing group in Arenberg too
The chasing group are in Arenberg too as Grabsch leads the peloton by 4:10.
14:43Grabsch into the Arenberg trench
Ralf Grabsch enters the Arenberg trench with a 1:25 lead over the chasing group and 4:40 over the main pack.
14:41Burghardt punctures
Marcus Burghardt has punctured. After his crash earler in the race, it is a tough day for the Gent-Wevelgem winner.
14:40Lars Michaelsen leads the bunch
Lars Michaelsen leads the peloton with his CSC team-mates and last year’s winner Fabian Cancellara. It is the Dane’s last race as he announced on Saturday he was putting an end to his career. Michaelsen, 38, won Gent-Wevelgem in 1995.
14:33Peloton five minutes adrift
The peloton was five minutes off the pace in Denain at kilometre 152.
14:30Grabsch only 10 kms from Arenberg
Ralf Grabsch leads by 1:15 with 10 kms left before the Arenberg "trench".
14:23Grabsch leads by 50 seconds
Ralf Grabsch leads by 50 seconds in cobbled sector 20.
14:1535 seconds for Grabsch
Ralf Grabsch now leads his 29 former companions by 35 seconds as he enters cobbled portion number 20 (km 144.5)
14:12Grabsch alone in sector 21
Ralf Grabsch leads his former breakaway companions by 10 seconds in cobbled sector 21 (km 142).
14:08Ralf Grabsch attacks
German Ralf Grabsch (Milram) has attacked in cobbled sector 22.
14:04Puncture for Pozzato
Het Volk winner Flilippo Pozzato (Liquigas) has punctured.
14:03Average speed in third hour
The average speed in the third hour of the race was 41.5 kph. The overall average speed was 45 kph.
14:02Latest gap 4:30
The lead of the 30 escapees at kilometre 135 was 4:30.
13:54Beppu crashes
Japanese champion Fumiyuki Beppu is discovering Paris-Roubaix the hard way. He crashed after cobbled sector 23 but can still claim to have become the first Japanese rider to have ridden on the cobbles of the Hell of the North. He made it back on his bike after his crash.
13:46Gap reaches 5:25
The lead of the 30 leaders - Breschel has made it back into the leaing group after a puncture - reached 5:25 at the end of cobbled sector 24.
13:40The leading group comprises 29 riders
Into cobbled sector number 24, Breschel, Roberts, Portal, Bacquet and Klier having been dropped, the leading group included 29 riders: O’Grady (CSC), Tosatto, Van Impe (Quck Step), Franzoi (Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), Bert Grabsch, Hammond, (T-Mobile), Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor Lotto), Valentin (Cofidis), Ralf Grabsch (Milram), Lhotellerie, Goesinnen (Skil Shimano), Putsep (Bouygues Telecom), Bileka (Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas), Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne), Kopp, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean, Engoulevent (Credit Agricole), Poulhies, Rousseau (AG2R), Irinondo (Eusklatel), Mikhailov (Astana), Wagner and Pollack (Team Wiesenhof).
13:37Gap increases
The gap between what remains of the leading group and the main bunch reaches 5:05 at kilometre 116.
13:32Gap reaches 4:45
The gap reaches 4:45 at kilometre 114.5.
13:30Into cobbled section number 25
The gap reaches 4:30 at kilometre 111. The peloton are now entering cobbled sector 25 in St Python (km 112).
13:29Hammond dropped from the leading group
Roger Hammond (T-Mobile) has been dropped from the leading group after a mechanical problem but he finally made it back.
13:24The leaders in the longest cobbled section
The leading group are into the longest cobbled portion, the number 26 between Quievy and St Python, which is 3.7-kms long.
13:21Gap stable at 4:10
The gap remained unchanged at 4:10 in the end of the second cobbled sector in Quievy.
13:20Riders dropped from the leading group
Portal, Klier and Bacquet have been dropped from the leading group in the second cobbled sector between Viesly and Quievy (km 104.5)
13:12Roberts punctures too
Luke Roberts has punctured too as the bunch are leaving the first cobbled portion.
13:09The peloton four minutes adrift on the cobbles
The main pack reached the first cobbled sector in Troisvilles (km 98) four minutes behind the leading group.
13:07Puncture for Klier
Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) was the first rider to suffer a puncture on a cobbled sector in this Paris-Roubaix.
13:05In the first cobbled sector
The leading group are tackling the first of 28 cobbled sectors in the race, a 2-2-kms stretch in Troisvilles (km 98).
13:02Average speed in second hour
The average speed in the second hour of the race was 46.1 kph for an overall speed of 46.7 kph.
12:59Gap reaches Four minutes as cobbles loom
The lead of the 34 escapees reached four minutes as the first cobbled sector was in sight.
12:53Gap reaches 3:25
The gap reached 3:25 at kilometre 85. Riders from Alessandro Ballan’s Lampre-Fondital team are leading the chase.
12:44Gap reaches 3:15
The gap between the 34-man break and the peloton reached 3:15 at kilometre 79.
12:40Hoffman: "Marcus is alright"
T-Mobile team chief Tristan Hoffman told www.letour.fr that Marcus Burghardt was alright despite crashing earlier in the race: "He has bruises and had to spend a little bit of time near the car to receive treatment because he hurt his shoulder. But he’s riding in the peloton and is alright."
Hoffman added he had given instructions for his riders to join breaks if there were any: "We have three riders in this break so the situation is ideal for us. Roger Hammond (third two years ago) is in great shape too."
Gap at 2:50
The gap between the 34 leaders and the main bunch remained stable at 2:50 at kilometre 66.5.
12:26A 34th rider in the break
Kazakh Guennadi Mikhailov (Astana) joined the leading group. There are now 34 riders in the lead.
12:24Gallopin: "Things are going well for CSC"
Team-CSC team chief Alain Gallopin refused to comment on his team’s tactics but told www.letour.fr he was very pleased with the race situation so far: "We have three men in the leading group (Breschel, O’Grady, Roberts) so it’s rather favourable for us. It’s good but all the leading teams have a man in the break. We shall wait and see."
12:19Burghardt crashes
Gent-Wevelgem winner Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile) crashed but was quickly back on his bike.
12:12Actually 33 riders in the lead
The leading group actually comprises 33 riders. Missing from the previous composition was Robert Wagner (Team Wiesenhof).
12:06Average speed for first hour
The average speed in the first hour of the race was 47.4 kph.
12:05Gap stable at three minutes
The gap between the Hammond/O’Grady group and the peloton is stable at three minutes at kilometre 49.
12:02The 31 escapees
Here is the reminder of the 31 escapees, who left at kilometre 31.
Breschel, O’Grady, Roberts (CSC), Tosatto, Van Impe (Quck Step), Franzoi (Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), Bert Grabsch, Hammond, Klier (T-Mobile), Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor Lotto), Valentin (Cofidis), Ralf Grabsch (Milram), Bacquet, Lhotellerie, Goesinnen (Skil Shimano), Putsep (Bouygues Telecom), Bileka (Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas), Portal, Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne), Kopp, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean, Engoulevent (Credit Agricole), Poulhies, Rousseau (AG2R), Irinondo (Eusklatel), Pollack (Team Wiesenhof).
Lead reaches three minutes
The lead of the 31 escapees reaches three minutes at kilometre 43.
11:56Ventoso gives up
Spain’s Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval) has given up after being involved in a crash.
11:52Composition of the leading group
Here is the composition of the leading group:
Breschel, O’Grady, Roberts (CSC), Tosatto, Van Impe (Quck Step), Franzoi (Lampre), De Groot (Rabobank), Auger (FDJ), Bert Grabsch, Hammond, Klier (T-Mobile), Steels, Van Avermaet (Predictor Lotto), Valentin (Cofidis), Ralf Grabsch (Milram), Bacquet, Lhotellerie, Goesinen (Skil Shimano), Putsep (Bouygues Telecom), Bileka (Discovery), Petito, Willems (Liquigas), Portal, Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne), Fothen, Kopp, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Dean (Credit Agricole), Poulhies, Rousseau (AG2R), Irinondo (Eusklatel), Gajek, Pollack (Team Wiesenhof).
Some thirty riders in the lead
A group of about 30 riders have taken a 15-second lead over the main bunch at kilometre 31.
11:37Race reaches kilometre 30
The peloton is packed as the race reaches kilometre 30.
11:30New attempt
After the four were caught, a group of a dozen riders broke at the initiative of France’s Sebastien Chavanel (FDJ) and Eric Berthou (Caisse d’Epargne), but the bucnh reacted and the break is over.
11:17Four riders in the lead
Four riders are in the lead at kilometre 12: Tristan Valentin (Cofidis), Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano), Mathieu Claude (Bouygues Telecom) and Rene Mandri (Ag2R).
11:15Many attacks
A few riders have attempted to break away, but all attempts were quashed. The riders invoolved were Mathieu Heijboer (Cofidis), Alexandre Pichot (Bouygues Telecom), Stephane Poulhies (AG2R), Hans Dekkers (Agritubel), Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano), Mathieu Claude (Bouygues Telecom).
11:11Blood tests before the start
Five teams and 38 riders were blood tested before the start. The teams were Saunier Duval, Euskaltel, Gerolsteiner, Skil Shimano and Team Wiesenhof. All the riders were declared fit to start.
11:08The two have been caught
Ravard and Gomez, gone at kilometre 2, have been caught three kilometres later.
11:05First attack
The first riders on the move today are Anthony Ravard (Agritubel) and Angel Gomez (Saunier Duval)
11:03Cobbled sectors
The race includes 28 cobbled sectors for a total length of 52.7 kms. The first sector will be reached at kilometre 98, at around 13:20.
11:01Real start given at 11:00
The real start was given at 11:00 to 187 riders.
11:00Five former winners in the race
Five former winners are in the race:
2006 – Fabian Cancellara (Team-CSC)
2005 – Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic)
2004 – Magnus Backstedt (Liquigas)
2003 – Peter van Petegem (Quick Step-Innergetic)
1997 – Frederic Guesdon (Francaise des Jeux)
In the press today
A few excerpts from what the Sunday press had to say about Paris-Roubaix:
In l’Equipe, last year’s winner Fabian Cancellara said: “My only rival is myself. My only fear is doing something wrong. When I feel good, I have a tendency to lose concentration, to try a little bit too hard especially as I’m dreaming of an even more brilliant victory, without all the controversy from last year.â€
2005 winner Tom Boonen told l’Equipe: “Paris-Roubaix is so special that you can not make plans. When I achieved the double with the Tour of Flanders in 2005, I did not realise the importance of my performance. Now, when I see how tough those two races can be, I understand all the things that were written about me.â€
Briton Roger Hammond, in a column in the Sunday Express, said: “Finishing second behind my team-mate Marcus Burghardt in the Gent-Wevelgem classic on Wednesday was fantastic. On a personal level it wasn’t quite as good as my third in Paris-Roubaix three years ago but, from a team level, it was excellent. The one-two came at the right time. We’ve been talking about this whole ‘team’ philosophy and we did it.â€
Jean-Julien Ezvan, in the Figaro, wrote : “The Queen of classics, an unavoidable date on cycling’s calendar, remains as fascinating as ever. Beautiful and cruel. Archaic and unique. Feared and famed.â€
Brilliant weather forecast
The weather is briliant at the start in Compiegne and is expected to remain dry and sunny all day. The temperature was 23 degrees at the start.
10:51Start given
The start has been given. The peloton will now ride for 4 kms before the actual start.
10:43Welcome on the 105th Paris-Roubaix
www.letour.fr welcomes you on the 105th edition of the Queen of Classics, Paris-Roubaix. Stay with us!