Eneco Tour 2008 - 2

The eight day Eneco Tour started on Wednesday August 20 with a prologue in Sittard and ends a week later in Mechelen, Belgium, with a time trial. The race begins in the Netherlands and Belgium taking in some iconic sections of historic road such as the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg.

Stage 2 Roermond/Nieuwegein (NL) (173,3 km)
Stage two was held in very wet conditions making the dodging of street furniture very difficult, but not impossible.

At the line Team Columbia out foxed Quick Step in the mass sprint to see André Greipel win.

Five riders had gone clear early on and held off the pack until the final kilometres, the five that had to give up the ghost were - David Deroo (Skil Shimano), Artur Gajek (Milram), Matheus Pronk (Collstrop), Ermanno Capelli (Scott/American Beef) and Javier Aramendia Lorente (Euskatel).

As the five were about to be caught Gajek jumped clear, but he was soon scooped up. The run to the line at Nieuwegein saw the sprint teams Team Columbia, Quickstep and Liquigas to the fore and from the mass ensemble Greipel jumped away to win.

1 André Greipel Team Columbia 3.51.31 (45,353 km/h)
2 Juan José Haedo Team CSC / Saxo Bank
3 Robert Förster Gerolsteiner
4 Kenny Van Hummel Skil/Shimano
5 Tom Boonen Quick Step
6 Edvald Hagen Team Columbia
7 Jürgen Roelandts Silence / Lotto
8 Francesco Chicchi Liquigas
9 David Kopp Cycle Collstrop
10 Elia Rigotto Team Milram
11 Aurélien Clerc Bouygues Telecom
12 Angelo Furlan Crédit Agricole
13 Aaron Kemps Astana
14 Luciano Pagliarini Scott / American Beef
15 Mathieu Drujon Caisse d'Epargne
16 Daniele Righi Lampre
17 Heinrich Haussler Gerolsteiner
18 Yauheni Hutarovich Française des Jeux
19 Denis Flahaut Scott / American Beef
20 Tom Leezer Rabobank

General Classification
1 José Gutierrez Caisse d'Epargne 8.13.17
2 Edvald Boasson Team Columbia
3 Cycril Lemoine Crédit Agricole 0.01
4 André Greipel Team Columbia 0.02
5 Sébastien Rosseler Quick Step 0.05
6 Michael Rogers Team Columbia 0.06
7 Jürgen Roelandts Silence / Lotto
8 Koen De Kort Astana
9 Daniele Bennati Liquigas
10 Jimmy Engoulvent Crédit Agricole 0.07
11 Marlon Arango Caisse d'Epargne 0.08
12 Joost Posthuma Rabobank 0.09
13 Stijn Devolder Quick Step 0.1
14 Michiel Elijzen Rabobank
15 Bram Tankink Rabobank
16 Bram De Groot Rabobank 0.12
17 Piet Rooijakkers Skil/Shimano
18 Mauro Da Dalto Liquigas
19 Tom Boonen Quick Step 0.14
20 Timothy Gudsell Française Des Jeux 0.15

Stages
Aug 20 Prologue: Sittard/Geleen (NL) (4,4 km)
Aug 21 Stage 1 Beek (NL) - Roermond (NL) (173,8 km)
Aug 22 Stage 2 Roermond (NL) - Nieuwegein (NL) (173,3 km)
Aug 23 Stage 3 Nieuwegein (NL) - Terneuzen (NL) (185,9 km)
Aug 24 Stage 4 Terneuzen (NL) - Ardooie (B) (213 km)
Aug 25 Stage 5 Ardooie (B) - Oostende (B) (167 km)
Aug 26 Stage 6 Maldegem (B) - Brussel (B) (186 km)
Aug 27 Stage 7 Mechelen (B) (TT 18,8 km)
Total: 1.122,2 km

Website - www.sport.be/enecotour/