Eneco Tour 2008 - 4

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 4 Terneuzen (NL)/Ardooie (B) (213 km)
The stage began in the Netherlands and closed in Belgium over a route that included the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. These famous climbs helped two breaks to happen and the final group of five escapees was able to survive until the final ten kilometres.

When the race came back together on the finishing circuit of the Belgian town of Ardooie the race once more saw plenty of flying bidons over the sleeping policemen and the confined roads claimed a few victims, including Fabio Baldato (Lampre) who crashed out.

The race powered en masse to the line and from the melee, Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Kenny Van Hummel (Skil/Shimano) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Columbia) moved clear and Boonen went to the front to win.

The lead in the general classification moved to stage three winner André Greipel (Team Columbia), the third change of the race.

Boonen talking afterward said - “The team did a fantastic job today and during the final even Rosseler surpassed himself. I am really pleased with these past 5 days at the Eneco Tour. I'm right on target”.

Boonen will be leaving the Eneco Tour this evening. “I'll be taking a few days of rest before I fly off to the Vuelta - a very motivated Boonen continued - I am really looking forward to the Spanish race, I want to do well and I'm sure I'll prove this in a few stages”.

“This year I want to make the most of the great condition and athletic freshness I'm in trying to win a few of the important end of season races such as the Paris Tours, a race that I really like but unfortunately so far I have never really been very competitive at and then naturally the Varese World Championships. In my opinion the Varese World Championships route isn't any harder than Madrid 2005. I am confident in being able to ride a great and important race”.

1 Tom Boonen Quick Step 5.00'35
2 Kenny Van Hummel Skil/Shimano
3 Edvald Boasson Hagen Team Columbia
4 Borut Bozic Cycle Collstrop @ 1 sec
5 Matti Breschel Team CSC
6 Jurgen Roelandts Silence/Lotto
7 Aurélien Clerc Bouygues Telecom
8 Francesco Chicchi Liquigas
9 Elia Rigotto Team Milram
10 Cyril Lemoine Credit Agricole
11 Yauheni Hutarovich Française Des Jeux
12 Roger Hammond Team Columbia
13 Sven Krauss Gerolsteiner
14 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios Caisse d'Epargne
15 Marco Marcato Cycle Collstrop
16 Jeremy Hunt Credit Agricole
17 Eros Capecchi Saunier Duval/Scott
18 Stijn Devolder Quick Step
19 Marlon A. Perez Arango Caisse d'Epargne
20 Joost Posthuma Rabobank

General Classification
1 André Greipel Team Columbia 17.59'51
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen Team Columbia 2
3 Tom Boonen Quick Step 7
4 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios Caisse d'Epargne 9
5 Cyril Lemoine Credit Agricole 10
6 Jurgen Roelandts Silence/Lotto 11
7 Sébastien Rosseler Quick Step 13
8 Michael Rogers Team Columbia 15
9 Koen De Kort Astana 15
10 Marlon A. Perez Arango Caisse d'Epargne 17
11 Joost Posthuma Rabobank 18
12 Stijn Devolder Quick Step 19
13 Bram Tankink Rabobank 19
14 Piet Rooijakkers Skil/Shimano 21
15 Mauro Da Dalto Liquigas 21
16 Kenny Van Hummel Skil/Shimano 22
17 Aaron Kemps Astana 25
18 Borut Bozic Cycle Collstrop 25
19 Michal Golas Cycle Collstrop 26
20 Daniele Bennati Liquigas 27

Points
1 Tom Boonen Quick Step 102
2 Kenny Van Hummel Skil/Shimano 75
3 Jurgen Roelandts Silence/Lotto 74
4 Edvald Boasson Hagen Team Columbia 68
5 André Greipel Team Columbia 59
6 Daniele Bennati Liquigas 55
7 Borut Bozic Cycle Collstrop 36
8 Elia Rigotto Team Milram 32
9 Bram Tankink Rabobank 24
10 Francesco Chicchi Liquigas 24

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/