Gent - Wevelgem 2008

The 2008 Gent Wevelgem will be played out on Wednesday, April 9. The race, a minor classic, is part of the controversial UCI Pro Tour and sits between the Major spring Classics, The Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.

All are hoping to avoid the horrible crashes on the Kemmelberg - Pic fotoreporter sirotti

Mark Cavendish starts as a favourite - Pic Geoff Waugh

Often seen as a 'sprinters' race because the major climbs are out of the way early on and before they hit the windswept roads of Flanders.

Nonetheless the climbs do include the Monteberg and the infamous Kemmelberg (climbed twice). The descent of the later, drew great comment in 2007 when a large number of riders were badly hurt in multiple crashes, and thus in 2008 the climb has been altered.

In 1974, the UK's Barry Hoban took victory and in 2007 Roger Hammond placed second behind his T-Mobile team mate Marcus Burghardt.

The race has attracted a world class entry and should give the sprinters an opportunity to win. One of the favourites is Mark Cavendish (High Road) who has shown excellent form at the Three Days of De Panne where he won two stages over very similar roads.

Erik Zabel will lead the Milram Team and Quickstep have added Stijn DeVolder to their squad. Devolder fresh from his Tour of Flanders win, will most probably be there to help out Tom Boonen, who starts as a favourite (But he will want to stay out of trouble for Paris Roubaix).

Ag2r La Mondiale
DS. Mas Gilles
1 Dion Renaud
2 Elmiger Martin
3 Krivtsov Yuriy
4 Mangel Laurent
5 Mondory Lloyd
6 Poulhies Stéphane
7 Usov Alexandre
8 Vandenbergh Stijn

Astana
DS. Ekimov Viatcheslav
11 De Kort Koen
12 Ivanov Serguei
13 Haselbacher René
14 Kemps Aaron
15 Muravyev Dmitriy
16 Rast Grégory
17 Schär Michael
18 Vaitkus Tomas

Bouygues Telecom
DS. Arnould Dominique
21 Pütsep Erki
22 Clerc Aurélien
23 Gene Yohann
24 Geslin Anthony
25 Jerome Vincent
26 Labbe Arnaud
27 Martias Rony
28 Pichot Alexandre

Caisse D'Epargne
DS. Jaimerena Jose-Luis
31 Coyot Arnaud
32 Drujon Mathieu
33 Erviti Imanol
34 Garcia Acosta José Vicen
35 Gutierrez Palacios José I
36 Pasamontes Rodriguez Lu
37 Patanchon Fabien
38 Rojas Gil Jose Joaquin

Cofidis, Le Credit Par Telephone
DS. Deloeuil Alain
41 Blain Alexandre
42 Duclos-Lassalle Hervé
43 Heijboer Mathieu
44 Hoj Frank
45 Huguet Yann
47 Verbrugghe Rik
48 Villa Romain

Credit Agricole
DS. Beucherie Serge
51 Bodrogi Laszlo
52 Engoulvent Jimmy
53 Hinault Sébastien
54 Hunt Jeremy
55 Hushovd Thor
56 Rasch Gabriel
57 Renshaw Mark
58 Talabardon Yannick

Euskaltel - Euskadi
DS. Carbayeda Echeberria
61 Agirre Aseginolaza Josu
62 Albizuri Aransolo Benat
63 Aperribay Lander
64 Aramendia Lorente Javier
65 Fernandez Koldo
66 Irizar Aranburu Markel
67 Oroz Ugalde Juan Jose
68 Perez Lezaun Alan

Française Des Jeux
DS. Madiot Marc
71 Chavanel Sébastien
72 Delage Mickael
73 Gilbert Philippe
74 Gudsell Timothy
75 Guesdon Frédéric
76 Ladagnous Matthieu
77 Meersman Gianni
78 Mengin Christophe

Gerolsteiner
DS. Henn Christian
81 Fothen Thomas
82 Gatto Oscar
83 Haussler Heinrich
84 Krauss Sven
85 Lang Sebastian
86 Schreck Stephan
87 Westphal Carlo
88 Wrolich Peter

Liquigas
DS. Scirea Mario
91 Chicchi Francesco
92 Corioni Claudio
93 Da Dalto Mauro
94 Fischer Murilo Antonio
95 Kuschynski Aleksandr
96 Pozzato Filippo
97 Quinziato Manuel
98 Willems Frederik

Quick Step
DS. Peeters Wilfried
101 Boonen Tom
102 Cretskens Wilfried
103 De Jongh Steven
104 Devolder Stijn
105 Steegmans Gert
106 Tosatto Matteo
107 Hulsmans Kevin
108 Weylandt Wouter

Rabobank
DS. Dekker Eric
111 Brown Graeme
112 Elijzen Michiel
113 Flecha Giannoni Juan Ant
114 Freire Gomez Oscar
115 Hayman Mathew
116 Horrillo Munoz Pedro
117 Leezer Tom
118 Tankink Bram

Saunier Duval-Scott
DS. Algeri Pietro
121 Alarcon Garcia Raul
122 Belohvosciks Raivis
123 Pagliarini Mendonca Lucia
124 Passeron Aurélien
126 Capelli Ermanno
127 Del Nero Montes Jesus
128 Flahaut Denis

Silence-Lotto
DS. Frison Herman
131 De Vocht Wim
132 Jacobs Pieter
133 Roesems Bert
134 Kaisen Olivier
135 Mcewen Robbie
136 Roelandts Jurgen
137 Steurs Geert
138 Van Avermaet Greg

Team CSC
DS. Michaelsen Lars
141 Arvesen Kurt-Asle
142 Bak Lars Ytting
143 Breschel Matti
144 Cancellara Fabian
145 Johansen Allan
146 Klostergaard Larsen Kas
147 Ljungqvist Marcus
148 O'grady Stuart

High Road
DS. Hoffman Tristan
151 Cavendish Mark
152 Eisel Bernhard
153 Greipel André
154 Hammond Roger
155 Hincapie George
156 Klier Andreas
157 Knaven Servais
158 Reynes Mimo Vicente

Lampre
DS. Bontempi Fabrizio
161 Baldato Fabio
162 Ballan Alessandro
163 Bandiera Marco
164 Fornaciari Paolo
165 Mori Massimiliano
166 Murro Christian
167 Napolitano Danilo
168 Bossoni Paolo

Team Milram
DS. Bevilacqua Antonio
171 Barla Luca
172 Müller Martin
173 Eichler Markus
174 Sabatini Fabio
175 Gajek Artur
176 Knees Christian
177 Poitschke Enrico
178 Zabel Erik

Acqua Sapone - Caffe Mokam
DS. Cenghialta Bruno
181 Andriotto Dario
182 Balducci Gabriele
183 Donati Alessandro
184 Kunitski Andrei
185 Masciarelli Andrea
186 Masciarelli Simone
187 Paolini Luca
188 Palumbo Giuseppe

Barloworld
DS. Tebaldi Valerio
191 Froome Christopher
192 Calcagni Patrick
193 Cooke Baden
194 Corti Marco
195 Hunter Robert
196 Impey Daryl
197 Longo Borghini Paolo
198 Scognamiglio Carlo

Cycle Collstrop
DS. Vander Schueren Hilaire
201 Bozic Borut
202 Giling Bastiaan
203 Golas Michal
204 Marcato Marco
205 Pronk Mathé
206 Selvaggi Mirko
207 Smith Raynold
208 Wesemann Steffen

Landbouwkrediet - Tonisstei
DS. Vancoillie Claude
211 Bellemakers Dirk
212 Delfosse Sébastien
213 Kleynen Steven
214 Meirhaeghe Filip
215 Neirynck Kevin
216 Scheirlinckx Bert
217 Stannard Ian
218 Steels Tom

Mitsubishi-Jartazi
DS. Braeckevelt Jef
221 Davis Allan
222 Kaupas Vytautas
223 Mikhailov Guennadi
224 Mouris Jens
225 Omloop Geert
226 Van Dijk Stefan
227 Vantomme Maxime
228 Vanlandschoot James

Skil-Shimano
DS. Kemna Rudie
231 Beppu Fumiyuki
232 Curvers Roy
233 Den Bakker Maarten
234 Goesinnen Floris
235 Siedler Sebastian
236 Van Hummel Kenny Robert
237 Veelers Tom
238 Doi Yukihiro

Topsport Vlaanderen
DS. Planckaert Walter
241 De Haes Kenny
242 Eeckhout Niko
243 Goddaert Kristof
244 Hovelynck Kurt
245 Renders Sven
246 Van Hecke Preben
247 Vanspeybrouck Pieter

Previous winners
2007 Marcus Burghardt
2006 Thor Hushovd
2005 Nico Mattan
2004 Tom Boonen
2003 Andreas Klier
2002 Mario Cipollini
2001 George Hincapie
2000 Geert Van Bondt
1974 Barry Hoban (UK winner)
1934 Gustave Van Bell (1st race)

Website - www.gent-wevelgem.be/