Het To Hushovd

After basking in the sunshine and warm temperatures of California last week, I was saddened and somewhat depressed with the prospect of heading back to the cold that awaited me back in the Midwest.

But as quickly as the chill began to penetrate my bones, a smile washed over my face in the realization that my favorite time of the cycling season was about to take place: the Classics.

Bring on the cold, the wet, the mud, and the slippery cobbles of the Northern Classics.

This year's Classics campaign began today with a clap of thunder as Norwegian Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) sprinted to victory in the 64th running of the Belgian semi-Classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, formerly known as Omloop Het Volk (the newspaper Het Volk was taken over by Het Nieuwsblad in 2008 and subsequently renamed). Kevyn Ista (Agritubel) and Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) took second and third, respectively.

Hushovd's second win of 2009, his first on Stage 3 of the Amgen Tour of California (above), bodes well for the fledgling Cervelo Test Team. With seasoned cobbled race veterans such as Roger Hammond and Adreas Klier, who finished 7th, and sprinters Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler, who finished in 8th, the first year team should prove very formidable during the rest of the Classics season.

Full Coverage

Results
1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
2. Kevyn Ista (Bel) Agritubel
3. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank
4. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence-Lotto
5. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad
6. Frédéric Amorison (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago
7. Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervelo Test Team
8. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team
9. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram
10. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step

In the shorter women's verion of the race, 128km to the 203km covered by the men, 24-year-old Suzanne de Goede (Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung) of the Netherlands claimed her second Omloop Het Nieuwsblad title, having won her first in 2006 as a member of AA Drink. Noemi Cantele (Bigla) took second and Kelly Druyts (Topsport Vlaanderen-Thompson) rounded out the podium.

Full Coverage

Results
1. Suzanne de Goede (Ned) Equipe Nürnberger
2. Noemi Cantele (Ita) Bigla Cycling Team
3. Kelly Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Thompson
4. Chantal Blaak (Ned) Leontien.nl
5. Sophie Creux (Fra) ESGL 93 - GSD Gestion
6. Adrie Visser (Ned) DSB Bank - LTO
7. Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Ned) Team Flexpoint
8. Andrea Bosman (Ned) Leontien.nl
9. Ludivine Henrion (Bel) Red Sun Cycling Team
10. Monique Van De Ree (Ned) Leontien.nl

Photo: Leonard Basobas (top)