As ever the Belgians are out in force for the Ronde van Vlaanderen and they are full of confidence in Tom Boonen (Nestle)
who has looked unstoppable in the recent cobbled classics. However this course is one of the hardest in the racing year and a rider short of his very best form can often be found out.
It was Carmuese who set much of the pace in the recent Gent Wegelum and with the wind really high again (though things are much drier) it is they who set the pace looking to set things up for Fabian Cancellara (Carmuese)
They shut every attempt at an early move down and it is 120km before anything can stick. Interestingly though the move that does go includes this years Omloop winner Stijn Joseph (Pearl Adidas)
Going clear with him are Geraint Thomas (Pendletons) Evert Verbist (Milka), Jempy Drucker (B and O)
and later bridging is Roy Sentjens (Festina)
This creates a very dangerous five man group with Drucker producing a very good runner up result in the East Midlands race also. It is definitely not a move the pack really wants to get too far down the road though breaking away with 135km left to race is always a gamble. Within 20km though the gap is up to 3.30 and the pack is beginning to disentigrate buffeted by constant high winds.
Most of the favourites are in the front group of 53, however Marcel Sieberg (Jack Wolfskin) and Thor Hushovd (Saab - Scania) are behind in the second group.
The five man group at the front realising their best chance of victory here is to work together, do so very effectively as the pack slows to regroup behind. As they hit the Oude Kwaremont climb their lead is nearly 7 minutes with 80km left to race.
Boonen is forced to send one of his lead domestiques in Nicolas Portal
forward on this climb and Portal really does hammer it up the very difficult cobbled climb reducing the front pack down to just 20 riders.
Cancellara, Franzoi, Ballan, Boonen, Burghardt and Steurs have made the split but Baugnies, Bewley, Summerhill and Gusev have not. Spyker are forced onto the defensive with Stijn Devolder (Spyker) sent to try and bring this back together.
Wikipedia have remoulded their squad this year and World ChampionTejay Van Garderen is present at the Tour of Flanders and he too is needed by this desperate chase pack to try and cut things down.
But with the combined efforts of Sony, Bacardi, Carmuese and Nestle up front things are not very easy to bring back. Nestle having caused the damage however suddenly see things blow up in their face as Boonan punctures at a critical moment.
But with five very decent riders still clear at the front Carmuese and Sony Ericsson can show no sentiment as things are swinging decisively against Boonan here.
With 70km to go the lead five have just under 5 minutes on the Cancellara/Ballan/Burghardt group, with Boonen some six minutes back with some of his teammates and the Summerhill/Bewley/Bougnies/Gusev group back at 7 minutes.
Boonen allows his group to be assimilated with the Summerhill/Bewley/Baugnies/Gusev group and sends Portal to try and drive things back after the Frenchman had caused the initial damage!
So with 55km to go the lead 5 have seen their lead cut to just over two minutes by the driving Sony and Carmuese teams. The small Boonen and Summerhill chase group is 3.30 back with Gusev/Baugnies/Devolder/Breschel at 4.48 and the rest is back at 6.20.
As Portal drops back Boonen takes the lion's share of chasing on himself and it soon looks like it will pay dividends as he latches onto the back of the favourites group.
But as he does so some of the riders from this group are starting to get detached the Belgian followed by Summerhill doggedly rounds these dropped riders.
He makes the catch with 42km to go with this group now less than a minute away from the lead 5.
This favourites group consists of Tom Boonen Danny Summerhill Cancellara, Jacobs and Lhotelliere Steegmans and Burghardt Muravjev and Ballan Geert Steurs
and Enrico Franzoi
They are still chasing the lead five and with Boonan joining them they briefly slow to allow the lead five a chance to rebuild their lead.
Behind Sam Bewley
has hooked up with Gusev/Devolder/Baugnies and Breschel to create a chasing five group.
But this group are over two minutes back and despite a brief slowing up front are not really making up any ground. With domestiques Jacobs, Lhotelliere and Muravjev sacrificed to finally catch the lead five the favourites maintain their two minute advantage coming into the last two cobbled climbs.
It is Steegmans who leads us into the Muur then the crowd are going crazy, who will make the big move?
Winner here last year, Ballan is the rider who puts in an acceleration. Cancellara having tempered his attacking instinct looks to follow the Italian.
Astonishingly Boonan is able to follow Cancellara as these three move clear ahead of the last cobbled climb.
Burghardt has been left behind by this as he attempts to regroup with teammate Steegmans, Franzoi and Summerhill. The previous breakaway riders and Steurs are further back still with the Muur proving to have a big impact.
Onto the final cobbled section and the Belgians at the finish can hardly believe what they are seeing as Boonen accelerates past a stunned Cancellara and Ballan here.
Unsurprisingly Boonen has not quite made the decisive kick but still hold 15 or so second coming off the top. Cancellara and Ballan do not need to communicate to know that they are now in trouble!
Both try their best to reduce the gap on the largely downhill run in to the line and despite both being descent descenders it is not technical enough for them to make inroads.
Behind Summerhill has unlike Boonen found the chasing back to have sapped his energy and has dropped back from the Bacardi pair and Franzoi. Meanwhile Baugnies has moved forward to catch he and Steurs.
Up front though Boonan is roared on by the partisan crowd, this will be his 4th Tour of Flanders Man Game victory.
Belgian's finest has produced a legendary performance overcoming an ill timed puncture to overpower his rivals once more today.
Ballan outsprints Cancellara to take second, he will be fairly pleased with this after showing little before today. Cancellara gives his best career ronde performance by completing the podium, his team worked hard again today.
Burghardt intelligently sets up Steegmans for 4th, the German could not follow the big attacks on the Muur and is 6th behind Franzoi.
Baugnies who is rather isolated in his team could not follow the initial break in the pack, but finishes strong to take 7th ahead of Steurs and Summerhill.
Bewley sprints to 10th, this race is a bit too hard for him at the moment but he battled hard today, with Devolder and Gusev 11th and 12th.
