Leuven / Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens, 183.3km/114mi
Leuven, Belgium
By Cathy Mehl

The 43rd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens took place in Leuven, Belgium on Sunday over a demanding 13-lap course of a 14.1km local lap.  Each lap included a series of helligens (climbs) that proved to be the decisive factor for the overall win by Rabobank’s Lars Boom.  Maxime Vantomme (Katusha) took second and Fabian Wegmann (Milram) captured the final spot on the podium.
An early breakaway with some 35 riders included Team RadioShack’s Gert Steegmans, Fumy Beppu and Clinton Avery.  The group raced hard to stay away and eventually a split occurred in the break, the result of the tough climbs on the circuit.  Steegmans made the front split, but was too much of a threat to be welcomed in the group and dropped back to the peloton.   In the final lap the seven riders were fighting for the win, with Bjorn Leukemens choosing to attack first.  But Boom was able to outsprint him to take the win, continuing a 4-year tradition of Dutch winners in Leuven. 

The Team line-up for the next race:
Grand Prix Jef Scherens / Leuven (Bel), September 5, 2010
Riders: Clinton Avery, Fumiyuki Beppu, Daryl Impey, Dmitriy Muravyev, Sébastien Rosseler, Jesse Sergent, Gert Steegmans & Tomas VaitkusDirector: Dirk Demol