81st Grand-Prix François Faber - April 21, 2003 - Berbourg

Summary of the race

km 0 M. Franck, mayor of the municipality of Manternach, is present for the start. 81 elite/espoirs riders and 11 juniors have a go for 120 respectively 100 km.

km 2 Marc Vanacker (Avenir Cyclisme 23) attacks on the first climb. Fedor Slegtenhorst (Trias Den Haag) is joining him and they take 28 seconds advance.

km 10 Marc Vanacker drops Slegtenhorst on the second climb. The gap to the peloton is very small.

km 15 6 riders leave the bunch and join Vanacker in front of the race: Claude Degano (UC Tétange), Filip Monsieurs (Pesant Club Liège), Laurent Didier (UC Dippach), Tino Fernandez, Christian Theis and Vincenzo Centrone the winner of the last year (CCI Differdange). A very serious break

km 20 The 7 leaders have an advantage of 53" on the first chasers. The peloton has split into several little groups.

km 30 Gap: 1'15" on a group of 16 riders. The second group is 1'30" behind

km 55 Another group of 7 riders is now in poursuit. These riders are: Triebel, Mezzapesa (CCI Differdange), Lagzdins, Helminen, Goossens (Pesant Club de Liège), Dumoulin (Orbais Cycliste) and Michel (LC Tétange). Their gap to the leaders is 1'55" and the peloton is 1'35 behind them".

km 72 The gap has become smaller: it is 1'10". Claude Degano has dropped in the breakaway.

km 80 A second chasing group of 13 riders has been formed. Its gap to the first group: 2'35".

km 90 Advance for the leaders: 1 minute.

km 96 The gap between the two first groups is only 45". Belgian rider Julien Goossens attacks in the chasing group.

km 99 Goossens joins the leading group after a fantastic poursuit.

km 100 Gregory Luca is the first of the juniors to complete their 5 laps.

km 101 Christian Theis and Laurent Didier loose contact to the leading group. Goossens is also dropped on the climb but gets back in the descent.

km 105 The advance of the 5 leading riders (Vanacker, Centrone, Fernandez, Monsieurs, Goossens) is 1 minute.

km 110 Attacks of Centrone and of the very active Vanacker on the climb give no result. The chasers are 1'25" behind.

km 113 Goossens and Centrone take 50 m advantage in the descent, but Vanacker chases them down

km 115 Goossens has attacked and the group is disorganised. The Belgian takes 10 seconds advantage, then 20.

km 115 Julien Goossens is the winner of the 81st Grand-Prix François Faber with 25 seconds advantage on Marc Vanacker, who wins the sprint for second place.