km 0 An impressive field of 130 riders set off for 123,3 km after Mr. Frank, mayor of the municipality of Manternach, had started the race
km 3 Ralph Diseviscour is the first rider to attack. He takes 50 m of advantage but behind him, 7 riders form a chasing group.
km 10 The 7 are swallowed again by the field in the beginning of the climb of Wecker. The peloton breaks into 2 pieces.
km 11 17 riders are in the lead of the race.
km 12 14 men remain in the lead. They have 15" advance on the rest of the field.
km 13 The names of the 14 riders: Serguy Krushevsky (Cambrai), Claude Degano, Pascal Triebel (Tétange), Stijn De Keijzer (Den Haag), Thomas Brochard, Benjamin Gourgue (Ardennes), Christian Weyland (Diekirch), Ralph Diseviscourt (Kayl), Hakan Nilsson, Vincenzo Centrone, Martin Mortensen, Jean-Pierre Serfini (Differdange), Gilles Hendel (Dippach) and Gregory Luca (Zéisseng)
km 14 First passage on the line: the gap is 25 seconds
km 19 Pascal Triebel punctures at the rear wheel. He gets another wheel at the entrance of Lellig
km 24 Pascal Triebel comes back to the lead group after several kms of chasing.
km 28 All the teams except VC Haut-Pays and Orbais are represented in the lead. This could be the good break.
km 36 The third time up the climb of Wecker, a chasing group emerges from the field, but their gap is already 1'50". They are following riders: Patrick Trouckens, Julien Goossens, Bruno Taelman (Cambrai), Olli Hyytiänen (Den Haag), Patrick Vermeire (Orbais), Steve Fogen (Dippach) as well as Tom Flammang and Dirk Bockel (Diekirch)
km 40 The favourites on paper are not the riders that are doing most of the work in the break. Centrone and Kruschevsky are mostly in the back of the group and haven't done any effort more than necessary whereas the young Gilles Hendel is very active.
km 56 At half-race, the situation is the following: 14 riders in the lead, at 1'30" 8 riders and then 4: Catella, Godefroid, Fernandez and Stevens. The main field is already at 3'30".
km 60 The riders of Cambrai lead the chasing group that comes closer and closer.
km 70 The chasers can now see the leaders in front of them. The gap is less than 45". But the riders of Differdange smell the danger and accelerate in the lead. Serafini and Mortensen are doing some strong turns.
km 75 Gregory Luca, then Mortensen and Brochard are dropped by the front group.
km 77 The gap increases again whereas the peloton is 4'30" behind.
km 80 Gilles Hendel attacks on the climb of Wecker, followed by Benjamin Gourgue. But 1 km later, De Keijzer brings back the rest of the group to the duo. Serafini is dropped
km 89 1'30" is the gap now to the 8 chasers
km 93 Christian Weyland has cramps and must stop. They are now only 9 the lead.
km 105 Serguy Krushevsky attacks and the front group breaks into pieces. Nilsson accelerates and manages to get a small gap together with his team-mate Centrone.
km 106 The 2 riders from Differdange have 5" of advantag to Krushevsky and Triebel.
km 108 Triebel manages to get rid of the Ukranian and to join the leading duo.
km 109 At the beginning of the last lap, the positions are following: 3 riders in the lead, then Krushevsky 15" behind, at 25" Gourgue, at 35" Degano and De Keijzer. All the other riders are over a minute behind.
km 111 Krushevsky is joined by Gourgue in the chase
km 115 gap 36". The leading trio works perfectly together.
km 118 gap 40".
km 119 Everyone waits for an attack of Triebel. That should be the only way for him to beat the two riders of Differdange. But nothing happens in the last climb, everyone still takes his turn.
km 121 Just after the climb, Centrone attacks. Triebel hesitates a moment and Nilsson positions himself in the wheel of the rider from Tetange.
km 122 Nilsson doesn't help Triebel who has to chase alone. The gap is of 50 m to Centrone.
Arrivée Vinzenco Centrone wins the 14th Grand-prix Ostfenster with 5" advance on Hakan Nilsson and Pascal Triebel in this order.
Arrivée 1 minute later, Benjamin Gourgue takes 4th place and is best U23 rider.
The words of the winner:
The races in Berbourg always take place on selective courses and this suits me very well. I have already won here the Grand-prix Faber and I often took top ten places. I have trained all winter to make a good performance here because I wanted to write my name in the palmares of this race, under those of some famous riders. My other objective for the beginning of the season is the Flèche du Sud and this victory will motivate me for it. But this race has become very very tough over the last years and it will be difficult to obtain a success.
GP Ostfenster '05 >>
