Image 1 of 94 The peloton (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 2 of 94 Lars Boom (Blanco) at the team car (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 3 of 94 Fans made their allegiances clear (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 4 of 94 Marcel Sieberg, Robert Wagner and Kris Boeckmans (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 5 of 94 Marcel Sieberg, Robert Wagner, Tom Boonen, and Kris Boeckmans (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 6 of 94 Michael Matthews back in action after crashing (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 7 of 94 Nick Nuyens (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 8 of 94 The peloton (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 9 of 94 Zdenek Stybar (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 10 of 94 Frederic Amorison (Crelan Euphony) after a crash (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 11 of 94 The peloton (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 12 of 94 Sep Vanmarcke and Tom Boonen (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 13 of 94 The peloton on winding roads (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 14 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) gets the kisses (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 15 of 94 Sylvain Chavanel (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 16 of 94 Bubbly time for Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 17 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) on the podium (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 18 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) wins the race (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 19 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) triumphs (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 20 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) wins (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 21 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) at the front (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 22 of 94 Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Belisol) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 23 of 94 Greg Van Avermaet (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 24 of 94 Sep Vanmarcke and Tom Boonen (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 25 of 94 Sven Vandousselaere, Greg Van Avermaet, and Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 26 of 94 Niki Terpstra (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 27 of 94 The peloton on the cobbles (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 28 of 94 The peloton all tightly packed up on the climb (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 29 of 94 Fans of Greg van Avermaet were on hand. (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 30 of 94 Michael Matthews (Orica Greenedge) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 31 of 94 Retired pro Peter Van Petegem (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 32 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) on the podium (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 33 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh on the podium (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 34 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 35 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 36 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) celebrates (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 37 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) wins (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 38 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 39 of 94 Sven Vandousselaere (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 40 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh leads Luca Paolini (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 41 of 94 Sep Vanmarcke and Tom Boonen (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 42 of 94 Sylvain Chavanel (OPQS) all bundled up (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 43 of 94 Tom Boonen (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 44 of 94 Tom Boonen leads the bunch (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 45 of 94 Matteo Trentin (OPQS) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 46 of 94 Matt Brammeier (Champion System) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 47 of 94 Racers on the cobbles (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 48 of 94 Belgian champ Tom Boonen (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 49 of 94 Fini Fatini at work (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 50 of 94 Marcel Sieberg, Robert Wagner, and Kris Boeckmans / (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 51 of 94 Preben Van Hecke and Gatis Smukulis (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 52 of 94 Lars Boom (Blanco) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 53 of 94 The peloton (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 54 of 94 Elite men's podium: Stijn Vandenbergh, Luca Paolini, Sven Vandousselaere (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 55 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 56 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh leads Luca Paolini (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 57 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) pushes the pace (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 58 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma - Quick Step) sets the pace (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 59 of 94 Egoitz Garcia (Cofidis) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 60 of 94 Sylvain Chavanel (OPQS) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 61 of 94 Sylvain Chavanel (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 62 of 94 The peloton (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 63 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma - Quick Step) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 64 of 94 Zdenek Stybar (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 65 of 94 The peloton climbs (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 66 of 94 Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoleil-DCM) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 67 of 94 The peloton (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 68 of 94 Nico Sijmens, William Clarke and Cyril Lemoine (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 69 of 94 Tom Boonen in the bunch (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 70 of 94 Albert Timmer and Jan Ghyselinck (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 71 of 94 The peloton rolls along (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 72 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh and Luca Paolini open champagne (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 73 of 94 The sprint for third place (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 74 of 94 Luca Paolini (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 75 of 94 Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Belisol) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 76 of 94 Geraint Thomas and Greg Van Avermaet (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 77 of 94 Stijn Vandenbergh and Luca Paolini on the cobbles (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 78 of 94 The peloton passes a windmill (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 79 of 94 Racers pass by fans who came out despite the cold (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 80 of 94 Luca Paolini flies up the cobbles (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 81 of 94 A tired and cold Paolini realises he's won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 82 of 94 Paolini takes spot on the podium (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 83 of 94 The chasers were unable to catch Paolini and Vandenbergh (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 84 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) leads the break (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 85 of 94 Maarten Wijnants (Blanco Team) gives it a turn on the front (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 86 of 94 Vadenbergh and Paolini shared the work equally (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 87 of 94 The Omloop podium: Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Luca Paolini (Katusha) and Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 88 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Image credit: AFP) Image 89 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) celebrates his first big of 2013 (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 90 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Photopress.be) Image 91 of 94 Sven Vandousselaere (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise) wins the sprint for third place (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 92 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) celebrates victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 93 of 94 Luca Paolini (Katusha) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 94 of 94 The break of the race: Luca Paolini (Katusha) and Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) (Image credit: AFP)

Luca Paolini (Team Katusha) won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad by beating his breakaway companion Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team) in a two-up sprint. Maarten Wijnants (Team Blanco) won the sprint for third among those in the chase group.

A crowded St-Peter's square in Ghent, Belgium welcomed last year's surprise winner Sep Vanmarcke (Blanco) and 197 other riders who were about to tackle the 198 tough kilometers over the narrow and twisting Flemish roads while enduring freezing temperatures and a blisteringly cold wind.

In a fast first hour at 46km/h, nine riders managed to get into the early breakaway group. They were William Clarke (Argos-Shimano), Florian Vachon (Bretagne), Julien Fouchard (Cofidis), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Cyril Lemoine (Sojasun), Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), Zakkari Dempster (Netapp-Endura), and a little later, also Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) and Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise).

The nine riders reached the first cobblestones with a maximal advantage of five minutes on the peloton. As the hills and cobbles quickly followed each other, the gap steadily decreased. By the time the race reached the crucial Taaienberg climb, the gap was down to 1:15. The peloton split into several parts and only 40 men featured in the first peloton when hitting the following Eikenberg climb.

Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) attacked the peloton after the Eikenberg together with Marco Bandiera (IAM). The duo caught up with the leaders by the next climb.

Their move was copied by Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Belisol), Maarten Wynants (Blanco), Sven Vandousselaere (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel (Cofidis) and later also Luca Paolini (Katusha).

Before those men bridged up with the tired leaders, Chavanel left his companions behind at the cobbles of the Haaghoek. With 45km left to race, Chavanel started a seemingly impossible solo ride. The Frenchman gathered no more than half a minute on the chase group where Van Avermaet took most of the initiative on the Leberg and the Molenberg.

After that last climb of the day, Chavanel was caught, creating a lead group of 10 men: Chavanel, Van Avermaet, Thomas, Paolini, Roelandts, Vandenbergh, Vandousselaere, Garcia, Wynants and Bandiera.

At the kilometres long pavé sections of the Paddestraat and Lippenhovestraat, Vandenbergh accelerated with only Paolini being able to hold the wheel of the tall Belgian rider.

On the following windy roads, the duo extended its lead up to nearly half a minute over the eight-man strong chase group by the time they reached the final pavé section (2500m) of the Lange Munte at 20km from the finish line in Ghent. None of the chasers tried to set-up a solo move on these cobbles, but also together they weren't able to get closer to the two leaders despite the cold headwind.

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