Goss sprints to win in Brussels

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Despite the absence of five-time winner Robbie McEwen, the string of Australian wins in Paris-Brussels continued thanks to the fast legs from Matthew Goss (Team Saxo Bank). The 22-year-old from Tasmania easily outsprinted compatriot Allan Davis (Quick Step) and Kristof Goddaert (Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator) in the classic bunch sprint near the Koning Boudewijn stadium to grab his third win of the season. It was his first-ever victory in one-day semi-classic.

"It's a hard sprint as it's all slightly uphill," said Goss. "I was lucky to be in a good position behind the guys. It's a hard sprint if you have to go from 200 metres out, so I was biding my time and went with about 150-100 metres to go," Goss said to Sporza.

After a third place in Gent-Wevelgem this year and another third place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2008, it was clear that the former team pursuit champion would grab a win in a big one-day race sooner rather than later. Maybe it was coincidance, but Goss collected his first big win in a race that has been dominated by compatriot Robbie McEwen in previous years.

"Seems this [race] is favored for Australians. Alan is second as well, so first and second are Aussies. Robbie has five wins here so I've got a while to catch him," the short-trimmed Australian Goss said.

With a strong northeast headwind blowing, it seemed unavoidable that the 89th edition of Paris-Brussels would end in a bunch sprint. For the 15th time, the race started in Soissons, France, and one kilometre after the start, Floris Goesinnen attacked the peloton. Even with the unfavorable winds and 218 kilometres to go, the Dutch rider from the Skil-Shimano team was joined by compatriots Niki Terpstra (Milram), Michiel Elijzen (Silence Lotto), Wout Poels (Vacansoleil), and Ukranian Vitaliy Kondrut (ISD-Neri).

The peloton didn't fancy a fast race and allowed the five leaders to gain more than 15 minutes. When approaching Belgium, the sprinters' teams made sure the leaders wouldn't stand a chance in the finale and once across the border, the leaders were all caught.

Goesinnen was the last man standing. He wasn't caught until 28 kilometres to go, near the climb of the Bruineput, which also features in the Brabantse Pijl in April.

During a hard-fought, nervous finale, atacks were everywhere, but none had much success. A group of nine riders, including big guns like Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Patrick Sinkewitz (PSK Whirlpool) and Pablo Lastras (Caisse d'Epargne) build up a lead of 20 seconds. The Liquigas team controlled this breakaway attempt, and after the Keperenberg, with 7 kilometres to go, they were all back in the main peloton.

Several attempts to sneak away followed, but the headwinds made it impossible to hold out against the peloton, then controlled by Katusha and Bouygues Telecom. Romain Feillu (Agritubel) tried to suprise the sprinters by starting his sprint early, but the headwind and the uphill turned his attack into a perfect lead-out for the Quick Step team.

Steven De Jongh set-up Alan Davis on the left; however, the latter couldn't respond to the acceleration from Goss, who passed him easily on the right and won with at least a bike length over Davis in second.

The winner Goss explained that the trick was to wait long enough on the Houba de Strooperlaan, where Paris-Brussels finished for the fifth year in a row. "It's difficult in a way because it is slightly uphill and that always makes it harder to judge. In terms of the finish, it's like a straight run-in so it was pretty easy and not very dangerous, so that is always good. I haven't actually seen it, but I knew I was a little bit in front, so it was a matter of crossing my wheel over the line first," Goss said.

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