| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 7 April 2002 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 264 km (164.0 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 6h 53' 00" | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The 86th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 7 April 2002. It was the second leg of the 2002 UCI Road World Cup. Italian Andrea Tafi won the monument classic ahead of Johan Museeuw and Peter Van Petegem. [1] [2] The race started in Bruges and finished in Meerbeke (Ninove).
Erwin Thijs was in the front for almost 200 km. After the Koppenberg, 55 km from the finish, eight riders broke away. Five of them, Johan Museeuw, George Hincapie, Peter Van Petegem, Andrea Tafi and Daniele Nardello, stayed ahead after Museeuw attacked on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Museeuw and Van Petegem tried to break clear, but they thwarted each other's attempts. When Andrea Tafi attacked, 4 km before the finish, the rest hesitated and the Italian pushed on until the finish. Museeuw beat Van Petegem in the sprint for second place. Mario Cipollini won the sprint for ninth ahead of Erik Zabel at 2' 27". French newspaper L'Équipe called the race's finale "the most beautiful breakaway of the year".
The edition saw the re-introduction of the Koppenberg, 15 years after its previous appearance in 1987. In total, there were 16 categorized climbs:
| Cyclist | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Andrea Tafi (ITA) | Mapei–Quick Step | 6h 53' 00" |
| 2 |  Johan Museeuw (BEL) | Domo–Farm Frites | + 21" |
| 3 | Peter Van Petegem (BEL) | Lotto–Domo | + 21" |
| 4 |  George Hincapie (USA) | US Postal | + 21" |
| 5 | Daniele Nardello (ITA) | Mapei–Quick Step | + 21" |
| 6 |  Rolf Sörensen (DEN) | Landbouwkrediet–Colnago | + 1' 12" |
| 7 | Enrico Cassani (ITA) | Domo–Farm Frites | + 1' 12" |
| 8 | Gabriele Missaglia (ITA) | Lampre–Daikin | + 1' 12" |
| 9 | Mario Cipollini (ITA) | Acqua & Sapone | + 2' 27" |
| 10 |  Erik Zabel (GER) | Team Telekom | + 2' 27" |
The Tour of Flanders, also known as De Ronde, is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste. First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016.
Johan Museeuw is a retired Belgian professional road racing cyclist who was a professional from 1988 until 2004. Nicknamed The Lion of Flanders, he was particularly successful in the cobbled classics of Flanders and Northern France and was considered one of the best classic races specialists of the 1990s.
Andrea Tafi is an Italian former road bicycle racer who retired from his professional career in 2005. Tafi's propensity to perform best in the harder races earned him the nickname "Il Gladiatore".
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