# 2011 Tour of Belgium

The 2011 Tour of Belgium is the 81st edition of the Tour of Belgium cycling stage race. It takes place from 25 May to 29 May 2011 in Belgium. The race is part of the UCI Europe Tour. It begins with a short prologue in Buggenhout, followed by four longer stages, ultimately finishing in Putte.

## Schedule

| Stage | Route | Distance | Date | Winner |
| P | Buggenhout > Buggenhout | 5.6 km | Wednesday, May 25 | Lieuwe Westra |
| 1 | Lochristi > Knokke-Heist | 162.5 km | Thursday, May 26 | André Greipel |
| 2 | Knokke-Heist > Ypres | 187.8 km | Friday, May 27 | Aidis Kruopis |
| 3 | Bertem > Eupen | 202 km | Saturday, May 28 | Philippe Gilbert |
| 4 | Oreye > Putte | 169.4 km | Sunday, May 29 | André Greipel |

## Teams

Twenty-one teams have been invited to the 2011 Tour of Belgium: 7 teams are from the UCI ProTeams, 7 are UCI Professional Continental Teams and 7 are UCI Continental Teams.
| UCI ProTeams Astana BMC Racing Team Omega Pharma–Lotto Quick-Step Rabobank Team Katusha Vacansoleil–DCM | UCI Professional Continental Teams Acqua & Sapone Cofidis Landbouwkrediet Saur–Sojasun Skil–Shimano Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator Veranda's Willems–Accent | UCI Continental Teams An Post–Sean Kelly BKCP–Powerplus Donckers Koffie–Jelly Belly Jong Vlaanderen–Bauknecht Sunweb–Revor Telenet–Fidea Wallonie Bruxelles–Crédit Agricole |

## Stages
### Prologue

25 May 2011 – Buggenhout (Belgium), 5.6 km (3.5 mi)
With only 7 turns in the course, the short prologue in Buggenhout was not technical and favored more powerful riders. One of these riders is André Greipel, who set the first strong mark at 6' 45" as one of the first riders. Surprisingly, the first rider to beat his time was his young teammate Jens Debusschere, who stayed in the lead for quite a long time. Eventually Sebastian Langeveld beat the time of Debusschere and from that point on, with the winds turning, a few more riders managed to come close to the time of Langeveld. Eventually Langevelds compatriot Lieuwe Westra beat his time by a mere four seconds to take the stage win and the first black jersey. The Belgian spectators were delighted to see Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert riding good times, both finishing in the top 10 after a period of absence following the spring classics.
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Lieuwe Westra (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 6' 37" |
| 2 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 1" |
| 3 | Dominique Cornu (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 2" |
| 4 | Sebastian Langeveld (NED) | Rabobank | + 4" |
| 5 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | + 7" |
| 6 | Jens Debusschere (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 7" |
| 7 | Cyril Lemoine (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 8" |
| 8 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | + 8" |
| 9 | André Greipel (GER) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 9" |
| 10 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 9" |

### Stage 1

26 May 2011 – Lochristi (Belgium) to Knokke-Heist (Belgium), 162.5 km (101.0 mi)
The stage started with one minute of silence in remembrance of Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt, a former stage winner during the Tour of Belgium who died two weeks earlier as a result of a crash during the 2011 Giro d'Italia.
With around 60 kilometres to go and strong winds picking up as the peloton got closer to the North Sea, the Quick-Step team pulled the peloton apart by using the drafting technique, as such creating an elite group. Notable absentees in this group were leader in the race Lieuwe Westra, two time Tour of Belgium winner Stijn Devolder and classics specialist Filippo Pozzato who would finish several minutes back in one of the dropped groups. The elite group sprinted for the victory in Knokke-Heist, with André Greipel taking the stage win and due to the bonification seconds he also became the new leader.
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | André Greipel (GER) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 3h 38' 14" |
| 2 | Kenny van Hummel (NED) | Skil–Shimano | s.t. |
| 3 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 4 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 5 | Nikolay Trusov (RUS) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 6 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | s.t. |
| 7 | Allan Davis (AUS) | Astana | s.t. |
| 8 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 9 | Michael Van Staeyen (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | s.t. |
| 10 | Aidis Kruopis (LTU) | Landbouwkrediet | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | André Greipel (GER) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 3h 44' 49" |
| 2 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 2" |
| 3 | Dominique Cornu (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 3" |
| 4 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | + 8" |
| 5 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 6 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 10" |
| 7 | Sebastian Langeveld (NED) | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 8 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 13" |
| 9 | John Murphy (USA) | BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| 10 | Jens Debusschere (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 14" |

### Stage 2

27 May 2011 – Knokke-Heist (Belgium) to Ypres (Belgium), 187.8 km (116.7 mi)
Just a few kilometres into the stage, five riders broke away from the peloton: Koen Barbé, Marcus Burghardt, Niko Eeckhout, Jens Mouris and Luca Paolini. The breakaway group got a lead of up to four minutes, but was caught just after the second climb of the Kemmelberg by Philippe Gilbert. Soon after, about 20 other riders also closed the gap, while Gilbert had managed to win the last intermediate sprint of the day, which gave him enough time bonus to overtake his teammate André Greipel in the standings. The lead group increased to almost 60 riders and with the finish line coming closer it was hard for anyone to get away from the pack. A late solo breakaway by Jelle Wallays was ended just 2 kilometres from the finish and the group sprinted for the stage win. In the sprint, Tom Boonen and Allan Davis came up strongly to the front but faded early, allowing Aidis Kruopis to overtake them in the final metres and book the biggest win of his young career. André Greipel lost both the black jersey for the overall lead and the yellow jersey of the points classification, respectively to Philippe Gilbert and Tom Boonen.
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Aidis Kruopis (LTU) | Landbouwkrediet | 4h 21' 41" |
| 2 | Stefan van Dijk (NED) | Veranda's Willems–Accent | s.t. |
| 3 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | s.t. |
| 4 | Allan Davis (AUS) | Astana | s.t. |
| 5 | Pieter Ghyllebert (BEL) | An Post–Sean Kelly | s.t. |
| 6 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 7 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 8 | Tom Meeusen (BEL) | Telenet–Fidea | s.t. |
| 9 | Rafaâ Chtioui (TUN) | Acqua & Sapone | s.t. |
| 10 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 8h 06' 29" |
| 2 | André Greipel (GER) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 1" |
| 3 | Dominique Cornu (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 4" |
| 4 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | + 9" |
| 5 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 10" |
| 6 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | + 11" |
| 7 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 11" |
| 8 | Sebastian Langeveld (NED) | Rabobank | + 14" |
| 9 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 16" |
| 10 | Cyril Lemoine (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 17" |

### Stage 3

28 May 2011 – Bertem (Belgium) to Eupen (Belgium), 202 km (126 mi)
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 4h 50' 47" |
| 2 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| 3 | Björn Leukemans (BEL) | Vacansoleil–DCM | s.t. |
| 4 | Bert De Waele (BEL) | Landbouwkrediet | + 7" |
| 5 | Egor Silin (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 21" |
| 6 | Joost van Leijen (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 46" |
| 7 | Niki Terpstra (NED) | Quick-Step | + 48" |
| 8 | Sébastien Joly (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 50" |
| 9 | Enrico Gasparotto (ITA) | Astana | + 53" |
| 10 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 56" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 12h 57' 04" |
| 2 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 19" |
| 3 | Björn Leukemans (BEL) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 35" |
| 4 | Bert De Waele (BEL) | Landbouwkrediet | + 1' 02" |
| 5 | Niki Terpstra (NED) | Quick-Step | + 1' 18" |
| 6 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 1' 18" |
| 7 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | + 1' 20" |
| 8 | Joost van Leijen (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 1' 28" |
| 9 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 3' 11" |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | + 3' 25" |

### Stage 4

29 May 2011 – Oreye (Belgium) to Putte (Belgium), 169.4 km (105.3 mi)
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | André Greipel (GER) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 3h 51' 43" |
| 2 | Aidis Kruopis (LTU) | Landbouwkrediet | s.t. |
| 3 | Luca Paolini (ITA) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 4 | Adrien Petit (FRA) | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 5 | Allan Davis (AUS) | Astana | s.t. |
| 6 | Michael Van Staeyen (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | s.t. |
| 7 | Stefan van Dijk (NED) | Veranda's Willems–Accent | s.t. |
| 8 | Tom Meeusen (BEL) | Telenet–Fidea | s.t. |
| 9 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | s.t. |
| 10 | Olivier Pardini (BEL) | Wallonie Bruxelles–Crédit Agricole | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 16h 48' 46" |
| 2 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 20" |
| 3 | Björn Leukemans (BEL) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 36" |
| 4 | Bert De Waele (BEL) | Landbouwkrediet | + 1' 03" |
| 5 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 1' 16" |
| 6 | Niki Terpstra (NED) | Quick-Step | + 1' 19" |
| 7 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | + 1' 21" |
| 8 | Joost van Leijen (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 1' 29" |
| 9 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 3' 12" |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | + 3' 26" |

## Final standings
### General classification

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 16h 48' 46" |
| 2 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | + 20" |
| 3 | Björn Leukemans (BEL) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 36" |
| 4 | Bert De Waele (BEL) | Landbouwkrediet | + 1' 03" |
| 5 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 1' 16" |
| 6 | Niki Terpstra (NED) | Quick-Step | + 1' 19" |
| 7 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | + 1' 21" |
| 8 | Joost van Leijen (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 1' 29" |
| 9 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 3' 12" |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | + 3' 26" |

### Points classification

| | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | André Greipel (GER) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 71 |
| 2 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 71 |
| 3 | Aidis Kruopis (LTU) | Landbouwkrediet | 65 |
| 4 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 55 |
| 5 | Allan Davis (AUS) | Astana | 49 |
| 6 | Tom Boonen (BEL) | Quick-Step | 44 |
| 7 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | 41 |
| 8 | Maarten Wynants (BEL) | Rabobank | 39 |
| 9 | Stefan van Dijk (NED) | Veranda's Willems–Accent | 38 |
| 10 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | 37 |

### Sprint classification

| | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Marcus Burghardt (GER) | BMC Racing Team | 24 |
| 2 | Michael Schär (SUI) | BMC Racing Team | 21 |
| 3 | Graeme Brown (AUS) | Rabobank | 16 |
| 4 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Lotto | 16 |
| 5 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | 16 |
| 6 | Kurt Hovelynck (BEL) | Donckers Koffie–Jelly Belly | 15 |
| 7 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 8 |
| 8 | Joost van Leijen (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 8 |
| 9 | Steven Van Vooren (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | 8 |
| 10 | Luca Paolini (ITA) | Team Katusha | 8 |

### Young Rider classification

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 16h 50' 02" |
| 2 | Jens Keukeleire (BEL) | Cofidis | + 1' 56" |
| 3 | Maxime Vantomme (BEL) | Team Katusha | + 2' 10" |
| 4 | Michael Schär (SUI) | BMC Racing Team | + 2' 27" |
| 5 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (BEL) | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 2' 51" |
| 6 | Tom Meeusen (BEL) | Telenet–Fidea | + 3' 25" |
| 7 | Jean-Lou Paiani (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 7' 24" |
| 8 | Wietse Bosmans (BEL) | BKCP–Powerplus | + 10' 48" |
| 9 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Rabobank | + 13' 14" |
| 10 | Tanel Kangert (EST) | Astana | + 16' 20" |

### Team classification

| | Team | Points |
| 1 | Vacansoleil–DCM | 50h 29' 14" |
| 2 | Astana | + 3' 01" |
| 3 | Team Katusha | + 4' 59" |
| 4 | Saur–Sojasun | + 5' 45" |
| 5 | Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator | + 7' 44" |
| 6 | Rabobank | + 16' 08" |
| 7 | Quick-Step | + 20' 35" |
| 8 | BMC Racing Team | + 21' 50" |
| 9 | Landbouwkrediet | + 22' 23" |
| 10 | Cofidis | + 25' 04" |

## Classification leadership table

| Stage | Winner | General classification Algemeen Klassement | Points classification Puntentrui | Sprints Classification Rushesklassement | Young Rider classification Jongerentrui | Team classification Ploegenklassement |
| P | Lieuwe Westra | Lieuwe Westra | Lieuwe Westra | Graeme Brown | Jens Debusschere | Omega Pharma–Lotto |
| 1 | André Greipel | André Greipel | André Greipel | Graeme Brown | Jens Keukeleire | Omega Pharma–Lotto |
| 2 | Aidis Kruopis | Philippe Gilbert | Tom Boonen | Niko Eeckhout | Pim Ligthart | Quick-Step |
| 3 | Philippe Gilbert | Philippe Gilbert | Philippe Gilbert | Michael Schär | Pim Ligthart | Vacansoleil–DCM |
| 4 | André Greipel | Philippe Gilbert | André Greipel | Marcus Burghardt | Pim Ligthart | Vacansoleil–DCM |
| Final | Final | Philippe Gilbert | André Greipel | Marcus Burghardt | Pim Ligthart | Vacansoleil–DCM |