Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky)(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Dominique Rollin gets his game face on(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Riders at the sign on(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Number 1: Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Dominik Klemme helps Anders Lund fix his radio(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Karsten Kroon (BMC) could be a dark horse for today's race(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Kim Kirchen (Katusha)(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Sergei Ivanov in the Russian national champions jersey(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Roger Hammond (Cervelo)(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Fuyu Li (Radioshack)(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
The Footon-Servetto boys started together at the back of the bunch(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky)(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Filippo Pozzato is the defending champion(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Fabian Cancellara faces the media scrum(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Tom Boonen (Quickstep)(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Wherever Boonen goes the Belgian press follow(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Tom Boonen and Sebastian Langeveld share a joke(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Tom Boonen on the start podium(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
Sergei Ivanov (Katusha) before the start(Image credit: Daniel Benson)
The start of E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke was awash with colour on Saturday morning as some of cycling’s elite descended on the sleepy Belgian town. Click here for a gallery of images.
The riders were greeted with perfect spring-time weather, with just a few clouds hovering overhead. The peloton face a 210 kilometre slog, with 12 short but steep climbs before the finish back in Harelbeke.
However one rider who didn’t take the start was Thor Hushovd (Cervelo). The Norwegian pulled out through illness.
The race still contains most of the Classics stars with four-time winner Tom Boonen looking for revenge over Katusha's Filippo Pozzato, who beat him in a thrilling finish here last year.
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