March 27, 2011 - Tom Boonen of Belgium won a sprint finish in the Ghent-Wevelgem one-day cycling classic on Sunday ahead of Daniele Bennati of Italy and Tyler Farrar of the United States.
His win comes a day after sprint rival Fabian Cancellara of Italy won the E3 GP race and the pair have now set themselves up among the favourites for the Tour of Flanders classic next weekend.
The race was marked by a breakaway by five cyclists led by French champion Thomas Voeckler 80 kilometres from home, but they were soon hauled in by the peloton and it came down to a sprint finish which saw Boonen comfortably come out on top.
It was the Belgian's second success of the season following a stage win in the Tour of Qatar last month.
"Fabien showed on Saturday that he is in fine form, but I proved on Sunday that I am in top condition also and I have recovered from the flu which hit me at Milan to San Remo," the former world champion said.
Top British sprinter Mark Cavendish had a disappointing day failing to make his mark after a fall shortly before the conclusion to the race.