| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 7 April 2002 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 264 km (164.0 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 6h 53' 00" | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
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← 2001 2003 → | |||||||||||||
The 86th running of theTour of Flanderscycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 7 April 2002. It was the second leg of the 2002UCI Road World Cup. ItalianAndrea Tafi won themonument classic ahead of Johan Museeuw and Peter Van Petegem.[1][2] The race started inBruges and finished inMeerbeke (Ninove).
Erwin Thijs was in the front for almost 200 km. After theKoppenberg, 55 km from the finish, eight riders broke away. Five of them,Johan Museeuw,George Hincapie,Peter Van Petegem,Andrea Tafi andDaniele Nardello, stayed ahead after Museeuw attacked on theMuur 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 ofErik Zabel at 2' 27". French newspaperL'Équipe called the race's finale "the most beautiful breakaway of the year".
The edition saw the re-introduction of theKoppenberg, 15 years after its previous appearance in1987. 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" |
