| 2012 UCI World Tour, race 6 of 28 | |||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||
| Dates | 23 March 2012 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 203 km (126.1 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 4h 51' 59" | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
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← 2011 2013 → | |||||||||||||
The2012 E3 Harelbeke was the 55th running of theE3 Harelbeke single-day cycling race.[1] It was held on 23 March over a distance of 203 kilometres (126.1 miles) and was the sixth race of the2012 UCI World Tour season. E3 Harelbeke was held as aUCI World Tour event for the first time,[2] after previously being held as a1.HC race on theUCI Europe Tour.[3] As well as its promotion to the World Tour, the race moved to a Friday running from a Saturday; the move was in order to give riders a day's break prior to the following World Tour event,Gent–Wevelgem.[4]
In a mass sprint finish, the race was won byOmega Pharma–Quick-Step riderTom Boonen,[5] who in the process, became the most successful rider in the history of the race; his fifth victory – after four previous victories in succession between 2004 and 2007 – in Harelbeke took him beyond the record tally of four victories that he had been sharing with fellow Belgian riderRik Van Looy.[6] Boonen finished ahead ofTeam Katusha'sÓscar Freire andTeam Sky'sBernhard Eisel, who completed the podium.[7]
As E3 Harelbeke was a UCI World Tour event, all 18UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Seven other squads were given wildcard places into the race,[8] and as such, formed the event's 25-team peloton.
The 25 teams that competed in the race were:[9]
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| Cyclist | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tom Boonen (BEL) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | 4h 51' 59" |
| 2 |  Óscar Freire (ESP) | Team Katusha | s.t. |
| 3 |  Bernhard Eisel (AUT) | Team Sky | s.t. |
| 4 |  Leonardo Duque (COL) | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 5 | Sep Vanmarcke (BEL) | Garmin–Barracuda | s.t. |
| 6 |  John Degenkolb (GER) | Project 1t4i | s.t. |
| 7 |  Mathieu Ladagnous (FRA) | FDJ–BigMat | s.t. |
| 8 | Alexandre Pichot (FRA) | Team Europcar | s.t. |
| 9 |  Alessandro Ballan (ITA) | BMC Racing Team | s.t. |
| 10 | Sébastien Turgot (FRA) | Team Europcar | s.t. |
