Boonen Baby!

Boonen became the first man in 33 years to win the Tour of Flanders in consecutive years, joining the last rider to accomplish the feat Belgian Eric Leman, who won in 1972 and 1973.

Hoste started the two-man break from a lead group of less than 20 men some 32 kilometres from the finish, but the Belgian sprint-king stayed with his compatriot through the greuling Muur van Geraardsbergen climb and all the way to the line.

Hoste's teammate George Hincapie finished third to make it a Discovery 2-3, but the day belonged to the 25-year old world champion from Quick Step.

"This win is my response to all the questions I've been asked during this last week," said Boonen, the heavy favourite going into the race. "I was very good and showed it everywhere that I was very good. Only the very best in cycling have won the Tour of Flanders in a rainbow jersey."

In fact, only three other world champions have gone on to win the Tour of Flanders the year after collecting their rainbow jerseys, as Eddy Merckx was the last man to do it back in 1975.

"You don't get a world champion title every year, and you don't win a Tour of Flanders title every year," Boonen told Eurosport. "It's very special."

During the dreaded Koppenberg climb (average gradient 11.5%) 70 kilometres from the finish line, Boonen pushed the peloton past the two race leaders Thierry Marichal (Cofidis) and Bram Schmitz (T-Mobile), and he never looked back.

Much of the peloton were forced to dismount their bikes and climb the 600 metres long cobble-stoned climb when they reached its steepest point (22% gradient).

"The Koppenberg was very, very bad," Boonen said after the race. "There are sections where there are no cobblestones at all. They should re-make the cobbles again, this was not normal."

"But the Koppenberg is the Koppenberg."

"I did no reconnaissance of the course because I know it by heart," Boonen also said.

After overcoming the day's most grueling of 17 climbs, Boonen was joined in a 15-man lead group by three of his Quick Step teammates Paolo Bettini, Filippo Pozzato and Serge Baguet, who escorted him to his final duel with Hoste.

Quick Step led the leaders until the Hoste attack, which caught his Discovery teammate Hincapie by surprise.

"If I would have known he was attacking, maybe I could have gone with him," the 32-year-old American said of his teammate Hoste, who was coming off of a victory in last week's Three Days of La Panne.

Boonen stated in no uncertain terms that even if Hincapie had joined the top-two at the finish, it would have made no difference.

"If they ride with me they ride for second place, but if they wait they go at the end," Boonen concluded.