Just imagine:
You wake up on a glorious Wednesday in spring in time to log on the CTV to watch Gent-Wevelgem. You think to yourself, "This race can't possibly match Flanders. I'll spend most of my time doing some cleaning up and chatting on PdC while the race unfolds. Besides I know its gonna come down to the final bunch sprint... I got time."
So you go about your chores, though the funny/snarky comments on Podium Cafe slowly draw you away from other things. With about 30 km to go you sit down in front of your computer for the last time to watch the race play out. The breakaway looks interesting... it might possibly succeed.. the Kemmelberg did some interesting sorting out... Hincapie and a couple others are pushing hard...
20 km to go and the peloton looks like its gaining on the break... yeah they definitely are. That break sure ain't gonna stay away by the looks of things as that peloton means business with several teams chasing: Quickstep, Liquigas, Cervelo among others. The chatting on PdC is heating up with various posters noting that there's quite a sprinters field here: Boonen, Benna, Cavendish, defending champ Oscarito, Thor, Ciolek, McEwen, Wiggins... geez nice field! Mark and Brian are talking a lot about a Cav-Wig rivalry.
10 km to go ad the catch happens just past the 5km mark. You and everyone else here at PdC have moved to the edge of their seats as the finish line approaches. 3km and you start to see a Columbia train form with Cavendish this time where he's supposed to be- right behind Greipel. But at the same time on the opposite side of the road is the Quickstep train with Boonen behind Alan Davis and Wouter Weylandt. But neither train has the lead as other teams fill in the space between the two sprinters teams... You see next to Greipel his old teammate Roger Hammond, this time leading Hushovd. Some one on PdC has spotted a group of fast guys including Rojas, Bennati, Dean and Wiggins just a bit back and the chat gets quite lively.
2km to go and there's been an Oscarito sighting by Elvisgoat along with both Steegmans and McEwen in the Katyusha kits... This is getting serious!
1500m to go and no one has the advantage. CTV is getting quite loud as everyone realizes that this is THE sprint! Its like the Last Supper and everyone's invited! You are totally on the edge of your seat now as most of the lead out guys have pulled away... you pray for no crashes and for once your prayers are answered! This is incredible! No one appears to have an advantage with 1 km to go!!!!! You've been waiting for a sprint finish like this for two years now and here it is! You're screaming at your computer by now and...
Ha! tell me how this ends! Who do you think is gonna win? In the comments, give me the order of finish between Cav, Boonen, Ciolek, Benna, Friere, Thor, Rojas, and McEwen! Tell us how the race will play out.