Boonen wins Tour of Flanders

Tom Boonen has won the Tour of Flanders for the third time in his career, beating Filippo Pozzato and Alessandro Ballan in a three-way sprint on Sunday.

On the penultimate climb, the three broke away with 18 kilometers 12 miles to go. In an open sprint to the line, Boonen held a bike-length margin over Pozzato for his first Tour of Flanders win since 2006.

Crashes marked the final stages of the classic, and favorite Fabian Cancellara was the biggest victim.