{{Infobox cycling race report | name = 2012 E3 Harelbeke | series = [[2012 UCI World Tour]] | race_no = 6 | season_no = 28 | image = E3 Prijs Harelbeke-2012 poster.svg | image_caption = | image_size = 300px | date = 23 March 2012 | stages = 1 | distance = 203 | unit = km | time = 4h 51' 59" | first = [[Tom Boonen]] | first_nat = Belgium | first_team = {{UCI team code|OPQ|2012}} | second = [[Óscar Freire]] | second_nat = Spain | second_team = {{UCI team code|KAT|2012}} | third = [[Bernhard Eisel]] | third_nat = Austria | third_team = {{UCI team code|SKY|2012}} | previous = [[2011 E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke|2011]] | next = [[2013 E3 Harelbeke|2013]] }}
The '''2012 E3 Harelbeke''' was the 55th running of the [[E3 Harelbeke]] single-day cycling race.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.podiumcafe.com/2012/3/22/2894046/e3-harelbeke-the-new-heavyweight-champ|title=E3 Harelbeke: The New Heavyweight Champ|date=22 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012|work=Podium Cafe|publisher=[[Vox Media, Inc.]]|first=Chris|last=Fontecchio}}</ref> It was held on 23 March over a distance of {{convert|203|km|1|abbr=off}} and was the sixth race of the [[2012 UCI World Tour]] season. E3 Harelbeke was held as a [[UCI World Tour]] event for the first time,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/e3-harelbeke-to-be-worldtour-race-in-2012|title=E3 Harelbeke to be WorldTour race in 2012|work=Cycling News|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|date=31 August 2011|access-date=23 March 2012}}</ref> after previously being held as a [[UCI race classifications#Road racing|1.HC]] race on the [[UCI Continental Circuits#UCI Europe Tour|UCI Europe Tour]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=18402|title=54th E3 Prijs Harelbeke 1.HC|work=Daily Peloton|publisher=Earthlink|date=26 March 2011|access-date=23 March 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723230246/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=18402|archive-date=23 July 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/flanders-predictor-e3-harelbeke-makes-worldtour-debut-friday_210113|title=Flanders predictor E3 Harelbeke makes WorldTour debut Friday|first=Neal|last=Rogers|work=VeloNews|publisher=Competitor Group, Inc.|date=22 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012|archive-date=24 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324183955/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/flanders-predictor-e3-harelbeke-makes-worldtour-debut-friday_210113|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:E3-prijs de muur Stijn Devolder en Guillaume Van Keirsbulck 23-03-2012 14-36-54.png|thumb|260px|[[Stijn Devolder]] leads over the Muur]] In a mass sprint finish, the race was won by {{UCI team code|OPQ|2012}} rider [[Tom Boonen]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/23032012/58/five-star-boonen-takes-e3-harelbeke.html|title=Five-star Boonen takes E3 Harelbeke|work=[[Yahoo!]] [[Eurosport]]|publisher=[[TF1 Group]]|first=Lee|last=Walker|date=23 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012}}</ref> 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 rider [[Rik Van Looy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11438/Tom-Boonen-edges-out-Oscar-Freire-to-take-his-fifth-E3-Prijs-Vlaanderen.aspx|date=23 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012|work=VeloNation|publisher=VeloNation LLC|first=Ben|last=Atkins|title=Tom Boonen edges out Oscar Freire to take his fifth E3 Prijs Vlaanderen}}</ref> Boonen finished ahead of {{UCI team code|KAT|2012}}'s [[Óscar Freire]] and {{UCI team code|SKY|2012}}'s [[Bernhard Eisel]], who completed the podium.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/e3-prijs-vlaanderen-harelbeke-2012/results|date=23 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012|work=Cycling News|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|title=Boonen victorious at E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke|first=Brecht|last=Decaluwé}}</ref>
== Teams == [[File:E3_Harelbeke.jpg|thumb|260px|Route of E3 Harelbeke 2012]] As E3 Harelbeke was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 [[UCI ProTour#List of current UCI ProTeams|UCI ProTeam]]s were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Seven other squads were given wildcard places into the race,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/e3-prijs-vlaanderen-wildcards-announced|title=E3 Prijs Vlaanderen wildcards announced|work=Cycling News|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|date=8 February 2012|access-date=23 March 2012}}</ref> and as such, formed the event's 25-team peloton.
The 25 teams that competed in the race were:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e3prijsvlaanderen.be/files/2012HARELBEKEDeelnemers.pdf|format=[[Portable Document Format|PDF]]|title=Deelnemerslijst|language=nl|trans-title=List of participants|work=[[E3 Harelbeke]]|publisher=Hand in Hand Cycling Club of Harelbeke|access-date=23 March 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=22em}} *{{UCI team code|WGG|2012}} *{{UCI team code|ALM|2012}} *{{UCI team code|AST|2012}} *{{UCI team code|BMC|2012}} *{{UCI team code|COF|2012}} *{{UCI team code|EUC|2012}} *{{UCI team code|EUS|2012}} *{{UCI team code|FAR|2012}} *{{UCI team code|FDJ|2012}} *{{UCI team code|GRM|2012a}} *{{UCI team code|GEC|2012a}} *{{UCI team code|KAT|2012}} *{{UCI team code|LAM|2012}} *{{UCI team code|LAN|2012}} *{{UCI team code|LIQ|2012}} *{{UCI team code|LTB|2012}} *{{UCI team code|MOV|2012}} *{{UCI team code|OPQ|2012}} *{{UCI team code|SUN|2012a}} *{{UCI team code|RAB|2012}} *{{UCI team code|RNT|2012}} *{{UCI team code|SAX|2012a}} *{{UCI team code|SKY|2012}} *{{UCI team code|TSV|2012}} *{{UCI team code|VCD|2012}} {{div col end}}
==Results== [[File:Trofee E3 Harelbeke, Tom Boonen, 2012 - frontaal (TRM0734 - collectie KOERS. Museum van de Wielersport).jpg|thumb|260px|Trophy of 2012 E3 Harelbeke won by [[Tom Boonen]] (collection [[KOERS Museum|KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing]])]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uci.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/TheASP.asp?PageID=19006&SportID=102&CompetitionID=20483&EditionID=709930&SeasonID=482&ClassID=1&GenderID=1&EventID=10635&EventPhaseID=709931&Phase1ID=-1&Phase2ID=0&Phase3ID=0&PhaseClassificationID=-1&Detail=1&Ranking=0&All=0&TaalCode=2&StyleID=0&Cache=8|title=UCI WorldTour Ranking #5 – E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke (BEL/UWT)|date=23 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012|work=[[Union Cycliste Internationale]]|publisher=Infostrada Sports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055310/http://www.uci.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/TheASP.asp?PageID=19006&SportID=102&CompetitionID=20483&EditionID=709930&SeasonID=482&ClassID=1&GenderID=1&EventID=10635&EventPhaseID=709931&Phase1ID=-1&Phase2ID=0&Phase3ID=0&PhaseClassificationID=-1&Detail=1&Ranking=0&All=0&TaalCode=2&StyleID=0&Cache=8|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" ! !Cyclist !Team !Time |- | 1 | {{flagathlete|[[Tom Boonen]]|BEL}} | {{UCI team code|OPQ|2012}} | 4h 51' 59" |- | 2 | {{flagathlete|[[Óscar Freire]]|ESP}} | {{UCI team code|KAT|2012}} | s.t. |- | 3 | {{flagathlete|[[Bernhard Eisel]]|AUT}} | {{UCI team code|SKY|2012}} | s.t. |- | 4 | {{flagathlete|[[Leonardo Duque]]|COL}} | {{UCI team code|COF|2012}} | s.t. |- | 5 | {{flagathlete|[[Sep Vanmarcke]]|BEL}} | {{UCI team code|GRM|2012a}} | s.t. |- | 6 | {{flagathlete|[[John Degenkolb]]|GER}} | {{UCI team code|SUN|2012a}} | s.t. |- | 7 | {{flagathlete|[[Mathieu Ladagnous]]|FRA}} | {{UCI team code|FDJ|2012}} | s.t. |- | 8 | {{flagathlete|[[Alexandre Pichot]]|FRA}} | {{UCI team code|EUC|2012}} | s.t. |- | 9 | {{flagathlete|[[Alessandro Ballan]]|ITA}} | {{UCI team code|BMC|2012}} | s.t. |- | 10 | {{flagathlete|[[Sébastien Turgot]]|FRA}} | {{UCI team code|EUC|2012}} | s.t. |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *{{Official website|http://www.e3prijsvlaanderen.be/}}
{{E3 Harelbeke}} {{2012 UCI World Tour}}
[[Category:2012 in Belgian sport|E3 Harelbeke]] [[Category:2012 UCI World Tour|E3 Harelbeke]] [[Category:E3 Saxo Bank Classic]]