The last road stage of the De Panne tour is a short one and once again the wind is high. Still surely now the sprinters can hold on with Cavendish and Vantomme both disappointed yesterday.
Looks like there will be little challenge to Neils Albert (Bpost) who should find defending his lead fairly simple in tomorrows time trial. Just one rider goes on the early attack in Cédric Pineau
He then will roll over the first sprint prime with Roger Kluge
surprising an enthusiastic Maxime Vantomme
These seconds could be useful for Pokerstars who intelligentely moved Nolf onto the GC podium yesterday. Kluge is a useful chrono man who could finish well up in the top ten. Pineau does need to be caught, Rothaus and Proximus Trek decide to do the honours.
With a rider like Lars Boom doing the pace at one stage it does look like we could get a fractured peloton into the finish.
But with the catch made just before 10km things slow up enough for a reformation before the sprint. The sprint trains are a bit messy with Rothaus doing the best job through Daniel Vesely
leading out Maxime Vantomme
On Vantomme's wheel is Francesco Chicchi Hans Dekkers John Degenkolb
Aleksei Markov
and whilst his teammate Maciej Ulanowski
is up the road Mark Cavendish
hovers some way back.
At least he has a chance of getting back forward unlike the Rapha Condor attempt through Tom Last
who is leading out Thor Hushovd Tom Veelers
and Adam Blythe
To make matters worse they get blocked by a fading Noam Cohen
whilst Cavendish gets back up to Ulanowski's wheel.
Cavendish has timed his move well as Vesely struggles to live with this dual Proximus Trek attempt, Vantomme finds himself in the dreaded position of having to attempt to outkick Cav.
It is no good and shockingly the Belgain young sprinter drops backwards as his followers come around him, not fast enough to stop a stunning Proximus one-two. Chicchi is third pipping Dekkers, Degenkolb and Hushovd to the line. The latter rider could possibly take the points jersey tomorrow.
