Welcome to the first stage of the International Osterriech Rundfahrt.
Today's stage is classified as hilly however is really quite flat and it will be difficult for riders to gain much time. Favourites for today's stage are Cunego, Pellizotti and Ulissi, although there will be many other riders looking to try their luck on this, less decisive, stage.
And we are under way
A break of four goes away: Perget, Klimov and Eichler with Flecha 30 second up the road.
They manage to pull Flecha back just before the sprint point
Which Eichler takes ahead of Klimov and Flecha
This causes a split as Eichler and Flecha ride away.
These two are much stronger than the other two and the break is not going to rejoin.
Flecha attacks away for mountain points.
with Klimov taking 3rd
La Gazzeta starts working to bring back the break as it now has an 11 minute lead.
Again Flecha claims the points with Eichler happy to let him.
Although this time Perget gets 3rd
At the sprint point Flecha beat Eichler
They now have an eight minute gap with 70km to go.
Klimov claims third
With 50km to go Flecha has 6'21" although he has to do it alone as Eichler never quite rejoined after the sprint point and now seems to be falling back slightly.
The chase is still being lead by La Gazetta although they now have some help.
With 40km to go the gap is now 5'30" and Flecha has a chance of getting away.
With 32km to go Sella, Cunego, Bozic, Pellizotti and Gil attack and catch Perget and Klimov
Schleck goes after them
As do Hacecky, Van Huffel, Sanchez Gil, Cataldo and Bennati.
They all get pulled back
so as you can see Cataldo and Bennati go again.
Bennati gets nowhere but Kolesnikov, Bozic and Marzano go after Cataldo
Then Cunego, Uran, Mandri and Gil go
Cataldo takes third at the sprint point behind Flecha and Klimov. Flecha still has 3'30" with only 19km to go, he has this sown up as long as he doesn't run out of steam.
Martinez de Esteban, Gustov, Rohregger and Van Huffel attack.
Coming over the mountain sprint Gil comes third with Kolesnikov on his wheel.
Then comes Rohregger and Van Huffel who are attacking up to them.
Mandri, Gustov and Cataldo are next
With Cunego leading over Uran, Martinez de Esteban, Marzano and Bozic.
The peleton are 50 seconds back with Ardilla, Sanchez Gil, Lobato and Haecky attacking.
Up the final small rise Van Huffel is soloing to catch Eichler with Felcha going under the 10km to go banner with exactly one minutes lead.
Then there is a group of six: Gil, Cataldo, Gostov, Rohregger, Kolesnikoc and Mandri
followed by another six: Cunego, Uran, Ardilla, Marzano, Martinez de Esteban and Bozic, where the front four are attacking.
I would also like this moment to comment on the amount of free time one Gil fan had, seriously.
Then comes the peleton with Sella and Eibegger trying to attack out.
The attacks mean Cunego, Marzano and Uran move up a group as they ride past Eichler.
Sella has caught and is trying to pass Cunegos old group, while Bozic is trying to avoid being dropped.
Sella is working hard and helped by a lapse in the pace of the front group this means that all the groups come together, including a late attacking Gerdeman.
Van Huffel has taken advantage in the drop in pace and with 4 km left has almost caught Flecha.
Credit Lyonaisse have set up a chain on the left to try and claim 3rd place.
The sprint starts and Gil and Cunago quickly close the gap that the Lyonaisse chain has opened up.
Up front Van Huffel has both Flecha and the finish line in sight.
both of them are sprinting now
Under the kite and Flecha looks exhausted.
While Gil has gone past the other chain and seems to have set Cunego up perfectly
700 meters to go and Van Huffel pulls out to go past. How deep can Flecha dig?
300 meters to go and only half a bike length in it.
Cunego still hasn't pulled out with 700 meters to go and this has allowed Kolesnikov to go for it down the left.
and Flecha's 160 kilometre breakaway, 80 of which were all by himself falls 30 centimetres short.
Marzano 8th with Gustov 9th and Bozic put on a late charge to come 10th
The peleton was lead in at 51 seconds by Chacon but I suspect they will be given the same time as the attackers
The only plus for Flecha was that his solo breakaway means that tomorrow he holds the mountain jersey, and the points jersey, but will be wearing the yellow jersey as bonus seconds give him the lead by 3 seconds,
There was no gap to the peleton, although Perget and Finning lost 3'39" Edited by Roman on 17-10-2016 03:10
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