We are in Scotland – the Mennock pass and some grisly weather awaits the suffering riders. We are experiencing some picture break-up so apologies then if the quality of the pictures are not quite up to standard!
The last of the hilly rated stages in this years Tour of Britain and it is a nod of respect to the place reputed to have made the first bicycle, Thornhill Scotland. Quite why anyone would wish to brave the elements in a nation such as this is anyones guess!
Despite having few riders in the Protour, the British fans will be happy with the state of affairs on GC this morning. The talented punchaer cum fast finisher Jonny Bellis leads the way ahead of two of CTours best hilly men Stefan Schumacher and Simone Ponzi. The question is can the Cillit Bang leader hold onto his lead this morning and what tactics shall he play?
Plenty of early action in this wet ‘n’ windy stage North of the border, with Pendleton’s Amael Moinard going for the early 4 point KOM climb.
Moinard - > McEvoy - > Holloway - > Verbist
Youtubes McEvoy and Pokerstars’ Holloway move to 18 points here, Moinard 15 and Verbist 11. None have yet to break into the top four of that comp led by Lequatre on 38 from Barberi on 25, Van Heerden 24, Ghyselinck 22.
The competition for places in the breakaway is fierce, we ultimately get a break of nine establish itself. Briggs (Falcon), Haedo (Mercedes), Hutarovich (Intesa), Zingle (Highroad), Zaugg (Youtube), Capelle (Vespa), Sutherland (Bbox), Barberi (Bimbo Nutella) and Y. Nepomnyanchskiy (Milka) have made the cut.
Break of nine includes mountains danger man Barberi
There are some chasers behind, one of which makes it Pokerstars battling young American Dan Holloway gets there. The riders that do not are Doi (El Al), Allain (Lego), Oliphant + Burke (Youtube).
At the next King of the Mountains, Briggs of Falcon takes it (as he does the sprint before it) more crucially though Barberi gets 2nd (to move to 28 pts), Nepo 3rd (to move to 16) and Holloway grabs the last point (to move to 19 pts).
We get a fresh wave of attacks from the peleton with 70 km to go: Appleby (100% Me), Mertens (Intesa), Sijmens (Pendletons) and Rooijakers (Highroad).
Fresh attacks to try and make it to the break
This four man move does not really work, Appleby and Mertens quickly go back to the peleton whilst the other two pursue it.
With 55 to go the lead 10 have 2.40 on the two chasers (Rooijakers + Sijmens) and 3.52 on the peleton. We come up to the big Mennock Pass climb which is one of the longer climbs you get in the British Isles. El Al’s developing Basque Sicard gives it a dig at the bottom.
Sicard is followed by Appleby and Martens
Again it is well marshalled here, they are not going super quick but fast enough to nuetralise and discourage any moves at the moment. The prime for points (a ten pointer) is set about half way up, bad news for Lequatre as Barberi takes the 10 points he needs to join the Frenchman in the lead.
Barberi takes the prime from Holloway
Dan Holloway moves into third with 26 points, Nepo takes 3rd to move to joint fourth with Van Heerden. Back in the pack we are seeing no attacks as Wiggles Tom Diggle puts a massive turn on the front.
Diggle ramps it up
Wiggle set this up then for Ponzi who goes for one toward the top of the climbing on this pass, still 35km out though.
Ponzi launches in this prepared move
We are pretty much downhill into Thornhill from here with a number of false flats, it may make it difficult to close a move down. Ghyllebert (Mercedes) and Elijzen (Highroad) bridge across to Ponzi here.
Bellis and Schumacher find an appropriate false flat to make their response with 31km to go.
Bellis and Scumacher look to get back to Ponzi
This draws lots of riders out of the peleton including Pasamontes, Froome, Chavanel and Thomas Voeckler. It also draws some of the sprinters out too such as Eric Mohs, and Juan Pablo Forero. Mohs, not really known for his ability on hills seems to have survived the Mennock Pass pretty well and with 20 to go he is up with the leader on the road. The breakaway has split into pieces some of the riders Haedo, Barberi, Zingle, Cappelle, Ghyselink and Nepo have merged with the GC men. Rory Sutherland has given it an attack and leads under the 20km to go point.
Sutherland leads, that is Mohs in the background!
It is a sudden and unexpected little gap that these two open up with Milka’s Forero, it is one of those nobody else wants to chase moments and the threesome get a quick 45 seconds. The list of Unco-operative riders behind are:
Schumacher, Elijzen, Froome, Chavanel, Cappelle, Barberi, Pasamontes, Zingle, Haedo, Voeckler, Ghyselink, Hutarovich, Holloway and Nepo, these riders are at 53 seconds.
Then Zaugg, Gyllebert, Nydam, Hacecky, Briggs and McEvoy at 1.12
Then peleton at 1.48 (Ponzi’s attack faded away)
Schumacher noticing that Bellis and Ponzi are not around tries to marshall his group and the gap back to the peleton seems to stick over the next 10km. But they are not making any impression on the three leaders who come to a sprint that further boosts their lead. Mohs takes this ahead of Sutherland and Forero.
Mohs takes the late sprint
The German pushes on after the sprint, this really is a fantastic ride from the rider better known as a sprinter. You have to be tough to regularly place well in those sprints and in the wet and windy weather Mohs is having a field day. He gaps his two rivals by the 5km to go banner.
Mohs gets a gap on his rivals by 5km to go
Mohs has 10 seconds on Sutherland and Forero, 1.12 on the Schumacher group and 1.52 on the peleton survivors. Mohs is currently 22nd at three minutes back to Bellis, Forero 24th at 3.28 and Sutherland is 98th at 3.48, so none of these are a threat. But the Schumacher group is causing the some attention as riders try over and again to attack across.
Hoogerland is amongst the most active of the riders
But they never really get much distance with the wind really blowing it is hard to get far down the road. Up front though there will be no catching the Pokerstars man who takes his third stage win at the Tour of Britain, a superb race from the German.
Mohs takes a surprising win
Behind Forero manages to close enough to Eric Mohs to be give same time as the German, both riders have moved into the GC top 15.
Forero, having taken a stage win moves into the GC top 15
Behind Sutherland has fallen back a bit, he finishes third on the day just ahead of a group of four riders Moinard, Hoogerland, Pasamontes and Chavanel.
Four riders look to have broken away
But the race officials give them the same time as those that finish behind, Schumachers group has been closed down by the peleton with Bellis and Ponzi in.
Scattered peleton given same time as Rory Sutherland
The race official could have given gaps here, but it seems they may have taken the weather conditions into account... and also that it keeps Bellis in yellow. Expect some protestations by some of the big teams here!
