CRITERIUM INTERNATIONAL-STAGE 1

There's the team. Quite star-studded in my opinion. Hopefully I can carry over my form, but today is a sprinters' stage for Leonardo and Edwin. With only 12 teams and subsequently 85 riders registered, we'll be looking for a good result.



We got Camacho in the breakaway, and were excpecting him to easily win the one KOM sprint (a Cat. 3) on the stage, but he came 3rd out of 3 in the break. Savitsky (RSV) won it ahead of Eldridge (TNN).

Lampaert (TSV) joined the break and beat Camacho to 3rd in the sprint. The Top 2 was the same as the mountain sprint.


Our boy obviously wasn't on form, but it was soon time for the big guns. Valencia was the position-getter for the train, while Marentes was to keep a high enough pace to keep our two sprinters up front before it was time for Avila to go. However, Marentes did too much work to keep up with Valencia and they were both dead with 5km to go.


Considering this, we did quite well, but both of out sprinters were boxed in and if they weren't we probably would've got the win, even a 1-2! Le Montagner (RLM) won it, while Avila was 3rd and Duque 4th. I came through in 34th.

NEWS

Tom Boonen wins record 6th E3 Herelbeke win!

Well done Tom Boonen. And unlucky in France

I'm back! Sorry for the unforeseen break, new report coming soon.

Well, Photobucket is on maintenence, so when it's ready

CRITERIUM INTERNATIONAL-STAGE 2

I was the first rider from our team to set off.


At the intermediate checkpoint I was provisional 28th, 11" down.

Pauriol (SOJ) left straight after me, and he got the best intermediate time by 100ths of a second.


Due to some climbs en route which worked in my favour, I finished in a provisional 9th, 14" behind Ovechkin (RVL). However, Pauriol soon took that lead by one second.


Ospina got provisional 8th at the intermediate point, behind by 9". However he didn't use enough energy towards the end and could only manage provisional 25th at 27" down. Chaves also got provisional 34th at the intermediate point, 31" down.


In the white jersey, Edwin Avila managed provisional 12th at the finish, down by 23".




Eventual standings.


Voeckler in yellow for his home race,

Good ride Fabio. And we'll done Edwin Avilla

Thanks! I told Edwin and Mr. Avila is very pleased too!

CRITERIUM INTERNATIONAL-STAGE 3

The first and only mountain stage of the Criterium International. Esteban Chavez will hope to catch up to local Thomas Voeckler of Europcar.

Our man Ospina got away alone but the peloton kept the gap at 30-40", so he was eventually caught. Due to his better place on Stage 1, Edwin Avila was given the pleasure of being lead out by Leonardo Duque at the intermediate point, and what a leadout it was! Edwin would've done badly not to have won the sprint. He didn't disappoint in the white jersey.


But that jersey would not be his come the final podiums. He was the first to be dropped from the peloton.


Ospina attacked away again on the 2nd mountain and took the full points. That mountain in fact was the most destructive. After it, only 44 men made up the peloton, with Ospina in front. That meant that a bit less than half the riders in the race were behind the main bunch!


The riders were given their fair share of interesting scenery!

On climb number 3, Marek Rutkiewicz (CCC) went over first, but race leader Voeckler attacked further down. Ospina went over 2nd, as the Frenchman was caught.

On mark 4, there were only 15 men in the "peloton" after a big split. Both myself and Esteban were ahead. I protected him and eventually we caught up to (and passed) group Voeckler.




However, I had already used too much energy protecting and was already dead before the climbing really started. Esteban kept going though, and I'm pretty sure that on the first picture of the above 2, he's the on in front.

Esteban knew that he had to gain 35" on Voeckler to win the GC, but the local leader was the only one who could keep up with him.

Voeckler attacked, and almost got rid of our boy. Esteban was out of it, but was trying his absolute best to hold on! He did it again! Thomas Voeckler was on fire, but still couldn't shake Chaves.


Esteban took the wheel on the sprint, but Voeckler knew that he was the strongest. He must have been empty too though!

In the last 10-15m, Chavez put on a final acceleration! Could he do it!?


NOOOOOOOOO. Just missing out on the win. 3 metres later Esteban passed Voeckler!




Meanwhile, further down the road, I had stayed in 3rd (running on empty) for the whole of the final climb, but if the disappointment of missing out on the win wasn't enough, I was overtaken by Pierre Rolland under the 1km banner.




So, Europcar took a double over Columbia!













Thomas Voeckler had a flyer! Winning the GC, Points and KOM classifications. However, we did manage to get some consolation with a double in the Young Riders' ranking and the Team classification.

Next up for me, the GP del Navarra, where I'll be the main teammate again. This time for Fabio Duarte. However I might get a free role if we bring another strong climber. Until then...
ADIOS

NEWS

Tom Boonen keeps on breaking records! This time it's the Gent-Wevelgem, with his 4th win there!

So unlucky in The Criterium international! but still aa good result for the team.

It was really unlucky, but we'll take 2nd, as well as the other jerseys.

A great podium but a really good 4th for you well done.

Thanks! I'm really proud of the result, so it looks like my form is good, and hopefully I can carry that into Spain!

It has been good luck in SPAIN try and get a podium

I'll try, but it'll be hard considering I'm not leading any of the races.

GP DEL NAVARRA

As expected, I will get a free role. Pantano will help Fabio Duarte. Hopefully we can get a win.


After a (rather long) flurry of early attacks, J.J. Romero went away solo. He was eventually joined by a bunch of people with complicated names. They were Pomoshnikov (RVL), Iparrigirre (EUK) and Lavieu (LPM).

MTN's leader Sergio Pardilla managed to tumble himself over in the peloton, but luckily no-one else was affected. The whole MTN team went back to help him recover from his crash/fall.


There were many splits over the course of the race, Pantano and Ospina were at the back of the 37 man peloton, while myself and Duarte were up front, it seemed I would have to work for him.


The other 2 were back up front in the last 2km, and had decent energy levels. Pantano would lead out Duarte and Ospina would do the same to me.

However, Pantano failed in his protection, and dropped back, leaving Duarte alone (right of the picture.)

Also, Ospina dropped back and left me to fight for myself too, I couldn't hang on and was soon very tired.


We got 2nd! Fabio managed a good sprint on his own and only Cristophe Le Mevel (COF) could hold him off.


Next it was Navarro (COF), Pellizotti (AND), Simon (SOJ), Ospina in 6th and me in 7th.




We continued our strong run of being the best team in races. Not surprising on this occasion with 3 men in the Top 7.

NEWS

The whole team was a no show in the Vuelta a la Rioja except for Leo Duque. He came 4th, only losing out to sprinters better than him.

Jurgen Van den Broek wins Vuelta a Pais Vasco.

With such a good team race, you were unlucky not to get at least one winning.
Maybe focus more on a sole leader next time, everyone sets it up for one guy.

Normally that would've been the case, but due to my good form the DS wanted to give me a chance.