2012 squads

Ag2r - La Mondiale


Astana


BMC Racing Team


Discovery Channel


Euskaltel - Euskadi


HTC - High Road


Lampre - ISD


Liquigas - Cannondale


Lotto - Belisol


Omega Pharma - Quickstep


Rabobank


Saxo Bank


Sky Procycling


Team Garmin - Barracuda


Team Katusha


Team Movistar


Team Radioshack - Nissan - Trek


Vacansoleil - DMC

The new season starts in Australia with the Santos Tour Down Under, like two years ago. The route planned by the organizers is the same, with the most decisive stage being the finish atop the Willunga Hill. However, there were no significant gaps with the best sprinters in the last edition of the race and the GC was eventually won by Tyler Farrar after recording two stage wins and narrowly beating Alexandre Vinokourov by 2 seconds after a battle of bonus seconds.

Favorites:
- Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana): The Tour Down Under will be the first race of the Astana team. The Kazakh team couldn't hope for a better rider to lead their team than Alexandre Vinokourov. Vino is one of the best sprinters in the field, but he could well hold on with the best in Willunga Hill. He already won there two years ago.
- Yauheni Hutarovich (Lampre): The Belarusian sprinter seems to have improved a lot since last season, when he got a stage in the Volta a Catalunya and was 2nd in the GC of the Tour of Beijing. He is a pure sprinter, but he may hang on with the best in Willunga if he is in good shape.
- Tyler Farrar (Saxo Bank): The American from Saxo Bank didn't have as good a season last year as he had had two years ago, but it is always difficult for a sprinter to do great stage races, as he did here and in Poland. His climbing abilities might not be as decent as they were, as he has been more focused on his sprinting abilities. Nevertheless, he has to be one of the main contenders for the overall win.
- Ben Swift (Sky): Ben Swift will take the leading sprinting role in the Sky team after the departure of Peter Kennaugh. The British seems to have improved since last year, when he could only get a win in the Eneco Tour. However, there are question marks on his performances when the spotlights are on him.

Previous winners

	First	Second	Third
2010	Tyler Farrar	Alexandre Vinokourov	Francisco Ventoso

Startlist

Here we go again for another exciting season, Brilliant

Tour Down Under
Stage 1: Prospect - Clare



The season starts with a very easy and not very long stage between the cities of Prospect and Clare. With only one gentle climb, the stage looks ideal to be the first battle between the sprinters that have come to Australia. The bonus seconds will surely award the first leader's jersey of the season.



The break of the day goes through the mountain sprint in Taylor's Run with 4' 50'' on the bunch. The most important riders in the group of five are: Geraint Thomas (Garmin), Greg Van Avermaet (Movistar) and David Millar (Sky). There are 67 kilometers remaining and the peloton is already chasing.



The break was finally neutralized 17 kilometers from home due to the work of several teams. Astana was always the keenest to catch. A few kilometers later Davide Rebellin, the leader of Movistar for the race, fell down and several teammates dropped to help. The Italian wouldn't get back to the bunch though.



The mass sprint was unavoidable today and many sprinters were keen to join the party. The quickest train seemed to be that of Quickstep, with Van Summeren leading Tony Gallopin. For BMC, Alessandro Ballan was leading Sacha Modolo, while Ben Swift was behind and for Astana Pozzato was towing Alexandre Vinokourov.



Tony Gallopin was the fastest at the start of the sprint. Following him are Sacha Modolo, Jose Joaquin Rojas and Ben swift. The sprint is very close though, anyone could grab the stage win.



Tony Gallopin wins in Clare! The first stage of the season goes to the French sprinter of team Quickstep. He was able to keep behind Sacha Modolo and Ben Swift, who took the second and third positions of the stage.

All the hard work from Astana was useless, as Alexandre Vinokourov could only take a 9th place. The Kazakh could not contend with the fastest men. Tyler Farrar was also rather disappointing, as he took a 7th place that does not satisfy his team.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	3h35'09
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
3		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	s.t.
5		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.
6		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
7		Tyler Farrar	SAXO BANK	s.t.
8		Marcel Kittel	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
9		Alexandre Vinokourov	ASTANA	s.t.
10		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.

General Classification

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	3h34'59
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	+ 4
3		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	+ 6
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 10
5		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.
6		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
7		Tyler Farrar	SAXO BANK	s.t.
8		Marcel Kittel	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
9		Alexandre Vinokourov	ASTANA	s.t.
10		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.

Points

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	25
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	20
3		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	16
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	14
5		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	12

Mountain

1		David Millar	SKY PROCYCLING	6
2		Greg Van Avermaet	MOVISTAR TEAM	4
3		Geraint Thomas	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	2
4		Andreas Klöden	HTC - HIGH ROAD	1

Young

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	3h35'09
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
3		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
4		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.
5		Heinrich Haussler	HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.

Teams

1		BMC RACING TEAM	10h45'27
2		SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.
3		EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
4		SAXO BANK	s.t.
5		VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.

Great start to the season for Gallopin

Tour Down Under
Stage 2: Lobethal - Stirling



The second stage in Australia will be slightly tougher for the sprinters. The day will end with a circuit around the town of Stirling that has a gentle but long hill, in which top ends the stage. If the pace is high the pure sprinters will have if difficult to grab the win.



The break of the day ended soon enough today. There was a very dangerous break of 15 riders at the start of the stage, but they were never allowed more than 1 minute by the bunch and they were eventually reeled back in the mountain sprint. No one else tried a break after that as the riders face the first climb to the Stirling hill, 70 kilometers from home. Astana and Lotto set the pace of the group.



The mass sprint was again the way to go in the Tour Down Under. Rigoberto Uran (Sky) did a great job to bring his teammate Ben Swift to the front, while Jure Kocjan was following the British. Other two trains were fairly matched with them: HTC (Froome leading Haussler) and Quickstep (with Van Summeren towing the leader Gallopin and Alexandre Vinokourov on his wheel).



Frank Schleck (Radioshack) was the surprising starter of the sprint and was leading with 1 kilometer remaining. However, better uphill sprinters were trailing: Fran Ventoso, Joost Van Leijen and Simon Gerrans.



Davide Rebellin wins in Stirling! The Italian stormed the lead in the last few meters of the stage and showed that is already in good shape this season. He continues last year’s trend, as he has been the only Movistar rider to win for the Spanish team. Right behind the Italian arrived Joost Van Leijen, the former World Champion, and Fran Ventoso.

Rebellin is not a threat in the GC, as he lost almost 4 minutes yesterday after suffering a fall in the last kilometers of the stage. Therefore, Gallopin comfortably continues in the lead ahead of another stage where a mass sprint is expected.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	3h52'23
2		Joost Van Leijen	RABOBANK	s.t.
3		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
4		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.
5		Simon Gerrans	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
6		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
7		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
8		Fränk Schleck	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	s.t.
9		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
10		Lloyd Mondory	LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.

General Classification

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	7h27'22
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	+ 4
3		Joost Van Leijen	RABOBANK	s.t.
4		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	+ 6
5		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.
6		Rigoberto Uran	SKY PROCYCLING	+ 7
7		Anthony Roux	LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
8		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	+ 8
9		Simone Ponzi	KATUSHA TEAM	s.t.
10		John Degenkolb	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 9

Points

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	32
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	29
3		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	25
4		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	22
5		Joost Van Leijen	RABOBANK	20

Mountain

1		Michael Albasini	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	10
2		David Millar	SKY PROCYCLING	8
3		Janez Brajkovic	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	7
4		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	5
5		Greg Van Avermaet	MOVISTAR TEAM	4

Young

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	7h27'22
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	+ 4
3		Anthony Roux	LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	+ 7
4		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	+ 10
5		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.

Teams

1		KATUSHA TEAM	22h22'36
2		TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	s.t.
3		AG2R - LA MONDIALE	s.t.
4		LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
5		RABOBANK	s.t.

Tour Down Under
Stage 3: Unley - Victor Harbor



The route takes us south of Adelaide today, as the riders will head to the Southern coast. The arrival in Victor Harbor will be territory for the purest sprinters again, as there are no remarkable hills in the surroundings of the finish line.



The break of the day reached the first intermediate sprint of the day, in Mount Compass, with a gap of 4 minutes on the bunch. However, they had 73 kilometers to go and were already being chased. Among the 5 riders in front were David Millar (Sky), Anthony Roux (Liquigas) and Beñat Intxausti (Katusha).



Too many teams were looking for a mass sprint today, so the break never looked like reaching the finish. They were eventually caught with 18 kilometers remaining. The bunch would fly towards the finish in Victor Harbor.



Lotto had the best train reaching the final sprint, as Andre Greipel dragged Jose Joaquin Rojas, this is strange considering Greipel is usually a better sprinter. Sacha Modolo had taken their wheel. On the other side of the road Quickstep had another good train, as Johan Van Summeren was towing the leader Tony Gallopin.



Sacha Modolo flies past the Lotto riders and leads as they enter the last kilometer ahead of Jose Joaquin Rojas, Andre Greipel and Matthew Goss.



Sacha Modolo wins in Victor Harbor! The Italian held Rojas behind as the Spaniard was beginning to regain speed on him. The third place went to Bernhard Eisel, who did really good to progress in the sprint. Gallopin was disappointing today, as he could only get the 11th spot.

Modolo has now taken the lead in the GC and in the points jersey. He leads the GC 6 seconds ahead of Gallopin and 10 ahead of Rojas and Van Leijen. Another battle of sprinters is awaited tomorrow, as there is a hill in the last kilometers but it is not hard enough to upset the mass sprint.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	3h19'04
2		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	s.t.
3		Bernhard Eisel	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
4		Matthew Goss	SAXO BANK	s.t.
5		Grega Bole	MOVISTAR TEAM	s.t.
6		Tyler Farrar	SAXO BANK	s.t.
7		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
8		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.
9		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
10		Heinrich Haussler	HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.

General Classification

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	10h46'20
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	+ 6
3		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 10
4		Joost Van Leijen	RABOBANK	s.t.
5		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	+ 12
6		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
7		Bernhard Eisel	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
8		Rigoberto Uran	SKY PROCYCLING	+ 13
9		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	+ 14
10		John Degenkolb	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 15

Points

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	54
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	37
3		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	35
4		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	26
5		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	25

Mountain

1		David Millar	SKY PROCYCLING	14
2		Michael Albasini	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	10
3		Janez Brajkovic	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	7
4		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	5
5		Beñat Intxausti	KATUSHA TEAM	4

Young

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	10h46'20
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	+ 6
3		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 16
4		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.
5		Heinrich Haussler	HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.

Teams

1		AG2R - LA MONDIALE	32h19'48
2		TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	s.t.
3		SAXO BANK	s.t.
4		ASTANA	s.t.
5		DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.

Very close on the GC, but that is normal at the Tour Down Under

Tour Down Under
Stage 4: Norwood - Tanunda



The Tour Down Under is again the paradise of the sprinters as they head to Tanunda in the fourth stage. 20 kilometers before the finish there is a steep but short climb to Menglers Hill. However, the hill will surely not be enough to avoid the mass sprint.



A fairly big group of 10 was ahead as the riders reached the second intermediate sprint in Mount Pleasant. Among them were Simone Ponzi (Katusha), Michael Albasini (Radioshack), Romain Feillu (Euskaltel), Tony Martin (Sky) and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (Astana). Their gap on the bunch was slightly more than 3 minutes, so they were going to have a hard time staying in front.



Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) suffered a fall with slightly more than 30 kilometers remaining. Although 3 other teammates dropped to bring him back to the peloton he didn’t look as though they were making it back. Meanwhile, BMC is setting the pace and about to catch the break before the Menglers Hill.



The hill was not hard enough to drop any sprinter and the teams soon set up their sprint trains. Vacansoleil’s Sebastian Langeveld was the strongest, towing Peter Sagan in front of the peloton. Behind them were the Saxo Bank train (Haedo dragging Farrar, with Degenkolb and Hutarovich behind) and the Lotto train, with Greipel leading Rojas.



Peter Sagan had a lead start for the sprint and other had to do a good effort to catch the Slovakian. Yauheni Hutarovich, Jose Joaquin Rojas and Tony Gallopin were trailing behind in the last bend of the stage, within the last kilometer.



Peter Sagan wins in Tanunda! The Slovak slowly lost ground in the sprint but he could hold on in front of Tony Gallopin and Yauheni Hutarovich, who took second and third in the stage respectively. The leader, Sacha Modolo could only get the 7th place in the finish line.

Tony Gallopin takes a good 6 bonus seconds to tie in the first position of the GC with Modolo, while Peter Sagan is now 3rd 4 seconds behind. Tomorrow’s stage will be crucial to the outcome of the Tour Down Under, as it ends at the top of Willunga Hill.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	3h19'39
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
3		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	s.t.
5		Tyler Farrar	SAXO BANK	s.t.
6		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.
7		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
8		Marcel Kittel	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
9		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.
10		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.

General Classification

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	14h05'59
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
3		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	+ 4
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 10
5		Joost Van Leijen	RABOBANK	s.t.
6		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	+ 12
7		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
8		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
9		Bernhard Eisel	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
10		Romain Feillu	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.

Points

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	63
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	57
3		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	49
4		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	48
5		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	36

Mountain

1		Michael Albasini	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	24
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	16
3		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	15
4		Simon Gerrans	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	14
5		David Millar	SKY PROCYCLING	14

Young

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	14h05'59
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
3		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 12
4		Romain Feillu	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
5		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	+ 16

Teams

1		AG2R - LA MONDIALE	42h18'45
2		TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	s.t.
3		LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
4		ASTANA	s.t.
5		SAXO BANK	s.t.

Tour Down Under
Stage 5: McLaren Vale - Old Willunga Hill



The hardest and potentially decisive fifth stage of the Tour Down Under has arrived. The double climb to Willunga Hill will eliminate the sprinters from the fight, but making time differences will be really hard. At least the fittest puncheurs will climb their way in the GC through the bonus seconds in the finish.



A very big group of 14 riders managed to break away with good riders, such as: Lieuwe Westra (Rabobank), Jakob Fuglsang (Radioshack), Sebastian Langeveld (Vacasoleil), Grega Bole (Movistar), Andre Greipel (Lotto) and Igor Anton (Euskaltel). However, the bunch never let them take a big advantage, and they only had a gap of 3’ 30’’with 68 kilometers remaining.



Giovanni Visconti (BMC) leads the pack over Willunga Hill after the first climb. BMC is chasing to defend Modolo’s jersey, while Discovery and Quickstep are also helping in the hunt for the break. The difference at the mountain sprint (24 km to go) is 1’ 15’’.



Julien Simon (Ag2r) tried a solo attack from the break in the flat after Willunga Hill. As he went through the 10 km banner he had 25 seconds on Anthony Roux; 35 seconds on a group of 9 riders from the break and 1’ 25’’ on the bunch.



The peloton had chased down everyone but Simon at the start of Willunga. The French has 45’’ at the foot of the hill, so if he is feeling good he might have a chance.



No one was able to break away in the climb and Julien Simon was caught as the pack accelerates towards the last kilometer. Tejay Van Garderen (Garmin), Filippo Pozzato (Astana) and Bart De Clerq (Lampre) are leading the way.



Davide Rebellin wins in Old Willunga Hill! The Italian was the strongest in the last kilometer and overtook a lot of riders to get his second win in Australia. Bart de Clerq held on to the second place, while a surprising Peter Sagan managed to finish third and took 4 valuable bonus seconds.

Sagan now takes the leaders jersey with the same time as Sacha Modolo and Tony Gallpin. Tomorrow’s criterium in Adelaide will be very interesting, as there will only be bonus seconds in the finish line and those will probably decide the outcome of the race. Regarding Rebellin, it is a shame that he suffered a fall in the first stage, as otherwise he would have been able to fight for the overall win with the sprinters.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	3h51'52
2		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
3		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	s.t.
5		Bauke Mollema	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
6		Janez Brajkovic	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
7		Fränk Schleck	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	s.t.
8		Björn Leukemans	LOTTO-BELISOL	s.t.
9		Tejay Van Garderen	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.
10		Rigoberto Uran	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.

General Classification

1		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	17h57'51
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
3		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
4		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 10
5		Joost Van Leijen	RABOBANK	s.t.
6		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
7		Robert Kiserlovski	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 11
8		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 12
9		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.
10		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.

Points

1		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	64
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	63
3		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	63
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	57
5		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	50

Mountain

1		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	27
2		Michael Albasini	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	24
3		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	19
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	16
5		Jakob Fuglsang	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	16

Young

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	17h57'51
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
3		Robert Kiserlovski	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 11
4		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 12
5		Lars Boom	SAXO BANK	s.t.

Teams

1		AG2R - LA MONDIALE	53h54'21
2		ASTANA	s.t.
3		LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
4		HTC - HIGH ROAD	s.t.
5		DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.

Barring mis-haps it looks like Sagan is going to get a Great victory in Australia

Tour Down Under
Stage 6: Adelaide - Adelaide



The race ends with a short criterium in the streets of Adelaide. It could be only a fight for the stage win if some time gaps had opened during the previous days, but three sprinters arrive on the same time to the final day: Peter Sagan, Tony Gallopin and Sacha Modolo.



A fairly big group tried to break away in the first kilometers of the stage, but they were soon reeled back in as they were too dangerous. Another small group of 3, Gerald Ciolek (Katusha), Rob Ruijgh (Rabobank) and Geraint Thomas (Garmin), jumped ahead but never enjoyed much of an advantage. They only had 50 seconds on the bunch with 42 kilometers remaining.



The break was reeled back in soon enough, as there were a lot of team looking for the mass sprint. As the sprint trains were taking shape, BMC seemed to be doing the best job, as Giovanni Visconti was leading Sacha Modolo and Jose Joaquin Rojas was behind. Marcel Kittel hadn’t been involved in any sprint, but he was being led by Mikel Nieve this time, while Fran Ventoso was trailing the German.



Marcel Kittel was setting the pace in the last kilometer, while Fran Ventoso was really close to the German’s wheel. Tyler Farrar and Tom Boonen were trailing fairly close to them. The GC leaders seemed to be to far back to take any bonus seconds, so Peter Sagan was improving his chances of winning the TDU.



Francisco Ventoso wins in Adelaide! The Spaniard beats Marcel Kittel by the slightest of the margins. The playing field for the sprinters seems to have leveled up a lot, as Tyler Farrar and Alexandre Vinokourov haven’t won any stage in this Tour Down Under.

Farrar got the third place and denied Modolo the overall win. Had the Italian overtaken the American, he would have gotten the bonus seconds that gave him the leader’s jersey. The Italian will have to settle for the 3rd overall and the green jersey.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	2h12'40
2		Marcel Kittel	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
3		Tyler Farrar	SAXO BANK	s.t.
4		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
5		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.
6		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
7		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
8		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	s.t.
9		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
10		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.

General Classification

1		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	20h10'31
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
3		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
4		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	+ 2
5		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 10
6		Marcel Kittel	DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
7		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
8		Robert Kiserlovski	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 11
9		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 12
10		Ben Swift	SKY PROCYCLING	s.t.

Points

1		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	77
2		Peter Sagan	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	74
3		José Joaquin Rojas	LOTTO-BELISOL	71
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	64
5		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	53

Mountain

1		Bart De Clerq	LAMPRE - ISD	27
2		Michael Albasini	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	24
3		Davide Rebellin	MOVISTAR TEAM	19
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	16
5		Jakob Fuglsang	TEAM RADIOSHACK-NISSAN	16

Young

1		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	20h10'31
2		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
3		Robert Kiserlovski	LOTTO-BELISOL	+ 11
4		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	+ 12
5		Lars Boom	SAXO BANK	s.t.

Teams

1		AG2R - LA MONDIALE	60h32'21
2		ASTANA	s.t.
3		DISCOVERY CHANNEL	s.t.
4		LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
5		TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.

Great win in Australia for Mr Sagan

UCI World Tour rankings riders (after Tour Down Under)

1		Peter Sagan	Vacansoleil	122
2		Tony Gallopin	Quickstep	103
3		Sacha Modolo	BMC	98
4		Francisco Ventoso	Euskaltel	70
5		José Joaquin Rojas	Lotto	63
6		Bart de Clerq	Lampre	52
7		Marcel Kittel	Discovery	47.28
8		Yauheni Hutarovich	Lampre	31
9		Robert Kiserlovski	Lotto	31
10		Ben Swift	Sky	26
11		Tyler Farrar	Saxo Bank	23
12		Davide Rebellin	Movistar	22
13		Bernhard Eisel	Vacansoleil	15
14		Joost Van Leijen	Rabobank	7
15		Michael Albasini	Radioshack	7

UCI World Tour rankings teams (after Tour Down Under)

1		VACANSOLEIL-DMC	139
2		OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	105
3		BMC RACING TEAM	98
4		LOTTO-BELISOL	94
5		LAMPRE - ISD	83
6		EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI	70
7		DISCOVERY CHANNEL	50
8		SAXO BANK	33
9		SKY PROCYCLING	30
10		MOVISTAR TEAM	24

The European season of cycling starts with the Tirreno - Adriatico this year. The Itaian race will have the same route as two years ago, when the local Marco Marcato took the biggest win of his career. The Italian rider will have it difficult to repeat such a greeat performance, as Lampre will be favoring the Belgian Bart de Clerq. The most relevant stage of the race will be the penultimate, when the riders will have to climb the Sasso Tetto on their way to Camerino.

Favorites:
- Bauke Mollema (Vacansoleil): Bauke Mollema is the biggest favorite to take the win in Italy. The Dutch has improved a lot and has made the Tirreno - Adriatico his main target for the early season. He has already won the Volta a Catalunya and made a 5th place in the Giro, so a good performance by him wouldn't rise any eyebrows.
- Rob Ruijgh (Rabobank): The Dutch look set to take the first places of the GC in Italy. Ruijgh is an emerging star that wants to prove he has what it takes to fight for the top places of a GC. His only win last season was a quality one, at the top of the Etna in the Giro.
- Davide Rebellin (Movistar): The Italian hope for this race is Davide Rebellin. The Movistar rider has made a good progress since last season, especially in the uphill finish area. He demonstrated that in the TDU, where he got 2 stage wins and only a fall in the first stage hampered his chances to fight for the GC.
- Denis Menchov (Katusha): Denis Menchov has a very good chance of producing a good result this week in Italy. His main strength for the race will be the time trial in Macerata. He could well put some time on his rivals and hold on with the best in the mountains.

Previous winners

	First	Second	Third
2010	Marco Marcato	Thor Hushovd	Janez Brajkovic

Startlist

Hope Weening has a great time in Italy

ill admit i had my reservations about how this story would pan out at first (even if i "inspired" it ) but clearly the story (+ the riders!) has come a long way and your presentation really adds to the excitement. It's very unique and I hope you keep it going!

I'll make sure to follow this season's action, and once the Tour is over I should have enough time to go back and look through the 2010 and 11 seasons which I've missed whilst I was elsewhere

Oh and PS Rebellin??!! Haha I sure have been away

Tirreno - Adriatico
Stage 1: Cecina - Capannori



The Tirreno – Adriatico starts with a short and easy stage along the west coast of the Italian peninsula. The stage is made for the sprinters, with the only difficulty of the climb to Valgiano in the last kilometers of the stage.



The riders were not very combative to start the Tirreno, even though the late climb could give the break an option. Only three riders were in front as they reached the sprint in Fornacette: Vasili Kiryenka (Liquigas), Niki Terpstra (Movistar) and Tom Boonen (Lotto). They crossed the sprint 3’ 30’’ ahead of the bunch but with few chances of reaching the finish.



The break didn’t last long and they were caught before the climb to Valgiano. Emanuelle Sella (Astana) led the pack through the KoM sprint and will wear the mountain jersey tomorrow. The pace was quick but not enough to drop the sprinters, as only a handful of riders lost contact.



The bunch arrives in Capannori with lots of sprinters looking for the win. The sprinting train of Quickstep seems the best positioned, as Johan Van Summeren is leading Tony Gallopin. On the other side of the road Astana’s Pozzato is leading Alexandre Vinokourov, while Sacha Modolo is behind the duo.



Tony Gallopin was left in a great position for the sprint and he was leading halfway through the sprint. Jure Kocjan, Johan Van Summeren and Lloys Mondory were trailing behind after the last bend before the finish.



Jure Kocjan (HTC) wins in Capannori! The Slovenian was strong enough to hold behind the charging Peter Kennaugh, who progressed from behind to take the second spot in the stage. Denis Mechov also took advantage of the messy sprint to take 4 bonus seconds and the third place. Meanwhile, Tony Gallopin seemed to lose its strength soon and could only be fourth.

Kocjan is the first leader in the Tirreno – Adriatico, and he will have a chance to hold it for a couple of days if he can get past the small hill before tomorrow’s finish.

Today's Winner



Stage Results

1		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	3h36'28
2		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.
3		Denis Menchov	KATUSHA TEAM	s.t.
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
5		Lloyd Mondory	LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
6		Johan Van Summeren	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
7		Bauke Mollema	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
8		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
9		Alexandre Vinokourov	ASTANA	s.t.
10		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.

General Classification

1		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	3h36'18
2		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	+ 4
3		Denis Menchov	KATUSHA TEAM	+ 6
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	+ 10
5		Lloyd Mondory	LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	s.t.
6		Johan Van Summeren	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
7		Bauke Mollema	VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
8		Francisco Ventoso	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	s.t.
9		Alexandre Vinokourov	ASTANA	s.t.
10		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.

Points

1		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	25
2		Peter Kennaugh	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	20
3		Denis Menchov	KATUSHA TEAM	16
4		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	14
5		Lloyd Mondory	LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE	12

Mountain

1		Emanuele Sella	ASTANA	6
2		Elia Viviani	LAMPRE - ISD	4
3		Luis Leon Sanchez	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	2
4		Johan Van Summeren	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	1

Young

1		Jure Kocjan	HTC - HIGH ROAD	3h36'28
2		Tony Gallopin	OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.
3		Sacha Modolo	BMC RACING TEAM	s.t.
4		Yauheni Hutarovich	LAMPRE - ISD	s.t.
5		Robbie McEwen	TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	s.t.

Teams

1		TEAM GARMIN-BARRACUDA	10h49'24
2		VACANSOLEIL-DMC	s.t.
3		ASTANA	s.t.
4		KATUSHA TEAM	s.t.
5		OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP	s.t.

I have followed this story from day one and it is indd a very interesting read which is just getting better and better

Great win by Kocjan and getting the first leaders jersey of the race