Stage List
ITT - 2
Flat - 2
Hilly - 2
Mountain - 2 (2 MT)
Stage 1
A short time trial will ease the riders into this race. Completely flat with nothing to break-up the monotone, this should be a TT specialist's dream.
Stage 2
Although classified as a flat stage, the profile goes mostly downhill. The sprinters would want to win here given the dearth of opportunities for them in the later stages.
Stage 3
A stage of two halves. The climbs really kick in hard as the second half of the stage approaches. This stage should give us the first indications of who would be on top at the end of this race.
Stage 4
The final flat stage before the hard climbing starts. Again, the sprinters will be desperate for some positive action.
Stage 5
Just two climbs on this hilly stage, but they come at the business end and should play a very important role in deciding the winner. The second climb rises quite sharply and would be a tough challenge for the riders.
Stage 6
Another similar looking stage, starts flat but then climbs up a long way to the summit finish. The cream of the GC contenders will surely rise to the top on this stage.
Stage 7
All roads lead to the top of Col du Granon on this gruelling stage. The last two climbs are going to be killer and anyone not at his best will surely struggle.
Stage 8
A long, flat ITT once again puts the advantage back to the better TT riders among the favourites. The length of the ITT stage almost ensures bigger time gaps, and there are high chances of the lead changing hands on this last stage.
Overall Assessment
A well balanced set of stage profiles, with perhaps a little bit less on offer for the sprinters. This will be an important race on the calendar as a lot of riders will be using this race as a preparation for the TDF coming up in less than a month's time. Expect a strong climber with decent TT skills to come out on top here.
Movistar Starting List
Mikel Landa
J J Lobato
Alex Dowsett
Mikel Nieve
Rafael Valls
Gorkha Izagirre
Luis Leon Sanchez
Eduard Korniets
Fresh off their second place in the Giro, Movistar come into this race as favourites for both the GC and the Team classification. This would be Landa's first ride since his disappointing outing at Romandie, but he was the favourite along with Fabio Aru. The other riders likely to challenge for the GC were Tejay van Garderen, Diego Ulissi, Tom Dumoulin and Dan Martin. The support riders were quite strong for Movistar as they were targeting this race as one they could win. How would Landa perform? Read on in to find out...
The following is a summary of stages...
Stage 1 - Individual Time Trial - Flat - 7.3 km
A stage preferring the TT specialists was won by one. Yoann Paillot was the strongest in the pack, winning the stage and wearing the leader's jersey overnight. Dowsett finished 5th, the best for Movistar while Landa lost nearly a minute. Aru finihsed a few seconds faster than Landa. Dumoulin and van Garderen were the early winners, finishing on the podium here.
Stage winner - Yoann Paillot Movistar - Alex Dowsett 5th, losing 26", Mikel Landa lost 59" Other important results - Tom Dumoulin 2nd, losing 6", Tejay van Garderen 3rd, losing 22", Fabio Aru lost 52"
Stage 2 - Flat with 1 minor intermediate climb
The early breakaway took advantage of the stage profile and a hesitant peloton to hold on for the win. Thomas Vabourzaix won while the peloton finished a little over a minute back. Movistar managed two top 10 positions on this stage, but surprisingly, neither was Lobato, their recognised sprinter.
Stage winner - Thomas Vabourzaix from breakaway Movistar - Gorkha Izagirre 4th, Rafael Valls 7th, 1'16" behind
Stage 3 - Hilly with downhill finish, including 2 major and 4 minor intermediate climbs
A four man breakaway formed but were not allowed to build up a big lead. The lead group was down to around 50 riders with the last two climbs remaining. Diego Ulissi attacked on the fifth climb, followed by Dan Martin and Alexis Vuillermoz. Landa attacked next, catching the latter pair while Ulissi stayed ahead after the fifth descent. Ulissi would hold on to win the stage, with Landa in 2nd, and both would take up the same positions in the GC as well.
Stage winner - Diego Ulissi Movistar - Mikel Landa 2nd, 32" behind, Rafael Valls 10th, 1'25" behind. Took the lead in the team classification Other important results - Other GC contenders finishedin Valls' group, 1'25" behind
Stage 4 - Flat with 3 minor intermediate climbs
Landa was being troubled by a nasty virus but the doctors allowed him to continue racing. The stage being mostly flat, it wouldn't be too much of a strain. There was a pack split with 20 km to go, as the peloton chased the breakaway hard over the closing stages. The latter were eventually caught just 2 km befoer the finish. Movistar failed to get Lobato into a good position again as Demare took victory.
Stage winner - Arnaud Demare Movistar - J J Lobato 9th. 4 other riders finished in top 10!
Stage 5 -Hilly with 2 major intermediate climbs
The early breakaway was caught with quite some distance left on the stage. The peloton remained quiet till the second climb, which saw Dan Martin, Ulissi, Betancur and Vuillermoz attacking. Again, it was Landa, who was the strongest chaser, catching up to Martin, and leaving behind the others. The stage came down to a sprint with Martin just edging out Landa to take the stage win. This did not stop Landa from taking the overall lead though.
Stage winner - Dan Martin Movistar - Mikel Landa 2nd, same time. Took the lead in the GC. The team however, lost the lead in that classification Other important results - Fabio Aru 4th, 25" behind, Carlos Betancur 5th, Tejay van Garderen 7th, Diego Ulissi 9th, Warren Barguil 10th, 51" behind
Stage 6 - Mountain with mountain top finish, including 1 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
A 5 man breakaway opened up a 16 minute lead befoer Movistar took control at the front of the peloton and reeled them in slowly. Gallopin attacked first on the initial climb. He was chased down by the pack as Movistar continued setting a high tempo. The second climb saw less action but the pack did catch the break on the way down. A group f Landa, Aru, Dumoulin and Bouet rode away from the pack and were never caught. Landa attacked decisively with 4 km left, taking the stage win as no one had any answer. He extended his lead at the top of the GC to almost 2 mins.
Stage winner - Mikel Landa. Took the lead in all three individual classifications Other important results - Fabio Aru 2nd, Tom Dumoulin 4th, both 31" behind, Dan Martin 7th, 2'5" behind, Tejay van Garderen 9th, 3'29" behind
The GC after stage 6...
Spoiler
Stage 7 - Mountain with mountain top finish, including 3 major intermediate climbs
Landa started this stage in horrible shape as his virus got worse overnight, probably an effect of over-exertion from the hard riding on the two previous stages. The morning breakaway had a 17 minute lead at one point. Movistar started their pace-making, bringing the lead down to a large extent. Landa's rivals attacked on the third intermediate climb. Initially, Landa was able to match them, but as the climb started going higher, he started to fade. His sickness was now catching up to him in full force. Try as he might, neither his nor the team's efforts were enough on this stage. Carlos Verona won ahead on the road, as Landa finished some 5 minutes down on Aru's group. He was forced to retire from the race as his condition worsened after the stage, leading the doctors and team management with no other choice.
Stage winner - Carlos Verona Other important results - The GC leaders finished in Verona's group, losing no time on each other
Stage 8 - Individual Time Trial - Flat - 42.5 km
The TT at the end favoured strong TT riders. Alex Dowsett performed best for Movistar while Tom Dumoulin won the stage, and with a big enough margin, pipped Aru to the GC win. Tejay van Garderen got himself on to the last step of the podium, both on the stage and in the GC.
Stage winner - Tom Dumoulin Movistar - Alex Dowsett 7th, losing 41" Other important results - Tejay van Garderen 3rd, losing 15", Fabio Aru lost 1'55"
General Classification
1)Tom Dumoulin (BMC)
2)Fabio Aru (Astana)
3)Tejay van Garderen (Sky)
Points Classification
1)Tom Dumoulin (BMC)
2)Tejay van Garderen (Sky)
3)Dan Martin (Orange)
Young Riders' Classification
1)Silvio Herklotz (Giant-Alpecin)
2)Georges Dumes (Europcar)
3)Odd Christian Eiking (Astana)
Team Classification
1)Astana
2)Movistar
3)Orange
The team management and the riders are extremely disappointed with how the race turned out for us. Mikel Landa was dominating the race when his physical condition worsened. There was no way to keep him in the race without adversely impacting his long term health. One thing's for sure, Landa has shown that Romandie was a one-off and that he is extremely capable and hungry for success. Rafael Valls ended as the best rider for Movistar, doing a commendable job to finish 11th. Second place in the team standings despite Landa's retirement was another reason for cheer. Dumoulin turned the race on its head, using his superior TT skills. It would have been interesting to see if Landa would've managed to hang on to the lead he had post stage 6, in the ITT.
The team management feels the need to update our fans on the two recent injuries that have unfortunately cost the team to lose important places on the classifications.
Mikel Landa's withdrawal from Criterium Dauphine was done with his and our long-term interests in mind. He wanted to keep going despite his poor health, but we could not allow that in concern of his safety on the road. The good news is that his ill health was only caused by a strong bout of viral fever, and he should be back on his bike in 3-4 days' time. He has been registered for the Rut du Sud race coming up in a week's time and should be in good health to start the same.
Isidro Pintassilgo has a longer term injury. On stage 15 of the Giro, his fall caused a fracture to his shinbone. Although he rode on to finish the stage, the pain caused him to slow down so much that he missed the time limit. The scans after the stage confirmed the bad news. He is out for a couple of months, and is not expected to train for the next month. He should be back in time for the latter part of the autumn classics.
The team thanks the fans for their concern and hopes the team can continue bringing in good results as is always our target.
@DiCyc: A tumultuous period for the team over the past month or so. Let's hope we can bring some normalcy back in the upcoming races.
@Tamijo: Actually, Pintassilgo got injured in the Giro. So it was injury agony in back-to-back races for the team. The Criterium Dauphine was definitely a race that got away from our grasp.
Stage List
ITT - 2
Flat - 2
Hilly - 2
Mountain - 3 (2 MT)
Stage 1
The short ITT to start the race is classified as hilly. The small uphill section might just make this a stage where an able climber with good TT skills wins.
Stage 2
The second stage sees some high climbing but the stage ends in a flat section. This stage should definitely see the GC contenders create the early gaps, as most of the riders will struggle to negotiate the high mountains as part of the lead group.
Stage 3
A very up-and-down stage ends with a minute climb to the finishing line. Another stage where the peloton is expected to get reduced because of a couple of difficult intermediate climbs. The finish favours a puncher.
Stage 4
The first of two consecutive flat stages brings some respite to peloton. The sprinters will come into this stage licking their wounds, and it would be interesting to see who has the best legs at the sprint finish.
Stage 5
Another flat stage, but this time it has a bit of climbing. Not ideal for the sprinters, given that they have to negotiate four climbs. A breakaway might fancy their chances on this stage as the pack cools off in preparation for the three big stages coming up after this.
Stage 6
Another hilly stage ending in a short flat will prevent very big gaps from forming. The favourites are expected to step up their game here as they look to get any advantage they can over their rivals.
Stage 7
This ITT too has a bit of uphill for the riders to negotiate. With a little more flat sections to navigate, the ITT specialists should have an increased chance to take this stage.
Stage 8
The penultimate stage sees the peloton ride over a mostly flat section before hitting the final monster climb to the finish. A climber's paradise, it would be very difficult to see a breakaway surviving or an upset happening here.
Stage 9
The final stage is yet another one for the pure climbers. If anything, this stage is expected to be a lot tougher than the previous one, with three huge climbs before the even taller one to the finish line. The chance of seeing a battle for the GC on the climb to the finish makes this stage a mouth watering prospect.
Overall Assessment
Switzerland gives us another tough race, as is mostly the case. The overall classification should be won by a climber in top form. There are very few opportunities in this race for the underdog to pull off any form an upset. This promises to be a hard duel to the top!
Movistar Starting List
Nairo Quintana
Dayer Quintana
Bryan Coquard
Tiejs Benoot
Adriano Malori
Pello Bilbao
Jesus Herrada
Eustaquio Sanchez
With this race starting on the same day as the last stage of the Criterium Dauphine, the news of Landa's retirement had reached the team members present here. As such, there was an added motivation for the team to give that little bit extra to win. Nairo Quintana was tasked with leading the team to victory. Four of the riders starting here, including Nairo were slated to start the TDF and this would be preparation for the same. The biggest threats to Nairo was likely to come from Zakarin, Uran and Porte. Dayer Quintana was also being tipped for a high finish.
The following is a summary of stages...
Stage 1 - Individual Time Trial - Hilly - 9.3 km
The hilly time trial took away the advantage from the TT specialists and handed it over to the better climbers. Nairo Quintana ensured the perfect start for Movistar with a win in the TT. Jesus Herrada impressed with a 5th place finish.
Stage winner - Nairo Quintana
Stage 2 - Mountain with 4 major intermediate climbs
Simon Clarke led the peloton by way of a solo breakaway, building up a maximum lead of 12 minutes. The lead group was down to around 30 riders after the second climb. It was further reduced going over the next climbs, as Movistar's climbing train swiftly pulled Nairo away from the pack. A lot of hard chasing did not bear fruit as Nairo settled for 2nd. Clarke won, also taking the lead in the GC by 3 seconds. Nairo got a lot of time on his rivals.
Stage winner - Simon Clarke from breakaway. Took the lead in all three classifications Movistar - Nairo Quintana 2nd, 51" behind, Dayer Quintana 7th, 4'35" behind. Tiejs Benoot took the lead in the Young Riders' classification Other important results - Andrey Amador 3rd, Robert Gesink 5th, Ilnur Zakarin 6th, all 4' behind, Rigoberto Uran 9th, 4'57" behind
Stage 3 - Hilly with uphill finish, including 3 major intermediate climbs
A three man break became four as Sanchez was allowed to attack by Movistar. This soon became eight as four group of riders attacked on the first climb. The leaders stayed together till the end, catching the break with 7km left. Nairo attacked with 3 km to go, and held on for the stage win.
Stage winner - Nairo Quintana Other important results - Rui Costa 2nd, Michal Kwiatkowski 3rd, Tom Slagter 5th, same time, Andrey Amador 9th, 28" behind
Stage 4 - Flat
The early breakaway was caught with 100 km still to go. This prompted another two man breakaway to take their chances. They too were caught. The Movistar sprint train got caught up in the pack. They managed to get back to the front but Coquard didn't have a lot left for the sprint, finishing outside the top 10. Kittel won.
Stage winner - Marcel Kittel
Stage 5 - Flat with 4 minor intermediate climbs
Another flat stage, but this one involved quite a bit of climbing. Coquard fell away once again - the repeated climbs taking their toll. Peter Sagan won the sprint with Nairo getting a surprise 8th place.
Stage 6 - Hilly with 2 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
The early break consisted of three riders including Philippe Gilbert. Marcel Kittel retired early on this stage, throwing the points jersey classifications wide open. Movistar set the pace at the front, not allowing further breaks. Rui Costa did attack towards the end but was pulled back in. Cameron Meyer won for the break, with Coquard just not quick enough to get past him on the line.
Stage winner - Cameron Meyer Movistar - Bryan Coquard 2nd, Nairo Quintana 8th, Dayer Quintana 9th. Nairo took the lead in the GC again Other important results - All GC leaders finished in the pack
Stage 7 - Individual Time Trial - Hilly - 24.4 km
Another hilly individual time trial. This stage saw another upset of sorts as Tony Martin belied his uphill skills, and held off Nairo's time to take the stage win. Although Nairo led till the 2nd of 3 intermediate markers, he fell away in the last sector to hand victory to Martin. The former settled for 2nd place on the stage and extended his lead at the top of the GC in the process.
Stage winner - Tony Martin Movistar - Nairo Quintana 2nd, losing 19", Dayer Quintana lost 1'39" Other important results - Andrey Amador 3rd, 32" behind, Rui Costa 4th, losing 38"
Stage 8 - Mountain with mountain top finish, including 1 minor intermediate climb
Philippe Gilbert was havng some fun and put himself into another breakaway. The leaders stayed together till 10 km to go when Zakarin, Kwiatkowski and Costa attacked. Nairo, Gesink and Amador formed the next group on the road, chasing the former trio. The break was caught at this juncture. Rui Costa stayed ahead while the other two were caught by the chasing group of three. Nairo attacked with 4 km to go, overtook Costa and comfortably won the stage.
Stage winner - Nairo Quintana Other important results - Rui Costa 3rd, 35" behind, Ilnur Zakarin 5th, 1'4" behind, Michal Kwiatkowski 8th, Richie Porte 9th, Robert Gesink 10th, all 1'26" behind
Stage 9 - Mountain with mountain top finish, including 3 major intermediate climbs
The breakaway built up a 23 minute lead. The pack then started chasing. The first attacks from the leaders came on top of the third intermediate climb. Uran, Zakarin and Mollema tried their luck but were caught on the descent. There were repeated attacks on the climb to the finish, but the Movistar domestiques pulled everything back. Nairo finally attacked with 3km to go, and although the breakaway won by a margin, he put the final exclamation mark on a great performance here.
Stage winner - Pierre-Roger Latour from breakaway Movistar - Nairo Quintana 4th, 1'19" behind, Richie Porte 5th, 1'27" behind, Edoardo Zardini 6th, 2'3" behind, Andrey Amador 7th, Michal Kwiatkowski 8th, 3'43" behind, Robert Gesink 10th, 4'3" behind
General Classification
1)Nairo Quintana (Movistar)
2)Edoardo Zardini (BMC)
3)Richie Porte (Sky)
Three stage wins, two other classifications and the overall win. The team management couldn't have asked for a better response to misfortune in the last race. Nairo was in top form and gave his competitors no chance. This was an extremely good way of preparing for the TDF coming up in about three weeks' time. Tiejs Benoot held on to the Young Riders' jersey till the last stage, where he couldn't keep up. Coquard's race could've been better but he made up for it to some extent with 2nd place on stage 6.
Incredibly, this was Nairo's first WT race win since the Vuelta two seasons ago!
Edited by AbhishekLFC on 04-03-2016 17:54
Updates from a couple of races held just after Switzerland...
Route du Sud
Landa came back from illness and carried on with his good form from Dauphine. He won stage 3, gaining enough time to win the GC as well.
Tour de Slovenie
Konig continued Movistar's good performances with a 2nd place in Slovenia, finishing just two seconds behind winner Fabio Duarte. Viviani won stage 4 to bring extra cheer to the team.
Yes it was good to have a fully fit Landa back. A good week for us as a team Let's hope we can keep this momentum up until the TDF...
Ok, this is something I'd like to get an opinion on from our readers. The folowing are two riders we've been scouting. There will most likely be space for only one of them in our team for next season. So I'd like to know your opinions - who do you think we should sign? And why?
Luis Leon Sanchez rolled back the years to win back to back Spanish NC ITT titles. Another dominant display saw five Movistar riders finish in the top 10.
Road Race
In a repeat of last season, Movistar failed to split up the pack in the undulations, and saw their chance of winning the road race disappear in the sprint finish. Once again, it was an old-boy - Enrique Sanz, who spoiled Movistar's party. Lobato managed 4th as their best finisher.
Other NCs with Movistar interests (best finishers only)...
Individual Time Trials
1)Ukraine
Winner - Averim Maksym
Movistar - Eduard Korniets 6th
2)Czech Republic
Winner - Jiri Polnicky
Movistar - Leopold Konig 10th
3)Italy
Winner - Adriano Malori
4)Belgium
Winner - Kristoff Vandewalle
Movistar - Tiejs Benoot 22nd
5)France
Winner - Romain Guillemois
Movistar - Bryan Coquard 66th
6)Germany
Winner - Tony Martin
Movistar - Jasha Sutterlin 6th
7)Great Britain
Winner - Chris Froome
Movistar - Alex Dowsett 2nd
8)Austria
Winner - Marco Haller
Movistar - Josef Katzer 29th
The team missed the sponsor objective of winning the Spanish NC Road Race but made up for it somewhat by winning the ITT. Adriano Malori was the only other winner, in the Italian NC ITT.
. It was all about making a statement for the team. Nairo and Konig delivered!
