Paris–Nice is one of the famous and well known classic stage races first held in 1933. In the 1980s Ireland's Sean Kelly won the race seven times in a row, still the winning record. The race is the first of our season focus races, management expect a top 10 GC result.
The short prologue (3/3) will not affect long term GC, we believe it will be the mountain finish to Montagne de Lure at stage 6 (8/3) and the final 9.7 km Mountain ITT, that will decide the race. But there will be other stages with mountains and hill, where time can and most likely will be lost. Out of the 8 stages only 2 can be said to favour the sprinters.
We are here with a very strong squad; our team setup is Kenny Ellisonde with co-Captain/ Lieutenant Davide Malacarne. Sonder Holst Enger will be our sprinter, Stefan Schumacher can be a helper but can also attack for a stage or KoM win.
Roster:
Kenny Elissonde
Sonder Holst Enger
Davide Malacarne
Stefan Schumacher
Björn Thurau
Mads Würtz Schmidt
Martin Pedersen
Yves Lampaert
Christina Reports: We are here in Houilles, a Parisian suburb located about 16 km northwest of the city center. In the 12 century Houilles got a catholic church but it was just a sparsely populated rural area up to the first half of the 1800’s where it got connected by railway.
We have no illusions to compete in this ITT, very short we just hope not to lose much time.
Profile:
The stage was won by Edvald Boasson Hagen (Vodafone). Our best was Stefan Schumacher 41th losing 13 sec., Kenny Elissonde lost 18 sec, generally a bad stage for us, but not much time lost.
Sondre Holst Enger on the route:
Media Coverage:
Norwegian National Time Trial Champion Edvald Boasson Hagen from Vodafone, won the prolog in Paris–Nice. It was his frist win after winning stage one in last years Vuelta.
Tony Martin, who already has two win after his transfer to Astana at the start of the season, came 2nd losing just 1 sec. to Boasson Hagen.
4/3 Stage 2/8 Saint-Germain-en-Laye – Nemours : 191.9 km
Christina Reports: We have moved to Saint-Germain-en-Laye just 10 km southwest of Houilles, for a flat stage heading for Nemours, about 100 km southeast of Paris.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye was founded in 1020 in connection with a convent. The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye was originally constructed in the early 1100’s. The oldest parts of the current Castle were reconstructed in 1539.
We expect the strongest teams to take care of the breakaway, and will relax waiting for the finish.
Profile:
It is 11°C and partly clouded with very little wind. The morning break is just 4 riders and we don’t think they have any chance, besides getting a little bonus seconds and the early KoM lead, surely the sprinter teams will take action later.
The break gets about 6 minutes, but then a lot of riders from the top teams are send forward, a long line of riders set up a very fast hunt.
There is a few large crashes involving a lot of riders, amongst them Michał Kwiatkowski (Katusha), but with the help of teammates most of the riders get back.
This is a list of some of the riders losing time due to the crash today:
Rémi Servant
Sojasun
+ 4'08
Luke Roberts
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
George Johnson
Garmin - Sharp
+ 5'50
Michael Mørkøv
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
Mickaël Delage
Team Europcar
s.t.
Manuele Mori
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
Nick Nuyens
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
The break is over and the preparation for the mass sprint begins. The sprint trains of Astana and Vodafone is very fast, we are sitting a bit low when the sprint starts.
Even though he was not in the best position from start, Mark Cavendish (Belkin) is very very fast and wins the stage to Nemours. Sonder just miss the podium.
Media Coverage:
30 years old King Sprinter Mark Cavendish, from Isle of Man, dominated the sprint on the 2nd day of Paris–Nice, coming from behind Cannonball Cavendish flew by several competitors before finishing meters in front of Michael Matthews, this was his seasons fourth victory after 3 stages in tour of Mallorca. I would bet that Belkin is happy with their new assignment.
As mentioned Michael Matthews came 2nd, also he have had a good season start, with 3 stage wins in tour of Oman, after his recent transfer from Garmin to Astana.
Can surely feel the step up to world tour, the peloton is getting a lot faster when they agree to pull together. Very hard to hang on to the front, even with riders we consider to be strong.
Christina Reports: We have travelled another about 40 km south to Vimory for a stage to Cérilly in “Le Bocage Bourbonnais” natural region. Vimory is just a small community of a little more than 1100 people, best known from the battle of Vimory October 1587 between French Catholic forces and German/Swiss Protestant forces.
The manager cars driving through Vimory:
The strategy is basically the same as yesterday.
Profile
It is 11°C, very clouded and rain is falling on the start line, again with very little wind. A very strong break with Michael Albasini (BMC) Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and other good riders.
The sprinter teams don’t approve, and sets up a very high pace from the start, over the next 100 km the pace is frantic, every riders fighting to hold position in a stretched peloton.
The break gets caught mid stage but the breather is very short, the next attack includes overall favourite Michał Kwiatkowski (Katusha) and also the strong tempo rider Ian Stannard (Saxo), this is not only a threat to the stage, nobody aiming to win Paris-Nice can allow Kwiatkowski to gain time. The rain is hammering down.
With 25 km to the line the break is over, but there is no chance to rest, a wild pace continues as it has been for almost 200 km. Many of the teams have a hard time organizing a train, the riders a empty. As most would have expected the winner is again Cavendish if front of Matthews. Our best was Sonder (8th)
Media Coverage:
What was expected to be a quiet sprinter stage, was a lot harder than expected. With some very dangerous breakaways and a harsh weather the riders was struggling all day. But the result was never the less as predicted Cavendish over Matthews.
But other top 5 stage favourites felt the hard race and weather today, Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) and Andrea Guardini (Quick·Step) finished outside top 10.
Christina Reports: Today we start the hilly part of the race, from Châtel-Guyon to Brioude with 3 categorized climbs. In 1185 The Count of Auvergne built a stronghold in Châtel-Guyon. The castle no longer exists.
We expect a possible breakaway win, with the favourites mostly watching each other and maybe fighting on Cote de Mauvagnat, the top just 15km before the finish line.
Profile
The weather is much nicer today, 8°C but sunny with little wind. We get martin Petersen in the morning break.
Later between the first group of hills and the last, Matteo Rabottini (Lampre) and Arthur Vichot (FDJ.fr) attacks, at this point group Pedersen has got 2’52 to the peloton
The peloton do not like the 2nd break, they are not allowed to go, but on the final climb Arthur Vichot tries again, this time countered by Stefan Schumacher and Peter Kennaugh (Vodafone).
But it is all wasted energy, the peloton is to strong on the descent and it ends in a sort of mass sprint. The stage is won by Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin), our best was Kenny Elissonde (12)
Media Coverage: Is Kwiatkowski finished ?
Many saw Michał Kwiatkowski (Katusha) as a podium candidate, but when the riders hit the first hill today, Kwiatkowski was hanging low in the bunch surprisingly with no helpers. As the stage progressed it was just getting worse it looked like he was not himself. Kwiatkowski lost 4'55 on the stage. There were no reports of a crash or illness.
Many commentators and other sports experts, hoped for a fight amongst the GC favourites today, but that did not happen, the stage was not every interesting and ended in a mass sprint with more than 100 riders getting the same time.
The winner was not the typical sprinter, Garmin’s Ramūnas Navardauskas won the stage in front of Cavendish. Navardauskas also won a stage and the overall classification in “Haut Var” back in mid-February.
Editorial Note:
I am changing over to a new concept, with focus on the CW riders in the first walk-trough, and on the overall race in the Media section. Please let me know if you think this change works for the reader or not.
I will start the change from my next post.
If it does not work for the reader I happy to change it back.
Tirreno–Adriatico, is nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas" because it starts by the Tyrrhenian Sea, crosses over Italy and finish by the Adriatic Sea.
The first winner was Italian Dino Zandegù in 1966. Many legendary riders have won the race, Belgian Roger De Vlaeminck “The Gypsy” 6 times, Danish Rolf Sørensen twice.
The race is seen as a perfect preparation for the monument classic Milan–San Remo.
Monti della Laga, Crognaleto:
The race is another season focus races, management expect a top 10 GC result. Stages 5 and 6 are most likely to set the GC, Especially stage 5 with a hard climb to Monti della Laga, Crognaleto, close to the finish.
Roster:
Leader: Tony Gallopin
Lieutenant: Mitchell Lovelock-Fay
Outsider/free: Lasse Bøchman
Sprinter: Patrick Clausen
Domestique: Lars Ytting Bak, Mike Teunissen, Rasmus Quaade, Morten Høberg
Rasmussen Reports: The race begins in Sorrento just south of Mount Vesuvius and Naples, the town has a population of about 17.000. The weather is fine in southern Italy, 20°C sunny with just a light breeze.
The route goes round the Sorrentine Peninsula before a circuit race back in the city, a very hilly route that might suit the race favorites and the punchers.
After a morning break 3 riders takes off, Lasse Bøchman speeds up to get to the front of the peloton and starts his pursuit.
Bøchman close the cap quite easy, but he has very bad legs and has a hard time winning the points and KoM sprints.
Eventually another break from the peloton catch up with strong riders König, Schleck, Trofimov and Iglinskiy. That is the end of his hope for the stage win, he is now just hanging on. The break has now just 1’20, 25 km to go.
The focus it now on Tony Gallopin, he moves to the front and with help of Mitchell Lovelock-Fay he sets a high pace, with 5 km to the line he attacks and catch most of the break, only Iglinskiy is left in front.
Tony Gallopin can’t catch Iglinskiy, and gets caught by other from behind; he crosses the line in the 2nd group as 6th.
Rasmussen: Ok result, we are still in this !
Media Coverage: Iglinskiy beat the favorites
With very big names in the pack Gilbert, Sagan, Kreuziger, Nibali, Froome and many others, Kazakh’s Maxim Iglinskiy riding for Lampre – Merida won the opening stage of Tirreno – Adriatico. This was Iglinskiy first win since he won the Tour of China II last year in late September.
Opening up his escape by countering an attack from Leopold König (Cannondale) he got away from the pack with 4 riders and left the others behind on the last 6 km creating a gap of 30 seconds before he crossed the line alone.
, He's looking very good for the early season.
Paris–Nice
Tirreno - Adriatico
