Let the Barbados Cycling Festival begin! 13 80+ sprinters in the field, we'd expect one of them to be winning today. We include Reinhardt in the favourites list too, after his 4th place in the opening HC sprint race of Down Under Classic - won of course by Guarnieri.
F
Sp
Acc
DUC
Best Stage
Team
Lo Cicero
72
84
78
-
-
MOL
Ewan
75
83
81
8
-
Podium Ambition
Swift
73
83
81
17
-
Berg Cycles
Guerao
74
83
76
-
-
DK - SVA Zalgiris
Avelino
70
82
77
9
-
Aramco DP
Manninen
74
81
80
5
-
Valio - Viking Genetics
Gaviria
76
81
84
-
-
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
Vesely
73
81
80
6
-
Minions
Guarnieri
75
81
80
1
-
Bakkafrost
Cavendish
71
81
78
-
-
Kraftwerk Man Machine
Boeckmans
72
80
82
3
-
Swisslion Cycling Team
Keukeleire
72
80
79
15
-
Podium Ambition
Kupfernagel
74
80
80
58
-
Berg Cycles
Reinhardt
71
79
84
4
-
Centovalli - Fiat
There's always going to be an interest in the breakaway, with probably around a dozen teams trying to get a rider in there.
Eventually 5 succeed: Brockhoff Cherkasov Varga Wirtgen Cabanas
That is three of the strongest flat riders in the race - Brockhoff is the strongest; Luc Wirtgen, in his debut season; and the Andorran national Time Trial champion.
With no categorised climbs on the route, there is just one particular point of interest for the break. The intermediate sprint, with bonus seconds on offer for three of the five. For all five teams represented, they are more likely to earn bonus seconds mid-stage than at the finish, so this could be key for them to take something out of the race in the final GC standings.
Cherkasov takes it! Varga a close second. Third for Brockhoff. A sweep for the flat beasts then! They all should be well placed to hang on to the peloton then, assuming the catch is made, to cash in those minor GC placings.
That's a key win for Desigual. Not just for the fact that 3 seconds is better than 2, 1 or 0, but because Cherkasov qualifies for the best young rider's competition. The only real young sprinter with an expected chance at a Top 10 stage finish is Kalaba, and he is not his team's leader, so the U25 competion could entirely be decided by breakaways. A shame then for McCormick, that Wirtgen could not get in there.
Naturally, many teams do not want the breakaway to succeed today. In this shot alone, we can see that 8 different teams have sent riders to contribute towards the pace setting.
25km to go and the lead of the break is down to just over a minute. We can see the peloton being stretched out behind, in pursuit.
And when it comes down to it, there are two teams devoting themselves to the chase. Only three of the first nine teams on the startlist sent a full squad of 8 here, and it's good news for everybody else that two of those three are doing the chasing. Bakkafrost and Berg Cycles.
Into the last 5km the break are still clear, and have been attacking each other. The leadout trains are now forming though, and not far behind.
Kortsidakis
Sarreau
Tzortzakis
Perera
Swift
Guarnieri
Vesely
Manninen
Avelino
Reinhardt
Cavendish
Rowe
Other sprinters are well placed, but following a teammate rather than committing to a train just yet.
It's a Greek leadout for Swift. Curiosly no sign of their 2nd fastest rider Kupfernagel. Bakkafrost in competition, also have Hermans on the left putting in one last effort against the breakaway.
Interestingly, Bakkafrost now manage to switch to the other side of the road - detaching Manninen from Guarnieri's wheel.
Guerao, Ewan, Lutsyshyn, Stepniak all near the front with a teammate guarding - as are Young, Lay and Van der Sande out of shot. Boeckmans hovers too.
Gaviria is some way back, but he is on his teammate Weemaes wheel, with Mareczko close by too. Can he back it back up?
Cherkasov is the last breakaway rider to be caught into the final 2km, and Perera is opening the sprint.
Perera Guarnieri Swift Avelino Manninen Reinhardt Vesely Rowe Cavendish
We can see that Lierse have brought Gaviria back up too!
Perera's leadout sweeps that group of sprinters to the front - although Rowe is caught napping a little. Boeckmans has jumped on, but that's it. Ewan, Guerao, Van der Sande, Gaviria, Lo Cicero all just there at the forefront, only watching. And that's the stage gone for them.
Final kilometre, and it is time to move out from Perera. Guarnieri takes it up, Avelino has gone for it too.
Swift now making his move. We are close to having two sets of four riders line astern.
Manninen
Avelino
Guarnieri
Swift
Cavendish
Boeckmans
Vesely
Reinhardt
Avelino looked quick but is fading now. Swift opening up a small advantage, but the second wave is also coming fast.
Guarnieri now starts to fall back!
Manninen is bringing Swift back. Vesely and Boeckmans finishing fast.
Ben Swift wins Stage 1!
2nd for Manninen, Boeckmans pips Vesely for 3rd.
Then Cavendish, Guarnieri, Reinhardt, Avelino. Rowe rode the distant coattails enough for 9th, Perera actually held on for the last bonus second in 10th.
Gaviria defeats Ewan, but it is only for 11th place.
A range of other sprinters complete the Top 20, they missed the boat today, but can go again tomorrow.
The whole pack finished together, GC and Points mostly mirroring the stage result then, with Swift at the top. And confirmation too that Cherkasov's bonus second land him both 9th overall for now, and the U25 lead. Dekker in 22nd was the first U25 finisher on the stage.
Not the desired stage result, but 12th, 14th and 22nd put Podium Ambition in the early Teams classification lead on 48 points. Bakkafrost (52) and Aramco DP (55) close behind, then it is Farfetch on 78. Valio and Swisslion may have made the stage podium, but with nobody else in sight, they're right down the bottom of the Teams standings.
