Welcome to the GP Herning, the riders face 188k today, the race clashes with a minor event in France but the eyes of the world are likely here in Denmark. The PCT leaders top the favorites list.
Under 10k gone and 17 riders have a 2’25 lead. In the break are: Drizners Hayashibara Costiou Castellon Aebersold Kallberg Pagtalunan Vainio Predatsch Wenzel Bevort Holzer Moiruri Gautherat Lamperti Matuzevicius Steinhauser
The leader reaches almost 5 minutes but as the peloton hits the first cobbled section with 133k to go it is down to 3’35. Bralirwa, Lotto, Hunter Valley and Podium Ambition doing the work.
By the end of the first sector Kallberg has been dropped from the break and about 15 riders from the peloton.
With 96k to go and the the gap at about 2’30 there are a round of attacks from the peloton. Kallberg was able to rejoin at the front of the race.
Lotto and Hunter Valley aren’t willing to let the attackers have much rope and with 83 gone they have just 32 seconds. With the original break at 1’44. In the attack are: Marte Batmunkh Harrison Noppe Forbes Gayral Marzuki
Van Aert shuts down the counter attack with 80k to go. Up front Predatsch and Moiruri are in trouble.
Many of the same riders plus Nielsen try another attack and this also fails with Nielsen suffering an untimely puncture. With 68k to go the break have just 34 seconds. Moiruri has been caught while Predatsch was able to recover.
The catch is made with 65k to go, creating a front group of just 54 as the peloton fractures behind.
The pace slows enough for another 30 riders to rejoin before Roosen launches an attack.
Roosen never really gets much of a gap and the next attack comes from Sanogo. He is then passed by an attack from his teammate Bol. Bol doesn’t wait for Sanogo and opens up 36 seconds on the peloton.
With 40k to go, having ridden separately for most of the last 20k the two Kraftwerk riders come together, but their lead never got that big and is only 28 seocnds. Behind there are 52 riders with Insausti the biggest name missing, his team rallying around him. Doull is another name not there; he has punctured twice.
35k and it is over for the Kraftwerk duo. Lotto and Podium Ambition tracking them down. The group that catches them is just 24 riders with a lot of domestiques dropped. Roosen has just been dropped and a little further back Gaze is still trying to bring Insausti to the front.
None of those rider rejoin and the attrition continues. With 25k to go the front group is down to just 15 riders when disaster strikes for Richardson as he punctures. Also in the front group are: Teggart Mestric Renard Monk Sanogo Ariesen Chatarunga Boros De Witte Scotson Van Lerberghe Manamalage Yechezkel Paprstka
Lotto, Simba and Minions the teams with two riders and they are the ones driving the pace.
Richardson tries bravely to rejoin but just as he is about to reach the front Boros attacks. He is followed by Van Lerberghe, Monk, Teggart, Mestric and Manamalage. Before the attacks started Paprstka, Renard and Sanogo had been dropped.
The attacks are shut down and with 13k gone Richardson finds himself about 30 seconds off the back of a leading group of 11 which is starting the penultimate cobbled sector. But then a second puncture ends the chances of another Podium Ambition win.
By the end of the sector hard riding from Chatarunga has the front group down to him plus Manamalage, Teggart and Van Lerberghe
As De Witte comes back to the front group, Manamalage attacks.
With just under 5k to go as he completes the final cobbled sector the Sri Lanka has 17 seconds on three chasers, Chatarunga, De Witte, and Van Lerberghe. Teggart another 19 seconds back. Considered a gimmick rider by many, Manamalage is trying for the first win of his career at the age of 33.
The 3 chasers look at each other and the lead stretches to 33 seconds before Chatarunga launches a move with 1.8k to ride. It would be ironic if Manamalage was denied his victory by a fellow Sri Lankan.
But the chasers don’t have enough left. Manamalage wins the GP Herning for Simba Cement.
Van Lerberghe outsprints De Witte for 2nd as Chatarunga pays for his efforts to catch his countryman by fading to 4th. Belgians and . . . . Sri Lankans dominant here on Danish cobbles.
Teggart finishes 5th on his own.
Austalians get 6th and 7th with Scotson and Monk. Mestric is 8th.
Ariesen and Boros complete the top 10. A big day for the PCT teams as only Van Leerberghe cracks the top 10 for the CT.
GP Herning 
