Thanks a lot. The team is doing very well!

Sorry for the delay, but school really was more important. Anyway, here's the final stage of Coppi e Bartali. Probably tomorrow the end of Alentejo

7 riders make it into the break today. Saramotins and Pal the most prominent riders here.


Both the pack and the break take it relatively easy. We have no battle for the sprint and the first mountain points.


On the short hills Bongiorno and Rovny are dropped! Perhaps a new rider on the podium today.


On the other categorized climb Hulsmans attacks. With a gap of 4min40 with 25kms to go a victory for the break seems likely.


It will definitely not be a mass sprint though. Purito is one of the attackers. Cunego, invisible up to now, tries as well.


While Van Garderen manages to catch Purito, it's Peter who tries to get rid of the other escapees with 10kms to go, just before the top of the final climb.


With 2.5kms to go, it seems a battle between Peter and Saramotins. The Latvian champion gets a little gap.


With 1 km to go both have launched their sprints.


At the finish

Saramotins is clearly stronger. A second place for the young Norwegian is not too bad though. As a small compensation he climbs to place 5 in the final GC. How nice is that for him!

@The Rider: I'll show by the end of the month, hopefully something has changed.
@All: Thanks. Only a stage win would have made it just a bit better.

At the first ascent of the climb we have a break of 7. Janssens is the first to reach the top.


The eventual break of the day consists of 9 riders.


At the 2nd climb, Broers is first. At the 3rd, Janssens wins again. At the final climb, Schachmann wins. This means Björn still leads the mountain classification.


With 7kms to go, the last escapee, Broers, is reeled in.


Due to the hill in the end, the sprint will be very unorganised.


With 800 meters to go, anything could happen.



But who would have thought of this? Cronshaw wins! What matters more is that Björn wins the final GC!

@Shonak: Nice to see Björn credits the team as well
@sutty: Yes it was

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, school may not have taken much time, but it did take a hell of a lot energy, so I had literally no energy for even writing a preview. Anyway, here's the next.