Now the cobbled-season is over, we can start to focus at the hilly classics and the stage races again. First stop is the North-West of Italy for the Giro dell'Appennino. The route starts pretty easy, but the middle part is tough with the ascends of the Passo della Castagnola and the Passo della Bocchetta. The last 30km are descending.
It's the 73rd edition, and 63 of the previous 72 (!) are won by an Italian rider. Record winner is Gianbattista Baronchelli, who won the race 6 times in a row from '77 to '82!
Last year's edition was won by Daniele Callegarin from Team Type 1.
Startlist
Spoiler
Monster Energy - Ford
1. J.Vanendert
2. R.Gesink
3. M.Lefèvre
4. M.Lootens
5. W.Poels
6. R.Ruijgh
7. P.Sagan
8. C.Veldkamp
The favourites ***Peter Sagan, Leonardo Bertagnolli (Lampre), Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma) ** Daniele Pietropolli (Omega Pharma), Jelle Vanendert, Stefano Garzelli (Acqua et Sapone) * José Serpa (Androni), Yuri Trofimov (Astana), Robert Gesink
Our goal
With this strong team, we can only go for the win!
The race
Our tactic is pretty simple today: as we don't want to chase some breakaway, we want to be in the breakaway or BOTD. So we give our better climbers the task of getting in the BOTD. The first one to try is Rob Ruijgh, but his breakaway isn't succesful. After that, Wout Poels is the next to try it, and he is succesful. Together with 14 other riders, he gets a maximum lead of 7 minutes at the summit of the Passo della Castagnola (alt. 573m, 3.9km at 6.7%). Other riders in this group are Guillame Bonnafond (AG2R), Enrico Franzoi (Adria Mobil) and Kristjan Koren (Liquigas).
In the descend to the foot of the Passo della Bocchetta (alt. 772m, 8.1km at 7.8%) the BOTD looses more than 4 minutes of their gap. SO when the road starts to ascend, Wout Poels decides to leave the weaker climbers behind and attacks. Unfortunately, Kristjan Koren is the only rider that can follow him. With more riders in this group, they'll have a bigger chance to stay out of reach of the peloton and fight for the win. So at the summit of the Bocchetta, with about 55km to go, they lead the peloton, who's pace has dropped, with 4'48.
At the last climb of the day, the Passo dei Giovi, Poels decides to try it on his own and attacks. The peloton is still 3 minutes behind with 30km to go, but it will be extremely tough to hold on.
In the descend towards Genova, there are a lot of attacks out of the peloton (29 riders in it). Leonardo Bertagnolli, Daniele Pietropolli, Yuri Trofimov, Stefano Garzelli and José Serpa all try to attack out of the group, but thanks to the pace set by Ruijgh & Gesink, no one gets away. But because of these attacks, the advantage of Poels decreases rapidly. As we see no chance for him to win, we decide to set up a train for Peter Sagan.
Jelle Vanendert is coming through the last corner as the last lead out man for Sagan. After this corner, with 1km to go, the road is ascending up to 6%. Bertagnolli, Trofimov and Cataldo are also battling for the win.
But nobody can beat Peter Sagan, although Julien El Fares (Cofidis) and Stefano Garzelli came pretty close. Great win for our Slovakian supertalent, his 3rd of the season. Vanendert manages to finish in 4th position.
Results
1
Peter Sagan
Monster Energy - Ford
5h08'27
2
Julien El Fares
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
3
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
4
Jelle Vanendert
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
5
Stefano Garzelli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
6
José Serpa
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
7
Cayetano Sarmiento
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
8
Kevin Seeldraeyers
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
9
Yury Trofimov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
10
David Moncoutié
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Mattia Cattaneo
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
12
Massimiliano Gentili
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
13
Dario Cataldo
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
14
Daniele Pietropolli
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
15
Robert Gesink
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
16
Donato Cannone
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
17
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
18
Francesco Failli
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
19
Enrico Gasparotto
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
20
Rob Ruijgh
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
21
Wout Poels
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 34
22
Jackson Rodríguez
Androni Giocattoli
+ 56
23
Francesco Masciarelli
Pro Team Astana
+ 1'11
24
Andrea Tonti
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
25
Mikel Nieve
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
26
Matthew Lloyd
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
27
Kristjan Koren
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
28
Davide Rebellin
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
29
Tom Stubbe
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 2'37
30
Vladimir Miholjevic
Acqua & Sapone
+ 4'42
31
Damiano Caruso
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 6'09
32
Francesco Bellotti
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
33
Henry Frusto
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
34
Damien Monier
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
35
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
36
Zdenek Stybar
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
37
Clément Lhotellerie
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
38
Eros Capecchi
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
39
Andrey Kashechkin
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
40
Luca Mazzanti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
41
Massimo Codol
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
42
Carlos Betancourt
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
43
Héctor Guerra
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
44
Nicolas Vogondy
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 8'27
45
Pavel Zitta
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
46
Matteo Rabottini
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
47
Tanel Kangert
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
48
Andrea Masciarelli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
49
Leonardo Piepoli
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
50
Pedro Merino
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
51
David Le Lay
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
52
Sylwester Szmyd
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
53
Marco Marzano
ISD - Lampre Continental
s.t.
54
Christian Murro
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
55
Alfredo Balloni
Lampre - Generali
+ 8'50
56
Volodymyr Bileka
Amore & Vita
s.t.
57
Guillaume Bonnafond
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
58
Ben Gastauer
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
59
Davide Torosantucci
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
60
Frantisek Padour
PSK Whirlpool - Author
+ 10'04
61
Valerio Agnoli
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
62
Sacha Modolo
Team Type 1
+ 10'31
63
Pierpaolo De Negri
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
64
Maciej Paterski
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
65
Martin Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
66
Leonardo Giordani
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
67
Evgeni Petrov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
68
Marc Lootens
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
69
Rubens Bertogliati
Team Type 1
+ 12'20
70
Tosh Van der Sande
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
71
Maurizio Biondo
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
72
Francesco De Bonis
Amore & Vita
s.t.
73
Michele Gaia
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
74
Maxim Lefèvre
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
75
Cyril Dessel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
76
Thomas Peterson
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
77
Alessandro Bisolti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
78
Julien Loubet
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
79
Pirmin Lang
Atlas Personal
s.t.
80
Luca Barla
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
81
Anton Vorobyev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
82
Giuseppe De Maria
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
83
Angelo Pagani
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
84
Jure Golcer
Adria Mobil
+ 13'02
85
Fabio Negri
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
86
Mikhail Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
87
Alessandro Bazzana
Team Type 1
s.t.
88
Enrico Rossi
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
s.t.
89
Paolo Bailetti
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
90
Elia Rigotto
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
91
Jack Bauer
Bank BGZ
s.t.
92
Hubert Dupont
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
93
Antonio D'Aniello
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
94
Alexander Kvachuk
ISD - Lampre Continental
s.t.
95
Rémy Cusin
Atlas Personal
s.t.
96
Marco Frapporti
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
97
Robert Radosz
Bank BGZ
s.t.
98
Roger Beuchat
Atlas Personal
s.t.
99
Luca Ascani
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
100
Patxi Vila
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
101
Oleg Berdos
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
102
Tomasz Nose
Adria Mobil
s.t.
103
Cristiano Benenati
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
104
Marco Bandiera
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 15'13
105
Enrico Franzoï
Adria Mobil
s.t.
106
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Generali
+ 15'37
107
Valery Kobzarenko
ISD - Lampre Continental
+ 16'40
108
Mathieu Perget
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
109
Davide Cimolai
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
110
Vitaliy Buts
ISD - Lampre Continental
+ 17'04
111
Dariusz Baranowski
Bank BGZ
s.t.
112
Dimitry Ignatiev
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
113
Mikhail Antonov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
114
Tomasz Smolen
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
115
Alessandro Spezialetti
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
116
Dmitry Mokrov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
117
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
118
Cristiano Salerno
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
119
Vitaliy Popkov
ISD - Lampre Continental
+ 18'44
120
Pavel Gorenc
Adria Mobil
s.t.
121
Dmitry Kosyakov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
122
Artur Detko
Bank BGZ
+ 19'58
123
Edoardo Girardi
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
124
Florent Barle
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
125
Jan Tratnik
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
126
Petr Benčík
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
127
Jaroslaw Dabrowski
Bank BGZ
s.t.
128
Cristiano Fumagalli
Pisanellastoria - Guerciotti
+ 20'58
129
Ryohei Komori
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
+ 21'41
130
Guillaume Dessibourg
Atlas Personal
s.t.
131
Oleksandr Sheydyk
ISD - Lampre Continental
s.t.
132
Jiri Hudecek
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
133
Serguei Klimov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
134
Blaz Furdi
Adria Mobil
s.t.
135
Alexey Shmidt
Team Type 1
s.t.
136
Timothy Duggan
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
137
Yuri Metlushenko
ISD - Lampre Continental
s.t.
138
Stefano Borchi
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
139
Bersvenn Støen
Amore & Vita
+ 23'30
140
Jonathan Fumeaux
Atlas Personal
s.t.
141
Mirco Saggiorato
Atlas Personal
s.t.
142
Kohei Uchima
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
143
Danilo Andrenacci
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
144
Angelo Furlan
Androni Giocattoli
+ 23'57
145
Olaf Kerkhof
Team Type 1
s.t.
146
Volodymyr Kogut
Amore & Vita
+ 26'17
147
Piotr Kieblesz
Bank BGZ
s.t.
148
Patrik Moren
Amore & Vita
s.t.
149
David Loosli
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
150
Nicolas Baldo
Atlas Personal
s.t.
151
Junya Sano
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
152
Benjamin King
Team Type 1
s.t.
153
Vojtěch Dlouhý
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
154
Gianfranco Visconti
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
155
Tomas Danacik
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
156
Antonio Manzoni
Adria Mobil
s.t.
157
Emilio Zini
Amore & Vita
s.t.
158
Martijn Verschoor
Team Type 1
s.t.
159
Romain Lemarchand
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
160
Florent Savoye
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 30'09
161
Alessandro Stella
Team Type 1
+ 32'38
162
Kristian Forbord
Amore & Vita
+ 32'56
163
Lukas Tanner
Atlas Personal
s.t.
164
Mario Grande
Amore & Vita
s.t.
165
Cees Veldkamp
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
Today's winner
Word from the DS
Yeah, we won another bunch sprint!! Great tactical ride by the team, and perfectly finished by Sagan.
The Benelux hilly classics kick off with the Brabantse Pijl, raced from Leuven to Overijse, close to the Belgian capitol of Brussels. It's the 52nd edition and only one rider managed to win the race 4 times, namely Edwig van Hooydonck ('87, '91, '93, '95).
Last year the race was surprisingly won by Frédéric Amorison, beating Philippe Gilbert and Jelle Vanendert.
Th elast part of the race consists of 5 laps around Overijse with 4 climbs in each lap: the Hagaard, the Hertstraat, the IJskelderlaan and the Schavei. The finish is at the top of the Schavei. None of them are difficult climbs, but with 31 short and steep hills in total, the race will be tough.
Startlist
Spoiler
Monster Energy - Ford
1. P.Sagan
2. R.Gesink
3. M.Lefèvre
4. M.Lootens
5. W.Poels
6. R.Ruijgh
7. J.Vanendert
8. C.Veldkamp
The favourites *** Philippe Gilbert (Lotto), Peter Sagan, Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) **Jelle Vanendert, Staf Scheirlinck (Lotto), Murilo Fischer (Garmin) * Davy Commeyne (Landbouwkrediet), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Dominique Rollin (FDJ)
Our goal
Improve our position from last year, so 1st or 2nd. But who's happy with 2nd?
The race
When we enter the laps on the circuit around Overijse, a a group of 12 riders has taken a big lead. There are only 63 kilometres remaining, and the lead is still 9 minutes. Can this group, with riders as Davide Appollonio (Sky), Kurt Hovelynck (Donckers), Martin Reimer (M&M's), Simon Zahner (BMC) and Denys Kostyuk (Jong Vlaanderen) stay out of reach of the peloton untill the finish?
With 2 laps remaining, that's 25 kilometres, the lead of the BOTD is still 3'36. Our guys have already taken the lead of the chase.
Shortly before the last lap starts, one rider has attacked out of the BOTD. Denys Kostyuk, riding for Jong Vlaanderen (and he's from the Ukrain, funny...) has created a gap of 26 seconds with 15km remaining. The peloton is still 2'58 behind him. Can he keep the gap over the last climbs?
The answer is no. First, Jelle Vanendert was doing a horrible pace over the Hagaard and Hertstraat, and when he got out of energy, Robert Gesink took over at the IJskelderlaan and almost closed the gap when they reached the foot of the Schavei. So with one kilometre to go, Kostyuk is still in the lead, but sprinting peloton is almost by his side. 3 guys have created a small gap in the peloton: Davy Commeyne (Landbouwkrediet), Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) and Peter Sagan.
And Sagan proofs to be the best sprinter, taking his 2nd win in 4 days. But the flowers go to his teammates this time, who did an excellent job in catching the breakaway.
Results
1
Peter Sagan
Monster Energy - Ford
5h03'47
2
Davy Commeyne
Landbouwkrediet
+ 6
3
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
4
Olivier Pardini
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
5
Murilo Fischer
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
6
Staf Scheirlinckx
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
7
Dominique Rollin
FDJ
s.t.
8
Kurt Hovelynck
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
9
Bert De Waele
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
10
Denys Kostyuk
Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Leonardo Duque
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
12
Tom Leezer
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
13
Simon Zahner
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
14
Philippe Gilbert
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
15
David Zabriskie
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
16
Martin Reimer
M&M's
s.t.
17
Thomas Degand
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
18
Remco Broers
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
19
Nico Sijmens
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
20
Kenny Terweduwe
An Post - Sean Kelly
s.t.
21
Sven Vandousselaere
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
22
Kevin Van Impe
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
23
Jetse Bol
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
24
Robert Kiserlovski
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
25
Maarten Neyens
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
26
Robert Gesink
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
27
Jonathan Bertrand
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
28
Bauke Mollema
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
29
Mauro Santambrogio
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
30
Davide Appollonio
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
31
Piotr Zielinski
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
32
Gert Dockx
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
33
Martin Elmiger
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
34
Nico Eeckhout
An Post - Sean Kelly
+ 33
35
Sergio Hernandez
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
36
Baptiste Planckaert
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
37
Ben Hermans
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
38
Jelle Vanendert
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 38
39
Rick Flens
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
40
Frédéric Amorison
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
41
Michael Barry
Sky ProCycling
+ 50
42
Rob Ruijgh
Monster Energy - Ford
+ 54
43
Maarten Wynants
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
44
Steven Van Vooren
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
s.t.
45
Markel Irizar
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
46
Geert Steurs
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
s.t.
47
Stef Clement
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
48
Joeri Stallaert
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
49
Christophe Le Mével
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
50
Stijn Joseph
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
+ 1'09
51
Reinier Honig
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
52
Job Vissers
Rabobank Cycling Team
+ 1'34
53
Jürgen Van de Walle
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
54
Dario Cioni
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
55
Jesse Sergent
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
56
Julien Fouchard
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
57
Wout Poels
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
58
Maxim Lefèvre
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
59
Matti Helminen
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
60
Daniel Lloyd
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 2'04
61
Rasmus Quaade
Sony Ericsson
+ 2'14
62
Floris Goesinnen
Rabobank Continental Team
+ 2'28
63
Stéphane Bonsergent
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 2'36
64
Trent Lowe
Sony Ericsson
+ 3'04
65
Geoffroy Lequatre
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
66
Bert De Backer
M&M's
s.t.
67
Hayden Roulston
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
68
Kevin Claeys
An Post - Sean Kelly
s.t.
69
Tom Veelers
M&M's
s.t.
70
Dirk Müller
Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland
+ 3'14
71
Andrew Talansky
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
72
Vytautas Kaupas
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
73
Jeremy Hunt
Sky ProCycling
+ 3'20
74
Johann Tschopp
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
75
Sébastien Hinault
FDJ
+ 3'26
76
Ricardo Van der Velde
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
77
Christian Poos
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
78
Sandy Casar
FDJ
s.t.
79
Rémi Pauriol
FDJ
s.t.
80
Michael Tronborg
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
81
Tom Slagter
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
82
Ivan Rovny
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
83
Wim De Vocht
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
84
Kevin Hulsmans
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
85
James Vanlandschoot
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
86
Thomas Löfkvist
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
87
Gerben Löwik
M&M's
s.t.
88
Dieter Cappelle
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
89
Pieter Vanspeybroeck
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
s.t.
90
Luis Ángel Maté
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
91
Paul Martens
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
92
Bart De Clercq
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
93
Marco Pinotti
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
94
Robert Wagner
Nissan - Radio Shack - Trek
s.t.
95
Roger Kluge
M&M's
s.t.
96
Sam Bewley
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
97
Steven Caethoven
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
98
Joeri Calleeuw
Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht
s.t.
99
Iljo Keisse
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
100
Jonas Ljungblad
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
101
Sven Nys
Landbouwkrediet
s.t.
102
Jasper Bovenhuis
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
103
Gianni Meersman
FDJ
s.t.
104
Adrian Honkisz
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
105
Rafal Ratajczyk
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
106
Tim Mertens
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
s.t.
107
Jos Pronk
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
108
Danilo Wyss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
109
Tomasz Kiendyś
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
110
Yann Huguet
M&M's
s.t.
111
David Kopp
Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland
s.t.
112
Marc Lootens
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
113
Johan Coenen
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
s.t.
114
Kalle Kriit
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
115
Fred Rodriguez
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
116
Fabian Wegmann
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
117
Jens Debusschere
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
118
Ronan Van Zandbeek
M&M's
s.t.
119
Stijn Neirynck
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
s.t.
120
Chris Barton
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
121
Alex Candelario
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
122
Mateusz Taciak
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
123
Brent Bookwalter
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
124
Frédéric Guesdon
FDJ
s.t.
125
Huub Duyn
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
126
Cees Veldkamp
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
127
Arnaud Labbe
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
128
Ivan Santaromita
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
129
Kjell Carlström
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
130
Rémy Di Gregorio
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
131
Markus Eibegger
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
s.t.
132
Morris Possoni
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
133
Tomasz Marczynski
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
134
Thomas Rabou
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
135
Pawel Charucki
CCC Polsat Polkowice
+ 4'57
136
Patrick Bercz
Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland
s.t.
137
Wim Stroetinga
M&M's
+ 5'49
138
Sam Bennett
An Post - Sean Kelly
s.t.
139
Pieter Ghyllebert
An Post - Sean Kelly
s.t.
140
Luc Hagenaars
Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland
s.t.
141
Thomas Vernaeckt
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
142
Guillaume Boivin
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
143
Moreno Hofland
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
144
Ronan McLaughlin
An Post - Sean Kelly
s.t.
145
Mickaël Delage
FDJ
s.t.
146
Christophe Premont
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
147
Klaas Lodewyck
Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht
+ 6'36
148
Cyrille Heymans
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 6'54
149
Serge Pauwels
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
150
Timothy Dupont
Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht
+ 7'39
151
Kevin Van Melsen
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
152
Jochen Deweer
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
153
Michael Kurth
Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland
s.t.
154
Andrew Fenn
An Post - Sean Kelly
s.t.
155
Sander Helven
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
156
Ingmar De Poortere
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
157
Steven De Neef
Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht
s.t.
158
Robin Steenuit
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
159
Michael Vanderaerden
Donckers Koffie - Livestrong
s.t.
160
Michael Rogers
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
161
Florian Monreal
Team Eddy Merckx - Indeland
s.t.
162
Krzysztof Maslowski
CCC Polsat Polkowice
+ 8'42
163
Johan Verhelst
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 9'07
164
Garrit Broeders
Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht
+ 10'43
165
Anthony Geslin
FDJ
s.t.
166
Davy Van den Camp
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
+ 11'34
167
Kess Heytens
An Post - Sean Kelly
+ 11'51
168
Thoma Mulder
Rabobank Continental Team
+ 13'05
169
Ruben Thys
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
170
Olivier Chevalier
Wallonie Bruxelles - Crédit Agricole
s.t.
171
Sebastian Siedler
Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de
+ 16'30
Today's winner
Word from the DS
Wow, this one was tough. You can say the timing was perfect, but we almost mistimed. None of the teams, not even Lotto with Gilbert and Scheirlinckx, wanted to help in the chase. So justice for all, as Sagan took the win to pay off our work!!
Our sprinters take part in the 2-stage Albert Achterhees Profronde van Drenthe. So 2 almost flat stages, a lot of wind and 2 times for the DS to practice his sprint skills
Last year, the race was won by Tomasz Smolen, from the Polish CCC-team.
Startlist
Spoiler
Sony Ericsson
1. L.Duque
2. C.Barton
3. W.Clarke
4. R.Di Gregorio
5. S.Hernandez
6. K.Kriit
7. A.Saramotins
8. A.Timmer
An Post
191. N.Eeckhout
192. G.Bagdonas
193. S.Bennett
194. K.Claeys
195. M.Debusschere
196. A.Fenn
197. P.Ghyllebert
198. R.McLaughlin
Our team
The sprinters / The favourites
Leonardo Duque (Sony Ericsson), Robbie Hunter (Garmin), Willimam Bonnet (FDJ), Dominique Rollin (FDJ), Marcel Kittel, Kenny van Hummel (M&M's), Samuel Dumoulin & Tony Gallopin (Cofidis), Chris Sutton (Sky).
Stage 1
Tactic 1 is to set up our own train (Posthuma-Ligthart-Keukeleire-Kittel). Well it works great until the last 3km. We are in the lead (thanks to Posthuma), and whenLigthart (Sp 76, fitness 90, dot 99, aggresive) starts to sprint, everybody passes him. Keukeleire takes over (same data), same story), then Kittel starts to sprint with 1200m to go, doesn't improve a singe metre upon those riders that are already sprint for over a kilometre...
So the win goes to WIlliam Bonnet (FDJ) and Kittel takes the 15th place...
Results
1
William Bonnet
FDJ
4h16'00
2
Tony Gallopin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
3
Tom Leezer
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Dominique Rollin
FDJ
s.t.
5
Kenny Van Hummel
M&M's
s.t.
6
Jetse Bol
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
7
Leonardo Duque
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
8
Steven Caethoven
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
9
Jeremy Hunt
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
10
Mateusz Komar
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
...
15
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
Stage 2
Tactic 2 is to let Kittel follow Bonnet (and the pthers can form a train on their own). Well, the train is ridiculous bad again. But Kittel does well, and easily stays in the wheel of Bonnet. But he hasn't even got a chance of overtaking him. So the win again for Bonnet and 2nd for Kittel.
Results
1
William Bonnet
FDJ
3h52'32
2
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
3
Jetse Bol
Rabobank Continental Team
s.t.
4
Leonardo Duque
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
5
Kenny Van Hummel
M&M's
s.t.
6
Steven Caethoven
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
7
Mateusz Komar
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
8
Tom Leezer
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
9
Dominique Rollin
FDJ
s.t.
10
Tony Gallopin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
s.t.
GC
1
William Bonnet
FDJ
8h07'52
2
Tony Gallopin
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 28
3
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Ford
s.t.
4
Jetse Bol
Rabobank Continental Team
+ 32
5
Tom Leezer
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
6
Kenny Van Hummel
M&M's
+ 40
7
Leonardo Duque
Sony Ericsson
s.t.
8
Dominique Rollin
FDJ
s.t.
9
Steven Caethoven
Veranda's Willems - Accent
s.t.
10
Mateusz Komar
CCC Polsat Polkowice
s.t.
Overall winner
Word from the DS
2 tactics tried and failed in one.... I'm starting to think of never setting up my own train again when a stage ends in a flat mass sprint. I think I can better wheelsuck. Will I ever learn it?
I once won a stage in the Tour of Qatar (on extreme difficulty) by just letting Ligthart follow Cavendish,and unleash him 500m before the line. But I think that was just good luck.
for a great 3rd in Paris - Roubaix. Even though Terpstra received some help from Devolder, still a great result.
...so,let´s dance....
