sutty68 wrote:
The TT turned out Great for HTC and Mark kept hold of the Points jersey as well
It is looking like a good lead in the Green Jersey standings. The climbers are beginning the rack up the points though, so it will be a very close finish in Nice.
12th March 2011 - Paris-Nice
(Brignoles Biot - Sophia Antipolis)
It's onto Stage 7, and the profile is dominated by the big climb up the Côte de Cabris and the Col du Ferrier. The only thing keeping me happy for today is the Intermediate Sprint point at 37km. Take all the points at that, and I think the Green Jersey will be mine.
Race Report
We set out today with two objectives in mind. First, control the peleton, making sure nothing gets away before the Sprint point at Lorgues, and second, put pressure on GC rivals, with a very achievable Podium Spot for Tejay the goal.
Plan A was put into action perfectly. Bernie, Tony, Gatis and Michael set a high pace over the first 35km, with all attacks instantly pulled back. I sat on Alex's wheel, primed to unleash myself when the sprint began. I gave it my all, and as the road ramped up slowly 200m from the Gerald Ciolek (QuickStep) came around me to take maximum points. I was happy with second though. 2 more points added to the total.
Was this enough to secure the Green Jersey for Cav?
With Plan A complete, Plan B was rolled out. Time to see what the TT had taken out of some of the rivals. Michael and Bert set the pace on the front, with Tony changing from his Leader role to help out Tejay. If Tejay got in trouble, Tony was there to help.
A break of 16 got away on the stage, but gained no more than 5'22" on the main peleton. Most active from the break was Eros Capecchi (Liqugas), who seemed to put on a late charge for the KoM jersey. That is one jersey that will go down to the last stage...
The Peleton climbing the Côte de Cabris
With the escapees not gaining much time on the main pack, they were pulled in on the descent off the Col du Ferrier. To my surprise, I was still in the peleton after the big climb, and descending down the other side, I remember something from the profile... There is a Sprint at the bottom of this mountain. Bernie led me out, and with only Duque (Cofidis) for company, I took maximum points! Bonus points in my eyes! This was more than job done!
And so, it was now down the final circuits around Biot. Hilly and very difficult, I, along with many other sprinters, was straight out the back. At the front, attack after attack went off the front. First Contador, then Urán, and then Di Luca. But they got nowhere. Movistar controlled every attack, pulling it all back together. That was until the rain began to fall... Tejay attacked on a tight bend, and under slippy condition, down went 10 riders from the remaining peleton. Tony was part of it, as well as Assan Bazayev (Astana) and also some Movistar guys.
With half a lap to go, a group of 20 riders or so got together, and the sprint for the line Pierre Roland (Europcar) came across the line first. Tejay finished in the same time in 17th, along with Kreuziger and Gutiérrez. But where was Contador? Surely he hadn't been caught out in the rain and the crashes... The SaxoBank rider finished 37th, 1'54" after Rolland.
Fantastic win for the Frenchman Rolland, but what happened to Contador?
HTC - Highroad's Matt Goss is a big doubt for the upcoming Milano - San Remo next week. The Australian Champion fell hard on Stage 3 of Tirreno - Adriatico, forcing his withdrawal from the race.
Early reports show he suffered badly bruised ribs, and his HTC team are hoping he will be fit enough to take part in the race, where he is set to partner Mark Cavendish in the quest for Classics glory.
Edited by the_hoyle on 10-10-2012 21:01
Angry Contador points finger at HTC's van Garderen
Alberto Contador today spoke out again HTC - Highroad's Tejay van Garderen, blaming the young American for the crashes caused during the finale of stage 6 in Biot, and ultimately ending the Spaniard's change of retaining his Paris - Nice title.
The SaxoBank rider critised the attacking style of van Garderen, stating that it could have been much worse if some riders had not taken evasive attack when others hit the deck.
Tony Martin, who was actually brought down in the crashes, quickly came out to defend his teammate, saying that it was the sudden downpour of rain and slippery surfaces which caused the crash, and not van Garderen.
@Ian: Delighted with the stage. also guaranteed the green jersey, and tejay in 3rd. i think alberto is just bitter! he positioning was all wrong as tejay attacked. he looked pretty boxed in, so even if there was no crash, he wouldnt have been able to respond
@sutty: we took 3rd without putting gutierrez into difficulty. also kreuziger had to work really hard to stay with the main bunch at the finish. 2nd could be a very realistic target in the final stage
The final stage of the Paris - Nice is no walk in the park. 5 recognised climbs, with many more lumps along the way, today is not going to be a procession around the Ligurian Alpine Mountains.
With all jerseys still up for grabs, there is going to be an eventful day ahead of us.
Race Report
Today's stage was all about Tejay. Keep him safe, and should the opportunity arise, he will look to take the hand full of seconds needed to move up in GC, and hopefully win the White Jersey.
Seafront start for the Peleton before they head inland to the Mountains
A group of 13 riders got away just before the Intermediate Sprint point at the 27km mark. Many of the riders were just wanting to stretch their legs, and give the sponsors some TV time, but 2 riders had the KoM jersey in sight. Eros Capecchi attacked first, and his move was closely tracked by Egoi Martínez. It was safe to say that Martínez was not going to let his KoM lead slip. On each climb, the battle begun, with Martínez winning each battle, and confirming the KoM winner for 2011.
The Peleton climb the difficult Côte de Duranus
With the KoM jersey sewn up, it was next to the GC battle. Movistar took early control again, safely manoeuvering Race Leader Iván Gutiérrez through the opening parts of the stage. However, as the route hit the halfway stage on the climb up the Col de Calaison, Tejay ordered the team to the front, setting a high pace. And the result... Utter destruction of the Peleton. More and more riders dropped off the back on the climb, and soon only 58 riders remained. I tried to hold on as much as I could, but in the end, I had to drop back and join the rest who couldn't keep up.
Descending down the Col de Chateauneuf
The group was down to 32 when the pack hit the final climb up the Col d'Eze, and with the GC favourites looking at each other, it was Gutiérrez who attacked first. Tejay went with the move, along with Contador and Urán. A group of 7 formed as more riders came across the gap, but the big name who was missing was Kreuziger. The White Jersey Leader had completely missed the move. Was this advantage Tejay? Cresting the climb, the 7 riders had 32" over the Kreuziger Group, but no one was willing to work. Tejay tried to up the tempo, but everyone sat on his wheel, and Kreuziger was able to join up with everyone.
Coming into the last 1km, a number of riders could still win the stage. Sylvain Chavanel (Quickstep) and Danilo Di Luca (Katusha) went for the long sprint, catching a few of the other unaware, but it would be Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin) who showed great strength to win, with the Top 3 from GC all finishing together.
Fine final sprint from Hesjedal takes the win for the Canadian
Well this is the big one... The Milano - San Rem Monument Classic! This is one of my main goals, behind the Tour de France and World Championships.
Confidence is high after Paris - Nice, and I am showing some good form not only in the Sprints, but also getting myself over the Mountains, where I was able to hold on to the main group for much longer than I thought I would.
Victory is the only target, and I am the main man to get that goal. The original plan was to come to Milan with a two-pronged attacked, in the shape of myself and Gossy. Sadly, he has not been able to recover in time from his crash in the Tirreno - Adriatico, but his replacement, John Degenkolb, is no slouch should he be in the mix at the finish.
The lead out train will be made of Frantisek Rabon, Bert Grabsch, Bernie Eisel and Mark Renshaw. Bernie will also captain the team on the road, and look after me over the course of the Momument.
Marco Pinotti and Michael Albasini complete the squad, and will look to have a free role within the team.
Labeled as the 'Sprinter's Monument', La Primavera starts off the Spring Classics. 299km in length, it is one of the longest stages in the Cycling Calendar, and a stern test for any rider.
Victory is the aim for both myself and HTC, so we will need to be weary of the inevitable attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio di Sanremo.
Race Report
13km: After a quiet start to the race, it was a break of 8 riders who managed to get away in the opening stages.
27km: The teams of Garmin, Lampre and Quickstep set the early pace. It was clear that they were looking for the victory in San Remo as well.
142km: As the first major climb, the Passo del Turchino, came into sight, the break's lead had increased to 9'32", but it was clear that the peleton had them firmly under control.
206km: On the descent of La Manie, the gap had tumbled to 5'34". It would need a miracle for them to stay away until the end.
258km: On the climb of the Capo Berta, the break was pulled back, and it was time for some of the 'non sprinter' favourites to make their move, with Fabian Cancellara (Leopard) and Sylvain Chavanel (Quickstep) being the first to attack.
275km: As we hit the Cipressa, 2 riders were 32" clear of the peleton. Chavanel had dropped back to the peleton to aid Boonen, whilst off the front, Cancellara had been joined by World Champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin).
291km: On the Poggio, and with the gap growing, Hushovd was joined by Philippe Gilbert (OmegaPharma) and Filippo Pozzato (Katusha). The pace set was too much for Cancellara, who had lost contact.
298km: Entering San Remo, and with a gap of 1'43" back to the peleton, it was clear that the winner would come from the one of the three riders in the break. With 1km to go, the sprint was on between Pozzato and Gilbert.
299km: And it was Gilbert who wins La Primavera! He came out from behind Pozzato in the closing 100m to take a fine win. Hushovd crossed the line 23" later to take third, whilst I won the sprint of the peleton to finish 4th.
Sadly the Strada Bianchi did not go as planned for HTC. We went with a very attacking team, but the best we could muster was Marco Pinotti finishing 23rd place, 2'33" down on the winner Gasparotto.
Tirreno - Adriatico
m
Name
Team
Time
1
Alexandre Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
26h07'43
2
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
+ 1'17
3
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
+ 1'47
.
Points
Philippe Gilbert
Omega Pharma - Lotto
KoM
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
Under 25
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
Team
Lampre - ISD
At the Tirreno - Adriatico, our main aim was a Top 10 GC finish and looking to compete in the Points Classification. However, it turned out to be a Stage Race of mixed fortunes. Marco Pinotti finished a magnificant 7th place in GC, but things went astray when a bad crash ended the race for Matthew Goss on stage 3.
Vuelta Ciclista a Catalunya
m
Name
Team
Time
1
Jelle Vanendert
Omega Pharma - Lotto
30h14'21
2
Romain Feillu
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 59
3
Chris Horner
Team RadioShack
+ 1'05
.
Points
Romain Feillu
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
KoM
Christophe Riblon
AG2R La Mondiale
Under 25
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
Team
Leopard Trek
We headed to Spain hoping that Marco could go one better than at the Tirreno - Adriatico, but it was not to be. He suffered badly on stage 2, losing over 5'34" to his GC rivals, and he just could not make the time up. He finished the best placed HTC rider on GC, in 21st place, and he was clearly disappointed. The biggest shock on the GC was the podium place of Romain Feillu, who was able to able to hold on in the big mountains, following a large breakaway victory on stage 2.
Critérium International
m
Name
Team
Time
1
Bram Schmitz
Veranda's Willems - Accent
7h39'29
2
Jean-Christophe Peraud
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 1
3
Damien Monier
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne
+ 3
.
Points
Alex Rasmussen
HTC - Highroad
KoM
Bram Schmitz
Veranda's Willems - Accent
Under 25
Nicolas Bonnet
Roubaix Lille Métropole
Team
HTC - Highroad
It was a great Critérium International for HTC. We picked up two stage wins, thanks to Alex Rasmussen in the sprint finish on stage 2a, and Bert Grabsch in the ITT on stage 2b. Thanks for the great team finish in the ITT, we also came away with the Team Classification.
Gent - Wevelgem
m
Name
Team
Time
1
Tom Boonen
Quick·Step Cycling Team
5h32'19
2
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
3
Bernhard Eisel
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
With Goss still out injured, we went to Gent - Wevelgem with a 7 man squad instead of the normal 8. But that did not make a difference at all. Looking to defend his 2010 title, Bernie led the team, and picked up a great 3rd place finish.
This Belgian Semi-Classic has brought me some great success in the past, with victories in 2008 and 2009. This year, I am aiming for the same again, with a record equaling 3rd victory.
With that in mind, we come here with a very strong squad. Lars Bak, Tony Martin, Bernie Eisel and Mark Renshaw will make up the main part of my lead out train, whilst Tejay van Garderen and Danny Pate will work as domestiques.
Finally we have the Irish National Champion Matt Brammeier, who will look to get in the day's break, taking some pressure off the others in the team.
12th March 2011 - Paris-Nice 
19th March 2011 - Milano-San Remo 
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
Vuelta Ciclista a Catalunya 
Gent - Wevelgem 
Netherlands
Switzerland
