Yeah, Samu did pretty good. Antón isn't in top shape unfortunately though. Only myself to blame though, I always seem to mess up the training schedules/racing planing in the first season. o_O
Basque flags are everywhere. Just the way it should be. Edited by Shonak on 11-12-2013 23:05
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Blueprint wrote:
What happened to Anton, peaking at the Giro?
I follow) the real Euskaltel - Euskadi racing schedule, at least when it comes to Grand Tours for the 3 captains, which means that Samu actually rides the Giro & Vuelta, Igor and Nieve Tour & Vuelta. As for Igor Antón, I just put him into to less races. It won't happen next season, since it's honestly a frequent mistake I make in the first season when I still get to know the squad.
@Dippofix: It wasn't a particular good race but it's all fine. Yup, Dan Martin certainly shows some spirit in each race he's participating in.
Edited by Shonak on 12-12-2013 11:48
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
This Ardennes classic in Belgium doesn’t feature so many climbs as Amstel Gold Race or Liege – Bastogne – Liege and neither is it as long as its brother races, but the feared Mur de Huy offers a gradient of easily over 20 %, and one can believe me, when I say: Every gradient counts. So, going by the good old saying, quality over quantity, the Mur de Huy will be an ultimate factor in this stage. But getting there, we’ll be tough enough task as it is. For anyone, who can’t wait to climb the Mur de Huy, La Flèche Wallone offers the climb two more times during the route, while the 3rd time will be the finish line.
Favourites include previous year winner Joaquim Rodriguez (KAT), former Ardennes treble winner Philippe Gilbert and this year’s Amstel Gold Race winner Alejandro Valverde. Also great riders that will definitely take their chances at the Mur de Huy are Daniel Moreno, Daniel Martin, Peter Sagan, Vincenzo Nibali, Simon Gerrans and Roman Kreuziger. The line-up for this race by Euskaltel – Euskadi hasn’t change, as the team looks for a possible breakaway win as much as a win by Samuel Sánchez or Igor Antón, who is still not in very competitive shape, but maybe this time around, the legs feel better for him.
La Flèche Wallone presents itself in the nicest form possible. It rains like hell and the Mur de Huy demands the best of their legs already. So, it’s just another day in Belgium… In the breakaway, we see a familiar face: Bonnafond (ALM) tries his luck again. There’s not much to hope for Ag2r La Mondiale as their captain Carlos Betancur is still injured. Other riders are Steegmans (OPQ), Sutton (SKY), Nys (BEL), Rujano (VCD) and Charteau (EUC).
Multiple teams drastically increase the pace, among them are Movistar, Garmin-Sharp and Astana. The weather changes here and there from storming to raining to not so much raining, back to little bits of storm. The riders are already utterly wet and their clothes just stick on them. Only 80 kilometers left to go.
Jens Voigt and Failli break out of the peloton and work with two Lotto Belisol riders (De Greef, Jelle Vanendert!) to get to the breakaway up ahead. Meanwhile, it doesn’t rain anymore. There’s still not much sun around, but one must be grateful for what he gets I suppose.
It certainly won’t get easier for Bonnafond now that Vanendert is in this group. Behind them, Katusha is pacing up the Mur de Huy already. Spilak works splendid for Purito and the time decreases rather quickly. Oh, and the first sunshine are coming out to play. Igor Antón attacked a bit later on the Mur de Huy and I had waited for the perfect image but that moment didn’t turn up since he couldn’t get away – not a single bit. His shape is obviously far from perfect…
Luis Leon Sànchez attacks with 20 kilometer to go. Samuel Sánchez is somewhere in there too. And 3 riders by Orica – Green Edge. Well, they obviously want the stage, I presume…
Movistar are not messing around. They caught the riders rather quicky. Only Kessiakoff is still up there. Oh, and the breakaway still has a minute lead.
But now not anymore, and suddenly riders start passing Sánchez like crazy, and he’s somehow not reacting, losing position in the field…
Kreuziger made him out of the peloton and they are chasing him hard now. It’s only around 15 seconds but can it be enough at the Mur de Huy?
Kreuziger looks still good up there, but now World Champion Gilbert tries his luck by attacking. The Mur de Huy is waiting. Forget tactical plays, forget luck or helpers. Only brute force can now master this hill and make you win this race.
Valverde, Daniel Martin, Sagan and Gerrans are looking way fitter now than Gilbert and Kreuziger ahead of them. And here comes the part that really hurts…
Sánchez waited a bit longer than the others with his sprint move and could pass some guys. Igor Antòn really did a good job at protecting him on this last few kilometers to the Mur de Huy. Gilbert looks safe up front and has still a few meters lead to Valverde.
World Champion Philippe Gilbert takes La Flèche Wallone for a second time. There won’t be a treble in it this year, but he will be happy and satisfied with this victory nonetheless. There’s often criticism concerning Gilbert, but today he has shown that he’s still pure class. Valverde finishes 2nd, Sagen 3rd. Sánchez gets a good 7th place.
La Flèche Wallone, Results
“People expect a lot from you when you are world champion and have won the treble in the past”, Gilbert states, “I am grateful it worked out. Thanks to my team, I felt that I really had a shot here today. Kreuziger’s attack played in my favor and when I passed him, I knew that I just had to keep riding. There’s no time to rest. I want to win La Doyenne too.”
Samuel Sánchez and Euskaltel – Euskadi are satisified with this result. I got a call later today, and my dad said, he thinks he saw me when Samu talked with a team car. I was looking quite happy, he added. I confirmed, that I am quite feeling good here…
NOTE: The exported results strangely didn’t work, which forces me to each time check the exported results after each by now. Hope you don’t mind this screenshot.
@Blueprint: I probably will still have to improve on that waiting part a bit.
@Selwink: Yup, he did well here. Top 5 was sponsor goal but alas, no contract renewal is up this season, so I don't even care that we failed it so close.
@Dippofix: Don't worry, I will never get sick of your Dan Martin fan-posts. All of my own story posts are basically giant Euskaltel fanboy posts. Edited by Shonak on 12-12-2013 16:30
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Two nice results for Samu in the Amstel and Fleche Wallonne
He is getting closer to the podium and will hopefully get it in Liege Edited by Vali on 12-12-2013 20:51
@Vali: Podium would be nice. If only things were that simple.
@sutty68: Yup, he certainly did better at Flèche Wallone than I honestly expected. Right now, he is really holding this team up, based upon his success and the WT points he has scored so far us (but then again, that's his job).
Edited by Shonak on 13-12-2013 00:06
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
“Liège is a race of trial by elimination, where it's very unlikely that a breakaway can go clear and decide the race before the final 100 km. You need to be strong and at the same time clever and calculating— in this sense it's a complete test of a cyclist's ability.”
-Moreno Argentin
There’s something about Liège – Bastogne – Liège that just can’t be put right in words. Maybe La Doyenne, the oldest one, is just the right to word to use. It’s a race that stands all on its own. There have been similar courses and tasks for any rider, but L-B-L puts it all on another level. It’s easily the most fought out one-day race in the UCI World Tour. While the cobblestone classic are avoided by many of the top class riders, here at L-B-L they all come together until they go separated ways again. Its route is probably the toughest test for any rider’s capabilities. Long, steep climbs and an endless road up ahead, and in the end, these climbs “come up with depressing frequency in the final kilometers”, stated Cycling Weekly. But not only has the route itself offered enough challenge. The weather can be tricky and unforgiving at times. There were races, where it even snowed in the past. Such drastic weather conditions are often times featured in these spring classics, but here it is – again – quite something different it seems. And as usual, the situation of the race itself will be determined by the peloton, and the list of riders includes only the A-list of stars and talent.
Riders who will want to win this race, do not only need some of the best legs they ever had in their career. No, they also need to be smart about it. La Doyenne can fool anyone, and if you attack at the wrong moment – and their will plenty of those – it can ruin the entire race for you. It’s not so much about attacking, but rather staying there. “Many riders think it’s best to attack on the steepest part, but you should rather want to have the most power for a flatter section”, a rider told me ahead of the start. Frequent gaps in the peloton on the entire route can stress favourites alike. 5 times champion Eddy Merckx is the current record holder and it’s hard to imagine that anyone will ever catch up to the Belgian cannibal. Especially Belgian riders will try their best to honor the immense legacy of La Doyenne and the Belgian cycling history, with many great Belgian winners. But then again, any rider in the peloton is keen to do the same. Favourites include this year’s La Flèche Wallone winner Philippe Gilbert (BMC) and Amstel Gold Race winner Alejandro Valverde (MOV). Peter Sagan (CAN) and Simon Gerrans (OGE) have snatched great results so far in the Ardennes week and are sure to improve their palmares further. Roman Kreuziger (TST), Daniel Martin (GRS) and Rui Costa (MOV) have shown great attacking spirit and will be featured too as favourites. Joaquim Rodriguez (KAT) has been a bit underwhelming so far but maybe Katusha can pull off another good result with Daniel Moreno (KAT). Euskaltel – Euskadi once more focus their efforts on Samuel Sánchez and Igor Antòn and look to have at least one rider featured in the breakaway…
After a very high paced beginning, with many attacks from high-profile riders such as Fuglsang, Antón and Roche, a group of rather simpletons makes it. Vanbilsen and Ion Izagirre are the lucky ones and now Aregger, Charteau, Ludvigsson and Bonnafond (he really has the right nose for any breakaway in this week!) join them.
A split in the peloton takes its toll. Kreuziger’s teammates pull back. Their former chasing companions, Movistar, have to get even further back, since Valverde was caught behind and has now over a minute to Group Kreuziger and 2 minutes to the peloton.
As a matter of fact: He is here…
.... and now take a look where most of the Euskaltel – Euskadi rider names are. Yup. It seems like Valverde has once more pulled a classic Valverde-move by just sleeping. It’s not even utter bad luck or a crash, no, it’s just unawareness of the race. Poor Valverde. At least, this time around there’s no Grand Tour or medal that needs to be lost.
Almost immediately, Euskaltel – Euskadi decide to poke the favourites a bit and increase the pace of the peloton. I wonder, if this is a fair move, but Katu just laughs at me: “If he’d been crashed or puncture, I’d say we wait. But Valverde and Kreuziger were just sleeping. They probably fell asleep while riding uphill. There’s really no sympathy lost here when we decide to take advantage of their positioning. It’s racing. Not some Sunday mall trip with your Mom, who waits for you when you have to tie your shoe lazes.”
But then, it hits us - we realize… NOOO! Samuel Sánchez is even behind Group Valverde. Oh god damn it!
Man, in our malicious joy at the other riders, we completely fucked up even worse… When finally the micro-communication works again, Sánchez can’t believe his bad luck. “I wanted to get upfront like you told me. But everybody else wanted to, and suddenly I was at the end... of everything.”
Right now, there are 4 groups. The peloton, then Group Kreuziger, then Group Contador/Scarponi, and then Group Valverde. Sánchez is no group right now as he rides alone and tries to make up anytime… At least, later Astarloza is with Sánchez. It won’t be enough to catch up to Group Valverde, but at least, he isn’t alone anymore.
Maybe he can get back to Group Valverde on a steep climb?
Well, having Kreuziger and his teammates back in the peloton might not be bad after all. Saxo Tinkoff immediately take back command over the peloton and pace. Euskaltel – Euskadi tried to keep them away but it wasn’t possible without sacrificing too many resources. Astana, BMC and Garmin-Sharp had surprisingly no interest in keeping Saxo Tinkoff and Movistar away from the peloton, but alas, Euskaltel – Euskadi at least tried. Oh, and Sánchez is coming closer to Group Valverde, but it’s only little by little. I doubt that it will matter though.
Valverde is back in the peloton! Maybe the pace will decrease now? We immediately send some riders back to help Astarloza and Sánchez.
With about 100 kilometers left to go, Sánchez gets into the peloton. Now he needs to get back at the front of the peloton as fast as possible. This is a vicious hill ahead of them, a hill that could cause another split. And we don’t want to be on the wrong side when that happens. Not again.
Meanwhile, the breakaway is doing okay, and they manage to keep a rather solid lead towards the peloton.
Okay, so at least Sánchez seems to have learned from his mistake. The same can’t be said about Kreuziger, who is again in the far back of the peloton, as the downhill is up. Rui Costa, Daniel Martin, Nibali and Contador are in this group too. So, good company. Before we think about decisive moves though, Katu first checks with Samu again, if our captain is truly in the peloton? “Yes, I am. Yes. What should we do?”
Turns out, just do nothing. Group Kreuziger hits the peloton faster again than Katu could even think about orders to give his riders.
The gap has decreased to less than 3 minutes. This is not much, and probably won’t last for this last 50 kilometers, but Ion could try and pace a bit higher.
Not much left, not much left….
… as Movistar and Saxo Tinkoff pace together up the Côte de la Redoute…
… and when the Côte de la Redoute is behind them, the peloton stretches itself all over the place. The breakaway still maintains a little gap. Sánchez and Valverde meanwhile have learned from their previous, unfortunate mistake and belong to the first to cross the Redoute.
Only 27 kilometers left and world champion Gilbert (BMC) wants to try his luck. No other favourites are at first inclined to follow him.
But Sagan, Kreuziger and L.L. Sanchez eventually follow him. And so he is the plan of Bakelants too, but will he get close enough – or will the peloton just snatch them in either way?
Well, they do, but Bakelants is not easy to give up on his chances, and Porte wants to follow him this time around. Meanwhile, the peloton comes closer and closer to Group Izagirre, who has only a few seconds left.
So, the peloton has catched them now eventually. Only Charteau remains up front. And Ion Izagirre isn’t just willing to step down yet and make room for the favourites as he attacks on the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons.
Still some seconds left. Still some left. I wonder about it and I ponder when Izagirre attacks again. Still power left, not willing to give up. Chartau gets caught.
And he is truly the first one to come across, but then Sagan and Kreuziger attack… and the play stops. Whatever this was, it’s over – be it a dream or a wishful escape, a last brave stand or just prolonging of the inevitable; it’s soon over.
Nearly only 10 kilometers left. The peloton is much smaller than before these many attacks of favourites, but it’s maybe bigger than expected. There’s still one climb left before the top riders head into Ans.
Côte de Saint-Nicolas sees other attacks by Gilbert, Gerrans, Kreuziger and Samuel Sánchez. Some riders are still hanging on, but ultimately, one can see at the Astana rider, Kessiakoff, that they might not be able to hang onto. Izagirre in the front of the picture is meanwhile – once more – completely empty.
Wow. As the peloton catches up to the 11 riders upfront, T.J. Van Garderen just rides through and attacks ahead of Ans. He is now on the ultimate kilometer and his relatively early attack looks promising, while the other riders are gearing up for the sprint. That the peloton caught the favourite group isn't good for us, since Samuel Sánchez already tried his luck with Gilbert, Gerrans and Kreuziger a few kilometers before.
Gerrans and Kreuziger caught up to him and pass him… Sagan is coming fast from the back. And on his wheel is Valverde.
The boys are in town. Who will make it?
Victory for Gerrans and Orica Green Edge. He has the strongest legs today as he outsprints Kreuziger and… T.J. Van Garderen. That’s a bit of a surprise.
Liège - Bastogne - Liège, Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Simon Gerrans
Orica - GreenEdge
6h43'59
2
Roman Kreuziger
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
3
Tejay Van Garderen
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
4
Peter Sagan
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
5
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
s.t.
6
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
7
Daniel Martin
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
8
Rui Costa
Movistar Team
s.t.
9
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
10
Alberto Contador
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
11
Michał Kwiatkowski
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 29
12
Romain Bardet
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
13
Luis León Sánchez
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
14
Samuel Sánchez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
15
Pieter Weening
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
16
Jens Voigt
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
17
Thomas De Gendt
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
18
Tim Wellens
Lotto Belisol
+ 52
19
Richie Porte
Sky Procycling
s.t.
20
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
21
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
22
Dries Devenyns
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
23
Jan Bakelants
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
24
Gorka Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
25
Simon Spilak
Katusha Team
s.t.
Spoiler
26
Lars Petter Nordhaug
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 1'11
27
Franco Pellizotti
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
28
Pierrick Fédrigo
FDJ
s.t.
29
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
30
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
31
Cadel Evans
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
32
Tom Danielson
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
33
Jonathan Castroviejo
Movistar Team
s.t.
34
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
s.t.
35
Michael Albasini
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 1'55
36
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
s.t.
37
Ion Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
38
Thibaut Pinot
FDJ
+ 3'05
39
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
s.t.
40
Maxim Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
+ 3'28
41
Vincenzo Nibali
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
42
Haimar Zubeldia
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 3'44
43
Pieter Serry
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
44
Steven Kruijswijk
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
45
Sérgio Paulinho
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
46
Michael Rogers
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
47
Jesús Herrada
Movistar Team
s.t.
48
Eros Capecchi
Movistar Team
s.t.
49
Anthony Charteau
Team Europcar
+ 4'04
50
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Belisol
+ 4'26
51
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
52
Martin Elmiger
IAM Cycling
s.t.
53
Ivan Basso
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
54
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
55
Diego Ulissi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
56
Jelle Vanendert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
57
Tomasz Marczynski
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
58
Johann Tschopp
IAM Cycling
s.t.
59
Matthias Frank
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
60
Sergey Lagutin
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 5'02
61
Cameron Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
62
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
63
Juan José Cobo
Movistar Team
s.t.
64
Michael Mørkøv
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
65
Manuel Quinziato
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
66
Pablo Lastras
Movistar Team
s.t.
67
Ivan Santaromita
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
68
Jesús Hernández
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 5'20
69
Tobias Ludvigsson
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
70
Marcel Aregger
IAM Cycling
s.t.
71
Guillaume Bonnafond
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
72
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 6'40
73
Maxime Bouet
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
74
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
75
Damiano Caruso
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
76
Jackson Rodríguez
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
77
Thor Hushovd
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
78
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
79
Nicolas Roche
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
80
Kevin De Weert
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
81
Kenneth Vanbilsen
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
82
Pello Bilbao
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 7'06
83
Mikel Landa
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
84
Yannick Eijssen
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
85
Kenny Elissonde
FDJ
+ 7'48
86
Christophe Riblon
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
87
Daniele Pietropolli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
88
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
89
Wout Poels
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
90
Domenico Pozzovivo
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
91
Wilco Kelderman
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
92
Diego Rosa
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
93
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
94
Christian Knees
Sky Procycling
s.t.
95
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
96
Janez Brajkovič
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
97
Laurens Ten Dam
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
98
David Zabriskie
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
99
Francesco Bongiorno
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
100
Petr Ignatenko
Katusha Team
+ 8'57
101
Bart De Clercq
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
102
Rohan Dennis
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
103
Jack Bauer
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
104
Johan Vansummeren
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
105
Michael Matthews
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
106
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
+ 9'47
107
Christophe Kern
Team Europcar
s.t.
108
Rob Ruijgh
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
109
François Parisien
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
110
Arnold Jeannesson
FDJ
s.t.
111
Peter Kennaugh
Sky Procycling
s.t.
112
Ian Boswell
Sky Procycling
s.t.
113
Riccardo Chiarini
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
114
Kevin Seeldraeyers
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
115
Blel Kadri
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
116
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
s.t.
117
Joseph Dombrowski
Sky Procycling
s.t.
118
Davy Commeyne
Accent Jobs - Wanty
s.t.
119
Marco Frapporti
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
120
Jurgen Van Goolen
Accent Jobs - Wanty
+ 10'39
121
Xabier Zandio
Sky Procycling
s.t.
122
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
123
Stef Clement
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
124
Thomas Rohregger
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
125
Andrey Kashechkin
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
126
Maciej Paterski
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
127
Pablo Urtasun
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
128
Serge Pauwels
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
129
Thomas Damuseau
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 12'21
130
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
s.t.
131
Grégory Rast
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
132
Tom Dumoulin
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
133
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
134
Eduard Vorganov
Katusha Team
+ 13'02
135
Thomas Degand
Accent Jobs - Wanty
s.t.
136
Hubert Dupont
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
137
Alex Howes
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
138
Zico Waeytens
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
139
Pieter Jacobs
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
140
Andrea Pasqualon
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
141
Fumiyuki Beppu
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
142
Angelo Pagani
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
143
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
144
Lars Ytting Bak
Lotto Belisol
+ 13'59
145
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
146
Alessandro Vanotti
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
147
Luca Wackermann
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
148
John Gadret
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
149
James Vanlandschoot
Accent Jobs - Wanty
s.t.
150
Dirk Bellemakers
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
151
Matthew Lloyd
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
152
Heinrich Haussler
IAM Cycling
s.t.
153
Natnael Berhane
Team Europcar
s.t.
154
Sandy Casar
FDJ
s.t.
155
Nicola Boem
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
156
Aleksejs Saramotins
IAM Cycling
s.t.
157
Carlos José Ochoa
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
158
Jens Keukeleire
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
159
Nikita Novikov
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
160
Jay McCarthy
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 14'57
161
Michel Koch
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 16'13
162
Koldo Fernández
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
163
Marc Goos
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 16'25
164
José Rujano
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
165
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
166
Donato De Ieso
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
167
Geoffrey Soupe
FDJ
s.t.
168
Carlos Verona
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
169
Antonino Parrinello
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
170
Dimitry Kozontchuk
Katusha Team
s.t.
171
Marco Canola
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
172
Will Routley
Accent Jobs - Wanty
s.t.
173
Stijn Neirynck
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
+ 17'27
174
Jarl Salomein
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
175
Laurens De Vreese
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
176
Roy Jans
Accent Jobs - Wanty
+ 18'37
177
Willem Wauters
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
178
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
s.t.
179
Juraj Sagan
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 21'11
180
Jempy Drucker
Accent Jobs - Wanty
s.t.
181
Mathieu Sprick
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
182
Mikel Astarloza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
183
Matteo Di Serafino
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
184
Arthur Van Overberghe
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
+ 22'34
185
Yann Huguet
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
186
Grégory Habeaux
Accent Jobs - Wanty
s.t.
187
Arnaud Courteille
FDJ
s.t.
188
Perrig Quemeneur
Team Europcar
s.t.
189
Sander Helven
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
190
Kristof Goddaert
IAM Cycling
s.t.
191
Cristian Delle Stelle
Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox
s.t.
192
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
s.t.
193
Cheng Ji
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
194
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
195
Federico Canuti
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
196
Martin Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
197
Nariyuki Masuda
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 27'57
198
Kanstantsin Siutsou
Sky Procycling
+ 34'58
So, La Doyenne is over. I recollect my thoughts while I see the guys on the podium. I later pass the bus of Orica - GreenEdge and the Aussies are celebrating like there's no tomorrow. Simon Gerrans has truly performed exceptional this week and got a much deserved victory after strong showings at Amstel and Flèche Wallone.
I am the first in the bus and write down some notes: First off, you really have to check everything before you even start on thinking about harming the peloton and dropping some favourites. What an utterly failure this time around. Secondly, Euskaltel - Euskadi doesn't have the power to keep teams away. Even if we'd tried harder, our riders are not up to that challenge yet. Thirdly, this race could have ended way better for us if the peloton hadn't caught up with the Group Gerrans/Gilbert/Kreuziger/ S. Sánchez ahead of the finish. Samuel Sánchez risked a bit but couldn't hold up in the final sprint therefor. Fourth, Euskaltel - Euskadi got 3 guys in Top 25, so that's a good sign at the end.
The first ardennes week is behind and I leave it with mixed feelings. We could have done worse, we also could have done way better. Not much to do than to learn from this mistakes hopefully in the future. In the team bus there is not much talk about the ardennes classics at all. The riders are exhausted. Some tough days are behind us. But there's not much room to rest for now. Igor Antón and some others will head to the Tour de Romandie, while for others such as Ion Izagirre a long deserved break is about to begin. Samuel Sánchez will take a few days off and hopefully will carry his form onto the Giro d'Italia.
@Dippofix: Well, I would say that Euskaltel's failure at the start is kind of a spectacle in its own. Looking forward to Ion's development too.
@Selwink: Yeah, that's true haha. What do they say: Any press is good press.
@welker3257: No, it wasn't. But hey, no need to dwell on it: Tour de Romandie and Giro d'Italia should suit Euskaltel better. Edited by Shonak on 13-12-2013 19:10
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
for Dans attacking spirit.
It won't happen next season, since it's honestly a frequent mistake I make in the first season when I still get to know the squad. 
