Stage Favourites:
Pozzato (LAM) Van Poppel (VCD) Trentin (OPQ) Vantomme (CRE) Fenn (OPQ)

A stage very similar to yesterday, flat but with one HC climb. Today, the HC climb comes in the first quarter of the race, so plenty of time for the sprinters to recover.



Before you knew it the peloton were climbing against the backdrop of the barren land.


Just the one man in the break today.

Only, the ever aggressive, Preben Van Hecke was allowed to get away today. He broke free just before the major climb and then, like the peloton behind, began to crawl up the climb at a speed of less than 10 km/h.



Van Hecke would take the 20 KOM points and as no one contested the points behind, he would move into the joint lead in the KOM comp.


The speeds are up!

The sprinter teams are in control of the lined out peloton with 40 KM to go and Van Hecke 2'10 ahead. Surely one man cannot hold off the bunch!


Unbelievable!

Buoyed by a tail wind and clearly feeling good, Van Hecke looks as if he might hold off the peloton. With 7 KM to go he has '53 over the sprinters teams leading the peloton, Omega Pharma being the main chasers.

It will be a close finish.


Haedo comfortably wins the mass sprint!

L.S Haedo wins the bunch sprint, a few bike lengths ahead of yellow jersey Stybar.

BUT........ They failed to catch Van Hecke.


Preben Van Hecke wins after a monster solo effort!

Yes somehow Preben Van Hecke rides 120 KM by himself and manages to, marginally, hold off a marauding peloton of 90+ riders. After that EPIC teams are sure to be after his signature. Make of that what you will!

Next up we are into the high mountains of Qinghai.

Stage Favourites:
Caruso (CAN) Duarte (COL) Rabottini (VIN) Failli (VIN) Brambilla (OPQ)

After today there are still multiple mountainous stages, but, without doubt this is the 'queen' stage of this Tour of Qinghai Lake. We have 2 HC climbs: One in the middle of the stage and the other summiting with 13 KM to go. Combined with the fact this stage is 226 KM long, no one can say this stage is not difficult to the extreme. Cannondale and Team Colombia have to do well today in order to achieve their pre race goals.


The break: Gerard, Klemme & Lindeman

They would be allowed to get a max advantage of 10'00 with 144 KM to go before Stybar's team begin the chase. It would be difficult for the Czech rider to stay in yellow at the end of the stage.


The first mountain.

With 114 KM to go Gerard takes the 20 KOM points at the top of the huge climb. 7'35 later comes along the 98 man peloton. The race will be decided on the final climb which lasts for around 30 kilometres.


The final climb.

Fans are packed on the side of the road. With 43 KM to go the break have only 3'00, no breakaway win looks likely as the break hit the final climb.


Marc de Maar: He sure likes racing in Asia!

The rider from Curacao, who has already won an Asian stage race this season, attacks as soon as the peloton hit the final climb. Is history repeating itself? He quickly eats into the break up ahead, who are really struggling now.


The peloton down to 29 riders.

Team Colombia, Cannondale and the Malaysian champ (Othman) take up the chase behind more fervently after De Maar's attack. All of the favourites, baring Phil Deignan, are there. Stybar is towards the front still, but he is blowing and looks as if he can't handle much of this.


De Maar catches and passes the break.

De Maar leads the race with 27 KM to go, behind there is no hesitation with the favourites group only '40 behind with 15 KM to go on the climb.


Duarte attacks!

A massive attack from the Colombian decimates the yellow jersey group with 25 KM to go. Duarte, the pre race favourite, quickly rides up to De Maar. Only Rabottini and Caruso can follow.


Jamel Johnson doesn't respond.

The Peruvian uses Othman, who put in a fantastic ride today, to the very last before taking up his chase. He finds himself '45 behind the Duarte group.


Only Caruso can follow.

It is not long before Duarte drops De Maar and Rabottini. Only Caruso can follow the Colombian, who is really in his element today. However, the Italian is not doing one per cent of the pace setting, it is all Duarte.


Johnson recovers!

Jamel Johnson, the EPIC rider, gets a second wind from nowhere. He distances the riders in his group and even catches and passes De Maar and Rabottini as he begins to chase down Duarte and Caruso.

At this point, yellow jersey, Stybar is well dropped, minutes behind Duarte, and can say goodbye to the yellow jersey for this Tour.


All downhill from here.

Duarte takes the summit of the final climb with 13 KM to go, Caruso is still in the wheel ahead of the descent to the finish.

Duarte/ Caruso -
- @ '31 J Johnson
- @ 1'39 M Rabottini
- @ 3'00 M De Maar


What a fighter!

After being dropped some kilometres before, Jamel Johnson makes his way back on the descent with 10 KM to go. He is winning himself some plaudits today.


Duarte attacks again!

Duarte couldn't distance Caruso on the climb so he attacks on the flat with 6 KM to go, and it works! Jamel Johnson is instantly dropped and Caruso can't follow the Colombian that much longer.


Fabio Duarte takes the win, moves into the race lead.

Fabio Duarte showed, today, he is comfortably the top climber here. He did all the riding on the climb and still had enough to distance Caruso on the run-in to the finish. He is worthy of the yellow jersey.

Team Colombia well on their way to achieving their countered medium goal of winning the GC here.


Cannondale: 2nd for the 2nd day.


Caruso comes home in second place just as L.S Haedo did yesterday. Cannondale will be a bit disheartened but they too, like Colombia, are well on their way to achieving their race goal.

Jamel Johnson, after a great ride, loses some time in the final but comes home in 3rd place today and looks a shoe-in for a podium finish as some massive time gaps are opened up after this brutal stage.

Stage Favourites:
Van Poppel (VCD) Van Staeyen (TSV) Pozzato (LAM) Kennedy (MTN) Vantomme (CRE)

A more traditional stage for this race, meaning it is flat. However, there is a 3rd category climb which summits 23 KM from the finish which might cause some troubles.


THEY USED TO BE EPIC!

Klemme (IAM) & Pauwels (AJW) make the break today.



A fan looks on as the riders go through invisibility pass.


Van Poppel mops up the points.

With just 2 riders in the break there were some intermediate sprint points to be taken by the third placed rider. At all three points Van Poppel finished 3rd after outsprinting Pozzato and Kennedy.


There is the ol' Qinghai Lake.

Vacansoleil, MTN and Lampre are the main teams chasing the break today, they are always in control.


Pauwels distances Klemme with 18 KM to go.

However, the break would not succeed today. Pauwels would be caught with 6 KM to go with a bunch sprint on the cards.


Vacansoleil stir things up.

With still 1 KM to go Ligthart looks to set Van Poppel up, this tactic of launching really early today catches many off guard. But is it too early?


Lampre take the lead.

Vaconsoleil couldn't keep it up and Lampre surge through with the perfect leadout for Pozzato.


Easy Win for Pozzato.

Pozzato wins with a large margin back to the other sprinters, with almost a time gap back to the other sprinters. Pozzato has clearly survived the mountains better than the other sprinters. Van Poppel and Gatto round off the podium today and Stybar retains the points jersey, Duarte stays in yellow.

Schnaidt (16th) was nowhere to be seen in the sprint, he looks to be content with his stage 1 victory.

KOM: