Last stage of this Tour Down Under, and 3 jerseys to defend: GC for Nordhaug, points and youngs for Kritskiy.
All of this with our very new team jersey, which will (again much thanks to Pazflor) give another dimension to the group
It was an extremly short stage, only 90km, absolutely flat, in the streets of Adelaide.
For the first time ever in PT, we had to make the train, and it's a nice feeling, especially now we have our own jersey.
As expected there were some attacks, but the guys worked well, never let them go, and nothing really happened except the fall of Hammond who never reached to go back in the peloton.
There was another fall about 6 km from the finish, in which S. Sanchez was involved, but he wasn't well placed for the final sprint anyway.
So it was a really classic sprint, which was a good thing for us to keep the GC with Nordhaug, but one rider still was able to beat him: Romain Feillu, the BBox sprinter.
200m from the finish he was second, meaning he would have end in the same time than Nordhaug, but luckily for us, he failed to resist in the very end.
So it was a victory for Ciolek, who was more than 30" behind Nordhaug, and the Norwegian kept his lead.
1
Gerald CIOLEK
CERVELO TEST TEAM
2h00'16
2
Marco BANDIERA
QUICK STEP
s.t.
3
Matic STRGAR
TEAM MILRAM
s.t.
4
Romain FEILLU
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
5
Danilo NAPOLITANO
CENTRI DELLA CALZATURA
s.t.
6
Borut BOZIC
VACANSOLEIL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
7
Matthew GOSS
TEAM SAXO BANK
s.t.
8
Alexander KRISTOFF
TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC
s.t.
9
Rubén PÉREZ MORENO
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
s.t.
10
Timofey KRITSKIY
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
1
Lars Petter NORDHAUG
RAZER PRO GAMING
19h48'28
2
Timofey KRITSKIY
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 2
3
Alessandro BERTOLINI
SERRAMENTI PVC DIQUIGIOVANNI
s.t.
4
Johnny HOOGERLAND
RABOBANK
s.t.
5
Frédéric AMORISON
COFIDIS
s.t.
6
Romain FEILLU
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 4
7
Igor ABAKOUMOV
SILENCE - LOTTO
+ 5
8
Francesco GINANNI
SERRAMENTI PVC DIQUIGIOVANNI
+ 6
9
Ryder HESJEDAL
GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM
s.t.
10
Rubén PÉREZ MORENO
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
+ 8
23
Jerome BAUGNIES
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 34
26
Rida CADOR
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 35
50
Richie PORTE
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 41
110
Joseph CAUWENBERGHS
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 4'14
119
Stefan SCHÄFER
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 6'24
Kritskiy clearly was the most consistent rider in the final sprints and won the point classification easily:
1
Timofey KRITSKIY
RAZER PRO GAMING
105
2
Lars Petter NORDHAUG
RAZER PRO GAMING
90
3
Romain FEILLU
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM
74
4
Marco BANDIERA
QUICK STEP
68
5
Alessandro BERTOLINI
SERRAMENTI PVC DIQUIGIOVANNI
53
6
Igor ABAKOUMOV
SILENCE - LOTTO
52
7
Frédéric AMORISON
COFIDIS
48
8
Jerome BAUGNIES
RAZER PRO GAMING
44
9
Julian DEAN
GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM
43
10
Luis León SÁNCHEZ
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
41
Mountain classification:
1
Stéphane AUGÉ
COFIDIS
6
2
Luis León SÁNCHEZ
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
2
3
Matthew GOSS
TEAM SAXO BANK
2
4
Pavel BRUTT
TEAM KATUSHA
2
5
Stuart O'GRADY
TEAM SAXO BANK
2
6
Iñaki ISASI
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
2
7
Johnny HOOGERLAND
RABOBANK
1
8
Constantino ZABALLA
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
1
9
Jerome BAUGNIES
RAZER PRO GAMING
1
10
Rida CADOR
RAZER PRO GAMING
1
Young classification:
Timofey KRITSKIY
RAZER PRO GAMING
19h48'30 (1)
Jerome BAUGNIES
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 32 (2)
Gerald CIOLEK
CERVELO TEST TEAM
+ 33 (3)
Matthew GOSS
TEAM SAXO BANK
+ 36 (4)
Kris BOECKMANS
SILENCE - LOTTO
+ 39 (5)
With those results, we of course take the lead of the PT classification and already get more than 200 points. Compared to the 2010 results, it could be enough to maintain the team in PT for the next season, but in 2009, the cut was about 50 points more, so we'll have to catch some more points, but it's already such a good result!
Edited by Lorkan on 11-06-2010 09:08
Some news from the team: we took part to the Etoile de Besseges, with a line-up composed of: Boasson Hagen, Gusev, Van Winden, Gastauer, Stetina, Scholz, Rochard & Keen.
No win there, but some attacks, and a good presence of EBH in massive sprints behind Cavendish and Feillu. Thus, the norwegian took the 2nd place in points classification.
GC:
1
Mark CAVENDISH
GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM
14h12'27
2
Mauro FINETTO
QUICK STEP
+ 7
3
Jonathan HIVERT
BESSON CHAUSSURES - SOJASUN
+ 15
4
Luis León SÁNCHEZ
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 19
5
Romain FEILLU
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 32
6
Lloyd MONDORY
AG2R - LA MONDIALE
s.t.
7
Rony MARTIAS
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 34
8
Edvald BOASSON HAGEN
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 36
9
Steven CAETHOVEN
LANDBOUWKREDIET - COLNAGO
+ 40
10
Jimmy CASPER
BESSON CHAUSSURES - SOJASUN
s.t.
16
Vladimir GUSEV
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 48
19
Ben GASTAUER
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
23
Dennis VAN WINDEN
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 52
102
Peter STETINA
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 2'59
132
Ronny SCHOLZ
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 8'52
151
Francis ROCHARD
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 26'24
155
Adam KEEN
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 34'29
Keen doesn't seem to improve enough to be able to do other than being dropped each end of a stage. He'll have to show another face or I'll have to let him go...
Another part of the team is for the moment in Challenge of Mallorca. I don't think we'll make good results there, but it's a needed stage to prepare March.
Next footage will be for the Tour of California, where we'll have to win the sprinter jersey!
Edited by Lorkan on 13-06-2010 13:11
Half February comes with one of our main objectives this year: the points leader classification in Amgen Tour of California.
Here is our line-up for this stage race:
-C. Vandevelde: the main objectives will come later for him with the TdF, but since it's a race he likes, it will a nice way to start the season. He'll be our leader on this race.
-T. Bos: first race for him too, with some great competitors to deal with: Hushovd, Dehaes, Förster, Steegmans and Farrar. He is here more to prepare March than anything else, but if he can catch some win and help the team to win this points jersey... well why not?
-D. Van Winden: and if it was him the guy who could catch the jersey? He's already in a respectable form, not afraid of hilly ends, so if Bos fails, we could count on the other dutch guy
-M. Monfort: Vandevelde lieutenant, or not... a bit like Van Winden, he's in a better form than his leader, so he could try something on his own if things are too hard for the american.
-R. Porte
-L.P. Nordhaug
-A. Keen
-C. Neil: an important race for him, he did progress during winter, now it's time to show it.
To begin well, I absolutely never saw that there is no replay after a prologue... I'm dumb-ass I know... So no pics from the prologue, but we perform quite well, considering the strong startlist there.
1
Fabian CANCELLARA
TEAM SAXO BANK
4'34
2
Maxime MONFORT
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 5
3
Alexandre VINOKOUROV
ASTANA
+ 8
4
Markus FOTHEN
TEAM MILRAM
s.t.
5
Dennis VAN WINDEN
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
6
Levi LEIPHEIMER
TEAM SAXO BANK
+ 9
7
Jan GHYSELINCK
SILENCE - LOTTO
s.t.
8
Dmytro GRABOVSKYY
ISD - NERI
s.t.
9
Chris FROOME
VORARLBERG - CORRATEC
+ 10
10
Gianluca COLETTA
LPR BRAKES - FARNESE VINI
s.t.
Porte and VdV are respectively 14th and 17th, less than 15" from Spartacus.
Considering the form of each rider, it's quite a good start for this race, since some guys already lost 1 minute...
Apart from that, another part of the team ended up with the Challenge of Mallorca, where were for example Sagan and Cador. As expected, we didn't do anything especially good, but it wasn't the purpose of this race for us.
1
Leonardo DUQUE
COFIDIS
17h46'04
2
Thomas DEKKER
RABOBANK
+ 4
3
Aketza PEÑA IZA
XACOBEO - GALICIA
+ 1'08
4
William WALKER
TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC
s.t.
5
Iñigo LANDALUZE
FUJI - SERVETTO
s.t.
6
Gabriele BOSISIO
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
7
Daniele CALLEGARIN
LAMPRE - NGC
s.t.
8
Morris POSSONI
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
9
Bruno LIMA
PALMEIRAS RESORT - PRIO
+ 1'31
10
Koldo FERNANDEZ
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
+ 1'51
11
Peter SAGAN
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
80
Rida CADOR
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 4'24
142
Joseph CAUWENBERGHS
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 21'02
151
Jean-Philippe FAYE
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 35'59
153
Pieter VERBESSELT
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 36'42
154
Ian MCGREGOR
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 1h02'34
McGregor is in the same situation than Keen, and I don't really see how I could renew his contract...
Next stages of Amgen ToC to come during the week. Edited by Lorkan on 14-06-2010 15:13
2nd stage: after a prologue where Maxime wasn't that far from the lead, a first flat stage where Theo had the opportunity to test himself.
I had decided not to launch anyone in an escape, since the goal was the stage win, or at least the maximum sprinter points (remember it's our goal there). Anyway, after a short prologue, the gaps are small and I expected Saxo-Bank to ride fast in order to defend Cancellara jersey.
But some little groups reached to go, to finally form a lately group of about 8 riders, including for example Wegmann or Masciarelli.
As expected, Saxo came back quickly on a first group of weaker escapees who failed to follow the main riders ahead after a hill.
As I told you, there was Wegmann and Masciarelli and they were the last to resist, but there was a strong wind, and 15km from the end, everything was over for them.
After "resting" during a large part of the stage, it was now time for the guys to test our train power for the massive sprints... and clearly it was a success.
Porte was the first to go, in order to place Van Winden and Bos to the head of the peloton.
Then it was time for Nordhaug to give another very last acceleration, and we can see that Farrar (AST), who only had Bazayev was already far...
Van Winden launched the sprint for Bos, who reached to catch the victory but not that easily. He's clearly not already prepared.
Anyway we can see on the next picture that it was a clear and strong win for the team, even if, due to PCM, no gap was recorded between our two guys and the main bunch...
Van Winden took there a lot of points, enough to lead the point classification after his good prologue, and it's a first win for Bos, a good one to make him confident.
Stage results:
1
Theo BOS
RAZER PRO GAMING
4h07'54
2
Dennis VAN WINDEN
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
3
Tyler FARRAR
ASTANA
s.t.
4
Matti BRESCHEL
TEAM SAXO BANK
s.t.
5
Thor HUSHOVD
SILENCE - LOTTO
s.t.
6
William BONNET
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
7
Richie PORTE
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
8
Simon CLARKE
ISD - NERI
s.t.
9
Lars Petter NORDHAUG
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
10
Dmytro GRABOVSKYY
ISD - NERI
s.t.
General classification:
1
Dennis VAN WINDEN
RAZER PRO GAMING
4h12'24
2
Fabian CANCELLARA
TEAM SAXO BANK
+ 4
3
Maxime MONFORT
RAZER PRO GAMING
+ 9
4
Theo BOS
RAZER PRO GAMING
s.t.
5
Markus FOTHEN
TEAM MILRAM
+ 12
6
Alexandre VINOKOUROV
ASTANA
s.t.
7
Dmytro GRABOVSKYY
ISD - NERI
+ 13
8
Jan GHYSELINCK
SILENCE - LOTTO
s.t.
9
Levi LEIPHEIMER
TEAM SAXO BANK
s.t.
10
Chris FROOME
VORARLBERG - CORRATEC
+ 14
We took the leader jersey there, but with no real intention to defend it, since our goal stay the sprinters classification:
