With 180 K to go the break of the day attacked out of the Peleton. It consisted of Bidrogi(CAT), Dehaes(OLO), Loosli(LAM), Perez Lezaun(EUS), Ruimer(CERVELO), Schar(BMC), Hoj(SAX), Bacquet(BBOX), Radochla(MIL).
With 105 K to go Team USA begins to bring down the breakaways lead of 9 minutes. Did we let it get to out of control? We shall see.
With 18 K to go the break still had a lead of 4:40! The break will make it to the line before the Pack, so Hoj(SAX), Bidrogi(CAT), Loosli(LAM) try to get clear of their breakaway companions. They get nowhere though.
With 11 K left and the Pack still 4:10 back Hoj and Loosli try to get away again, but to no avail.
The breakaway sprints it out amoung themselves for the win.
Radochla(MIL) is the strongest and outsprints his companions.
After numerous failed breakaways Bonnafond(ALM), Duan(GAM), Swoft(SKY), Tjallingii(RAB), Maes(QST), Chavanel(BBOX), Sabatini(LIQ), Sapa(LAM), Tressov(CAT), and Impey(RSH) attack at 190 K to go and are able to get a lead.
At 28 K to go Duan(GAM), Tjallingii(RAB), and Swoft(SKY) are the last of the original 10 man brek to be caught.
With 14 K to go only Lofkvest(SKY), Flerencio(CTT), Iglinskiy(LAM), Breschel(CAT), Voigt(SAX), Gasparotto(AST), and Vondevelde(USG) are the only ones who have been able to faoolow the pase. But on the level terrain before the relatively short clinb to the finish Boom(RAB), Devenyns(QST), Cobo Acebo(CDE), Kunitski(QST), A. Davis(AST), Hencapie(USG), Bertogliati(AND) bridge up to the lead group.
At the base of the final climb Breschel(CAT) and Vondevelde attack.
They don't get very far, then Lofkvest(SKY) and Iglinskiy(AST) attack and pass them.
Lofkvest gets a gap on Iglinsky while Iglinsky gets a gap on Breschel and Vondevelde while Flerencio(CTT) and Gasparotto(AST) bridge up to Breschel and Vondevelde.
Lofkvest gets the win with Iglinskiy behind him.
Vondevelde finishes fourth losing 53 seconds to Lofkvest but clenching the leader's jersey by 8 seconds to Lofkvest.
Stelder(BMC), Tankink(RAB), Mesciarelii(AND), Roberts(MLR), Azznar Torrez(RSH), Minnion(USG), Isasi(EUS), and Bidrogi(CAT) attacked at 130 K to go t form the break of the day. Minnion won the final mountain sprint so he could get win the KoM, but other than that he just sat at the back. The break won overtaken with 17 K to go.
Boonen(THR) got a decent leadout by his teammate Hayden Roulston and went on to win the stage. Vondevelde was making sure Merphy and Hencapie were near the front so they got 3 and 4 (I am playing on hard dificulty now so I don't know why I came ahead of some of the favorites with Merphy whose sprint stat is 70 and Hencapie whose speint is 64).
Young Rider-Vun der Velde(GAM)
Team-Garmin Transitions
Tour of Qatar: Stage 2
Favorites Firrar-USG
Van Avermaet-OLO
Davis-AST
Beasson Hagen-SKY
Swoft-SKY
At 131 K to go Chaigneau(RAB), Kloucek(WRP), Atepuma, Krivtsov(ISD), Pigliarini, Sorensen(DDK), O'Laughlin, and Motysiak(CCC) attack to form todays break.
With 78 K to go the pack lead mainly by Garmin and Team USA begin real in the breaks 6 minute lead.
The break is caught with 14 K to go, but the pack had to ride hard to catch them and a large portion of the riders couldn't keep up. Surprisingly Miaskant(SAX), Flecho(SKY), and O'Grady(SAX) were amoung them. They would lose time and take themselves out of GC competition.
Firrar wins the stage and the suprising thing is no one else sprinted but Firrar and he still barely won. Weird.
Thanks, I am really excited for Stage 3. I have been really busy and am going to be even more busy in the coming days, so it might be a while between posts.
Favorites Firrar-USG
Honter-GAM
Davis-AST
Van Avermaet-OLO
Beasson Hagen-SKY
Swoft-SKY
Satton-SKY
Today's breakaway consisted of Lang(OLO), Goesinnen(SKL), Konig, Vun Hecke(BMC), and Do Maar(UHC).
At 60 K to go Team USA picked up the pase to bring down the 4 minute lead. The break is caught at 19 K to the line. Many riders had fallen off the pase of the pack and would lose time at the end of the time. Promenent riders in this group are O'Grady(SAX), Satton(SKY), and Swoft(SKY).
Firrar didn't have a great leadout as the sprint started, but apparently he didn't need one as he shoots by everybody else with only Igliskiy(AST) able to follow his wheel.
Igliskiy does not have the energy to challenge Firrar as the American gets the stage and the overall.
Favorites Firrar-USG
Davis-AST
Honter-GAM
Beasson Hagen-SKY
Van Avermaet-OLO
Swoft-SKY
Today's breaakaway is made up of Broz(PSK), Rubiewski(CCC), and O'Laughlin(POST).
The break is caught with 13 K to go. In the closing kilometers several riders fall off the pase. Amoung them is Miaskant(SAX) who is not looking good for the upcoming Northern Classic races where he is expect to contend fo the win.
Firrar had a real bad leadout and he was unable to get on the podium for the second straight day as Davis(AST) wins the stage. It has been a great Tor of Qatar for Astana, exept when they lost a minute in the TTT.
Team USA 2011
Last year Firrar won Stage 2 while podiuming on stages one, three, and four. He went into the TT in yellow but it was two long and Cancellara and teammate Hencapie passed him in the GC. In 2011 we plan to get more time bouneses to have a bigger lead going into the TT.
Major GC Contenders
Cancellara-SAX
Beasson Hagen-SKY
Clement-GAM Hencapie-USG Firrar-USG
Vaitkus-SKL
Today the break is made up of Dlouhy(PSK), Jahnson(USH), Vallejo Dominguez(RSH), Lunde, Stauff(TLU23), Ghyllooert, Docker(DRP), Jiniszewski(CCC), Firsanov(N&K), Byrgesen(N&K), Hayles, Cumargo, Hacker(USH).
The break is caught with 17 K to go.
Hencapie gives Firrar a marvelous leadout and Firrar redeemes himself from the three fourth places in a row in the Tour of Qatar with the win today.
The breakaway consited of Vunther, Hagyvari(USH), Brawn(TKL), Jesto, Zugorogny(ISD), McCallum(END), Bencik(PSK), Jiniszewski(CCC), Rovny(RSH), and Dawson(DRP). They were caught with 19 K to go.
Firrar didn't get as good as a leadout as yesterday but it didn't matter as he takes the win, picking up 20 seconds to become 40 seconds ahead of defending champ Cancellara.
