As my training has begun for 2013, so has the season which has already kicked off in some of the hotter parts of the world. The first UCI WorldTour race of the season has already happened down in Australia, where the Santos Tour Down Under took place.
I watched some of it where I could, and it was quite an exciting race. With the unpredictable hilly profiles and balanced startlist there was some good racing. Katusha did quite well in the end, with my friend Xavier Florencio getting 6th on Willunga Hill and finishing 18th overall.
Santos Tour Down Under
Stage 1
Flat
22/01
Thor Hushovd
Stage 2
Hill
23/01
Francisco José Ventoso
Stage 3
Hill
24/01
Thor Hushovd
Stage 4
Flat
25/01
Ariel Maximiliano Richeze
Stage 5
Hill
26/01
Dario Cataldo
Stage 6
Flat
27/01
Yauheni Hutarovich
GC
1
Dario Cataldo
2
Francisco José Ventoso
3
Ángel Madrazo
Dario Cataldo won the race on Willunga Hill, with a solo attack
That is reflected in the WorldTour rankings at the end of the month, with that being the only race so far. Cataldo leads the way with Ventoso and Madrazo just behind.
Hopefully I'll be up there in the rankings come the end of the season, just as I was last season. We'll have to see though, it's a long way off.
Here we are, my first race of the season! I travel to Oman with plenty of training under my belt, and despite a bit of jet lag I feel ready and up to the challenge. Hopefully my season can get off to a great start.
It won't be plain sailing though, by any means. A stronger field than ever has made the trip here to the middle east, thanks to ASO's involvement in the race. My target here is at least top three though.
There are six stages in total, of which there are three which I think I could have a chance. Firstly stage 2, which has a few hills near the finish which could prevent a bunch sprint, and stages 4 and 5 which are mountainous and hilly respectively, where the GC is most likely to be decided.
The queen stage 4, which should play a big part in the GC
We (Katusha) bring a strong team, with me leading. Trofimov and Losada will be my main domestiques with Yuri being strong in the Mountains and Alberto protecting me everywhere else. Porsev should also contest the sprints, assisted by Tsatevitch.
As for the competition, some of the world's best riders have turned up. In the GC, Chris Froome leads a very strong Sky team which also includes Úran and Wiggins (!) and should be my main threat, while Horner, Scarponi and Voeckler should prove to be secondary threats.
That's not all though. Some world-class sprinters have also come to Oman for the flat days. Cavendish is the biggest attraction with his well-drilled OPQS train, with Guardini and Roelandts both offering good competition.
The full startlist:
The first stage is tomorrow, but it's a flat one so I can rest my legs in the pack and build my fitness up furthermore. I can't wait to get going.
Here it was, my first day of racing this season. I woke with mixed emotions, some of me nervous but mostly excitement. I knew I was ready, after my pre-season training, and was looking forward to getting on the road.
I hopefully wasn't going to be doing much though - stage 1 had a flat profile, one for the sprinters and a bunch sprint. As the day got underway, I found a spot in the peloton with Losada, and settled in as the break was let go.
The sprinters' teams take control of the peloton, to regulate the breakaway's gap and to ensure a bunch sprint. At the halfway stage, the gap was well under control.
With 5 kilometres left, the break was dealt with and the big teams were battling for prime position at the front of the bunch. With the tempo so high, a crash was almost inevitable.
That's just what happened, with three riders going down. It there were big names as well. Wiggins was one of those down! He was taken down by teammate Cataldo, who carried on with fellow crash victim Robert (Lotto).
Wiggins couldn't carry on though. His race is over!
Robert's fall disrupted the Lotto train, which left Omega Pharma with the advantage. Within the final kilometre, Fenn had lead Cavendish out perfectly!
Cavendish finished it off well and took an easy victory in the end, facing no challenge at all. Fenn rounded off an Omega Pharma 1-2 very comfortably, while Coquard (Eurpocar) completed the podium.
Our best finisher was Porsev who finished in a disappointing 14th, and never looked on for a top ten. I finish well within the peloton with Losada who did a great job protecting me today. A reasonably quiet day for me, just what I wanted on my first day back racing.
1
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
3h15'32
2
Andrew Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
3
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
4
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
5
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
6
Ben Swift
Sky Procycling
s.t.
7
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
8
Leigh Howard
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
9
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
s.t.
10
Rigoberto Urán
Sky Procycling
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Kristian Sbaragli
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
12
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
13
Gaetan Bille
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
14
Alexander Porsev
Katusha Team
s.t.
15
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
16
Matteo Trentin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
17
Sam Bennett
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
18
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
s.t.
19
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
20
Bobbie Traksel
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
21
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
22
Andrea Palini
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
23
Fabian Schnaidt
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
24
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
s.t.
25
Jay Thomson
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
26
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
s.t.
27
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
28
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
29
Jérémie Galland
Sojasun
s.t.
30
Bryan Nauleau
Team Europcar
s.t.
31
Dennis Van Niekerk
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
32
Sergio Pardilla
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
33
Gert Dockx
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
34
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
35
Tiago Machado
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
36
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
37
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
38
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
39
Evan Huffman
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
40
Alessandro Vanotti
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
41
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
42
Steven Van Vooren
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
43
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
44
Jakub Danačík
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
45
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
s.t.
46
Sebastian Langeveld
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
47
Chad Beyer
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
48
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
s.t.
49
Cyril Lemoine
Sojasun
s.t.
50
Gregor Gazvoda
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
51
Julien Vermote
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
52
Darren Lapthorne
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
53
Serge Pauwels
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
54
Gustav Erik Larsson
IAM Cycling
s.t.
55
Alberto Losada
Katusha Team
s.t.
56
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
57
Rémy Cusin
IAM Cycling
s.t.
58
Danilo Hondo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
59
Thomas Löfkvist
IAM Cycling
s.t.
60
Anthony Delaplace
Sojasun
s.t.
61
Andreas Klöden
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
62
Maarten Neyens
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
63
Youcef Reguigui
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
64
Etienne Tortelier
Sojasun
s.t.
65
Martin Wesemann
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
66
Pirmin Lang
IAM Cycling
s.t.
67
Jean-Lou Paiani
Sojasun
s.t.
68
Clinton Avery
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
69
Matthias Friedemann
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
70
Jiri Hudecek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
71
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
72
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
73
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
74
Mark McNally
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
75
Davide Cimolai
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
76
Chris Horner
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
77
Mart Ojavee
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
78
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
79
Frederik Willems
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
80
Gatis Smukulis
Katusha Team
s.t.
81
Floris Goesinnen
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
82
Wesley Sulzberger
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
83
Carlos Verona
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
84
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
s.t.
85
Marco Bandiera
IAM Cycling
s.t.
86
Alexey Tsatevitch
Katusha Team
s.t.
87
Brian Bulgac
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
88
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
89
Nicolas Vereecken
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
90
Tomas Vaitkus
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
91
Jimmy Engoulvent
Sojasun
s.t.
92
Luke Durbridge
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
93
Simone Ponzi
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
94
Jérôme Pineau
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
95
Glenn O'Shea
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
96
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
97
Salvatore Puccio
Sky Procycling
s.t.
98
David Dvorsky
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
99
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
s.t.
100
Arman Kamyshev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
101
Maxim Belkov
Katusha Team
s.t.
102
Anthony Charteau
Team Europcar
s.t.
103
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
s.t.
104
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
s.t.
105
Wout Franssen
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
106
Dominic Klemme
IAM Cycling
s.t.
107
Travis Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
108
Tomas Danacik
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
109
Ronan McLaughlin
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
110
Chan Jae Jang
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
111
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
112
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
113
Alphonse Vermote
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
114
Gordon McCauley
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
115
Thomas Zechmeister
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
116
Joseph Dombrowski
Sky Procycling
s.t.
117
William Walker
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
118
Jani Tewelde
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
119
Freqalsi Debesay
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
120
Josef Maňousek
Bauknecht - Author
+ 3'50
121
Luke Davison
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
122
Dario Cataldo
Sky Procycling
+ 4'23
123
Frederique Robert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
-----
Stage 2
12th February, 2013
After a quiet flat day for the peloton yesterday, day two here brought more of a challenge, which is good news for me. With a couple of short, sharp climbs in the closing kilometres, I thought I could pull something off, despite the flat rating.
Like yesterday, Europcar, Lotto and Omega Pharma dictated the peloton's pace early on and controlled the breakaway's gap, which contained three riders: Friedemann (Champion System), Klemme (IAM) and Reguigui (MTN).
Those three maintained a good gap onto the penultimate climb though, and with just over 20 kilometres left to ride the gap was 1'40". With the peloton taking it easy over the climbs to help the sprinters, it looked like they had a chance of staying away.
Approaching the final climb, the trio still held a gap of over a minute. Feeling good, I decided to move myself to the front of the peloton, so I can follow any moves made.
None of the other overall favourites wanted to attack, but I sensed an opportunity. With Omega Pharma pacing Cavendish to the top at a steady pace, I jumped away on the left of the road!
I managed to pull out a small gap over the top, and I caught the breakaway after a bit of the descent. With 3500 metres to go and on the steep descent, we had a 30" gap. I was forced to move onto the front, with the others refusing to co-operate with me.
I pushed really hard and maintain the gap into the final couple of kilometres. Behind, Velits had started to lead out Cavendish for Omega Pharma, but he needed to be fast to catch us!
The peloton edged closer, but still couldn't shut the gap!
Into the final kilometre, Friedemann and Reguigui had both launched their sprints, while Klemme was still waiting. I was very tired and couldn't muster up a sprint, and was hanging on at the front.
With only 600 metres to go Cavendish started to sprint, and could see us. There were still a 50 metres between us though!
The others in my group couldn't pass me at the front, as I approached the finish. The win looked to be mine!
It was! Thankfully I held on by the slimmest of margins to take my first win of 2013, a very satisfying one that gives me an advantage in the GC moving into the rest of the race.
Friedemann and Klemme claimed the other podium spots.
That victory puts me in second overall overnight, on the same time as race leader Cavendish. A blessing in disguise, now we won't have to chase and I'll have the 20" advantage in the GC, which puts me in a great position to do well here in Oman.
1
Joaquim Rodríguez
Katusha Team
3h22'19
2
Matthias Friedemann
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
3
Dominic Klemme
IAM Cycling
s.t.
4
Youcef Reguigui
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
5
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
6
Jérôme Pineau
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
7
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
8
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
9
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
s.t.
10
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
s.t.
12
Andreas Klöden
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
13
Matteo Trentin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
14
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
15
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
16
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
17
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
18
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
s.t.
19
Tiago Machado
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
20
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
21
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
22
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
23
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
s.t.
24
Rigoberto Urán
Sky Procycling
s.t.
25
Chris Horner
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
26
Andrew Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
27
Bryan Nauleau
Team Europcar
s.t.
28
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
s.t.
29
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
30
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
31
Anthony Charteau
Team Europcar
s.t.
32
Alberto Losada
Katusha Team
s.t.
33
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
34
Jérémie Galland
Sojasun
s.t.
35
Simone Ponzi
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
36
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
37
Sergio Pardilla
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
38
Thomas Löfkvist
IAM Cycling
s.t.
39
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
40
Frederik Willems
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
41
Cyril Lemoine
Sojasun
s.t.
42
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
s.t.
43
Serge Pauwels
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
44
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
45
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
s.t.
46
Carlos Verona
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
47
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
48
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
s.t.
49
Danilo Hondo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
50
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
51
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
52
Gaetan Bille
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
53
Alessandro Vanotti
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
54
Gustav Erik Larsson
IAM Cycling
s.t.
55
Jay Thomson
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
56
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
57
Dennis Van Niekerk
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
58
Salvatore Puccio
Sky Procycling
s.t.
59
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
60
Maarten Neyens
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
61
Arman Kamyshev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
62
Leigh Howard
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
63
Wesley Sulzberger
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
64
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
s.t.
65
Luke Durbridge
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
66
Ben Swift
Sky Procycling
s.t.
67
Alexey Tsatevitch
Katusha Team
s.t.
68
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
69
Gatis Smukulis
Katusha Team
s.t.
70
Gert Dockx
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
71
Rémy Cusin
IAM Cycling
s.t.
72
Pirmin Lang
IAM Cycling
s.t.
73
Maxim Belkov
Katusha Team
s.t.
74
Andrea Palini
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
75
Davide Cimolai
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
76
Jimmy Engoulvent
Sojasun
s.t.
77
Kristian Sbaragli
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
78
Chad Beyer
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
79
Fabian Schnaidt
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
80
Sam Bennett
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
81
Jani Tewelde
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
82
Freqalsi Debesay
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
83
Anthony Delaplace
Sojasun
s.t.
84
Julien Vermote
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
+ 3'11
85
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
s.t.
86
Sebastian Langeveld
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 3'44
87
Travis Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
88
Bobbie Traksel
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
89
Darren Lapthorne
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
90
Jakub Danačík
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
91
Steven Van Vooren
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
92
Tomas Vaitkus
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
93
Gregor Gazvoda
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
94
Etienne Tortelier
Sojasun
s.t.
95
Clinton Avery
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
96
Chan Jae Jang
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
97
Marco Bandiera
IAM Cycling
s.t.
98
Frederique Robert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
99
Martin Wesemann
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
100
Floris Goesinnen
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
101
Jean-Lou Paiani
Sojasun
s.t.
102
Jiri Hudecek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
103
Gordon McCauley
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
104
Mark McNally
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
105
Mart Ojavee
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
106
Dario Cataldo
Sky Procycling
s.t.
107
Glenn O'Shea
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
108
David Dvorsky
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
109
Brian Bulgac
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
110
Joseph Dombrowski
Sky Procycling
s.t.
111
Ronan McLaughlin
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
112
Evan Huffman
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
113
Alphonse Vermote
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
114
William Walker
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
115
Alexander Porsev
Katusha Team
s.t.
116
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
117
Nicolas Vereecken
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
118
Tomas Danacik
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
119
Wout Franssen
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
120
Thomas Zechmeister
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
121
Josef Maňousek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
122
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
+ 4'59
123
Luke Davison
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
GC
1
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
6h37'31
2
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
3
Matthias Friedemann
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Dominic Klemme
IAM Cycling
+ 6
5
Andrew Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
+ 8
-----
So all in all, a great first two days in the middle east! This looks to be a very promising race for me and the team.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
Great start for the season for Purito! It's good that he's already showing signs of good form early, since if I saw it correctly after Oman the next race is Tirreno already. Hopefully the next days will be as good as this one
After my win yesterday, today I felt tired and decided to stay in the pack. There were a couple of short hills nearing the finish, but it was best for me to rest my legs ahead of the big mountain stage tomorrow.
I even had a short chat to race leader Cavendish at one point, before he had to move towards the front, near his teammates.
Once again the sprinters' teams dictated the peloton's pace and regulated the breakaway's gap, in an effort to keep everything together for a bunch sprint at the end of the day. Radioshack joined the usual trio of Omega Pharma, Europcar and Lotto.
Everything looked good for the peloton with 20 kilometres to go, with the pace now very high as the breakaway is brought back in and all attention is put into the nearing sprint.
That means when 5th overall and Cavendish's leadout man Fenn goes down, no one will slow down for him. The Brit ended the day alone, over 5 minutes down on the peloton.
With 8 kilometres to go, the peloton dropped its pace as a result of hitting a small climb, to allow the sprinters to stay comfortable. That also gives the four-man breakaway of Palmer (Drapac), Vaitkus (GreenEdge), Puccio (Sky) and Vereecken (An Post) another life though, as their gap went back up to over 30 seconds.
A few kilometres later though they were caught though, giving the sprinters the bunch sprint they wanted.
Despite the absence of Fenn, the Omega Pharma train took control again thanks to Trentin, who gave Cavendish the perfect leadout.
Under the flammage rouge Cavendish already had a commanding lead! Roelandts, Swift and Coquard contested the next few places behind.
None of those could catch Cavendish though, who took his second stage of the race in dominant fashion. No-one came close!
Quite a bit behind, Roelandts took second while Coquard rounded off stage 3's podium.
I finished down in 29th, which doesn't matter that much though as I finish on the same time as everyone in front of me. I guess that counts as another successful day, as I retain my 20 second advantage over the other overall contenders.
1
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
4h26'55
2
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
3
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
4
Ben Swift
Sky Procycling
s.t.
5
Matteo Trentin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
6
Gaetan Bille
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
7
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
8
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
9
Frederique Robert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
10
Leigh Howard
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
12
Salvatore Puccio
Sky Procycling
s.t.
13
Rigoberto Urán
Sky Procycling
s.t.
14
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
15
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
s.t.
16
Jérôme Pineau
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
17
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
s.t.
18
Kristian Sbaragli
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
19
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
s.t.
20
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
s.t.
21
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
22
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
23
Tomas Vaitkus
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
24
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
25
Alexander Porsev
Katusha Team
s.t.
26
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
27
Dario Cataldo
Sky Procycling
s.t.
28
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
29
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
30
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
31
Andrea Palini
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
32
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
33
Sam Bennett
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
34
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
35
Bobbie Traksel
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
36
Fabian Schnaidt
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
37
Frederik Willems
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
38
Matthias Friedemann
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
39
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
s.t.
40
Mark McNally
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
41
Floris Goesinnen
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
42
Jay Thomson
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
43
Bryan Nauleau
Team Europcar
s.t.
44
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
s.t.
45
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
46
Julien Vermote
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
47
Cyril Lemoine
Sojasun
s.t.
48
Brian Bulgac
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
49
Pirmin Lang
IAM Cycling
s.t.
50
Gert Dockx
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
51
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
52
Rémy Cusin
IAM Cycling
s.t.
53
Thomas Löfkvist
IAM Cycling
s.t.
54
Dominic Klemme
IAM Cycling
s.t.
55
Sergio Pardilla
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
56
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
57
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
s.t.
58
Luke Durbridge
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
59
Jérémie Galland
Sojasun
s.t.
60
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
s.t.
61
Alessandro Vanotti
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
62
Sebastian Langeveld
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
63
Danilo Hondo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
64
Joseph Dombrowski
Sky Procycling
s.t.
65
Serge Pauwels
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
66
Freqalsi Debesay
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
67
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
68
Dennis Van Niekerk
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
69
Maarten Neyens
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
70
Andreas Klöden
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
71
Youcef Reguigui
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
72
Simone Ponzi
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
73
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
74
Chris Horner
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
75
Martin Wesemann
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
76
Wesley Sulzberger
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
77
Gatis Smukulis
Katusha Team
s.t.
78
Gregor Gazvoda
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
79
Gustav Erik Larsson
IAM Cycling
s.t.
80
Chad Beyer
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
81
Carlos Verona
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
82
Mart Ojavee
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
83
Jani Tewelde
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
84
Chan Jae Jang
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
85
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
s.t.
86
Clinton Avery
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
87
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
88
Davide Cimolai
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
89
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
s.t.
90
Maxim Belkov
Katusha Team
s.t.
91
Travis Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
92
Anthony Charteau
Team Europcar
s.t.
93
Tiago Machado
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
94
Marco Bandiera
IAM Cycling
s.t.
95
Etienne Tortelier
Sojasun
s.t.
96
Alberto Losada
Katusha Team
s.t.
97
Anthony Delaplace
Sojasun
s.t.
98
Steven Van Vooren
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
99
Jimmy Engoulvent
Sojasun
s.t.
100
Glenn O'Shea
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
101
Jean-Lou Paiani
Sojasun
s.t.
102
Arman Kamyshev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
103
Alphonse Vermote
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
104
Jiri Hudecek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
105
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
106
Evan Huffman
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
107
Darren Lapthorne
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
108
Gordon McCauley
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
109
Luke Davison
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
110
William Walker
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
111
Jakub Danačík
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
112
Wout Franssen
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
113
Tomas Danacik
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
114
Ronan McLaughlin
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
115
Thomas Zechmeister
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
116
David Dvorsky
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
117
Nicolas Vereecken
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
118
Josef Maňousek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
119
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
+ 3'14
120
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
121
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
122
Alexey Tsatevitch
Katusha Team
s.t.
123
Andrew Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
+ 5'15
-----
Stage 4
14th February, 2013
Here we are, the queen stage of the race. Stage 4 brings a mountain-top finish, one that could and most probably will decide the race. I hoped to retain my high overall place, or even move into the lead. Anything could really happen today.
As the race began and the peloton settled in, a five-man breakaway was established. Among those in the group was Cataldo, who lost time on stage 1. He wasn't an overall threat, but could take the stage if given enough of a gap.
The team helped Omega Pharma on the front all day, while I sat behind, shielded by the high winds. They do a great job, catching the break with over 25 kilometres left.
As soon as the catch was made, the pace slowed. With no-one wanting to pace the peloton towards the final climb, Trofimov sensed an opportunity and I gave him the go ahead to attack!
He quickly pulled out a minutes gap with still no chase behind. It looked like it could be the stage-winning move!
When a chase is finally put together by Omega Pharma, the gap had swelled to over 2'30". Trofimov looked on for a solo victory.
With 10 kilometres left, his gap was down to under 2 minutes, but he was still riding strongly. It would be on the climb where his fate was to be decided.
Trofimov hit the climb with a 1'40" gap. It remained to be seen whether that would be enough.
As the peloton hit the climb, there were attacks straight away. They were big ones too! Froome and Úran both attacked early for Sky. I decided to hop on Úran's wheel.
Úran managed to drop me and set off towards Trofimov who was in range now, while Froome sat on my wheel, in a Schleck-like tactic. I set a high pace behind.
I nearly pulled back Úran, but in the end decided that pulling Froome up to his teammate would be a bad move. Instead, I launched an attack which no-one else could follow!
After passing Trofimov, I continued up the road in the lead.
35 seconds behind, a group of five (+ Trofimov) gave chase. Froome and Úran relayed at the front, with Fuglsang, Rolland and Schleck sitting in behind.
Froome then attacked, shutting the gap!
He went past me, I couldn't respond. Very disappointing seeing how good I felt earlier on, I didn't spend my energy well.
30 seconds ahead of me, Froome is close to victory.
Meanwhile, Úran had joined me behind, and would hopefully help me close the gap to Froome in the final few metres to try and put me in the leaders jersey.
There's no doubt who won the stage - Froome took his first win of 2013 here. He had to wait though to see if he took the leaders jersey as well.
I finish in third on Úran's wheel, who pulled me back to his teammate a bit maybe unwisely. I still didn't know the gap, which needed to be under an unlikely 8 seconds for me to take the race lead.
My fears were confirmed. Me and Úran get given a 41 second gap at the finish line, meaning overnight I am 33 seconds behind the Brit, sitting is second overall.
With a hilly stage tomorrow, things could yet end well for me. For now though second is where I am, Froome was just too strong.
1
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
3h14'16
2
Rigoberto Urán
Sky Procycling
+ 41
3
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
4
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
+ 1'30
5
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
6
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
7
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - Merida
+ 2'03
8
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 2'12
9
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
+ 2'56
10
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
+ 3'07
Spoiler
11
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
12
Chris Horner
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
13
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
14
Andreas Klöden
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 3'23
15
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
s.t.
16
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 3'41
17
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
s.t.
18
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
19
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
s.t.
20
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
21
Serge Pauwels
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
22
Tiago Machado
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
23
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
+ 4'03
24
Thomas Löfkvist
IAM Cycling
s.t.
25
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
+ 4'58
26
Alessandro Vanotti
Astana Pro Team
+ 5'20
27
Dennis Van Niekerk
MTN - Qhubeka
+ 5'31
28
Sergio Pardilla
MTN - Qhubeka
+ 6'33
29
Brian Bulgac
Lotto Belisol
+ 6'48
30
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 7'09
31
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
+ 7'18
32
Jérémie Galland
Sojasun
+ 7'28
33
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
34
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
35
Chad Beyer
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
36
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
37
Dario Cataldo
Sky Procycling
s.t.
38
Cyril Lemoine
Sojasun
s.t.
39
Jani Tewelde
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
40
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
41
Matteo Bono
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
42
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
43
Joseph Dombrowski
Sky Procycling
s.t.
44
Youcef Reguigui
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
45
Alberto Losada
Katusha Team
s.t.
46
Jérôme Pineau
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
47
Gustav Erik Larsson
IAM Cycling
s.t.
48
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
49
Wesley Sulzberger
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
50
Arman Kamyshev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
51
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
52
Luke Durbridge
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
53
Salvatore Puccio
Sky Procycling
s.t.
54
Simone Ponzi
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
55
Tomas Vaitkus
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
56
Matthias Friedemann
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
57
Andrew Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
58
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
59
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
60
Alexey Tsatevitch
Katusha Team
s.t.
61
Matteo Trentin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
62
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
63
Evan Huffman
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
64
Anthony Delaplace
Sojasun
s.t.
65
Frederik Willems
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
66
Sebastian Langeveld
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
67
Leigh Howard
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
68
Andrea Palini
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
69
Danilo Hondo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
70
Kristian Sbaragli
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
71
Gatis Smukulis
Katusha Team
s.t.
72
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
s.t.
73
Davide Cimolai
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
74
Steven Van Vooren
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
75
Jakub Danačík
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
76
Fabian Schnaidt
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
77
Freqalsi Debesay
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
78
Ben Swift
Sky Procycling
+ 8'58
79
Anthony Charteau
Team Europcar
s.t.
80
Rémy Cusin
IAM Cycling
s.t.
81
Bryan Nauleau
Team Europcar
s.t.
82
Sam Bennett
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
83
Carlos Verona
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
84
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
85
Julien Vermote
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Team
s.t.
86
Martin Wesemann
MTN - Qhubeka
s.t.
87
Darren Lapthorne
Drapac Cycling
+ 9'45
88
Jay Thomson
MTN - Qhubeka
+ 9'58
89
William Walker
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
90
Gregor Gazvoda
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
91
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
s.t.
92
Jiri Hudecek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
93
Gaetan Bille
Lotto Belisol
+ 10'21
94
Dominic Klemme
IAM Cycling
s.t.
95
Bobbie Traksel
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
96
Floris Goesinnen
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
97
Gert Dockx
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
98
Maarten Neyens
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
99
Marco Bandiera
IAM Cycling
+ 11'00
100
Mark McNally
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
101
Jean-Lou Paiani
Sojasun
s.t.
102
Jimmy Engoulvent
Sojasun
s.t.
103
Thomas Zechmeister
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
104
Frederique Robert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
105
Alexander Porsev
Katusha Team
s.t.
106
Travis Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
107
Pirmin Lang
IAM Cycling
s.t.
108
Etienne Tortelier
Sojasun
s.t.
109
Mart Ojavee
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
110
Clinton Avery
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
+ 13'04
111
Tomas Danacik
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
112
Wout Franssen
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
113
Alphonse Vermote
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
114
David Dvorsky
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
115
Nicolas Vereecken
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
116
Ronan McLaughlin
An Post - Chainreaction
s.t.
117
Chan Jae Jang
Champion System Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
118
Josef Maňousek
Bauknecht - Author
s.t.
119
Luke Davison
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
120
Gordon McCauley
Drapac Cycling
s.t.
121
Maxim Belkov
Katusha Team
+ 14'28
122
Glenn O'Shea
An Post - Chainreaction
+ 15'28
123
Thomas Palmer
Drapac Cycling
+ 17'41
GC
1
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
14h18'42
2
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
+ 33
3
Rigoberto Urán
Sky Procycling
+ 49
4
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
+ 1'50
5
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
-----
After a great start, I am a bit disappointed with the mountain stage, where if I had better tactics the lead could still be mine. All is not lost though, and tomorrow could be the day the GC changes again.
A pity that Rodriguez isn't in the lead, but 2nd is still pretty good, specially for an early race. Weird move by Uran by pulling Joaquin for a few meters, maybe he's starting an Armstrong-Contador like conspiracy?
Santos Tour Down Under
Thor Hushovd
Francisco José Ventoso
Ariel Maximiliano Richeze
Dario Cataldo
Yauheni Hutarovich
Tour of Oman Preview
Mark Cavendish
Bryan Coquard
Jürgen Roelandts
Rigoberto Urán
Matthias Friedemann
Peter Velits
Daryl Impey
Jakob Fuglsang
Andy Schleck
Robert Kiserlovski
