This year's Tour de Normandie will be a long flat race through the French countryside. It starts with a 4 km prologue, and then finishes with 7 flat stages. The race will surely be won by the most successful sprinter in the race. We come here with a goal to win the KOM jersey, and I will definitely go in a couple breakaways. There are only 81 riders here, so I think that the break has a good shot to take some wins.
Prologue
I've been told I'm a natural on the TT bike, so maybe I can challenge for the podium today. Not really sure considering I haven't spent much time training for Time Trials.
Paul Poux took the best early, riding the short course in a time of 6 37. His time was eventually beatan by Geoffroy Lequatre who went two seconds faster on the course.
I was the last man to start for Hincapie, and Lequarte was still on top at the time. I felt I put out a solid performance losing only 5 second to the eventual stage winner Lequarte!
The first day on the open road in Normandie is also the longest stage of the race at 198 km. There are three cat 4 climbs, and the team will target those three climbs. I may go in the break, but I plan on saving my strength for the end of the race.
Our man in the break today was Thomas Wrona, and he succeeded in the goal of capturing the KOM jersey, taking 8 points in the competition. Nothing else of note happened during the proceedings; as the break was brought back with 29 km to go.
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The ensuing sprint was surprisingly won by Maxime Daniel of Sojasun, who rode away from his team's sprinter to take the win! Arashiro took second and third went to Reza. I finished near the back of the bunch in 63rd.
This stage is half the distance of the previous one at around 90 km, and it has only 1 cat 4 climb on the route. Goal is same as yesterday have KOM at end of the stage and get a guy in the break.
Our man at the front today was Benjamin Zawacki, and he defended Thomas's jersey by taking the only KOM point on the stage. The three man group was hauled back with 15 km to ride.
American rider Ken Hanson managed to take the bunch sprint on the slight uphill, overtaking second place Evaldas Siskevicius in the final 100 meters to take the stage and leader's jersey! Gerard rounds out the podium in third place.
This stage is fast, short, and bumpy. It is only 69 km, but has 3 cat 4 climbs and 2 sprint points on the route. Thomas will go in the break to try and defend his KOM lead. I will be attacking in the next few stages.
Thomas succeeded in making it into the break, but didn't succeed in defending his jersey, losing it to Edson Calderon of 4-72 Colombia, as the Colombian took all three climbs on the stage. They were caught with 18 km to go and the stage ended in a sprint once again.
Another day, another winner as Benoit Drujon takes the win for Bigmat ahead of Hanson. Vachon rounds out the podium in third place.
Stage Results
Results failed to export so I will just list the top 5.
Who's that Hincapie rider leading out Arashiro in the first race?
