Today would be a really tough stage, I understood that morning. My legs were a bit sore after the breakaway yesterday, and when my shape neither was at top, I knew that keeping the Young rider jersey would be super hard. As learning to fight, and the fact that we had no real leader this day, I could just do as I wanted to. I hoped to get the possibility to get some mountain points, since I was number 2 with 34 points. I didn’t see any opportunities, so I just went with the front.
The pace was high, and the peloton went down to 50 men, up to 90 and back every hill. But when the breakaway of the day had more than 5 minutes with less than 40 km’s left, I went at the front, and attacked.
There were two reasons, both to maybe get climbing points, but also to try to get over the last hill with the best riders. I got a gap, but when it got more than 1 minute, Katusha started chasing me. I kept the lead a long way up the last climb, but I heard at the mic that they got closer and closer. Then Betancur came up to me. When he passed, I tried to keep up with him, but I found out that I would blow up to fast. Then Rodriguez, Mollema and Inxausti came, and a little later another group passed me. Fabio had fell off long time ago, also Mikel had. I just tried to pace, lose as little as possible. I came over the top far behind the big names, and kept on. At the bottom of the hill, I got totally blown and lost even more. I felt the legs burning, but kept on as much as I could, to decrease my loss of time. Finally, almost 7 minutes after Eduardo Sepulveda from Bretange – Sechè, that also took my young rider jersey, I came to the finish line.
I was totally drained, but still happy. I thought I had started making a name in the pro cycling world. Now I was the best placed rider in the team, at a 14. Place, 3:36 behind Sepulveda.
Today I could really feel my legs, they were very bad, and since we were going over 4 2. Categorized climbs, I wasn’t sure if I could keep up. But it was early season, and most possibly a lot of other riders also felt their shape was bad, and went defensive. I should at least try to get the climber’s jersey, but I got a feeling that this was going to be a long day anyway. I attacked in the start, in the hope that I wasn’t feared, and could get the climber jersey. I got in the breakaway with Sørensen, Langeveld and Durasek. For one weird reason, everyone except Langeveld that fell off, sprinted for climbing points.
At the first 2 hills I came over the top first, but at the third I was number 2, and the last climb I fell off. Then it was just Durasek and Sørensen left, and they worked well together. I was chased back by the peloton, and fell into the tail of it. The peloton worked hard, but had started the chase too late, and Durasek won the stage. At the finish I was totally exhausted, but gosh I was happy! At the end I won the KOM competition, and at the last stage, I could go to the podium to get my jersey. I got tons of congrats from home, and couldn’t been happier. I also finished 14th in the GC, the best in the team. At the end of the race we had a meet, and Alexandre seemed disappointed. “We can’t continue in this style, and then we have no sponsors next year,” he said. “We need good results all the time, and by now we have only one. Juan, can’t you learn them how to do it?”
Vincenzo Nibali
Andrey Zeits
Allessandro Vanotti
Valerio Agnoli
Andrea Guardini
Juan Aragòn
Maxim Iglinsky
Andrey Grivko
Goal: to get in better shape + help Vincenzo to take the win.
So, then it was racing again. I didn’t feel that my shape was there, but maybe it came after a few races, so I was going to work for Vincenzo pretty early at the day. Our tactics was to just keep Vincenzo in the front, and at the last big climb he should attack. If that did not work out, he should try to get away on one of the last small hills.
The race was on, and it started fairly easy. In the first hill, Andrey Z. wanted to set up a little pace, and got into a breakaway at the downhill. Pretty fine, maybe he could make some help on the last kilometers. Up the third of four hills, I paced the peloton, and it got a bit stretched out, but I felt I didn’t have the day.
At the downhill, things got pretty complicated. Everyone wanted to get I the front, also Caruso wanted. He tried to get by me. Suddenly I was flying, before I hit the asphalt. Ouch! I got back on the bicycle, and saw the captain of Katusha standing beside me. We tried to get back together, but I was too weak, and had to set down the pace. Causo got back into the peloton, and I felt done for the day, so it was just to ride to the goal, while I got updates about the men in front. Vincenzo tried to go in the hill, but the pace was too high, and he stopped the attack pretty fast. At the first small hill before goal, he made a high effort, and even higher in the downhill. He got a gap, and went on all he got. That was enough, and he won the race, in front of S.Clarke and Denifl.
At last I ended as number 176. In the team bus Vincenzo thanked me for the work. “Well, I fell off before you really needed me”. “Maybe, but I you have the most honor that Sagan didn’t catch me,” he said. It made me happy, and even more motivated to help him later.
Results:
Vincenzo Nibali 4’57’44
Simon Clarke s.t.
Stefan Denifl s.t.
…
Juan Aragòn +10’23
After doing it well in the first races, I was offered a leader roll when we came to the trofeo di Lugano. No of the big riders were at the start, and since I needed experience in being a leader, They decidet it was the best. I would really use my opportunity, I decided.
Start list:
Juan Aragòn
Liuwe Westra
Andrey Zeits
Alexy Lutsenko
Aleksandr Dyachenko
Francesco Gavazzi
Jacopo Guarnini
Dimitry Gruzdev
Goal:
To get a top 10, and show my skills.
I felt in good shape, still on my way up, but defiantly going strong. The race started well, everything went pretty slow, and I felt my legs were ok for the day. To get away some of the sprinters this day, I asked my team to set up the pace.
Jacopo were disappointed, he was a bad climber, and would not get any chance to win. We got the breakaway back in with about 40 km’s left. Then I got up in the front myself, and waited. When Arredondo attacked, I wanted to join, but I should stay calm. More and more riders attacked, and got chased back in. Then Damiano Caruso and Mauro Funetto got a good lead, and I felt I had to get up to them. I attacked, and got alone. They increased the pace behind, but it was too late, and I got into the leader group. I thought the two others were faster than me, but worked hard to keep a third place. At the end, with just 500 m, I refused to be in front, when Caruso attacked, and I tried to follow him. I had no chance, but I was second, and did everything I could to keep Funneto behind me. At the end, I wasn’t strong enough, and felt down to a third.
I was tired, but happy about my decisions, and I think I couldn’t get a better place at the end. My team was happy, and I thanked them all for the hard work. I had really not got such a good place without them. I was told I was a good leader, and I should be used as a leader later the year. Alexandre also guaranteed, if I was this good every race, I would get at least one win this year. I was so happy, and was very motivated for Paris-Nice.
Enrico Gasparotto
Juan Aragòn
Mikel Landa
Allesandro Vanotti
Alexy Lutsenko
Aleksandr Dyachenko
Frederik Kessiakoff
Borut Bozic
Goal:
To get a stage win, and maybe some days in climber’s jersey
Stage 1:
This was one of my big goals for the season, and the day before, I started to get amped up- I was extremely ready for eight days of pain. I just had to hope I could keep up the whole time. The first stage was pretty flat, and it was a good way to start the week.
My legs were pretty good, and I felt I could easily keep up with the pace. At the start, a lot of riders wanted to get in a breakaway, and it went fast. I wasn’t too concentrated, and I was at the tail most of the day. At the end, I climbed a bit, in case the peloton got any splits. It didn’t, and even though it looked like the breakaway could keep up, it was a normal sprint. Enrico felt good today, and he tried to get on the wheel of Greipel. He could, but at the end he was too weak and got a 4th place. But that was strong, and the team was really excited to continue the next day. Arnaud Demarè won in front of Andre Greipel.
While I got a massage, I was told that tomorrow I had to lose a bit of time to get in a breakaway easier. That was fine for me, so I decided to “feel weak” the next day.
Today was another flat stage, with one 4. Cat hill, and I could give some time to the best riders. It would make it easier to put me in a breakaway later in the race, and in the GC I had no chance at all. For me, a climbers jersey or a stage win would be much bigger than a 14th place overall. I hang at the end of the peloton, while Manuele Mori(Lampre) and Antonio Piedra (Caja Rural) got away from the peloton. They got a lead of about 3 min at the most, and was chasen back pretty fast. I fell off with about 25 km’s to go, just to lose time. Today Greipel was unbeatable, and won pretty easy.
Today was another flat stage, with one 4. Cat hill, and I could give some time to the best riders. It would make it easier to put me in a breakaway later in the race, and in the GC I had no chance at all. For me, a climbers jersey or a stage win would be much bigger than a 14th place overall. I hang at the end of the peloton, while Manuele Mori(Lampre) and Antonio Piedra (Caja Rural) got away from the peloton. They got a lead of about 3 min at the most, and was chasen back pretty fast. I fell off with about 25 km’s to go, just to lose time. Today Greipel was unbeatable, and won pretty easy.
I came to goal 7’41 behind.
Edited by arre123 on 26-12-2014 19:00
Another flat stage. Honestly, I felt the race hadn’t begun yet. My legs were awesome, but I sat in the middle of the pack and relaxed. If I had this legs tomorrow, I would take the climber’s jersey. I felt unbeatable. Mikel tried to get in the breakaway, but he didn’t have the luck. Whatever, the day went on, and mentally I was in the hills tomorrow. Once again, Greipel was beast in the sprint, and Demarè was second. Borut and Enrico tried to get away, but they were too weak, and got 15 and 17.
Stage 4:
Finally a stage for me! I was so ready for going in a breakaway, but I started at the back of the peloton. The pace was fast, and a lot of riders tried to get in a breakaway. I attacked 1 time, and got off solo. I had a minute when Riblon and Losada attacked. The peloton stopped, and we were the break for the day.
I was going for climbing points. I won the first sprint, but then we the peloton got us. I got some more points on the next hill. The pace was extremely fast, and I decided to only go for the last hill. I attacked, but I was too weak, and got drained over the hill. I gave up and lost some time to Romain Bardet, that won the stage. I was happy, standing in the podium with the climber’s jersey.
gosh! i managed tu f*** my PC completely, and while restarting it i lost all my files(including PCM) so... it could be kinda a problem to get any further in my story
gosh! i managed tu f*** my PC completely, and while restarting it i lost all my files(including PCM) so... it could be kinda a problem to get any further in my story
