While Anthony Mantle and his crew are filming the scenery of Mitzic, Rolf Sørensen is recording a voice-over:
“Stage 4, from Oyem to Mitzic is 110 km of the dense and verdant jungle with few and small town, but at least racing on modern asphalt at the N2 national highways road.
The temperatures and humidity is very hard on the riders, most of them coming from the cold winter climate of Europe.”
Daily life in Mitzic
The Race
The usual unimportant breakaway gets off, every one of them already at 15 min. or more. At the first section of the race there are quite a few crashes, but we are not involved.
Two riders have to abandon due to severe injuries, Wesley Kreder (Roompot) with a fracture of the femur bone, and Matthias Schnapka (Stradalli) with a broken collarbone.
The early break:
KoM contender Alessandro Vanotti attempts an attack before the first KoM climb, but he never gets contact with the front and has to fall back.
Alessandro Vanotti:
About mid stage the tempo in the peloton is increased, making it very hard on many riders, with the peloton down to 75 riders, Astana only got Lutsenko left in front.
With 5 km to go and the breakaway almost over, Lutsenko sets a high pace in front of the peloton, getting a small gap of 5-6 sec.
Lutsenko does not get away, 17 riders approach the final uphill sprint together, at this point Lutsenko sits in the last part of the group.
The stage is won by pre-stage favorite Jan Bakelants from Ag2r, quite surprisingly Maciej Paterski (Sprandi Polkowice) took 2nd position. Alexey Lutsenko becomes 12th.
Its early morning and sunrise in Glenelg, a beach side suburb of Adelaide. The film crew is making some pre-race takes. Jørgen Leth:
“The mood in the Astana camp is low, Tiralongo’s injury has clearly affected everyone, but today is another important stage and the show has to go on.
With start in the beach resort Glenelg most of today’s stage is relative flat, besides a hard climb (cat.1) to Corkscrew Road, a 3.7 kilometres climb of 6.4% with a max. off 15%. You may not win the Tour there, with a 7 km downhill finish after the climb, but you can easily lose it, if you are not able to get over in the first group.”
Sunrise in Glenelg
The Race
Despite that he is still not completely well Andrey Zeits decides to follow an attack, mainly to get some TV time, but there is always hope for more. The others are KoM leader Bram Tankink Lotto Jumbo and Toms Skujiņš from Cannondale.
Again today there is a dangerous crash in the peloton with 5 riders down, but this time no fatal injuries and all riders can continue the race, there is 139 riders left after Tiralongo was forced out yesterday.
32 km to go, another attack by 3 riders with the front group 1’30 ahead, this time it is youth jersey holder Arnaud Démare (FDJ), Sébastien Turgot (Ag2r) and Anthony Roux also FDJ.
The pace in the peloton is high and the break is reeled back just as they hit the final climb. Immediately follow by a new attack by Cannondale’s Simon Clarke, Peter Sagan from Tinkoff and Michael Albasini from Orica counters.
This group is too strong for the peloton, they get to much time over the top and it is going to be decided between the trio. Sagan is leading the group into the final kilometer.
The stage was won by Peter Sagan over Simon Clarke, Astana’s best was Michele Scarponi (15) and Dario Cataldo (16). Michele Scarponi lost a position on the GC, from 5 to 6.
Right after breakfast Matvey Nikitin has agreed to meet with the film crew for an interview, down by the Ogooué River just a few 100 meters from the starting line.
Rolf Sørensen: Matvey you are the only rider with sprint ability’s in this squad, what do you think about today’s stage.
MN: I don’t know, first of all it is going to be a long hot ride and with Alexey Lutsenko in the top of the leader board, I don’t think we will focus on a stage win.
RS: But if you get the chance, what is the possibility’s.
MN: Frankly, I don’t think a podium is possible, many faster guy that me in this race, our best option today is a breakaway win.
Ogooué River
The Race
KoM contender Alessandro Vanotti finds his way into a morning break of 11 riders, Vanotti is the best placed in the GC at position 33 with 3’02 to the race leader.
The peloton have not given up the chase, the pace is very high, riders get dropped from the front group splitting it up into smaller fractions.
After almost 70 kilometer the peloton starts to relax. The front group is now down to 8 riders, they get a max. of a little more than 5 minutes. Alessandro Vanotti is still in the group and gets a single KoM point during the day.
With about 50 km left the peloton start to put on pressure again, especially BMC and IAM leads the hunt.
It ends with a mass sprint finish won by Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC) over Gregory Henderson (Lotto Soudal). Drucker moves up to 2nd in GC. after Jan Bakelants (Ag2r).
Astana’s best is Alexey Lutsenko at 22th he loses 2 positions in the GC, from 2nd to 4th.
Matvey Nikitin has a hard day, nothing left in the end of the stage, he end up as 61th.
Rolf Sørensen: “A flat stage with just a single knob about 15 km before the line, it is expected to be a mass sprint finish, favoring Kittle, Greipel or Kristoff. According to “Vino” Astana with just relax on the stage, waiting for tomorrows more important Willunga Hill.”
After the stage Lars von Trier is filming the scenery in and around Victor Harbor, a town of about 14.000 people, originally a whaling station from 1839, the town was established in 1863, some 27 years later than Adelaide.
Today the area is a tourist destination, mainly visited by people from Adelaide due to its 5-8 °C lower summer temperatures.
Victor Harbor
The Race
Right from the get-go Oliver Naesen from IAM and Zico Waeytens from Giant – Alpecin attacks, the chase from the peloton is not wholehearted, they built a lead of 2 minutes over the first 10 km.
With Tinkoff leading the peloton in a moderate pace, others seek the opportunity and with 35 km completed the front group has expanded to 7 riders, they got 2’52.
The other 5 rider are:
Roux (FDJ), Gerts (BMC), Daniel (Ag2r), Docker (Orica), Leezer (LottoNL)
Tinkoff is not leading hard they won’t mind a breakaway win as long as it’s no threat to Peter Sagan, with most other teams in the break they are allowed to build a sizable lead.
With just 30 km left Dimension Data and Katusha decides to take over the pursuit, but the lead is 3’15, it might be too late.
Over the hill it seems clear that the stage will be won by the breakaway:
The stage was won by Tom Leezer (Team LottoNL) over Zico Waeytens (Giant – Alpecin) Mark Cavendish wins the bunch sprint 41 seconds after the break has passed the line. Astana’s best was Michele Scarponi (20).
Anthony Dod Mantle have taken up position amongst the spectators just outside Kango, to film the riders when they approach the town. Kango is just a small town of approx. 1000 people, located at both sides of Komo River.
Rofl gets hold of Astana’s KoM contender Alessandro Vanotti just minutes after he has passed the line.
Rolf Sørensen : “How was it to day ?
The Italian riders is red in the face from a combination of sunlight and exhaustion:
“It was so hard today, I wanted and needed to get away, but a pace was horrible and others got away without me, when I was finally allowed to go I had over 2 minutes of catch up to do.
When I finally got contact with the front, it was clear to me that I had the diamond legs today, the strength came back very quickly after sitting alone the last 30 km.
So frustrating with super legs and with riders I can beat I mistimed my KoM sprint and only got a single point, I feel like drowning myself in that muddy river. Anyway the peloton was too fast, we got caught about 10 km out.”
Rolf: “Ya too bad, but great to see You having those legs and getting in the right group anyway. The stage was won by Tyler Farrar (Dimension Data) over Matteo Pelucchi (IAM), Astana’s best was Nikitin at 13th.
Vanotti: “OK, good for them then” he smiles and moves on.
Jørgen Leth is recording a pre-race interview with Michele Scarponi:
JL: You have lost Tiralongo, how will this affect your possibility’s on a hard day like this ?
MS: We are all very sad about what happened to Paolo he will truly be missed today.
JL: What is your expectations ? How far do to think you can take the tour.
MS: I have still got Cataldo, if we got good legs you never know, but realistically a top 10 finish would be just fine, there are a lot of good hill riders in the tour you have to beat today to get a podium. I am looking forward to the stage, but don’t expect wonders.
JL: Thank you very much, and good luck.
The Race
The morning breakaway is 6 riders, the best placed is Alexis Gougeard from Ag2r at 4’45, strong fighter Marcus Burghardt from BMC is also in the group.
KoM leader Bram Tankink from LottoNL, attacks and join the group, the get 3’10 with 100 km to go.
Surprisingly with more than 80 km left, Team Sky’s race favorite Vasil Kiryienka decides to attack, surely that is not good for the riders in the breakaway.
As expected the peloton has to react and everyone is brought back, approaching Willunga Hill for the first time, the peloton is together.
The pace is very high everyone fights for position, but a large group is together on Willunga Hill passing over for the first time.
Michele Scarponi is sitting to low in the group, he has to use some energy to fight his way back to the front, but he sit’s fine when the final climb starts. Pavel Brutt from Tinkoff is leading the group with teammate Sagan on wheel.
Peter Sagan won the stage extending his lead to almost 2 minutes.
Tim Wellens from Lotto Soudal came 2nd moving from 23 to 5 in GC.
Edvald Boasson Hagen from Dimension Data came 3rd moving from 19 to 6 in GC
Michele Scarponi got in 44 sec. later as 11 th. losing one placement from 6 to 7 on the GC.
Today’s big loser was Michael Albasini from Orica getting in with a large group at 2’27 falling from 3rd to 15 in the GC.
Rofl Sørensen records a report in Libreville, the capital and largest city of Gabon.
“Due to the fact that Alexey Lutsenko came in 33 places better than Maciej Paterski yesterday he is now 3rd in GC, even though they have the same time. If he can beat Paterski today a podium is within sight.
From the briefing I attended this morning, it is clear that Astana will try to get Vanotti in a breakaway fighting to claim the KoM, but the main focus is on Lutsenko’s podium.”
Libreville
The Race
As planned, Astana succeeded in getting Vanotti in the morning breakaway.
3 more riders comes up from behind, and the group works together well, the others in the breakaway is not fighting for the KoM and Vanotti collects 6 points at the first two climbs, the KoM is now safe as long as he finish the race.
As the peloton is getting closer, the pace in front gets very high. Vanotti got what he came for, but now he has to let go. The front group is reduced to 5 riders.
Getting closer to the final the front is further reduced, only Daniel Teklehaimanot and Janvier Hadi is left, Teklehaimanot attacks:
Africa’s most famous rider Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot takes a solo victory at the last stage of La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, to the undivided joy of the spectators.
The GC winner was Jan Bakelants over Jean-Pierre Drucker, Alexey Lutsenko took the last podium.
After the first stage finish in Lyndoch, Lars von Trier was in Adelaide from the afternoon of the 19/1 until he drove to Victor Harbour on the 22/1, while others was filming with Leth.
He wanted to capture the Unley Gourmet Gala at King William Road at the night of the 19th and other events building up in Adelaide before the race hit the streets today.
Leth is reporting about the stage:
The last stage of Tour down under is a short and flat circuit race in Adelaine, from what Vinokourov told me last night, Astana is just aiming for a safe race, getting Scarponi to the line with the peloton.
The Race
Astana is sitting near the front with Scarponi protected from all sides.
The pace is not extreme and rider after rider attacks and get away, it ends up in a breakaway of 9 riders. Amongst them quite strong tempo rider and/or sprinter Dennis, Leezer, Edmondson and Walscheid. With 60 km left they got 2’36.
About 45 km to go, race favorite André Greipel (Lotto) is down, Lars Bak and Boeckmans is send back to help the team sprinter, but the pace set by Katusha leading the peloton is too high, they never make it back.
With just 1 km left, another bad crash in the back of the peloton, many rider are down amongst them Astana’s Gatis Smukulis, Gatis only gets some bruises and gets over the line just 3 minutes after the winner.
The remains of the breakaway just makes it to the line in front of a fast group of sprinters. Tom Leezer from LottoNL wins the last stage of Tour Down Under, over Maximilian Walscheid (Giant – Alpecin).
GC winner was Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) over Yukiya Arashiro (Lampre) the last podium went to Simon Clarke (Cannondale)
21/1-2016 Mitzic, Gabon
19/1-24/1 2016 Tour Down Under
