Voltali at the start of stage 7.

Before the start of stage 7 our resident reporter, Alan Corbett Holicson, had the opportunity to catch up with EPIC rider Voltali Feunard. Here is how it went:

1) How have you coped with the unique conditions at Qinghai Lake?

Surprisingly well actually, I expected to react really bad to the conditions and that I might take three or four stages to get used to it but I didn't feel anything while doing some training rides, the morning before the first stage.

2) Seeing the active EPIC teams perform so well here, compared to most of the other teams, are you envious of not riding for the likes of Champion Systems and Cannondale?

A bit, but if I rode for one of those teams I might not have raced here. at Accent Jobs I was freely able to choose my calander so I won't waste my time racing in races I don't belong.


3) Would you like to come back to this race again?

Yeah, the crown (crowd?) is just amazing here and since the startlist is pretty weak compared to the rest of the season, I think it's easier to take a result here.

4) To any EPIC teams watching, what can Voltali Feunard bring to a team that no one else can?

A young sprinter that works hard and has a lot the unique feature of being one of the racing triplets.

Okay Voltali that wraps up the interview, can you leave now?!

No I can't, I was in the middle of doing a cooldown after a hard stage and you came up to me and started to ask questions.

Aha! I was only joking, of course! But, you can't be having a cooldown as the next stage starts in less than 5 minutes! Better get running if you want to make the start-line, Voltali!

(At which point Voltali ran off to make the start of stage 7, how would he and the GC men get on on the final mountainous stage? Lets find out.)

Stage Favourites:
Duarte (COL) Caruso (CAN) Johnson (CSS) Rabottini (VIN) Failli (VIN)

A pan flat stage until we reach the final 30 KM. There it is nothing but climbing until the finish, the GC places may not change places after today.



The Break: Klimov, De Vreese, Clarke & Wackermann.


A Chinese rider prepares for the final climb.

There was no action until the final climb was reached with 31 KM to go at which point the break had 2'50 over the Team Colombia led peloton.


Attacks out of the peloton.

Lequatre, Brandle and Venter attack as soon as the peloton reach the final climb with 27 KM to go.


15 KM to go.

The late escapees have managed to bridge across to the original break of the day. They have 1'40 over the peloton, it is surely not enough. Especially if, as anticipated, the favourites will attack soon.


Perichon attacks across!

The Bretagne - Séché Environnement rider attacks out of the peloton shortly afterwards, he is countered by the 7 names right up there in GC and with 13 KM to go they have caught the earlier attackers.


Brambilla shows well today.

No longer looking after Stybar, we see Brambilla in a very aggressive mood. With 6 KM to go he leads a trio which also contains, the big two, Duarte and Caruso.


No one dares attack.

Mr 'Second Wind' Johnson of Champion Systems rides across to form a quartert with only a few kilometres left. The Peruvian looks to be consolidating his podium place today.


Deignan rides across.

There is less than 2 KM to go as the Irishman rides across. Just as he does so the yellow jersey, Duarte, puts in a massive attack. The other favourites cannot match that one.



Duarte giving everything.


Win No.2 for Duarte!

Fabio Duarte takes the final summit finish of this Tour of Qinghai Lake and now leads all three jersey competitions. Only an accident looks to prevent him from winning the GC here.

Looking at Duarte's dominance it might have been fairer to have winning the GC here as an easy goal rather than a normal goal for Team Colombia.



Caruso 2nd is the next to come home increasing his, already, strong grip on the second podium spot overall. Johnson 3rd puts time into Rabottini today.

AND .... Voltali Feunard came home in 59th, one of the better finishes by a 'sprinter' today.

Todays stage is a flat 23 km long Time Trial. Almost everything will have to go wrong, if C.De Vries is to lose the yellow jersey, so this time trial will be a fight for the secondary places. Bradley Wiggins will look for his first Stage Win and he is a class of his own.

B.Wiggins(SKY),W.Kelderman(BEL),M.Pinotti(BMC),

D.Cataldo(SKY),S.Clement(BEL)

Stage Favourites:
Pozzato (LAM) Fenn (OPQ) Van Poppel (VCD) Trentin (OPQ) Cimolai (LAM)

We have a HC climb early on in the stage, but it is expected to come back all together for a mass sprint come the finish.



The Break today, is another small one: Pauwels, Day & Nys.


Any Takers?

There is little action to speak off until the last 30 KM. With 28 KM to go and the break @ 3'20 we still have Team Colombia on the front with no real chase.

Will there by any takers? Or will the break fight out the win today?


FINALLY!

It is not long before the three sprinter teams take up the chase. Consequently the gap to the men out front crumbles.


15 KM to go

Some of the local riders have had enough. The peloton is bearing down on the break at a blistering speed.


Kennedy is dropped!

Meters ago MTN were setting pace on the front, now the whole team is out the back of the peloton trying, in vain, to muster the forces of their sprinter, Kennedy. But, as he is dropped here, he won't be making it back and certainly won't contest the sprint, he really needs to work on his recovery if he wants to win stages in stage races.


Here comes the sprint!

A sprint finish will decide yet another stage in Qinghai Lake. Lampre, Omega Pharma and Vaconsoleil have the sprint trains today .....



Lampre come surging through!

Thanks to Pietropoli and Cimolai, once again, Pozzato gets the perfect lead-out. Lampre have the most effective sprint train here, by a mile.


Pozzato rounds off another stage win!

It is another easy win for Pozzato, as he rounds off the emphatic work of his teammates. It is a potent and virulent combination when you can survive a stage, better than most, and also have the best lead-out train. Fenn and Drucker are the best of the rest today.

Dehaes(LTB), Kruopis(OGE)

Khampse Khamphan(EUC), Martens(BEL), Duque(COL)