@laidbackmarc Thanks for the advice man, I will definitely try it out.
@jt1109 I will try Pixallion, and I really think good screens make a story, and I do try my best. I do like this screen as well, all screens from the motorbike angle seem the best.
Unfortunately, I accidnetly let the thrid stage play while I wan't there. This meant that I wouldn't sprint or attack or anything, and Amael Moinard fell back 4 minutes as well. Van Averamet was 84th, but luckily Tim didn't lose any time.
Rojas won the stage again ahead of Galimzyanov and Petacchi.
Stage 3 Final Rankings
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
3h12'54
2
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
s.t.
3
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
4
M. Cavendish
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
5
F. J. Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
...
156
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
Overall Standings : After Stage 3
Spoiler
GC
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
9h43'27"
2
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
40"
3
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
48"
4
K. Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
5
J. Keough
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
52"
...
68
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
1'00"
Points
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
75 Pts
2
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
48
3
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
42
4
K. Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
36
5
F.J. Ventoso
Movistar Team
31
Young Riders
1
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
9h44'15"
2
J. Keough
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
3
D. Rattp
Geox - TMC
10"
4
B. Swift
Sky ProCycling
12"
5
J. Degenkolb
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
...
20
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
Tour of Oman
Stage 4
Sultan Qaboos University - Jabal al Akhdhar : 155.3kms
The queen stage of the Tour of Oman is an extremely flat stage, until the last 6kms, were a big climb begins. This will be very interesting riding and my favourite type of riding. Although a stage win is probably beyond me, I will be looking to get myself to finish as high as possible to get ready for the hilly TT tomorrow. Expect Menchov, Sastre or Scarponi to win the stage.
The race started in an unexpected way, as Carlos Sastre attacked in the first kilometer! Is his confidence really that low, that he thinks the only way he can win is in the break? Or is it just a slightly silly move, that he will shake his head about later. Only time will tell...
Some high-profile riders joined the Spaniard, including Peter Velits and Colombian M. Rubiano.
Fellow Colombian Cano Ardila followed.
Bernard Eisel joined them, along with Endura's R. Mandri.
They were all caught, except for 5 who went up ahead (not Sastre). 3 more joined soon after.
The roads were literally flat for most this ride, absolute 0%! The pack was staying together well, and it was a pretty easy ride so far.
After all of that scrambling for position, the pack of the day seems to have formed. It is an 8 man group with the notable riders being Cano Ardila, Caja's J. Herrada, Sky's P. Kennaugha and UnitedHealthcare's D. Frattini. Their lead was currently at 4'02" with 74kms to race.
Both sets of sprint points were won By Roy Curvers of Skil - Shimano.
Movistar had been setting an incredible pace all day, and the pack was stretching out accordingly. The lead was now down to 1'40"with 26kms to go..
The pack was finally caught with 10kms to go, right at the bottom of the climb.
The climb begun, and despite no attacks, the pack split dramatically. BMC's Bookwalter and Alex Kristoff fell back, while the rest of BMC were at the front.
Into the last 2kms, and many sprinters were still up front unexpectedly. No attacks from the climbers, and Rojas started going, and couldn't be caught! Great win, especially for a mountain stage! Morabito does well to take 7th..
Stage 4 - Final Rankings
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
3h51'55"
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
3
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
9"
4
S. Ivanov
Katusha Team
20"
5
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
s.t.
...
42
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
3'00"
Overall Standings:
Spoiler
GC
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
13h35'02"
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
1'08"
3
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
1'21"
4
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
1'40"
5
S. Ivanov
Katusha Team
1'40"
...
33
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
4'20"
Points
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
100 Pts
2
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
48
3
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
42
4
K. Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
36
5
F. J. Ventoso
Movistar Team
31
KoM
1
J.J. Rojas
Movistar Team
20 Pts
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
14
3
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
12
4
S. Ivanov
Katusha Team
10
5
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
8
Young Riders
1
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
13h36'42"
2
J. Pantano
Colombia es Pasion - Cafe de Colombia
48"
3
A. Geniez
Skil - Shimano
1'18"
4
R. Costa
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
s.t.
5
C. Bessy
Movistar Team
2'16"
...
6
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
2'40"
Well, that didn;t turn out like I thought. On a stage supposed to be a climber's day out, a sprinter won! I am happy with my performance thought, and 6th overall in young riders is pretty good so far. Let's see what happens tomorrow in the ITT. It is quite hilly, and hopefully Morabito can hold onto his top-10 position.
The time-trial is today, and after seeing the course earlier this morning, the hills are pretty significant. I will have a tough go out there, and due to my great form, a top-20 is not beyond me. Denis Menchov seems to be the man for the job, but Rojas' overall seems pretty safe since it is just a 19km course.
Tour of Oman
Stage 5 - ITT
Al Jissah - Al Jissah : 19.0kms
Samuel Lambert-Lemay set the first good time of the day, and our first rider Amael Moinard set off to beat it.
He set the next best time, and was ahead of the French-Canadian by 7 seconds.
Lots of riders were setting good times, and the best was A. Ovechkin of Katusha, 10" ahead of Brent Bookwalter in 2nd.
Taylor Phinney set off, and it was his first TT for BMC. Donning the US champs gear, he was looking for a new best time.
Finally, I was off, my first ITT for the season. Let's see what I can achieve.
After the first timecheck, I was best on course! That climb really favoured me, but I was pushing pretty hard there though, I doubt it will hold up to the end.
I let off a bit there at the second, and was 13" behind leader Ovechkin.
Into the last km, my legs were on fire, but was it worth it? Yes it was, third provisional overall time! I completely over performed today, let's see how many places I will move down, with nearly all favourites still to ride..
And Denis Menchov finishes, and he's 3 seconds behind me! Wow, I have ridden the time trial of my life!
J.J. Rojas, not a naturally great TTer, would not have to work to keep his overall lead here, he has a 1'08" lead over Katusha's Morneo, in 2nd place.
And Marzio Bruseghin has ripped up the field here, setting a new best time, moving me down to 4th and 7" behind.
Jerome Coppel was the best time-trialist still yet to finish, and has shown good from, so may knock me down to 5th.
Yes he does! Another 7" on Bruseghin, and I am down to 7th now due to David Lopez and Moreno setting the third and fourth best times.
Rojas finishes the day in 7th, knocking me down to 8th.
Stage 5 - Final Rankings
1
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
30'12"
2
M. Bruseghin
Movistar Team
+ 8"
3
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
+ 11"
4
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
+ 12"
5
A. Ovechkin
Katusha Team
+ 13"
...
8
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
+ 16"
Overall Standings
Spoiler
GC
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
14h05'28"
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
+ 59"
3
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
+ 1'26"
4
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
+ 1'32"
5
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
+ 1'34"
...
29
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
+ 4'22"
Points
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
109 Pts
2
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
48
3
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
42
4
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
42
5
K. Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
36
...
28
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
8
KoM
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
20 Pts
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
14
3
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre -ISD
12
4
S. Ivanov
Katusha Team
10
5
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
8
Young Riders
1
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
14h06'54"
2
J. Pantano
Colombia es Pasion - Cafe de Colombia
+ 1'19"
3
R. Costa
Movistar Team
+ 1'44"
4
A. Heniez
Skil - Shimano
+ 1'50"
5
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
+ 2'56"
Wow, 8th place in a time-trail. I beat the like of Menchov, Phinney (unfortunantely, who let us down a bit with a disappointing 52nd place), Lofkvist and Frantisek Rabon. The Directeur Sportif gave me a real good pat on the back, and said that if I kept this good riding up, I may well be the leader in the Settimana Coppi e Bartali in March! What an honour that would be!
Morabito did very well to maintain his position, and will probably finish 7th overall. Very well done by the Swissman. Tomorrow is the final stage, and I will be in a break hopefully!
I thought I would try out a new report system. It will be in third person, for example 'Tim goes on to the attack'. This is the style Dominik Nerz uses and I find it very effective to be able to tell when the rider is mentioned. When I want to say a monolouge in first person though, it will be in italics and bold.
For example, 'It was a really windy day out there, and I was struggling to keep up'. Hopefully this improves the reading experience. All feedback is welcome..
Final stage, and with the first in-race mountain sprints here, 6 points are up for grabs. Moreno of Katusha is the only rider with any reason to go for the points, since if he gets them and Rojas gets none, he will be equal leader of the KoM. A sprinter (Rojas) should win today, but I will join the break, as a reward for yesterdays TT effort, and go for some unlikely glory! Wish me luck!
Tour of Oman
Stage 6
Qurayyat - Mattrah Seafront : 157.3kms
Tim tried to breakaway before the climb, but couldn't get in front in time. The climb was devastating, and luckily it is only a few kms, because the average gradient is around 15%! Tim attacked on the flat and joined the 9 man group, but the pack wouldn't comply and they were reeled back in.
Tim joined a second group, and although HTC were making it very difficult, he thought he'd have some fun and take the sprint points. Tim went for third time lucky, but again, HTC were being really stubborn, and weren't letting any breaks get far.
I was not happy with my unsuccessful attempts to join a break, and went back to cool my head and get bottles for the team. When I got back to the front, I was annoyed to see that the a break had formed and had a 2'25" lead. I involved 5 riders, and 2 more stuck in the middle.
With a small climb coming up, Steve Morabito attacked. He is only 30" away from a podium finish, so he went for broke!
He quickly gained 1'15" on the pack, and started to chase down the pack.
He caught up with the breakaway, and their lead was at 1'38". The teams really must not want BMC to get a stage win!
With 32kms Morabito group was caught, and the dream of a podium was over, for now..
10kms to go, and BMC just can't get a train going. Really disappointing as GVA was ready to go.
2 kms and The trains of Lampre, HTC and Sky were all in high gear, but Movistar was no where to be seen, and J.J. Rojas was stuck on Ben Swift's wheel.
Galimzyanov of Katusha had great acceleration and pushed past all. He was good for the win, but then de ja vu! Rojas again sprints past them all and completes his sweep of the road stages. Amazing riding by that man!
Cav gets his first podium and Van Avermaet finishes 17th.
Stage 6 - Final Rankings
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
3h43'11"
2
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
s.t.
3
M. Cavendish
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
4
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
5
F. J. Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
...
95
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
1'30"
Jose Joaquin Rojas absolutely dominated this sprinters, and climbers, field. Pure class by the 25 year old Spaniard
Final Overall Standings
Spoiler
GC
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
17h48'19"
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
1'19"
3
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
1'46"
4
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
1'52"
5
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
1'54"
...
36
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
6'06"
Points
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
134 Pts
2
A. Petacchi
Lampre - ISD
62
3
D. Galimzyanov
Katusha Team
62
4
M. Cavendish
HTC - Highroad
46
5
K. Lacombe
Team SpiderTech powered by C10
45
...
21
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
14
KoM
1
J. J. Rojas
Movistar Team
20 Pts
2
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
14
3
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
12
4
S. Ivanov
Katusha Team
10
5
D. Lopez
Movistar Team
8
Young Riders
1
J. Coppel
Saur - Sojasun
17h50'05"
2
J. Pantano
Colombia es Pasion - Cafe de Colombia
1'19"
3
R. Costa
Movistar Team
1'44"
4
A. Geniez
Skil - Shimano
1'50"
5
S. Spilak
Lampre - ISD
3'41"
...
21
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
4'20"
Along with Bookwalter, Morabito and Moinard, I finished 1'30" behind the pack. Disappointing end to the tour, but now I have a week or two to rest before I race the Strade Bianchie in prep for the Settimana Coppi e Bartali.
It's March and I thought I would give a run down o all the years racing so far. Major wins are listed below..
Tour Down Under
UWT
Alex Kristoff
BMC Racing Team
Etoile de Besseges
2.1
Pierrick Fedrigo
Francaise de Jeux
Tour of Qatar
2.1
Jose Joaquin Rojas
Movistar Team
Tour Mediterraneen
2.1
Staf Scheirlinckx
Veranda's Willems - Accent
Tour of Oman
2.1
Jose Joaquin Rojas
Movistar Team
Volta ao Algarve
2.1
Stefano Garzelli
Acqua & Sapone
Tour du Haut Var
2.1
Staf Scheirlinckx
Veranda's Willems - Accent
Vuelta a Andalucia
2.1
Rigoberto Uran
Sky Pro Cycling
Giro de Sardegna
2.1
Giampolo Caruso
Katusha Team
Omloop het Nieuwsblad
1.HC
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervelo
Le Samyn
1.1
George Hincapie
BMC Racing Team
Great season for Hincapie so far, winning Le Samyn and is the current leader of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen. The coobled tour started in a prologue which Hincapie won 5" ahead of Sky's Thomas Lofkvist. He also earned a great 4th place finish in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad.
CQ Rankings
1
Jose Joaquin Rojas
Movistar Team
550 Pts
2
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervelo
507
3
Staf Scheirlinckx
Veranda's Willems Accent
357
4
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Sky ProCycling
347
5
Sebastien Hinault
AG2R La Mondiale
295
...
160
Tim Roe
BMC Racing Team
33
Our best placed rider in the Cycling Quotient is Alex Kristoff in 8th position after his Tour Down Under win.
The real season starts this month with the Paris - Nice, Tirreno - Adriatico, where Cadel will start his season, Milano - San Remo, Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and Gent - Wevelgem. I am participating in the Strade Bianche and the Settimana Coppi e Bartali before a long break, and then the Amgen Tour of California, which will be a blast. My schedule for the next 4 months after Settimana was told to me by Directeur Sportif yesterday, here it is...
Amgen Tour of California
15/05 - 22/05
Tour de Slovenie
16/06 - 19/06
Inst. Osterreich Rundhfart
03/07 - 10/07
Eneco Tour
08/08 - 14/08
USA Pro Cycling Challenge
22/08 - 28/08
Tour of Britain
11/09 - 18/09
A great, challenging schedule. All these races are going to be great, can't wait!
This great race is my first ever one-day classic! I am very excited! Past winners here are Alexander Kolobnev, Fabian Cancellara and Thomas Lofkvist. This is the 5th edition of the Strade Bianche and the first race for our Tour de France leader Cadel Evans. The race will consist mainly of riders participating in the Tirreno Adriatico.
The 190km circuit from Gaiole to Siena is a very hilly one, and with an uphill-ish finish we feel it should be very exciting. Of course, Cadel is in quite poor from, and may not feature prominently, but Allesandro Ballan will be our leader. He is a proven classics rider, and despite not being entirely fit, should still do well. Greg van Avermaet will be our third choice as he is a great rider on the hills and can sprint with the best of them too.
My role will be as a domestique to Cadel and Allesandro, and while I will stay in the pack, I hope to be right near the front at the end of the race.
The main threats here are Alexandre Vinokourov, who is a terror on a course like this, a fit Denis Menchov, and Ivan Basso, in his first race for the season. Lots of big names here to ride the famous white roads! Hopefully we can earn our first classics victory of the season with this strong squad!
Chad Beyer set off in the first break of the day. He was alone at the front, but had Itera - Katusha's P. Kochetkov just trailing him. A group of 7 were further back, quite near to the peloton. His lead overall was about 3'00"...
Chad was the first rider to hit the white gravel roads, and with 150kms to ride he was doing admirably, looking very strong with a 6'35" lead. He had lost Kochetkov with his great downhilling skills, and would have to go it alone. The pack reached the Strade Bianche and it was absolutely glorious! The countryside looked marvellous!
Beyer's break was growing considerably, and as he hit the bottom of the main climb, he led the peloton by 10'15"!
75kms to go and the peloton had now split into a group of the main riders. Most leaders were there including nearly all of BMC and Astana teams. Chad's lead was at 6'30"... My role today was to protect Cadel, and although we were concentrating on the race, we had a really good chat. It is really rewarding to be able to ride with such a professional.
WIth 47kms to ride, the group had shrunk even more, with the most notable riders to be dropped being Denis Menchov and Ivan Basso.
WIth 35kms to ride, Chad Beyer's lead was at 2'40" and closing...
After 175kms of hard racing, Chad Beyer was finally caught in the last 15kms. Terrific ride by the American, and although his day is just a bout over, he will leave proud no matter what the final result...
14.3kms and some attacks are being made! Acqua & Sapone's R. Marzoli attacks with Carrara of Vaconsoleil and Andrea Noe of Farnese Vini...
9kms and Allesandro Ballan makes his decisive attack! He is ahead with Carrara or Vaconsoleil as the pther two fall back!
They are caught soon though, and it looks as if a sprint finish is in order!
Oh no, Santambrogio has fallen! An awful time for a fall, he was in a great position for a top-10 or higher finish! Really disappointing...
The final sprint is on! It is a very tough hill to sprint on, and Van Avermaet will be challenged! Vinokourov falls back, so GVA takes Igliniskiy's wheel..
It seems slightly kate though and it is! A late push cannot grab the win and Yuri Trofimov of Katusha takes it ahead of TT1's Callegrin!! GVA is 6th while Ballan is 10th. Tim finishes a couple of minutes back in 25th..
One of the best win of this man's career!
Final Standings
1
Y. Trofimov
Katusha Team
5h06'13"
2
D. Callegarin
Team Type 1
s.t.
3
M. Carrara
Vaconsoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
4
D. Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
5
R. Marzoli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
6
G. Van Averamet
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
7
A. Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
8
M. Iglinskiy
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
9
M. Marcato
Vaconsoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
10
A. Ballan
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
...
25
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
+ 2'06"
Greg Van Avermaet was very angry with himself after his late sprint attempt, and did not attend dinner tonight. I will have a talk to him, hopefully he is fine and just blowing off some steam. On the brighter side though, a 25th place for me is very well done I think, and I hope I can achieve some more great results like this in the future!
I will give you an update on the Tirreno and the Paris - Nice soon, but now I need some rest after such a big day!
Tim.
I'm currently in Italy for the start of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali and I'm really pumped up. My form is great, my confidence is high, and I may well be the leader of the race!
But first, Here is a recap of the Tirreno - Adriatico and Paris - Nice.
Paris Nice 06/03 - 13/03
The first stage was quite flat and ended in a sprint finish. Heinrich Haussler was the fastest on the day, and took the first stage win.
The second stage was just about the least exciting stage ever, as Francesco Chicci edged out Haussler in the mass sprint.
The third stage was a bit hillier and ended with a substantial climb near the finish line. Haussler is a god climber though, and took another sprint finish win ahead of QuickStep's Ciolek.
The race finally got interesting in stage 4 when Frenchmen Julian el Fares and Jeremy Roy completed the French 1-2 and took the overall lead.
Stage 5 ended with a nasty climb, and Rigoberto Uran showed his class, taking a courageous win ahead of Alberto Contador and Chris Horner! Brent Bookwalter suprised many, and took 16th place.
The 6th stage time trial was a hilly 27km circuit and Garmin's David Zabriskie took the win ahead of Lars Boom and Tony Martin. Bookwalter strengthened his position with a 12th palce on the stage, 37" back.
The penultimate stage was the queen of the Paris - Nice and was won gain by Uran, this time ahead of TdF runner up Andy Schleck. Uran won the race with this stage win!
The final stage was very hilly and veteran Jens Voigt took the stage win ahead of Uran. A great win for the Leopard - Trek fighter.
Above pictured, Uran on his stage 5 victory over Alberto Contador. A great overall win from the Colombian and the biggest of his career! He may shock us all at the Giro or Tour!
Overall Standings
1
R. Uran
Sky ProCycling
30h37'38"
2
P. Gilbert
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 1'47"
3
C. Horner
Team RadioShack
+ 3'09"
4
J. Roy
Francaise de Jeux
+ 4'24"
5
J. Voigt
Leopard Trek
+ 4'50"
Spoiler
6
C. Barredo
Rabobank Cycling Team
+ 7'09"
7
L. Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
+ 7'31"
8
M. Nieve
Euskatel - Euskadi
+ 7'36"
9
J. Fuglsang
Leopard Trek
+ 9'25"
10
J. Pineau
QuickStep Cycling Team
+ 11'41"
11
J. Hivert
Saur - Sojasun
+ 12'18"
12
B. Wiggins
Sky ProCycling
+ 12'29"
13
D. Zabriskie
Team Garmin - Cervelo
+ 12'42"
14
S. Sanchez
Euskatel - Euskadi
+ 13'16"
15
N. Sorensen
Saxo Bank SunGard
+ 13'59"
16
A. Contador
Saxo Bank SunGard
+ 14'02"
17
A. Schleck
Leopard Trek
+ 15'06"
18
M. Rogers
Sky ProCycling
+ 15'14"
19
P. Lastras
Movistar Team
+ 15'33"
20
J. A. Flecha
Sky ProCycling
+ 15'42"
King of the Mountains: Sandy Casar - Francaise de Jeux
Points Jersey: Rigoberto Uran - Sky ProCycling
Young Riders: Rigoberto Uran - Sky ProCycling
Tirreno - Adriatico 09/03 - 15/03
The first stage team time-trial of the Tirreno was won by Movistar Team who brought a great TT squad. BMC finished third.
The second stage was a flat stage with a few big hills in the second half of the race. BMC's Mauro Santambrogio was 2nd behind Bernie Eisel on the stage.
Stage 3 was a flatter version of stage 2, and Mark Cavendish won the stage easily ahead of Tyler Farrar.
Stage 4 was a great stage. Simon Gerrans attacked late with Greg Van Averamaet and the Australian won, just ahead of a speedy GVA. Another great result for BMC as GVA took the leaders jersey.
In stage 5, Bernard Eisel and Stuart O'Grady led a large break, and took it all the way, just beating Cunego and Menchov by 25". Hushovd takes 5th place and a great overall position.
The 6th stage was highlighted by a stunning final attack from Allesandro Ballan that he took all the way to the finish! Hushovd took second on the stage and therefore 2nd overall behind Cungeo.
The final stage ITT was crucial for the overall standings. As Cancellara took the stage win, Hushovd needed 16" on Cunego to win, and did just that getting 36" seconds and taking an overall victory! EBH and Geraint Thomas got 2nd and 3rd on the stage.
Thor takes a rare stage race overall victory and the world champs jersey has given him strength this season!
Overall Standings
1
T. Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervelo
25h47'52"
2
D. Cunego
Lampre - ISD
+ 21"
3
M. Bruseghin
Movistar Team
+ 1'18"
4
R. Hesjedal
Team Garmin - Cervelo
+ 1'52"
5
D. Di Luca
Katusha Team
+ 2'03"
Spoiler
6
D. Menchov
Geox - TMC
+ 2'35"
7
G. Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
+ 4'02"
8
C. Evans
BMC Racing Team
+ 5'45"
9
S. Gerrans
Sky ProCycling
+ 6'09"
10
D. Devenyns
QuickStep Cycling Team
+ 7'30"
11
F. Cancellara
Leopard Trek
+ 7'40"
12
A. Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
+ 7'43"
13
J. Rodriguez
Katusha Team
+ 8'02"
14
J. Vansummeren
Team Garmin - Cervelo
+ 8'12"
15
E. Boasson Hagen
Sky ProCycling
+ 8'14"
16
G. Visconti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
+ 8'30"
17
Y. Trofimov
Katusha Team
+ 8'40"
18
J. Vanendert
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 9'05"
19
R. Nocentini
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 10'09"
20
R. Costa
Movistar Team
+ 10'14"
King of the Mountains: Jose Serpa - Androni Gicoattoli
Points Jersey: Thor Hushovd - Team Garmin Cervelo
Young Riders: Edvald Boasson Hagen - Sky ProCycling
Some great wins for Thor and Rigoberto there, they will be forces to be reckoned with later in the year. BMC's performance at the Tirreno was great too, with 1 stage win and two second places.
I will give recaps of the Milano - San Remo and Gent - Wevelgem later tonight, but now I have to go to the gym and do some more riding!
The Milano - San Remo was won this year by Andre Griepel! The German timed his sprint perfectly past EBH and Cavendish to take the biggest win of his career! Greg Van Avermaet finished 19th after a dissapointing race...
Redemption for Andre Greipel at the Milano - San Remo!
The Settimana Coppi e Bartali is one of Italy's most important stage races. Past winners here have been Damiano Cunego, Michele Scarponi, Cadel Evans and our won Ivan Santaromita, who is the defending champion..
I have been named as co-leader with Marcus Burghardt! This is a great opportunity to show the team and the world what I can do as a leader in a week long stage race! Stage 2 is a 15kms long team time-trial and hopefully we can set some fast times despite not bringing a strong TT squad! The race will be decided though in the queen stage 4. This stage has an uphill finish and 7 seperate climbs. I cannot wait!
The first stage is a short 79km flat stage through the town of Riccione. John Murphy will be our leading sprinter here...
Settimana Coppi e Bartali
Riccione - Riccione : 79kms
Every 8kms, there is a steep, 11% climb for about 2kms. This would be a great place to attack in the last few kms.
A 5mna breakaway had 2'24" on the peloton with 35kms to race. The pack included Johnny Hoogerland and Kevin Seeldraeyers most notably..
BMC's Yannick Eijssen and C. Butler were at the front, doing all the work to bring back the breakaway!
With 15kms to ride, the break still had 1'13" on the pack, they were fighting hard!
And despite some unsuccessful attacks the pack made it over the last hill in one piece! The break still had 49"!!
And ouch a huge crash has occurred, many riders are down, including Tim! He can't get up! Is that the end of the race for him?
The pack was closing in, but Hoogerland holds on and takes a great victory! There will be no time gaps between him and the peloton but he still rode very well! John Murphy takes 15th...
Stage 1 Standings
1
J. Hoogerland
Voconsoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
1h58'02"
2
P. Kochetkov
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
3
J. Kocjan
Team Type 1
s.t.
4
O. Gatto
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
5
S. Schumacher
Miche - Guerciotti
s.t.
...
T. Roe
BMC Racing Team
Withdrawal
And some terrible new for BMC fans, young gun Aussie Tim Roe has been forced to abandon the race after sustaining a broken hand in the crash with Stefano Garzelli earlier in the race. Terrible news for all cycling fans, as he was looking to make his mark here in Italy...
Well, I am shattered. Absolutely shattered. This was my big race, my time to shine, and I have to abandon. I'm felling really down right now. I was going up the last climb, and I was next to Garzelli, and we just clipped wheels. I landed on my hand, and the second I got up I knew it was bad. They say that there are the highs and the lows, this is definitely a low for me.
I hope the team has great success in the race, and I guess I won't be racing for 2 months.
Hi all,
It has been a month or so since my fall, and a quick update on the injury, the hand is felling okay, I've being doing some riding with the trainers and it is a bit sore, but feeling better. The doc said I should be good for the Tour of Cali but wasn't making any promises.
There has been some great riding by our team and others in the last month Here is a quick rundown of the major winners...
Settimana Coppi e Bartali
2.1
Johnny Hoogerland
Vaconsoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
Criterium International
2.HC
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
E3 Prjis Vlaanderen - Harelbeke
1.HC
Juan Antonio Flecha
Sky ProCycling
Gent - Wevelgem
UWT
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervelo
KBC-Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde
2.HC
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervelo
Ronde van Vlaanderen
UWT
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervelo
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
UWT
Cadel Evans
BMC Racing Team
Paris - Roubaix
UWT
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervelo
Vuelta a Castila y Leon
2.1
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervelo
In the Settimana, Hoogerland had the leaders jersaey in the end, depsite losing it twice.
But the real rider that jumps out at you is Thor Hushovd! The world champion is putting on a show so far this season, and proved his Tirreno win was no fluke. He became only the second rider in history to win all three Flandrian classics in one season. The Gent - Wevelgem, The Ronde van Vlaanderen and the Roubaix were all his races! A commanding display by the superstar who is Thor Hushovd.
And of course, Cadel Evans won his first race of the season, gaining the leaders jersey in the Vuelta Pais Vasco in the final stage time trial. A great win, and shows he is in great form for this years TdF!
CQ RankingsSorry, flags are being a bitch..
1
T. Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervelo
1805 Pts
2
H. Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervelo
1072
3
Juan Antonio Flecha
Sky ProCycling
897
4
Rigoberto Uran
Sky ProCycling
809
5
Jose Joaquin Rojas
Movistar Team
685
6
Staf Sceirlinckx
Veranda's Willems - Accent
685
7
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
679
8
Fabian Cancellara
Leopard Trek
594
9
Andre Greipel
Omega Pharma - Lotto
582
10
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Sky ProCycling
556
Spoiler
12
George Hincapie
BMC Racing Team
502
13
Greg Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
501
...
21
Cadel Evans
BMC Racing Team
424
...
31
Allesandro Ballan
BMC Racing Team
330
...
295
Tim Roe
BMC Racing Team
33
The God of Thunder definitely deserves his top spot, but let's see if riders like Philippe Gilbert, Alexandre Vinokourov and Cadel can improve their places over the Ardennes classics..
The Ardennes classics start tomorrow with the Amstel Gold Race, and I have been lucky enough to travel with the team! I will write some short race reports, and take some snaps! It's good to think about anything other than my injury, let alone the prestigious Ardennes Classics where Cadel will look to repeat his great results from previous seasons!
rorzcp wrote:
DAMNIT, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO TIM BEING A LEADER!
I was irate when I saw he had stopped at the back of the pack. Very dissapointing. His next race will be Tour of Cali though, and he will get in some breaks and have some fun there, dont worry.
The Amstel Gold Race is one of the biggest races on the calendar, and along with La Fleche Wallone and Liege - Bastone - Liege, makes up the Ardennes classics.
Philippe Gilbert won the 2010 race and is favourite to defend his crown. His main challengers will be Joaquim Rodriguez, Cadel Evans and Damiano Cunego among many others. The best rider missing from the race is Alberto Contador, who has chosen not to race the first of the three.
The race started slowly, with no break group forming until after about 65kms. Greg Van Averamet joined the break along with J.M. Soler, P. Tiralongo, Jan Bakelants and Danny Pate most notably.
They never got a very strong lead though and were caught soon after.
The next group to form seemed like it would be the group of the day, as it established a 3'15" lead. The pack contained Tiralongo, Baden Cooke, J. McCartney of RadioShack, F. Willems of Omega Pharma, Caleb Fairly of HTC and L. Solari of Androni. Mikel Nieve was 2'00" behind the front break and 1'00" ahead of the peloton.
Just as Nieve joined the main break, Rabobank's Sebastien Langeveld attacked!
Again, more attacks! This time from Chris Horner, Micheal Albasini and J. Serpa of Androni!
The lead was now up to 5'00" as all the attackers joined the main break in front. The group was now star-studded and if any breakaway was going to win the Amstel Gold Race, this would be right up there.
The favourites group had formed with 50kms to race, and suprisingly, contained 5 BMC riders. Evans, Van Averamaet, Santaromita, Quinziato and Frank were all in the group along with favourites Rodriguez, Gilbert, Vinokourov and others...
The breakaway still had 4'11" on the leaders group, and were looking strong with 11 great riders to spread the load.
The leaders group was joined by 5 more riders, including Ivan Basso and Frank Schleck. The group was now 25 strong and would probably take it all the way home.
Another 4 riders joined, Robert Gesink, Geraint Thomas, Roman Kreuziger and Ruben Plaza. All strong riders, and that makes the competition even tougher.
Another 15 or so strong group was closing in on the pack, and mainlycontained luxury domestiques and climbers like Ryder Hesjedal and Dan Martin.
The break was now falling apart, and only the strongest survived at the front. Cooke, Fairly, McCartney, Solari and Tiralongo all fell back into the leaders group and behind as Fabian Cancellara set off to chase them down.
And the decisive moves were made, with Gilbert going first. Most favourites followed, including Evans, but Frank Schleck was the biggest name left halfway.
The biggest suprises in the leaders group were Simon Gerrans, Matti Breschel and Seb Langeveld. They will be praised for their efforts post race.
Greg Van Averamet was in the second group, a 7 man group containing Nieve, Basso and Kreuziger among others. He would easily win a sprint in this group.
Final 2kms and the sprint climb finish began!
Evans is on Gilbert's wheel, but he is too fast, and the Belgian sprints away from them all to take his first win of a hopeful triple for Omega Pharma!
Evans takes 2nd in front of Rodriguez! A great ride by Cadel, he is really in the form of his life this season!
Final Standings
1
P. Gilbert
Omega Pharma - Lotto
6h41'59"
2
C. Evans
BMC Racing Team
+ 11"
3
J. Rodriguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
4
D. Cunego
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
5
S. Sanchez
Euskatel - Euskadi
s.t.
Spoiler
6
A. Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
7
F. Cancellara
Leopard Trek
s.t.
8
S. Gerrans
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
9
M. Breschel
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
10
S. Langeveld
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
11
C. Horner
Team RadioShack
+ 47"
12
M. Albasini
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
13
F. Schleck
Leopard Trek
+ 1'45"
14
R. Hesjedal
Team Garmin - Cervelo
+ 2'04"
15
G. Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
+ 2'33"
Obviously a great job by Cadel to take 2nd but he will look to defend his crown at La Fleche Wallone and go one better! Gilbert will be hard to beat though, proving in today's race that he is here for one reason, to win!
@rorzcp I don't know about those training camps, but I will think about making him leader, especially after seeing his latest stat updates. They are below and boy I can't wait to start racing with him again! I'm not sure if he will be fit enough to race the Cali Tour and might wait until the Criterium du Dauphine even. I'm not sure.
I have being riding with trainers recently, and although the hand is a little sore, I just feel stronger you know, skills wise, especially on the climbs.
Charleroi - Huy : 200.3kms
Despite being the defending champ, I don't think this is Cadel's best chance to win, as the climbs are not too demanding, and the climb finish is quite short. After a great win last year ahead of Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Contador, he has confidence but is still being realistic. Amstel Gold Race winner Philippe Gilbert will be the favourite, and it is not surprising, as he is probably the best rider in the world right now. This should be a very entertaining race.
Cadel will obviously be our leader, while GVA and Santambrogio will be our back up in case of emergency. The startlist is pretty similar to Amstel, and the favourites are basically the same besides Andy Schleck who is racing here with brother Frank.
The first break of the day formed after about 65kms, and was small, but strong. Pieter Weening, Peter Velits, Ben Hermans, Igor Anton, Daniel Lloyd and Evert Verbist made up the group and the lead was at 1'30"..
With 85kms to ride, the lead of the pack was up to 5'00" and J.J. Cobo and K. De Weert were following the break, about 2'00" ahead of the peloton.
The peloton was chasing the pack down hard, and BMC were at the fore, lifting the pace with every turn of the pedal.
25kms to go, and the break had split into three groups. Hermans, Anton and Cobo were in front, while Weening followed, and De Weert, Verbist, Lloyd and Velits were behind.
15kms and the attacks were made. Gilbert is the first to attack again, and Evans and Sanchez are the only riders to follow.
The main group was over the penultimate hill, and with the breaks caught, the climb finish would decide it. Gilbert would be very hard to beat.
It was on, and the fast starts were form Vinokourov and Rodriguez. They were holding on in front and despite a closing Gilbert and Cunego, The Kazahk holds on and wins! Amazing victory for the Astana rider!
Evans struggled slightly at the end and comes in at 7th. Greg Van Avermaet does very well, ending in 8th! Gerrans is 9th and with two Aussies in the top 10, they are flying the flag for the green and gold!
Final Standings
1
A. Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
4h54'58"
2
D. Cunego
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
3
J. Rodriguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
4
P. Gilbert
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 16"
5
S. Sanchez
Euskatel - Euskadi
s.t.
Spoiler
6
J. Van den Broeck
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
7
C. Evans
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
8
G. Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
9
S. Gerrans
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
10
F. Schleck
Leopard Trek
s.t.
11
R. Uran
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
12
J. Pineau
QuickStep Cycling Team
+ 44"
13
I. Anton
Euskatel - Euskadi
s.t.
14
R. Nocentini
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
15
R. Hesjedal
Team Garmin - Cervelo
s.t.
A great win for the veteran! Has he reached top form again?
Another terrific day, and tomorrow is the conclusion of the Ardennes Classics with the prestigious Liege - Bastone - Liege! Can Cadel stop the Gilbert domination? Or will the Belgian complete his triple?
Hopefuly Tim can show his potential later in the season. 
. tempting?
DD, update on tims stats time?
