Pre-Race
The start of the classics season. Today we shall see a glimpse of the contenders in Flanders and Roubaix. A group of favourites will probably break clear in the finishing cobbled sections and will battle it out in a sprint.
Fabian will be strong, but certianly not the strongest today. He will look to follow attacks and try to get to the finish without Tom Boonen next to him.
My prediction for the day: Boonen. He's strong, anyone will have trouble leaving him on this not so hard course and there aren't many classics riders who can better him in a sprint.
Race Report
The riders were greeted in Gent by a warm, cheerful crowd and dreadful conditions! Some riders had faces that said it all, cobbles and rain were gonna make today a day of suffering in the saddle!
Rain and Grey skies
On the menu - Special of the day: Wet Cobblestones!
First cobbled section of the day
Bouyer was the first to go down, and he wasn't gonna be the last with today's conditions!
Bouyer falls
One hell of a brave man! Ciavatta goes away all by himself and he would be alone for the 70km to follow as nothing of significance happened in the bunch.
Brave Ciavatta attacks
The climb at the end of the first series of cobblestones occasioned one big break in the peloton, with fifty so riders clinging on to the main group of leaders.
Break in the peleton
The next cobblestones had a massive impact. Fabian Cancellara led with his teammate Rast on top of the steep hill and Boonen, along with 3 of his teammates stayed with them. This strong group of 6 broke clear while the rest of the peloton fractured into two groups.
Cancellara and Boonen clear
More drama followed on the very next section. Fabian Cancellara lost contact with the Boonen group! Rast obviously left the group too, in support of his leader. They fell back to a group of 25 who set off in chase of OmegaPharma - Quickstep.
Cancellara loses contact
The lead hovered at around half a minute for the whole 25km until the next set of cobblestones. Boonen's teammates were doing a fine job of holding off Liquigas, Rabobank and Radioshack at bay.
OmegaPharma working together
As Boonen saw the gap coming down, he accelerated away to fight the rest of the 28km on his own. His teammates fell back to the group, having done an excellent job. The group had meanwhile thinned out to about only 20 riders.
Boonen accelerates
With 25km to go, Vacansoleil chipped in to contribute to the chase, which until now was being led mostly by Liquigas and Rabobank. At that point, Boonen had a huge gap of over a minute.
They chased hard all the way to the finish. But Boonen was the strongest man today! He won the race, barely losing any time of the 1'05" gap he had. Brilliant performance from the Belgian!
Boonen wins
Behind, the group had thinned down to only 10 men and Baden Cooke had the strongest sprint, taking second on the stage ahead of Fabian Cancellara.
Cooke sprints ahead of Cancellara
Results
Race Results:
1
Tom Boonen
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
5h26'39
2
Baden Cooke
GreenEdge Cycling
+ 54
3
Fabian Cancellara
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
4
Lars Boom
Rabobank
s.t.
5
Stuart O'Grady
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
6
Nick Nuyens
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
7
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
8
Bjorn Leukemans
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
9
Sebastian Langeveld
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
10
Jens Keukeleire
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
Interview with Fabian
Fabian Cancellara after the race, being asked about his third place and how he lost contact with Boonen's group:
"First of all, I would like to congratulate Tom for his win. The strongest man won today!"
"When we were in the break, I talked to my directeur sportif. He told me that there was still a long way to go and to hold on if I was confident I had the legs to match Tom. He also advised me to fall back if I didn't feel so good. I wasn't feeling so good in fact and decided to fall back and gamble on Tom being caught by the strong group behind."
"A third place is not a bad start to my season. My form wasn't great today but I managed to hang on with the main group of favourites. I'm happy about that. I'm sure the form and results will improve as we progress towards my main objectives of the year: Flanders and Roubaix."
Edited by nightguy on 04-06-2012 17:15
Pre-Race
Today's race will bear some resemblance to yesterday's race in Gent. The cobbled climbs will make a selection among riders. But unlike yesterday, attacks are far less prone to success with the flat 30km run-in to the line. A sprint finish, on the other hand, is very likely.
Fabian showed yesterday that his form could not match Boonen's yet. Today he will be looking to hold on to the group of favourites and maybe get a placing in the sprint.
My prediction for the day: Boonen. Yesterday, he soloed to victory, today he will sprint to victory.
Race Report
Belgian Skies will not have been very popular amongst riders who started yesterday in Gent and found themselves on the line today only to find themselves in as bad as, if not worse conditions than yesterday!
Dark Skies in Belgium
Unlike yesterday, though, the stage started with a few attacks as riders tried to form a break. After a few attacks were reeled back in, a group of 5 were allowed to break clear in chase of one lone man who managed to get a decent gap earlier.
Early break
Sadly for them, the first climb of the day came too soon. The peloton cruised along that climb, reeling them back in. In the process, the peloton broke apart, and some big names didn't make it into the front group. Chavanel, Leukemans, Sagan and Nuyens were all missing. This prompted Rabobank, who had numbers upfront, to up the pace and definitely eliminate some favourites.
Break in the peleton
Little by little, the group thinned out under the furious pace set by Rabobank and GreenEdge. Only 28 riders were in the front group once they hit the next climb on the course.
Diminished peleton on the second climb
On a vicious descent, Clarke came around Cancellara, causing him to brake hard. He came through unscathed but right behind him was the big favourite, Tom Boonen. The latter was caught by surprise and squeezed too hard on the brakes. His crash was serious and he had to abandon the race, hoping the injuries sustained would not endanger his preparation for April.
Boonen crashes
On the day's toughest climb, a sudden upping of the pace by Breschel and Boom caught Fabian Cancellara and GreenEdge totally by surprise. Cancellara made the effort but it was too little too late as the pair built a minute's lead as the riders came down on the other side.
Rabobank break clear
GreenEdge and Cancellara chased frantically but as the lead grew and grew, their only chance was that the two men in front would crack and really lose rhythm.
The chase
The Rabobank riders didn't crack, but Cancellara sure did! He spent all his energy chasing the two men ahead and he paid a hefty price. 12km from the finish he could no longer keep up with the pace.
Fabian Cancellara losing contact
Boom was never caught and he had plenty of time to raise his arms in celebration as he neared the line. A great ride from the dutch cyclist today and certainly a big thanks to his teammate Breschel!
Boom at the finish
As the group behind caught and passed Breschel, Wijnants, who had had nothing to do during the last 40km, got the better of Ladagnous to take second place of the podium, making it a proud day for Rabobank.
Wijnants takes second
The rest of the riders arrived in ones and twos. Today's race was a real killer for the legs with the fast pace from start to finish. They will be happy having gotten this race over with, and will be hoping April doesn't start in similar fashion!
Ferbuary draws to a close and that time of the month has come for us to take a look at our schedule for the coming month.
Paris-Nice
We will be going in France for this 8-day stage race, with, as previously announced, Jens Voigt as our leader. Jens has a special affection for the race and this will be his last chance to shine in the hilly profile available for this edition of the race. Haimar Zubeldia has announced his desire to take part in the race and this will be his first block of races towards preparing for the Giro.
Tirreno-Adriatico
Being held at the same time as Paris-Nice, we will send a strong group of riders in Italy with two major objectives in mind. Preparation for Milan-San Remo, which takes place 3 days after the end of this race, and gathering race fitness for the cobbled classics in late March and early April. A couple of riders looking towards the Giro will also be there.
Milan-San Remo
First monument of the season, usually reserved for sprinters. Late attacks have sometimes prevailed though, and that's what we will be looking for with Fabian. Daniele will be our man in case of a sprint finish.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
We will venture in Spanish territory with no pressure. It doesn't mean there will be a poor showing from our team! Some riders will start their preparation for the hilly classics there.
Dwars Door Vlaanderen
The last cobbled race preceding the classics, not a classic in its own right but a real test for what is to come in the weeks following this race. We will use this opportunity to take a good look at the form of Fabian's opponents.
Criterium International
Another race that Jens holds close at heart. There's a great deal of respect for Jens in our team and we will be looking to support him for a good result in this 3-day stage race in France.
E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke
Now that's what I call a sense of humour!
First cobbled classic of the season. Fabian will be looking to get a third win in a row here! I'm sure he'd love to be on the podium next to "Miss" E3 Harelbeke!
Gent-Wevelgem
Daniele will have a chance of a victory in Wevelgem, if the race doesn't blow apart on the ascents of Mount Kemel. Otherwise, Cancellara will be the man we will count on.
Driedaagse De Panne - Kosijde
The final preparation before the monuments which feature in early April, a race often overlooked by a number of favourites. Fabian, despite our advice to take part, hasn't yet made a decision. Daniele has told us he would love to do the race though.
Edited by nightguy on 05-06-2012 06:42
Race Presentation
The Paris-Nice 2012 offers a route which favours attackers who excel in the medium mountains. Starting in Paris in the northern part of France, the race will go down all the way to Nice on the Côte d'Azur for the finish. An explosive battle awaits on the various cols that the race will ascend.
Race route
This year's edition starts with a bang! A trying prologue in Issy Les-Molineaux awaits the riders in Paris. The steep rise onto the Place Groupe Manouchian in the middle section of the course will definitely be the difference, after which a fast descent will bring us back to Hauts-de-Seine The favourites will have a chance to show their hands here, but do not discount the TT specialists, as the climb is very short.
Prologue
The riders will transfer to Cloyes-sur-le-Loir for the beginning of the first stage. The race will work its way southwards towards Buzançais over 186km of flat roads. There will only be one 3rd category climb. Expect to see the sprinters in action at the finish here.
Stage 1
A short transfer to Vatan for the start of the second stage will ensue. The riders will go south again, towards the commune of Limoges. A slightly hillier ride as compared to yesterday, but still one for the sprinters as the ups and downs are fairly gentle. Three 3rd category climbs will offer the opportunity for a brekaway rider to wear the best climber's jersey on the next day.
Stage 2
The riders will stay in Limoges for the start of stage 3, which will take the race further south into the beautiful town of Maurs La Jolie. A second category climb near the end of the race could well take some sprinters out of the equation for the stage victory. However, no gaps are expected between the big favourites, unless someone is feeling really strong.
The riders will have to deal with a long transfer to Sorgues for the start of the fourth stage. The race will work its way towards the French coast, going over 178km of hilly region. A good chance for breakaway riders to bask in some glory as the race heads to Manosque.
The race heads to one of the most beautiful regions of France, the Côte d'Azur, for the final stage. The riders, however, will have no time to enjoy the sumptuous mountains and sea. The final stage could still prove decisive! There are three first category climbs, the difficult Col d'Eze being placed only 16km from the finish.
Pre-race
Today's prologue will be a good pointer for the rest of the race. The overall favourites will look to put in a good ride here. The likes of Porte, Millar, Larsson, Zabriskie, Wiggins and Martin will fight for top place on the podium.
Jens can aim at a stage victory in Paris, he's good against the clock and he can climb fairly well.
My prediction for the day: Tony Martin. Quite simply put, he's the best professional time-trialist on the road at this moment, and he can climb.
Race Report
The day's favourite, Tony Martin, set off very early. He was the sixth rider off the starting ramp. And the German didn't disappoint! He blasted through the course and, at the finish, was 12s faster than Moser who had set a very respectable time of 8'13". He stands at 8'01", in the driving seat for now.
World time trial champion after the first checkpoint
Taylor Phinney came close as he crossed the line only 5s slower than Martin. A good time-trial from the young American.
Phinney sets off
The first climber to go was Michele Scarponi, who clocked in a time of 8'17".
Soon after, another contender for a stage victory set off, chasing Martin's time. Svein Tuft only managed to finish 8s behind though.
David Millar was unfortunately having a bad day and only managed to finish 12s down on Martin's time. The British rider surely will be disappointed with that performance.
Millar churning the wheels on the climb
Thomas De Gendt does well at the end of three weeks, apparently not so much at the start of a race! He clocks in 8'13", same time as Millar.
By the time Samuel Sanchez left, the wind had grown considerably stronger and the wind being a tailwind for a good portion of the race, times would be going down! The spanish rider came in only 6s down on Martin!
Sanchez starts
Peter Velits, the hope of Slovak racing, started the race with favourable wind conditions too. He was fast, really fast. Only 2s separated him from Martin's time at the intermediate checkpoint. At the finish, he had eaten another second out of that time! This was looking good for a place on the podium!
Velits on the road
Tom Danielson was the next big name to go. He has got to be counted amongst the favourites for the overall victory here! And he proves his credentials with a time of 8'09" at the finish!
Danielson reaching the finish
Michael Rogers was a bitter disappointment on this course, clocking in the same time as Millar, 8'13".
Damiano Cunego, hurting to prove he is back to his best after a few blank years, comes in at 8'22". He is not the best time-trialist here by a mile!
Richie Porte clocked in a great time! 3s slower than Martin. The wind was contributing to the performances here, and it was looking like Martin's time would not stand all the way to the finish!
Porte taking the first turn
Ivan Basso, probably not looking for anything from this Paris-Nice, clocks a respectable 8'16" nonetheless.
Romain Kreuziger, who, like Basso, will be aiming at the Giro this year, does well. He finishes with a time of 8'10". Martin's time is still holding here, but for how long?
Dave Zabriskie, another powerful American rider, disappoints. Touted as the rider who could really challenge Martin, he loses all of 7s to the latter on this hilly prologue.
Zabriskie at the finish
Gustav Larsson follows right behind Zabriskie. His time is not bad, 8'09", 8s down on Martin. Most of the main contenders for the stage have already gone here, it's looking like Martin might get away with the stage.
Geraint Thomas, the Britton, sets off and takes the first turn at very high speed. He's taking a fair few risks here! Guess what?! It pays off!! He gets ahead of Martin by a fraction of a second! Can Wiggins improve on that?
Thomas going fast
Vincenzo Nibali, one of the last big favourites to go, delivers a good performance for his standards. 8'13".
Marco Pinotti tries hard but he's just not amongst the big guns today. 9s down on Thomas for a decent performance today.
Jens Voigt soon goes and he's looking good on the climb! He comes in just a second off Martin's time at the intermediate, that's second best. Can he keep this up? Well, no. He fades away on the descent and loses 5 more seconds to Martin, finishing 6s down on Thomas.
Finally, the one everyone awaited! Bradley Wiggins, England's national time trial champion, goes off. As he crosses the line, everyone has eyes on the clock. And everyone looks down, he could only muster a place in the top 20 with 8'11".
Wiggins looking concentrated
Results
1
Geraint Thomas
Sky Professional Cycling Team
8'01
2
Tony Martin
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
s.t.
3
Peter Velits
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
+ 1
4
Richie Porte
Sky Professional Cycling Team
+ 3
5
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
+ 5
6
Samuel Sanchez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 6
7
Jens Voigt
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
8
David Zabriskie
Team Ga2min - Barracuda
+ 7
9
Tom Danielson
Team Garmin - Barracuda
+ 8
10
Svein Tuft
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Maarten Tjallingii
Rabobank
s.t.
12
Gustav Larsson
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
13
Tejay Van Garderen
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
14
Marco Pinotti
BMC Racing Team
+ 9
15
Roman Kreuziger
Astana
s.t.
16
Lieuwe West2a
Vacansoleil - DCM
+ 10
17
Bradley Wiggins
Sky Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
18
Blel Kadri
Ag2r - La Mondiale
+ 11
19
Tony Gallopin
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
20
Travis Meyer
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
21
Michael Rogers
Sky Professional Cycling Team
+ 12
22
Thomas De Gendt
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
23
David Millar
Team Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
24
Bauke Mollema
Rabobank
s.t.
25
Vincenzo Nibali
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
26
Alessandro Ballan
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
27
Jeromy Roy
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
28
Moreno Moser
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
29
Jimmy Engoulvent
Saur - Sojasun
+ 13
30
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana
s.t.
31
Ramunas Navardauskas
Team Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
32
Leigh Howard
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
33
Vladimir Karpets
Movistar Team
+ 14
34
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana
s.t.
35
Haimar Zubeldia
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
36
Jan Ghyselinck
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
+ 15
37
Remi Pauriol
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
38
Ivan Basso
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
39
Gert Steegmans
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
+ 16
40
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
41
Adam Hansen
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
42
Johan Le Bon
Bretagne - Schuller
snt.
43
Amael Moinard
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
44
Romain Bardet
Ag2r - La Mondiale
+ 17
45
Mark Cavendish
Sky Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
46
Pim Ligthart
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
47
Rui Costa
Movistar Team
s.t.
48
Stef Clement
Rabobank
s.t.
49
Niki Terpstra
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
+ 18
50
Benoit Vaugrenard
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
51
Anthony Roux
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
52
Petr Ignatenko
Katusha Team
s.t.
53
Hayden Roulston
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
54
Matthew Goss
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
55
anuel Quinziato
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
56
Maxime Bouet
Ag2r - La Mondiale
s.t.
57
David Le Lay
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
58
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
+ 19
59
Tosh Van der Sande
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
60
Adrien Petit
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
61
Anthony Delaplace
Saur - Sojasun
+ 20
62
Michael Matthews
Rabobank
s.t.
63
Sep Vanmarcke
Team Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
64
Marcello Pavarin
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
65
Jan Bakelants
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
66
Pavel Brutt
Katusha Team
+ 21
67
Ricardo Garcia Ambroa
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
68
Aliaksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
69
Christophe Le Mevel
Team Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
70
Gorka Verdugo
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
71
Mitchell Docker
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
72
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
73
Grischa Niermann
Rabobank
s.t.
74
Adam Blythe
BMC Racing Team
s.tn
75
Diego Ulissi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
76
Greg Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
+ 22
77
Zdenek Stybar
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
s.t.
78
Gregory Rast
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
79
Nicki Sorensen
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
80
Jean-Eudes Demaret
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
81
Pieter Weening
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
82
George Bennett
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
83
Lars Petter Nordhaug
Sky Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
84
Eric Berthou
Bretagne - Schuller
s.t.
85
Benat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
86
Sebastien Minard
Ag2r - La Mondiale
s.t.
87
Nicolas Rousseau
BigMat - Auber 93
s.t.
88
Laurens Ten Dam
Rabobank
s.t.
89
Valerio Agnoli
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
90
Nicolas Roche
Ag2r - La Mondiale
s.t.
91
Gatis Smukulis
Katusha Team
+ 23
92
Johan Vansummeren
Team Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
93
Eros Capecchi
Liquigas m Cannondale
s.t.
94
Francis De Greef
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
95
Jose Joaquin Rojas
Movistar Team
s.t.
96
Fabio Sabatini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
97
Dmytro Krivtsov
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
98
Vitaliy Buts
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
99
Samuel Dumoulin
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
100
Evgeni Petrov
Astana
s.t.
101
Jetse Bol
Rabobank
s.t.
102
Gorka Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
103
Xavier Florencio
Katusha Team
+ 24
104
Jelle Vanendert
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
105
Jonathan Thire
BigMat - Auber 93
s.t.
106
Thibaut Pinot
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
107
Sergio Paulinho
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
108
Romain Sicard
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
109
Paulo Tiralongo
Astana
s.t.
110
Robert Kiserlovski
Astana
s.t.
111
Laurent Mangel
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
112
Davide Appollonio
Sky Professional Cycling Team
+ 25
113
Sergio Henao Montoya
Sky Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
114
Cristiano Salerno
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
115
Egor Silin
Astana
s.t.
116
Matti Breschel
Rabobank
s.t.
117
Mikel Landa
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
118
Julian Dean
GreenEdge Cycling
s.t.
119
Karsten Kroon
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
120
Lucas Sebastian Haedo
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
121
Troels Vinther
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
122
Grega Bole
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
123
Geoffroy Lequatre
Bretagne - Schuller
s.t.
124
Gael Malacarne
Bretagne`- Schuller
s.t.
125
Christophe Laborie
Saur - Sojasun
+ 26
126
Mickael Cherel
Ag2r - La Mondiale
s.t.
127
Oleksandr Sheydyk
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
128
Thomas Rohregger
RadioShack - Nissan
s.t.
129
Pierre Cazaux
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
130
Dimitri Le Boulch
BigMat - Auber 93
s.t.
131
Kalle Kriit
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
132
Rob Ruijgh
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
133
Jesus Herrada
Movistar Team
s.t.
134
Fabien Bacquet
BigMat - Au"er 93
s.t.
135
Florian Vachon
Bretagne - Schuller
s.t.
136
Gianni Meersman
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
137
Yoann Bagot
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
138
Pierrick Fedrigo
FDJ - Bigmat
+ 27
139
Jonas Vangenechten
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
140
Romain Hardy
Bretagne - Schu,ler
s.t.
141
Matteo Tosatto
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
142
Damiano Caruso
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
143
Romain Zingle
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
144
Oscar Freire
Katusha Team
s.t.
145
Jean-Lou Paiani
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
146
Kris Boeckmans
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
147
Mathieu Perget
Ag2r - La Mondiale
s.t.
148
Renaud Dion
Bretagne - Schuller
s.t.
149
Brian Bulgac
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
150
Mahdi Sohrabi
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.M
151
Julien Simon
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
152
Stefan Denifl
Vacansoleil - DCM
s.t.
153
Dimitri Fofonov
Astana
s.t.
154
Guillaume Faucon
BigMat - Auber 93
+ 28
155
Jerome Pineau
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
s.t.
156
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
157
Jonathan Hivert
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
158
Juan Jose Haedo
Saxobank - Sungard
+ 29
159
Edwig Cammaerts
Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne
s.t.
160
Nacer Bouhanni
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
161
Kristof Vandewalle
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
s.t.
162
Ruben Perez Moreno
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
163
Francesco Chicchi
OmegaPharma - Quick Step
s.t.
164
Johan Mombaerts
BigMat - Auber 93
s.t.
165
Nicolas Bazin
BigMat - Auber 93
s.t.
166
Wesley Sulzberger
GreenEdge Cycling
+ 30
167
Flavien Dassonville
BigMat - Auber 93
s.t.
168
Daniele Pietropolli
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
169
Julien Berard
Ag2r - La Mondiale
+ 31
170
Kenny Elissonde
FDJ - Bigmat
s.t.
171
Michel Kreder
Team Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
172
Jean-Marc Bideau
Bretagne - Schuller
+ 32
173
Anders Lund
Saxobank - Sungard
s.t.
Post-race
With that, it's a British rider who wins the stage, not Wiggins as everyone anticipated, but the young Geraint Thomas. Congratulations to him! Martin was really the strongest, but he did not benefit from the best conditions.
Amongst the favourites for the overall, Samuel Sanchez has shown he's got good form coming into this race. But he will have to deal with the likes of Velits, Porte and Danielson, if he is to take a second stage race victory in 2012.
Edited by nightguy on 03-07-2012 15:30
Just wanted to let you know that I do check your story every once in a while. I like it a lot, your reports are high quality and you obviously put a lot of effort in this. Keep it up!
cunego59 wrote:
Just wanted to let you know that I do check your story every once in a while. I like it a lot, your reports are high quality and you obviously put a lot of effort in this. Keep it up!
+1
ive been busy recently but ill be excited to read this properly when i can get some time!
I love the graphick's on this story,it brings back beatifull memories!
also the reports are great, and to be honest, I didnt like the Team so much in the beginning, because I found that there were too many captains, but it seems like you served them out right, cause this defintly I like to have Tracked
Brings back great memories for me too in fact. I remember those numerous times my riders went in the red and I panicked the first few times I played the game! Haha.
Well yeah, that's true, there are many captains! But well it's Radioshack Nissan Trek as it is now. If I do make it beyond a couple of years, I'm certain the team will change a lot as I won't be able to cope with wage demands! The present wages are a bit screwed up in this DB, didn't quite bother to alter it.
18/02
Trofeo Laigueglia:
A hilly terrain and a race where Italians like to make an appearance. Damiano Cunego and Ivan Basso capped great performances by finishing on the podium just behind Matthe Lloyd.
18/02
GP International du Haut Var: Gianpaolo Caruso of Katusha took this hilly race in France just ahead of Segey Lagutin and another Katusha man, Yury Trofimov.
24/02 - 03/03
Tour of Langkawi
Getting into the winning break on the very first day, outperforming himself in the mountains and getting a decent time against the clock in the penultimate stage guaranteed Yury Trofimov success in this long stage race in Malaysia. He held off stiff competition from Alexandre Geniez and Matthieu Sprick, the two Frenchmen from Project14ti.
26/02
GP Lugano: Matthew Wilson continued the success of GreenEdge in the early stages of the season by getting the better of Damiano Caruso and Geraint Thomas as 5 men got away and finished together.
29/02
Le Samyn:
A breakaway stayed clear in Belgium as Tim Mertens won the sprint from the 8-men group ahead of Fumiyuki Beppu, GreenEdge yet again, and Ian Bibby. GreenEdge had two more men in the top 10!
01/03 - 03/03
Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen:
By winning the closing time-trial, Alex Rasmussen took the overall win by a slender margin over Bred Lancaster, just by the way, from GreenEdge, and Cyril Lemoine.
I just realsied the team failed to release the line-up at Paris-Nice. Well here it is.
Our line-up Jens Voigt
Haimar Zubeldia
Jan Bakelants
Thomas Rohregger
Tony Gallopin
George Bennett
Gregory Rast
Hayden Roulston
We have a strong team to support Jens here. The team can chase well over the climbs and will certainly have to given the strong field present at this race. We wish Jens all the best and we're a 100% behind him!
Gallopin's main role will be that of a teammate. No weight of expectations over him in the sprints, we are aware he is not ready to fight it out with the big guns yet.
Edited by nightguy on 05-06-2012 19:46
Won't stop me from continuing my story though! I'm having fun too! 
