The route of the Milano - Sanremo doesn't change much. This is the same route that we raced two years ago, with only the Capos before the Cipressa and the Poggio. The race is the longest of the season, so the most endurable sprinters are the favorites.
The riders welcome the spring season as they go through the top of the Turchino. The Tirreno sea welcomes them for the route towards the north and the town of Sanremo. The break of the day has 5 riders, including Hubert Dupont (Saxo Bank), Levi Leipheimer (HTC) and Michael Matthews (Garmin). However, they don't have much hope of succeeding, as they still have 151 kilometers remaining. The gap to the bunch is 12' 40''.
A second group of riders took shape at the Capo Cervo, as the bunch was closing in the break. In this second group were riders like Alessandro Ballan (BMC), Matthew Goss (Saxo Bank) and Sebastian Langeveld (Vacansoleil). The situation in Capo Berta (48 km to go) was: Second group losing 45 seconds to the original break and the bunch losing (1' 15''.
Hubert Dupont tried a solo attack in the last kilometers. He had 40 seconds on the bunch climbing the Cipressa; however, the chances of the French are slim considering he is tired from the break.
Dupont was caught before the Poggio, where no attacks happened. George Hincapie and Jakob Fuglsang reach the top with a few meters on the main group, but they don't seem to have opened a big enough gap. The sprinters are still in contention.
Fuglsang attacks with 7 kilometers remaining. This is a very hard attack by the Danish, as Lieuwe Westra tried to follow but is trailing behind.
Fuglsang is going to win the Milano - Sanremo. He has 30 seconds on Westra within the last 2 kilometers and 1' 10'' on the bunch.
Jakob Fuglsang wins in Sanremo! The Danish rider takes the win in the second Clasiccissima of the story. He won last in another important race, the Clasica de San Sebastian, but this is by far the biggest win of his career.
Lieuwe Westra keeps the second place in the race, ahead of the mass sprint of the peloton. Yauheni Hutarovich won the sprint and took the third place, while Francisco Ventoso took the fifth place. Hutarovich delivered what the team was expecting of him, to win the sprint of the group. However, the control of the bunch was slim and the teams with the best sprinters couldn't keep the breaks at bay.
Another monument awaits the riders two weeks after the Milano - Sanremo. This time the weather will probably not be as good as in Italy, as Belgium can provide with wind and rain in this time of the year. Peter Kennaugh was the winner three years ago, the last time that the riders had to face the toughest race in Belgium. The British doesn't start as a favorite this year, as Garmin will probably have better chances working for Geraint Thomas.
Favorites:
- Bjorn Leukemans (Lotto): Leukemans has the label of being the best cobbles rider, but he never sealed that with a win. Nevertheless, he is always among the top positions in the cobbled races. This is the only race with cobbles of the season, so he has made it one of his top priorities for the season.
- Johan Van Summeren (Quickstep): The Belgian has been amazing in the early season in the job of positioning Tony Gallopin in the mass sprints. However, his main role in the team is that of the cobbled races. With only Flanders this year in the calendar, Van Sumeren is keen on taking the leading role for once.
- Alessandro Ballan (BMC): Ballan won twice last year, the third stage and the GC of the Tour of Beijing, but none of the victories mark him as a great cobbles rider. Nevertheless, he has worked a lot to improve his cobbles abilities and he can be named as one of the favorites for the Ronde.
- Oscar Freire (Rabobank): Not a lot of Spaniards are renowned for their abilities in the difficult Belgian road, but Freire is one of them. The Rabobank leader was second on 2009 in this race and he wants revenge. Besides, he won the Gent - Wevelgem last year, was 4th in Roubaix and 6th in the E3.
The route of the Ronde has two very different sections. For the first part of the race the riders will have an easy day with no difficulties, running through the coast of Belgium. The only trouble there can be the wind. Halfway through the stage though, the difficulties start. Lots of cobbled and paved hills are scattered through the last part, ending with the climbs to Kapelmuur and Bosberg, where the race can be decided.
This year’s Tour of Flanders wouldn’t be as tough, as the riders encountered a nice and sunny day in Belgium. Halfway through the stage (120 km to go), a group of 14 riders was in front, including John Gadret (Discovery), Andre Greipel (Lotto), Simone Ponzi (Katusha), Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank) and Borut Bozic (Lampre). Their gap is only 4 minutes as they are going to start climbing hills, so their chances are slim at best.
The race was broke very soon, as a small group of favorites took shape. With 52 kilometers still remaining a group of 6 was in front: Greipel and Leukemans (Lotto), Van Summeren and Devenyns (Quickstep), Freire (Rabobank) and Ballan (BMC). The Belgian teams were clearly dominating. Van Summeren had to do a good effort to connect with this group, as he was not in the original break. Jose Joaquin Rojas and Tony Gallopin were trying to join, but were already 2’ 20’’ behind.
Gerain Thomas (Garmin) tried a solo attack as Rojas and Gallopin were reeled back in. Meanwhile, Greipel lost contact in the leaders group. The group of 5 in front had 1’ 45’’ on Thomas and 3 minutes on the peloton with 31 kilometers remaining.
Bjorn Leukemans hits trouble again in a cobbled race as he gets a puncture at the start of the Kapelmuur. The Belgian is missing his chances for the win here.
Johan Van Summeren did a great climb to the Kapelmuur and left the other of the break much behind. The Belgian is on his way to his first major win. Devenyns, Ballan and Freire are losing 45’’ at the top; Leukemans loses 1’ 35’’; Geraint Thomas and Andre Greipel lose 2’ 05’’.
The understanding between the chasers is slim, as Bjorn Leukemans rejoins that group in the climb to the Bosberg. The gap that Van Summeren enjoys grows by the minute.
Van Summeren already celebrating with 2 kilometers remaining. He has more than 2 minutes on the chasers group, where even Geraint Thomas has arrived. The pace in the chasers group is really slow as they look at each other waiting for the final sprint.
Johan Van Summeren wins in Meerbeke! The Belgian takes the second edition of the Tour of Flanders in the story by completing a great attack in the Kapelmuur. Van Summeren had won a stage in the Giro last year, but this is a greater step in his career. Winning the Ronde is probably the biggest target for a Belgian.
Alessandro Ballan was the strongest of the second group, taking home the second place. Oscar Freire completed the podium ahead of Devenyns, Leukemans and Thomas. Quickstep was again very strong in the cobbled races, as he was last year. This time the Belgian team raised the level by taking the win in one of the most important races of the season.
The Vuelta al Pais Vasco is raced in the peak of the classics season, so it is a race where riders with very different fitness levels meet. This fact, along with the difficult terrain, makes the race very unpredictable, and it will be no different this year. Janez Brajkovic was the winner of the race last year, but it looks like the Discovery Channel team will support the local Mikel Nieve this time. The other riders in last year’s podium, Tondo and Kruijswijk, ride in Spanish teams that are very keen to do good at one of their home races.
Favorites:
- Bauke Mollema (Vacansoleil): Mollema was the winner of the Tirreno – Adriatico and therefore starts as one of the main favorites for the overall win in Spain. He missed the podium by only 4 seconds last year, so he knows the Basque roads well. He will probably be one of the most benefited by the late time trial, as he could win the race there if the GC is tight.
- Davide Rebellin (Movistar): The main targets of the season of Davide Rebellin start with the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. The hilly profiles of most of the stages fit the Italian better than his teammate Kruijswijk, who will also be at the start line in Zumarraga. Movistar would be very keen on having two riders fighting for the top places in their home race.
- Dries Devenyns (Quickstep): Dries Devenyns wants to take advantage of his good shape that allowed him to be 4th in the Tour of Flanders. The Belgian is getting prepared for the very important Ardennes week, where the Quickstep team is expected to perform a great show.
- Pieter Weening (Quickstep): Devenyns will have the enemy at home, as Pieter Weening can also be a dominant force in Spain. The Dutch is not so much preparing for the Belgian classics but for the Tour de France, so he is in a different training schedule. Nevertheless, these short but important races are good to improve in the early season. It is doubtful whether this set of good riders will play for the good or the bad of the team.
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 1: Zumarraga - Zumarraga
The first stage in the Pais Vasco features some traps already, as the final kilometers are hard enough for some good riders to try an attack. The two last climbs are Gabiria (14 km to the finish) and the Alto de la Antigua, which is a 2.3 km climb averaging a 9% gradient. The top of La Antigua is only 3 kilometers before the finish in Zumarraga.
A quite big break was formed when several groups joined during the first 40 kilometers. Among the 12 riders were names like David Lopez (Euskaltel), Joost Van Leijen (Rabobank), Alessandro Ballan (BMC), Beñat Intxausti (Katusha) and Jakob Fuglsang (Radioshack). Some of them were starting to suffer in the climb to Elosua, still 80 kilometers from the finish and where they had 5 minutes on the bunch.
Vacansoleil and Discovery were the keener teams to chase the break. They started the catch riders in the Alto de Barbaris, with 34 kilometers to go. However, the front group where 9 riders survived still had 2’ 35’’ on them.
David Lopez attacked and opened a gap in the climb to Gabiria. He had 20 seconds at the top over a chasing group that kept losing units and was down to 6. In the peloton there were several attacks from the likes of Leipheimer and Dupont, but none too successful. They were losing 2’ 40’’ on David Lopez.
Fuglsang, Ballan and Van Leijen caught David Lopez at the start of the last climb of the day, the Alto de la Antigua. The four of them crossed the mountain sprint together, from where only 3 kilometers remained to the finish. The bunch was far enough not to be a worry for them anymore.
After several attacks in the main bunch in the final climb, a mix of riders from the break and from the peloton is ahead at the top. Among them are dangerous riders like Leukemans, Dupont and Leipheimer.
Alessandro Ballan seems to have an edge on the descent over the other in the group and looks good to take the win as they enter the last kilometer of the stage.
Alessandro Ballan wins in Zumarraga! The Italian is on top of his shape. He couldn’t take the win in the Ronde van Vlaanderen but wins soon after. Ballan did a great descent ahead of Jakob Fuglsang, 2nd, and David Lopez, 3rd. Joost van Leijen lost contact and some seconds.
Behind the leaders, a group of 9 riders got 1 minute on the main bunch. This small group included some dangerous riders like Davide Rebellin, Bjorn Leukemans, Levi Leipheimer, Hubert Dupont and the World Champion, Jelle Vanendert. This will force the favorites that lost that train to attack in the following stages.
Bart de Clerq is the "youngest" (in terms of the story) rider that has been presented as a featured rider. The Belgian didn't debut in the story until 2010, when he was signed by the Omega Pharma - Lotto team. He wasn't shining too much during the season until he got into a break in the Eneco Tour. That stage would give him the 2nd place in the GC and the young jersey of the race.
Last year de Clerq's performance raised to another level as he took a lot of relevant results, especially the 4th place in the Volta a Catalunya and the 3rd in the Clasica de San Sebastian. At first he was supposed to work for the team leaders, Leukemans and Vanendert, with a free role sometimes. However, as the season progressed he was given more freedom. His season was so good that he ended in the Top 10 of the World Tour, almost with the same number of points that Vanendert got.
This year de Clerq has moved to Italy to join the Lampre - ISD team. He stated that he is looking for a leading role in the team, something difficult in a team filled with stars as Lotto. In the Italian team the leaders will be Hutarovich and him and their targets clearly don't colide. The season has started with no wins but very good results, especially the podium place in the Tirreno - Adriatico.
Wins:
2010
- 1st Young jersey Eneco Tour
2011
- 1st Young jersey Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Young jersey Criterium du Dauphine
2012
- 1st Mountain jersey Tour Down Under
Other notable results:
- 2nd 2010 Eneco Tour
- 4th 2011 Volta a Catalunya
- 3rd 2011 Clasica de San Sebastian
- 7th 2011 Tour of Beijing
- 10th 2011 Giro di Lombardia
- 7th 2012 Tour Down Under
- 3rd 2012 Tirreno - Adriatico
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 2: Zumarraga - Lekumberri
The second stage in the Pays Basque is again very hilly. Even the favorites could take advantage of the last climb, Azpiroz. Its top is only 3 kilometers from the finish, so some attacks are expected. Before that, another 6 categorized climbs will test the strength and endurance of the riders.
The riders had a crazy start of the stage today, as there were all kinds of attacks. There was a great fight as at one point there was a group of 25 riders including Janez Brajkovic, Bjorn Leukemans, Mikel Nieve and Dries Devenyns away. That made BMC and Vacansoleil work for a lot of kilometers to bring them back. The only break that settled in front was that of John Gadret (Discovery) and Jean-Christophe Peraud (Radioshack). They had 1’ 05’’ on the bunch as they went through the top of Zuarrarrate, 76 km from home.
Mikel Nieve (Discovery) and Dries Devenyns (Quickstep) were determined to make the bunch work, as they broke off again. However, they were caught just before the penultimate climb, Leaburu. Nieve took the mountain points at the top, where there was no rider left in front.
Hubert Dupont (Saxo Bank) was the first to attack in the final climb. He was able to open a small gap of 10 seconds, but soon Pieter Weening, Denis Menchov and Davide Rebellin react and start chasing.
Davide Rebellin (Movistar) and Denis Menchov (Katusha) settled in front in the last kilometers of the climb. They have 17 seconds over a group of Weening, Dupont, Ballan and Van Leijen with 2 kilometers to the top and 5 to the finish.
Menchov goes first through the Azpiroz top as the duo is increasing its gap to 30 seconds. There are several riders reacting in the last kilometer of the climb though. Bjorn Leukemans is coming strongest from behind.
Rebellin and Menchov enter the last kilometer with only 10 seconds on Bart de Clerq and Bauke Mollema, who are closing in fast. However, it looks enough for them to take the stage win.
Davide Rebellin wins in Lekumberri! The Italian narrowly wins ahead of a charging Bauke Mollema, who was fast enough to take the second place from Denis Menchov. The group of four got 20 seconds of Thor Hushovd and 34 seconds on the group with the rest of the favorites.
Alessandro Ballan therefore keeps the yellow jersey, but a threatening Rebellin is closing in the lead. The Italian is currently 5th, 41 seconds behind the leader. Mollema also moved ahead, but he is still 14th overall, almost 2 minutes down.
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 3: Villatuerta - Murguia
The third stage is somewhat easier than the previous ones, as there are not many climbs in the route. However, a mass sprint is not expected, as the climb to Altube is hard enough to disorganize the bunch. Its top is only 13 kilometers from the finish.
A rainy day didn’t hamper the willingness of the riders to attack. The break of the day soon settled with 11 riders. The group included: David Millar (Sky), John Gadret (Discovery), Greg van Avermaet (Movistar), Carlos Barredo (Katusha) and Jos van Emden (Vacansoleil). As they crossed the second KoM sprint in the Alto de Zarate they still had 6 minutes on the bunch.
The bunch reached the base of the climb to Altube 1’ 15’’ after the break. It would be hard for the men in the lead to hold that lead in the 5 kilometers climb, as there are a lot of teams looking for today’s stage win.
The peloton had no trouble catching the break at the end of the climb. The Quickstep riders seemed keen to break the group, as Weening and Devenyns attacked and were first through the KoM sprint. Several other riders tried to join, as there were only 13 kilometers remaining.
Jure Kocjan (HTC) counterattacked and overtook Weening in the last small hill. As they entered the final 6 km the Slovenian had only 10 seconds on the Dutch, while the bunch was 40 seconds behind the leader.
Kocjan enters the last kilometer with 15 seconds on Weening as the bunch is closing in both of them. However, the win for the HTC rider seems assured.
Jure Kocjan wins in Murguia! The Slovenian sprinter is also a very good hills riders and he has demonstrated it by taking the win after a solo attack. Piter Weening came home second, while the sprint of the group was won by Davide Rebellin. The sprinters seemed to be out of fuel after a fast climb to Altube and couldn’t handle the better hills riders.
The GC didn’t suffer any changes, as the gaps between the riders were so small that no time difference was awarded. The favorites now face the most decisive stage tomorrow, as there is a double climb to Arrate, where the stage ends.
