@Ripley: Thanks Ripley . Hopefully, the new riders will gel well in the team. The little Dutch flag is something I'm getting used to as well!
@dominox: Thanks and nice to hear from you . Just wanted to change the calendar up a bit. Also, the Vuelta has very less TT km, which might be a disadvantage.
I didn't start a race in January for the first time since my debut season. This was a calculated decision, to stay fresher by the time the GTs came around. Just one race in February.
Tour of Oman
After doing domestique duties for Barguil in this race last year, I was back as the leader of the team. I was one of the favourites for the win.
Stage 1 was in the flats and I stayed safely in the pack. The sprinters enjoyed the day.
Stage 2 saw some climbing. The early break of three had a six minute lead at its peak. I attacked 1 km from the top of the second climb. Seven riders were able to follow and make up the gap to me. Two of the break were caught but one survived to win the stage. More riders caught up to us. I finished 10th with Bosvelt 9th on the stage.
Stage 3 was another mild climbing stage. The pack split on the only climb of the day but got back together on the flat following it. Riders kept getting dropped in the high crosswinds. The break was caught with just over 10 km to go. The peloton was down to around sixty riders at this point. I rode away from the further reduced peloton with 5 km to go. Three riders caught up to me and left me behind before the finish. I finished 5th on the stage, caught by the next group on the road approaching the line. Ania finished 10th. I moved up to 7th in the GC.
Stage 4
I was among the favourites to win this stage. The early part of the stage was uneventful. After the break was caught, me and four more riders - Ania, Bardet, Beltran and Turano - attacked out of the pack. With 1.5 km to go, Beltran and I were able to launch another acceleration and distance the rest, who were caught before the line by the peloton. The two of us were so tired from the effort that neither could get up and sprint for the win. I just missed out in the end, finishing 2nd, but grabbing the leader's jersey! Ania finished 3rd.
Stage 5
The peloton split up in the first intermediate sprint and I found myself on the wrong side of it. I managed to chase back. Meintjes was a big name caught in the second group. Both me and Ania had left the peloton behind on top of the climb. With 14 km to go, a selct group of GC candidates caught the last of the break. McCarthy attacked with 10 km to go and puleld out a minute's lead. It was Me, de Plus and Gallopin in the second group, chasing down the Aussie, while GC 2nd placed Sagan was a further 30 seconds behind. We managed to cut the gap to McCarthy but couldn't catch him. I finished 4th on the stage, with de Plus 5th and Ania 10th. I held on to my GC lead.
Stage 6
My birthday! The early 7 man break was allowed to get a huge lead, which meant the pack spent most of the second half of the stage chasing. With 11 km left, Sagan launched an attack, which I could not counter. Despite my best efforts to chase, through the last 10 km, he surfed the wheels of the breakaway riders, set the pace when they dropped off and managed to hold on to a big enough gap to leapfrog me into first place in the GC!
General Classification
1
Peter Sagan
Swissair
20h48'18
2
Abhishek Sinha
Duvel
+ 39
3
Jay McCarthy
Huawei
+ 2'03
4
Tony Gallopin
Huawei
+ 2'40
5
Anastasio Ania
Duvel
+ 4'52
6
Eduard Beltran
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 6'43
7
Laurens De Plus
Duvel
+ 7'06
8
Daniel Martin
De Koninck
+ 7'13
9
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
+ 7'28
10
Romain Bardet
Huawei
+ 7'32
Spoiler
11
Gracjan Gregorek
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 7'58
12
Andrew Talansky
Huawei
+ 8'09
13
Grégory Ambroise
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 8'18
14
Lachlan Morton
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 9'17
15
Rafał Majka
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 9'53
16
Sam Oomen
Swissair
+ 10'46
17
Heiner Parra
Basler Zeitung
+ 11'30
18
Clement Penven
Huawei
+ 11'38
19
Lilian Calmejane
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 11'48
20
Mads Pedersen
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 12'14
21
Mathieu van der Poel
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 12'24
22
Caleb Ewan
Swissair
+ 13'09
23
Matej Mohoric
Huawei
+ 13'17
24
Anthony Maldonado
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 13'21
25
Óscar Peláez
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 13'22
26
Gini Turano
Colombia
+ 13'44
27
Kristijan Durasek
Basler Zeitung
+ 14'06
28
Stefano Nardelli
Gerolsteiner
+ 14'24
29
Andrea Manfredi
Duvel
+ 14'53
30
Jack Haig
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 15'12
31
Philip O'Donnell
Swissair
+ 15'26
32
Avelino Braguês
Smartstop
+ 15'53
33
Alexandre Geniez
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
s.t.
34
Romain Le Roux
Lapierre
+ 15'57
35
Jens Keukeleire
De Koninck
+ 15'58
36
Edward Theuns
De Koninck
+ 16'11
37
Tommy McCoosh
Colombia
+ 16'12
38
Lawson Craddock
Duvel
+ 16'15
39
Luka Pibernik
Swissair
+ 16'23
40
Michael Matthews
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 16'34
41
Paul Bosvelt
Duvel
+ 16'56
42
Rayane Bouhanni
Lapierre
+ 17'01
43
Christophe Laporte
Swissair
+ 17'04
44
Giacomo Nizzolo
Huawei
+ 17'10
45
Geoffrey Duteil
Duvel
+ 17'14
46
Gustav Hoog
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 17'45
47
Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev
Basler Zeitung
+ 18'12
48
Edward Diaz
Colombia
+ 18'20
49
Konstantinos Gianopulos
Superior
+ 18'43
50
Tosh Van der Sande
De Koninck
+ 18'53
51
Karel Hník
Superior
+ 19'51
52
Nick Van Der Lijke
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 19'53
53
Alexis Dulin
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 20'27
54
Koen Bouwman
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 20'36
55
Carter Jones
Smartstop
+ 21'21
56
Carlos Ribeiro
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 21'41
57
Leonardo Pajuelo
Basler Zeitung
+ 21'45
58
Sjoerd Bax
Superior
+ 22'00
59
Patrick Konrad
Colombia
+ 22'01
60
Jurgen van Diemen
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 22'11
61
John Baker
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
+ 22'15
62
Sep Vanmarcke
Duvel
+ 22'22
63
Enzo Wouters
De Koninck
+ 22'48
64
Bert-Jan Lindeman
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
65
Daniel Oss
Huawei
+ 23'03
66
Franco Leon
Colombia
+ 23'08
67
Abel Kenyeres
Smartstop
+ 23'27
68
Kamil Gradek
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 24'02
69
Jonas Koch
Gerolsteiner
s.t.
70
Donny Schrijvers
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 24'12
71
Florian Senechal
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 24'27
72
Marcel Huber
Colombia
+ 24'36
73
Daniele Ratto
Gerolsteiner
+ 24'55
74
Jan-Harm van den Braken
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 25'49
75
Moreno De Pauw
De Koninck
s.t.
76
Yannick Martinez
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
77
Pedro Marín
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 26'11
78
Jenthe Biermans
De Koninck
+ 26'38
79
Stan Godrie
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 26'50
80
Fabien Grellier
Lapierre
+ 27'01
81
Shiki Kuroeda
Basler Zeitung
+ 27'08
82
Eugert Zhupa
Old Spice
+ 27'15
83
Richard Handley
Old Spice
+ 27'17
84
Sebastian Trillini
Old Spice
s.t.
85
Roland Thalmann
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 27'24
86
Kilian Frankiny
Superior
+ 27'31
87
Etienne Tortelier
Lapierre
+ 27'36
88
Jonas Rapp
Gerolsteiner
+ 28'02
89
Fabio Silvestre
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 28'04
90
Kenneth Van Rooy
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
91
Stefan Kreder
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
92
Lukas Juan
Basler Zeitung
s.t.
93
Jens Wallays
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
+ 28'47
94
Juan Sebastian Molano
Basler Zeitung
+ 29'11
95
Ramon Sinkeldam
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
96
Piotr Havik
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
97
Max Walscheid
Gerolsteiner
+ 29'20
98
Afram Iwu
Old Spice
+ 29'32
99
Bryan Nauleau
Lapierre
+ 29'39
100
Stig Broeckx
De Koninck
+ 29'51
101
Thomas Vaubourzeix
Lapierre
s.t.
102
Maximilian Werda
Gerolsteiner
+ 30'47
103
Revy Amhaouch
Swissair
s.t.
104
Martijn Budding
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
105
Jasper Frahm
Gerolsteiner
s.t.
106
Jesper Asselman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 30'58
107
Jeffrey Romero
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
108
Arvid De Kleijn
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
109
Sjoerd Kouwenhoven
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 31'01
110
Arman Kamyshev
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
+ 31'44
111
Adrian Smith
Aer Lingus
+ 32'06
112
Sjoerd Van Ginneken
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 32'24
113
Timo Roosen
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 32'26
114
Joshua Huppertz
Gerolsteiner
+ 32'34
115
Manuel Todaro
Superior
+ 32'48
116
Maxime Renault
Lapierre
+ 33'21
117
Pyotr Cheresh
Superior
+ 33'35
118
Jan Kovar
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
+ 33'55
119
Bruno Armirail
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 34'50
120
Lee Richmond
Superior
+ 34'51
121
Louis Verhelst
Smartstop
+ 34'54
122
Nino Honigh
Basler Zeitung
+ 34'57
123
Alexandre Darville
Old Spice
s.t.
124
Franco Velásquez
Old Spice
s.t.
125
Kizito van Dam
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
126
Jani Music
Smartstop
+ 36'29
127
Aaron Buggle
Aer Lingus
+ 36'40
128
Jocelyn Bellanger
Smartstop
+ 36'52
129
Jarno Gmelich
Superior
+ 37'00
130
Rüdiger Selig
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 37'34
131
Klaas Lodewyck
Lapierre
+ 38'39
132
Ramunas Navardauskas
Colombia
+ 38'55
133
Stephen Clancy
Aer Lingus
+ 39'45
134
Ludwig Bengtsson
Smartstop
+ 39'54
135
Thomas De Troch
Aer Lingus
s.t.
136
Mannase Miller
Old Spice
+ 39'57
137
Titte van Laer
Aer Lingus
+ 40'20
138
Alistair Murdock
Aer Lingus
+ 41'22
139
Evghenii Butelschii
Smartstop
+ 42'41
140
Tom Maginness
Aer Lingus
+ 42'46
141
Ernesto Rengifo
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 42'50
142
Kenny Baker
Old Spice
+ 44'49
143
Akili Zitouni
Aer Lingus
+ 46'21
144
Julio Álvarez
Colombia
+ 1h23'34
Points Classification
1
Peter Sagan
Swissair
125
2
Romain Le Roux
Lapierre
59
3
Mads Pedersen
MTN-Qhubeka
59
4
Abhishek Sinha
Duvel
54
5
Giacomo Nizzolo
Huawei
49
Mountain Classification
1
Romain Le Roux
Lapierre
24
2
Óscar Peláez
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
22
3
Eduard Beltran
Orica-GreenEDGE
16
4
Abhishek Sinha
Duvel
14
5
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
10
Team Classification
1
Huawei
62h34'13
2
Duvel
+ 2'03
3
Swissair
+ 6'39
4
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 18'13
5
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 18'49
Spoiler
U25 classifications won't be published any more, because I've outgrown it
So close to starting another season with a win! The wily old head in the peloton got the better of me here. Sagan timed his attack to perfection, taking advantage of my tiring legs, after the effort I put in on the climbs. Oh well, not a bad start to the year even with 2nd place.
Having just missed out on the win in Oman, I approached the next race on my calendar with even more determination to do well. The season really kicks off in March with most of the big names coming out to play. My only race this month was no different.
Tirreno - Adriatico
Boasting a much stronger startlist, this race would give an indication of how the leading riders have fared in the off-season. We went into this race with a strong team. Barguil, Dumoulina and Ulissi joined me on the startlist.
Stage 1
Mayhem on the slopes! The early MTT ripped apart the time-sheets. I had a very poor day, finishing more than three minutes in arrears, in 19th place. Dumoulin had a bad day too, losing more than two minutes. Clearly, I wasn't prepared for this!
Stage 1 Result
1
Bob Jungels
Rusal
43'06
2
Nairo Quintana
De Koninck
+ 31
3
Gregorio Ibañez
TEAM Kodak
+ 42
4
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
+ 1'18
5
Davide Formolo
Rusal
+ 2'04
6
Tony Gallopin
Huawei
+ 2'05
7
Alexis Vuillermoz
Rusal
+ 2'08
8
Tom Dumoulin
Duvel
+ 2'12
9
Tanel Kangert
Team Europcar
+ 2'19
10
Simon Yates
Swissair
+ 2'20
11
Wilco Kelderman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 2'21
12
Sebastian Henao
Commonwealth Bank
+ 2'48
13
Daniel Felipe Martinez
TEAM Cepsa
+ 2'56
14
Michał Kwiatkowski
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 3'00
15
Yohann Olive
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 3'05
16
Clément Chevrier
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 3'06
17
Matvei Mamykin
Rusal
+ 3'10
18
Edmeo Menghini
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 3'12
19
Abhishek Sinha
Duvel
+ 3'19
20
Alexis Guerin
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 3'22
Stage 2 was flat. The early break were caught just before the finish and the sprinters claimed their win.
I was classified as one the favourites for Stage 3. The three man early break was joined by another on the first climb. They were all caught with 40 km to go, at the base of the tallest climg of the day. Unfortunately for us, this climb also saw Bosvelt retiring, illness getting the better of him. I attacked on the last climb of the day, winning the KOM and building up a 20 second lead to the peloton. I was caught on the descent but held on at the front to finish 4th. Dumoulin was 3rd.
Stage 4 was the queen stage and probably my last shot at gaining some time and places. Ulissi joined the day's break with the hope of helping me in the latter part of the stage. The nine man break was down to seven on the fourth climb. Nairo Quintana, Jungels and two others attacked on the same climb. They joined up with the remaining break 5 km from the top. At that point, they had a two minute to the peloton. However, they were slowly pulled back in and finally caught by the ninety man peloton on the descent. On the last intermediate climb, the peloton was reduced to just 20 riders. I had Barguil and Ulissi left in support, with Dumoulin dropped. As sson as the 13 km long MTF started, Sagan and Vuillermoz were dropped. With 9 km to go, Sebastien henao attacked. The next group on the road had 13 riders. Nibali and Kelderman were the next to be dropped, followed by me! I started pacing myself and caught and overtook a few riders going backwards. I ended up 8th on the stage with Barguil 10th.
The early part of Stage 5 saw the peloton chasing the break. I attacked with 4 km to go, only followed by Kwiatkowski initially. We caught the rbeak with 2.5 km to go but then I was dropped. Three further riders went past, as I couldn't hang on to their slipstream. I finished 5th on the stage.
Stage 6 was a rolling stage which saw the early break cruise to victory as the peloton refused to chase.
The Stage 7 ITT was too short to have any major impact on the final standings. I was 1st through the first intermediate but lost some time in the second half to end up 5th. Dumoulin claimed 2nd place on the stage.
General Classification
1
Bob Jungels
Rusal
23h30'55
2
Nairo Quintana
De Koninck
+ 19
3
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
+ 58
4
Gregorio Ibañez
TEAM Kodak
+ 2'56
5
Simon Yates
Swissair
+ 3'08
6
Davide Formolo
Rusal
+ 4'16
7
Sebastian Henao
Commonwealth Bank
+ 5'03
8
Tony Gallopin
Huawei
+ 5'04
9
Abhishek Sinha
Duvel
+ 5'26
10
Wilco Kelderman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 5'59
Spoiler
11
Clément Chevrier
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 6'26
12
Jay McCarthy
Huawei
+ 7'36
13
Michał Kwiatkowski
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 7'40
14
Warren Barguil
Duvel
+ 7'47
15
Lawson Craddock
Duvel
+ 8'47
16
Edward Ravasi
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 9'06
17
Matvei Mamykin
Rusal
+ 9'17
18
Gini Turano
Colombia
+ 10'09
19
Tiesj Benoot
Rusal
+ 10'16
20
Alexis Vuillermoz
Rusal
+ 10'58
21
Peter Sagan
Swissair
+ 12'42
22
Massimo Mogni
Rusal
+ 13'05
23
Daniel Felipe Martinez
TEAM Cepsa
+ 13'17
24
Finn E. Rosenkilde
Colombia
+ 13'32
25
Alexis Guerin
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 13'52
26
Lachlan Morton
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 13'53
27
Edmeo Menghini
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 14'50
28
Anatoliy Budyak
Commonwealth Bank
+ 15'03
29
Moreno Moser
TEAM Cepsa
+ 15'20
30
Daniel Martin
De Koninck
+ 15'33
31
Juan Chamorro
Colombia
+ 16'46
32
Joseph Dombrowski
Huawei
+ 16'51
33
Simone Andreetta
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 17'23
34
Franco Leon
Colombia
+ 17'25
35
Tom Dumoulin
Duvel
+ 17'34
36
Geraint Thomas
Vérandas Willems
+ 18'01
37
Rohan Dennis
Huawei
+ 18'31
38
Jasper Ockeloen
Continental
+ 19'05
39
Sidio Mezzini
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 19'33
40
Edoardo Zardini
TEAM Kodak
+ 19'46
41
Alberto Gallego
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 20'07
42
Gianfranco Zilioli
TEAM Kodak
+ 20'50
43
Andrea Fedi
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 21'12
44
Goredema Dabengwa
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 21'21
45
Tanel Kangert
Team Europcar
+ 21'25
46
Donato De Ieso
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 21'33
47
Yuber Conteras
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 22'43
48
Anthony Turgis
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 23'37
49
Romeo Pisciotta
TEAM Cepsa
+ 24'04
50
Davide Villella
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 24'07
51
Diego Ulissi
Duvel
+ 24'37
52
Antonio Nibali
TEAM Cepsa
+ 24'47
53
Roman Kreuziger
Swissair
+ 24'49
54
Tim Banks
Commonwealth Bank
+ 25'19
55
Yohann Olive
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 25'45
56
Mads Pedersen
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 26'05
57
Dominik Nerz
Swissair
+ 26'06
58
Patrick Müller
Commonwealth Bank
+ 26'27
59
Caleb Ewan
Swissair
+ 26'33
60
Lilian Calmejane
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 26'51
61
Joaquín Cacho
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 27'02
62
Taylor Phinney
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 27'12
63
Awazbek Georgiev
Vérandas Willems
+ 27'17
64
Fernando Gaviria
TEAM Cepsa
+ 27'54
65
Dylan van Baarle
Swissair
+ 28'32
66
Davide Pacchiardo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 28'39
67
Philip O'Donnell
Swissair
+ 28'42
68
Samir Jabrayilov
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 28'47
69
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
+ 28'51
70
Dario Cataldo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 28'57
71
Vincenzo Nibali
Team Europcar
+ 29'05
72
Christian Livieri
TEAM Kodak
+ 29'16
73
Alessio Taliani
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 30'34
74
Sonny Colbrelli
Huawei
+ 30'47
75
Giovanni Carboni
TEAM Kodak
+ 31'14
76
Meron Teshome
Adidas
s.t.
77
Jack Haig
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 31'20
78
Rostyslav Zhukovskyy
Team Europcar
+ 31'27
79
Elia Favilli
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 31'52
80
Julien Roux
Lapierre
+ 33'26
81
Andrea Zordan
TEAM Kodak
+ 33'37
82
Samuel Spokes
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 33'38
83
Maxime Cam
Lapierre
+ 33'41
84
David Boily
Team Europcar
+ 33'47
85
Flavio Sotera
Team Europcar
+ 33'54
86
Jesper Asselman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 34'19
87
Arnaud Demare
Lapierre
+ 34'25
88
Anthony Maldonado
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
s.t.
89
Carlos Ribeiro
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 34'48
90
Emilien Viennet
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 34'49
91
Miguel Angel Benito
Commonwealth Bank
+ 35'15
92
Matej Mohoric
Huawei
+ 35'39
93
Nicola Boem
Adidas
+ 35'48
94
Eugenio Alafaci
Vérandas Willems
+ 35'54
95
Dejan Kokot
Team Europcar
+ 36'42
96
Pierre Naudin
Lapierre
+ 36'52
97
Rubén Zepuntke
Continental
+ 37'46
98
Jordi van Dingenen
De Koninck
+ 38'01
99
Miles Scotson
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 38'31
100
Marko Díaz
Commonwealth Bank
+ 38'32
101
Magnus Bak Klaris
Rusal
+ 38'38
102
Derk Abel Beckeringh
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 38'39
103
Ennio Fornello
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 39'18
104
Cameron Meyer
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 39'20
105
Gurhan Volkan
Continental
+ 39'25
106
William Barta
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 39'39
107
Fabrizio Gadau
TEAM Kodak
+ 39'49
108
Silvan Dillier
Adidas
+ 40'08
109
Ricardo van Dongen
Continental
+ 40'14
110
Iliya Klepikov
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 40'28
111
Davide Martinelli
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 40'29
112
Jasper Stuyven
De Koninck
+ 40'47
113
Ian Stannard
Huawei
+ 41'07
114
Niccolo Bonifazio
Rusal
+ 41'23
115
Marco Haller
Continental
+ 43'00
116
Federico Zurlo
TEAM Kodak
+ 43'35
117
Olivier Naesen
Duvel
+ 44'06
118
Edward Heinen
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 44'27
119
Lorenzo Trabucco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 44'43
120
Paweł Bernas
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 45'48
121
Kristian Sbaragli
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 46'07
122
Kristian Haugaard
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 46'18
123
Daniel Oss
Huawei
+ 46'20
124
Trevor Praticò
Colombia
+ 46'22
125
Ahmet Örken
De Koninck
+ 47'53
126
Alex Clements
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 47'55
127
Joris Blokker
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 48'17
128
Sjoerd Kouwenhoven
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 48'50
129
Omar Bertazzo
TEAM Cepsa
+ 49'18
130
Daniel Hoelgaard
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 49'51
131
Eryk Latoń
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 50'02
132
Frederik Plesner
Lapierre
+ 50'13
133
Pim Ligthart
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 50'27
134
Onesto De Gori
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
+ 50'31
135
Mattia Frapporti
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 50'39
136
Ximo Ela
Team Europcar
+ 50'45
137
Andrea Guardini
TEAM Cepsa
+ 51'13
138
Rick Zabel
Continental
+ 51'43
139
Sacha Modolo
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 52'11
140
Richard Weinzheimer
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 52'52
141
Rodolfo Calderón
Vérandas Willems
+ 52'54
142
Alexander Krieger
Continental
+ 52'57
143
Arthur Vichot
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 54'09
144
Rüdiger Selig
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 54'23
145
Nicolas Marini
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 54'37
146
Lucas Liss
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 55'00
147
Jenthe Biermans
De Koninck
+ 55'12
148
Jens Debusschere
De Koninck
+ 56'20
149
Sjoerd Van Ginneken
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 56'56
150
Volodimir Fredyuk
Commonwealth Bank
+ 57'22
151
Thomas Van Opstal
Adidas
+ 57'39
152
Enrique Sanz
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 58'25
153
Jovan Hamidovic
Colombia
+ 58'39
154
Etienne Tortelier
Lapierre
+ 59'15
155
Roy Jans
Lapierre
+ 59'16
156
Mathieu van der Poel
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 1h00'13
157
Simon Sellier
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 1h01'29
158
Bjorn Selander
Adidas
s.t.
159
Travis Mccabe
Adidas
+ 1h03'23
160
Alo Jakin
Vérandas Willems
+ 1h04'18
161
Gamal Jespersen
Commonwealth Bank
+ 1h06'30
162
Edward Theuns
De Koninck
+ 1h06'57
163
Yasuo Yamashita
Colombia
+ 1h07'22
164
Jori van Steenberghen
Adidas
+ 1h08'27
165
Edwin Ávila
Vérandas Willems
+ 1h12'43
166
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
Duvel
+ 1h14'40
167
Joaquím Durant
Lapierre
+ 1h16'25
168
Taco Van Der Hoorn
Continental
+ 1h16'43
169
Alexandr Popkov
Vérandas Willems
+ 1h19'23
170
Tommy McCoosh
Colombia
+ 1h23'06
171
Elgun Alizada
Vérandas Willems
+ 1h39'25
Points Classification
1
Michał Kwiatkowski
Orica-GreenEDGE
32
2
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
28
3
Nairo Quintana
De Koninck
26
4
Wilco Kelderman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
26
5
Andrea Fedi
Ag2r La Mondiale
24
Mountain Classification
1
Andrea Fedi
Ag2r La Mondiale
51
2
Sjoerd Van Ginneken
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
32
3
Jack Haig
Orica-GreenEDGE
31
4
Alessio Taliani
Team Cannondale - Garmin
22
5
Julien Roux
Lapierre
17
Team Classification
1
Rusal
70h44'42
2
Swissair
+ 5'05
3
Duvel
+ 6'24
4
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 13'57
5
Huawei
+ 16'43
Not a good start in a stacked field. I have some work to do if I have to repeat last season's performances. Looks like my rivals have been busy in the off-season with their preparation. I hope I have done enough.
As we get closer to the first GT of the year, my preparation keeps getting more focused. In April, I go to my major preparation race for the Giro.
Tour de Romandie
I changed up my schedule a bit from last year, dropping Pais Vasco from the calendar to ride here. The Romandie is closer to the Giro and helps me plan my peak better. Another strong field has shown up as a lot of riders use it as the warm-up even to the Giro. I had Mollema and Craddock as domestiques, a pre-cursor to our climbing train in the Giro.
Stage 1
This stage was similar to the MTT in Tirreno - Adriatico, just shorter. I was determined to do much better here. I started off a bit slow, 50 seconds off the pace at the first intermediate. I improved to be in 6th place, 37 seconds off the top when I finished. I ended up 9th, losing 38 seconds on the day. A much improved outing indeed.
Stage 2 saw an early pack split on the first hill, behind the day's break. I was caught in the wrong side of it and very soon found myself four minutes down! The break was caught in the flats and my group eventually found its way back to the peloton before the second climb. Another break of four riders went away from the peloton on the second climb. As the peloton tried to close down the gap, I attacked on the next climb to get 30 seconds to the pack. I was caught at the bottom of the descent and the break soon followed. The pack split again before the finish, but no GC contender was caught out this time. I moved up a place in the GC.
Stage 3 had me joint favourite for the stage win with Nairo Quintana. The early break didn't last long, but was replaced by a two man break before the first climb. The pelotonw as down sixty riders on the first climb. The break was cuaght before the second climb. I attacked on that climb and got nearly a minute's lead on the pack before the top. I had more than a minute following the descent with 10 km to go at that time. The peloton was down to about 30 riders at the time, and they were chasing me down. I was caught with just 2 km left by a group of 15 odd riders. No win, but some of the competition were dropped at the end.
Stage 4 really took off after the break was caught with 30 km to go. Aru, Kelderman, Nairo, Formolo and Meintjes got a gap to the peloton. Mollema and de Bie did most of the chasing in the pack, which had reduced to about 40 odd. With 3 km to go, It was Kelderman alone out in front with a 30 second lead over Aru. The rest of the attackers were already caught. Kelderman took the win as Aru was caught on the line. The Dutchman took the lead in the GC. I moved up another spot.
Stage 5
The early break of four sell to six and then to eight riders. The number was down again to four at the of the first climb and to three by the third climb. Quintana attacked at the bottom of that climb. The break was caught before the peak. Kelderman was dropped, opening up the GC completely. At the top of the last climb, Nairo and Formolo were leading my group of six riders by 50 seconds. Formolo won the stage and took the lead in the GC. I finished 8th, moving up to 5th in the GC.
Stage 6
I was one of the favourites in the IIT. I crossed the line 52 seconds off the best time, ending up 11th after all riders had completed. Despite the time loss, my rivals had fared even worse and I moved up to 3rd place in the GC!
General Classification
1
Davide Formolo
Rusal
18h03'39
2
Eduardo Sepulveda
TEAM Kodak
+ 50
3
Abhishek Sinha
Duvel
+ 1'28
4
Romain Bardet
Huawei
+ 1'35
5
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
+ 1'51
6
Nairo Quintana
De Koninck
+ 2'12
7
Wilco Kelderman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 2'56
8
Fabio Aru
Rusal
+ 2'59
9
Bob Jungels
Rusal
+ 3'42
10
Gregorio Ibañez
TEAM Kodak
+ 4'10
Spoiler
11
Thibaut Pinot
Rusal
+ 5'15
12
Grégory Ambroise
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 5'59
13
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Huawei
+ 6'33
14
Andrew Talansky
Huawei
+ 7'51
15
Carlos Betancur
Swissair
+ 8'06
16
Clement Penven
Huawei
+ 8'59
17
Rohan Dennis
Huawei
+ 9'43
18
Julian Arredondo
Team Europcar
+ 9'44
19
Graham Traino
Rusal
+ 10'35
20
Tilegen Maidos
TEAM Kodak
+ 12'34
21
Simon Raffin
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 13'39
22
Rigoberto Urán
Team Europcar
+ 13'45
23
Sérgio Henao
Team Europcar
+ 15'13
24
Sebastian Henao
Commonwealth Bank
+ 15'17
25
Peter Kennaugh
Huawei
+ 16'15
26
Matvei Mamykin
Rusal
+ 16'19
27
Andy Atkinson
Commonwealth Bank
+ 17'38
28
Alvaro Cuadros
TEAM Kodak
+ 18'36
29
Bauke Mollema
Duvel
+ 23'41
30
Michael Matthews
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 25'55
31
Dominik Nerz
Swissair
+ 26'28
32
Alexander Foliforov
TEAM Kodak
+ 26'40
33
Lawson Craddock
Duvel
+ 27'49
34
Dzidoslaw Grodecki
Rusal
+ 28'50
35
Koen Bouwman
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 30'41
36
Lure Podgaetschii
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 31'35
37
Hyeoung Min Choe
Commonwealth Bank
+ 31'37
38
Danny Van Poppel
Continental
+ 32'48
39
Lukas Löer
Swissair
+ 34'16
40
Arvydas Kartchemarskas
De Koninck
+ 34'27
41
Conrado Moscoso
Huawei
+ 34'44
42
Fernando Gaviria
TEAM Cepsa
+ 34'56
43
Kahled Zitouni
Swissair
+ 35'09
44
Antonio Nibali
TEAM Cepsa
+ 35'20
45
George Pym
Swissair
+ 35'38
46
Jonathan Klever
Colombia
+ 36'14
47
Alex Carmichael
Adidas
+ 36'17
48
Sondre Holst Enger
Commonwealth Bank
+ 36'20
49
Rubén Zepuntke
Continental
+ 36'38
50
Nelson Oliveira
Duvel
+ 36'48
51
Thomas Boudat
Commonwealth Bank
+ 37'05
52
Théry Schir
Rusal
+ 37'18
53
Santos Barbero
TEAM Cepsa
+ 37'34
54
Quentin Jauregui
Continental
+ 37'47
55
Andrew Fenn
Huawei
+ 37'49
56
Adel Trabelsi
Colombia
s.t.
57
Jonas Bokeloh
Swissair
+ 37'59
58
Julien Roux
Lapierre
+ 38'28
59
Sean De Bie
Duvel
+ 38'40
60
Florian Maître
Team Europcar
+ 38'47
61
Adriano Malori
TEAM Kodak
+ 39'26
62
Brian Bulgac
Continental
+ 40'31
63
Vladislav Gorbunov
TEAM Kodak
s.t.
64
Anthony Dillon
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 40'52
65
Dries Van Gestel
De Koninck
s.t.
66
Davide Malacarne
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 41'11
67
Pello Bilbao
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
s.t.
68
Toine Kolijn
Continental
+ 41'12
69
Sidio Mezzini
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 41'37
70
Rudi Milic
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 41'52
71
Stefan Küng
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 41'57
72
Lucas Destang
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 42'56
73
Steven Lammertink
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 43'05
74
Meik Hermanski
Duvel
+ 43'08
75
Nick Van Der Lijke
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 43'09
76
Edward Diaz
Colombia
+ 43'21
77
Jarl Salomein
De Koninck
+ 44'26
78
Adrien Petit
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 45'38
79
Phil Bauhaus
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 45'54
80
Moreno De Pauw
De Koninck
+ 46'03
81
Alessandro Tonelli
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 46'16
82
Léonard Quentin
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 46'21
83
Jon Ruminkiewicz
TEAM Cepsa
+ 46'23
84
Jasper De Buyst
De Koninck
+ 46'32
85
Wouter Wippert
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 46'45
86
Patrick Müller
Commonwealth Bank
+ 47'05
87
Juan Manuel Puntas
TEAM Cepsa
+ 47'23
88
Kamil Gradek
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 47'48
89
Fabien Grellier
Lapierre
+ 47'57
90
Barry Markus
Continental
+ 48'12
91
Luca Sterbini
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
92
Silvan Dillier
Adidas
+ 48'25
93
David Menut
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 48'54
94
Tosh Van der Sande
De Koninck
+ 49'15
95
Nils Politt
Commonwealth Bank
+ 49'23
96
Pavel Janku
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 49'28
97
Victor Campenaerts
Duvel
+ 50'02
98
Julien Morice
Team Europcar
+ 50'17
99
Flávio Cipriano
Colombia
+ 50'21
100
Leigh Howard
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 51'29
101
Fabio Silvestre
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 51'32
102
Alexey Kurbatov
Team Europcar
+ 53'46
103
Roger Houston
TEAM Cepsa
+ 53'57
104
Bruno Armirail
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 54'31
105
Campbell Flakemore
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 54'49
106
Stig Broeckx
De Koninck
+ 54'50
107
Jan Tratnik
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 55'15
108
Romain Cardis
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 55'21
109
Travis Meyer
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 55'25
110
Antonio Molina
TEAM Cepsa
+ 55'39
111
Daniel Hoelgaard
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 56'30
112
Sander Helven
Adidas
+ 56'51
113
Raymond Kreder
Continental
+ 56'57
114
Vinnie Braet
Adidas
s.t.
115
Jonathan Dibben
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 57'31
116
Joris Blokker
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 57'40
117
Lucas Liss
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 58'11
118
Jovan Hamidovic
Colombia
+ 58'22
119
Peter Erdin
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 59'31
120
Julio Álvarez
Colombia
+ 59'33
121
Nicola Ruffoni
TEAM Kodak
+ 59'35
122
Jurgen van Diemen
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 59'52
123
Stefan Kreder
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 59'55
124
Chande Danger
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 1h00'24
125
Maximilian Schachmann
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 1h00'30
126
Jan Maas
Continental
+ 1h01'16
127
Tim Kerkhof
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 1h01'31
128
David Desmecht
Adidas
+ 1h02'54
129
Benjamin Jasserand
Lapierre
+ 1h03'35
130
Marcus Bohla
Duvel
+ 1h03'53
131
Marlon Gaillard
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 1h04'40
132
Simon Pellaud
Adidas
+ 1h04'53
133
Thomas Umhaller
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 1h05'21
134
Travis Mccabe
Adidas
+ 1h05'51
135
Inaxio Arcega
TEAM Cepsa
+ 1h06'05
136
Alpha van de Berg
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 1h06'26
137
Etienne Fabre
Lapierre
+ 1h07'46
138
Roy Jans
Lapierre
+ 1h08'24
139
Stef Krul
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 1h08'37
140
Roland Thalmann
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 1h08'44
141
Joachim Vanreyten
Lapierre
+ 1h09'29
142
Bryan Nauleau
Lapierre
+ 1h10'12
143
Anders Egsvang
Swissair
+ 1h10'20
144
Pim Ligthart
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 1h10'22
145
Samuel Harrison
Commonwealth Bank
+ 1h10'28
146
Mattia Frapporti
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 1h10'30
147
Piotr Havik
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 1h12'49
148
Gerald Ciolek
Colombia
+ 1h13'56
149
Andrija Janecek
Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club
+ 1h14'04
150
Dylan Van Zijl
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 1h15'59
151
Michael Vingerling
Team Europcar
+ 1h18'21
152
Mohamed Kok Keong
Colombia
+ 1h19'14
153
Maxime Le Lavandier
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 1h20'57
154
Misha Van De Mije
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 1h22'20
155
Senne Leysen
Adidas
+ 1h22'29
156
Claude Thevenon
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 1h23'28
157
Jérémy Maison
Lapierre
+ 1h25'30
158
Benoit Jarrier
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 1h28'56
Points Classification
1
Wilco Kelderman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
75
2
Davide Formolo
Rusal
54
3
Louis Meintjes
Swissair
41
4
Fabio Aru
Rusal
38
5
Eduardo Sepulveda
TEAM Kodak
35
Mountain Classification
1
Gregorio Ibañez
TEAM Kodak
30
2
Davide Formolo
Rusal
25
3
Stefan Küng
MTN-Qhubeka
23
4
Alessandro Tonelli
Team Cannondale - Garmin
21
5
Andy Atkinson
Commonwealth Bank
20
Team Classification
1
Rusal
54h14'43
2
Huawei
+ 8'13
3
TEAM Kodak
+ 10'56
4
Swissair
+ 29'13
5
Team Europcar
+ 34'05
A much improved performance in the time trials leads to a higher finish. I did well on Stage 5 to keep myself in contention. Not the perfect preparation for the Giro but it's looking better now than it was a month ago. Fingers crossed...
The first GT of the year and with the first high expectations. Also, now that I represented Netherlands, there was a different kind of expectation and pressure. I could see a lot of Dutch supporters had made the trip, and had heard that there would be many more on the roads as we rode by. I hoped I could put on a show for them!
Giro d'Italia
After an improved performance in Romandie, I was quietly confident about a good result here, and generally a lot calmer than I was following the Tirreno-Adriatico. I had pretty much the same support staff as in Romandie, Mollema and Craddock were going to be my chief domestiques on the slopes. Only time would tell if I could improve on my previous best 7th place in this race.
Stages 1 - 7
The TTT on Stage 1 suited us quite well. We were favourites for the win along with Huawei. Surprisingly, it was Kodak who took the win. We took 2nd place, losing 6 seconds on the day but gained a second to Huawei and their leader Bardet. Adam Yates (Swissair) was 14 seconds behind me, Aru (Rusal) had lost 53 seconds to me and Landa (Cepsa) was down 25 seconds. Nairo Quintana was the big loser as de Koninck finished 1'23" slower than us.
Stage 2 was for the sprinters but with two small climbs thrown in. The pack split up on the second climb but none of the GC favourites were affected. The break was caught with 7 km to go. Wout Van Aert took the stage win for us!
Stage 3
The six man early break pulled out to a eight minute lead. Nairo, Aru and Yates pulled away from the pack on the first climb, but were caught on the descent after furios chasing from our guys and Cepsa. With 35 km to go, the peloton was down to less than a hundred riders while the break still a lead of more than 90 seconds. Dunbar attacked 20 km from the finish but there was no counter from the pack. Nairo and Aru attacked again with 8 km to go. Landa followed but the trio was caught. I joined Nairo and Aru in the next attack 2 km from the top of the climb. We got a lead of 30 seconds but were caught on the descent. Bardet launched a late late attack to distance the peloton and take the win. He wasn't awarded any time gap. I moved up to 4th in the GC.
Stage 4
The early break wasn't allowed to get away very far this time. They were caught on the second decent. Two riders formed a new break but they too were caught, on the third climb. Sepulveda attacked next and there was no counter. On the final descent, I was in the second group on the road with 18 others, including the race favourites while Sepulveda had more than minute's lead. He would go on to win the stage and I finished 5th. I was the new leader of the GC!
Stage 5 was flat and I enjoyed an easy day's ride in Pink. The sprinters had their fun.
(Wearing the Pink Jersey!)
Stage 6 was similar to 5. Riders kept attacking throughout and ha to be reeled in one by one. Eventually, the sprinters would have their way. Van Aert finished 3rd with Ulissi 9th for us. There was a lot of tired bodies at the end, on a stage which everyone expected to be 'simple'.
Stage 7
The dreaded cobbles towards the end. All GC riders had expressed their concerns about the possibility of the race being ripped apart here. As it would turn out, everyone took it easy through that section. I saw a chance and hung on to the wheels of four cobbles specialists as they launched a late attack. I finished 4th out of the five attackers but gained 22 seconds on the peloton.
Abhishek Nibali taking his opportunities Amazing start to the Giro, let's go and keep that jersey!
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [PT] Xero Racing
Glad I finally found some time to catch up. The prep races were OK really, apart from a few stages off. No doubt the shape's good if you perform so well on mountain stages coming so early in the race, they're always a step into the unknown.
The four man early break became five after the first climb. The pace was steady till six riders attacked, none a threat, attacked on the very small incline just before the MTF. Nairo and Yates made their move on the starting slopes of the MTF. Soon Aru followed. Yates was first dropped by Nairo and then by Aru. With 5 km to go, the break still survived as the elad group on the road. The group of six attackers were next, followed by Nairo. Aru was half a minute behind him with Yates another 40 seconds down. Me and Landa were 10 seconds down on Yates. I finally attacked to drop Landa, catch and drop Yates and catch up to Aru. One rider from the break survived to take the win. I finished 4th, together with Aru and lost some time to Nairo.
I knew the early flat ITT on Stage 9 was a huge chance to pull away from my rivals. I started off a little slow, around 20 seconds down at the first intermediate. I kept pulling time back on each intermediate and was 12 seconds off the pace in the third one. I pulled back further time and beat everyone at the finish! My second ever Grand Tour stage win!
Stage 10
The innocuous looking finish proved to be a real difference maker as both Yates and Nairo were dropped by the lead group. I did not have any such trouble, finishing 4th again and gaining some valuable seconds.
Stage 11
This was similar to the last stage but it had a longer climb at the finish. This climb favoured me more than the pure climbers and I hoped to take advantage of that. Nairo and Aru went away on the second intermediate climb. At the top of the climb, a single rider fromt he day's break was in front followed by Nairo and Aru, who were 30 seconds ahead of my group which also had Yates and Landa. I lost some ground just as the climb to the finish started. At this point, Yates had caught up to Aru and Nairo with me and Landa chasing. We kept pulling the gap down and finally caught up with 7 km to go. I attacked with 4 km to go and Nairo was the only one who kept up. I accelerated away from the Colombian with 1.5 km to go and held on to win the stage! We were given the same time but gained time on everyone else. This was my first road stage win in a Grand Tour!
Stage 12
Now this was a stage which did not suit we that well! A 13 man break was allowed to form and get a whopping 17 minutes on the pack. On the seconds climb, one from the break was caught but their lead was up to 21 minutes! Dunbar attacked 10 km from the top of the third climb. Yates, Bardet and Nairo followed and eventually dropped Dunbar. I attacked in unison with Aru and Landa 2 km from the top. We caught Dunbar and then I dropped them all. I caught up to the initial attacking trio. All this happened in the space of a kilometer! Nairo attacked again before the summit and was not caught again. The break won by over 15 minutes and I lost 20 seconds to Nairo. Yates finished with the same time as me.
And here I was complaining about the TT performances... great stuff, the Sinha we've been waiting for. A comfortable GC position, losing a bit of time on the remaining mountain stages to Quintana is to be expected, but won't hurt. No crashes, please.
. Hopefully, the new riders will gel well in the team. The little Dutch flag is something I'm getting used to as well!
. The ITT screwed everything up for sure.
. Thanks!
