Tamijo wrote:
Very good race, but this time the short ITT was enough for Paillot to grap the GC.
Yes Paillot had too much for our riders in the ITT. Very pleased with the other results
RACE PREVIEW - VOLTA ao ALGARVE
Stage List
ITT - 1
Flat - 3
Hilly - 1
Stage 1
A relatively flat stage with some uneven terrain in the middle sector should see the sprinters take the stage win.
Stage 2
The two climbs in the early part of the race will see the KOM contenders set out on a breakaway. It is unlikely that they'll succeed as the sprinters should win again.
Stage 3
An important stage w.r.t. the overall outcome of the race. The uphill finish will pose the first major challenge of the race. Expect the GC contenders to challenge for the win going up the climb to the finish. Should be an exciting finish.
Stage 4
Another race where the ITT will play a huge role in deciding the overall outcome. Given the length and the terrain, this stage will favour the GC contenders more than the TT specialists.
Stage 5
The last stage does not pose many difficult challenges but it might not be all smooth sailing for the sprinters. There is a nasty looking sharp uphill a few km before the finish, which could potentially see someone launch a late charge before the pack starts to sprint.
Overall Assessment
This race is tailor made for punchers who are good against the clock. Stage 3 and 4 are going to be decisive. The starting line-up is not the best but there are a few good riders coming. Should be an interesting race.
Movistar Starting List
Leopold Konig
Benat Intxausti
Adriano Malori
J J Lobato
Isidro Pintassilgo
Pello Bilbao
Josef Katzer
Sergei Vovchuk
Movistar's season is off to a brilliant start and they were hoping to keep it going in Portugal. Given the course, they had selected Konig and Intxausti as co-leaders here. A shrewd move, hoping to capitalize on their TT skills. The competition was not the best, with only a few teams sending a GC challenger. Diego Ulissi, Adam Yates, Tony Martin, Ian Stannard and Jay McCarthy were the ones expected to be up near the top when the race concluded. It would be interesting to see how the TT pans out and to what extent it influences the final GC.
The following is a summary of stage...
Stage 1 - Flat with 1 minor intermediate climb
The first stage saw an 8 man breakaway form and build up a lead of 10 minutes at the most. 1 of them sat back after the climb and was caught by the pack. With 20 km to go, the break still had 4 minutes on the pack, giving them a real chance to hold on for the win. However, the very fast pace set by the teams of the sprinters caught them before the line. Iltjan Nika took a famous win for both himself and the Rabobank Development Team in such a prestigious race.
Stage winner - Iltjan Nika Movistar - J J Lobato
Stage 2 - Flat with 1 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
The breakaway formed with 3 riders but 1 was dropped after the first climb. At this stage their lead over the pack was 6 minutes. Konig fell on the descent but recovered and did not show any signs of damage. There was a pack split after the second climb but the peloton was soon back together in the flat section. The break was caught with 7 km to go. Another bunch sprint decided the stage. Pawel Franczak won this time.
Stage 3 - Hilly with uphill finish, including 1 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
The first of two consecutive stages which would ultimately decide the GC. Movistar put Pello Bilbao in the early break of 8 riders. There was a pack split after the first climb. 7 riders from the break were soon caught, leaving a solo breakaway up ahead. The lead group was down to 90 riders after the second climb. 4 riders attacked and went away to join the break with 60 km to go. Pintassilgo fell but recovered. The break was caught with 5 km left. Ian Stannard launched the first attack among the favourites. Cominelli followed him but they were reeled back in by Movistar. The next attack from Diego Ulissi was decisive. He won the stage with a healthy gap over the next group. Movistar had three riders in the top 10 including Konig on the podium.
Stage winner - Diego Ulissi Movistar - Leopold Konig 3rd, 30" behind, Benat Intxausti 7th, Isidro Pintassilgo 10th, 56" behind. Took the lead in the team classification Other important results - Jay McCarthy 2nd, Dario Cataldo 4th, 30" behind, Jerome Coppel 6th, 48" behind, Ian Stannard 7th, 56" behind
Stage 4 - Individual Time Trial - Flat - 34.8 km
A surprise stage winner in the form of Ian Stannard turned the GC on its head. Pre-stage favourites Tony Martin and Adriano Malori could only finish 4th and 3rd respectively, leaving the door open for Stannard to win the stage and take the lead in the GC! Richie Porte finished 2nd but the time he'd lost in the previous stage meant he was out of contention. Movistar also claimed the 5th, 6th and 7th positions on the stage, propelling Konig up to 2nd in the GC, with Malori 3rd. Ulissi's poor result meant he slipped from 1st to 4th place.
Stage winner - Ian Stannard Movistar - Adriano Malori 3rd, losing 20", Benat Intxausti 5th, losing 37", Leopold Konig 6th, losing 42", Isidro Pintassilgo 7th, losing 47" Other important results - Tony Martin 4th, losing 23", Jerome Coppel 8th, losing 53", Dario Cataldo 9th, losing 54", Diego Ulissi lost 1'36"
Stage 5 - Flat with 3 minor intermediate climbs
A 6 man early breakaway were hoping to catch the peloton off-guard. They were allowed an 8 minute lead before the pack started chasing. The undulating terrain made chasing difficult as the breakaway got closer and closer to the line. A quarter of the pack could not hang on the peloton in the undulations and were dropped. This included Lobato, and so Movistar's hopes of winning the final sprint were dashed. On the home stretch, the pack caught up to all the breakaway riders barring Matthew Holmes, who somehow managed to hang on for the win. The pack finished half a minute behind.
An exciting race, especially the ITT. It came down to a few seconds here and there as Stannard squeezed out a victory. Another double podium for Movistar, following the same result in Etoile Besseges. The ITT has traditionally not been a strong suit for the team. In the last two races, it was this slight shortcoming which ensured no win for us. All in all, not much to complain about as it was a good first outing for both Konig and Intxausti, ably supported by Malori and IPintassilgo. Two riders on the podium with 2 more in the top 10 is no reason to fret.
Yes the curse of the ITT seems to follow us around doesn't it? Always there's someone in the pack who nudges our riders off the top spot
We've been doing pretty well in every race though. Early season form seems to be good as has been the case over the years...
RACE PREVIEW - VUELTA a ANDALUCIA
Stage List
ITT - 1
Flat - 2
Hilly - 1 (1 HT)
Mountain - 1 (1 MT)
Stage 1
The short ITT starts off Andalucia. The length of this stage isn't enough to make a significant impact on the GC. A stage for the TT-ists to have their day in the sun before the climbing starts.
Stage 2
A stage of tough climbing awaits the riders as they ride to Maen for the hill summit finish. The finish is not necessarily one for the pure climbers, it will be a question of whether the punchers can hang on over the high climbs to have a chance for the win.
Stage 3
A couple of smaller climbs line the terrain before the peloton hits the show-stopper climb to the finish. The gradient is very steep at the start of the climb and gradually tapers off towards the finish. No one but strong climbers will get to the top first.
Stage 4
Some respite for the peloton as they come down from the climbs on to relative flat sections for this stage. The sprinters should finally have some joy and take the win here.
Stage 5
More tough climbing for the riders. The flat finish might see some sprinters looking for a win. However, the chances of a breakaway surviving are high on this stage. The peloton might not have the energy or the desire to chase with all of their strength as the GC is likely to have been decided earlier.
Overall Assessment
A classic climber's race which should not see any upsets. The ITT is not long enough to worry any of the climbers. The competition is not expected to be the best, but it will be an opportunity to the others for a shot at the GC.
Movistar Starting List
Mikel Landa
Elia Viviani
Tiejs Benoot
Rafael Valls
Ruben Fernandez
Alejandro Valverde
Manuel Moreno Capitan
Another race that has traditionally been good for Movistar. They were defending the title but with a different leader this time. Landa had received a pre-season invite to participate in this race, leading to him replacing Kreuziger as the team leader. The latter switched to Mallorca as his season opener. A strong domestique team of Valls, Valverde, Fernandez and Moreno Capitan would aid Landa in his first outing. Tiejs Benoot was also riding for the first time this season. Elia Viviani would look to capitalize on the limited sprinting opportunities that this race was offering. Competition was weak, with Simon Yates, Robert Power and Fabio Duarte a few of the bigger names starting here. Landa was the overwhelming favourite to dominate. Could he live up to his billing?
The following is a summary of stages...
Stage 1 - Individual Time Trial - Flat - 5.7 km
None of the Movistar riders were particularly favoured to challenge for this stage. They managed decent times, staying in touch with their competition. None of them lost more than 47 seconds on this stage. A surprising stage winner was crowned though. Guillame van Keirsbulck won the stage, perhaps highlighting the absence of any TT specialist in this race.
Stage winner - Guillame van Keirsbulck
Stage 2 - Hilly with uphill finish including 3 major and 2 minor intermediate climbs
Ruben Fernandez was a part of the 6 man early breakaway. Behind them, the pack split up on the second climb. Two of the breakaway, including Fernandez was caught with 120 km to go. After the last climb, the lead group was down to 35 riders. The remaining breakaway was caught with 9 km to go as the GC contenders started to get into their stride. Mikel Landa would ride away from the group on the final ascent, with only Simon Yates trying to counter. They would finish in the top 2 positions, while Robert Power would also pick up some time over the rest of the lead group. Landa would take the GC lead by 9 seconds.
Stage winner - Mikel Landa Other important results - Simon Yates 2nd, 10" behind, Robert Power 3rd, 21" behind, all other leaders 37" behind
Stage 3 - Mountain with mountain top finish, including 2 minor intermediate climbs
Fernandez put himself into another breakaway of 4 riders. They were joined by another rider with 75 km left. They pulled out a maximum lead of 10 minutes. 8 of the higher placed riders in the GC attacked with 30 km to go. They bridged the gap to the breakaway but were soon chased down by Movistar. Following this, there were a number of attacks from a number of riders but none were successful. The pack more or less reached the bottom of the climb to the finish together. The number s started dwindling immediately as the road kicked up as Movistar cranked into a high gear. Eventually, with 4 km to go, Landa rode away from the pack once again, only this time building up a substantial gap over most of his rivals. The pre-stage favourite was dominating in his favoured terrain.
(Landa in the leader's red jersey, winning at Cabra)
Stage winner - Mikel Landa Movistar - Rafael Valls 8th, Tiejs Benoot 9th, both 1'33" behind Other important results - Alexander Foliforov 2nd, 19" behind, Maxime Bouet 3rd, 45" behind, Robert Power 4th, 52" behind, Fabio Duarte 5th, 1'11" behind
Stage 4 - Flat with 2 minor intermediate climbs
A 6 man breakaway built up a 6 minute lead over the peloton. They were caught with 7 km left and the stage was decided in a bunch sprint. Sondre Holst Enger was the strongest while Viviani picked up 3rd place.
Stage 5 - Hilly with 1 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
An 8 man breakaway formed. Ruben Fernandez was a part of it but his failure to win the first KOM sprint meant he could not win that classification. He rode with the breakaway for a long time, before sitting up and helping in the chase. The chase, however, was fruitless, as the breakaway survived till the end. Javier Francisco Aramendia, fresh from sealing his win in the KOM on this stage, took the stage win as well, via the sprint among the 7 remaining breakaway riders.
Stage winner - Javier Francisco Aramendia
General Classification
1)Mikel Landa (Movistar)
2)Alexander Foliforov (Orange)
3)Robert Power (American Express)
Points Classification
1)Mikel Landa (Movistar)
2)Robert Power (American Express)
3)Javier Francisco Aramendia (Aeroflot)
Young Riders' Classification
1)Robert Power (American Express)
2)Eddie Dunbar (LA Aluminos - Antarte)
3)Manuel Moreno Capitan (Movistar)
Team Classification
1)Movistar
2)Sky
3)Orange
No problems for Landa in wrapping up this win. A very good first outing for him this season. The team continues their fine early season form. Manuel Moreno Capitan did well to get a podium in the U25s. Two jerseys, three classifications, two stage wins, a stage podium and a classification podium! Not bad at all!!
@DiCyc: Yes it was
@Tamijo: I like way you say 'eliminated', because he killed it!
TOUR de HAUT VAR
A two-stage race this. Ion Izagirre finished in 4th and 3rd places respectively on the two stages, not losing time to the stage winner on either, to outlast his rivals and win the race. Rafal Majka's first start of the season was one without incident as he came home in 7th place. Michael Matthews and Julien Simon took the other places on the podium. Movistar's excellent start to the season continues.
The start of the cobbles season is ushered in by this race. Movistar and Tiejs Benoot were looking to go one better than the 2nd place finish last season. As the race got started, a lot of jostling at the front saw a 9 man breakaway chased down. The peloton then allowed 4 riders to go away. There wasn't a lot of action till about 60 km to go, when the pack split into numerous groups on the third cobbled section. Benoot and Sutterlin was in the first group for Movistar. The break was caught with just over 50 km to go. At 40 km to go, the lead group consisted of 8 riders, with American Express and Dexia having 3 and 2 riders in it respectively. Benoot attacked on the last cobbled section, breaking up the group. 3 other riders - Biermans, Durant and de Troyer - kept his wheel as the race entered its closing stages. Biermans attacked, dropping de Troyer but not managing the same with the other two. Durant attacked next. Benoot tried to follow but could not catch up. In the end, it was a question of a few meters. The result was a repeat of the 2nd place finish last year for Benoot. Durant won while Biermans finished 3rd.
Tamijo wrote:
Fine race in NIEUWSBLAD, just needed the last bit of energy to be a race win
Benoot came second in this race last season by a minute. This time he had the same time as the winner. Maybe it'll be third time lucky for him
STRADE BIANCHE
Perhaps the most picturesque and one of the most gruelling classic races of the calendar! The race started with a 5 man breakaway, who were soon pulled back in. A 3 rider break was then allowed to build up a lead. They pulled a gap of 8 minutes over the pack. The peloton meandered along through the beautiful Italian countryside. The next action happened just over 40 km from the finish. The pack split. The lead group behind the break was about 40 riders. Movistar had 5 of their riders in this group. About 60 riders caught up to this group with 25 km to go. Stybar, Vuillermoz and Navardauskas attacked soon after. Sagan and Permanov followed the attack. With 10 km left, There were four groups of 1, 3, 1 and 2 riders out ahead of the peloton. With 3 km to go, Navardauskas had built up more than a minute's lead on the chasing group of 22 riders. Navardauskas would take the solo victory. Behind him, Movistar locked out positions 2 through 5, and also a couple more top 10s. All they missed out on here was the win! Intxausti and Gorkha Izagirre were the other riders on the podium with Navardauskas.
Stage List
ITT - 2 (1 MTT)
Flat - 2
Hilly - 4 (2 HT)
Stage 1
The Prologue starts us off here. Less than 10 km, the stage will not be very indicative of what's to come over the rest of the week. The TT specialists should win here.
Stage 2
The first of only two flat stages is devoid of much altitude changes. A single climb is the only break in the otherwis out and out sprinters' stage.
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Stage 3
The first of four consecutive hilly stages is mostly flat but rears up sharply in the climb to the finish. The GC contenders should show some glimpses of their form on this stage.
Stage 4
More climbing to be done on this stage. The finish flattens out a wee bit after a very short climb. A stage tailor-made for the punchers.
Stage 5
The climbing gets harder and harder as the race progresses. The climb to the finish has gradients beyond 10% at its steepest. The GC contenders should really come out to play on this stage. The finish will suit pure climbers better.
Stage 6
A somewhat milder stage, although the pack will have to cross 5 climbs. There are no major difficulties at the finish. The sprinters who are able to hang on to the peloton will have a chance to take the stage win here.
Stage 7
The hardest climbing stage of the race. However, the long descent followed by the flat leading to the finish might neutralized any advantage gained on the climb.
Stage 8
A rare MTT in a non Grand Tour race. This stage is likely to have a big bearing on the final outcome of the GC. Given the stage profile, it will the GC leaders themselves who will be most at ease here.
Overall Assessment
A balanced race with stages for all kinds of riders. Perhaps the only thing missing is a mountain summit finish. This race, along with the consequent Tirreno-Adriatico, should give a better indication of the form of the big names at the start of this season.
