March 10, 2013 - Tour de Taiwan Stage 1

With the stage being so short, there weren't too many riders bothering with attacking early on. Four riders got away and were allowed a maximum of one minute before Crelan - Euphony and MTN-Qhubeka started reeling them back in. As you would expect on such a short stage, the pace was relentless from start to finish.


And there were still ten kilometres to go when the escapees were caught with Crelan and MTN still doing all of the work. Accent Jobs were constructing a strong leadout though, as they tried to launch Van Dijk to the win. Team NetApp Endura were trying their best to put something together but kept getting blocked and barged and Downing was way back entering the final kilometre.


It was Dutchman Van Dijk that finished off his team's great work, just holding off Gerald Ciolek of MTN. Hinault was third for IAM, while Crelan had a complete disaster, getting nobody in the top ten despite working hard all day. Downing came back strongly in the final few metres to take seventh, with Thwaites in twelfth. Every rider was given the same time as they look ahead to the much harder stages to come.

March 11, 2013 - Tour de Taiwan Stage 2

There were a lot of attacks at the start as people saw the opportunity to win the stage over the hard terrain. Rowsell got into an early group of five that looked like it had made it away but more attacks quickly brought the gap down and it was over before it started for young Erick.


Eventually, it was another group of five that made it away. They were Barbe (Crelan), Jones (UnitedHealthcare), Zardini (Bardiani Valvole), Bugge (Joker) and Jarc for NetApp Endura. The Slovenian had to use a lot of energy to get into the break though and with the tough climbs starting straight away, he would struggle to recover. He battled hard at the KoM sprints but lost out to Jones.


It was all yellow at the head of the peloton as Vini Fantini and MTN Qhubeka reeled the escapees back in at a high speed. Indeed, over the final categorised climb, more than fifty riders lost contact with the peloton, including Friedemann, Gavazzi, Merlo and Ilesic. Still, the pace was ferocious and soon Schillinger and Matzka were also gone.


With twenty kilometres to go, the breakaway was finally brought back but Barbe hadn't finished yet. Despite the stage being so tough, he still had enough energy to put in a big attack and go solo for more than ten kilometres. But nobody in the peloton panicked, MTN and Accent Jobs keeping him within sight and letting him waste all of his energy. Jarc was dropped from the peloton instantly, while Rowsell and Mendes were battling like crazy just to stay in there.


With five kilometres to go, the leadout was all over the place, as Barbe was finally caught. No team was really taking it on up the slight rise to the finish. NetApp Endura had had a difficult day but Downing and Bibby were both well placed near the front. Thwaites couldn't get near Russ to give him a hand though, so he would have to do it on his own.


But it was all in vain as Van Dijk took a crushing win again, nobody in the same league as the Accent Jobs rider. Ciolek was once again second but in a different timezone, ahead of Andriato, van Asbroeck and a blanket finish by three IAM riders! Downing couldn't deal with the pace as he tried to follow Ciolek and faded to tenth, being beaten by the likes of Pantano and Juodvalkis. Bibby and Mendes both finished safely(ish) in the peloton but it was a hard day.

March 12, 2013 - Tour de Taiwan Stage 3

Rowsell was determined to make it into the breakaway today after he failed yesterday. He made sure he was always in the front group as the usual 455 counterattacks kept the pace in the peloton high. Eventually, four riders made it away. They were Rowsell, Colbrelli (Bardiani Valvole), Kusztor (Utensilnord) and Santamaria (Burgos BH). Later on, they were joined by Korsaeth (Joker), who bridged the three minute gap on his own.


Halfway through the stage and the peloton hit the brutal categorised climb, with gradients at over 15%. The gap between the escapees and the peloton was at four minutes as Rowsell won the KoM sprint to give him 16 points in that competition. On this climb, a large grupetto formed, which Thwaites and Downing were happy to be a part of. There were fewer than 60 riders left in the peloton now.


And as the riders approached the final ascent, Sella (Androni Giocattoli) attacked across to the breakaway, taking Rowsell with him. The remainder of the breakaway were caught and dropped, but Erick wasn't finished yet and sat on the Italian's wheel, forcing him to waste his energy with his team mates waiting in the bunch. A really mature ride for such a young rider.


Unfortunately, with just five kilometres to go, Rowsell and Sella were caught as the big riders began to test their legs on the early, easier slopes. A great ride by Rowsell today. Mendes was bringing Bibby to the front as the Brit tried to get himself in a position to challenge the more experienced climbers here. The first meaningful attack came from Rubiano (Androni Giocattoli), who was followed by Duarte (Colombia).


As expected, the pace proved too strong for race leader Van Dijk and he was left behind, along with Rowsell. This meant that we would definitely have a new leader. Ahead, Duarte, Rubiano and Lofkvist, who had attacked across the gap, were entering the final kilometre with a small advantage over the rest, including Bibby. Mendes couldn't help Ian any longer and cruised to the finish.


Unsurprisingly, Fabio Duarte was too strong for everyone, as he put a small gap between himself and Rubiano and Lofkvist. Thirty seconds further back, Di Luca won the sprint for fourth, ahead of Atapuma, Pardilla and Ochoa. Colombians everywhere in Taiwan! Bibby just missed out on the top ten but got the same time as Di Luca to move into sixth on GC. Great start for Ian.