The CT cobbled race in France serves up this little mini Paris Roubaix. It certainly delivers plenty of off road cobbled like action with numerous sectors for the riders to enjoy. It's no surprise that Ikea's Vanspreybrouk is listed as a favourite along with our usual set of other riders getting more and more desperate to grab a win off of the dominant Belgian. Cillit Bang's Vlad Gusev, 100% Me's Adam Blythe and Vespa's Gert Steegmans are listed as most likely and just might have a better chance outside of the Ikea man's home nation of Belgiam.
One favourite not here is Leif Hoste, one can only speculate why the Bbox man has been left out of this one. It is clear early on that they have differing designs here as Gottfried goes on the attack early.
Bbox open up the attacks in its home race.
Thats Jarc of Milka behind, perhaps a change of tact for them. Hushovd has not been able to consistently deliver for the chocolate sponsored team. Miles Olman (Bimbo Nutella) also attacks out of the 80 man peleton to make it three riders in the breakaway. Bimbo Nutella's main man for cobbles is Bernie Eisel who has made some good results and may also fancy this one today.
break of three.
As you can see its raining and a number of riders make their way across to this group of three, none of them are particularly renowned cobblers. But this horrible conditions can make for great equalisers so who knows. Petrov (Benfica), McConvey (100% Me), Reekers (Cillit Bang) also comes across. Nechita of Intesa was also in this move but fell under the horrible conditions, but he was determined to get across and went with the next move. Another Cillit Bang bozo Shatskikh was in this move, however it was instigated by Samai Samai of Yamaha.
It's a rare attacking moment for the Indonesian sprinter.
In wet conditions, it can be easy to pick up punctures and a number of riders would pick up them over the course of todays action. An early victim would be this favourite... Unbelievable, Blythe punctures again!
Monks and Sergent drop back to help their leader.
Back to the break its nine men, but the numerous cobbled sectors and the lack of any real impetus in the break means it's not pulling away. It's hardly helped by the two Cillit Bang riders not doing any work at all! The whole situation becomes a bit pointless and Ikea put a stop to the breakaway completely by steadily bringing it back in.
Jerome Giaux is better known as a sprinter, but here he is one pulling break back duty.
The rain seems to have dampened the peletons spirits, with plenty of nasty cobbled off road sections to come they are happy to ride around. The helicopters zoom out and admire the scenery for a while because not a lot is happening in the peleton. pretty French coastline
The last 56.5 km of this race is pretty tough with 9 sectors to deal with and one in the last 3km is still going to make this one interesting. The accidents are beginning to become the headline as Pokerstars begin to ramp up the speed at the front. Van Avermart (Bimbo Nutella) and Marcus Eichler (Cillit Bang) prominent a couple of days ago in Belgiam both get punctures taking them out of todays picture. Even worse is a nasty looking fall for Kevin Van Impe (Pokerstars) taking another decent cobbler out of the picture. These conditions are just awful
Undeterred Pokerstars do kick on and create a split. The big split of the day.
The pressure continues to be piled on as the original front group of 27 becomes 21 riders and then with the help of punctures and cobbled weakened riders becomes an elite group of 13 riders. Another unlucky man is Andy Cappelle of Vespa, he punctures at a bad time and doesn't make the 13. Nethertheless Vespa are one of those pushing this on. bad ass group of 13.
Here are the riders in this group. Thomas + Blythe (100% Me), Verbist + Steegmans (Vespa), Hushovd + Stybar (Milka), Albert + Vanspreybrouk (Ikea), Ingels + Geslin + Kluge (Pokerstars), Gusev (Cillit Bang) and Eisel (Bimbo Nutella).
Its Yamaha, Benfica, Intesa and Bbox that have no-one here, but then again they did not really have the personnel to make it here! Pokerstars have done well to get 3 men in the group, but they have always had numbers, could they actually get someone in line for a decent result though? As these riders pulled further and further clear, the question was who was going to be the first to make the move. Perhaps the most confident rider?
It's Pieter Vanspreybrouk!
Who can respond to this? Adam Blythe and Gusev decided they have to mark the move. Its a big effort from both men, Blythe will no doubt have been affected by his earlier puncture. Gusev's lieutenents De Maar and Eichler have not made the lead group and he has been on his own.
Big effort to bridge by the two other big favourites.
The three man Pokerstars team in the rest of the break come to the front and work together really well, whilst the group of 3 up front watch each other warily. In fact the team in green bring back the move. Great work.
Pokerstars nullify the first moment in the finale
Getting into the last 6.5 km, only one cobbled section to go and undetered by his previous effort, Vanspreybrouk goes again! Is there no stopping this man!
He is getting a gap here as we go under the 5 km banner, Gusev and Blythe do not seem to be able to respond. Is this it?
Gert Steegmans decides to give it a go, he is marked by Ikea's second Niels Albert and also Pokerstars best hope Roger Kluge. Meanwhile Gusev finally tries to put in a dig with rival Blythe able to muster enough strength for one last push! Riders desperate to get across.
Steegmans does pull across to Vanspreybrouk, but he has bought Albert across with him. Roger Kluge is desperately hanging on too, can the Pokerstars man get in on the action? We come into the last cobbled section now.
Last of the cobbled sections
2.5 km to go then this is the situation e1: Vanspreybrouk + Albert (Ikea), Steegmans (Vespa), Kluge (Pokerstars) e2: Gusev (Cillit Bang), Blythe (100% Me) at 20 seconds e3: Thomas (100% Me), Verbist (Vespa), Hushovd + Stybar (Milka), Ingels + Geslin (Pokerstars), Eisel (Bimbo Nutella) at 40 seconds.
The four riders up front have enough of a gap to decide this between themselves. Into the last kilometre it becomes clear that Roger Kluge is not going to be one of them.
600 metres to go.
The conditions are making it difficult to pick the men out, its an Ikea man out front, ahead of Steegmans then Ikea man number two. Blythe is bearing in on Kluge and outpacing a defeated Gusev behind. Lets change to a front shot...
Its Albert who wins it for Ikea!
Ikea win it with their number two man, remarkable stuff. Steegmans cannot overhaul to two against one odds, perhaps fearing Vanspreybrouk would come around him from behind. Kluge holds off a fast finishing Blythe for Pokerstars best cobbled result of the season, Gusev will be disappointed with 6th. Geslin wins the tight sprint for seventh...
