Welcome to the USA for the Philedelphia International and what a field we have for you in this HC rated classic. Filipo Pozzato of US Based team Mercedes Benz won the opening HC race of the season in South Africa and must be a big favourite here. He will have intense competition though two other big favourites on race day are Gilbert (Pendletons) and Ricco (Bacardi).
It is a bit windy on the course today and this should make for a tough race, there is a lengthy flat section on the 26km circuit which is quite exposed. In addition to this there is the nasty half mile steep climb of the Manayunk Wall, which is near the beginning of each circuit. The peleton will complete 10 circuits and yes that means they have to go up this 10 times.
Lets go over to our first TV shots of todays race:
Pendletons are controlling the early moves
Phillipe Gilbert’s team are nervous about an early break getting a foothold. They do not want too bigger break going up the road as it may be difficult to chase back later. Eventually though seven riders do get up the road.
Seven men make our Break of the day
The riders here are probably not thinking of the win, but are here to put pressure on the riders behind. However we have seen in the past that these riders can maintain themselves in the winning breakaway with favourites bridging across later. So the riders here are:
Hirshlen (Milka), Scarponi (Wiggle), Klimov (Tinkoff), McConnell (Yamaha), Kannemayer (Pirelli), Wolff (El Al) and Le Bon (UBS).
There is a rider in the background who is bridging across and that is Andre Griepal of Bbox. It is a curious to see the German here he is better known as a sprinter but yet here he is bridging across! The gap is eeking out, not quickly but nethertheless the advantage gets to about four minutes after five circuits. Some teams are tetchy, in particular Santander as Del Nero attacks out of the peleton to try and bridge.
Santander looking to place a safety deposit in the break
As he bridges comfortably a couple more riders decide that Del Nero’s move may be an idea. Lego and Red Bull are the copycat teams – Rabon and Siutsou are the riders.
Lego and Red bull men build a bridge to fly over to
They also make it across as the breakaway, this makes 11 riders here and they now have a useful five minute lead. Still the Philly course is a lengthy one and back in the peleton, Pendletons begin to up the ante they are joined by Ricco’s Bacardi team.
Ice Cream and Rum mmm delicious
This works well and despite an increased urgency in the breakaway forcing Griepal out the back of it. With 75km to go the lead 10 have a gap of 2.20 on the peleton with the Bbox sprinter somewhere in between. The break now are on the third to last ascent of the vicious Manayunk wall.
The break of 10 begin to up the ante
The number of riders in this lead group reduce on this ascent as Hirschlen and McConnal are out the back. The speed of the break though is definitely up and the peleton are having trouble getting the gap down a bit. By the next and penultimate ascent of the wall the gap is still 1.40. This forces some favourites to show their hands.
Cobo and Monfort attack on Manayunk
They are joined by Cillit Bangs British champion Jonny Bellis who moves across on the descent.
Bellis also moves away from a reducing peleton
The three riders bridge to the remainder of the breakaway – we have eight riders in total up front. Rabon + Monfort (Lego), Del Nero + Cobo (Santander), Siutsou (Red Bull), Bellis (Cillit Bang) we know about also up here now are Caruso (Wiggle) and Kolobnev (Tinkoff).
Eight riders clear of the peleton in a now dangerous move
Bacardi, Pendletons and UBS are now quite animated in trying to get this back. The peleton is now reduced to just 68 riders, there is the sense that we are at a tipping point here. In addition to the Manayunk wall there is two other small hills on the circuit one of which Lemon Hill sees another move launched from the reduced peleton.
It is the Dutch Valley champion Staf Schierlinckx
The Quiksilver knows an opportunity when he sees one, however in this case all his attack does is to pull everything together. We now have 40km to go, Pirelli’s Bernucci decides this is the time to try and make a break for glory.
Bernucci gives the Italian Americans something to cheer!
It is a forceful move, but ultimately a foolish one too many teams are still in the fight for this one. The final ascent of the Manayunk wall comes along and now the favourites are hovering near the front. At the bottom Simone Ponzi tries to get ahead of the game.
Ponzi is the next Italian to offer riders a target
He gets quickly across to Bernucci with the Jonny Bellis following his wheel. However Bacardi favourite Ricardo Ricco is using the steep climb to make a move.
Attack of the cobra – oh I forgot he don’t like that name anymore!
He is followed by Belgian favourite Gilbert..
Gilbert recognizes the Ricco danger
Plenty of other riders know that this is a decisive moment and up front joining Ricco and Gilbert we have Monfort, Efimkin and Cobo.
A lead group of five – will the winner come from these riders
It is a fairly long distance between the bottom of the Manayunk climb and the finish line, so there is plenty of chance for a regrouping. In fact a group of nine riders are trying to do just that. These nine riders are:
Caruso + Ponzi (Wiggle), Bellis + Ben Nasser (Cillit Bang), Schumacher (UBS), Kolobnev (Tinkoff), Schierlinckx (Quiksilver), Pineau (Bbox) and Bernucci (Pirelli).
Nine chasers
Behind this there is just 27 riders left in the peleton, these riders chances of winning is now reducing by the second. It is a about time that Pozzato makes his move which he is doing on the flatter roads.
Pozzato like at Bloemfontain is making a late move for glory
The trouble is we have a strong hungry field here and they keep attacking at the front. It’s Gilbert who is really driving it.
Attacks keep coming from the lead group
They come over the last uphill stretch and as we come into the last 15km, Pozzato has indeed made it across to the chase group.
Pipo is looking piping hot
But up front Gilbert is continuing to push and is refusing to let a regrouping happen. Just two riders can stick to the on fire Belgians wheel, Ricco and Cobo.
Three riders push on
Next group on the road is Schumacher, Monfort, Ponzi and Kolobnev, Alex Efimkin has dropped back and Pozzato is regrouping in the group behind. Over the next 5km Gilbert is putting pressure on his two other riders and it is making it tough for riders behind. Schumacher though is close to just doing that.
Gilbert leads under the 10km to go banner
So the situation: e1 Gilbert, Ricco, Cobo e2 Schumacher at 17 seconds e3 Kolobnev, Monfort, Ponzi at 32 seconds e4 Pozzato, Pineau, Bellis, Ben Nasser, Scheirlinckx, Efimkin and Caruso at 1.08 e5 Bernucci, Ventuso at 1.45 peleton 26 riders at 2.28
Up front Phillipe Gilbert is desperate to keep others from bridging and is riding away from Cobo and Ricco.
Gilbert opens a gap finally
Schumacher bridges to the other two but Gilberts 15 seconds turns to 30 and then to 45 seconds. It looks great for the pendletons man and under the 5km banner these three look like they are fighting for second.
Schumacher, Ricco and Cobo losing sight of victory
Behind them though Lego man Monfort is close to bridging, with 2.8 km he is almost there before the sprint opens up.
Monfort almost in the hunt for minor placings
But these riders are well behind this years Philly International winner, Phillipe Gilbert.
Great win for Pendletons star man
Behind this the minor placings battle is won by Schumacher who will rue that he missed the first move. Ricco managed to get third over Cobo and then Monfort who couldn’t quite make it across.
The battle for the minor placings
Even more regretful will probably be Pipo Pozzato who left it far too late to make his move. He at least gets 6th place by leading the next group home.
Pozzato gets 6th ahead of Schierlinckx, Efimkin, Bellis and Kolobnev
