We come to Wales at the end of the month of June and the sprinters are no doubt looking for a jolly little jolly around Abergavenny for this criteriam.
However in this part of the world you will experience a unique microclimate that gives 90% chance of rain all year round and this year the probabilities come true.
It is raining in Wales – I am sure the Pendletons and 100% Me teams were fully prepared
Note the Bbox bus has driven the bus right by the start area – will this give Griepal and co an advantage today? They could sure do with some as despite the grim weather some of the best sprinters in the world are here. The weather is making some speculate that Vaitkus (Telenor) and Ciolek (LEGO) could be big challengers here. But it is difficult to believe that one of 100% Me’s sprinters (Cavendish, Swift and Kennaugh) will not figure.
We have a 5km course which the riders shall go round twelve times, despite the short length it is a fairly well designed course but officials are concerned about the weather causing crashes. Just maybe this plays into the hands of the breakaway men. Plenty of riders make a move forming a group of 15 riders ahead over the first five circuits.
A good percentage of the peleton has formed the front group
The riders here are:
Stauff +Radochla (LEGO), Downing (100% Me), Vorontsov + Le Bon (UBS), Clarke (Falcon), Gavazzi (Vespa), Mayo + Veilleux (Bbox), Forero + Howard (Milka), McNally (Pendletons), Feillu (Petronas), Dumoulin (Pokerstars), Mertens (Intesa).
These 15 riders represent 11 of the 13 teams here with only Telenor and Mercedes not there. It is interesting with 35km to go they have a nice 2.16 gap on the peleton. Three more riders attack...
Intesa send their second man up the road in Salerno
The other two are Lancaster (Lego) and Polito (Bbox) who are really stacking the numbers up. They are trying to cross as they go over the midway point the gap is still a steady 2.05. Pendletons and 100% Me are trying desperately to control this.
Pendletons looking for yet another good result
But their pace is not really good enough to stop the mass of attacks as Mercedes decide to try and send Tour of Picardie champ Taylor Tolleson up the road.
Tolleson drags yet another three man move away
Delage (Intesa) and Wei (Bbox) track the Mercedes man, but seeing the dangerous American try to make the move across has upped the pace fully in the peleton. It is Milka, Pendletons and 100% Me who have made the big effort to pull it all back together.
Milka and 100% Me bring it back with 20km to go
The speed is lightening quick and this is beginning to hurt some of the riders – at this tipping point a new move forms of some really strong men.
Four man move goes between 20km and 15km to go
Laloutte (Petronas), Dumoulin (Pokerstars), Tolleson (Mercedes) and Vaitkus (Telenor) are trying to get up the road a bit. The latter three get about 30 seconds on the peleton by the completion of the circuit and we have just 3 left. The organisers fears of a crash are realised at this point, no chance of recovery for the fallers.
Fall towards the back of the peleton
No really big names, but it does weaken the LEGO team with Hochmann and Stauff going over.
At the front this danger move is working really well. Vaitkus is driving hard and they make it through the next circuit increasing their advantages to 48 seconds. However Dumoulin and Tolleson are cooked having looked to make the earlier move and drop back to the peleton. It is led by Pendleton’s wanting to set things up for Van Heerden.
Just one rider is left out front now
Telenor have gambled everything on this Vaitkus out on his own, Brown is in the peleton but he has not really shown he can live with this class of competition! But the toughman is doing a great job as he makes it to the last circuit on his own.
Vaitkus has 21 seconds with 5km to go
He is such a strong rouler, but 100% Me really have their A squad here, it is super domestique Gerient Thomas pulling everyone back to the Telenor mans wheel.
3.5km to go and its over for Vaitkus
So what is the situation with the sprint trains, having expended Thomas on catching Vaitkus 100% Me do not really have a train. But Cavendish are placed okay on the Milka train.
Main train is on the left
It is Vandaereden who leads the train for Casper with Van Heerden, Swift and Greipal there. But Cavendish is there also with Kennaugh not too far away either. The sprint starts and the Milka train is bursting through nicely.
Milka producing a text book lead out here
The wolves are at the door though is Casper fast enough to hold pendletons fast man Van Heerden and the three 100% Me sprinters. Weissinger (LEGO) is a surprise entry from nowhere but he has given his effort a bit too soon as Casper moves across between 2km and 1km.
Round the final bend
They all make it round that bend, Swift darts to the inside but has to swerve around the Milka pace man as he fades. Caspar has produced a good kick and for now Van Heerden sticks to his slipstream under the 1km to go banner.
Not your usual ghosting up by Casper
This is looking like a one of those career moments for the Frenchman as he begins to open some daylight over Van Heerden who is coming under pressure from the 100% Me duo who are coming round either side.
Caspar looks solid – battle for second is close though
In the final yards both Swift and Cavendish get around Van Heerden, but it is still a solid result for the South African. Peter Kennaugh takes 5th place to give 100% Me some consolation for not managing to get round the winner.
Three in the top five for 100%Me
But the prestige and the glory will be with Milka who will be singing in the rain with a fantastic win for Jimmy Caspar.
