The netherlands are in Time Trialling heaven this year, hosting Giro and Tour prologues and now today the premier Team Time Trialling event of the year. All the protour squads bar the abstaining Domina Vacanze are here to test their skills and there are several teams in with a shout of finishing on the top step of the podium.
There are two time checks out on the course the first is at 17km, the second at 32km and the finish is slightly longer than advertised at 46km. This lengthening may well suit the balanced squads, with the top heavy squads surely finding it difficult to keep everybody together.
The first major candidates are a team who certainly have the speed, Auber 93 one of the surprise candidates of the year. Very strong team for this with Coppel, Boom, Reus and Rolland.
Auber squad captained by French TT champion Jerome Coppel
A team perhaps ignored in the recent chat has been Italian team La Gazzeta, they are quietly purring along following Cunego's tremendous comeback in the Giro. He is currently resting up for his big late season race targets, Michael Rogers following a useful Tour de Suisse result leads his team here also with Van Winden and Rick Flens.
Gazzeta have some local help
One of the best all round squads on show, lacking perhaps that one big powerhouse is Festina - Seiko. A team built to be largely there and thereabouts in every race have that look about them once again, with Contador their most recognizable star and German Lucas Schadlich probably their best time trialler.
You can set your watch by the Festina squad
Fabian Cancellara is not having his best season ever, he does not really have the greatest of backups in this team test either. Rest assured the bikes were thoroughly checked before the start of this one.
Cancellara's Carmuese clan are riding clean bikes
These were some of the early starter we will catch up with some of the other contaders after this the full standings as of the first check:
Auber
19.51
Festina
at 6 seconds
Philips
at 11
Gazzeta
at 16
B + O
at 16
Nespresso
at 20
Wikipedia
at 21
J Wolfskin
at 23
Sony
at 24
Lafarge
at 28
Vesuvio
at 28
Pearl
at 37
Lipton
at 38
Starbucks
at 45
Carmuese
at 50
E Diesal
at 59
Cafe de Col
at 1.14
War Bros
at 1.24
Some surprises at the first check for sure, a team going well at the first check is the useful all-round squad captained by Thomas Dekker - whose season is targetting the upcoming Tour de France.
Dekker's Philips squad starting well in the team test
World TT champion Dave Zabriskie's squad were a little off the mark at the first check, you feel he and Phinney are riding a little carefully early on to avoid blowing the others away. Phinney another big Tour de France candidate looks in awesome form.
Wikipedia not seemingly piling on the power early
Vesuvio won this thing a couple of years back, plenty of decent time trial talent remains with Ford and Vittel, but their first split hardly set the world alight - much like Vesuvio's season.
Vesuvio fail the fire early
Jack Wolfskin will also need to pick the tempo up, mass groans at the finish when they saw the Dutch based team were over twenty second behind Auber 93 at the first check.
Jack Wolfskin search for extra speed
Any changes at the second check let's see:
Auber
40.02
Jack Wolf
at 16 seconds
Festina
at 25
Wikipedia
at 25
Gazzeta
at 38
Nespresso
at 41
Philips
at 45
B + O
at 46
Lipton
at 47
Lafarge
at 52
Pearl
at 52
Sony
at 54
Vesuvio
at 1.02
Starbucks
at 1.12
E Diesal
at 1.17
Carmuese
at 1.26
Cafe du Col
at 1.59
Warner Bros
at 2.24
With Auber gaining on almost everybody it looks good for them, but encouragement for home fans with Jack Wolfskin definitely smoking through the second section.
Team Nespresso captained by Dutchman Keizer will hope to finish well, their checks have been steady but unspectacular. This team also with Russian TT champ Karpets really do need a good result to ease relegation worries.
Nespresso not quite up in top gear
B and O also seem to lack that Giro sparkle, what a race that was for them - mind you they finished strongly there in that team time trial maybe they have something left.
Scandenavians try to call on their stamina
Well down the lists are team leaders Sony, they will have been disappointed with their second section.
Sony disappoint in second section
However in the last they are one of the strongest teams as the positions shuffled somewhat. Jack Wolfskin were by far the fastest as they ultimately overtook (in terms of time) the fading Auber squad to win this Team test. Festina held their form well to take 3rd behind Auber and Sony (yes SONY) somehow rocketing up to 4th place from nowhere with B and O coming up to 5th.
Defending champs Wikipedia end 7th ahead though of some other teams who had bad second halfs of the Time trial like Nespresso, Philips and Vesuvio.
Robert Gesink collects the prize for Jack Wolfskin, portants for a good Tour de France perhaps?
