The dutch have two highly recognizable stars in Romandie champion and Jack Wolfskin leader Robert Gesink and regular Tour de France challenger Thomas Dekker. You wouldn’t say either have had a bad season, but not quite the big one that either would have hoped for.
Over today’s hilly parcours:
You would have to place Pearl Adidas punchaer Peter Weening, Falcons Hoogerland and Auber pair Boom and Reus into the melting pot for the national title – with Mollema (Bbox), Dees (Festina) and Clement (Pokerstars) into the maybe category.
It should be interesting to see how Jack Wolfskin play it with 16 of the 57 starters. They certainly didn’t suffocate things too much in the early going as a group of 10 riders escapes.
Poels and Gmelich represent JW here and they are joined by Traksel (Intesa), Brus (Pokerstars), Vingerling (Festina), Van Ooijen (Yamaha), Rijntjes (Wikipedia), Bol (Mercedes), Veelers (B and O) and Van Zandbeek(Lafarge).
At one point the break has nine minutes but a cautious Philips and Wolfskin strategy sees them pulled back to 3.41 with 100km to go.
The strange parcours if mainly flat with the finish a third of the way up a very tough climb, this seems to split the peleton every time they come around at full pace.
It is no big deal though as the peleton seems to come back together before the end of the lap. It does start to drop some of the lesser riders caught behind in the splits.
The ten up front keep their tempo but things are reduced to just over a minute as the peleton split once again with three laps to go. Looking at the second peleton there seems to be rather a lot of Philips riders there.
Yes, Dekker has been caught by the split, consequently the Jack Wolfskin boys are driving the pace at the front. This time we do not see a coming together and with names like Clement, Eltink and Mollema back in the second group the other favourites are aiding this pace.
The ten men up front start to splinter and by the time they come through the start/finish area again there are only five riders left. Veelers, Van Ooijen, Traksal, Bol and Vingerling are the men left.
But as you can see the peleton is close and they duly get caught by the end of this nasty climb and with the Philips riders spent Dekker is having massive problems getting back into contention. With 25km to go the gap from the 27 man front group to Dekkers now 15 man group is 55 seconds. As they hit the bell it is time for the front group to race for the win, Van den Hugenhaben tries a speculative dig on that climb.
Hoogerland, Reus and Boom quickly bridge to the Jack Wolfskin second man.
No worries for the two favourites though as Gesink and Weening comfortably make it across as well.
A blue jersey speeds across... wait the flowing locks.... it’s Thomas Dekker!
What an amazing effort from the Philips rider, though we still have the tactical finale. Also amazing is to see one of the breakaways Tom Veelers come across with a third Auber rider Langeveld and also a third Wolfskin rider Posthuma.
So we have Van de Hugenhaben, Posthuma, Gesink, Boom, Reus, Langeweld, Veelers, Weening and Dekker in this one. The tactics begin Auber and Jack Wolfskin are marking each other tightly – Lars Boom and Robert Gesink do a track move slowing down with the struggling Veelers.
So much so that they get distanced slightly with just 6km to go:
Realising that Boom has probably the best kick of the three Auber’s Reus and Langeweld are sent back to bring Boom back. Gesink just calmly follows Boom back to the front lot, Veelers unfortunately now is distanced.
The enter the tense finale with Peter Weening leading the way with Van den Hugenhaben alongside and Boom having forced his way to the front right there.
You can see here at 2800m to go Thomas Dekker right there poised in 4th place. That last climbing section really is not that long before the finish line perhaps 400m if that, so positioning is key.
We go aerial with 2.0 km to go and we can see Dekker has forced his way through to the front with Boom still right on one side and Weening/ Van den Hugenhaben on the other.
The other Auber man is Langeweld, Gesink is some way back here with Reus, Posthuma and Hoogerland. They really do need to move forward, but as they approach the last hill the front men are sprinting. Dekker decides to try and lead this one out!
Weening seems done, as does Van den Hugenhaben which is very disappointing for Jack Wolfskin. It is surely Dekker vs the two Auber riders Boom and Langeveld.
Boom looks the most likely of the two as the hit the sharp left hander into the final hill, Dekker maintains a length lead.
Boom fades though as we start the short climb.
... and Thomas Dekker is your new champion of the Netherlands.
Langeveld takes second over teammate Boom and its Gesink who never really challenged who comes a disappointing 4th ahead of the third Auber rider Reus.
A close second in the team time test at the worlds, the Dutch have a host of world class men against the clock. This does have the look of a really tight race with stage racers like Gesink and Dekker against the specialists Boom, Reus and defending champion Posthuma.
There isn’t a lot of wind out there on the course today and Joost Posthuma is sent out fairly early by the Jack Wolfskin bosses to try and take advantage of what little there is.
The champion incumbent sets checks of 17.32 44.01 1.04.00.
Outside the big five we must not discount some of the other riders from possible podium places, these are certainly riders if they were in any other national championships they would probably be given more coverage.
Scheuneauman and De Kort for example.
The Philips rider sets 17.57 45.04 1.05.32
And Jack Wolfskins man sets 17.51 44.51 1.05.11
Some way behind Posthuma, but their hopes of a high place are lifted as the little bit of wind is dropped. Perhaps slightly panicking that things will suddenly become completely becalmed Auber send their two big guns out.
First Reus,
And then Lars Boom.
But coming out as the wind is dipping is really going when the horse has already bolted and neither can really trouble Posthuma’s lead.
Reus 17.40 44.19 1.04.27
Boom 17.43 44.29 1.04.39
So a disappointing day really from the Auber riders in their ongoing rivalry with Jack Wolfskin. Just beaten in the Eindhoven TT and really never on terms with Posthuma. Posthuma knows realistically his real threats now only come from Dekker and Gesink.
Holland has to wait a bit as low wind is around and these two are looking to leave it to the last minute. Tim Dees (Festina) entertains us in the meantime.
Dees however cannot break 65 minutes in the calm conditions.
Dees 17.56 45.01 1.05.23
As we get to the end of our starters Dekker:
And Gesink have no option but to start their runs.
In the hope of a late breeze. They try and keep in touch in the early part of the course, it is a bit hilly here so no wind does not take such an effect.
Dekker 17.38
Gesink 17.34
As Dekker takes check two in a time of 44.18 (2nd fastest of the day but 17 seconds down), the slight breeze returns. As Gesink rockets through the effect is clear as ‘Bobbie’ clocks a new fastest 43.57.
But the breeze is fleeting and as Dekker finishes in 1.04.23 (23 seconds back from Posthuma) it is clear that this will be tight.
Here comes the clock counter
1.03.49
....
1.03.52
...
1.03.55
...
1.03.58, nearly there
1.03.59
1.04.00 STOP.
Its the same time!
Gesink looks back at the milliseconds... Posthuma is announced the winner he retains the Dutch TT title.
