After a rainy morning in Adelaide, the skies have given the riders some respite at the Down Under Classic. Certainly a relief for them on this tight 4700m circuit around the city centre with a number of tight left hand turns including a really nasty one into the final straight.
After a heavily subscribed high class race last year, the Classic gets a deserved High Category rating this year. Hollister's Australian sprinter Allan Davis is here to defend his title and bookmakers make his main challengers Bennati, Ciolek, Vaitkus, Greipel and Mohs.
There is some speculation about whose sprint trains are best set up for this, indeed last year was the first sighting of the now famous Pokerstars Green sprint train. That was last year however and it seems as if we have some new blood and Puma SAP, the Italian team in brown, has a sprint train built exclusively for super-sprinter Daniele Bennati.
With just 10 and a half circuits to complete there really isn't any time for messing about and we have our first break attempt almost immediately from: Thomas Fothen
with Andrew Bajadali Andreas Matzbacher Bjorn Selander
Interesting to see a German from Trilux instigate a move in their first race ever, they have star sprinter Heinrich Haussler here. It certainly is not a surprise to see Team Emu Export on the attack which was their promise for the early season Australian races. A Hollister and Bianchi rider going indicates they wish to remove their responsibility from chasing. This may be in the mind of the next three attackers as: Simon Clarke Peter Williams Justo Mayo
now look to bridge to the lead four.
We are already on the second of ten circuits and it is clear there is some hesitation in the peleton. Bianchi and Cyclevox look to increase the pressure throwing two more men forwards with a Focussed and T.CS Bank rider in pursuit. The names: Felix Odebrecht Connor McConvey Denis Galimzyanov Bob Jungels
As we come to the end of the second circuit the attacking just isn't stopping as David Veilleux
instigates a fourth breakaway move.
with Lucas Persson Mattia Gavazzi Dimitri De Fauw
joining him. You can see the peleton behind is beginning to get organised and not really allowing the break any more than a minutes lead. With four teams now with two men in the breakaway it seems Allan Davis' Hollister team have decided to police the gap with an unlikely alliance with Japanese squad Meiji Fuji.
It is new man Alessandro Proni for Hollister who is doing the chasing with the on loan Tom Scully for Meiji Fuji lending a hand. As the peleton edge closer on this third circuit now a Ferrari rider tries to use the vehicles in between to his advantage.
However, Marco Marcato
and Graham Briggs
who attempted to follow while succeeding in getting to the breakaway were only there for the matter of a kilometer or so before being swept up by a rapidly moving peleton.
It is Puma SAP now emphatically in control as we enter the 4th circuit.
The riders leading out are is the powerful rouler trio of Gianni Meersman, Mickaël Delage and Tony Martin. It is a little too early for complete sprint train type control however and we get a new move form and to the delight of the Australian faithful we have: Christopher Sutton
on the attack!
He has to work hard to get any sort of advantage here and could do with some help and indeed Saab - Scania's: Lucas Persson
does manage to bridge up.
Puma SAP decide to sit up a little and allow these two a little gap, but now Pokerstars feel the urge to up the pace, along with Hollister once again back on pace setting duty.
It has been pretty much relentless high pace in the peleton now for three laps and with: Anthony Geslin
and Ruslan Sambris
ramping up the pressure we are seeing the 120 odd man group really stretching out.
With just over 20km to go now some decent sprinters who are hanging towards the back are going to find it very difficult to get back towards the front. Some names for you: Crescenzo D'Amore Aleksei Markov Francesco Chicchi
Chicchi in particular a long ways back.
They may have hoped once Sutton and Persson were caught there would be at least a moments respite, however there is yet another move.
Christopher Sutton
is again involved. He is joined this time by: Huub Duyn Fabrice Jeandesbosz
and the strongest of the four: Bobbie Traksel
With the kilometers ticking down the break is allowed virtually nothing but Traksel pushes on well ahead of the other three who move back in the peleton. Bobbie leads us through with now just 3 laps and under 15 km to go.
The Dutchman has a reasonable gap though you fancy is going to struggle to hold the Hollister/Pokersters/Puma SAO led peleton. Behind the pacesetters, it is becoming important for the main sprinters to position themselves in the top 30 or so riders. We can examine the situation:
Towards the top at the back of the three men in blue we have: Allan Davis
To his side we have in green: Erik Mohs
followed by: Mitch Docker, Tomas Viatkus Gerald Ciolek Daniele Bennati Oscar Gatto Heinrich Haussler
As Sambris of Hollister eases up to Traksal we can see that Pokerstars is set to take control with 2 laps and 9.4km to go.
So Pokerstars sieze control really between kilometers 9 and 7 to go. It is Geslin and Degenkolb leading out Eric Mohs for the team in Green. One problem though is that Bennati is stuck like glue to the Germans wheel. Puma SAP so prominent earlier seem to have left their leader to his own devices, their last domestique in fact pulling over in front of Bianchi's Ciolek delaying him.
Heading around the penultimate circuit behind the Pokerstars train and Bennati we get a game of musical chairs for the Italian's wheel. Gatto, Vaitkus, Brown, Greipal and Cooke are all battling for it.
However up front Geslin's pace slows and suddenly a new problem arises from an old veteren. Oscar Freire
attacks along with: Geoffroy Lequatre
and Paolo Longo Borghini
Suddenly we have panic stations it is clear that Geslin of Pokerstars is struggling for control, step forward Hollister as the trio of: Zakkari Dempster, John Murphy and lead sprinter Allan Davis
shunt Pokerstars out of the way. Aussie TT specialist Dempster pushes past this breakaway attempt as they hit the bell.
Geslin fades and now it is up to young German sprinter John Degenkolb to get his leader up past this powerful looking Hollister train.
It is time for the other sprinters up there to gamble on whose wheel to follow. Oscar Gatto
is taking Allan Davis's wheel.
With Daniele Bennati
still stuck on: Erik Mohs
wheel the two veteren Australian sprinters: Graeme Brown
and Baden Cooke
are almost wrestling for the Italians wheel.
2.5 km to go: Dempster pulls aside now the pressure is on as Degenkolb smoothly sprints past the American John Murphy. Bennati is still looking comfortable on Mohs' wheel but Cooke having seemingly won the battle for Bennati's wheel has let a small gap open. Gatto, Brown, Vautkus, Greipel, Ciolek and moving up Haussler still in contention.
Suddenly BOOM before even the 2km mark Mohs tries to make the jump.
Seems a bit early we are not even on the last 1.5km straight yet. Mohs is clearly feeling the pressure of Bennati on his wheel, either that or Degenkolb just run out of gas. It seems as though Cooke was the one just momentarily caught out here as Brown jumps past onto that coveted Bennati backside!
That nasty turn approaches and even at high speed it is safely negotiated.
The big loser here is Gatto who is taken out by the fading Murphy, though the taking it carefully Cooke has held Greipel, Ciolek and Hausser up also. Up front Mohs is perhaps starting to appreciate how long the straight is though he had nine times to scout it out already. The young German is an impressive stayer but now he has perhaps the world's best sprinter making a move on him as the approach the 1km kite.
Home fans though have not lost hope as both reigning champion Davis and reborn veteran Brown are in contention with Cyclevox's Tomas Vatkus. More heart for the Aussies as Baden Cooke is also back to top speed after a poor corner. Behind him Greipel, Ciolek, a repositioned Gatto and Haussler are weaving between leadouts Murphy and Degenkolb.
900m to go: Bennati slips past Mohs as he make his victory push but whilst the German seems to be fading both Davis and Vaitkus are still a danger.
500m to go: Poor Mohs' energy is really beginning to sap as it seems as if the big fight for the win is between Bennati and Davis. For third we have the virtually Bennati backside kissing Brown and Cyclevox's Vaitkus and Cooke is edging up to them looking for a gap.
250m to go: Bennati seemingly can find no more and Davis is edging clear remarkable. The fastest finishers here are Greipel and Ciolek who are coming really quickly around Mohs.
50m to go: Davis can see the line closer and closer, Bennati looks set now for second with it still very close between Brown and Vaitkus behind. Cooke is being challenged for fifth by Ciolek and Griepel.
ALLAN DAVIS RETAINS THE DOWN UNDER CLASSIC
Bennati is second and a photo finish for third between Vaitkus and Brown with Ciolek 5th, Greipel 6th and Cooke 7th.
A shattered Mohs just hangs onto 8th, ahead of the unfortunate Gatto who was badly baulked on that last corner by Murphy and Haussler who was never really at the races finishes in 10th.
Though at least Haussler got to the front a number of other teams principle sprinters where nowhere near the front. It is Pokerstar's Martijn Maaskant who leads the rest across in 11th place.
Good numbers from Pokerstars again with 11th, 13th (Guillen), 16th (Degenkolb), 23rd (Ingels), 28th (Terpstra) and 29th (Boucher) though tinged with the disappointment of Mohs' mistimed effort. It was Davis of Hollister though who once again took this one with a powerful home straight kick that was too much for even Bennati to handle!
