The first of two tests against the clock, today is a test of teamwork in the team time trial. It is a slightly shorter distance than advertised at 17 kilometres with the early check at about 8 kilometres. The first section fairly hilly with stretches above 5%, though there is more than enough flat for this to suit the power men.
Big favourites as they'll be for any team chrono are Jack Wolfskin, with Vesuvio expected to challenge. Both teams have got two very strong stage racers in Plaza/Gesink and Uran/Intxausti. According to the pre race hype a couple of commentators are mentioning team B&O who did well in some team trials last year could be contenders here. Also well fancied to do well are Nestle and Race leader Cam Meyer's Sony Ericsson team.
Certainly the Australian has been timing his efforts well in the sprints winning the opener and narrowly missing out yesterday. His team are drawn to start first, which is not usually a position leading teams fancy. Occasionally this means you can get favourable conditions but today the wind is fairly calm.
Jakub Danacek, Sebastian Lang, Alexander Wetterhall, Viktor Renäng, Serge Pauwels are all good against the clock.
Their time at the first check is 18.39, nothing to compare it to at this stage.
Next out is Santander, with sprinter Óscar Guerao who much like his team is not a reknowned time triallist. It must be a concern to team leader Justo Tenorio
to see the current green jersey wearer (borrowed from Meyer) on the front on a climb!
Nethertheless Justo would have been happier when they went through the check 16 seconds faster than Sony.
1st check (2 teams)
1.
Santander
18.23
2.
Sony Ericsson
+ 16 seconds
Either Santander are vastly exceeding expectations or Sony have set off way too slow, we would get our answer soon enough as one of the big favourites in Vesuvio set off third.
Úran, Intxausti, Kittel, Ford, Barth, Clesen, Stundzia are all strong against the clock so this was always going to be fast and indeed they erupted through the check point 25 seconds quicker than Santander.
1st check (3 teams)
1.
Vesuvio
17.58
2.
Santander
+ 25 seconds
3.
Sony Ericsson
+ 41 seconds
Looks great from Vesuvio who are making a mockery of the early start hoodoo, still though eyes will be eagerly watching the other contenders. Meanwhile starting immediately after them are Wiggle, certainly not well known for their team time trial prowess but with the likes of Timofrey Kritskiy and Ian Bibby around could go okay.
The commentators have to double check their screens in disbelief when they see the time, Wiggle have sensational further undercut the best time at the first check by another second. Could they possible keep it going to beat Vesuvio.
1st check (4 teams)
1.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
17.57
2.
Vesuvio
+ 1 second
3.
Santander
+ 26 seconds
4.
Sony Ericsson
+ 42 seconds
A big shock in the cards here, suddenly it seems every team is to be taken seriously though Rapha Condor can only set a time just under Santander, another promoted outfit UBS- LaPierre look like setting a lightening time.
Another team difficult to fancy on paper with Rafaâ Chtioui and Dmitri Champion good solid TTers their best.
However their first check is a brilliant 8 seconds faster than Wiggles!
1st check (6 teams)
1.
UBS - LaPierre
17.49
2.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
+ 8 seconds
3.
Vesuvio
+ 9 seconds
4.
Rapha Condor
+ 30 seconds
5.
Santander
+ 34 seconds
These newly promoted teams are really out to make an impression, following UBS is the colourful Bacardi outfit. No reason why this team shouldn't be setting a very good time with Martijn Keizer
at the helm.
Indeed whilst they are not as fast as UBS they are yet another team to eclipse the now dormant looking Vesuvio!
1st check (7 teams)
1.
UBS - LaPierre
17.49
2.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
+ 8 seconds
3.
Bacardi
+ 8 seconds
4.
Vesuvio
+ 9 seconds
5.
Rapha Condor
+ 30 seconds
At the end of the course the finish times are starting to come in, we can see that Sony Ericsson have at least increased their speed in the second half of the course reversing their deficit to Santander and turning it into a gain.
Finish time (2 teams):
1.
Sony Ericsson
29.41
2.
Santander
+ 14 seconds
But the riders from last year's protour champions look far from happy, it is soon confirmed that they have lost their race lead when Vesuvio and then Wiggle finish. Which way round did these two come having been separated by one second at the first check? Vesuvio set a decent looking 29.09, but this best time was soon extinct as Wiggle held this one second advantage through the flat!
Finish time(4 teams):
1.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
29.08
2.
Vesuvio
+ 1 second
3.
Sony Ericsson
+ 33 seconds
4.
Santander
+ 47 seconds
With Carmuese, Wikipedia, Cafe du Colombia, Festina and Focused out on the course unable to break 18 minutes at the first check, attention remained at the finish where UBS and Bacardi were expected to set quick times. However both had faded, to post times some way below Wiggle and Vesuvio.
Finish time(7 teams):
1.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
29.08
2.
Vesuvio
+ 1 second
3.
UBS - LaPierre
+ 13 seconds
4.
Bacardi
+ 22 seconds
5.
Sony Ericsson
+ 33 seconds
Finally a team out on course starts to get to grips with the earlier times set and it is the experienced Belgian toughman Stijn Devolder
who is inspiring his team here.
Team Spyker Cars look to try and measure their ride here setting a time just two seconds slower than UBS' super and maybe too quick 17.49.
1st check (13 teams)
1.
UBS - LaPierre
17.49
2
Spyker Cars
+ 2 seconds
3.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
+ 8 seconds
4.
Bacardi
+ 8 seconds
5.
Vesuvio
+ 9 seconds
Following the theme of newly promoted teams setting blistering checks Milka Vittel with riders like Maxime Bouet, Roman Kreuzinger and Thomas De Gendt look to impress.
Indeed they do becoming the sixth team to set a time under 18 minutes.
Let's add Pendleton's Twicer to that tally now David Zabriskie
inspiring them to a strong first check time also.
So let's check those first check times.
1st check (16 teams)
1.
UBS - LaPierre
17.49
2.
Spyker Cars
+ 2 seconds
3.
Pendletons
+ 5 seconds
4.
Milka
+ 7 seconds
5.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
+ 8 seconds
At the finish out of camara shots (sorry fenian), Cafe du Colombia who went through the first check just over 18 minutes come very close to Wiggle and Vesuvio's times setting a new provisional third place of 29.12. They were the 10th team to cross and the standings there:
Finish time (10 teams)
1.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
29.08
2.
Vesuvio
+ 1 second
3.
Cafe du Colombia
+ 4 seconds
4.
UBS - LaPierre
+ 13 seconds
5.
Bacardi
+ 22 seconds
So still 12 teams to finish and they are all out on the course. Warner Brothers and Nestle are not really setting the world alight with their first check times of 18.17 and 18.16, but then neither are hot favourites Jack Wolfskin who cannot break that 18 minute first check barrier.
Robert Gesink, Ruben Plaza, Dominique Cornu, Joost Posthuma, Dennis Van Winden, Jason Donald, Koen De Kort and Benoit Vaugranard.
What a powerful squad, who bemoaned the short length of the Qatar TTT, here they are off the pace with a time of 18.05, not affecting the top 5. In fact the only team of the late starters to set a new time inside of 18 minutes for the first check are Pearl Adidas.
They are led by one of their new stage race leaders Peter Velits and he will be delighted as his team set the new provisional best time.
1st check (All 22 teams)
1.
Pearl Adidas
17.47
2.
UBS - LaPierre
+ 2 seconds
3.
Spyker Cars
+ 4 seconds
4.
Pendletons
+ 7 seconds
5.
Milka
+ 9 seconds
6.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
+ 10 seconds
7.
Vesuvio
+ 11 seconds
8.
Cafe du Colombia
+ 14 seconds
9.
Webeffect
+ 17 seconds
10.
Jack Wolfskin
+ 18 seconds
11.
Team B&O
+ 20 seconds
The rest of the teams are way out of it being 30 seconds or more behind Pearl Adidas's time. Massively disappointing for the likes of Sony Ericsson and Nestle who were earlier named amongst the favourites.
The First check times though within the top 11 are seeing some big fluctuations as Team Spyker Cars and Milka are unable to challenge the leading times fading in a similar sort of way to what UBS and Bacardi did. Spyker setting 29.23 good enough for provisional 5th and Milka slotting in at provisional 7th with a time of 29.34.
Finish time (14 teams)
1.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
29.08
2.
Vesuvio
+ 1 second
3.
Cafe du Colombia
+ 4 seconds
4.
UBS - LaPierre
+ 13 seconds
5.
Team Spyker Cars
+ 15 seconds
We are coming up to one of the pre-stage favourites now and as the clock counts down its clear that Aleksandr Pluchkin has organised his troops well in the second part of this course. The clock ticks past 29 minutes and it looks like they are going to challenge surprise leaders Wiggle.
The leader passes through and the clock say 29.07, but remember the time counts up to the 5th man...
The clock 29.09 and on hundredths they are outside of both Wiggle and Vesuvio's time. Pluchkin will be happy enough having lost virtually nothing to the Vesuvio boys clawing back the 10 or so seconds they were behind at the first check.
Right behind them we have the ice cream boys, Pendleton's and again a fast time looks on the cards no doubt about this one as one newly promoted team trumps the other with a new best of 29.05!
Finish time (16 teams)
1.
Pendletons
29.05
2.
Wiggle - San Pellegrino
+ 3 seconds
3.
Vesuvio
+ 4 seconds
4.
Team B&O
+ 4 seconds
5.
Cafe du Colombia
+ 7 seconds
Still three teams you'd fancy with a shot at breaking in the top times with Webeffect, Pearl Adidas and Jack Wolfskin out on the course.
Next home expected is Warner Brothers, wait there is a load of Orange jerseys mixed in with the yellow. The timekeepers are trying hard to work out who is who here.
There is no countdown for Jack Wolfskin, though clearly they have caught the team in front of them so it must be fast. The last Orange clad rider home is Dennis Van Winden clearly with a time of 29.16, but what about the fifth Jack Wolfskin rider home.
Ruben Plaza = 29.03 flashes up on the scoreboard and orange flags are waving at the finish area as the Dutch team have done it.
Meanwhile both Pearl Adidas and Webeffect faded in the finish, Peter Velits team hardly disgracing themselves with 29.17 good enough for 7th on the day. Webeffect sadly though slipped down to near the bottom of the leaderboard .
Dominique Cornu led the Jack Wolfskin across but it is Benoit Vaugrenard who takes the lead courtesy of some seconds grabbed in breakaway sprint primes. Teammates Plaza and Gesink move to 2nd and 3rd on GC.
