Oman could go on filling their tour with wind torn flat stages near the coast, but why waste the hilly stuff in land eh? A nasty little test has been found, paved and given the name Green Mountain. Remember that name a new legendary climb has been born.
Not exactly the shark toothed profile that we often see litter the grand tours but the climb up Jabel al Akhdhar is a tough one 14.3km @ 9.8%, one which should compare with later ones we shall see. Who's here then expected to do the damage?
The team time trial two days put Justo Tenorio Walter Pedraza
Vladimir Karpets (Nestle)
at 1.04, 1.02 and 50 seconds respectively. But other than that we have a number of contenders to throw in.
All between 12 and 39 seconds back. Some of these riders are pretty good against the clock and will be keeping that in mind as they battle up that last climb.
We have lots of attacks out there today once again as we have had in most stages, however with the later climb we have a few new names eager to go up the road early.
Morgan Kneisky Alex Ardila Cano Mathieu Bernaudeau Jackson RodrÃguez
Hernâni Broco (nestle) Jianhua Ji Sebastian Lang Christophe Riblon Drasutis Stundzia Tyler Farrar Erick Rowsell Florian Morizot
are alll out there today in a moderately windy one. Interestingly we have Santander on the front of the peloton not really happy with the numbers up there.
Eduardo Gonzalo
is the small rider driving the pack back to the guys up front. But he isn't really strong enough to completely close it down and we have six riders clear to contest the first sprint. Riblon, Ardila Cano, Morizet, Farrar, Bernaudeau and Kniesky having made the cut.
Riblon takes 1st at the sprint, ahead of CdC's Ardila Cano and it is Carmeuse's Kniesky who is third. The six push on and begin to look like our break of the day. We do get some teams sending individuals up the road to join with: Drasutis Stundzia Dmitri Grabovski Mauro Facci Erick Rowsell
all bridging as well as two Nestle riders Hernâni Broco and Jocelin Maillet.
It's interesting to see a couple of the heavy favourites sending some riders forward, this rather places the chasing at the hands of those that do not have a leader up there. Santander also have no wish to do the donkey work as they launch Rafael Valls
a fair bit later on when the gap is up to 5 minutes.
He would join the break some time later and in that break you would have to say there are four of five fairly dangerous climbers. Riblon, Ardila Cano and Maillet all can climb as well as Santanders improving young Valls. At the second sprint though it is the non climbers in the break who contest.
With Farrar unable to get the nod rather surprisingly outdone by Stundzia, but just ahead of Knieskiy. The sprint out of the way, the thoughts are now entirely focused on the climb. We do get of course one crazy South American long range move and who better than the RR champion of Colombia Jose Serpa to launch it!
The Festina man lost time yesterday and is perhaps hoping for a long leash today, but Jack Wolfskin are mindful of the clutch of good climbers ahead.
Serpa having escaped at 60km to go, cannot get any more than 45 or so seconds clear and has to reluctantly settle back into the peloton at the 37km to go mark.
The break can feel the weight of the peloton behind and begin to splinter with just five riders left suddenly the pace eases slightly and allows them clear. Alex Ardila Cano Dmitri Grabovski Erick Rowsell Mauro Facci Christophe Riblon
are the five riders left with about 1.30 with 25km to go.
As highlighted earlier both Riblon and Ardila are decent climbers but you fancy they need a bit more than 90 seconds to hold off the stars behind. Ardila Cano is possibly mindful of having to help TTer Michael Rogers up that last climb and he doesn't follow Riblon who goes solo on the foothills on the Green Mountain.
Jack Wolfskin having has the help from Team B&O are starting to organise themselves on the front, their tactic is to have Gesink set a fast enough tempo for Plaza without burning him out.
It keeps Riblon within sight, but it feels uncomfortable as Plaza seems to be stuck a bit far back, Jack Wolfskin also are seeing the race leader Vaugrenard also dropping back slightly. Andrei Grivko
begins to take things over with Francisco Matamoros
also going forward.
As you can see Riblon's time in the breakaway is over and now the tactical battle begins on the climb. B&O are up there for one of the pre-race favourites Pluchkin, whereas Webeffect being up there indicates their climbers Rodrigues and Danielson are feeling good.
All three are what you would probably describe as pure climbers and it is Serpa who looks super strong as he blasts out a high cadence to move solo.
Sauza and Ndbri are swept up, by the peloton who knowing Serpa's relatively weak GC position are not in panic mode yet. It is more steady pace from Jack Wolfskin through Robert Gesink, though it has caused some damage with just 28 riders lasting the pace.
The gap has opened to the two big time triallers then David Zabriskie
and Michael Rogers
who both have teammates Ardila Cano and Siutsou with them. Also here with the Rogers group is Peter Velits
and Thomas Rohregger
and Timofey Kritskiy
The Pearl Adidas leader seems to be trying to move through the back markers and is desperately straining to latch up to that 28 man front group. Also trying to move up are Rohregger and Kritskiy.
But Velits is finding everytime he finds a wheel of a rider in front, that rider is being dropped from the front group. The first riders dropped from the front group are mainly the lead domestiques Morizot, Matamores, Kangert, Faiers, Danielson and Maillet. The damage here is being done by Vesuvio with Rigoberto Uran trying to set a hard tempo now.
It's not his full acceleration as it is just holding the gap to Serpa down to one minute. The Festina man up front is desperate to make up for yesterdays carelessness by taking a mountain top win today. He is holding his form pretty well as he goes up these steep switchbacks.
You are just seeing here B&O's last domestique for Pluchkin being dropped in Andrei Grivko. Let's have a look at the time gaps to the key groups on this mountain.
Jose Serpa leads
Vesuvio led 20 man favourites group at 59 seconds
Velits/Danielson group at 2.23
Rogers/Zabriskie group at 3.04
Tennent group at 6.33
Vaugranard group at 7.16
Vesuvio are shuffling their two big GC men around here as now Intxausti goes to the front, he can see the big threat of Pluchkin in the colourful Moldovan jersey behind.
The Spaniard known for coming so close to winning the Vuelta last year is causing yet more damage and with just over 3km to go another group of five are dislodged with Faiers, Sicard, Gonzalo, Valls, and B Fiellu gooone.
Up front there is a sudden increase in pace as the leaders begin to put yet more pressure on the 15 riders left. Parting the Vesuvio red seas are Pedraza, Pluchkin and Gomez Marchante, Uran looks behind to see if Intxausti can keep with it.
2000m left and remember Jose Serpa is still out there but the minute gap is starting to come down. Now BAM a big attack from Pluchkin.
Uran is ready, but is struggling to hold the B&O man's wheel. Pedraza, Gomez Marchante and Tenerio are also responding to this. But some of the others are looking a bit leggy behind.
Jose Serpa to his credit is concentrating on the road ahead, he can see the 1km to go flag but it does look rather like his stage win is under threat. Behind the three attackers, it is Gesink who looks like he could probably have responded doing dutiful grinding work for Plaza.
Intxausti and Karpets are sitting on Gesink's wheel. Rodrigues, Suaza, Plaza, Devolder, Cataldo, Keizer and Delgado are trying to hang on also.
Back to the front and Pluchkin's burst has come to an end, but Uran still has something and is countering!
Pluchkin having made the decisive move grits his teeth and tries to follow the Colombian. The proud Serpa is also trying to hang tough and perhaps hopes for a late second wind.
A gap has opened to the trio behind, they may well be fighting for third spot on the podium though. You fancy Tenerio the better TTer will be the most happy, but Gomez Marchente and Pedraza need every second they can get on the likes of Karpets, Plaza and Keizer.
Speaking of Karpets he is trying to limit his losses having now passed Gesink, Intxausti is doing the dutiful teammate calmly following the wheel and Plaza is sitting under the protection of Gesink.
Back to our top trio with Uran having made his move is feeling pressure from behind, Pluchkin looks like he is moving back up through the gears.
But Uran has just done enough to take a well worked stage win for Vesuvio.
Pluchkin will look to recover the bonus tomorrow in what is sure to be a tense battle. Serpa would have been high on GC too but for that time loss yesterday, still hats off to a magnificent attempt rewarded with third today.
Gomez Marchante just holds off Tenorio, though the latter with a decent ability against the clock could move up tomorrow. They get a small gap on Sony's Pedraza who just could not quite live with the big favourites.
Behind them Gesink launches a late almost frustrated looking sprint to take 7th with Intxausti following 1.26 down on his teammate.
Karpets is in 9th, who has been on the defensive today as he seemed to be often on climbs last year, likewise Plaza who defended so well at the Vuelta. He is finishes 10th on the stage today but may fancy moving up in the TT tomorrow. Devolder, Rodrigues, Suaza, Cataldo and Keizer hung with it just ahead of Delgado.
Then we have a big gap back to the Velits/Ndbri/Sicard/Siutsou group.
Both Kritskiy and Sicard will learn from this and so must Peter Velits who was a disappointment today. Milka's Rohregger couldn't even live with this group but did finish ahead of the time triallists Michael Rogers and David Zabriskie.
These riders finished some 4.40 back from Uran, there is no way they will pull that back in tomorrows ITT. They will be disappointed perhaps that they lost contact so early, but they will no doubt move forward.
Further down we see the heroic stage four winner Andrew Tennent cross the line in 55th some 13 minutes down. He has put up a spirited climb today.
At nearly 16 minutes back finishing in a large group with the likes of Iglinski is the now former leader Vaugrenard.
A tough day on the Green Mountain and it was conquered by the riders in red really with Rigoberto Uran looking set to battle Pluchkin tomorrow for the overall win.
