The queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve with the final ascent up the Alto do Malnao really kicking up in the last two kms, it could well cause some pretty serious gaps. The final day time trial will be at the back of the riders minds but the potential of time bonuses today also this could well be the decider.
The last 100 kilometres also contains a lot of climbing so it will be up to the hilly climbers to make like difficult for the testers as it was yesterday. The favourites for today are Vasili Kiryenka Franco Pellizotti Pieter Weening
and Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
The latter rider was pretty quiet yesterday not really getting involved in the sprint, he will surely make some kind of move today. Speaking of moves we got a pretty big breakaway today with no less than 11 riders getting clear.
Haedo, King, Reijnan Vandborg, Brandle Sesteli, Bodnar Artem Ovechkin Martijn Maaskant Bob Jungels
and Lars Petter Nordhaug
The two Unicredit riders are here as policemen, one of those two Vandborg along with Nordhaug are GC threats being only 22 seconds down on Jordi Grau
Nordhaug increases his stock by taking the early first sprint ahead of Ovechkin and Brandle.
The riders were told this morning of an extra King of the Mountains prime, that may well be frustrating for the lead two in that competition Grau and Rovira. Venchi's duo in the break are no doubt responding to some criticism on their rides yesterday where they both lost time. Sesteli attacks for this bonus KoM climb.
Ovechkin takes second and Nordhaug third here after this the break work pretty well together (apart from Unicredit duo) as they get the gap up to 8 minutes with 100km remaining. This prompts the remaining Unicredit riders to start increasing the pace in the pack.
Grau seems like a long shot for GC and they may have been better to see what Vandborg could have done in the break. They do have Giovanni Visconti
and Pieter Weening
here though who need time before the time trial if they are to get anything out of this race.
The chasing is working as the gap comes down to six minutes with 80km left still to race. Ovechkin in the break manages to outsprint the ambitious Nordhaug at the second sprint. Haedo takes third, he really should have done better on these sprints but was poorly positioned.
The breaks co-operation has not been that great here and their lead is down to four minutes coming into the tough last 60kms. Confirmation of this finale reveals yet another extra prime this time a sprint before the last descent.
The second King of the mountains of the day sees Ovechkin and Sesteli battling it out with Ovechkin getting his KoM points up to 10 points by winning it. Sesteli also moves onto 10 points with Nordhaug up to four points in third.
This climb drops one of the CalGiant riders King, the pack also go fast up the short climb with Rothaus and Cerne now leading the peloton.
As we approach the third King of the Mountains the three riders Nordhaug, Sesteli and Ovechkin once again are battling for points. None yet really threatening the leader Grau on 22 KoM points and Unicredit will be happy that it is Nordhaug (up to 10 KoM points) who wins over Ovechkin (up to 14) and Sesteli (up to 12).
41 km to go and the lead 10 have 3.30 on the pack who seem to be trying to measure their efforts a bit. The break kick on to the penultimate climb, none can take the King of the Mountains lead and Brandle makes sure that none can get that close as he moves to the front to take it ahead of Nordhaug and Sesteli.
That's pretty smart riding really from Brandle, it keeps Grau (22 KoM points) comfortably ahead of Rovira (18 KoM points) in that competition and moves himself up to provisional third with 16 KoM points. The last climb though is worth 16 points to the winner, so they will hope the break does not succeed. The break loses Haedo on this climb and so is down to nine.
The pack go over down to about 30 riders: Francis De Greef
tries a little dig.
As the break descends they are light one rider as Lars Petter Nordhaug
makes a solo move.
It's a good one and with the Unicredit riders still not working he gets a good gap and with 30km to go he has nearly a minute over his rivals and two and a half on the 26 man peloton who have caught De Greef and Haedo.
The pack then has been reduced somewhat and it is shy of Sergio Marinangeli
and also somewhat surprisingly Anthony Roux
Nordhaug takes the final bonus sprint which means he has taken 16 seconds back on GC on these bonuses today. The Unicredit duo take second and third though probably in the wrong order as Brandle is ahead of Vandborg.
Nordhaug could be causing a big upset here as he really pushes on well, Aker Solutions main GC hope here is Gustav Larsson
but the Norwegian has two minute on the eight chasers and two and a half on the pack with 15km to go. It is still going to be tough though with that final incline left.
The eight chasers are pulled back and now Unicredit with VolksWagen are looking to keep the pace high for their GC men and try and nab back this excellent Nordhaug move.
The road rise gently at first and it is not until we get to 2km to go that it really ramps. It has been a hard day though and with Nordhaug still over 2 minutes clear, Unicredit try a different tactic Pieter Weening
attacks.
It is Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
who joins him here. These two quickly start to erode Nordhaug's lead, both know that they need time on the time trial specialists also, one of which leads a second wave of attacks it's Kai Reus
with the punchier Franco Pellizotti
It looks a key moment and a number of other GC candidates latch on the back of Reus's wheel including Lars Boom Vasili Kiryenka Kristjan Koren
and Jurgen Van Goolen
This is not the time for sitting in the pack, you have got to get out there and after no doubt screaming instructions in their earpieces Gustav Larsson
and Francis De Greef
attack.
Unicredit have just Weening forward, and under the five kilometre banner launch race leader Jordi Grau
as well as Giovanni Visconti
potential white jersey candidate Peter Sagan
manages to jump with it.
It is all a bit messy with 13 riders having attacked clear but they are still chasing Nordhaug albeit with a gap under a minute and rapidly reducing now in the last five kilometres.
Reus has got to the front of the 13 with Boom, Sanchez Gil and Weening a short distance ahead of Pellizotti, Koren, Van Goolen and Kiryenka.
De Greef and Grau get up across to this latter group as they approach the tough gradients he is doing a great job in the leaders jersey.
Nordhaug is fading here, he does hold a lead onto the steep section but his lead is in the single digit second territory.
The four men lined up behind are Kai Reus Pieter Weening Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
and Lars Boom
As they ease past Nordhaug, Reus begins to slip back as Franco Pellizotti
tries to get up to the leaders. The winner is going to come from these 14 riders.
Sanchez Gil begins to build up speed alongside Weening.
Weening is trying to hold and only Boom can keep up with these two punchaers.
Sanchez is not looking back here and maintains a strong sprint as Weening fades Boom is trying to cling on.
Behind it is Visconti, Kiryenka and Pellizotti who are forming a second group of three on this climb.
Sanchez confident of his win starts to celebrate early, you'd have thought he would be thinking of trying to get every second.
Boom with an eye on the bigger picture holds off a fighting Weening to register a second place timed at 19 second back from Sanchez.
Pellizotti edges the sprint for 4th finishing at 43 seconds to Sanchez and 24 seconds back from the Boom/Weening pair as he finished with Visconti and Kiryenka.
Reus and Koren try to limit their losses, Reus really faded and had to fight to keep with the second group of three. These two time triallers lose 14 seconds on the group ahead.
Van Goolen leads the next group over 23 seconds later with the likes of De Greef, Larsson and some late moves from the pack. Grau finishes not too far off also.
When time is added Sanchez Gil now leads the race by 27 seconds to Lars Boom and 31 over Weening. These three are over 30 second clear of a number of riders who will be looking at Fridays time trial to alter the pack. Sanchez Gil is a decent time triallist, he will have to be at his best to hold over Boom who had a great day also today.
