We have a hilly ending today despite the flat rating and this shuffles the named favourites occording to those in the know.
Danilo Napolitano
remains a favourite but many fancy the better hill climbing sprinters like Blaise Sonnery
and Tiziano Dall'Antonia
for todays sprint hinting that it may be too tough for race leader Mark Cavendish
Proximus do put a policeman in the early break today however in Jens Mouris
with five others who look angrily at the Dutchman from time to time.
Rick Flens Benoît Sinner Jonas Aaen Jørgensen Masaaki Kikuchi Michael Vink
make up a pretty sprint focussed break of the day. Notable that Oz Cycling who talked up their breakaway prospects and Vink is here for a second day running.
Unicredit agree with the pre race odds and take most of the responsabilty in the pack for the chasing joined today by Jayco Red Bull.
This is a long game today though with the six man break (five men working remember) afforded a big gap timed at nine minutes with 100km to go.
Meiji Fuji's Kikuchi takes the first sprint from Sinner and Jorgenson as you may expect from the Japanese team so prominent in an Asian race. Kikuchi can only place third in the days second sprint with Jorgenson edging out Vink.
You'll notice Mouris decided to sprint for this second sprint and by the third he even managed to sneak out a win ahead of Jorgenson and Sinner.
The gap is coming down just about fast enough for us not to have to worry about of one of these riders taking the lead, but the King of the Mountains prime is up for grabs. Realising that their leader in that competition is under threat Niki Terpstra
tries to attack clear with Geoffroy Lequatre
But Unicredit reel these two dangerous roulers in before the KoM climb still a minute back from the breakaways.
The best climber in the break Michael Vink seems to have been saving himself for a blast and he moves powerfully on the uphill slope.
He takes the SIX points on offer to put himself into the provisional lead with Kikuchi 2nd and Jorgenson 3rd.
The climb is quite a nasty steep one and they will need to loop round and take it again to the finish. The pack splinters pretty radically as the Vink et al are caught by the Unicredits. Unicredit have made a 21 man front group!
Napolitano, Sonnery, Cavendish and Sabatini are here but the big GC names are not and neither are names mentioned as threats for this uphill finish such as Dall'Antonia and Bazajev.
Bizarrely however as they approach the hill, Unicredit suffer from doubts with Cavendish moving forward.
Indeed the gaps erode as Ferrari pull things back together as Boy Van Poppel
pulls Danilo Napolitano
back up to Mark Cavendish
with Blaise Sonnery
looking threatening.
Cavendish starts to fade with surprise Oz Cycling rider Aaron Gate
also drifting back with GC man Koldo Gil
getting into view.
It looks a battle between Napolitano and Sonnery.
However pretty much from nowhere as we hit the climb Tiziano Dall'Antonia
comes into view!
Ferrari had to work hard to close the split and they were right to have confidence in their man who is showing a real turn of speed as they get to the last 300m.
Napolitano seems to struggle as he see's his fellow Italian go past but Blaise Sonnery is staying on better. A rogue Proximus rider is sneaking past also in Johan Coenen
Indeed Dall'Antonia takes the win just ahead of Sonnery and the fast finishing Coenan. Napolitano has to be happy with 4th, meaning Dall'Antonia takes the race lead from Cavendish on countback, yes the Brit faded at the end.
