The Tour de Bellis, sorry, Tour de Boland concludes with the hardest stage of the race. And for anyone to beat Bellis it needs to be. Sanchez, Flugel and the rest clearly need to gap him on today's climb in order to beat him, but can they do it? The route is suitable, with a steep climb on repeat offering today.
Some believe a breakaway could get away and stay away here. Giving it a go are:
Perez Cuapio
Karagobek
Bajadali
Scholz
Jacques-Maynes
Two men in here are particularly well placed to win the KoM competition, currently led by Alex Dowsett on 18 points: Perez Cuapion on 10 points, Bajadali on 8.
Bajadali takes the first KoM point from Jacques-Maynes and Perez Cuapio, but is nowhere at the 2nd KoM point, Jacques-Maynes taking it from Karagobek and Scholz.
Theres drama in the peloton at this point though, the front group reduced to 10 already!
Sulzberger
Grmay
Bellis
Teklit
Rabon
Aramendia
Sanchez
Reijnen
Flugel
Pfannburger
The following 5 make it back fairly quickly:
Bosisio
Anguilet
Dowsett
Sousa
Barta
But it takes until starting the climb again that Jayco Red Bull lead more back.
Cherel
Hansen
Calzati
Gerrans
Mori
De la Fuente
Costa
Hasta
Augustyn
Hasta is dropped again, for good, on this climb, and then 5 more lose ground on the descent.
Hansen
Cherel
Rabon
Aramendia
Costa
Just 3 ascents of the climb to go, and these 5 do make it back early on as we take on the climb again.
And our first attacks! Bosisio and Augustyn go clear
Costa also goes clear, this time on the descent, and here is the situation with 2 laps to go.
Perez Cuapio
Karagobek
Bajadali
Scholz
Jacques-Maynes
+ 2'00
Bosisio
Augustyn
+ 2'20
Costa
+ 2'48
Sanchez
De la Fuente
Mori
Rabon
Calzati
Dowsett
Gerrans
Cherel
Teklit
Bellis
Grmay
Flugel
Pfannburger
The reason Sanchez is on the front, is not because he is relaying, but attacking! Bellis and Flugel follow
Bosisio and Augustyn have caught the break. Bellis is making his way across, while Sanchez and Flugel are with Costa
Sanchez makes it up to Bellis and the break as they go over the top. Bosisio takes the points from Scholz and Perez Cuapio. This gives the Mexican the KoM competition with 26 points, ahead of Jacques-Maynes on 22 and Bajadali on 20.
Bosisio
Augustyn
Bellis
Sanchez
Perez Cuapio
Karagobek
Bajadali
Scholz
Jacques-Maynes
+ 40
Costa
Flugel
+ 1'07
Mori
Calzati
De la Fuente
Gerrans
Dowsett
+ 1'22
Rabon
Cherel
+ 1'52
Teklit
+ 3'10
Grmay
Sousa
+ 3'30
Pfannburger
Sulzberger
Not for the first time this race then, Jayco Red Bull are chasing. Cherel and Rabon link up with the 5 in front of him. They get help from De la Fuente, working for 3rd overall Rabon, while 2nd overall Dowsett gets a free ride. Up front, Costa and Flugel join the front group
Starting the final lap, Bosisio attacks. Costa follows, then Augustyn, Sanchez, Bellis and Flugel. They come together, so, in other words - theyve left the days intial breakaway behind
Jayco RB lead their group up to the break, and then Mori and Calzati lead the way up to the 5 leaders, with De la Fuente and Dowsett closely following
Costa attacks, Bellis and Flugel follows, and a gap has emerged! The 10 already mentioned are clear. Big loser here is Rabon, who managed to get himself blocked in by riders from the initial breakaway
Onto the descent then and Flugel leads the way. Calzati is dropped, leaving only Mori in this group for Jayco RB, and he is barely clinging on. Theyve done all that work, and have ended up helping out more non-JRC riders (Dowsett and De la Fuente) than their own!
Flugel is really giving this descent everything. And he gets a gap!
De la Fuente does a lot to limit his gains though, and its only a small gap as the road starts to flatten
Dowsett takes over, and with just under 2km to go, Flugel is caught
So we have a sprint between a group of 9. Anyone could win this, its going to be so close ... nah, who are we kidding. 4th stage win for Jonathan Bellis!
Samuel Sanchez is 2nd, Dowsett 3rd. Bellis of course wins the GC, but this puts Sanchez and Dowsett on the same time. On position aggregate though, 2nd overall goes to Dowsett. A Rapha 1-2.
1'43 later Rabon takes 10th on the stage, leading in a group of 9. He falls from 3rd to 10th overall as a result
Coming in 19th is Tesfar Teklit. A great ride for the Eritrean, overperforming himself. And as the 3rd Rapha rider to finish, he needed to be, Sulzberger and Jiriakov underpar.
Its going to be very tight between Jayco RB and Rapha Condor for the teams classification, and Jayco take it - by just 21 seconds.
