Perfect weather for a long cycling day. The first of the 3 Ardennes classics and except of Cunego the top 20 puncheurs are all at the starting line.
Will it be another duel between the best puncheurs of the Pro tour like we have seen in Tirreno Adriatico? F Schleck Bakelants
Or can someone else get this prestigious win. Maybe a former Amstel Gold winner like Boasson Hagen Pozzato
And not to forget all the other riders that surely wants to beat these guys. Trofimov, Ponzi, Gesink, Schumacher, Van Garderen and all the other big names.
Wetterhall starts the race with the first attack. The Swedish time trialist could become a nice tactical option for Trofimov later.
Ortega and Joly are the first following.
Also Vandousselaere, Lelay, Hacecky, Rodriguez Segarra and Rohregger want into todays break.
Redondo, Ladagnous, Atapuma, Silvestre & Zingle and Edet attack.
Mainly Vesuvio is not interested in letting such a huge group go. Especially not with so many potential helpers for Schleck`s biggest opponents in the final phase. Also Bacardi and Pearl Adidas are not really happy with this situation.
So the whole group is caught again and the attacks can start again.
A new group has formed. All of them have already been active in the first attacking row. Rohregger, Rodriguez Segarra, Edet, Zingle, Redondo, Joly, Hacecky, Atapuma and Wetterhall.
Again many more riders wants to join them and counter the attacks.
Mayo, Fuglsang, Ortega, Kruopis.
But as expected Vesuvio is still not happy with such a huge group. 5 of their riders are pulling hard. They are supported by 3 Pearl Adidas riders.
65km are already raced and the pace was extremely high so far.
And still no group have been formed as all attackers are caught again by the red train.
Also a nice way to exhaust Schleck`s helpers very early in the race.
Ricco`s team mate Terciado got green light for an attack and starts the next try.
Climbing the Cauberg for the first of three times and still no group. Ivars and Bertogliati have joined Terciado but more riders have attacked behind.
Do we really have a breakaway group now? 7 riders created a 1'30 gap and this looks promising.
Terciado
Ivars
Bertogliati
La Lavandier
Atapuma
Silvestre
Ortega
Panayotov for Pearl Adidas and 3 Vesuvio riders do the pace behind. Obviously they are happy with this group and slowed down a bit although it`s still a pretty decent tempo.
Aulas is between both groups after attacking out of the peloton. Luckily it`s fine for the two big teams behind.
After exactly 100km he joins the group and now 8 riders lead the race 2min ahead of the big peloton.
Starting with the longer hills in the middle part of the race. Still Vesuvio got less support by other teams. Just Pearl Adidas for Bakelants is doing some of the work. But it`s more like 80/20 done by Schleck`s team.
With 130km to go it`s Caruso with a mid-stage attack. Ponzi`s luxury team mate puts more pressure on the other favourites with this attack.
Easily he bridges the 2min gap to the group and joins them soon. 1'40 to the peloton now, so obviously the pace got a bit higher behind.
But on the next hill more attacks by decent puncheurs. Albasini, Klemme, Gautier and Rodriguez follow Caruso`s example.
So also Boasson Hagen and Schumacher sent their luxury domestique into the group.
With 115km to go they join the breakaway. 13 riders lead the race now and 5 of them are really dangerous and mustn`t be ignored too long.
A good mix of Vesuvio and Pearl riders are controlling the peloton. No new situation here. Just the pace became slower and with 100km to go the gap extended to 5'12.
But it`s still high enough on the hills to split the peloton into 2 big pieces. No need to worry as all favourites are in the first group including 49 riders.
Biggest names being in the 2nd group are Schreurs, Anza, Levarlet, Lopez Garcia and Ardila Cano.
Some time later some riders found their way back into the peloton including the above named riders. It`s a 95 rider peloton yet including all favourites.
With 78km to go and still a gap of 6'15 it`s time for some new energy. Pearl`s Vastaranta and Vesuvio`s Mehr-Wenige are coming to the front doing some work now recognizing the dangerous situation.
Also the breakaway group starts to split. Silvestre, Aulas and La Lavandier can`t follow the high pace by the new joined riders.
Passing the Cauberg for the 2nd time with 70km to go. The group is still 6min ahead and so the pace is really high here and many riders suffer at the end of the long stretched peloton.
And it comes to another split. Just 24 riders in the first group including all 8 Vesuvio riders and 7 Pearl Adidas riders!!!
Also Ricco, Trofimov, Boasson Hagen and Chavanel were on the right side of the split while the other favourites have to work now.
Mainly Gilbert`s Pendleton team is doing the work in the 2nd group including all the other favourites. The gap is already 1min to the first group, where Vesuvio and Pearl are still doing a high pace.
The first leaders recognize that the team mates are just not strong enough to lead the group back and are attacking.
Sinkewitz, Pozzato, Efimkin, Schumacher and Schreurs. They surely hoped to save their energy until the very end before the race. Now they have to attack.
Also Ponzi, Kashechkin, Van Garderen and Milan San Remo winner Ulissi attack and follow the others, while Gilbert is still trusting his team mates and stays behind so do Spilak and Gesink.
All these attack had success and with 50km to go all favourites are within one group now. Gilbert, Spilak and Gesink surely being the lucky ones as they were able to save some energy.
62 riders are in the favourite group again with a gap of 4min to the breakaway.
The 3 former breakaway riders La Lavandier, Aulas and Silvestre also join this group now with 42km to go and a bit more than 3 minutes.
Starting with the final hillier section with 40km to go. For the first time Vesuvio and Pearl Adidas got some support by Trofimov`s Sony Ericsson squad. 2 of his team mates are supporting the exhausted helpers now.
Meanwhile the 5 mid-stage attackers Albasini, Caruso, Gautier, Rodriguez and Klemme got rid of the former breakaway riders and lead the race now.
30km -> 3'00
And with 25km to go Rodriguez attacks and wants to win this race solo. No one is following him and he can create a small gap.
Also in the favourite group a first attack. It`s last years winner Boasson Hagen on exactly the same place than Rodriguez before.
Ponzi, Pozzato and Ricco are following this move seeing that Vesuvio and Pearl Adidas have some problems now to organize the pace making.
Also Gilbert, Spilak and Schumacher realize this and attack.
Bad situation for the two big men Schleck and Bakelants after they had no support by other teams and had to do all the chasing alone exhausting their team mates.
But there is a good reason why Schleck is a former Amstel and Liege - Bastogne - Liege winner.
Amazingly he increases the pace in the group and chases the attackers...
...and attacks after them on top of the climb with many riders struggling behind him now. Pure strength by the top favourite.
Also Trofimov, Bakelants, Van Garderen, Efimkin and a strong Kashechkin can`t wait longer and attack.
With 15km to go we have a new situation.
Rodriguez
43s
Klemme
18s
Ricco
31s
Favourites
Gautier
(17 riders)
Albasini
Caruso
All race favourites are in the 17 rider group but Vesuvio and Pearl lost all their helpers. Just Pozzato/Ulissi, Gesink/Chavanel and Sinkewitz/Schreurs have two riders in this group.
Schleck, Bakelants, Trofimov and Spilak attack again and join Ricco and the 4 former breakaway riders. They surely want to get rid of the sprinter puncheurs Pozzato, Boasson Hagen, Ulissi or Ponzi.
Rodriguez is still leading the race with Gilbert and Schumacher jumping into the first chase group and a second group just behind them.
Rodriguez
15s
Schleck
25s
Ponzi
Bakelants
Van Garderen
Trofimov
Gesink
Gilbert
Chavanel
Spilak
Sinkewitz
Ricco
Pozzato
Boasson Hagen
Ulissi
Schumacher
Caruso
Klemme
Kasheskin
Gautier
Efimkin
Albasini
Rodriguez just being caught attacks again. He surely was one of the strongest riders today and obviously really wants this win.
But with 5km to go and just the final Cauberg to come Rodriguez is back in the group and also the 2nd chase group found their way back.
22 riders still have the chance to win.
With 1km to go Gilbert and Ricco are best placed when the sprint starts.
Bakelants is just a bit behind but Frank Schleck really failed in positioning and has to sprint from the end as also Sinkewitz and Boasson Hagen.
Gilbert created a small gap but Bakelants is coming fast on the right side and also Trofimov and Ricco are well placed.
But they had no chance to beat Gilbert today. The Belgium champion was by far stronger than the rest on this climb and gapped the other riders by 7s on this climb taking one of his biggest win.
Like last season Bakelants takes the 2nd in Amstel Gold race winning the duel against Sony`s Trofimov.
Ricco coming in 4th ahead of the two former winners Boasson Hagen and Schleck, who maybe had the highest speed next to Gilbert but totally missed the right moment to find a good position before the sprint started.
Especially Vesuvio might be a bit frustrated after doing most work all over the stage and then finish "only" 6th.
Schumacher, Van Garderen, Kasheshkin and Spilak complete the top 10 with Gesink, Ponzi, Sinkewitz and the Festina duo Pozzato/Ulissi just outside. Especially Jack Wolfskin, Festina and Wiggle might have hoped for more having two riders in this group but not one in the top 10.
More happy probably Bpost as 17th in a PT classic with Gautier.
