It's finally here, sorry for the delay, I had to wait for the other races and then I was away ;-)
This is a race with many small and steep climbs that should make it possible both for a break, and for a late attack from a strong puncheur. Before the start of the race the favorites are Claeys and Rabon, Sanchez, Dowsett, Wyss and Costa, according to the game. In addition there are many others who can do well in a race like this, one can however question the smartness of sending Bennati here, as the race should be too hard for him!
The race is off and it's a day where the weather ranges from sunshine to rain, hopefully the weather wont affect the race too much.
And there is action right from the start! We got a split and Bennati is caught behind! The entire Puma team slips down to bring it back, but when they are 2 min behind it may be too hard?
There are many small attacks that ends up nowhere, until Jacques-Maynard, D'Andrea and Gate manages to get a minute.
While someone attacks Puma manages to bring the peloton together, just to see it split again, this time it's not only Bennati who are caught behind, but also Rabon, Costa, https://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc512/ANFreeman/Jersey%20Sprites/redbull.png[/img]Mori, Gautier, Dowsett and Konovalovas.
But in the end they manage to get back aswell, and Connolly decides that being in the breaks sounds like fun and attacks up to them, the lead is now 2 min.
There are even more attacks, Beppu and La Lavendier joins the break.
There are even more riders that wants to be up there, Delage, Coenen, Jiriakov and Scheirlinckx attacks.
They reach the break, making them 10 riders. The lead is now 5 min and there are only 60 km left. Maybe the break can make it?
The speed behind has risen some, and with 45 km left the lead is down to 4.30, this could be a really close race between the peloton and the break. Cal Giant and CSC got 2 of the favorites to win, and are leading the peloton.
5 km later the peloton has only taken 10 seconds
With 35 km left the lead is 4 min, it's starting to look really good for the break.
Another 5 km, and the peloton takes 20 more seconds, making the lead 3.40.
With 25 km left Rabon takes over the lead of the peloton and in 5 km he has eaten up a minute of the lead, could he be the savior for the other favorites?
At the same time the riders in the break are smelling a potential classic win, D'Andrea and La Lavendier tries to leave the others behind!
They do get a gap, and with 10 km left La Lavendier got 13 seconds on D'Andrea who got 15 seconds to the rest of the break and the peloton 2 min behind that again.
At the last climb of the day the break is back together, a good try.
The speed of the break is too strong for some however, and we get a group of 5 who will fight for the win when there are 6 km left, they are Delage, Coenen, Jiriakov, Scheirlinckx and Jacques-Maynard.
On the downhill Scheirlinckx somehow manages to get a gap on the other 4!
And that gap proves to be the winning move, he even gets time to celebrate before the finish! A suprise victor, but well deserved with all the hard work the break did today! A great day for Hollister
Behind him Jiriakov takes second place, followed by Coenen, Delage and on 5th Jacques-Maynard
Gate beats D'Andrea for 6th
While La Lavendier secures a strong 8th place infront of Connolly and Beppu who gets 10th
Pineau leads a dissapointed peloton over the line to get 11th
In the end a great day for the break, with a strong win by Scheirlinckx!
