They say that witches used to roam the Pendle hill, just north of Manchester. But if you go down to the woods today you will see a marauding peloton of hungry riders as the CDiv2 gang tackle this demanding circuit race.
The magic was with Pivorvarna Lasko in July when they landed two classics in a day. Without having to split their team can they control things after the 15 circuits of 12 kilometres.
On inspection the 1500m hill with sections of 9% looks slightly trickier than the Univest parcours but probably not as tough as GP Kranj and certainly not as harsh as the ones laid out in the upcoming South African tour.
We join the race on its 3 of 15 circuits and a group of six are up the road with some pretty decent names: Christopher De Souza Danail Petrov Yennier López Fonseca Wilson Rincón Daniel Eliad
and Geert Van der Sanden
All the riders are rated from '64' to '67' on the hills, so there is some early pressure on the pack here. Four more riders bridge, including the on form German veteran Andreas Klöden
who is joined by Marius Bernatonis Martin Kohler Frederik Wilman
These four are also no slouches on the hilly stuff comfortably out of the saddle all the way up the Pendle Hill climb. No sign of witches as yet, but certainly something strange is stirring in the pack as Het Neiuwsblad decide to work the front of the pack. The team usually like to make their presence known a little later than this.
AMEX are helping out, these two teams have their season long Classics consistency goal up for grabs - perhaps they are in cohoots. Also having a go at the pacing are Metinvest a team who have made it pretty clear to their leader Grychenko produce something or face the sack!
The gap is not really stretching out to that magic two minute mark yet as we enter the 4th circuit a UPC man burst out of the pack.
It's a fast acceleration from Joost Van Leijen, looking to support Van der Sande though it does feel as if it is more to put more pressure on the pack. The break though is looking a bit unwieldy with 11 riders in, the pack wants to draw them in however the break has too much strength to be pulled back.
We get quite the battle over circuits 5 and 6, before on circuit 7 the packs pace begins to slow, Het Nieuwsblad don't like this pacing tactic and change to plan b sending fast finishing Mexican Rodolfo Fernandez on the attack with well known mid race attacker Maxim Burlutsky and Yauhen Sobal.
Once these three join the break the gap begins to grow, Gazprom realise belatedly that they would like another man in the forward move and Andrea Masciarelli tries to jump across as we enter the 8th circuit.
So many strong punchaers are clear of the pack here this must be raising alarm bells behind, or perhaps have these riders gambled too early as we saw at Univest? By the end of lap 9 our lead 14 have 1.46 on Masciarelli, 4.30 on our three man chase group and 6 minutes on the pack.
The pack really blitz the 10th lap and all the work is being done by Pivorvarna Lasko who seem determined to prove their classics pedigree.
The break respond dropping Van Leijman and ensuring that Masciarelli is not going to get across. 50 km to go they lead the P Lasko boys by four minutes. The slovenians are really thinning things down here its just 35 to 40 riders left in the pack.
The break are being mainly led by our three late attackers Burlutskiy shouts words of encouragement to Fernandez and Sobal (in what language who knows) as they hit the start finish area seeing 3 laps to go and around 36km.
That status quo remains the same the break versus Pivarvarna Lasko who are just beginning to tire and when the break see's two laps to go the gap remains over two minute - two minutes and 40 seconds to be exact. But most the break are not now capable of contributing to the pace. In the pack we have 21 riders left and plenty of them are looking ready for an acceleration.
Strgar, Serrano, Lobato and Dancalovic Milan, Tang, Rodriguez Oliver Euser, Ospina, Zwizanski Van de Schueren and Herve Mangel, Pancake Vicioso, Pacheco Van Niekirk, Grychenko Manuel Ortega Fabio Ciccarese
and now hanging on Andrea Masciarelli
The gap keeps coming down bit by bit the penultimate climb of pendle hill sees this battle continue. The favourites in the pack maybe leaving it too late here, as they hit the bell the gap is now just under two minutes. Herve and Ospina punch it hard from the pack at the bottom of the climb.
It's getting hard to tell the position of the riders here as others are being lapped, but Fernandez, Sobel and Burlutskiy are shredding the break here. Bernatonis, Lopez Fonseca, Petrov, Wilman and Eliad pull clear or Rincon, Kohler, De Souza, Kloden and Ven der Sande.
As we go past a couple of Armavia riders they scream encouragement to their talisman Burlutskiy who is hanging onto Sobal who attacked over the crest of the Pendle hill. Fernandez is sticking with him. These three are beginning to gap the others at last, which seems correct after the work these three have done.
It's a lumpy and bendy road into the finish, with 6500m left the gaps behind the lead three have opened up and no sign of Herve and Ospina.
Bernatonia, Petrov, Eliad and Lopez Fonseca are in the way really 25 seconds back. Herve unsurprisingly has sat up as has a frustrated Ospina with the favoutites stuck 1.10 behind the lead trio.
All three leaders have good finishes, Sobal decides to lead out not sure he has the power to burn the others off of his wheel. Burlutskiy goes to the right as Fernandez prepares his dart down the left of Sobal under the kite.
Burlutskiy rides as if he has the whole of the Caucasses behind him as he accelerates into the lead.
As once again Armavia beat the odds with a mid stage attack win over Sobal in second and Fernandez is a goal clinching third place.
The remnents of the break get caught in the finale, unlucky for them they nearly made the finish.
Adecco dominate the sprint finish, responding from their first pointless race on the nightmare Reunion parcours.
Milan takes 4th ahead of Tang, Grychenko comes through for 6th no aggression really from the Russian. Serrano can only take 7th, after all that P Lasko work. Ospina hangs his head at 8th but the hilly classics have been hard to score consistently in truth be told.
Samsung have two in the top ten as well with Lopez Fonseca making it from the early break for 9th over teammate Vicioso
