The Tour of the Lowveld begins with what some could say is the toughest stage of the race featuring two difficult climbs at the back end of the stage. With just 7 kilometres between the summit of the last climb and the finish any sort of gap at the top should lead to time gaps at the finish.
It is pretty lumpy going on every stage here, it isn't really the type of terrain for bulky sprinters particularly track riders.
Samai Samai cuts a forlorn figure as he is distanced early on.
At the other end there is lots of early attacks, as they approach the first king of the mountains prime, Gilberto Sampaio rips it up.
It isn't that often that CDiv2's top team are seen attacking like this unless they think breaks have chances. Sampaio is an excellent climber and he is joined by other decent climbers on his wheels in Yennier López Fonseca, Nuno Ribeiro and Kristjan Fajt.
Also getting away are: Bart Sinnige Mark McNally Egor Silin Shaun Higgerson Guillaume Blot
and Jaoa Costa
Fajt takes the points at the top of the first of today's three KoM primes. This first is only worth 5-3-1, compared to 16-12-10-8-6-4-2 for the second and the final climb is worth 10-8-6-4-2. Costa takes second and Riberio comes third place.
Both climbers are at different stages in their careers, both perhaps aiming for a contract next year. This race is probably a bit hilly for their liking, though both may go well in stage fives time trial.
The three riders do bridge across to the leaders making it a group of 13 riders, its certainly dangerous but the pack know it will be hell consistently chasing it back. It goes to show that this will be a really tough additional race.
Metinvest have made it pretty plain that their hilly leader 31 year old Ukrainian Ruslan Grychenko may well be surplus to requirements next year. However this is now and they start to work with about 80km to go and the gap to the lead 13 at around seven minutes.
Always good for a bit of donkey work as well are American Express. They have had a very strong second half of the season and this now is one of their two targeted races. They are going to have to do a strong 'job of work' throughout the week to keep things from exploding.
From the break the riders contest a sprint with the following results:
1. Yennier López Fonseca
2. Gilberto Sampaio
3. Mark McNally
A decent result for the Samsung Mol rider, a team who are missing the flatter sprints and the cobbled races - but have kept an interest in the lumpier terrain. Spanish veteran Angel Vicioso is a canny rider and could be a threat in this race as he could go okay on the TT.
The key to the stage today is the last two climbs, the first is the toughest of the two and gives a huge 16 KoM points to the first rider to crest. The gap for the 13 man break is 5 minutes going into these last 50km and with so many decent climbers in it, we could be seeing a decisive day already.
Sensing the pack are at breaking point in terms of seriously chasing Colombian journeyman climber Edgar Restrepo and decent all round climber Goran Smelcerovic go on the attack.
We can see behind them though the massed ranks of American Express, they are soon joined Pivovarna Lasko. These two teams really put the hurt on the peloton and importantly for their team leaders keep the gap to the break reducing.
Pivovarna Lasko have created a selection of riders behind:
Serrano, Dancalovic, Lobato Esmaeli, Ospina, Colby Leukemans, Herve, Van de Schueren Vicioso, Melero Edgar Restrepo Francisco Goran Smelcerovic Diego Milan
are the only riders there.
Behind it is Gazprom and UPC who are doing the work.
Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez is perhaps a victim of team tactics with two rider up the road or perhaps they are not confident of his chances considering his appalling chrono record. Gazprom's leader Andrea Masciarelli decides to try and attack across solo.
Up front Jaoa Costa leads the break over the climb ahead of McNally and Ribeiro. It means Costa now has 19 KoM points with Mcnally on 12 and Riberio on 11. Fajt who won the first climb can only get two more here and is way back on just 7 KoM points.
The plucky Portuguese rider keeps his gap down the descent and only Sampaio looks to chase him as they go under 20km to go, still having to go up and over the final climb.
The situation then with 20km to go:
Costa leads
Sampaio at 20 seconds
The rest of the break at 36 seconds
The front group of the pack at 2 minutes
Masciarelli at 2.55
The Laverde Jimenez/ Wielinga group ate 3.05
Costa and Sampaio sit up at the bottom to rejoin their breakaway companions, Sampaio looks to rally the troops with 15km to go. The gap though is reducing and American Express are at the front keeping the pace high.
Onto the final climb everything that is the break, the front chase group and the second chase group is coming together.
Ruben Elvira Lobato shoots past the Frenchman though, with Carlos Alberto Ospina right there also. Pivovarna Lasko and American Express were ready for this!
These three riders are joined by Ricardo Serrano and amazingly Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez over the top.
Leading the rest of the favourites behind is Ruslan Grychenko with Angel Vicioso
But the 45 second lead that the front five have is maintained on the descent and with 3500m left it looks like they will be contesting the stage win and have gained a march on the GC.
The five riders fan across the road, Pivovarna Lasko decide not to use the fact they have two riders here to their advantage.
Ospina and Lobato looked the strongest on the climb and edge ahead of Laverde Jimenez, Serrano and Herve.
Lobato was unlucky not to have a gap at the top of the climb and has recovered to produce an unmatchable sprint.
He takes the win and with two riders in the top five his team have had an excellent day it what will be a tough tour.
Ospina takes second, he has delivered the goods for American Express's earlier work load with Herve in 3rd for the ever dependable Het Niewsblad. Laverde Jimenez is 4th, it could have been worse for him and Serrano completes our lead quintet.
30 seconds behind them Francisco Mancebo leads the rest home. I say the rest it is just 21 riders, so some key names have lost time today.
Ludvig Lundberg comes in with Remmert Weilinga at 2.44. Just some of the disappointed riders today.
