Today we begin our two stage celebration of the God's Window/Worlds View climb. We spend the first half of the day climbing to the circuits which involve this climb that features 10 times overall in the race and three times to complete todays stage.
All five managed to finish together on yesterday's stage but Lobato managed to extend his lead using time bonifications and with stage fives time trial only short the bonuses could prove vital.
So many good punchaers have lost a decent amount of time that it is a great chance of for breakaways and as we enter this run up to these hilly circuits a nice break of eight is clear.
The best place man in this eight man breakaway is Matej Jurco who started the day at 5.26. Also present in the break is South African Dennis Van Niekerk a big favourite with home fans following his win in the Vuelta Asturias.The breaks other six names are Dermot Nally, Frederik Wilman, Hossaini Reza, Andreas Anderegg and Loic Desirac.
As best placed in GC Jurco appropriately takes the points primer, ahead of King of the Mountains hope McNally and home favourite Van Niekirk. It is a nice break for the pack and race leader Lobato they allow the break a seven minute lead with 75km to go. Pivavorna Lasko pick up the task of reeling it all in once the climbe proper to the circuits begins.
Having battled for first and second in the Points primer Jurco and Mcnally do so again at the first King of the mountains prime as we head to the top of our very first view of the wooded God's Window hill.
McNally having already gained 12 points previously on the king of the mountains takes the win on the climb to move to the front of the standings.
Each God's window ascent today being worth 10-8-6-4-2 points respectively to the top 5. Our first climb of this to be repeated God's window ascent reveals that it's narrow, heavily wooded and in places steep. It will likely split breaks and pelotons up and whilst the pack safely reforms four minutes behind our break with 35 km to go, our break is now down permanently to six riders as Reza and Anderegg are dropped.
McNally strengthens his grip on the king of the mountains jersey by taking the prime at the top with Jurco only managing third on this climb being beaten out by Wilman (who was third on the first ascent).
Behind AMEX break the Pivovarna Lasko stranglehold on the pack, by setting the pace through Tareq Esmaeli in this penultimate ascent. It is stretching the pack and possibly setting it up for Ospina to try something on the last ascent.
The trio of riders that attacked to take the King of the Mountains have stayed clear of their three companions (Van Niekirk, Nally and Deseric).
The gap is a minute with 23km to go between these groups of three, so no home win for the South Africans today. But the break look good for the stage as their gap on the pack
is timed at just over four minutes. Finnair, Samsung Mol or Eurovision look good for a stage.
Having taken the stage yesterday Adecco launch Diego Milan on the final ascent.
It's a strong move which see's Milan rapidly close the gap on the dropped breakaway riders. Milan is nearly five minutes back on GC so is not a man most of the GC men will be worried about marking.
Hearing the action on their race radios behind or perhaps entrenched in their battle for King of the Mountains points McNally and Wilman push hard for the final summit for today of God's Window.
Unfortunately for Jurco he cracks.
Wilman edges McNally out at the top, but it is no matter McNally takes the King of the Mountains. It does matter for second as Wilman and Jurco will now share second place some 16 points behind McNally.
Behind Jurco summits and the 4th man over is sensationaly Milan having overtaken all the other breakaways.
In the pack having dropped off the pace for much of the circuits in the climb last kilometre of todays final God's Windown climb Pivovarna Lasko really put the pressure on.
Ospina and Grychenko respond to this move pretty well but the other favourites are really scrambling behind.
Sensationally the Pivovarna Lasko duo of Serrano and Lobato have managed to drop Ospina and Grychenko over the top though and power on to the descent. Things have closed up on the breakaways somewhat and what looked certain 10 kilometres ago has changed completely on a animated final ascent.
The two leaders Wilman and McNally are still working hard together with 10km to go:
The lead Jurco and Milan by 1.30, whilst Lobato and Serrano have joined Nally, Van Niekirk and Deseric at 2 minutes.
The next group at 2.50 is 18 riders Herve, Fernandez, Luekemans, Sampaio Esmaeli, Colby, Ospina Benoît Daeninck Danail Petrov Tomislav Danculovic Rodriguez Olver, Tang Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez Wegelius, Eliad Ludvig Lundberg Ruslan Grychenko Goran Smelcerovic
Some losers here include the fifth Het Niewsblad man Van der Scheuren and 8th on GC Angel Vicioso
The SaMol man does at least try to make amends on the descent.
A determined effort by Het Nieuwsblad and AMEX pulls the Pivovarna Lasko duo back on the next couple of kilometres, but before they can congratulate themselves Lobato is off again!
He knows any sort of time gap or bonification could be crucial towards his GC effort. Up front the lead duo who had been set to take the 20 and 12 second bonus seem to be fading.
Under 5km the lead duo still have a minute, that really should be enough.
Lobato meanwhile as at least joined the battle for third and that eight second bonus with Milan and Jurco. Noticeably as he has done before the previously
invisible Laverde Jimenez is playing closer order bridging to this.
Seeing Laverde Jimenez, the rampaging Lobato eases off a bit realising he doesn't want to let this decent mountain climber a time bonus. It frees up the lead duo to have a sprint battle
Wilman leads out the run in is flat so this is foolish.
... the overtake...
... and indeed it is a no contest as McNally races pass Wilman with 900m to go.
McNally takes the win for Eurovision and a decent lead in teh King of the Mountains. Wilman has to be content with a second place he rode will until the last 2 km.
For third place crucially Lobato comes into the last 2.5km with a gap of 10 or so seconds.
But having reeled Milan in, the Adecco rider takes revenge by stealing the time bonus off of the race leader.
Behind Tang sprints well with Ospina following closing the gaps.
In fact behind McNally we get no registered gaps even behind Wilman (it was actually closer to be being caught than I first realised!).
Second through to 21st are awarded the same time. Vicioso did not get back however and loses 2.18 and his place inside the top 10. Other than that the GC picture does not radically change.
