The weather forecast was for heavy showers as the riders set off on the third to last Protour race of the season.The crowd friendly circuit is filled with UBS banners surely hoping for a Schumacher triumph.
The first circuit sets the pattern for the early going. First a breakaway of a small group of riders.
In this case Paul Martens, Adrian Honkisz and Eric Berthou. They build a decent lead before the steep sections of our 3.5km climb before the pack lifts the pace slightly forcing splits to occur within. The splits are eventually closed midwayd through the circuit but they are still a concern for riders such as Philippe Gilbert and Edvald Boasson Hagen caught behind.
UBS are indeed one of the teams forcing these splits and with their pace proving so high that the break are caught back.
On the next big break attempt Yuzuru Suzuki drives it.
Vesuvio look set to take overall honours in yet another high quality season led once again by punchaer cum Grand Tour hopeful Frank Schleck he is definately one of the big favourites today looking to take his third classic of the season to add to his home race triumph and La Doyenne.
The reason for Vesuvio on the front at this early (circuit 4 out of 18) stage is clear as the camara pans back to Jan Bakelants on the front of a second peloton behind a split.
Vesuvio helping UBS to pace has magnified the regular split at the top of this nasty little wall near the top of the circuits big climb and behind the Bakelants second peloton there are several smaller packs. Guillaume Levarlet is seen a long ways back some seven minutes behind the front of the race.
Bakelants gets back midway through the next circuit but the main pack is now below 100 riders as we climb the hill for the sixth time. There are still some riders hoping for a break though from those remianing with Daniel Teklehaimanot going on the move. Cue internet hacks getting very excitable indeed.
With a UBS rider in there the break is allowed a little bit of freedom sensing the moment Jure Kocjan leads a group of three across with Reynes (Festina) and Fouquet (Sony Ericsson).
Despite sending their man Kocjan forward, Bacardi sense the chance to hurt riders by pacing the peloton. This catch the break once again, but as they hesitate to look back for their leader Riccardo Ricco some of the break forge on Joly, Martens, Rienda Segura and Loosli. They are joined by Suzuki (Meiji Fuij), Vysna/Honkitz (Milka) and Damiano Caruso.
We are getting to the midway stage of this race and despite the presence of decent punchaer Caruso the pack looks reluctant to press to catch this interesting little move. Caruso really pushes the break to get past that migical two minute barrier.
The pack is down to less than 70 or so riders with this demanding little climb chipping away at it each circuit. Sadly for Swiss fans their man in the breakaway Loosli also gets detached. With seven laps to go the Caruso dominated breakaway have five and a half minutes over the pack now led by Pearl Adidas.
Caruso is looking around at his breakaway companions in particular talking to the two Milka riders Vysna and Honkisz both are young an impressionable as they and the rest of the breakaway seem to be working with Caruso. As they go through the start finish area with 7 laps and 90km to go their lead nudges past SEVEN minutes.
It's a fine line for Caruso who comes to the front on the climbs and drills it, he wants to stick with his companions and use them as much as possible whilst maintaining enough pace to keep pushing the gap forwards. His pace on the next climb is unfortunately enough to drop Martens who is paying for responding to every attack today.
As we go through the time check with six laps to go Caruso's extra pace on the climb is understood as the gap to the pack is reducing, now down to six minutes. However the severity of the pace in the pack has drastically reduced the first chasing group to just 14 riders.
Vesuvio and Pearl Adidas are will represented through: Schleck, Bentencourt, Paterski and Gastauer
and Bakelants, Kangert and Mendes
Also here are Zahner, Schumacher, Ardila, Gesink, Aleksandr Efimkin, Tejay Van Garderen and David Loosli.
It means several riders have missed out including Italian trio Riccardo Ricco, Diego Ulissi and Simone Ponzi who are at 50 seconds.
The likes of Grand Tour men Thomas Dekker and Emanuele Sella manage to chase back on. But Philippe Gilbert, Robin van der Hugenhaben and Edvald Boasson Hagen
are further back still, perhaps out of it.
Coming into the fifth to last lap Caruso is really pushing the pace high on the climb destroying the break, notably Suzuki here struggling at the back. Only really Vysna can keep with the Italian.
The Schleck/Bakelants group are keeping clear of the Italian favourites in the group behind at about a minute. Schleck himself coming to the front to avoid the fusion!
Coming through with four laps and just over 50km to go Caruso and Vysna have 4.30 on the Schleck/Bakelants group and nearly six minutes on the grough contain Ricco/Ponzi/Ulissi and the now joined up Gilbert/Hagen.
It is a slightly surprising duo who attack out of that second favourits group in Sella and Domenik Klemme. The German sick of Hagen's bad days by the looks.
This fourth to last climb is all Caruso needs to rid himself of the last breakaway man Vysna as we see him lapping riders alone. The Italian has the minute a 10km style lead with 40km left he has a 4.10 lead.
Behind him Sella and Klemme manage to bridge to the Schleck/Bakelants/Schumacher/Efimkin/TvG/Gesink group behind the Italians group has grown with Spyker now leading it through Dekker and Sinkewitz.
As they take the climb you get the feeling you are donw amongst the desperate men really. We can see the likes of Ullisi, Kohl, Gilbert, Kashechkin, Velits, Cataldo, Ponzi. Anza, Van de Hugenhaben, Hoogerland...
Not wishing for any sort of coming back Bakelants decides to attack the lead favourites group at the end of the third to last lap.
His timing was good in that the chasers were just about to get back and the first chase group is made up from the first favourites group : Efimkin, Sella, Schleck, TvG and Schumacher.
It's stripped Schleck of his teammates really with Paterski latching onto the next chase group which contains Ricco, Dekker, Gesink, and Klemme.
Behind that one of today's real stragglers Gilbert leads the rest.
Up front we must not forget Caruso who ploughs on through the two lap to go and 25km to go point.
How he probably wishes it was the bell, his lead to Bakelants is down to 1.44 with teh Schleck group labouring at 2.48 just 20 seconds clear of the Gesink/Ricco group but a minute clear of Gilbert/Ponzi/Ulissi/Hagen.
Schleck doesn't want Ricco or Gesink to come back to him and launches hard on the penultimate climb perhaps hoping for weakness by Bakelants.
But Bakelants keeps his determined long range move going joining Caruso near the top.
Schleck though has been going faster still and joins the duo on the descent.
The two look at each other warily deciding to ease up, behind Efimkin bridges across with Schumacher.
As we head into our final climb then we have Schleck, Bakelants, Efimkin and Schumacher along with long time break man Caruso. Gesink, TvG and Ricco manage to just about latch onto the back before the climb. However Schleck launches another blistering attack.
The others are looking sodden by the wet weather, urged on by the crowds by the side of the road Schumacher gears up for an acceleration.
Bakelants summons up the strength to go with it.
Behind we see Caruso gamely trying to stay on dropped from the favourites. Sella and Dekker now come past him into 8th and 9th.
Bakelants meanwhile has rounded Schumacher and brilliantly come onto Schlecks wheel by the crest of the climb some 30 seconds clear of the other five.
Incredibly Bakelants who was seemingly struggling earlier has been so encouraged by catching Schleck he attacks.
Schleck looks like he is in the red zone and cannot close the gap the Bakelants who is also blowing hard.
Efimkin has slipped clear of the exhausted chase group looking for third place.
Bakelants keeps his move going and takes the GP Mendrisio!
Schleck looks stunned in second, he produced two stinging attacks on the last two ascents of the big climb but he could not destroy Bakelants. Efimkin finishes third benefitting from being relatively fresh late on.
Schumacher blew a bit on that last climb but has enough for 4th ahead of Gesink, TvG and Ricco. Dekker takes 8th with Sella 9th and Caruso a brave 10th place.
