Welcome to Namibia. The favourites are known and the weather looks marvellous, so let’s examine the course one last time. Actually there isn’t really much to see but one thing not mentioned in the preview are the two checkpoints out on course. The first is at 12km and the second is at 30km, with the whole course coming in at 40.3km.
First out of the gate is Louis Meintjes. He isn’t really a known time trialist and his team are probably just here to try to pick up some odd points for the Africa Tour. He does set our first times however, so let’s observe them. At the first check he goes through in 16’34” and at the second his time is 42’12”.
And finally his finishing time is 59’11”. Let’s see how that stacks up. Remember that it probably won’t be a great time, but we can probably guess that the favourites will be aiming for about the 57 minute mark.
Kanstantsin Khviyuzau is the second rider out on course. He has a decent future ahead of him as a time trialist and could one day maybe even challenge for the time trial jersey of Belarus, but for now he might struggle out there. Indeed he goes through the first check in 16’36” and the second in 42’18”, putting him just behind the first man out.
The finish time is 59’20”, not much worse than Meintjes, but it is still early days yet.
Joon Yong Seo is probably wondering what this whole time trialing thing is all about, and he is clearly here to make up team numbers. His team could really do with some points here, but he isn’t the man to deliver them. His first time is 16’43” and his second is 42’35”, 23” back on Meintjes.
And he finishes with a time of 59’42”, narrowly avoiding the humiliation of the hour mark.
Mykhaylo Kononenko is the first of the Privatbank riders here. They haven’t got any one big name, but all three of their riders could well score minor points today so it is worth keeping an eye on them. Kononenko sets a new best at the first and second checks with times of 16’18” and 41’25” respectively.
Finally, he finishes in 58’10”, a full minute better than Meintjes, who will probably have enjoyed his moment in the sun anyway.
Sam Harrison is the next rider off the mark. One day he will have a great future and could well ride in the PT with his talent, but today he is just going to try to set a respectable time. It seems that a lot of the lowest ranking teams in the CT are here today trying to get some easy points in a predictable race, and Cadbury, as the last-placed team, certainly is amongst them. He sets the second best time through both check points, with 16’25” and 41’48” respectively, meaning that he lost a lot of time in that second section of the course.
His finishing time is a respectable 58’40”, putting him in a comfortable second, possibly in scoring range by the end of the day.
It seems like it isn’t just the low-ranking CT teams who are here, but also the PCT relegation contenders, such as PFG-Armavia, whose Dor Dviri is next out. He is the current Israeli TT champion, so he gets a nice chance to sport his rather attractive white and blue jersey. If it weren’t for his age, I would say he has a decent future, but time is running out for him. A first check of 16’27” puts him close to Harrison, but he drops a few more seconds by the second check where he is 41’54”.
And his time at the finish is 58’48”, which he will probably be pretty happy with.
Now from one stand-out jersey to a retro-style one from ANC-Halfords, another one of the lower-ranked CT teams. And the name out on the road is Danny Pate, who is a decent rouleur over these courses. He will mostly be scoping out the course for his team leader Barton, however, who really needs a strong performance today. His time through the first check is 16’29”. He goes through the second check in 41’55”, just 1” slower than Dviri.
And Dviri just holds him off as that 1” gap sticks. Pate’s time is 58’49” and he provisionally sits in 4th, though that is about to change.
The reason it is about to change is Alejandro Marque, the next rider out on course. One of the better TT riders in this first batch of riders, we can probably expect quite a good time. Certainly Kenya Airways need the points if they are to continue their remarkable and unpredicted promotion run. His time through the first check is a new best with 16’08”. Similarly he sets anew best of 41’05” through the second check, making him fastest by 20” so far.
And he keeps it up to be the first man under a time of 58 minutes, as he gets home in 57’44” easily the best thus far.
The next rider is not widely expected to do particularly well today. Algirdas Mockus was with the team in the D2 races last season too, where he was one of the team leaders. This year, however, he is definitely playing a support role. Clearly, however, he wants to prove something as his time through the first check is a great 16’11”, just 3” slower than Marque’s best. Through the second check he does fade back to 7” down with a time of 41’12”.
His finishing time is 57’54”, a huge effort for him and one that should see him score today. He will definitely be happy with that effort.
But a man aiming for even greater things is out on course now - Lieuwe Westra. Westra is one of the team’s two captains at this race, together with Goddaert, and could aim to upset the apple cart somewhat. Certainly he seems keen to do just that as he takes the new best at the first check of 16’03”. He follows this up with 40’49” at the second check, the first time under 41 minutes.
And we have a new leader, as Westra goes through in a time of 57’22” – a truly great effort. There are only two more riders to go in this first batch.
The next man is clearly here to make up numbers, as Stefan Petrovski goes out on course. Interestingly, he is the only Macedonian rider in the entire pro peloton, so at the end of the season he could well don his national champion’s jersey by default. Anyway his times through the checkpoints are 16’34” and 42’12”, which puts him near the bottom of the standings.
And his time of 59’12” through the finish is not much better. Either way, look out for him towards the end of the season.
Our final starter of this first of three groups is also one of the biggest favourites for today. It was commented that Oz have brought a great team to this race and Miles Olman is a big part of that. Oz could do with a big performance here on the back of their good ride at Olympia’s Tour to push them out of relegation contention. And through the first checkpoint Olman shows real intent. His time is 15’51”.
His second check is once again one of the best time, a mighty 40’22”, shaving a full 27” off Westra’s effort. But what will the finishing line deliver? He just manages to overtake Petrovski before the line, but will the time be good enough?
It certainly is as he goes through in a whopping 56’50” – the first rider to break 57 minutes, and 32” better than Westra. In fact, with a time like that Olman could even win this whole race. So with our first 12 riders of 36 through here is how the top 10 sit:
Name
Check 1
Check 2
Finish
Olman
15'51"
40'22"
56'50"
Westra
16'03"
40'49"
57'22"
Marque
16'08"
41'05"
57'44"
Mockus
16'11"
41'12"
57'54"
Kononenko
16'18"
41'25"
58'10"
Harrison
16'25"
41'48"
58'40"
Dviri
16'27"
41'54"
58'48"
Pate
16'29"
41'55"
58'49"
Meintjes
16'34"
42'12"
59'11"
Petrovski
16'34"
42'12"
59'12"
Solid all-round domestique Craig Lewis is next. Though this is unlikely to set the world alight, and certainly will not challenge Olman’s time, it should be a decent effort. His time through the first check is 16’19” and his time at the second check is 41’33”.
And his time at the end is 58’19”, a very respectable effort which slots him into 6th place provisionally.
The Ukrainian rouleur Oleg Chuzda is next. He rode for the D2 Eurovision team last season, which turned into the present Belarusian project, and he will be glad for this chance to wear the team jersey and to try to drag some valuable points in. His first check of 16’31” does not promise much, however, and his second check time of 42’03” is far from comforting.
And indeed at the finish he can only manage 58’19”, putting him into 10th, but he is unlikely to stay there for long. He will be bitterly disappointed with that time.
There seems to be a theme of ex-D2 riders here as Manuel Ortega now leaves the start house. The faithful punchy domestique is not the best against the clock but will hope for something respectable today. And his first time is better than expected as he goes through in 16’23”, and his second check is a nice 41’46”.
His final time is 58’36”, which is provisional 7th place, and puts him just ahead of most other riders who are about his equivalent skill level, which will be pleasing to him for sure.
Now we have Vitaliy Buts out on course. Buts is a multi-talented rider who you would want on your team if there is a TTT around, but he is also a brilliant lead-out man. It is the first of these talents he will be hoping to tap today as he heads out of the starting gate. His first time is a solid 16’22”. He clearly speeds up, however, as his time at the second check is 41’37”, meaning that he gained 8” on Ortega in that stretch.
His time holds well and he beats Ortega to take over 7th place provisionally. That puts two Privatbank riders in the top 10 as Kononenko holds on to his current 5th.
Shane Archbold, the young New Zealand track rider, is the next out of the gate. He will be hoping to move into the provisional top 10, given that he has some more natural talent in this discipline than others here. He certainly looks good to do that as he sets a first time of 16’16” and a second check of 41’22”.
His finishing time is a solid 58’06”, meaning that he takes over 5th from the aforementioned Kononenko.
Most riders would be happy to be called the second best time trialist in their country, but when that country is Moldova it might not be such a compliment. Regardless Alexandr Braico is out to make a name for himself here by riding a great time trial. His first time is 16’15”, which sets him up well. The good effort is confirmed at the second check of 41’17”.
And he records a great time of 57’59”, making him only the 5th rider to break the 58 minute mark.
Another track cyclist is up next as Ed Clancy goes out on course. The distance might prove a difficulty for him, but that remains to be seen. His first check shows a time of 16’24” and his second is a rather poor 41’39”, showing that yes, he might be struggling in this course, given that it is longer than a prologue.
And his final time is 58’28”, a provisional tenth but certainly not what his manager may have hoped for.
The next rider will be really hoping to lift for the African audience, as Tunisian Riadh Ghdamsi hits the course. The flat and long course might play into his hands. Certainly his first time of 16’16” is strong and he manages to put in a solid time of 41’19” at the second check.
JJ Abrams, eat your heart out.
And his final time is 58’02”, meaning that he sneaks inside Archbold’s time to take provisional 6th place. Kenya are certainly having a pretty good race thus far, continuing the trend of their season.
Ekspla kept hold of an awfully large number of their D2 riders and Logan Hutchings is a name that will be familiar to many who followed the division closely. He was one of the dominant TT riders there and, while he is certainly outclassed here, he will be hoping to show his worth with a good time today. In fact, he puts in a superb effort of 16’14” at the first check! This just gets better with his 41’14” at the second.
From nowhere and against all expectations Hutchings moves into 5th place ahead of Braico and behind his teammate Mockus. He will be thrilled with that ride, and you have to imagine that his manager will be as well.
Kevin LaLouette moved right down to the CT after spending last season at UBS in the PT. He appears to not have many more chances to lead the team however, as Gazelle have mostly sent him here to make up numbers. His heart just doesn’t seem in it as he sets a first check of 16’26” and a second check of 41’56”.
And his final time is a lacklustre 58’36”, well outside of the top 10 times.
Mikhail Kochetkov, on loan from Cisco, is clearly just here for the experience and to make up numbers to support team leader Flens. He relaly won’t be expecting much from today’s course and indeed his first times of 16’30” and 41’56” really don’t promise much at all.
And his time of 58’51” is one of the worse ones recorded today, so we can instantly discount him from any scoring opportunity today.
Completing the unholy trio of Oz Cycling time trial riders is Wen Hao Li. Though he will not be fighting it out for the win at the end of the day he is still better than a lot of other riders here, and could certainly aim for a top ten today. Indeed his first time is 16’08” and his second is 40’59”, making him the first rider since Olman to break the 41 minute mark at the second check.
And he sips into third place, which is a huge effort! Only Westra and Olman sit ahead of him. And on that note with the second round of riders done let’s have a look at the top ten before the team leaders start:
Name
Check 1
Check 2
Finish
Olman
15'51"
40'22"
56'50"
Westra
16'03"
40'49"
57'22"
Li
16'08"
40'59"
57'37"
Marque
16'08"
41'05"
57'44"
Mockus
16'11"
41'12"
57'54"
Hutchings
16'14"
41'14"
57'56"
Braico
16'15"
41'17"
57'59"
Ghdamsi
16'16"
41'19"
58'02"
Archbold
16'16"
41'22"
58'06"
Kononenko
16'18"
41'25"
58'10"
Looking rather fetching in his uniform, the multi-year South African time trial champion leaves the ramp to great applause. James Perry is the best chance that MTN have of scoring some points, though you have to think that he might be a bit outclassed, even by some of those who have already gone. Certainly, his first time of 16’22” is less than exciting and his second check of 41’34” just confirms that we are looking at a pretty mediocre ride.
And his final time is 58’22”, meaning that he might well struggle to score anything much at the end of the day.
Next up is Daniil Fominykh, on loan from PFG-Armavia, putting Credexbank in the rare position of being a team led by a loaned-in rider. The Kazakh’s first time is on par with Kononenko’s 16’18” and at the second time check he has dropped one second on the tenth placed rider to put him on 41’26”.
But he can’t overcome even this deficit and ends just 1” slower, putting him in 11th place with a time of 58’11”.
The best hope of the JK Cycling Project today is Kosuke Makino, the Japanese track cyclist. He will be better over the distance than most track cyclists, but still may struggle compared to others around him. His first time is 16’20” and his second is 41’30”, putting him just outside the times of the top ten riders thus far.
His final time is a rather disappointing 58’17”, showing that perhaps he did struggle over the distance after all.
Desperately trying to win some prize money to avoid bankruptcy, the Cypriot Marios Athanasiades is the next rider out. This is his specialist discipline and he will hope to get a provisional top ten. His first time is a really strong 16’12” and his second time is a great 41’12”, putting him right on track.
And with a time of 57’54” he in fact finds himself tied with Mockus, so the commissaires are forced to make a decision based on tenths of a second... and Mockus has come through just a few fraction of a seconds faster! Unlucky for the Cypriot, who will have to make do with a provisional 6th.
Coming into the race Sam Horgan was probably aiming for a top 10, but even that might be beyond him, given that he really hasn’t got the same technical pedigree as a lot of those around him. His teammate Archbold currently sits in 10th so he clearly has the information of the right way around this course. Clearly he puts it to good use with a magnificent first check of 16’10” and an equally strong second check of 41’07”.
And his final time is 57’48”, which will bump Archbold out of the top ten but will sit the Kiwi rider in fifth place overall, which will surely count as a win in his books!
Armavia currently have Braico in ninth place and looking to improve on that is Biao Liu, one of the two Chinese riders on the team. The flat course will surely suit him and so too the longer distance of the race. His time through the first check is 16’12”, the same as Athanasiades, but he fades a bit through the second check for a time of 41’16”.
And his final time is smack bang on 58 minutes, just 1 second slower than his teammate and good enough for a provisional 10th.
At the start of the season Chris Barton was touted as the big signing of ANC-Halfords, so now as team leader he really has to put in a solid performance. His first time is a solid one indeed as he goes through the check with a time of 16’11”, which has proven to be good enough for a top ten in all cases thus far. His second check is 41’12”, putting him equal with Athanasiades and Mockus.
And his time is 57’55”, meaning that he drops behind those two riders and slots into 8th provisionally. He was probably expecting more from himself. Anyway, with 5 riders still to come, the 5 biggest names in this race, the top ten look like this:
Name
Check 1
Check 2
Finish
Olman
15'51"
40'22"
56'50"
Westra
16'03"
40'49"
57'22"
Li
16'08"
40'59"
57'37"
Marque
16'08"
41'05"
57'44"
Horgan
16'10"
41'07"
57'48"
Mockus
16'11"
41'12"
57'54"
Athanasiades
16'12"
41'12"
57'54"
Barton
16'11"
41'12"
57'55"
Hutchings
16'14"
41'14"
57'56"
Braico
16'15"
41'17"
57'59"
So Daan Rijntjes is the first of the big names to go out on course. He should find this pan flat course to his liking and the distance probably won’t hurt him too much. Marque already is guaranteed a top ten so anything from here will surely be icing on the cake for the African team. But it looks like this could be a great ride. His first time check shows a magnificent 16’06”, which could be enough for a podium place provisionally. He maintains his 2” advantage over Li through the second check with a time of 41’16”.
And he takes a provisional third place with a great time of 57’36”. It is unlikely to hold up as a podium place with the other riders behind him, but he will no doubt be happy with this result.
Next up we have Geert Joeaar. His team really need a performance from him here, and with Mockus and Hutchings still in the top 10 he will certainly have a great source of information. He would probably prefer a slightly tougher course, but that’s the way of these things. His first check is disappointing however, as he can only manage 16’12” – the same time as Mockus and Athanasiades. That seems to be a decent benchmark of performance. Indeed through the second check he ends up with a time of 41’12” – the same as both of them again!
And ridiculously, he gets the same time as both of them at the finish line as well! Clearly he followed that prior information just a little too closely. So the judges are at it again... and they adjudicate that Joeaar in fact is the slowest of the three, putting him in a truly disappointing 9th place with Hutchings moving out of the top ten.
Now we come to one of the hot tips to take a podium at the end of the day – Kristof Goddaert. His teammate Westra sits second at the moment, so there is actually no massive pressure to perform, but surely anything outside the top 5 would be slightly disappointing. So through the first check he sets a time of 16’04”, putting him third provisionally and only 1” behind Westra. At the second check he holds steady with a time of 40’51”, losing another second to his teammate.
And finally he hits the finishing line with a time of 57’29”, 7” down on Westra but most importantly in third place provisionally with only two riders to come.
The first of those two riders, and the only one tipped to upset Oz’s domination of this race is Rick Flens. His team were banking it all on him performing today and he will hope for at least a podium here, while aiming all the while for the win. His first time is a great one – 15’58”. That’s still 7” down on Olman but he is the only other rider to break 16 minutes.
And his time through the second check is equally impressive – 40’36”, now 14” down on Olman. It is looking almost certain that an Oz rider will take this one.
Speaking of Oz Cycling riders, the next one up is a man who needs no introductions. An impressive performer in the PT, Michael Ford took the step down this season to the PCT and he has come here to try to take some easy points. He goes out on course and right away it is easy to tell that this is a quick time. He sets the best time at the first check with a great 15’47”.
And through the second check his time is an outstanding 40’08”. It seems unlikely that anything can go wrong for him here today.
He put up a marvellous fight but Flens will have to settle for provisional second, which will almost certainly be knocked down to third place. He did his best to cause the upset today but it just wasn’t enough. His time is still brilliant – 57’09” puts him 13” clear of Westra, who sits behind him.
And was anyone else ever going to win today? Ford doesn’t just win, but he tears up the course and comes home in 56’33”, beating his teammate by 17” in the process.
And it won’t just be him celebrating tonight. Oz Cycling get the 1-2 in the time trial, with Li also taking 7th.
