It's a warm spring day in Holland and after some hard hilly stage racing the Ardennes week is finally under way. The Pre race favourites are the resurgent Hagen, the Belgian pretender Bakelants, the tricky Trofimov, chrome-domed Schumacher and the king of the hill Schleck.
Here is the early morning breakaway.
Cobbles season over but still Nolf at work. Passeron is described by some as the perfect breakaway man too crap to be considered a threat but actually not that crap. Lotto have two decent cards in the pack but Rooijakkers is here so they can hide. Cyclocross star Stybar is here to his fans delight, Oyarzun is the mandatory Pendleton’s breakaway. Leezer is here which means Pearl Adidas can have the day off, so to an Wikipedia with Talansky here.
We fast forward to the second (of three) ascent of the Cauberg with 80km left and the break have a 4.40 lead on the pack.
Interestingly Rothuas are mixing it up with Vesuvio and n Aker who are marshalling the chase.
It's strange tactics from the wildcards as Passeron is doing no work in the break and Rothaus are helping chase assummedly for Bellis because Boom is seen doing pulls on the front.
50km to go: The gap is down to 2.50, the pack is still 158 riders strong, with Aker and Koenigsegg driving it - is Schleck not feeling good?
42km to go and we are still before those difficult last six climbs, Anthony Roux goes on the attack.
He has two and a half minutes to bridge to the break, but still a nice move by the Frenchman at least showing himself before the big guns flex their muscles.
36km to go: We head towards the short steep Gulpenerberg (6th to last climb), here is the race situation:
Lead 7 ( Nolf, Oyarzun, Leezer, Stybar, Talansky, Rooijakkers, Passeron)
Roux at 43 seconds
148 man Venchi led pack at 1.21
Rooijakkers tries to attack clear on the Gulpenerberg.
Passeron counters over the top, Roux in the background has got across to the group.
Ponzi, Van den Hugenhaben, Hagen, Pozzato, Sagan, Wyss, Monfort, Rabottini, Bakelants, Boom lead the pack a minute later.
30km to go: The breaks flurries have led to nothing with Passeron joined by Nolf, Stybar, Talanskiy and the only rider now pacing Roux.
They are just 30 seconds clear of a pack now absolutely rocketing under the pace of Van den Hugenhaben.
Onto the Kruieberg and Hagen bursts into an attack.
A stunning move by Hagen, who in 2010 and 2011 made early moves which paid dividends compared to last years tepid effort.
As the Norwegian champion blasts away Vastaranta moves to the front for Bakelants. Trofimov and energiser bunny Roux try to attack clear.
Neither can make it clear before the crest of the climb of the Kruieberg. Hagen meanwhile settles into a 40 second lead as he heads onto our 4th last climb the difficult Eyserbosweg.
Koenigsegg are working hard here with both Trofimov and Van den Hugenhaben working hard.
Behind them Wiggle pair Ponzi and Rabottini wait, along with a big list of punchaers: Ulissi Monfort McCarthy Bakelants Anza Di Maggio Bellis Pavarin, Wyss Claeys Gastauer Pozzato Vastaranta Schumacher Schleck Langeveld Van Garderen Guldhammer Geschke Gilbert Albasini
and Gesink in the frame.
Some big guns sitting a long way back on this tough Eyserbosweg climb. Trofimov really stretches them over it as Gesink notably moves up into the first five of the pack.
21km to go: Hagen remains solo now 50 seconds clear.
It is really stretched behind and on the Fromberg, Di Maggio makes his move around Gesink who has moved in front of Trofimov.
Claeys marks the move as behind we see Gesink, Schumacher, Trofimov, Vanden Hugenhaben, Bakelants, Schleck, Gilbert all right where they need to be.
Over the top of the Fromberg they go and Schumacher pushes past Di Maggio and Claeys along with Schleck.
The elastic seems to have snapped as Ulissi, Van Garderen, Gesink, Bellis and Caruso make a seven man chase group 30 seconds clear with Schumacher and Schleck.
14km to go: Hagen leads
7 man chase group (Schleck, Schumacher, TvG, Caruso, Bellis, Ulissi, Gesink) at 43 seconds.
35 man group at 1.25
( Klemme, Guldhammer, Monfort, Claeys, Sanchez Gil, Vanendert, Sinkeldam Gastauer, Paterski Rujano, Wallays, Sagan, Craven, Oss, Di Maggio, McCarthy Van den Hugenhaben, Anza, Trofimov, Rabottini, Wyss, Pavarin, Diggle, Ponzi Bugge, Augustyn Langeveld, Pozzato Vastaranta, Bakelants, Rabon, Albasini, Gilbert, Roux, Geschke)
The strange thing here is the favourites are sitting at the back!
47 man group at 2.34 led by the hapless Simply Red Bull duo Bobridge and Moinard.
Onto the Kietenberg.
Hagen is holding this sensational solo performance.
Caruso meanwhile is suffering in the chase group.
Trofimov, Ponzi, Gilbert, Claeys, Di Maggio have drifted clear from the big 35 man third group.
Over the top Hagen still has 40 seconds, with Van Garderen attempting to break clear of the chasers.
Schumacher, Bellis and Schleck remain with Uliisi and Gesink struggling.
10km to go: this race is scattered all over the place.
Hagen the instigator leads.
Van Garderen is at 34 seconds. Schleck, Schumacher, Bellis at 42 seconds.
Gesink, Ulissi at 1.06
Caruso, Trofimov at 1.25
Ponzi, Claeys, Gilbert, Di Maggio at 1.40
30 man pack at 2.22
Hagen is really producing a sensational ride here as Van Garderen cannot make any impression, over the next 4km the gap goes up to 50 seconds.
6km to go: Hagen TvG, Schleck, Schumacher, Bellis at 51 Trofimov, Gesink, Ulissi, Caruso at 1.20 Di Maggio, Ponzi, Gilbert, Claeys at 1.48 Pozzato at 2.15 Bakelants at 2.26
27 men at 2.45
Hagen gets onto the final ascent of the Cauberg.
TvG, Schleck, Schmi, Gesink have been pretty much caught by Trofimov, Ulissi, Gesink.
Schumacher attacks at the bottom.
No impression on Hagen who holds 50 seconds with 2.2km to go.
Schumacher tries hard to break the elastic from TVG.
Trofimov meanwhile has distanced Gesink etc.
Over the Cauberg Hagen has suffered slightly at end lead is cut to 39 seconds.
Schumacher is just clear of TvG, Schleck, Bellis and Trofimov.
Gesink and Ulissi is joined by Bakelants, Ponzi and Claeys with Di Maggio, Gilbert, Caruso and Pozzato suffering in background.
Hagen has time to celebrate a wonderful solo victory.
His nightmare 2012 soon forgotten.
Schumacher solos in for second place.
Trofimov is a come from behind third.
TvG is 4th, Bellis a brilliant 5th, Schleck out of the top five again in 6th.
Bakelants is 7th, Ponzi 8th, Claeys 9th, Gesink 10th, Ulissi 11th, Di Maggio 12th, Pozzato 13th, Gilbert 14th, Caruso 15th.
Result
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Aker - MOT
6h34'41
2
Stefan Schumacher
UBS - BMC
+ 41
3
Yuri Trofimov
Koenigsegg
+ 1'08
4
Tejay Van Garderen
Wikipedia
s.t.
5
Jonathan Bellis
Rothaus - Aegon
s.t.
6
Frank Schleck
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
7
Jan Bakelants
Pearl Adidas
+ 1'38
8
Simone Ponzi
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
+ 1'45
9
Dimitri Claeys
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
10
Robert Gesink
Project 1t4i
+ 1'56
11
Diego Ulissi
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
12
Cesare Di Maggio
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
+ 2'15
13
Filippo Pozzato
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
+ 2'32
14
Philippe Gilbert
Pendleton's
s.t.
15
Damiano Caruso
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
+ 2'48
16
Anthony Roux
Team Bacardi
+ 3'50
17
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
Project 1t4i
+ 3'57
18
Jelle Vanendert
Project 1t4i
s.t.
19
Jelle Wallays
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
20
Robin van der Hugenhaben
Koenigsegg
s.t.
21
Peter Sagan
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
22
Matteo Rabottini
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
23
Ben Gastauer
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
24
Marcello Pavarin
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
25
Maxime Monfort
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
26
Jay McCarthy
Wikipedia
s.t.
27
Domenik Klemme
Team B&O
s.t.
28
Marcel Wyss
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
29
Sebastian Langeveld
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
