The cobbled aristocracy are here with the three B's, Boonen, Bewley and Burghardt leading the favourites along with the man they call Spartacus. A good or bad omen in this part of the world?
Did Spartacus and his band of Red Bull slaves pray for wind, as it is a bit of a blustery one, not that tough German gladiator Burghardt or Belgian soldier Boonen will mind that. Neither will the otherworlder Bewley or perhaps this opens it up to a more exotic new cobbled champion.
The long flat section leading up to this intriguing mid classic climb is ideal ground to create our days breakaway and here it is:
Walsleben Gallego Martin Delage Konig
Two interesting points to note -
First, the two self confessed worst cobbled teams in the Protour peloton have sent their best cobblers in the morning break. Certainly better than starting at backsides over the cobbled stuff later on.
Second, Milka and Puma with two well backed Trojans have sent plebian riders here in the break. Konig is a lazy pleb as he is doing no work at all, that is tough on the other three.
Onto the climb as Red Bull and Pearl Adidas do a calm tempo, Italian outsider Pozzato attacks.
Pozzato known from some great end sprint results from earlier campaigns in Gaul and north of the Rhine, he is also a great punchaer to possibly here trying to use the big climb to his advantage. He has plenty of fans at the finish, he is a bit of an icon here in Italy.
Another fairly well favoured rider attacks but on the descent in one of the barbarian raiders Niels Albert.
This is a guy who knows how to make long range attacks, but his success at the top tier is not as well established as in the outlying amphitheatres.
Bacardi and Milka help the Red Bull and Pearl Adidas foot soldiers to try and control these dangerous moves.
The die is cast as Pozzato having caught the early break on the descent leads them onto the fabled Appian way.
With 71km left the lead over Albert is just 50 seconds (the Belgian well catch our break fairly soon) and over the pack he has nearly five minutes.
The pack thunder across the first section of cobblestones and snap 46 riders are cut lose.
Fortunately for them they are not fed to the lions. In this 46 riders there are none of consequence at this stage, but the heat is really on up front as Pozzato and Albert work together ahead of the other four relative lightweights in the break to maintain a decent four to five minute gap.
The pack though are determinedly led by Pearl Adidas who seem to have taken exception to this move.
The Pearl Centurions led by Stijn Joseph reduce the gap down to three minutes with 50km to go, they are all in for Enrico Franzoi, the champion of the house.
Delage cannot hang on any more he drops off the break.
Konig is next to go.
37km left: It's Adios to Gallego Martin or should that be Ciao?
The gap back to the now 99 man peloton here is 2.33.
The pack is now being led by Cancellara himself!
Five key cobbled sections left.
The first three are downhill and then a tough little uphill section before the nasty last section between 2.5km and 1.2km to go.
Albert and Pozzato realise just before the first of these that their gambit is not going to work and sit up. Walsleben decides to give Vesuvio fans a bit more air time.
Wait what is this bursting onto the Appian way.
Cancellara!
Sam Bewley moves to the front of the 89 rider pack absorbing Pozzato and Albert and 500m later Walsleben.
One of the Pokerstars riders has his hand up calling for his support Chariot.
It's not Boonen but one of his key helpers in Nolf.
Cancellara has really put pressure on every one here and in turn so has Bewley who has hammered this fifth to last long cobbled section.
Behind him Summerhill, Franzoi, Blythe, Boonen, Vanspeybrouck, Nuyens and Ballan are trying desperetely to hold the Kiwi.
Burghardt, Steurs , Trentin, Vanmarke and Gusev are sitting a bit further back.
They really should have been further forward as this seems to have been a decisive moment.
17.5km to go:
Cancellara leads
Bewley at 33 seconds
8 man chase group of Franzoi, Vanspeybrouck, Boonen, Sibilla, Summerhill, Blythe, Ballan, Nuyens at 52 seconds
21 man group containing Burghardt, Rowe, Steurs, Gusev, Albert, Pozzato, Trentin, Drucker at 1.23
Nolf is further back with a large group of 53 at 2.04.
Not a lot changes on the mainly uncobbled section between 17.5km and 10.5km to go, the front four groups (that is Cancellara, Bewley, the eight and the 21 man group) are racing. Bewley having initially looked like he was closing Cancellara is struggling to get back to the Swiss.
10.5 to go:
Cancellara leads
Bewley at 38 seconds
8 man group at 56 seconds Boonen, Summerhill, Nuyens, Franzoi, Sibilla, Vanspeybrouck, Blythe, Ballan
15 man Burghardt, Gusev, Steurs group at 1.36 (Burghardt and Gusev doing most of the work. But rest of the group is Langeveld, Rowe, Wynants, Vanmarke, Broers, Eeckhout, Drucker, Pozzato, Verbist, Nepomnyachsniy, Trentin, Sinkeldam)
Everyone else is sitting up behind.
You feel as if Bewley is going to struggle to catch Cancellara so the eyes turn to the eight men behind who are now attacking each other on this mass cobbled section in the last 10km.
Franzoi, Boonen, Summerhill and Vanspeybrouck look to make an elite chase group.
Simulteneously Burghardt, Steurs and Gusev bridge to he four dropped by these four ( Nuyens, Sibilla, Blythe and Ballan).
Burghardt powers past.
6km to go: All this attacking is making little impression on Cancellara.
Cancellara leads
Bewley still soldiers on at 44 seconds
Boonen, Summerhill, Franzoi and Vanspeybrouck at 1.10
Burghardt at 1.25
Ballan, Steurs, Sibilla, Blythe, Gusev and Nuyens at 1.43
Group Pozzato, Trentin at 2.56
Burghardt manages to join the group of four ahead who are looking set to battle for third place.
The first two are on that last cobbled sector in Rome itself the gap sitting as it has for the last 17.5km between 35 and 45 seconds. it has been quite a duel between Cancellara and Bewley.
The five behind graciously allow Boonen to lead out, Summerhill, Vanspeybrouck, Burghardt and Franzoi on his wheel.
The mob of Rome raise to cheer their gladiatorial hero Spartacus himself.
Bewley tried to match him but he simply didn't quite have the same horsepower, no disgrace in second.
Boonen was not to be outwitted having led out he simply holds the others for third, Summerhill again showing well in fourth and poor Burghardt missing the big attack comes fifth.
Vanspeybrouck just edges Franzoi for sixth, Pearl showed some faith in Franzoi today who could't quite deliver on this, finishing at the back of this group of five.
Steurs fights and nabs 8th over Ballan. Not bad from the Festina man, Blythe manages to overtake Simply Red Bull second Sibilla for 10th. Nuyens and Gusev are 12th and 13th, their managers will be disappointed in their rides.
Rowe leads a group of seven Trentin, Langeveld, Sinkeldam, Drucker, Vanmarke and Wynants next.
Pozzato is 22nd, his gambit a failure. (Admittedly Albert was worse way back in 40th, after sitting up completely)
