Waeytens MO 67 Khviyuzau MO 67 Devine MO 66 Taubel MO 59
At 85km to go three riders have formed a chase group.
Gonzalo MO 74 Kiserlowski MO 74 Essen MO 74
These chaser easily join the lead four on the up and down road that approaches the main climb. They have a gap of 4 minutes to the main pack with 60km to go. The pack is led by Iberia and Kenya Airways.
This lead is reduced down to 2.40 with 40km to go as we head onto the main climb. Already several riders have been dropped off the back of the main field.
These are mainly riders with less than 70 in Mountains, but also include Kirchen, De La Cruz and Brinkley indicating these teams are relying heavily on riders in the break.
Perez Sanchez is leading the pack onto the main climb.
We can see here an attack by Talabardon
Nieve, Colarado, Parra Busta and Ndbri threaten to launch but they are initially put off by heavy Iberia presence on the front.
The attacking though continues on a vicious 20% section through Rudaskov , Carrara and Naibo.
Only Carrara manages to push on clear, damage is being done to the back of the pack.
Danielson, Eibegger and Maisto are the next significant names dropped with Duran and Calzati just ahead.
35km to go: The damage of this brutal pass is beginning to show as now our breakaway is beginning to fall apart.
Race situation with 35km to go:
Six leaders ( Kiserlowski, Ebsen, Gonzalo, Devine, Waeytens, Khvivuzau)
Taubel at 31 seconds
Carrara at 1 minute (perhaps Taubel is waiting for his leader)
Rudaskov - Naibo at 1.42
Iberia led 21 man pack at 1.57
Duran - Calzati at 2.53
Danielson - Maisto - Eibegger group at 3.17
Worried that Carrara is forging clear with this Iberia feel it is time to launch one of their two main guns.
Purito launches a big attack reeling in Rudaskov and Naibo immediately.
Up front Khviyuzau is the latest to drop off the leaders as Carrara approaches.
Ndbri is lifting the pace in the pack in response to the Rodriguez move.
This is dropping the majority of his teammates including veteran Spaniard Camano.
Ndbri has however made Rodriguez's wheel.
32km to go: This climb is obliterating the field!
Five leaders ( Gonzalo, Ebsen, Kiserlowski, Waeytens, Devine)
Rudaskov and Niabo look to lift the pace again as we still have some hard sections left on this climb.
It pulls the lead three groups together.
Ndbri decides to attack with two more hard sections left of the climb.
Carrara respond and pulls the pack up to the Kenyan.
Purito attacks past.
He approaches the tunnel that marks the top of this brutal climb.
He has a 45 second gap of the chasers.
Ndbri leads the chase with about a dozen other riders behind him.
20km to go and Rodriguez is descending brilliantly.
Rudaskov and Ndbri have descended well clear of the rest a minute behind of Rodriguez but a minute clear of the others.
The fact that Iberia are at the front of the 11 behind tells us there is no pace. Fernandez Oliveria and Moreno are unlikely to want to chase Rodriguez down. The other nine are Gonzalo, Nieve, Naibo, Ebsen, Carrara, Parra Bustamante, Colorado, Dahlberg and Kiserlowski.
The race situation doesn't change much in the next 10kms.
10km to go
Rodriguez leads
Ndbri/ Rudaskov at 52 second
11 rider can't be bothered group at 3.35
Talabardon group at 4.25
Abrekov group at 5.17
19 riders inc Eibegger at 7.23
Ndbri isn't much good on the flat and it shows as Rodriguez comfortably holds his lead going into the finish area.
He reaches to the sky, a fantastic win for the Spanish climber.
His two attacks were devastating, first reducing the pack to the best climbers and then romping away over the top.
Despite sitting on Rudaskov's wheel for much of the last five kilometres Ndbri cannot come last. A good second place for the unfancied Rudaskov ahead of Ndbri who was on a pretty good day.
To nobody's surprise Moreno wins the sprint for 4th ahead of Carrara and Colorado.
Gonzalo, Parra Bustamante, Kiselowski and Nieve round out the top ten. Fernandez Oliveria, Dahlberg, Ebsen and Naibo also finish in this group.
All the other riders drifted back to a big group of 37 riders. Duran (Allianz) led them over in front of Eibegger.
