Welcome to Pescara for the start of the Trofeo Matteoti!!! It is a scorching 35 degrees! As the media has covered, there are many contenders to take today’s stage. Who will step on that top step of the podium?
The race is about to begin!
The first attacker would be Yuriy Leontenko (Commonwealth).
He would be followed by Grand (Rucanor), Chtchebeline (Katusha), and Potocki (Electrabel).
The peloton are completely fine with this and this would be our breakaway of the day. In just a matter of kilometers they have built up a lead of 3 minutes.
The peloton have hit the circuit and the lead is five minutes. LKT, Peugeot, Standard Bank, BNP Paribas, America Movil, and Fuji are some of the teams setting a modest pace.
The peloton are on their sixth lap and are starting to realize the danger. The breakaway achieved a maximum lead of nearly 9 minutes, but LKT, Millennium, Peugeot, and BNP are pulling them back. Interestingly, Commonwealth’s Clarke is working on the front, despite the fact that they have a rider in the break!!
Unfortunately for 7 – Eleven, Andrew Bajadali has crashed, but he hasn’t taken down anyone else with him.
We skip forward to 50 km to go in the race, and there has not been much to report on. Many of the same teams are chasing the break. In fact, the break can already see the peloton behind as their lead is just over 2 minutes.
On the third to last ascent, Chtchebeline (Katusha) attacks the breakaway group, but the peloton is already about to make the catch. Their lead is less than a minute.
With 30 km to go, the first move out of the peloton is made. It’s Sandy Casar (Peugeot).
The LKT-led peloton would let Casar get nowhere, however, and he is caught within 2 kilometers. In doing so, Grand (Rucanor) from the morning break is also caught. The remaining three riders are still up the road, with 45 seconds.
Chtchebeline and Potocki are caught, and now only Leontenko remains up the road, but his 30 second gap is about to vaporize. The peloton is still 130 riders strong.
As soon as he is caught, favorites attack! These attacks include Niv (BNP), Budaragin (Katusha), Chabaane (Argo), Mesfin (STB), Renev (KazMunayGas), and De Ketele (Dexia).
These attacks would all be neutralized by LKT. Meanwhile, Sandy Casar has fallen! No one else was affected.
Much of the Peugeot team is dropping back to help Casar…but there’s not much point in doing so.
A group of favorites have attacked on the final climb with 10km to go and immediately got a minute gap! Will this be the decisive move of the day? This group includes:
Meanwhile, a second attack group has formed. It consists of : De Ketele (Dexia), Pasamontes (iBanesto), Moletta (Miche), Belka (LKT), and Chabaane (Argo). They are a minute ahead of the 98-rider peloton and 55 seconds behind the lead group.
On the descent, the two attack groups look like they might be about to merge. Meanwhile, with 4 km to go, Lopez Gonzalez (America Movil) has attacked the front group, and has pulled a 10 second gap! Surely he can’t hang on.
As expected, the two attack groups merged. The peloton has no more hope on the day and the winner will come from this group…but, more importantly, Lopez is still up the road. KazMunayGas refuse to chase, and his gap is now 20 seconds.
The chase group goes under the flamme rouge and Stevic (KazMunayGas) leads them out. Lopez is caught.
500m to go. De Ketele (Dexia) looks the strongest. Behind him are Parno (Fuji), and Tarqui (Millenium).
200m to go. De Ketele is still in front, but Renev (KazMunayGas) is charging hard for the win!
But no one can stop Kenny De Ketele (Dexia)! Tarqui and Renev take second and third respectively, and Stevic and Parno round out the top 5.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
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