The die is cast as Ethopia hosts the first cobbled race of the Continental season - we have bright sunshine but also a fairly nasty desert wind which should make things even tougher. The parcours are fairly short but we have 48 cobbled sectors in all (admittedly two thirds of them are very short) so this is going to be one tough test.
From last year you had to be right there with 40km to go and go with the favourites that would ride away rom tired domestiques. However we see some different tactics this year with several teams putting sub-leaders in an early break.
Altur (COBB:75) Nepomnyachsniy (COBB: 75) Lampaert (COBB:73) Roth (COBB:72) Mortensen (COBB:72) and Lindgren (COBB:66) make a determined breakaway.
The first third of this race (roughly 50km) proves to be ultra fast with these six battling a reluctant peloton.
Team Hornbach in particular are trying to rein this in. There are simply too many dangerous riders in that break.
Quickstep do help out a bit but eventually after seeing that no-one else will help with particular eyes made at AMEXpc and Gazelle,
Hornbach stop the madness and let this six man move more breathing space than 30 seconds.
It was timely as the pack was beginning to split up under the pressure with more than 120km to go. 30 kms pass and the breaks lead moves out to 5.30 with 95km to go. This does not sit well with Hornbach at all who start to chase again aided by Quickstep and new allies Heineken-Cal Giant
Whether discussions behind the scenes have been made or not, it is welcome news for Franzoi's crew that there are more teams willing to chase. However the lead six are not going to let this go easily - the gap reduces slowly to just under four minutes with 60km left.
The commentary box though has gone beserk we see the camaras pan back to the pack and no sign of Heineken or Quickstep. Instead Allianz-BMW Cycling Team and AMEXpc are leading the chase.
The reason: Baugnies and Langeveld have attacked.
We have now entered a critical phase of the race as a major favourite (Baugnies) and a minor one (Langeveld) have made a big move. When the going gets hot Team Kenya Airways get going... out the back. 80% of their team form the autobus with other non cobblers.
The original enthuasiasm and co-operation in the front break seems to be disappearing also as the race pace has suddenly evaporated what had at one stage seemed to be a difficult gap to cross.
50km to go:
Lead 6 - - - - > Langeveld and Baugnies at 48 seconds - - - > Pack at 1.44 - - - > Autobus at 4.20
Hornbach are frantically waving other teams forward to help the chase, clearly some of their cobbled super domestiques are getting tired. Gazelle and Boeing-Bulgaria Bicycling put a couple of riders forward to help with them, Amex and Allianz.
The pack is reducing steadily and is now down to 65 riders in a long line, this is proving quite a race despite fairly short parcours.
Interestingly the guys at the front have started to work hard together again with the notable exceptions of Lampaert and Lindgren.
The reason Lampaert is not working is that Allianz have decided to start chasing, a bit of a vote of noconfidence or perhaps he has signalled to his team boss he is not the strongest.
Lindgren is not working because well he needs no signal to the team car he is not the strongest and is now getting dropped!
The 40km to go banner clicks by, the kilo's are racing by here. The gaps:
Lead 5 - - - > Lindgren at 16 seconds - - - > Langeveld, Baugnies at 33 seconds - - - > 59 rider pack at 1.18.
It doesn't seem to be quite happening for Baugnies and Langeveld who are not quite working together properly. Langeveld in particular has taken to attacking Baugnies every now and again. They both passLindgren quite quickly but like Lindgren they eventually sit up and slip back to the pack. It will have to be plan B for Quickstep and Heineken-Cal Giant.
So the pack manages to reel in Baugnies and Langeveld and they can breathe a sigh of relief, however there still remains this five man lead group. With 30km to go they have just over a minute, and one of the riders feels strong enough to attack.
Alex Nepomnyachsniy has been pushing this break on hard with Altur and with his Spanish rival just beginning to fade the Kazach has decided to attack away.
The pack are beginning to relax, the gap suddenly jumps to over two minutes, of course this only encourages another tactical move and here we go Hornbach play their trump card.
Franzoi attacks!
Another major favourite is making a move and this one causes a major reaction in the pack - we are reaching that same critical phase that we got to last year. Several of the other favourites now look to bridge.
all look to go but they cannot grab the wheel of the Italian powerhouse Franzoi.
25km to go:
Nepomnyachsniy - - - > Altur, Roth, Mortensen, Lampaert at 42 seconds - - - > Franzoi at 1.12 - - - > pack at 1.57.
The pack haven't given this up yet but that lax period between when Baugnies and Langeveld were caught and when Franzoi went on the attack has given the front guys a chance.
In particular Nepomnyachsniy, the other four though have back up with Franzoi quickly joining them.
It is a fabulous ride from the young Kazzach who is coming of age here with 22km to go he has the cameras on him as he has gone solo over what must feel now like the most unforgiving cobbles.
However Franzoi whose attack from the pack was so strong none of the other top cobblers from the Continental tour could follow him, has kicked again away from the remainder of the breakaway!
You cannot say yet though that it is a two way battle with super domestiques Steurs and Eisel motoring on in the pack.
20km to go:
Nepomnyachsniy - - - > Franzoi at 35 seconds - - - > Altur, Roth, Mortensen, Lampaert at 52 seconds - -- > 49 man pack at 1.16
Indeed things are serious in the pack they are eating up the ground again. The fans are looking at a wonderful cobbled race but some bad news for them as Bakari is dropped from the racing peloton.
Steurs is showing some of his worth in transfers here as he reels in the four former breakaway men Altur, Roth, Mortensen and Lampaert. He pulls over and motions Eisel through, the Austrian does not delay in his duty.
Meanwhile Franzoi finally reels Nepomnyachsniy in with 15km to go. Kazzinc will hope the young Kazzach has saved something here.
15km to go:
Nepomnyachsniy, Franzoi - - - > 24 man pack at 35 seconds - - - > 10 men at 1.28
In the ten man group dropped are: Machado Taillefour
perhaps both not fancying the final climb as both should really be capable of sticking with it over the flat.
It is a double whammy for Kazzinc as now Nepomnyachsniy is dropped by Franzoi who is kicking again!
The first sign of sitting up now as the 10 man second peloton now sit up, Machado and Taillefour both attack away as soon as this happens mind you.
10km left:
Franzoi - - - > 20 man pack (absorbing Nepomnyachsniy) at 40 seconds - - - > Machado at 1.28 - - - > Taillefour at 2.32
Franzoi is really pushing hard here leading this thrilling chase, he laps the now many splinter groups as he continues on the last of the cobbled/Bianche sectors. He will soon be on the road to that final hill.
His lead is holding and if anything is increasing ahead of the clearly exhausted pack. Some of the leaders have burned their matches, others simply have not got the matches! The pack of chasers is down to 18 riders as they come under 5km to go.
The names: Nuyens, Steegmans Eisel, Breschel Baugnies, Steurs, Vanbilsen Trentin, Wynants, Veelers Grashov, Thomas Ventoso Lagab Langeveld Turgot De Haes
You will note that Nepomnyachsniy is not here the exhausted youngster has sat up, it seems he feels that he has gambled and lost today.
Up front though it looks more and more like a solo win as Franzoi heads on out of the city towards that hill with a lead now appraoching a minute.
Eisel leads the 18 chasers towards this hill also, the Austrian's matches look like they are burnt now though as he is making no impression on Franzoi and strangely his team mate Breschel is not on his wheel. Insetad we see Steegmans up close with Maes and the three quicksteps.
Also up close is Grashev for Boeing and he is a decent climber for a cobbler and is feeling fresh enough to launch an attack with 1500, left just before the slope hits its maximum.
Franzoi now is in that last kilometre but this last kilometer must feel like triple that with this gradients and the Italian is really beginning to tighten up despite being so close to the finish.
Grashov has the bit between his teeth and has cut down Franzoi's lead dramatically.
Perhaps the secret here was to leave it as late as possible as we scroll back to see Ventoso now making a late dart with 800m left. Remarkably Thomas and Baugnies are leading the chase behind.
Into the last 250m and we have Franzoi, Grashev and Ventoso in the same clip, this could be agonizing for Franzoi after his amazing solo ride.
Fortunately for him the road flattens out somewhat and he holds on to record a memorable win. What a start to the season from him, a real demonstration of power.
We are seeing a dynamic situation behind Grashev and Ventoso as now Nuyens steams through ahead of Trentin, De Haes, Breschel, Thomas and Legab. Nuyens has been fairly passive for most of the race perhaps not aided by having a teammate forward.
Grashev takes second place, Boeing will celebrate this though he came tantalisingly close to something amazing. Ventoso in a rare cobbled outing was a worthwhile gamble today taking third.
It is Trentin who takes 4th in a perfect teammates ride of sitting and waiting. He can embrace his countryman Franzoi at the finishline. Nuyens takes fifth, not too bad considering he didn't really show himself today not perhaps on a positive day.
Maes and De Haes take 6th and 7th over Breschel with Lagab showing lots of potential in coming 9th over Thomas who did okay on that hill for 10th.
Hornbach were the king of the cobbles today and after a number of years in the Protour Franzoi enjoyed his chance to dominate. Some surprise riders on the podium in this one benefitting from the unique finish to Bahir Dar.
