Perfect weather (no wind) and a brand new race on the menu today: a challenging circuit through the heart of Viana do Castelo, featuring 48km of cobbles and a 4.5km climb up 'Sao Mamede' (up to 14% slopes)!
Summerhill and Vanspeybrouck as the favorites, while also punchy cobblers like Pozzato, Trentin or Boom may fancy their chances today.
The first working breakaway group with 5 riders goes clear from the pack at the end of the first lap:
Van Poppel Herklotz Bovenhuis Tulik Laengen
They build a lead up to 7 minutes halfway through the race, where we would then see some mid-race attackers jumping behind..
Del Nero was the first to attack the bunch..
Naesen and Roy go with still 79km left!
Also Boom and Grashev with quite early attacks and they all have caught up to the early break with now still 48km remaining!
Quite an interesting 10-men-group, but the pack ain't far behind with just an 1'21"-gap and a higher pace now..
Team BPost obviously not willing to let such a group with Boom/Grashev/Roy stay clear and just a few moments later (44km to go) the leading group is reeled in by the pack (67 riders left)!
The tricky cobbled descend then sees Vanmarcke going down! He's quickly one and then two minutes behind the leading bunch, that went into pieces in the meantime (38 riders left in the lead)!
Bad luck for Vanmarcke and also Stallaert had a fall earlier on.
31km to go and now goes Summerhill!
He's opening up a 30"-gap quickly and then we see the next riders attacking:
Vanspeybrouck Langeveld Boom Trentin Pozzato
A major split in the bunch now, time to check which names are in the mix, as we now have 20km to go:
This next group with Vandenbergh, Grashev and Roy can't follow those latest attackers, but there's quite a gap on the next bigger group!
The action is on now: Summerhill leading by half a minute on the chasing group, where Langeveld/Boom launch another attack about 13km before finish!
Trentin struggling to hang on with Vanspeybrouck/Pozzato, who are a few seconds behind Boom..
Last climb (10km) and Boom catches up to Summerhill! What a strong effort up this tough climb.
Langeveld couldn't hang on with Boom, but he's not too far behind with just 22" disadvantage and still a gap on Vanspeybrouck!
Vanspeybrouck now suffering and not able to hang on with Pozzato, who's about 32" behind Langeveld with now 8km left.
Trentin already a further minute behind and the next 10-men-group with Vandenbergh slowed down (6 minutes behind) and is in danger to get swallowed by the first peloton..
While Langeveld kept fighting, he couldn't close up to the leading duo, that enters the final kilometre now:
Summerhill in the worse position, kicking the sprint off from the very front.. Boom not doing anything after catching up to the top-favorite..
..but then he launches his sprint with just a few hundred metres left..
..to take it easily: Boom wins the Viana do Castela ahead of Summerhill!
A thrilling race with Summerhill going clear, but Boom (who already had attacked earlier on) fighting his way back on the crucial climb. Smart tactics from the former world champion, definitely.
Langeveld crossing the line as strong 3rd!
Pozzato 4th ahead of Vanspeybrouck, who came closer, but lost this fight on the climb..
Trentin coming in as 6th. A solid effort.
The next chasing group indeed took things too easy and got swallowed by the peloton! A missed chance for someone like Roy to score a Top-10 here.
Vandenbergh though wouldn't just give up and attacked on the downhill sector, eventually finishing 7th ahead of Nuyens!
Bazzana and Daniel then complete the Top-10 by winning the bunch sprint. Veelers, Weber, Boeckmans, Fouquet and Lander inside the Top-15, so teams like BPost, Puma, Gazelle and Aegon pretty much dominating with some great depth inside the Top-20.
Grashev (19th) and Armee (22nd) as the most notable best finishers for the less strong teams..
