A race for the puncheurs. As we are now just a few races away from the end of the season, we should take a pretty close look at the team head-to-heads between the times fighting for promotion and relegation, besides the fight for the win. Classic Italian warm-ish weather at the start.
The first attack is the successful one. Alaphilippe, Phelan, Reguigui and van Zyl try to break away as soon as the race starts and the pack decides they are not really going to be a risk.
Their maximum advantage is hit when they’re still to ride through 95 tough kilometers: their edge over the group reaches 6 minutes then.
The group trims it down to less than 2 minutes with 40 kilometers to go, when they’re facing San Luca for the first time.
Zingle tries a move during the second passage up the final climb but his attack soon finds the pack’s opposition.
van Zyl meanwhile said goodbye to his companions, who are clearly unable to follow the South African champion’s pace.
The 3 of them get caught less than 10 kilometers later, when they are facing the steep ascent for the 3rd time today. van Zyl still can count on a 1 minute lead on the peloton.
We are now getting to the heart of the race as the riders just got past the 10 kilometers to go banner! Vakoc, Zingle and Dowsett try to go clear even though the bunch doesn’t seem too keen on letting them go.
After a few tens of meters of shilly-shallying Zingle and Dowsett give up. Vakoc on the other hand still tries to go for it on his own.
The group takes van Zyl back behind again just a few meters later.
van der Hugenhaben launches the first favourite attack when the peloton is facing the steepest part of the climb.
The Dutchie reaches Vakoc after the finish line and is now forming an intriguing duo, whose edge on the group of 18 behind them is as high as 30” currently. 9 kilometers to go.
Here’s a quick look at the riders who are still in contention for the win, besides the leading duo:
Bellis
Anderson
Boily
van Zyl
Furdi
Monfort
Konrad
Felline
Kelderman
Nerz
Di Maggio
Lane
Costa
Hoogerland
Zingle
Dowsett
Konovalovas
Olivier
RBC outnumbers everyone at first glance, yet they have van Zyl who is probably going to be dropped as soon as the climb starts. Puma looks to be the strongest team at the moment with 2 domestiques of honor backing up Kelderman.
Gazelle is a bit in the same situation as RBC with no clear leader but 2 potential winners. Vontobel is the last team with more than 1 rider in the group. Interesting to see that Lane made it thus far to the front, as he could be a great help for the favourite Di Maggio potentially.
Interesting – read disappointing – to note that Risa was caught off guard and they don’t have a single rider there.
Bad news for Gazelle as Monfort and Konrad are struggling to keep the same tempo as the others. Olivier and – expectedly - van Zyl are suffering as well.
van der Hugenhaben and Vakoc are brought back behind thanks to Puma’s forcing. The front group is now made up of 15 riders, with less than 5 kilometers to go.
Di Maggio escapes, and he does it downhill! It’s strange to see a pure puncheur like him attacking in a section that doesn’t suit him much, why didn’t he wait for the final ascent up San Luca to attack? Doesn’t he feel sure enough about his legs? We’ll soon find it out!
Nonetheless, it looks like it’s working. The Italian, riding for Vontobel, now holds 20” on the chasers. We’ve just reached the feet of the climb! This is going to be a thrilling finale!
Kelderman has got two valid men in Felline and Nerz to go after Di Maggio. Both the leader and the group started the final, decisive climb! The Italian is still going really strong, since the last update he even gained a few seconds! Still, with such slopes it’s still a long way ‘till the finish.
It now looks like Puma’s forcing is achieving the wanted effect! Di Maggio sees the Flamme Rouge, he needs not to watch what is happening behind him, just keep pulling as strong as he can!
Kelderman is trying an astounding come back! The Dutchie almost closed on last year’s winner, making the most out of Puma’s brilliant work. His teammates, like great lead-outs, perfectly positioned him for the final uphill sprint.
No other riders are going as strong as him: it looks like it will be just between the two of them for the win! Will Di Maggio be the first rider in the MG history to win the race twice, or will Kelderman cheer up Puma’s promotion hopes by winning yet another race?
You can see that Di Maggio almost gave up… Vontobel’s leader has to look at the Dutchie quickly looming beside him, and he can do nothing about it!
Meanwhile, Boily and Nerz are fighting it out for the remaining podium place. The latter could secure Puma another spot at the winners’ platform!
Nothing momentously changes as for the fight for the 1st place, but let’s focus about what everyone else is doing: it looks like Nerz is paying the effort he’s made for his caPCTain as Boily overtakes him, whilst with regard to the 5th place, van der Hugenhaben and Anderson look the ones in the best position currently. Also pay attention to a surprising Lane and to Rui Costa!
Kelderman can raise his arms up to the sky! Splendid final kilometer for him, and fantastic team work by his teammates! Their manager surely will be delighted about what they’ve achieved!
Di Maggio got really close to his second consecutive win here with an odd attack and now he looks visibly disappointed.
Boily with an unexpected podium. The Canadian keeps scoring big in the second half of the season! Nerz in 4th will still be something to be happy about at Puma’s HQ.
van der Hugenhaben is 5th, right in front of a really surprising Anderson. Not a bad day at all for RBC either!
Rui Costa is just 7th, definitely not enough for Prio to keep hoping… not an easy year for the Portuguese team. Behind him, yet another name you wouldn’t expect belonging to a top 10: Lane. The Aussie talent with another great race after a really strong Portugal where he kePCT the lead for several days!
Felline snatches a great 9th, making it 3 in the top 10 for Puma. He is so satisfied about what all of them have accomplished that he decides to abandon himself to a celebration. Bellis fences in the top 10, and he also makes it 3 in the top 10 for his team, RBC!
Hoogerland, Konovalovas, Vakoc and Dowsett will only have to settle for positions from 11th to 14th.
