Another mixed Championship on the cards here, with riders from Chile, Ivory Coast and Liechtenstein all represented, each in head to head battles. For Chile we had Edison Bravo vs Luis Miguel Mansilla, Ivory Coast was Issiaka Cisse vs Bassirou Konte and Liechtenstein was between the Sauber Petronas Racing pair of Benedikt Mundle and Dimitri Jiriakov.
All 6 riders lined up on the start line of a flat route that should favour the Sprinters within the group. However, in a head-to-head battle, tactics will be key when trying to gain the upper hand. Does a rider go long and aim for the break, or bank it all on a Sprint finish?
Three riders attacked to form the day’s break. Mundle was present for Liechtenstein, whilst the Ivorian pair of Cisse and Konte were wanting to watch each other very closely! Cisse would have the advantage if this went to the line, due to his superior sprinting ability.
CRASH! 12km to go, and there is a touch of wheels in the break. Cisse hits the deck, and the others ride off into the distance. Is his defence of the Road Race title going up in smoke? Back up on his feet, he is over 2 minutes behind the leading pair.
Into the last 5km, and the leading pair will be guaranteed their respective National Titles. That doesn’t make a difference to Mundle, who attacks Konte in a bid to take the race victory as well.
Nearly 30” clear, the Sauber rider takes the win, and proudly shows off the Liechtensteiner jersey to the crowd. He will have that again for another 12 months.
Bassirou Konte rides in alone to take the Ivorian Title for Kenya Airways. Given some fortune by the Cisse crash, it could have been a different result if it had been a one-on-one sprint for the line. But there will be no complaints in the Kenya camp.
The Chilean title would come down to a sprint, with Bravo, the lesser sprinter of the pair, hoping to get the better of Mansilla. He tried to go long, but it did not work out, as the Bonsucro man came around him in the last 500 metres to comfortably take the win.
The same trio of pair-offs headed to the Individual Time Trial, where the rivalries would recommence again. Had the Road Race taken too much out of the legs for those in the break, and would Issiaka Cisse fell any ill-effects of his crash yesterday.
First, we would see the battle between Road Race Champion Benedikt Mundle and defending Time Trial Champion Dimitri Jiriakov. Jiriakov was the stronger of the pair against the clock, and should not have any issues with his ride today. A crash or major mechanical will only prevent him from winning the title.
The Ivorian title would be a little tighter than the Liechtensteiner race, with both riders being closely matched. Cisse was the defending champion, and hoped to focus his rage from the Road Race into a high performance against Bassirou Konte.
Last off the ramp was Chile, in a race that was all about Luis Miguel Mansilla adding to the Road Title he won yesterday. He was far superior than Edison Bravo in a TT race, and should challenge for the full race victory in the end as well. Like with Jiriakov, it would be a major incident that would prevent him from taking a National Double today.
Jiriakov's ride was like a stroll in the park. By the second check, he had over 2 minutes advantage on Mundle and by the end it was over 6'30". More than confortable, as the Sauber riders share the Road Race and Time Trial between them -- 1h12'53
As expected, Cisse did more than enough to seal a successive National title in the TT. His superior skills was enough to give him the win against Konte, who was just unable to settle into a rhythm all day -- 1h14'51
Finally we had the Chilean title decided, with a comfortable win for Mansilla. Over 3 minutes advantage over Bravo, it would be the National Double Title this year for the Bonsucro man. Great ride, and enough to take the overall win on the day as well -- 1h12'19
Benedikt Mundle
Bassirou Konte
Luis Miguel Mansilla
