Milano - Torino is a bitch. The perfect example of how a man-game season can fuck you sideways. All goes straight well for most of the season, and at the end you face the struggle. So will the riders today, as normally this race sees 160 kilometers of showings for breakaways and teams and then 30 kilometers of complete demolition. Who can win the uphill wreckfest?
First of all we have a sunny day today. But what a windy day it is, the scale is at over 60. Will this add some spicy taste to the flavor of this race? It will come from the back for most of the race though, but might turn exactly before the final kilometers.
The race starts aas it does normally though, a quick lead for a group of 4:
Heavy wind is really hurting the peloton at some point:
80 km - 4'00
60 km - 3'00
40 km - 2'05
30 km - 1'30
Wind is up to 70, you need to be placed near the front now, as soon the race will blow up big time!
25 km - 1'40
22 km - 1'15
It's time to go! 596 meters of altitude on 5.1 kilometers up the first of the couple of Milano - Torino climbs. Last sight of the breakaway?
It is a heavy headwind up the climb. You need to hide in the pack now and save your energy. Meiji takes on the pacemaking, and catches the breakaway one by one, at latest...
... Pszczolarski. But two surprising sights:
1. What the fuck is the camera bike thinking of doing there, hugely dangering riders and especially race favourite Kinoshita.
2. Where the hell...
...are the otherts? Hamilton had to let go of the pacemaking by Hatsuyama and Iino! And the three Meiji guys are 50 seconds ahead.
Cunego, McEvoy, Panayotov and Anuar Aziz close the gap now for the peloton though. This means that 140 riders go over the first climb together. Malacarne takes over control again. Some riders though, in first line Kinoshita and Ulissi, might have been in the wind too much and unprotected though, as we still have heavy headwind.
5 kilometers left, the final climb is arising. Here we gain up to 635 meters, meaning 5 kilometers of climbing with 7,5% average on the incline. Vogt lost contact somewhere up the climb, and his whole team dropped back to help him including the initially perfect placed McEvoy. What a petty for the brit.
But now back on the climb, where we currently have sidewind. Trying to use this fact is...
... Ulissi, who attacks straightaway. But did he think about that upcoming turn, that'll directly head into a full blow of wind from the fore?
Maybe, but him and 6 further riders come away:
Froome Anuar Aziz Kinoshita McCarthy Klemme Ulissi van der Hugenhaben
Bellis between the groups, while Sisira chases him down for Gautier, who missed this move. Other losers of this attack surely are Di Maggio, Cunego and Zaini, who missed this too.
At least Cunego and Reichenbach also chase on their own now, additionally Gautier and Roy on their move as well.
McCarthy does the major work in the group ahead, but that doesn't turn out to be a smart move as his nose is in the wind and he clearly struggles with that. Behind Gautier reached his two companions.
Attack...
... Kinoshita with 1.7 to go now. The Irishman can't follow, same for the active Ulissi. This is getting intense, as the Japanese used a small sidewind section to attack and now has a gap of 10 seconds.
But now...
...struggles for the Meiji star and Froome bridges over to him! The group behind has reached Bellis now.
500 meters and...
... Anuar Aziz bridges over. He's done there, but right as he bridges over the two start the sprint. Froome quickly overtakes Kinoshita, and with...
200 meters he looks like the winner. Anuar Aziz looks like the third only, which would still be a nice achievement. But who can win this?
It is Chris Froome! The british breaks the winning streak of Kinoshita, what a result for Arrinera! Indeed the Indosat captain has to settle for third, while the race for 4th was long open.
At the end of the day it's...
... Klemme, who scores some great points for the CT team Kraftwerk - Man Machine. Surely we'll see him in PCT with his team next year. McCarthy just saves in 5th against van der Hugenhaben, who came up with the job too late, and a surely disappointed Ulissi.
The strongest of the next group is...
... Gautier, beating Cunego and Reichenbach, who'll surely be happy with his Top 10. Bellis just missed out, but 11th is reasonably well for him too.
The strongest of the big group is...
... McEvoy, who powered up perfectly well from the bottom. This could've been even much better for him. Then Caruso, who achieved a lot of support by a strong Roy today. Also a rather strong result from Stachowiak in 16th.
Major disappointments surely for Vontobel, Lierse, Wiesenhof, Ferrero & Hugo Boss, who couldn't get their leaders to work here.
But now let's take a look at the final results, praising Froome for his strong victory of today beating Kinoshita, who'll most likely breath World Tour air next year, maybe even trained.
Italy 
