233km on a hilly circuit awaits the riders today, in the final race of the 2017 season for the Continental Tour. Klemme is the big favourite - but we have to expect the unexpected as ever.
40km into the race and the breakaway is formed. Present are Muhlberger, Mraouni, Varga and Andersen.
The advantage of the break would peak at around 8 minutes with 125km to go, Kraftwerk doing their upmost to manage the gap for Klemme’s benefit.
41km to go and the break would head onto the final circuit with an advantage of 2’15. Nothing insurmountable for the peloton you’d imagine, which at this point is still 120 riders strong.
22km to go though, and the break still has 1’18 over the peloton as it begins the final climb of the day. 96 riders remain in the peloton, suggesting that the pace can however be increased somewhat.
Andersen would quickly be cracked by his companions, but then we see the first attack from the peloton in a slight downhill section on the climb - Barbin attempting to go it alone! He’d quickly bridge his way over to the remnants of the break, which would be the cue for Klemme now to launch an attack!
The two attacks would lead to a push on behind, with 12 of the stronger puncheurs managing to distance the remnants of the peloton - Rodriguez Galindo, Diggle, Salinas, Nzeke, Hategeka, Pavarin, De Maar, Michely, Zeits, Krizek, Mancuso and Othman.
Barbin would lead the three remaining breakaway members onto the descent with 16km to go - as Klemme reaches the back of this group. The race has coalesced back together behind, and 71 riders sit 43 seconds behind the leaders.
10km to go and the break has split on the descent - Barbin and Klemme moving clear with only Varga able to follow. They have 20 seconds to Mraouni and Muhlberger, and 50 seconds to the group containing all other notable names with the exception of Favilli, who lost contact on the descent.
We reach the foot of the descent with 7km to go and the gap is still 50 seconds - surely enough for this trio?
Perhaps not, as we pass under the 5km to go banner and the gap is down to 19 seconds! A reduced bunch sprint looks the likely outcome here.
However with 3km to go the gap hasn’t decreased at all, so maybe the trio up front can hold on?
In the end it proves not, as thanks to a huge effort by Michely the two groups are joined together with 2km to go. Under the Flamme Rouge and Michely leads the sprint out from the front. Barbin, Bole and Santambrogio are the quickest movers behind.
500m to go though and Bole has blown! Barbin and Santambrogio lead the chase down of Michely, with Varga and Pavarin next in line - and a surprisingly strong Kamberaj!
Into the final 250m and Michely seems to just about have the edge on Barbin in a two horse race for the win, can he hold on?
Indeed he can, taking the win by half a wheel from Barbin!
Santambrogio takes a surprising third place, ahead of Pavarin and the most impressive man of the day in Varga. Pozzato, Rodriguez Galindo, Kamberaj, Dahlberg and Nzeke round out the top 10. Klemme in a disappointing 21st at the end of the day.
