A 47km mountain course from Lukla to Chukhung not far away from the mythical Mount Everst in Nepal will decide over the Intercontinental Champion 2017. A really short course should hopefully bring a really intense racing.
A terrific startlist with two teams each from the five continents, featuring some totally overpowered line-ups. The best 16 riders from each Continental Championship Road Race is present on the startlist today. Team A for each continent included riders that finished 1-4-5-8-9-12-13-16 in continent's road race, Team B includes all others.
The top favorites come from Europe: Schleck, Taaramäe, Madrazo, Pluchkin or Spilak is just an incredible line-up considering some of these may just end up as domestiques.
Their challengers are going to be mainly from America: Dombrowski, Amador and Alarcon.
The only realistic hope for Oceania is Morton, it is likely the same scenario for Africa with Eritrean duo Berhane and Kudus.
Asia will be surely hoping for an amazing surprise from either Skikai, Ji or Choi.
And almost immediately after the start we have the first attack of the day! Meintjes is followed by Shikai, Talansky, Anguilet, Roe and Choi! Even some of the team leaders already attacking!
But these 6 riders are able to get absolutely nowhere.
With just 40 kms to go, now it is Quintana, Faiers, Shikai, Keizer and Berhane who try their luck.
But once again, they it is all back together really soon.
With 35 kms to go, it is Ji who attacks, joined by Haig, Keizer, Faiers, Diaz, Berhane and Shikai.
It is just Ji who is able to get away and gets 50 seconds advantage quickly.
A while later it is Kudus who attacks, but he is unable to create a gap on peloton as Úran chases him down quickly.
With 28 kms to go, it is Duarte who goes now. At the moment Ji has just over one minute advantage over the main field.
Duarte bridges the gap to Ji fairly quickly and we soon have a leading duo.
With 20 kms to go, the leading duo still has around one minute of an advantage. The peloton still has 36 riders. All 16 riders from Europe, 11 from America, 4 from Africa, 3 from Asia and 2 from Oceania. The biggest names missing are: Carapaz Ndayisenga Nepomnyachnsniy Solis Haig Diaz Meintjes
European riders are pacing really hard in the peloton.
With 10 kms to go, the main group chases down both escapees. The group still has 29 riders in total. Lecuisinier is doing the most of the work.
5 kms to go and we have finally an attack from a favourite! Simon Spilak decides it is time to try to go for it!
He quickly gets 30 seconds on his chasers, but the pace goes up a lot behind them as well as Taaramäe breaks up the peloton. Only 5 other riders are able to keep up with him: Pluchkin Schleck Dombrowski Lecuisinier Madrazo
With 2.5 kms to go, this is the clear picture of the situation: Spilak leads
+ 15 Taaramäe
+ 30 Dombrowski, Pluchkin, Schleck, Lecuisinier, Madrazo
+ 1.00 Alarcon, Amador
+ 1.20 Henao Montoya
+ 1.40 Peloton of 22 riders
With just over 1 km to go, Spilak is still first! Taaramäe is 10 seconds behind him Dombrowski, Pluchkin and Schleck are another 15 seconds behind Madrazo drops from the chasing group and Lecuisinier looks absolutely empty and is already behind Alarcon and Amador
And Simon Spilak wins!
Taaramäe comes in 2nd and it is Schleck who wins the sprint for 3rd place and beats Pluchkin and Dombrowski, who is the first rider outside of Europe to finish the race.
Totally exhausted Madrazo finishes only 8th, after Alarcon and Amador outsprint him.
Machado attacks and sprint from behind to steal 9th place from Lecuisinier. 11th place for Henao Montoya.
Only then we see the two best riders from Asia. 12th and 13th for Choi and Shikai. They probably made a huge mistake with their early attacks in the race.
And it is Tenorio who wins the sprint for 14th place in the group that remained from something that was earlier called as peloton. In the group also finish the best rider from Oceania who is Morton (17th place) and the best rider from Africa as well - Merhawi Kudus (23rd place).
Schleck, 
Taaramäe, 
Madrazo, 
Pluchkin or 
Spilak is just an incredible line-up considering some of these may just end up as domestiques.
Dombrowski, 
Amador and 
Alarcon.
Morton, it is likely the same scenario for Africa with Eritrean duo 
Berhane and 
Skikai, 
Choi.
Meintjes is followed by 
Anguilet, 
Quintana, 
Faiers, 
Keizer and 
Diaz, 
Carapaz
Nepomnyachnsniy
Solis
Lecuisinier is doing the most of the work.
Machado attacks and sprint from behind to steal 9th place from 
