The opening stage is already the key stage for any GC contenders and with no crosswinds today, it's "simply" about surviving the climbs and the cobbles! Let's hope for some good action on this fine day.
Kump, Van Asbroeck and Tsatevich maybe as the best bets when it comes down to a sprint between a reduced bunch. Top cobblers like Burghardt will definitely hope for a more selective race, where the hills at least will drop some less strong climbers like Kamyshev.
The break of the day is quickly formed out of two attacks from 9 and then 3 riders - 12 riders will build the group, that will try to fool the pack today. Definitely a few interesting names in the group:
So with Sibilla we do have one of the strongest cobblers in the race (when it comes to the cobbles skills only). He's surely not allrounded enough to be considered as strong as Burghardt, but to join the early break is still an interesting move. Also Hristov as another notable cobbler here and Podium Ambitioun is surely going for a tactical move to support Burghardt later on.
They are allowed to establish a 7 minutes gap quickly and Zhao takes the first sprint ahead of Andersen and Kasperkiewicz. Bad luck for the latter then, as Kasperkiewicz crashes on the second cobbled sector with still 106km to go. He would not make it back to the leading group.
Speaking of crashes, it's unfortunatelly a factor again: a few minor crashes are followed by a major crash in the peloton with 80km left in the stage. Some notable names involved:
Kamyshev Thomas Spengler Cisse Polanc Kulppi Drapac Kennaugh
Some big names actually and that's of course nothing we want to see (yet again). Still some time for those riders to catch back to the peloton, that started to chase the breakaway in the meantime. Zhao took the second intermediate sprint and Sibilla the first of five mountain sprints.
Arissol has to abandon soon after. Another crash victim.
Kulimbetov took the next mountain sprint and the breakaway group goes into peaces with now just 55km remaining and the peloton still more than three minutes in arrears:
Sibilla Hristov Dillier Tolhoek Jeandesbosz Ghani
remain in the new leading group of six riders, that is already one and a minute ahead of Kulimbetov, who got dropped once he took the mountain sprint. The cobbles (we're on the fifth sector now) do it's damage!
Hristov would then go and take the third intermediate sprint ahead of Ghani. Dillier takes the next mountain sprint ahead of Sibilla, with Sibilla striking back at the fourth KoM sprint then:
Just 20km to go and there's no big action in the peloton. The most important news is, that a few of the crash victims made it easily back into the main group:
Kulppi, Polanc and also Kamyshev. With now only those 20km remaining though and the peloton still trying to catch the break (2 minutes disadvantage!), the main group is reduced to 40 riders.
Jans setting the pace at the front of the pack, Altur already right behind him!
13km to go and the peloton is now just 1'10" behind the five riders in the breakaway! The high pace leads to another major split in the pack and we now have a group of 21 riders left in contention for the stage (and maybe the GC):
Breschel, Nolf, De Maar Altur, Tsatevich Vanbilsen, Van Asbroeck, Peeters Kump, Polanc, Jans Wisniowski, Rowe Marcos, Albert Daniel Mørkøv Kulppi, Vastaranta Holloway Bauer
Holloway surely as the biggest surprise. A top sprinter already surviving the opener?
Biggest surprise though? Who got dropped here?
Burghardt ain't looking good at all! The veteran is dropped from the main group with still a way to go! And with him, there's some more notable names, who won't be a GC factor anymore:
Debesay (who's a at the front of Burghardt's group) Grashev (who got dropped a few moments before) Ariko Kamyshev (who made it back to the pack, but suffering from the climbs now) Thomas (same here) Puccio Spengler Eeckhout
Van Heerden still with Debesay and fighting to limit the damage. Also Vantomme in this group that dropped now.
The breakaway group still trying to hold off the nearing bunch and Sibilla at least secures himself the polka dot for one day:
Provisional KoM: Sibilla 18, Dillier 12, Ghani 7
He's also amongst those three riders, who are still ahead of the pack with now just 2.5km to go:
Hristov, Dillier, Sibilla
+ 52" the main group (23 riders now with two of the early escapees swallowed)
+ 1'45" group Burghardt, Van Heerden/Debesay
No attacks yet. It's just pacing and stuff.
And the three escapees are caught inside the final kilometre!
No more pacing, it's a slowdown now...
Jans still leading the group with Altur right behind him and his teammates Polanc/Kump well placed at the front of the group..
Still no one with an attempt to sprint or something. Still Jans ahead of Altur and Kump. Polanc is done and loses ground quickly.
There's Dillier still at the front as well, De Maar, Kulppi, Hristov, Tsatevich. Wisniowski/Rowe alongside Sibilla. Van Asbroeck/Vanbilsen surely not in a good position..
We would have loved to show some more screens of a thrilling sprint... but... there hasn't been a sprint at all. And it really ain't worth more screenshots, if the positions almost kept the same until the end:
Altur somehow slows his way past Jans to take the opening stage. Kump completes the podium, but he once again won't make his manager happy with how the result happened. Hard to say, what actually happened.. well.. nothing. But maybe they all were too tired after a day, that saw someone like Burghardt getting dropped from the main group.
At least someone celebrates...
Kulppi 4th ahead of De Maar, Dillier, Hristov, Tsatevich, Wisniowski, Rowe, Vanbilsen, Van Asbroeck and so on.
+ 54" for Peeters and Ghani
+ 2'06" for Van Heerden, Debesay, Okbamariam
+ 2'21" for the next group with Burghardt, Vantomme, Joseph
Kamyshev eventually lost 7 minutes as 55th on the stage. One more rider had to abando (Räim).
Altur leading the GC, but Kump (+ 0.12), Rowe (0.20), Van Asbroeck (0.20) and Holloway (0.20) will fancy their chances to fight for the GC lead in the flat stages now! A disappointing day for the neutral spectator. Let's just move on.
