An introduction to this - I haven't got the best name for it so news thread it is. In here I will post in-game news - results, rankings, course previews for the month ahead, whatever other stuff I post (usually brief hints at training, etc.). I was originally going to keep it just this way, but the thought behind some of the teams and riders I've seen from some of you is so surprising and nice to see that I've decided to tentatively open it up to managers to post any in-game stuff they feel they need to.
The reason I am very tentative about this is that although I would love to do a role-play story game, the intention of The Carbon Throne is the very opposite - a game where role-play doesn't count, in terms of appreciation, monetary incentives or performance effects. So I don't want people to feel they have to do this, I'd be fine if nobody did, but if anybody feels they'd like to write about their riders or teams feel free. Know it has absolutely no effect on results or how I treat your team. I'm happy to hear feedback on this in the original "general" thread.
Also the golden rules for this being an open thread:
1. Never disclose stats! Even if you may want to lay down the law if you think your climber is the best or your barodeur has bigger balls than everyone else, it's 100% against the principles of the game. To make it easier for everyone to be acquainted with the riders of the game, I will write a short overview of all leaders and maybe luxury riders with some hints about the type of rider they are and their abilities.
2. Never comment as yourself. There will be a season discussion thread for talk about results, rankings etc.
Edited by jandal7 on 05-10-2018 00:51
Through the last weeks many great riders have signed up in the battle for The Carbon Throne. Many of them will be mysteries to you, so we thought we'd help you all out with a quick overview of all team leaders and luxury riders
Rothaus-Lindt
Rothaus-Lindt came in quickly to sign-up for the Carbon Throne. They have a lot of talented riders at their disposal, with four bright young talents in the squad, opting to only sign one leader and therefore two luxury riders.
Jan Siegel is their leader this year. Jan is one of the strongest climbers in the world and with great instincts he knows how to finish off riders at any stage of climb and get to the top alone, or beat them to the summit. He's not a huge fan of TTs but for any race with a mostly mountainous focus, he'll be one of the top names.
Marco Fürst is a very dangerous man on the cobbles. Whilst not one of the biggest names or talents on the pavè he has a lot of power over short climbs as well which makes him dangerous in the hilly cobbles as well a useful superdomestique or decent leader in harder hilly races. He is still young and not quite used to a leading role as of yet.
A very capable chrono man is Robert Heintze. Experienced and loves the feel of riding solo against the clock. Very powerful over flats and can make it over a hill not too badly either.
Real Madrid Cycling Team
The much-hyped new division of cycling at Real Madrid looks to be the real deal, signing two good leaders as well as a pair of luxury domestiques.
Daniel Sanchez is one of the world's best climbers, no doubt. He's not got the instincts or tactical mind of others but the raw power up the climbs is at his disposal - a superbly naturally talented rider.
Armando Rodriguez is a Spanish cobbler but a very capable one. A very big threat over cobbles he also likes short hills and prefers to accelerate rather than wait around.
David Diaz is a very punchy puncheur - he's got a very good kick on him and his small stature lends itself well to the short climbs as well.
Paolo Simoni is a well-rounded stage racer - although he loves the mountains he is competent on a time trial bike as well.
Krka Slovenija
A team ostensibly made for the cobbles and hard races, Krka Slovenija have strong riders and a strong national identity, with just a few other riders not from the country the team is named for. Jure Plesec is one of the most interesting riders to sign on to a team in The Carbon Throne. A jack of all trades, but a master of none. More of a sprinter than a power-rider, he loves riding on most terrains, even comfortable on a time-trial bike.
Jiri Klasa is a very strong rider and very powerful over short sections of road - especially cobbled roads. Coming late on over from cyclocross he has a good eye for bike handling, maybe less so for body handling - cobbled classics are amongst the longest in the world.
Jan Zepic is a hardman over many terrains but what makes him a luxury rider is his ability to put in a decent sprint after everybody is battered and bruised. Will never be the fastest in the world but a powerful guy who can even handle a few attacks on tough terrain.
Blaz Mlakar is the main support man for Klasa - an intelligent rider but not one that is used to leading at just 25, making his role as a superdomestique even a relief.
Ubisoft
The first team to use a three-leader approach, securing three great riders, all of whom want to lead. It's an interesting approach that could play out very well.
Antoine Saunier is an exciting stage racer - a climber who's developed great skill in time-trials but hasn't lost the acceleration or attacking spirit of a regular climber.
Rafael Lopez isn't a top puncheur, but if he has a good day there's no way you beat him in an uphill sprint really.
Theo Dubois is a pure sprinter - a bit of a mercenary rider but knows his job and how to do it and handle himself under the pressure of a bunch sprint.
Kevin LeClerq loves to climb mountains and win races up mountains, so the arrival of Saunier isn't his happiest moment. A very talented pure climber, his ability to help his leader is perhaps in question.
Patrick Schmidt is your typical tough cobbler - enjoys the flats, would rather ride on the cobbles than outside them, and doesn't mind chrono efforts as well.
Pierre Petit is a very strong puncheur in his own right but with not many skills in a sprint or longer climbs is more suited to riding for a leader - so a great lieutenant to Lopez.
AIS Cycling
The academy based out of Australia has taken onboard some truly super riders this year, mostly from their home nation but also from around the South Pacific. Jonathan Kent is a strong climber who knows his way around a time-trial bike and should be one of the best stage racers around.
Damien Wayne is a pure sprinter, very fast but also surprisingly tough in difficult conditions.
Dion Gordon is an able cobbler with a decently fast finish who should be one to watch for surprise results in that field.
Jason Pennyworth is a smart rider who enjoys the shorter climbs and can place well in the hilly races.
Francis Queen is one of the world's strongest barodeurs, sometimes this can lead to people not wanting to let him in breaks but he is such a fighter he usually gets there anyway.
Antler - SAS
An international team which settled in Ireland, quite shamelessly for tax reasons. they have two extremely strong leaders and many pundits expect them to be near the top at the end of the season.
Marco Eruzione is a fantastic climber with good skills on the bike and a solid TT, he's one of the best in the world in the mountainous stage races. Points for cool glasses and a cool name, too.
Niall O'Fathach, a giant, as the name suggests, is a big, strong sprinter who is very consistent and fast in bunch sprints as well, picking up many good results.
Oliver Paxman is a textbook tough sprinter and a very capable leadout or leader for himself over those courses somewhere between hard terrain-specific routes and pan-flat races.
Michael Bertlinger completes the Antler trend of luxury riders being used mainly as lieutenants, the German is very comfortbale in the mountains where his job is to support Eruzione.
City of Shaolin - Project 36
The American-based team went for three leaders and four luxury riders, with no room for top talents. It will certainly be interesting to see how they go with such a strong top seven.
Robert Diggs is a very strong all-arounder with no weakness on any terrain.
Gary Grice is your typical strong cobbler and a flat powerhouse, one of the most competitive riders in the flat Northern Classics.
Tyrone Jones has a very good kick in the highest of the high mountains and will hunt for the stage wins and top GC places where there isn't a chrono stage to disrupt him.
Clifford Smith is a powerful puncheur and not bad on the flats or on longer climbs either.
Corey Woods can power up climbs but is more suited to tearing up the chrono races.
Less suited to climbing but just as much of a flat powerhouse is fellow time-triallist Dennis Coles.
Jason Hunter has the combination managers dream of: equally good on a time-trial bike or in the mountains. Can take over GC duties if Jones loses time in a TT.
#Cycling
The team with the least popular name this year is, predictably, #Cycling. With some talented riders across the board the American-British team is one to watch.
Tayler Wiles is one of the world's top time triallists, not only that but he is very good in the mountains as well and is a potent stage-racer.
Ali Tetrick is a cobbles powerhouse with a huge engine and stamina - a big candidate for long cobbled races.
Luke Garner is a talented young pure sprinter, very confident and fast in a bunch finish.
Jamie Duehring is a very good roleur, a home on a number of terrains, especially enjoying the flat roads.
Paul Ferrand-Prevot is a very talented and flashy puncheur whose raw talent makes him a contender in many hilly races.
La Pitagora
An ageing team, perhaps, but the quality is no doubt still ther for the Sanmarinese/Italian team La Pitagora. With two leaders and a big depth of four luxury riders, they should be an interesting propostion.
Paulo Pissini is a powerful clmber with a nice attack on him too - not the most experienced but the talent and determination is plain to see.
Pieto de Negri is one of the world's most interesting multi-faceted riders, enjoying a few terrains and with a decent sprint from reduced groups.
Andrea Andolini is on the brink of stardom and a leading role as a very strong hilly stage racer - the mountains are coming, apparently, and then he'll be challenging the best in the world.
Mark Russo is a national hero in San Marino. Comfortable on many terrains and unlike many people he has the knack for choosing great attacks, his never-say die attitude is revered by the entire peloton.
Valentino Ferrari is a very tough sprinter - not always there in a big sprint but capable of surviving tough races.
Francesco Fermi is a big talent, very fast and very capable in a bunch dash to the line.
Mountain Dew Cycling
The third American team in the league, Mountain Dew Cycling come in with a team suited to the mountains, with two leaders and three luxury riders.
Phil Brooks is a well-rounded rider but enjoys hills the most, but is handy on the flats, in a sprint or even up mountains.
Randy Orton is a pure climber, very powerful with a decent acceleration.
Allen Jones is a rider good in the mountains or on a time trial bike who is useful support for Orton or a GC leader.
Jonathan Good is a very strong climbing fighter and finisseur.
Chris Irvine enjoys climbing but is such a strong rider that he doesn't really have a weak terrain.
365 - Íslandsbanki
The Scandinavian-Baltic team have a unique approach to cycling and have contracted a few different types of rider with cool skillsets to help them achieve it. They have two leaders and two luxury riders.
Yeray Inígo Þórvaldsson is a Icelandic rider with Basque origins. A punchy climber, he is well-rounded and one of the most feared riders in the mountains or on the hills.
Filip Kripovets is a master of the art form that is the individual time trial but he's also an accomplished rider in road races, as a domestique or dangerous attacker.
The best name in the peloton award could go to Thørstein Rosenkharst. A powerful puncheur and climber, he is a nice foil, or alternatively lieutenant, to Þórvaldsson.
Julianas Kristasis is a well-travelled Lithuanian rider who excels in the sprints. A natural cyclist, he is fast-thinking tactically and with his bike handling.
Videoton
The most common set-up again in use by Videoton, the Hungarian team with an accent in all but one of their names. 2 leaders, 2 luxury riders.
Hegyi Márton is a top climber who relies on power and endurance rather than fast accelerations.
Jakab Zoltán is your typical sprinter: fast, likes sprinting...
Nagy István is a hilly stage racer, decent in the mountains too but more a domestique to Márton.
Macskássy Péter is a well-rounded rider for the cobbled classics and a very useful roleur when he takes up a domestique role.
Could you be more Pacific?
An intriguing project based out of New Zealand but supporting riders from all around and inside the Ring of Fire that is the Pacific. Just one leader and one luxury riders to lead their host of exciting young talent.
Alvaro Ellice is fast. Very fast. Hailing from Tuvalu he hasn't much experience with high mountains but if you let him follow you to the end of a race he'll murder you in a sprint finish.
Maketu Moehau is the team's talismanic Kiwi leader. A time triallist who's strong on other terrains, he's getting on a bit but will be a great mentor to the team's five precocious talents and despite his own skill is said to be letting them lead as soon as they can.
Somfy Group - Trentino
Not much is known about the Swiss-American team, except that they look very dangerous. Opting to hire two leader and three luxury riders is a popular choice, can Somfy do it better than the rest?
Evan Berger loves the hills and aims to be one of the world's best in that terrain. He posseses a good punch and not a bad sprint, either.
Matt Hummels is a pure stage racer and is good in time trials and in the high, long, mountains. One of the top GC men for sure.
Nicky Tomasson is a nicely rounded cobbler, with skills in the hills and in a sprint he's got the pedigree to perform in most northern classics.
Phillipe Vauner is a very strong sprinter - he knows what to do and how to do it - stay in the bunch, and sprint hard at the end. Not bad at holding his own over easier races on other terrains.
Andy Danielson is a time-triallist who's worked hard to become a decent power-climber for longer mountains to make himself a stage-racer. A good lieutenant for Hummels surely.
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
A Wallonian team that's recently got a Flandrien touch. Cartamundi is built around their leaders alone really, a tactic which could pay dividends. Two leaders but three luxury riders for the Belgians.
Pieter-Jan Puymbroeck is a Walloon hero, one of the best puncheurs around who doesn't have a weakness, not minding attacking, waiting for the finish or longer climbs.
Cedric Frenay is a young cobbler, thrust into leadership after some great results and signed up to give the team a taste of Flanders. A natural cobbler who's honed his skills to be a great racer.
Davy Bordui is a great sprinter, who can hold his own in reduced sprints or weaker fields, and also is capable in other terrains as well. Niche races are where he really excels.
Zachary Leicester is a great stage racer, at home on any climb and in time-trials. The big question mark for him is how much of his season is working for Puymbroeck, how much of it is chasing GC placings.
Antoine Munster is Puymbroeck's right hand man and close friend. Never usually seen apart from his leader off or on the bike, he's a power puncheur who is capable of doing the job of a roleur if need be.
The Iten Project
Full of interesting charachters and great riders is the exciting Iten Project. Two leaders and two luxury riders is the approach for this team like many.
Daniel Kiprotich is a great stage racer, who is one of the top riders in TTs and great in mountains as well. A cautious rider but terribly powerful.
Moses Cheruiyot is an interesting rider, maybe best over the hills but he's good everywhere really. Still quite young though, and not fully matured. One of the nicest and most loyal men in the peloton.
Most unlike Joseph Rotich Mbaba. You can't deny his natural talent in the mountains and in a time trial but you also can't deny he's a bit of a dick.
Kipchoge Kiplagat is very strong and comfortable in the high mountains, relying on power over acceleration to get the job done.
The first races ever of The Carbon Throne are almost upon us. January involves 8 race days over 3 races, and should see the first outings for puncheurs, climbers, time triallists, stage racers and sprinters in particular.
Willunga Hill Classic
Race Information:
Date: 13th of January 2018
Rating: Hilly
Length: 151.2km
Cat.B
McLaren Vale - Old Willunga Hill
The first race ever in The Carbon Throne takes us from McLaren Vale to the summit of Willunga Hill. The race is on a circuit, taking us to the village of Willunga but turning off at the foot of the climb before on the fourth time going up it. The riders come down, back around and up the hill again, finishing at the summit. A tough hill with 3km at an average of over 7%, it should give the best of the puncheurs a chance to do battle but hilly sprinters and even climbers are known to do well here.
Tour of South Africa
Race Information:
Date: 19th - 24th of January
Ratings: 2 Flat, 2 Mountainous, 1 Hilly, 1 Individual Time Trial
Cat.A
A first chance to see the climbers and stage racers in action and also to see which of them are in early season form. We start with two sprint stages before a punchy third stage with an uphill finish. Next up is a very tough mountain stage with both an HC and Category 1 climb in it, before a long individual time trial. We finish with a second mountainous stage, with a summit finish after an HC climb.
GP San Luis
Race Information:
Date: 23rd of January
Rating: Flat
Length: 119.6km
Cat.B
San Luis - San Luis
An attacker could take this classic out but it's more than likely this is one for the sprinters, with a big bunch finish the most probable outcome. We won't see a full sprinter's field due to a clash with the Cat.A Tour of South Africa, which features two stages for the sprinters.
It was a still day in South Australia for the Willunga Hill Classic but thankfully not too bright as some cloud cover gave cheer to a lot of the peloton. From the get-go it was Saunier and Hämäläinen furiously trying to escape the peloton, however probably due to the pedigree of the former in the mountains, it was shut down. Instead it was de Villiers who powered the break clear, with young Kiwi Tekapa and Kamehameha Johnson, the experienced American, close behind. The trio worked well and managed to amass a fairly large gap of seven minutes with 100km to go.
The teams of Somfy - Trentino, #Cycling and 365 - Íslandsbanki took charge in the peloton, with the latter in particular the reason the break was caught before the final climb, however Tekapa had run out of steam before the other two more experienced riders. On the first climb it was Pikkula of 365 and Gomez for Ubisoft leading two lines of the peloton up the hill, occasionally casting a glance to see if their rival was hurting. However with 1km to go it was Márton of Videoton who saw a moment to attack. Home rider Deckers saw an opportunity to take the pressure off of his Somfy team but couldn't match the acceleration. The Hungarian went solo as Pikkula continued to lead down the descent.
By the bottom Márton had 14 seconds' advantage as, surprisingly, the team of Krka - Slovenija moved to the front with their five remaining riders. I'm not sure what they were`trying to accomplish but it did spell the end for Márton. They had all tired before the final climb so it was Rosa of La Pitagora who lead the corner onto Willunga Hill for the second, decisive ascent. All favourites still remained in the pack. Both Johnstone and Orton started to set pace as many riders were dropped. As the latter started to tire his leader Brooks made a move, closely followed by Kent. The duo never amassed much of a gap as they were immediately overtaken by the power-move of Rosenkharst. This dragged away a select group, that being:
Rosenkharst and Thorvaldsson of 365
De Negri of La Pitagora
Petit and Lopez of Ubisoft
Berger of Somfy
Mbaba of Iten
Brooks and Steen of Mountain Dew
Pennyworth of AIS
Sanchez of Real Madrid
Fürst and Weber of Rothaus.
Meanwhile Ferrand-Prevot, István, and Diaz are the biggest names not here. Only Diaz (in Sanchez) has a teammate in the move. There were now just 1.7km remaining. Rosenkharst continued to lead in order to put opponents in difficulty. First it was Brooks and Weber, then Furst. Rothaus unlucky to have both men dropped. Just 10 men left here. With just over one kilometre to go it was time for Rosenkharst to make way for his leader as Thorvaldsson placed a vicious attack. Lopez immediately saw the danger and latched on, as did Pennyworth, De Negri and Berger. Thorvaldsson ignored them and carried on sprinting uphill. Behind Mbaba was looking to take advantage of the chaos and launched a counter, dropping Steen and Petit and taking Sanchez and a battling Rosenkharst with him.
With 600m to go Pennyworth was struggling a few seconds adrift of the leaders, but still Berger, De Negri, Lopez and Thorvaldsson looked very good in the front. Lopez gritting his teeth as De Negri tried a dig. Thorvaldsson responded and seemed to appreciate the time out of the wind. All four still safely here. 400m, 300m, still they forced De Negri to lead. The Italian swerved outside on a corner and Thorvaldsson instantly accelerated again, trying to take full advantage of the move. De Negri tried to come across but he'd lost the wheel as Lopez also struggled. 200m to go and Thorvaldsson not at full throttle but committed to the move. Berger looking very good so far.
Around the last corner Thorvaldsson finally opened up his sprint but Berger had the drop on him. He drew closer, and closer as the road flattened out. A final throw for the line from the Swissman... neither knew who won. The Icelandic man completely done, Berger not sure whether he'd done enough. Behind De Negri came in a second or two ahead of Lopez. Behind it was Sanchez who had managed to drop Mbaba/Rosenkharst and catch Pennyworth for fifth. Mbaba came into sixth ahead of the Australian. Rosenkharst was eighth after working hard for his leader.
A few minutes later and the confirmation was in - Evan Berger by a tire width is the first winner of the first race in the first season of The Carbon Throne!
The first stage of the Tour of South Africa is long and not as flat as you may think. No wind today so unless something drastic occurs it should still be a sprint finish - however those sprinters who enjoy longer distances over those who can't handle it may have something to cheer.
The breakaway went clear with minimal fuss, it consisted of van Alst (Rothaus), Phoenix (Pacific), and Smith (Shaolin). The latter won all the sprint points to give him a small GC boost.
Throughout the day it was AIS, Krka and a bit of Antler making the pace, but with 100km to go the Slovenian team put in a noticeable increase in pace, which they sustained for most of the stage. This didn't shell any of their rivals, but caught the break early and noticeably Ferrand-Prevot of #Cycling was dropped - maybe trying to lose some time for stage hunting, or just tired?
With 12km to go it was a bit of a shambles - Krka had lost a few of their riders with just four (a tired Mlakar as well as Batic, Zepic and Chytil) left, and most other sprinters lacked more than one leadout man because their team had leaders to protect. AIS and even Ubisoft had looked dangerous but the former were now trying to prevent their leader, Kent, from losing time, and Antler were putting most of their eggs in Eruzione's basket as they lost men. It was Mlakar still leading the peloton.
Suddenly with 7km left it was Bordui of Cartamundi who saw an opportunity to attack! Quick on his wheel was Moehau - the Kiwi has been put in a road captain role but loves these late moves! The duo quickly found a gap with the acceleration of the former and power of the latter making for a good move. But quickly now three other riders see opportunities to strike here! Zepic of Krka as well as Viru and Rosenkharst of 365!
With five riders now in front and the huge work of Krka no longer on the line the peloton didn't know what to do! AIS tried sending a few men up to the front to begin a leadout for Wayne and also Iten clearly not wanting this gap - they're clearly here for home rider Kiprotich, maybe they just want it all together? However they are climbers, not roleurs - which Viru and Moehau especially ahead are excellent at!
In the end the five escapees surprised the peloton and kept the gap, Iten stopped really caring before the end and AIS ran out of men.. Moehau took a flyer with 1km remaining with Viru leading. The Finn was out of the saddle, gritting his teeth but with 600m to go couldn't hold on to the effort! 50m earlier Rosenkharst had slipped in behind Bordui so the Belgian was left on the front. Relunctantly he appeared to chase but tried a manoeveur to get out of it with 500m left - however Zepic decided the only way to go was long and left the other two in his wake!
Moehau had just over 50m's advantage and was putting out some mega watts but couldn't hold off the Slovenian's powerful sprint in the last 30m. After a job well done from his Krka team Zepic adapted to the situation perfectly and took the win with a powerful sprint. Moehau was second whilst Rosenkharst came around Bordui for third and the final bonus seconds.
Behind Paxman found his way back into contention despite his team not being there to seal fifth, catching a spent Viru in the dying metres. Wayne was sixth, closely ahead of Martin and Viru. Of the slightly slower sprinters, Lopez beat out Lafuente to round out the top 10. No GC men or indeed sprinters lost time to the peloton in the end, despite a close call for Kent.
After a long, tough day where a late attack denied the sprinters glory, today their teams wanted to make sure it would be a bunch sprint. The breakaway consisted of Smith (Shaolin) and Torlak (Cartamundi). Both lost time yesterday and so the sprint points were irrelevant to them. They were caught with 16km remaining.
AIS were the main train in the last 8km with Krka challenging - Ubisoft and Antler were also positioning their sprinters well. Robinson-Gordon-Wayne for AIS was the setup inside the last 1.5km. Robinson as a classics man putting out plenty of power to pilot the other two into the final kilometre. Across the road Krka have four men, with Mlakar-Laporvic-Chytil-Zepic the order. Paxman is on the back of the Krka train with Lopez and Martin behind him, whilst Ferrari of La Pitagora, Lafuente and yesterday's animator Bordui on the AIS train.
A sweeping bend into the last kilometre of straight road as Mlakar has the edge over Robinson with still three men behind him! Gordon has to make a choice and guides Wayne over towards the Krka train in a dangerous move. Ferrari follows but Lafuente hits the wind hard and struggles, Bordui gets stuck a bit behind.
Gordon trading serious elbows with Chytil now who's trying to focus on following the wheel! 800m left and Chytil is right up against the barriers - and he's down! Paxman rides just on the inside of him and makes it away, as does Lopez. Martin wasn't so lucky and goes down as well at high speed. Zepic saw it coming and avoids the collision but heads out very wide and loses some energy catching the front riders.
Gordon and Wayne have the edge on the way and now it's Mlakar-Laporvic-Gordon-Wayne-Ferrari-Zepic-Paxman on the front with Lopez sprinting across. Everyone else is behind, lead by GC teams now, nobody wanting to lose time!
600m left and Mlakar is battling but doesn't want to leave Laporvic on the front. Lopez has caught up. Everyone else is waiting and so there likely won't be a time gap as the teams (Antler, 365 and Iten) behind are working hard.
Now Mlakar has to stop and Gordon opens up the sprint as Laporvic looks stuffed after yesterday's controlling of the pack. He isn't the fastest sprinter but nobody else wants to go yet. However with 400m to go Zepic wants to repeat yesterday's long sprint and launches. This catches Ferrari and Wayne by surprise but Paxman and Lopez follow as the Slovenian cruises past Gordon. Eventually, Wayne and Ferrari get onto the American's wheel. Everybody biding their time as Laporvic and Gordon slip back past the pack. Everyone thankfully avoided the crash of Chytil and Martin.
Neither of the three behind want to sprint and actually Bordui now is coming from the pack, who could be very dangerous! He's already on the wheel of Ferrari and drifts in there before going again! 150m to go, Paxman launches on one side of Zepic (who's still not doing bad) whilst Lopez, Wayne and Ferrari follow Bordui on the other! 120m and Lopez comes around Bordui to launch. Paxman is in the lead, followed by Lopez, Zepic, Wayne, Ferrari and then Bordui. Zepic tiring a bit now.
However with 100m to go Wayne launches and my god that man is quick! The Aussie like a gunshot out of Lopez's wheel to challenge Paxman! Ferrari can only follow the Aussie now. The Brit is still in the lead but in the last 50m now he tires and the win will go to Damien Wayne for AIS! Ferrari cruises to second, Paxman is third whilst Lopez edges Zepic for fourth. Bordui is sixth, a little bit ahead of Peter, Clought, Lafuente and Ferrand-Prevot.
No major time gaps awarded but there was a disqualification for Gordon after the crash he caused in the final sprint. His reckless behaviour will put Chytil out for at least 6 weeks with a broken collarbone. Luckily Martin will try and carry on with just a few cuts and bruises. It's never nice to see riders injured, especially in a preventable case like this.
An interesting day awaits the riders in the hilly stage of the Tour of South Africa. A fairly long climb is the main event but it's not too hard for many of the climbers and stage racers, meaning we may not get too much of a GC-decisive day. The morning breakaway consisted of Smith (Shaolin), Gomez (Ubisoft), Weber (Rothaus) and Briatore (Real Madrid). There was a very interesting fight for the KoM points, with the end result being Briatore in the KoM jersey tomorrow with Gomez close behind.
Most of the break were caught at the foot of the final categorised climb, with Gomez offering the most resistance as he forged on ahead. Behind it was Iten and #Cycling setting pace. Krka had been today but were now already anticipating the need to protect Zepic on the climb. No attacks for the first, steep section however many riders already dropping. The biggest names are Wayne, Ferrari, Lopez, Martin, Lafuente And Peter. Still the whole late breakaway from stage 1 is here. Zepic a few rows back with his squad around him, Moehau in the middle of the pack, Rosenkharst lurking near the front with Viru close by, and the same for Bordui.
Speak of the devil! An attack from Rosenkharst interrupts the rhythm. Ferrand-Prevot follows the Norwegian. No response from Iten yet so the two get a gap as #Cycling drift back from the front. Their job is now to protect Wiles. Gomez now caught by the peloton as well.
Of the GC prospects, currently Jones is the only one quite far back (that being middle of the pack - most of the climbers are fairly well rounded it would seem, or the pace isn't high enough.
Eruzione goes! The Italian launches quite a fast attack on the opposite side of the road to the Iten train. Andolini and Bordui both want in - and now it's Mbaba of Iten who joins the party! Not their designated leader Kiprotich but Mbaba. Of course, the Kenyan did well in Willunga so perhaps not a surprise here that maybe he goes for the stage win.
As the quartet get away halfway up the climb the onus shifts a little to the other GC teams now to chase down the move. Andolini, Mbaba and Eruzione especially are all pretty good climbers and GC threats, though only the latter is the team leader. AIS and Ubisoft now pick up some of the slack, whilst #Cycling and Iten do have men working but not as much as they did. We also see Kiprotich discussing animatedly with his teammates, gesturing up the road. Not liking the idea of Mbaba attacking?
Meanwhile, the six ahead have a good gap already, with all four working together well. Bordui seems the odd one out here as more of a sprinter, but he's showing some fight here for sure. Definitely not your typical wait-and-sprint rider seeing as he attacked on stage 1 and joined this move.
At the top of the climb Zepic and Moehau have been dropped from the peloton as the same four teams lead. The gap is currently 18 seconds. Immediately as the attackers summit the climb Eruzione is on the front for the descent, taking some wild lines! Certainly, the Italian is holding nothing back here. Nobody in trouble following per se but certainly Rosenkharst and Mbaba were a little apprehensive at first. The gap will surely grow here.
By the bottom of the climb the gap has ballooned to over 30 seconds with just the uphill kicker to go. Rosenkharst and then, if he fails, Bordui, with a fantastic chance to claim yellow if he holds on here. Behind Kiplagat is giving his all to catch back up in service of Kiprotich, putting Mbaba's chances of a stage win at risk!
With 1.5km to go Andolini puts in a dig for the stage win! He's very strong and gets a little bit of a gap. Eruzione now leading again after taking a little rest after the descent - he's not concerned about the stage, just the GC time he gets back to Wiles, Kent, Kiprotich and co. Meanwhile Bordui and Ferrand-Prevot wait in the wheels as Mbaba and Rosenkharst help set pace - more than happy to aid Eruzione in his GC pursuit with their own chance at the stage - and yellow for Rosenkharst.
Under the flamme rouge Andolini still leads with a gap of around 8 seconds. Then another 28 back to the peloton, lead now by Kent who puts in a dig for himself! Quickly caught by his GC rivals. The Italian in the lead forges on, putting in all the power he can muster! Eruzione and co. behind still looking like catching him.
600m, 500m now as Andolini still leads. Mbaba attacks now, knowing the sprint speed of those behind him. However all four of his companions respond. Eruzione now is leading out their sprint with a big effort. These six should hold the gap to those behind.
With 300m to go Ferrand-Prevot makes his move! Rosenkharst is next in line, Bordui is there but struggling. The two stage racers behind them don't respond, but just want whatever gap they can to the peloton. Not long for Andolini, either, but Ferrand-Prevot coming in very hot!
Andolini however by mere metres claims a very smart win! The Italian with a strong, intelligent move on the final hill. Ferrand-Prevot holds off Bordui for second on the same time. Rosenkharst is fourth, whilst Eruzione and then Mbaba claim a gap to the other GC contenders.
20 seconds behind, Saunier leads home the GC contenders with Irvine, Simoni and Kent rounding out the top 10. Still a group of around 25 riders coming in here, with most good climbers and puncheurs among them. No GC men coming behind this group.
A surprise in the GC fight, as Bordui's bonus seconds elevate him to the same time as Rosenkharst, and takes yellow on countback!
1
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
Winner
2
Paul Ferrand-Prevot
#Cycling
s.t.
3
Davy Bordui
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
s.t.
4
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
s.t.
5
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:01
6
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
0:03
7
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:21
8
Chris Irvine
Mountain Dew Cycling
s.t.
9
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
s.t.
10
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
s.t.
GC:
1
Davy Bordui
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
Leader
2
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
s.t.
3
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:12
4
Paul Ferrand-Prevot
#Cycling
0:16
5
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:23
6
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
0:25
7
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:43
8
Chris Irvine
Mountain Dew Cycling
s.t.
9
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
s.t.
10
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
s.t.
KoM: Briatore (Real Madrid) Points: Bordui (Cartamundi) worn by Zepič (Krka) Youth: Andolini (La Pitagora)
Time for day four of the Tour of South Africa. Yesterday GC contenders Mbaba, Eruzione and stage winner Andolini all gained time on their rivals but it's all-arounder Bordui and puncheur Rosenkharst who are tied for the lead. Today sees two very tough climbs without a major downhill in between, as well as a short downhill finish. The breakaway today consisted of Zepic (Krka), Bean (Shaolin), Vanderpool (#Cycling), and Gomez (Ubisoft). The latter ties himself with Briatore for the KoM lead by winning the early Cat.4 climb and Zepic takes over the provisional points lead from Bordui by winning the two intermediate sprints. The break was caught by the foot of the final climb.
On the climb there was a certain battle for dominance early on - Iten were clearly setting up their train at the front whilst most GC men had teammates behind - especially Real Madrid had four men around Simoni. Not clear who is leading La Pitagora now - yesterday's winner Andolini riding seperate from his team, apparently given a free role from helping Pissini. Bordui found himself dropped rather early, but Rosenkharst and Ferrand-Prevot are both still here as well as Andolini, Eruzione and Mbaba from the winning move yesterday. Iten setting a solid pace up this climb, no attacks yet.
An exciting contingent of young leaders looking quite strong in Masters, Weber and Batic. Certainly three riders to watch here - and maybe for the next 10 years as well.
With 600m left on the climb there's an attack! It's Kravos of Krka who goes, followed by Weno and Jones! Three quite dangerous riders, especially the latter. Jones also with a cheeky dig to claim the KoM points and move into the lead there. This trio with a small gap as Kiptoo, on the front for Iten, takes a quick sip of water over the summit. Meanwhile, some riders had to let go of the peloton before the end of the climb - namely Ferrand-Prevot. Antler down to just two men in Pratik and Eruzione, same as AIS and Real Madrid. Leicester (Cartamundi) and Masters (CYBMP) the only ones from their teams, whilst Rothaus have nobody in the pack as Weber found it too hard towards the end.
On the small hill interrupting the descent Jones has a go to get away from his companions and the peloton. Kravos hangs on - just! They arrive at the start of the Cat.1 climb with about 20 second's gap. Can they hold off the Iten train? Kiptoo continues to lead there.
Still nobody willing to attack the Iten train, however soon Kiptoo will have to let go. And indeed he does with most of the climb still to go! Now a dilemma for Iten as Mbaba is clearly being asked to do the pacemaking. He refuses, probably citing his good GC position. He metaphorically spits the dummy and slots in behind Kiprotich. Kiplagat shakes his head but selflessly begins to set tempo. However in that confusion and soft-pedalling for a few seconds the gap to Jones and Kravos, almost shut, opens up a bit. Nobody attacking still.
Kiplagat sets a fearsome pace, catching Kravos (dropped by Jones) and leaving just a select group with him.
Kiprotich, Kiplagat, Mbaba (Iten)
Kent (AIS)
Eruzione, Pratik (Antler - SAS)
Leicester (Cartamundi)
Wiles (#Cycling)
Pissini, Andolini (La Pitagora)
Jones (Mountain Dew)
Saunier, Rossi (Ubisoft)
Behind Rosenkharst is riding his own race whilst Istvan, Danielson and Simoni have found each other a little bit ahead of the Norwegian. Next is Kravos a bit behind them. So currently it's Andolini in provisional yellow, 11 seconds ahead of Eruzione, who's in turn a few seconds ahead of Mbaba and Rosenkharst.
Now an interesting change in situation - Pissini actually seems to be protecting his younger teammate Andolini. We'll see how that goes. Now Jones has been caught by Kiplagat too. 3km from the top of the climb, whilst Rossi, Pratik and Jones (of Mountain Dew, not Shaolin) have been dropped. Meanwhile behind, Rosenkharst has caught and dropped the trio of leaders, just riding constant tempo.
With 2km left Kiplagat peels off and Kiprotich attacks! Kent, Eruzione, Mbaba and Saunier all immediately attempt to follow. Pissini takes over the tempo and turns it up with Andolini in his wheel. Wiles, Jones and Leicester tucked in there happy to limit their losses.
Kiprotich continues to lead with Eruzione and Kent in his wheel. Mbaba and Saunier just a few seconds behind them with the Andolini group not doing badly either about 8 seconds behind. The South African continues to apply pressure as his home fans cheer him on. Kent is in a bit of pain but hanging on, whilst Eruzione seems calm but sitll putting in a lot of effort.
In the last kilometre of the climb, Eruzione attacks! Kiprotich is right on his wheel, Kent is trying to follow too. Both manage to respond, and so Kiprotich puts in a counter! Again the trio looks evenly matched. Behind Saunier has attacked and dropped Mbaba and is going after the trio ahead. Pissini still leading that group behind, not letting the gap grow too high. Further back Rosenkharst has been recaught by the group of Istvan, Danielson and Simoni and the group has also swollen to include Jones (Mountain Dew). Rossi, Pratik and Kravos are futher behind.
A stalemate on the climb for the leading trio as Eruzione clearly believes in himself to push the descent. He seems to have a lot more confidence than his companions but the road isn't very technical so he fails to get a gap as they respond well enough to hold on. However coming around the final bend he has a small gap, and rides well enough to come in ahead of Kiprotich and then Kent for the stage win and 10 bonus seconds, which will see the Italian claim yellow. Saunier comes in fourth, whilst Pissini leads home the Andolini group, with Mbaba.
1
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
Winner
2
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
s.t.
3
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
s.t.
4
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:13
5
Paulo Pissini
La Pitagora
0:24
6
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
s.t.
7
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
s.t.
8
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
s.t.
9
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
s.t.
10
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
s.t.
GC:
1
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
Leader
2
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:23
3
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
0:24
4
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
0:26
5
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
0:36
6
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:43
7
Thorstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
0:49
8
Paulo Pissini
La Pitagora
0:55
9
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
s.t.
10
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
s.t.
11
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
s.t.
12
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
1:32
13
Allen Jones
Mountain Dew Cycling
s.t.
14
Andy Danielson
Somfy Group - Trentino
s.t.
15
Nagy István
Videoton
s.t.
16
Kipchoge Kiplagat
The Iten Project
2:15
17
Jason Hunter
City of Shaolin - Project 36
2:22
18
Christian Hoffman
Ubisoft
s.t.
19
Andy Griffiths
AIS Cycling
s.t.
20
Gianfranco Rossi
Ubisoft
s.t.
Best riders of other teams:
Weber for Rothaus (3+ minutes)
Batic/Kravos for Krka (2:22)
KoM: Jones (Shaolin) Points: Zepič (Krka) Youth: Andolini (La Pitagora)
Edited by jandal7 on 10-02-2018 23:20
A flat, and fairly long ITT in the Tour of South Africa promised to shake up the GC in potentially decisive ways. Not many ITT specialists here, with Moehau, Woods and Heintze the biggest non-GC names.
The first of them to start was Heintze, who had been taking the race easy in anticipation of this stage. He set a very good time which would put him in the hotseat for a while. Moehau was the other top early rider with a nice time, but 14 seconds behind the pace of the German. Before the GC riders, there were three more solid times: those of Mlakar (+ 1'37), Lafuente (+ 1'07) and of Woods (+ 31 on Heintze).
Of the group that finishes 2:22 behind yesterday, the best performers were Hunter (+ 1'30), Batic (+ 1'37) and Pratik (2'09) all doing well. A couple of other riders, including the young stage racer Masters from Kiribati, also could see themselves in the top 20 by the end of the stage. There were 16 riders ahead of them, and some didn't have great days: T. Jones (+ 3'55) and Kiplagat (+ 4'29) especially may drop some positions, the latter will probably lose his top 20 spot.
Some of the better days from the back half of the top 20 came from Danielson (+ 36), Simoni (+ 34) and Jones (+ 9). The latter moves ahead of Moehau into being Heintze's closest challenger.
Tayler Wiles started 9th from the end and had a fantastic ride, shaving 7 seconds off the time of Heintze to take the hot-seat. Pissini was next but struggled as a small pure climber, finishing 3'37 down, showing a lot of grit. Rosenkharst has a bit of power on the flat and plenty of stamina so isn't a bad time triallist, and managed a respectable time of 2'25, but got a bit tired towards the end after four very active days. Saunier's manager was hoping for a good TT from his man and got one, finishing just 25 seconds behind Wiles and slotting into provisional 5th behind Moehau.
Mbaba has been active the last few days but posted a pretty good time, 1'02 behind Wiles. Kent looked strong yesterday but much prefers the mountains to the time trial bike, with a time of over a minute behind Wiles.
The provisional podium after stage 4 features three adept time triallists. Andolini beat out Moehau and Saunier to finish just 20 seconds down on the best time. But Kiprotich outshone the Italian, storming along the course to knock down Wiles by 11 seconds and record the new fastest time.
Eruzione had looked infallible to his rivals so far with a smart ride on stage 3 and the stage win yesterday. But he couldn't make it two in a row and concedes 43 seconds and the GC lead to Kiprotich. So we can now congratulate stage winner and new GC leader Daniel Kiprotich, what a position for a South African rider in a home race. See you tomorrow for the summit finish to decide the race!
1
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
Winner
2
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
0:11
3
Robert Heintze
Rothaus - Lindt
0:18
4
Allen Jones
Mountain Dew Cycling
0:27
5
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:31
6
Maketu Moehau
CYMB Pacific?
0:32
7
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:36
8
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:43
9
Corey Woods
City of Shaolin - Project 36
0:49
10
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
0:52
GC rider results:
Andy Danielson
Somfy Group - Trentino
0:54
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
1:13
Nagy István
Videoton
1:24
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
1:32
Jason Hunter
City of Shaolin - Project 36
1:48
Tomasz Batić
Krka Slovenija
1:55
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
2:08
Milos Pratik
Antler - SAS
2:27
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
2:36
Chris Irvine
Mountain Dew Cycling
2:49
Banaba Masters
CYMB Pacific?
2:57
Paulo Pissini
La Pitagora
3:48
Lorenzo Rosa
La Pitagora
3:56
Andy Griffiths
AIS Cycling
4:00
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
4:13
Kipchoge Kiplagat
The Iten Project
4:47
Bruceslav Kravos
Krka Slovenija
5:18
Gianfranco Rossi
Ubisoft
7:01
GC:
1
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
Leader
2
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:19
3
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:30
4
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
0:42
5
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:55
6
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
1:25
7
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
1:34
8
Allen Jones
Mountain Dew Cycling
1:35
9
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
2:00
10
Andy Danielson
Somfy Group - Trentino
2:02
11
Nagy István
Videoton
2:32
12
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
2:39
13
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
3:01
14
Jason Hunter
City of Shaolin - Project 36
3:46
15
Tomasz Batić
Krka Slovenija
3:59
16
Paulo Pissini
La Pitagora
4:19
17
Milos Pratik
Antler - SAS
4:25
18
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
4:44
19
Chris Irvine
Mountain Dew Cycling
4:47
20
Banaba Masters
CYMB Pacific?
4:55
Top riders of other teams:
Rothaus: Weber (decent day but over 2 minutes down on Masters)
KoM: Jones (Shaolin) Points: Zepič (Krka) Youth: Andolini (La Pitagora)
The final day of the Tour of South Africa. Kiprotich currently in the lead after a great time trial. Eruzione, Andolini, Wiles and Saunier are all within striking distance, and Mbaba and Kent further behind have looked very strong so far as well.
The breakaway today was Tui (AIS), Kalialianen (365), Tekapa (Antler), Briatore (Real Madrid), Laporvic and Zepic (Krka), Weber (Rothaus) and Bordui (Cartamundi). Clearly Zepic and Bordui are here for the points classification battle, whilst Weber is maybe hoping for a bump on GC. No big name climbers here.
The intermediate sprints were won by Bordui and then Zepic, which will give the latter the points jersey win! Bordui will be second, both out of reach of other sprinters as well as the other stage winners Kiprotich, Eruzione and Andolini.
The foot of the HC climb now and all of the breakaway riders are still present, around a minute ahead of the peloton but the gap is quickly closing. Tekapa, Briatore and Weber forge on ahead of the others following an attack from the latter.
The Iten train in full flow on the climb now, Kipyego was used up riding on the front on the flat parts of the day and veteran Kurir is looking tired on the front now. He comes off and imparts some final words of wisdom on Kiprotich and Kiplagat. Mbaba not riding with the team tactically or geographically today - he has said he will on occasion (the occasion being when he's the leader) but not in this race.
Attack from Jones! The Shaolin climber went from range on stage 4 without success but tries it again! But he's got some big backup here - Kent, Saunier, Rossi and Simoni all want in! No response from the top 4 - Saunier surely not going to be left wondering as he launches a long-range GC assault with his key lieutenant Rossi. Simoni and Kent are also in the top 10. Eruzione glances across at Kiprotich, an eyebrow raised. The South African looks dead ahead. Meanwhile ahead, Tekapa has been dropped and Briatore and Weber don't have much of a gap left to the five attackers.
Kimani now leads for Iten, with increasing urgency. The five ahead have 25 seconds with Rossi, Kent and Simoni taking most of the pulls. They've now caught and dropped Weber and Briatore. Halfway up the climb now.
Rossi now with a big effort to push the gap above 30 seconds before swinging off. Saunier will have to get his hands dirty now. Behind the group has been whittled down a bit, just these riders remain:
Kiptoo, Kiplagat, Kiprotich (Iten)
Mbaba (Team Baba)
Wiles, Kendrick (#Cycling)
Rosenkharst (365)
Kent, Griffiths (AIS)
Istvan (Videoton)
Hoffman, Rossi (Ubisoft)
Weber (Rothaus)
Briatore (Real Madrid)
Danielson (Somfy)
Jones, Irvine (Mountain Dew)
Kravos, Batic (Krka)
Weno, Masters (CYBMP)
Eruzione, Pratik (Antler)
Hunter (Shaolin)
Andolini, Pissini (Pitagora)
Leicester (Cartamundi)
Now it's Kiplagat's turn to hunt down the escapees, but with some help now. Kendrick, Pratik and Irvine all want to help their leaders out and catch the attackers.
Batic is struggling at the back but Kravos is giving his all the help his young teammate keep up. Weber and Briatore also struggling after their day-long break. 3km left on the climb as the latter duo get dropped.
Jones, Simoni, Kent and Saunier all working together well, the gap to the peloton slightly rising. Kiplagat really turns up the pace and forces a select move!
Kiplagat, Kiprotich, Mbaba (Iten)
Andolini, Pissini (Pitagora)
Eruzione (Antler)
Wiles (#Cycling)
Leicester (Cartamundi)
Jones, Rosenkharst, Hunter and Danielson are the first riders chasing. Behind them Batic, Weber, Briatore, Kendrick, Pratik, Hoffman, Rossi and Weno are dropped, the other riders from that group are a bit behind the Rosenkharst group.
Kiplagat about to go but isn't letting up the pace. Leicester is the first victim. Pissini keeps Andolini in good care but isn't looking comfortable. Eruzione keeps the wheel of Kiprotich, Wiles behind him.
Up ahead Jones makes another attack, which drops Simoni but Saunier and Kent easily follow. The Frenchman puts in a counter with the Aussie close on his wheel. Jones follows - just. Kiplagat about to let go, just 1.2km left for the favourites. Wiles, Mbaba and Andolini especially will be looking to hold on until the flat before the final climb. Meanwhile Leicester has been caught by the Rosenkharst group.
Kent and Saunier taking quick pulls to keep the pace high whilst Jones struggles behind. If he can hold on and take the KoM he could sew up that jersey, though.
Kiplagat is riding his heart out - obviously, Kiprotich isn't planning to need domestiques on the final climb! Simoni has been caught and Mbaba actually the one to grit his teeth now at the back. And Eruzione goes! My, what an attack! Kiprotich follows instantly, Wiles ups the pace but stays at his own level a bit ahead of Simoni and Mbaba. Meanwhile Pissini is giving all he can to drop Andolini off near the wheel of the duo.
Behind Danielson has had to let go of that group. T. Jones also has to let go of Saunier and Kent, who are keeping the pace high, still around 30 seconds to Kiprotich and Eruzione. Behind Mbaba has dropped Simoni and is trying to catch Wiles.
Kent goes first over the KoM and moves closer to the lead there. Jones manages to stay in third and so the rankings there are:
1. Jones (34pts)
2. Kent (30pts)
3. Eruzione (26pts)
10 points available at the finish line so Eruzione with a chance if he wins the stage, Jones doesn't finish on the podium and Kent doesn't finish second. However that isn't the Italian's focus - that would be dropping Kiprotich and winning the GC. The gaps at the top of the climb:
Saunier, Kent
Jones (0:13)
Eruzione, Kiprotich (0:28)
Andolini (0:36)
Wiles (0:44)
Mbaba (0:48)
Simoni (0:56)
Kiplagat (1:03)
Rosenkharst, Jones, Hunter, Danielson, Leicester, Pissini (1:15)
Istvan, Masters, Irvine (1:43)
On the flat a couple of regroupings: Wiles catches Andolini and Eruzione and Kiprotich catch Jones.
Saunier and Kent hit the final climb and keep up the partnership. Currently headed for some nice GC gains the both of them. Meanwhile Eruzione wastes no time in attacking Kiprotich. A move easily followed as the race leader forces his rival to lead, but Jones id dropped.
Andolini and Wiles also co-operating well, neither wanting to give up their GC spots to Saunier and Kent. Behind Mbaba is provisionally dropping a place on GC but isn't having a great time. Simoni and Kiplagat) also heading backwards towards the Leicester group.
Saunier and Kent keeping their camraderie until now Kent attacks with little under a kilometre left! He distances the Frenchman and holds on for the stage win a few seconds ahead.
Eruzione eventually leaves Kiprotich behind with a powerful move! He comes in 14 seconds behind the duo ahead. He needed a gap of 15 seconds for the stage win but only got 6 of them, leaving a small but convincing gap for Kiprotich to take the GC victory!
Wiles just leaving Andolini behind on the final climb, stopping the clock 30 seconds behind Kent. The latter will lose a spot to Saunier here - same for Wiles, who could also be conceding a top 5 place to Kent. Jones comes in a bit behind them for 7th. Mbaba is next ahead of Rosenkharst and Leicester who gapped the Simoni group and rounded out the top 10.
That's all from South Africa this year. A deserved home rider winning despite his lieutenant not working for him, a very decisive time trial, and some strong showings from the stage racers of the world. A very interesting start to the season - you have to wonder what would happen when we get proper completely mountainous stages with bigger gaps though.
1
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
Winner
2
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:04
3
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:14
4
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
0:20
5
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
0:30
6
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:32
7
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
0:44
8
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
0:59
9
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
1:23
10
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
s.t.
GC:
1
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
Winner
2
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:09
3
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
0:33
4
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:42
5
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
0:52
6
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
1:04
7
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
2:04
8
Allen Jones
Mountain Dew Cycling
2:44
9
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
3:11
10
Andy Danielson
Somfy Group - Trentino
3:13
11
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
3:42
12
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
3:44
13
Nagy István
Videoton
4:05
14
Jason Hunter
City of Shaolin - Project 36
4:57
15
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
5:08
16
Paulo Pissini
La Pitagora
5:30
17
Tomasz Batić
Krka Slovenija
6:11
18
Chris Irvine
Mountain Dew Cycling
6:20
19
Milos Pratik
Antler - SAS
6:26
20
Banaba Masters
CYMB Pacific?
6:37
Points: Zepič (Krka) KoM: Kent (AIS) Youth: Andolini (La Pitagora) Teams: The Iten Project
Not a full sprinting field here in San Luis but a very strong one. A mild, short day should see fast racing towards the bunch sprint - but a lot of roleurs here would love to spoil the party. The morning breakaway was comprised of Russo (La Pitagora), Ronui (CYBMP), Mutai (Iten) and Torlak (Cartamundi). They worked well together but began to falter with 30km to go when Russo attacked - the others tried to follow but the Sanmarinese legend was clearly on a solo mission here.
Joining him 8km later was Kripovets of 365, a world-renowned TT specialist. This could be a deadly attack as one of the most famous "successful" barodeurs around and one of the most powerful cyclists on the planet join together. They have a gap that's stabilised around 1'50 with 20km left. Chasing at the moment are a few riders from #Cycling, Schmidt and Pisano of Ubisoft, and a lot of Videoton riders.
Under 10km to go and the duo still with nearly a minute's gap to the peloton! Rothaus conglomerate near the front but leave the chasing to the same teams as earlier. Antler also looming dangerously.
Now Antler take the reins with 5km left and instantly fall into rhythm. A controlled pace from the Irish team for their home leader O'Fathach. Quickly a battle for the wheel, lead by Ellice and Kristasis - the latter a backup for his team with his leader ahead. Russo's teammate Fermi is also lurking around the front. Ubisoft and #Cycling are still around but swamped a bit by Antler.
Russo cracking now, not by an attack but by the sheer pace of Kripovets as the Lithuanian soars through the streets approaching the city. 4km left and 20 seconds for Kripovets.
Under 2km left and #Cycling have recomposed themselves to rival Antler for the dominant train. Still Ellice, Kristasis, Fermi and Herz on the Antler side, and Vauner, Kyende, Zoltan, Plesec and Christaesens on the #Cycling train. Dubois not yet on either side, still behind his Ubisoft team.
1.3km left and Kripovets is caught! The Lithuanian crestfallen as the sprint trains thunder past him. Meanwhile Antler have pulled ahead of #Cycling as we enter the final kilometre.
Duehring though with a powerful effort to lead up the sprint with 800m to go! The Canadian leads out Dunkleman, Larsson and ultimately Garner. Now as the Antler train mingles into the peloton strung behind Duehring it's all a bit of a mess.
The line now Dunkleman-Larsson-Garner-Vauner-Zoltan-Fermi-Plesec-Holmkvist-O'Fathach-Ellice before the bunch as the battle for position begins - Holmkvist seems born for this stuff as he guides his leader into the train behind Garner.
300m now and Larsson goes, meanwhile Plesec is trying to go for a longer sprint! Holmkvist and O'Fathach follow him, Ellice and Dubois too. The Slovenian is very fast here, so much so that Holmkvist can't guide O'Fathach past him and so the Irish giant just stays with Plesec! Now they draw past Larsson and Garner, who despite a pristine leadout is battling to keep up! 200m and most riders going now, Vauner, Zoltan, Dubois, O'Fathach. Plesec not doing badly but won't be in the top 5 here.
O'Fathach and Zoltan seem to be the front two here with Dubois, Garner, and Vauner next, but they are plagued by Ellice and Fermi, just coming out of their wheel with 110m left! Fermi coasting behind the Tuvaluan but Ellice drawing closer to O'Fathach, who has the edge on Zoltan. What a battle here, O'Fathach grimaces and lunging his way to the line, just edging out the young Pacific Islander! Zoltan is third, Fermi fourth, Dubois fifth, Garner sixth, Vauner seventh. Kristasis seemed a little tired but rode wheels into eighth, with Plesec and Christiaens sneaking into the top 10. Herz, Tesfaye, Holmkvist, Brooks and Rodriguez will soak up the remaining points.
An interesting fight already heating up in January as the puncheurs, sprinters and stage racers all had their opening races. Surely the dominant figure this month was the Cat.A Tour of South Africa, one of the biggest stage races on the calendar. The placing of this category of race in this month has drawn some criticism from pundits.
1
The Iten Project
354
2
La Pitagora
321
3
Antler - SAS
310
4
Ubisoft
288
5
AIS Cycling
200
6
#Cycling
199
7
365 - Íslandsbanki
194
8
Somfy Group - Trentino
160
9
Mountain Dew Cycling
153
10
Real Madrid Cycling Team
138
11
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
105
12
Videoton
96
13
Could you be more Pacific?
87
14
Krka - Slovenija
82
15
City of Shaolin - Project 36
77
16
Rothaus - Lindt
57
The Iten project with a dominant South Africa clearly coming in first thanks to Kiprotich outscoring all but the top four and Mbaba chipping in more than the totals of five teams. La Pitagora with strong scoring across all three races pip Antler to second.
Ubisoft, AIS and #Cycling all had a top 6 in South Africa and scoring elsewere to boost them up to the top 6 - in fact the top 6 on GC there are the top 6 teams here. 365 with the scoring of their puncheurs Rosenkharst and Thorvaldsson aren't far behind whilst Somfy, Mountain Dew and Real Madrid are rewarded for consistency with a top 10.
Cartamundi will be pleased with 100 points despite no appearances from their two leaders, whilst Videoton haven't deployed Marton in the mountains either. CYBMP? have scored decently through Masters, Moehau and Ellice, whilst Krka are clearly a team made for the classics which haven't come yet. Shaolin falling a bit behind but many of their top riders haven't debuted yet. A rough start for Rothaus but Furst and Siegel haven't had their first races on their specialty terrains yet.
1
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
205
2
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
188
3
Antoine Saunier
Ubisoft
167
4
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
156
5
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
135
6
Joseph Rotich Mbaba
The Iten Project
135
7
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
133
8
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
99
9
Allen Jones
Mountain Dew Cycling
80
10
Evan Berger
Somfy Group - Trentino
70
11
Niall O'Fathach
Antler - SAS
70
12
Paolo Simoni
Real Madrid Cycling Team
67
13
Yeray Inígo Þórvaldsson
365 - Íslandsbanki
60
14
Alvaro Ellice
Could you be more Pacific?
60
15
Pietro De Negri
La Pitagora
55
16
Jakab Zoltán
Videoton
55
17
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
53
18
Andy Danielson
Somfy Group - Trentino
50
19
Rafael Lopez
Ubisoft
50
20
Francesco Fermi
La Pitagora
50
Spoiler
21
Daniel Sánchez
Real Madrid Cycling Team
45
22
Theo Dubois
Ubisoft
45
23
Luke Garner
#Cycling
40
24
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
40
25
Jason Pennyworth
AIS Cycling
35
26
Phillipe Vauner
Somfy Group - Trentino
35
27
Nagy István
Videoton
35
28
Paulo Pissini
La Pitagora
35
29
Jan Zepič
Krka Slovenija
33
30
Jason Hunter
City of Shaolin - Project 36
33
31
Damien Wayne
AIS Cycling
32
32
Davy Bordui
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
32
33
Julianas Kristasis
365 - Íslandsbanki
30
34
Maketu Moehau
Could you be more Pacific?
27
35
Chris Irvine
Mountain Dew Cycling
26
36
Marco Fürst
Rothaus - Lindt
25
37
Jure Plešec
Krka Slovenija
25
38
Paul Ferrand-Prevot
#Cycling
24
39
Tomasz Batić
Krka Slovenija
24
40
Oliver Paxman
Antler - SAS
23
41
Pierre Petit
Ubisoft
20
42
Clement Christiaens
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
20
43
Valentino Ferrari
La Pitagora
20
44
Milos Pratik
Antler - SAS
18
45
Kevin Steen
Mountain Dew Cycling
17
46
Daniel Herz
Rothaus - Lindt
17
47
Phil Brooks
Mountain Dew Cycling
16
48
Robert Heintze
Rothaus - Lindt
15
49
Banaba Masters
CYMB Pacific?
15
50
David Díaz
Real Madrid Cycling Team
14
51
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
The Iten Project
14
52
Colby Lopez
Mountain Dew Cycling
14
53
Stefan Holmkvist
Antler - SAS
11
54
Alfonso Lafuente
Real Madrid Cycling Team
7
55
Florian Martin
Ubisoft
6
56
Macskássy Péter
Videoton
6
57
Mario Russo
La Pitagora
5
58
Armando Rodriguez
Real Madrid Cycling Team
5
59
Jaani Viru
365 - Íslandsbanki
5
60
Brian Clought
Somfy Group - Trentino
5
61
Corey Woods
City of Shaolin - Project 36
4
Asides from Rosenkharst, who scored in Willunga and South Africa, and Willunga winner Berger, the top 10 is made up of the top 8 from South Africa. However this ranking will become a lot clearer in a few months, much like the teams ranking.
Many riders try to join the break, the initial move involves Mbaba (Iten), Tekapa (Antler), Johnson (CYBMP) and Viktor (Videoton). However naturally Mbaba is not a popular figure to have in the breakaway and so it's Rothaus and Real Madrid who are chasing this move down hard. Eventually, it's caught and a move of Waikler (Antler), Good (Mountain Dew), Saunier (Ubisoft), Jimenez (Real Madrid), and De Cock (Cartamundi) make it clear of the peloton. Already Antler, Real Madrid, Mountain Dew and Ubisoft getting out of working in the peloton despite having strong riders for the win.
A hot day here clearly not in favour of some riders over Lewis Pass, the first climb. No major names dropped but a large group off the back with well over 150km left.
On the second climb Good and Jimenez are still clear with Waikler, Saunier and De Cock caught by the peloton. Suddenly an attack from the peloton! It's Kiplagat who's trying to go clear! Jones, Kravos, Weno and more all want in. This is a big move! Moehau can't hang on but the others mentioned make the move. The favourites look at each other. Who's going to chance their arm with the valley road to Coronet Peak to disrupt the breakaway's plans? Kiprotich both has a teammate in the move, Sanchez, Orton and De Clercq have them up the road.
Wiles makes his move! The American rode a quiet top 5 in South Africa but possibly thinks his TT skills can be of help on the flat roads! Thorvaldsson and Rosenkharst try to follow this one! Now it's Leicester, LeClerq - every subtop climber worth their salt is piggybacking this move. And now Eruzione follows! This prompts everybody else from the favourites to follow the move with their best domestiques. 2km left of the climb and the group is:
Wiles, Kendrick (#Cycling)
Thorvaldsson, Rosenkharst, Jansson (365)
Kent (AIS)
Eruzione, Pratik (Antler)
Leicester (Cartamundi)
Jones, Hunter (Shaolin)
Weno (CYBMP)
Kravos, Batic (Krka)
Pisini, Andolini, Rosa, Russo (La Pitagora)
Orton, Irvine, Jacobs, Roode (Mountain Dew)
Sanchez, da Sousa (Real Madrid)
Siegel, Vogt, Daniau (Rothaus)
Hummels, Danielson, Thompson (Somfy)
Kiprotich, Kiplagat, Mbaba, Cheruiyot, Kiptoo (Iten)
LeClerq, Hoffman, Gomez (Ubisoft)
Marton, Istvan, Mihaly (Videoton)
Kiplagat isn't very keen on this group and tries again to attack! Kravos, Jones, Wiles, Andolini now try and follow. They get a small gap over the group and it's Somfy, Mountain Dew and Rothaus doing the chasing now. Mountain Dew with the most numbers of teams not in the move put Roode and Jacobs on the shut this one down. The tough slopes here have but da Sousa, Mihaly and Weno in trouble.
However at the top of the mountain pass Jimenez and Good have 29 seconds over the Wiles move, with a further 15 back to the favourites.
On the valley road the leading duo are caught but the gap increases despite the efforts of Jansson in particular with Andolini and Wiles doing a lot of work. 36 seconds isn't ages but with strong climbers here it could be good. Speaking of which, Good and Jimenez have been dropped.
The bottom of the climb and Sanchez seems to feel it's too big a gap and attacks! A big move but nobody following it. Actually within a few kilometres he bridges the gap to the leaders. Some very tough percentages causing a big selection. The group is now:
Thorvaldsson (365)
Kent (AIS)
Eruzione (Antler)
Pisini (La Pitagora)
Orton (Mountain Dew)
Siegel (Rothaus)
Hummels (Somfy)
Kiprotich, Mbaba (Iten)
Marton (Videoton)
with 6km left. Directly behind them are Leicester, Rosenkharst, Hunter and LeClerq. The pace is being shared quite evenly at the moment. Still over 20 seconds' gap.
Jones attacks the front group! Sanchez follows him immediately whilst Kiplagat, Wiles and Andolini keep their pace even. A familiar position for the latter duo, reminiscent of their ride on the South Africa MTF. Kravos now heading backwards as Krka's last hope for points here.
Kiprotich and Mbaba talking animatedly a couple of wheels back, but none of the rivalry they had in South Africa is present. Mbaba goes to the front and ups the pace for a while, bringing the gap down slightly and putting Thorvaldsson and Pisini in a little bit of difficulty. The Kenyan then swings off the front and leaves his leader to it. An olive branch perhaps.
An attack from Eruzione! Siegel, Kiprotich and Hummels respond quickly, whilst Kent and Marton are next in line but aren't quite there. The quartet gets a gap and begrudgingly work together - time for more attacking later. With 4km left these are the gaps:
Jones, Sanchez
0:09: Wiles, Andolini, Kiplagat
0:19: Kravos
0:23: Eruzione, Kiprotich, Siegel, Hummels
0:26: Kent, Orton, Marton
0:30: Thorvaldsson, Pisini
0:37: Rosenkharst, Leicester, LeClerq, Hunter
Eventually Kravos is caught and passed by the quartet ahead as the gap comes down to 8 seconds to Wiles, Andolini and Kiplagat and 19 to Sanchez, who's dropped Jones.
Kiprotich goes! Within distance of that trio and 1.5km to go the South African hits out for the win. Siegel and Eruzione are straight in his wheel whilst Hummels has to relent to the pace of the South African's attack. Siegel directly with a counter-attack... and Kiprotich has to let go! What an attack from Siegel as he leaves behind Kiprotich, taking Eruzione with him. Just three seconds for the duo to Kiplagat and co, two more to Jones and five more to Sanchez.
The catch made now and Siegel and Eruzione taking turns burning through the trio! Kiplagat in the end drops off relunctantly to help Kiprotich, who's just about there. Andolini and Wiles stay within themselves - a top 5 or even a podium is not off the cards yet.
Jones is caught now under the flamme rouge, six seconds the gap for Sanchez as Eruzione and Siegel are coming! Jones has to drop off Wiles' pace and so does Andolini who's completely cracked here. Kiplagat also given what he has left to Kiprotich despite going after his own chances earlier. Kiprotich just a stones' throw from Wiles, both riding their own pace. Hummels a bit further pack is just looking to hold off Kent and Marton, who've dropped Orton.
Pisini coming back hard too, he's dropped Thorvaldsson and passed Orton and Kravos.
600m left and Sanchez has just mere metres as the slope continues to go hard for 200m longer! Siegel now digging in hard and Eruzione only just following. They catch Sanchez and Siegel goes again! And it'll be the win for Jan Siegel in his first race, what a performance here. Eruzione is completely exhausted but slightly less completely than Sanchez.
Wiles and Kiprotich are no sprinters and so the latter is just a little fresher and takes fourth. Jones just beats out Andolini for sixth, with Hummels coming in a little ahead of Kiplagat and then Kent to round out the top 10.
1
Jan Siegel
Rothaus - Lindt
Winner
2
Marco Eruzione
Antler - SAS
0:03
3
Daniel Sánchez
Real Madrid Cycling Team
0:04
4
Daniel Kiprotich
The Iten Project
0:09
5
Tayler Wiles
#Cycling
s.t.
6
Tyrone Jones
City of Shaolin - Project 36
0:15
7
Andrea Andolini
La Pitagora
0:18
8
Matt Hummels
Somfy Group - Trentino
0:20
9
Kipchoge Kiplagat
The Iten Project
0:26
10
Jonathan Kent
AIS Cycling
0:27
11
Hegyi Márton
Videoton
0:28
12
Paulo Pisini
La Pitagora
0:35
13
Randy Orton
Mountain Dew Cycling
0:39
14
Yeray Inígo Þórvaldsson
365 - Íslandsbanki
0:42
15
Kevin LeClerq
Ubisoft
0:47
16
Zachary Leicester
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
s.t.
17
Thørstein Rosenkharst
365 - Íslandsbanki
0:52
18
Jason Hunter
City of Shaolin - Project 36
s.t.
19
Bruceslav Kravos
Krka Slovenija
0:55
20
Andy Danielson
Somfy Group - Trentino
1:07
Best finishers of other teams:
CYBMP?: Weno (in the late 20s/early 30s)
A mix of sprinters, stage racers and TT specialists took to the start line of the Tour of Singapore prologue. The early pace-setter was Dezso of Videoton, who kept the lead for quite a time until Duehring of #Cycling smashed it by five seconds. More good times came in over the next period of time: Grice put himself second, Lapita did well, so did Corey Woods. Ellice made a big statement of intent by coming in just 9 seconds down on Duehring, with up to 20 bonification seconds up for grabs at stage finishes over the next two days. Paxman also came in just 10 seconds down on Duehring.
Later in the day, just three men could beat the Canadian's early time. Moehau took the hot-seat early and looked like keeping it with a 5 second gap over Duehring. Andolini came in two seconds behind the Kiwi. Kiprotich and Coles came in 7 seconds down whilst Simoni and Heintze managed just two seconds back.
But the winner of the day was Filip Kripovets. In Argentina he showed credentials for the GC win here with a big duo effort that was just caught and a win today, claiming the GC lead already, is a big mark of authority. He already looks very strong - round two comes in a few days, over 50km rather than 6. But tomorrow is a sprint stage, and many of the big contenders so far in Ellice, Paxman, Wayne, Ferrari, Zoltan et al have came here to try claim some stage wins, and, for the former two, perhaps the GC lead, both under 20 seconds behind our Lithuanian leader.
The morning breakaway on this circuit of the Changi district in Singapore consisted of van Alst (Rothaus), De Cock (Cartamundi), Ronui (CYBMP) and Laporvic (Krka). they co-operated well and managed to survive until the last 15km, where their slim hopes were sadly dashed.
Gyula and Dezso of Videoton took control inside the last 3km, where many sprinters got onto the back of their train. La Pitagora bringing both their sprinters in Fermi and Ferrari also doing their own thing, obviously with high hopes there.
Inside the final kilometre Dezso dropped off Kende to lead out the sprint. Behind him were Peter and Zoltan, with Gordon, Wayne, Martin and Dubois next in line. Across the road Duehring was starting to heat up for Larsson and Garner, with Vauner and Paxman behind. In the middle was Milan going for Ferrari then Fermi - also Ellice's choice of wheel.
When the leadout's came out Ferrari took the early lead whilst Martin did a good job piloting Dubois. Wayne had to leave behind Gordon and jump onto Peter and Zoltan's train, which was a little behind. Garner and Larsson left behind a bit.
200m to go and Paxman is the first to make the move! Ferrari still leading Fermi and Ellice out in front, whilst Zoltan and Dubois have to go now too! Vauner and Garner both going but a bit further behind.
Fermi now sees the opportunity to go and does so with 120m left! Ellice now starting to come around him though. And so it's Zoltan, Wayne, Ellice and Fermi across the road, with Paxman and Dubois not far back!
50m left and Fermi and Ellice have the edge - and it's Ellice who'll take the win and the 10 bonus seconds! Wayne comes into second, Fermi is third despite an amazing leadout. Zoltan looked good but tired a bit at the end there. Dubois is fifth, Vauner overhauls Paxman quite easily for sixth. Ferrari holds on for eighth ahead of a smart Brooks and a disappointed Garner.
An interesting stage today as the riders take in one of Singapore's undersea expressways towards the finish. Most of the stage takes place in Malaysia today but we start and end on different sides of Singapore. The breakaway today consisted of Patrick (#Cycling) and De Cock (Cartamundi). They put in a nice effort but were caught before we left Malaysia to return to Singapore.
Along the expressway, it was 365, the team of yellow jersey Kripovets who clearly wanted to shake things up before the final TT as they set a hard pace. It was too much for some riders but not enough to split the pack in the ways they were hoping. All major GC riders and sprinters were safe.
In the last five kilometres 365 kept their presence at the front as Grice took a flyer off the front! Kripovets now following, as are Kemboi and Eruzione! A few of the other TT contenders obviously conflicted between stage win and GC. These four working together now but the latter two clearly in some pain. #Cycling with Jamie Duehring on the front chasing them down, whilst Videoton and CYMBP also don't want to let this one clear!
Kemboi now getting dropped here, he just can't handle the supreme pace of Kripovets and Grice! Eruzione just tagging on the back. Three kilometres left, just six seconds for this trio!
Those three continue to lead but behind it's Dezso of Videoton leading, with #Cycling and La Pitagora the other major trains, much like yesterday. Inside the final kilometre now and Eruzione has to let go! Really not a big gap for the other two now as Kende leads out the sprint! Also Milan on the far side. Garner has learnt a lesson from yesterday and is on the wheel of Fermi, Ellice and Paxman behind him. Across the road behind Peter and Zoltan are Martin, Vauner, Dubois, Gordon and Wayne.
500m left and Kripovets leading a little ahead of Grice, the gap to the peloton is only about 40 or 50 metres! Behind Peter and Ferrari have launched, as has Gordon, trying to give Wayne an advantage on the others! Grice now caught as Ferrari takes the lead. Ferrari and Fermi and the associated wheelsuckers on one side of the road, Gordon, Wayne and Vauner on the other, with Peter, Zoltan, Martin and Dubois on the other as Martin goes with Dubois in his wheel! All across the road there are riders but one man leads: Kripovets!
300m now and Ferrari and Martin are clearly the strongest leadouts! Behind Ferrari is Fermi-Garner-Ellice-Paxman, behind Martin is Dubois. Zoltan now forced to go searching for Dubois' wheel and eat wind as Peter is knackered, he's giving Wayne and Vauner a free ride!
200m and Fermi launches! Garner too as Ellice and Paxman follow the former. Dubois also going now, Martin's job is done. Oh and sadly the dream for Kripovets is done as he's passed by Fermi.
It's all go! Fermi still ahead, Ellice now launching with Paxman trying desperately to follow him. Wayne is a bit behind but goes as well from behind Dubois, Vauner also following him. Zoltan looks to be fighting for 5th at best, slightly disappointing there.
100m left and can anybody stop Ellice? The Tuvaluan looks well on his way to the yellow jersey here as Paxman can't even hold his wheel! Fermi as second but Wayne and Dubois seem to be catching him.
And it's Alvaro Ellice who'll claim a second win in as many days ahead of... Wayne, Dubois, Vauner and Fermi. Zoltan and Paxman are next, Garner in 8th. Kripovets finishes 9th ahead of Brooks.
Best Riders of other teams:
van Veghel (Cartamundi) - well into the 30s or 40s
Wayne (AIS) - similar, helped in front of McVeigh by bonuses Points: Ellice (CYBMP?) Youth: Andolini (La Pitagora)
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
Rothaus-Lindt
Real Madrid Cycling Team
Krka Slovenija
Ubisoft
AIS Cycling
Antler - SAS
City of Shaolin - Project 36
La Pitagora
365 - Íslandsbanki
Videoton
Could you be more Pacific?
Somfy Group - Trentino
Cartamundi Pro Cycling
The Iten Project
Tour of South Africa
GP San Luis
Tour of Singapore Stage 1
