The Österreich Rundfahrt is about to begin and it kicks off with the traditional mountain stage featuring the summit finish on the 'Kühtai' climb: 21km in total, 6.5% slopes in average. A challenging circuit prior to the climb will make for a tough day in the saddle.
Amador as the big favorite, followed by local favorite Denifl, Sicard, Henao Montoya and Shikai as the best climbers here. Former race-winner Brajkovic aiming to prove he's still a force in this race, where he's already won two stages since his first in 2009.
The break of the day is quickly formed, three riders eventually making the group with two (Lilovski, Oomen) trying to join with no success:
Jaramillo Zhao Bialoblocki
Zhao would take the first intermediate sprint, while Jaramillo would go and dominate on the climbs - dropping his two breakaway companions on every single climb and therefore taking the first mountain (and second intermediate) sprint easily.
The general pace is quite brutal and the breakaway was never given an easy day:
Jaramillo went solo for quite a well after dropping the other two yet again. When he takes the second mountain sprint for the provisional KoM-lead, the peloton - led by Ticos and UBS - is just 20 seconds behind and will soon catch him as well.
Team UBS is showing their ambitiouns quite early and they are keeping the pace high with also Ticos supporting them in a pretty decent way:
27km remaining and the next (and last) short climb of the circuit makes the peloton already go into pieces!
Just 33 riders are left in the main group, no big names being dropped yet, but surely a few minor climbers, who probably hadn't expected such a tempo here:
Jones, Öste-Macdonald as the latest riders being dropped. Others were G Izagirre, Hudecek, Jaramillo, Rolland, Thiery. To name just a few.
21km to go, we're at the bottom of the 'Kühtai' and while the race has been settling down a bit (allowing a few riders to catch back to the peloton, that is back at 53 riders for now), we see a nasty fall on slicky roads - it's been raining for a while now:
Warbasse Malacarne Usandizaga
go down in this crash and while Usandizaga's fall looks more terrible, it's certainly worse news for Warbasse! He's back on the bike soon and he's getting support from his teammates Jones, Simon and Brand as well. The mission to get back into the main group is tough though..
Just 9km to go now. No attacks yet, but the pace is up at full speed now. The leading group has been reduced to about 30 riders now:
Warbasse is all on his own again with his teammates being burned in their support. He really fights, but with several smaller groups getting dropped from the pace at the front, it's becoming more and more impossible for Warbasse to go past them all. He will surely lose big time today. Tough luck.
Santoro setting the pace in the leading group, that is now down to 27 riders thanks to the current pace. The Italian domestique is working so hard, that you may expect Barguil to feel good today.
Once he's done with his work though, we see the big guns taking over the control: just 3.5km to go, but with the previous pace here, a lot of those riders at the front look already pretty exhausted.
Amador obviously not amongst those struggling, as he accelerates away from the group now!
Sicard Denifl Barguil Duarte
trying to follow and those 5 riders open up a 20 seconds gap on the 22-men-group behind them!
Most notable names being dropped from this group were Potocki and also Warbasse is still about two minutes further behind!
Amador now taking things seriously and with 2.6km remaining, he's attacking in order to shake off Sicard, Barguil, Denifl and Duarte!
19" further behind, there's a small group with Shapira, Shikai and Poljanski - just ahead of the bigger group with the remaining GC favorites..
2km for Amador, who's now 29 seconds ahead of group Sicard!
Van den Broeck attacking from the main group and he's catching up to Shikai and a strong Poljanski!
Henao Montoya 13 seconds behind Van den Broeck, yet trying to hang on!
8 riders in a next group:
Garby Ratiy Brajkovic Roglic Grmay Shapira De la Cruz Senni
1km to go for Amador, who's increasing the gap to 36"! The stage-win looks save, but we see some action in the chasing group..
.. Barguil indeed has a great day, as he attacks group Sicard!
Sicard, Denifl and Duarte have been joined by Van den Broeck, Shikai and Poljanski now.
Henao Montoya is 20 seconds in arrears, just a few seconds ahead of Ratiy, Garby and Brajkovic..
Roglic in a group with Grmay and De la Cruz, additional 22" behind now.. another 22" later, there's a group with Contador, Talansky, Maillet and Brändle!
Amador does not need to look back, as he's already celebrating his stage-win! What a convincing start into the race. No one could match his two accelerations and there's quite a huge gap on the first chasing group(s). Kicking off "mission yellow" in style.
+ 39" for Barguil and a fast finishing Duarte
A strong performance from Barguil in particular, but also Duarte did well to drop group Sicard with a fast finish here. There's a clear gap on the next riders at least..
+ 1'00" for Van den Broeck, who had a stunning finish to go 4th on the stage
Sicard, Denifl, Shikai and a surprisingly strong Poljanski finishing in the same group then.
+ 1'28" for Ratiy and Henao Montoya
Especially Henao Montoya probably won't be happy by finishing 10th on the stage to lose more than a minute on Amador already. No disaster when looking at the gaps though.
+ 2'03" for Garby and Brajkovic as the next finishers
+ 2'14" De la Cruz
+ 2'31" Senni
+ 2'41" for Shapira, Grmay and Roglic
+ 3'24" for a group with Contador, Brändle and Talansky
Roglic and Talansky, as well as Contador won't be happy with those results. At least, Carlsberg had Garby with a solid finish though.
+ 5'10" for crash victim Warbasse
One DNF today: Christian Meier from Newton Foundation. Definitely not the best day for the team..
Amador entering tomorrow's queen stage up the 'Kitzbüheler Horn' with a 47 seconds lead on Barguil and 51 seconds on Duarte as 3rd placed rider. Van den Broeck proving, that this race might be one of his favorites, leading a group with premium climbers Sicard, Denifl and Shikai: 1'20" behind Amador, who's leading all classifications except of the U25 ranking (where Shikai unsurprisingly took an already commanding lead).
