Tbilisi – Chargali (Tamara's Guest House) 233.7 km
It is going to be a relative cold ride today 10°C and cloudy but without much wind.
The Race
Tbilisi
van Schip opens the race in front of Mansilla and Van Hoecke
The breakaway build a lead of about 7’30 over the first 50 km, now we see the pack up the pace a little, starting to cut of some of the gap, Afonso, Bakari, Beniusis, Ngandamba and Scotson working in the peloton.
The distance stabilized around 6 minutes, as the breakaway passes the first peak.
Bakari, Jacobs, Kiskonen and Scotson up the pace a bit more and cut the distance over the flat mountain plateau and the downhill, the breakaway hit the valley between the first two mountains with 4’59”
At the flat between the two first mountains more riders pulling the pack, Andorra Cycling Project, Berg Cycles, BNZ Cycling Team, DK Zalgiris and GCN ProTeam with two riders each, but not with that much effect reducing the gap just 20” over the section before the climb starts.
On the climb also weak riders lead the pack and do not cut the gap, Afonso, Kiskonen, Erdenesuren, Beniusis
Up front van Schip dropped over the top, the leading duo pass with 42” to van Schip another 3’45 to the pack.
In the pack the pace was high on the downhill we get splits, with just 56 rider left in the pack, Izagirre and Mat Senan missed the cut.
Up front van Schip gets closer on the downhill hitting the valley at just 19”
van Schip do get contact with his breakaway companions, but at the long undulated flat leading up to the last climb, he boils over and was soon reeled in by a now fast peloton.
The remaining duo got 1’34 starting the last mountain, 40 km left. Izagirre came back to the pack, group Mat Senan with 1’26” to the pack.
The breakaway was over with 37 km left, about 4.5 km to the mountain top.
3 km to the top, attack by Squire
Accelerations from Le Bon and Yemane, and lately Juodvalkis attempts to close the gap. They do not succeed but the peloton was split onto several groups
Finally, just after he has passed the top Squire can no longer hold of the top favorites, we now got a leading group of 13 riders starting the short flat mountain plateau before the final descent to the finish line in Chargali.
Bagot, Bardet, Intxausti, Juodvalkis, Kiserlovski, La Lavandier, Pantano Gomez, Portela, Potocki, Rodrigues, Squire, Vinhas and Yemane
They would later be joined by Minguez Ayala and Niyonshuti before the downhill.
On the downhill a few more riders able to join the leading group Brandao, Burke, de Laat, Edmondson, Hirschlein and Izagirre (nice comeback from him)
Then just as this 21 riders group is about to pass under the 5 km banner, acceleration by Bagot, now just Bardet, Burke, Intxausti, Kiserlovski, La Lavandier, Pantano Gomez, Rodrigues, Squire and Vinhas able to hang in.
Rodrigues takes the lead from four kilometers, and from pole position he opens the final sprint, without looking back he claims Sakartvelo Trophy with a margin of 5-6 meters.
In a close fight La Lavandier 2nd in front of Vinhas taking the last podium.
Pantano Gomez 4th, Intxausti 5th and Kiserlovski 6th.
Bardet 7th, Squire 8th, Bagot 9th and Burke rounds of top 10
30” later Potocki wins the sprint in the next group, Izagirre 12th, Niyonshuti 13th Edmondson 14th and Lindau rounds of top 15
Sakartvelo Trophy 
