Some sprinters let down their fans yesterday, but they can take their revenge today. The stage is considerably shorter, only slightly more undulating. These guys are professionals, they should be able to handle this.
The startline is still visible in the background when the first attacks happen: Gonzales, Mostov and Weemaes.
Another trio follows: English, McNulty and Pushpakumara.
Riders seem to join in triplets today: Petrie-Armstrong, Klaris and Fedeli next.
Nine was considered too much so a variety of teams chased them down. Back to the drawing board ten kilometer into the stage. No early intermediate sprint, only one halfway through the stage.
Six riders from the original attempts try again and now it does receive clearance: English McNulty Weemaes Pushpakumara Petrie-Armstrong Mostov
As it has started to rain, the peloton gives them three minutes before they carefully start to chase again. Basically every team without a rider in the breakaway is involved, just like yesterday. What will follow is a repeat of yesterday, with nothing interesting happening except the gap slowly decreasing.
The only thing to mention from the middle part of the stage is the result of the intermediate sprint: English - Weemaes - Mostov. The lead with 77 kilometer to go is 2'13.
Unlike yesterday, where the group collectively gave up when the peloton came close, two riders try to lengthen their attempt. Mostov and Pushpakumara ride away with 30 kilometer to go, the other four throw the towel it seems.
However, the peloton though 30k is too early to catch the breakaway, and the two eventually dropped back to the other four. 25k, lead is still 30 seconds, but Pushpakumara with another attempt.
Behind, many teams pushed to get the gap down but no one as much as Brawila, with Rutsch and El Sabbahi close to creating a split. Habtom is positioned well near the front, suggesting the team will focus on him again instead of Selig. Kip just in front of the breaking point with Cisse, Awang, Pelucchi and Tewelde. Are the other sprinters sleeping again?
Pushpakumara caught by his former companions caught by group Kip caught by the peloton, so everything is one large group again. Still some cracks close to occurring as Bissegger, Russo and Eekhoff lay down the hammer. Their (secondary) leaders are near the front, as are the likes of Kragh Andersen, Carsi and Guillen, Colbrelli and Bouhanni. We see a Guave train for Coutinho and an Aramco train for Fonseca forming behind.
10 kilometer to go and the new team pacing is Trans with Primozic and Sotberg, as Salleh has made his way forward. A sprinter still far down is the rider wearing number 1, Reinhardt, but his team is likely focusing on Cisse after yesterday's result. Bennett, Mareczko and Cimolai some other sprinters (too) far back, certainly a bummer for the Irishman to be unable to challenge for the win again.
And those sprinters have a serious problem now as a substantial gap occurs. Glanbia and Eddie Stobart build trains not to sprint but to get back to the front, with Mareczko profiting. White jersey S. Mugisha is also in the second peloton along with most former breakaway riders (yesterday and today), who scored bonus seconds and might drop out of their high GC position.
Guave goes all-in, their entire team except Groves (who had done earlier work) at the front to keep the gaps. A second peloton including the aforementioned sprinters at 30 seconds, and now a third peloton including S. Mugisha at another 30 seconds. About 50 riders make up the front group.
We can speak of two trains: Abraha Mezgec Salleh Pelucchi
on the left,
Feiereisen Coutinho Yamamoto Bouhanni Kragh Andersen Guillen Krieger
on the right.
Kip still down in the pack seemingly uninterested, but behind Tewelde, Habtom and Cisse as possible train. Other riders near the front but not in a train yet are Carsi, Fonseca and Keough.
The Guave train goes to the left while the Trans train went to the right, not sure how that was phisically possible but anyway. Rather importantly a large gap is present after the 14th rider, just as group Bennett had almost closed the gap to the leaders. Riders in contention are:
Yamamoto
Mezgec
Coutinho
Salleh
Pelucchi
Schwarzmann
Abraha
Bouhanni
Feiereisen
Carsi
Agrotis
Kragh Andersen
Guillen
Krieger
Martinelli trying to bridge over, the chase led by the quintet Tewelde - Habtom - Awang - Cisse - Kip.
Mezgec releases Salleh, Yamamoto releases Coutinho under the flag, but Schwarzmann with a monster leadout for Carsi pulls him alongside. Pelucchi following Salleh down the left.
Carsi only released at 700 meters, maybe too late as Salleh and Coutinho lead by a bit. Krieger though going between Carsi and Pelucchi, with Kragh Andersen and Bouhanni hoping to do the same. Guillen the weakest amongst the sprinters in the front pack.
Salleh and Coutinho were indeed released too early as Krieger flies to the lead with only Carsi and Kragh Andersen able to match his speed. The Dane looks slightly faster though.
Slightly? A lot! Asbjorn Kragh Andersen redeems himself for a lackluster performance yesterday and wins by quite a margin in the end. The battle for second is still close with Krieger fading away.
Remember I said Guillen looked the weakest? Well, he saved the best for last and takes second place. Krieger third, Carsi fourth, Bouhanni fifth. The entire top five finished outside the top ten yesterday, so the motivational words from their managers worked.
The top ten and the bonus seconds positions are completed by Coutinho, Salleh, Pelucchi (the only rider who takes bonus seconds on both stages), Schwarzmann and Yamamoto.
Mezgec and Feiereisen lost speed after completing their leadouts, which might have saved the group behind from receiving a time gap. Habtom thirteenth ahead of Cisse, Awang, Martinelli, Abraha, Kip and Tewelde. Keough completes the top twenty.
Even more lucky are those who were really far behind, such as Reinhardt and Bennett. The jury decides not to award any gap between all groups, with only Belevics and Quaade rolling over the line four minutes later.
Both stage winners, Kip and Kragh Andersen, are now tied at the top of the GC in time, but the tiebreaker of least worse second result goes to the Dane (11th versus 18th), so the yellow jersey belongs to Asbjorn Kragh Andersen from now on. Kip will instead wear the green jersey despite not leading that classification either. Similarly, there is a tie between Cisse and Guillen, who both happened to finish in second and fourteenth place on either stage, in which case the alphabet places Cisse in third seven seconds down. Awang and Krieger share fifth at ten seconds, with Pelucchi seventh at eleven seconds as first solo position. 29 riders in total have obtained bonus seconds and are within 25 seconds of the leader.
Samuel Mugisha was also lucky there were no gaps awarded, as he gets to wear white another day despite finishing only 78th. Nordica - Enel becomes the new leader of the teams classification, but only ten "points" separating the top three which also includes Guave's Sunlight Cycling and Centovalli - Fiat.
