We're at the startline for this 200+ kilometer bumpy ride in and around the town of Veenendaal in central Netherlands. Today's race promises to be an exciting affair with a lot of the best punchers of the PCT in attendance. Will the sprinters be able to get their teams organized and battle it out in a bunch sprint or will a late attack rule the roost at the conclusion of today's race? Or can a breakaway hold off the pack and pick up an unlikely win against the odds? We'll find out in some time.
Favourites
FLA
HIL
STA
RES
SPR
ACC
Ewan
75
71
73
71
83
81
Kump
74
77
76
73
81
80
Swift
73
67
72
69
83
81
Guarnieri
75
65
76
75
81
80
Bonifazio
79
66
68
75
80
80
Kristoff
74
67
73
69
82
77
Lo Cicero
72
64
71
63
84
78
Kemboi
78
63
74
77
80
80
Guerao
74
65
71
64
83
76
Zabel
74
69
74
70
81
79
Silvestre
78
67
70
71
80
81
Vesely
73
68
74
68
81
80
Rowe
78
66
76
70
79
80
Keukeleire
72
70
73
68
80
79
Boeckmans
72
67
73
70
80
82
We're off and six riders get off the front of the pack with just a couple of kilometers gone. They are allowed to form the break of the day. The riders here are:
With 50 kilometers gone, the pack look settled into a good rhythm with Minions, Xero, Berg, Podium Ambition, Lierse, Bakkafrost, MOL, Repsol, Mapei and Andorra all sending riders to the front on occasion. They trail the break by 3'48".
We're at the halfway stage now. The break's lead is down to 2'18".
Fast forward another 40 kilometers...
Podium Ambition, Minions, Xero, Mapei, Minions, Bakkafrost and Andorra have kept riders at the front all this while to help close down the break. It hasn't been an eventful race otherwise so far.
There's a split in the pack with 39 kilometers remaining! 124 riders are on the wrong side of the split including Silvestre, Zabel, Matthews, Kupfernagel, Young, Yates and Kamberaj. They all have support with them, given the large size of the group.
Jacobs attacks with 32 kilometers remaining. He would only lead for a couple of kilometers though.
The peloton meanwhile, has swelled back in size to 120 riders. However, Silvestre, Zabel and Kupfernagel are among those who have not made it back.
Bostner attacks next out of the break.
Bostner doesn't make it far on his own either and is caught 2 kilometers later. The acceleration has dropped Jacobs from the front group.
Jacobs day at the front was over soon after as the peloton swept him up.
The rest of the break is caught with 20 kilometers left. The peloton is down to 73 riders, with all top names except Silvestre, Kupfernagel and Zabel in this group.
The chase group has split now, with the 67 rider Berg/ Mapei group 1'31" behind the peloton and another 43 rider group some way further behind.
Here we go! The first action at the front as Varga, Rowe (hidden my the motorbike), Vanbilsen and Summerhill get away. 15 kilometers remain.
Ewan, Kump, Swift and Lo Cicero also get a gap at the front in chase of the earlier quartet. The top favourites seem to be very wary of the group that has got away, and given their strength, and the fact that Rowe and Vanbilsen was 1st and 2nd in this race last season with almost identical tactics, you cannot blame them!
Inside the final 10 kilometers, the leading quartet have a slim 7 second advantage over the chasers. The latter lead the now 90 rider peloton by a further 14 seconds.
2 kilometers later, Rowe attacks again. Vanbilsen and Summerhil are able to follow but Varga and the other four attackers are caught by the charging peloton.
Rowe is caught by the chasing duo and they have a 23 second buffer to the pack at the moment. All the favourites have made it back to the peloton, which has swelled again to 115 riders. Just 5 kilometers to go!
Kortsidakis is doing most of the work in the pack, with Swift right on his wheel. The earlier attack doesn't seem to have affected the Berg sprinter too much. The team have got their sprint lieutenants back in the peloton, but they haven't made it to the front. Varga remains at the front as well.
Over the previous 2 kilometers, Summerhill really put the hammer down, allowing the break to extend their lead once more over the pack. With just 2 kilometers to go, they're nearly 30 seconds ahead at the moment! Bernas has attacked off the front of the pack, as seen in the background.
van den Berg also takes the opportunity to test his legs and attacks from the pack.
Sumerhill is getting absolutely no help from either Rowe and Vanbilsen as they enter the final kilometer. The American has single-handedly put the trio into a great position, but it's all for themselves as far as the others are concerned. Bernas is 22 seconds off the leading trio while van den Berg is also still holding forte ahead of the pack.
The pack continues to chase but they are in all kinds of a mess! Repsol with Varga are in the further position forward, which is a surprise with Bernas currently sitting in 4th and probably their best bet of a high finish. One wonders whether Varga is really chasing or just acting as a decoy. Swift and Bonifazio are the only proper sprinters in the leading positions at the moment.
700 meters. Rowe has moved out of Summerhill's slipstream and into the lead. Still nothing of note from the peloton behind as Bernas and van den Berg continue their valiant solo chase.
Rowe has put on the afterburners and is pulling away from both Summerhill and Vanbilsen with the latter surprisingly not gaining too much ground on the former either.
Rowe with a solid gap with 200 meters remaining as Vanbilsen now begins to close in on Summerhill. The gap to Bernas has increased in the last couple of 100 meters.
Rowe makes it back-to-back wins in Veenendaal! A copycat move from last season gets him a carbon-copy victory. Vanbilsen comes past Summerhill in the closing stages to make it the same 1-2 as last season. Summerhill's incredible effort to pull the trio away from the peloton in the final kilometers leaves him without any power in his legs to sprint properly. He gets 3rd, which is still a great result for his team.
Behind them, half a kilometer remains for Bernas, who has a 12 second advantage over van den Berg. The latter has been closing but it's probably not fast enough to catch the former.
The pack has also entered the final kilometer with Swift leading them. There were no trains formed of any kind, and the general organization was absent in the chase. Kump is on Swift's wheel with Varga still there just behind. Behind that, it is Guerao, Kemboi, Guardini and Guarnieri in the next positions.
Bernas gets 4th.
van den Berg hangs on for an excellent 5th place.
Kump is past Swift as the pack enters the final 200 meters. Behind them the situation is as shown below:
Cavendish
Bonifazio
Avelino
Lo Cicero
Guardini
Guarnieri
Guerao
Itami
Kemboi
Kump wins the bunch sprint for 6th ahead of Swift in 7th.
Guerao edges out Avelino for 8th.
Lo Cicero is 10th with Itami in 11th.
Kemboi is 12th with Guarnieri in 13th. Neither will be happy with that.
Neither will be Guardini in 14th and Cavendish in 15th.
Bonifazio is the second Lierse finisher, in 16th. Boeckmans won't be happy with just 17th, given how he's been going in earlier races.
De Bondt claims 18th ahead of Vesely - another rider who'll be dearly disappointed.
So will Kristoff, who rounds out the Top 20.
Today's winner - Luke Rowe.
Rowe gets the same result as last season with the same move as last season, with Vanbilsen also in tow for 2nd. Summerhill, the real powerhouse behind the move climbs onto the final step of the podium.
Beyond the Top 20 already mentioned before, Ackermann finished 21st, Kamberaj was 27th, Yates 28th, Silvestre 32nd and Kupfernagel was 36th. Looks like Ewan was the only one who paid the price of that late attack, finishing in a woeful 38th. Duolingo also had a bad outing with Havik and Ciolek in 44th and 51st respectively.
