Clasique Pico Basile is about to start, and immediately from the firing of the gun the riders have to climb. The race is up and down for the first part, followed by a flat section leading the riders to one big boi at the end of the stage, 26 kilometer @ 8.5% and a finish altitude of 2815m. Who has the best legs today and can conquer the rough terrain?
Right from the start the riders have to climb. Eleven riders went on the attack: Augustyn Bergstrom Frisk Connolly Hadi Karagobek McConvey McCutcheon Plucinski Puccioni Quevedo Vingegaard
Berg, BNZ and Sauber tentatively setting up a chase.
However, only four riders get over the top in the lead: Augustyn McConvey Plucinski Puccioni
Bergstrom Frisk and Vingegaard following at 30 seconds, Karagobek at 1'10, Hadi at 1'40 and the peloton with Connolly, McCutcheon, Quevedo at 2'20...
...or better what's left of the peloton, because it is already down to 57 riders with still 195 kilometer left to go. Some groups are still close by and could rejoin on the downhill.
This second climb is less long and steep, and the front eight reunite. The peloton also let more riders back, to a count of 110 at a gap of six minutes.
The peloton thinks six minutes is an acceptable margin at the start of the third climb. Schelling, Misbah and Marryatt set the same pace as those up front, and everyone in the peloton also seems comfortable with it as no one falls off again.
The breakaway is at the top of the third climb and plunges to a long downhill followed by a relatively long flat section. The peloton follows five minutes later.
The flat section favors the peloton, the gap down to 3'20 with 60 kilometer to go. Sauber, BNZ and Philips doing most of the work all day. The peloton consists of 96 riders, Minali as last rider in the race at 40 minutes.
The leaders catch up to group A17 containing Muhindo, Peltonen, Skala and Zariff, who are a climb behind and surely won't make it before the time limit. Forty kilometer to go which means it's fifteen kilometer to the actual foot of the climb, but the road is already going up a bit. The peloton follows at 2'30, a small group including Battaglin and Brandt briefly lost contact on the last, small climb but mainly the former's domestiques brought the group back.
The peloton is now approaching very fast, gaining a minute in a few kilometers. Plucinski, Bergstrom Frisk, Augustyn feel the hot breath and attack. The other five seem to give up.
Augustyn attacks again and leads onto the final climb, 26 kilometer with an average gradient of 8.5%. Plucinski and Bergstrom Frisk at 15 seconds, the former breakaway at 40 seconds and the peloton at 1'25.
The breakaway sorta melts together again. Augustyn tries once more, now with McConvey on his wheel. The peloton still giving them some room, a minute behind.
20k, McConvey with small lead over Augustyn and the following Plucinski. The other riders have been caught by the peloton, reduced to 38 riders. Ignatenko, Inkelaar, Hasta, Signorini and Gilanipoor amongst those dropped recently.
Bardet leads the pack and catches both Plucinski and now Augustyn, only a matter of time before McConvey is caught as well. Dall'Oste and Silva also dropped.
Gebremedhin uses McConvey as launch pad, the Swede attacks with ten kilometer to go. Frankiny, Schultz and Bardet seem undisturbed, and continue their pace.
The Swede is caught again a kilometer later but did reduce the pack to 29. Battaglin and Nibali are the most notable names gone, as well as the former breakaway riders.
Ndayisenga then gives it a go and Gebremedhin jumps on his wheel, perhaps together they can get away. Aular helps with setting the pace.
Unfortunately for them, the outcome is the same. However, the leading group is now down to 22 riders: Pinot Ranaweera, Frankiny Ratiy Marquez Garby, Schultz Keinath, Bardet Cort Nielsen, Lunke, Hoem Ndayisenga, Mai Kuss Giogieri Gebremedhin Bonnin Aular, Destribois Shapira Rowsell
Bardet, Destribois, Giogieri, Hoem, Mai and Rowsell lose contact. Most of them did what they were supposed to do, assist their leader until the final ten kilometer. Now everything should kick off!
The pace of Frankiny drops a few more, first Shapira and Schultz and now Ratiy! Being part of the 80 club does not guarantee a top three. Thirteen standing, seven kilometer to go. Ranaweera can be happy with a domestique like the Swiss.
Aular, Kuss and Bonnin are the next victims of the Swiss national champion. The final ten, in their current order on the road: Frankiny Ranaweera Pinot Keinath Ndayisenga Marquez Gebremedhin Garby Lunke Cort Nielsen
Five kilometer to go, and Frankiny takes a rest behind leader, resulting in last three riders to be dropped ( Aular, Kuss, Bonnin) returning. Everyone is looking to Ranaweera who is looking good.
The Sri Lankan places a short acceleration and only three can follow: Pinot, Marquez and Lunke. Garby and Keinath resort to leading the chase.
Two kilometer to go and Marquez struggles, leaving a few bike lengths. He has nothing to fear from the group behind, the gap is a minute already. The gap to the next group already a minute, even Frankiny manages to keep up after all his work.
Ranaweera makes another move at one kilometer and leaves both Pinot and Lunke with no answer. The Sauber rider is on his way to win the race!
Cort Nielsen, Kuss and Bonnin in trouble in the group even though the pace is not that high there. They're not even closing in on Marquez either so this seems to be the battle for fifth.
Ranaweera is so strong he starts celebrating way before the finish line, but with his lead over chasers being almost a minute he has the opportunity to celebrate extensively.
Aular and Ndayisenga make a final move in the final kilometer. Can they catch the struggling Marquez? Gebremedhin seems to still have some energy but Garby, Frankiny and Keinath want this race over as quickly as possible
And it's over for the winner! Sergio Luis Henao Montoya, Justo Tenorio, and now Suranga Ranaweera on the winner's list of Clasique Pico Basile. The Sri Lankan is the best climber today, taking seven and three-quarters of an hour to complete the 210 kilometer.
A close finish for second place 53 seconds later between Sindre Skjostad Lunke and Thibaut Pinot, but the former takes silver and the latter bronze. For the Norwegian it must feel like a win given he was not a major favorite before the race, for the Frenchman it might be a bit of a disappointment that Ranaweera could ride away so easily.
Marquez holds on to fourth place at two minutes. He maintained his own pace and it was fast enough to stay ahead of the group behind
Aular fifth as best ProContinental rider, a wonderful result for someone normally assigned to work for others. Ndayisenga takes the prize for best African in sixth. They finish at roughly three minutes, barely ahead of the group they attacked from.
Gebremedhin, Garby, MVP Frankiny and Keinath complete the top ten. Perhaps some are disappointed with the result but the torture is over.
At four minutes we have Cort Nielsen, Kuss and Bonnin in eleventh to thirteenth. 40 seconds later, Ratiy crosses the line in fourteenth, with Schultz another minute later in fifteenth. The gaps get bigger further down the field, Shapira 16th at 6'42, Bardet and Mai at 8'27, closely followed by Giogieri and Hoem completing the top twenty. The next five riders bring home one ranking point, which are Destribois, Rowsell, Antunes, Lehtinen and Santoro. 101 riders finish the race, 29 don't.
But only one can step on the top step of the podium and be kissed by the podium girls: Suranga Ranaweera!
