Vælkomin! Tórshavn is ready, the riders are ready, the managers are ready, the marshals are ready, I am ready, hopefully you at home are ready as well! Let's get underway.
By the end of the first lap we have a breakaway of five riders, leading by a minute: Al Murawwi Bratashcuk Lopez Siric Van Hoecke
The final count becomes six, as Grellier made a late move. At the end of the second lap the Frenchman joined, and the lead is three minutes.
The finish line is drawn in the harbor of Tórshavn, so plenty of boats to watch the race. Teams willing to help out in the chase at the moment are Lierse, Xero, Bakkafrost, Nordstrom, Podium Ambition and Berg.
Skip ahead a few laps and we have 100 kilometer to go. The break had a maximum lead of four minutes but is already on the way down. This is the feared hill, which has been scouted by the riders a few times now. It is there but not overly difficult, most sprinters should be able to survive it but it might be a nice launchpad for a puncheur.
Another four laps later we have about 50 kilometer left, and the breakaway is clearly visible from the from the front of the peloton. The gap is about one and a half minutes. Owen, Stannard, Medvedev and Bolivar are responsible for the increase in pace, no chance of a surprise breakaway win this race.
Three laps to go and the gap is 55 seconds, the peloton waiting for the right moment to catch the breakaway. The blue car has been parked here since the beginning, probably the only inhabitant of the Faroe Islands who doesn't like cycling. Hopefully it is gone before the sprint. Weemaes, Savini and Carr the only three riders to have been dropped from the peloton.
The first rider in the breakaway to get nervous by the approaching peloton is Al Murawwi, who attacked just before the top and hopes to take a lead on the downhill. This can hardly be called a gap, so his attempt failed. The peloton sees no attack so far and is still a minute behind.
Bratashcuk tries on the flat heading back into Tórshavn and gets a gap of about 10 seconds. No coordinated chase behind him, he might get away for real. The peloton has not gained any time on the leaders this lap, perhaps they have all been saving energy.
The Ukrainian is brought back just before the hill, where Van Hoecke voluntarily gives up and the others are also close to being caught. Schreurs and Steimle increase the pace, Ewan as only top sprinter in the front positions already with a few teammates for protection.
And at the top it is indeed game over for the entire breakaway. 20 kilometer to go, twice down and once up. Will the sprinters teams continue to set pace or will we see an adventurer going for it?
But this ascent forced some selection as local hero and Faroese Champion Veyhe takes over. In the front 26: Guarnieri, Gallopin, Van der Haar, Hermans, Sarreau, Veyhe Rowe, Novardianto, Schreurs, Van Niekerk W. Kreder, Kuznetsov, Oss, Roux Swift, Kortsidakis, Reckweg Ewan, Edmondson, Steimle Kump, Van Poppel Gaviria, Vanbilsen Boeckmans Lopez
Krieger is the next rider but at a gap. Many other lead sprinters missing the boat.
A group of sprinters returns at the start the last lap. Boev, Zabel, Avelino, Cavendish, Awang and Saber are back, as well as some helpers like Haller and Boivin. These riders can thank Philips and Andorra for sacrificing many domestiques.
Ten kilometer to go and we start the hill again, 42 riders in the first group! The next group is at 50 seconds, so most likely out of contention if Podium Ambition in person of Steimle keeps up the pace. It is possibly the last place to attack and disrupt the sprint.
Oss is the first rider up the hill, and no one bothered to increase the pace. Rowe, W. Kreder, Ewan, Guarnieri, Swift, Kump, Saber and Cavendish are amongst the first twenty riders. Eight kilometer to go.
The attacks happen straight after the hill! Kurianov, Rowe, Kuznetsov, Reckweg, Vanspeybrouck and De Bondt, a dangerous group to let go especially with the Welsh sprinter. The ball once again seems to be in Podium Ambition's court to chase.
Five kilometer to go and the gap is almost thirty seconds. Van Poppel, Maes and Vandousselaere are brought out to chase as Podium Ambition runs out of helpers.
2500 meters and the pace up front seems gone, sixteen seconds the gap now. Van Poppel could bring the sprinters back in contention! Vanspeybrouck trying to encourage his fellow escapees to go faster!
Maes was positioned at the front of the chasers but now tries to bridge over himself, leaving Vandousselaere to lead the pack. The gap still fifteen seconds and the finish is getting closer, the boats are visible again. Ewan moving up to third position, but no train for any top sprinter.
Final kilometer! The attack is effectively caught by Boivin leading out Kump! Ewan at a few bike lengths behind the former World Champion with Guarnieri and Swift behind him, Zabel passing on the other side of Maes. Rowe though has the advantage going into the sprint and has already moved into the lead, Kuznetsov and De Bondt trying to sprint against him.
Rowe doesn't seem to be very strong as Kuznetsov and De Bondt can almost draw alongside him. Boivin still leading out Kump at 600, forcing to go to the left side. Ewan only just passing Vanspeybrouck with Guarnieri, Zabel and Cavendish following in his slipstream.
Kump is released and has 400 meters to pass those ahead of him. Ewan meanwhile smacks head first into the car but defies physics by being able to move through objects. Guarnieri closed to his wheel and attempts to do the same. Kurianov and Reckweg are holding out nicely as well and could end up in the top five.
200 meters and Rowe's lead is down to centimeters, Kump clearly has more speed but does he have enough road to pass. Ewan is also gaining and might still take the podium, though both Kuznetsov and De Bondt are definitely not easy to beat.
Marko Kump is the inaugural winner of the GP Torshavn! Not as close as the 2018 Geelong World Championships finish photo against Bewley, which really couldn't be spotted with the naked eye, but nevertheless another close victory! Luke Rowe thought he had the winning move but but the Slovenian pips him at the end, second place for the Welshman.
An almost dead heat between Dries De Bondt and Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, but the Belgian goes to the podium and the Russian not. Their positions are well deserved, catching the sprinters off guard at the right time.
Stepan Kurianov holds on to fifth ahead of Ewan, who should have done much better given all the work his team did. Reckweg holds on to seventh against Guarnieri, whose team will not be very thrilled with this result in their home race.
Cavendish ninth, Vanspeybrouck completing the top ten and Swift just falling outside it.
Three riders who had nothing in the sprint today, Saber twelfth, Avelino thirteenth, Gaviria fourteenth. His teammate Vanbilsen in fifteenth.
Zabel sixteenth, while Boivin sees his leadout rewarded with seventeenth himself. Boeckmans, Gallopin and Novardianto complete the top twenty.
