Even a blind person could see Summerhill is today’s favourite. After not losing time yesterday, the American might even be in pole position to take yellow today, even though it remains to be seen whether there are enough cobbles to do so. 9 KoM’s on the menu as well, so interesting to see what happens in that classification after Caruso‘s raid yesterday. Special stage for Lierse’s Verhelst today, who won the cobbled stage from the breakaway five years ago!
Six riders attack and quickly get three minutes from the peloton. On the first cobbled sector of the day, Den Doorn, Gamper shows his white jersey to the world (even though he isn’t actually leading that ranking). The five others in this group are Bridges, Hansen, Stannard, Lilovski and Knox.
A lot of today’s cobbles actually in the opening phase of the stage. The peloton now on the Taaienberg with 130 km to go, 2’45” behind the leaders. Tsatevich unlucky with a puncture, but he’s almost 6’ behind in the GC already anyway.
Hansen takes the maximum of the points on the Kanarieberg (2nd cat.), Bridges also takes some points, but is still 60 behind KoM-leader Caruso.
The first out of three intermediate sprints of the day is in Ronse, Hansen wins it ahead of Gamper and Stannard.
Shortly after the cobbles of the Oude Kruisberg the riders have to go up the Hotond (3rd cat). Gamper wins the KoM sprint against Bridges.
Bridges is the strongest on the Mont Saint-Laurent of second category, now 46 points behind Caruso.
Seems like KoM-leader Caruso and his teammates couldn’t be bothered. Saving energy for another attack tomorrow?
86 km to go as Stannard wins the Plachettes KoM-sprint of third category. Bridges might be feeling his efforts of yesterday, as he can’t overtake anyone and remains fourth the whole ascent. Lilovski and Knox don’t like cobbles and have wasted a lot of energy already and are a minute behind now.
Well, hello to you. Tsatevich with a strange attack in the peloton, so far from the finish line. He crosses the top 2’15” after the race leaders, while the peloton is another 30” behind.
Exactly 75 km to go as Gamper wins the KoM-sprint at the Muur van Geraardsbergen, one of cycling’s most mythical cobbled bergs. Tsatevich has already been caught by the peloton, that didn’t seem to trust him. They reach the top 3’ later.
The Muur is the Muur and the Muur takes no prisoners! The peloton in several pieces now, of course Summerhill is among the first 35 riders! Other important riders here are Benoot, Juul-Jensen, Kristoff, Van Lerberghe, Bush, Debesay, Kump, Houle, Schreurs, Insausti, Gaviria, Van Asbroeck and some other decent cobblers.
60 km to go as the second intermediate sprint of the day is on the Berendries. Bridges is faster than Gamper, while Hansen and Stannard are already a minute behind. The peloton of 35 two minutes behind the race lead.
Bridges is the better puncheur up front and wins the KoM-sprint on the Valkenberg (3rd cat.) with 55 km to go. Noppe takes the last points in the peloton 1’45” later.
Bridges has something special in mind and wants to lose Gamper with 50 km to go! He attacks on the Haaghoek and the Lierse rider looks close to breaking down!
The peloton of only 31 passing the same point 2’ later! Verhelst and Schreurs among those dropped.
42.5 km left as Bridges and Gamper reach the top of the Eikenberg, with Townsend and the rest of the 28-headed peloton less than a minute behind them!
After climbing the Wolvenberg the two leaders are now on the cobbles of the Holleweg. A peloton of 32 riders at one minute still. Some other riders are coming back to that little peloton indeed, one of those being Tsatevich! 38 km to the finish line.
30 km to go as Gamper gets dropped on the Molenberg and Bridges is now the only leader! He is 30” ahead of a peloton of 29, where Paprstka and Venturini lead the chase!
The Podium Ambition rider is also caught with 28 km to go! A leading group of 30 now, three hills to go, then a flat cobbled sector and then the cobbled Eikenberg with the top at only 5 km of the finish! The names in the leading group, chronologically, are: Paprstka – Bridges – Gallego Martin – Barthe – Noppe – Venturini – Nechita – Garcia Cortina – Machado – Gamper – Kristoff – Gaviria – Townsend – Summerhill – Kump – Van Asbroeck – Bush – Olesen – Boev – Benoot – Novardianto – Nych – Tsatevich – De Witte – Bester – Juul-Jensen – Debesay – Van Lerberghe – Houle – Molard.
Townsend attacks with 23 km to go and takes the maximum points on the penultimate KoM of the day on the Berendries, will this hold?!
The Brit just holds on until the final intermediate sprint, with 19 km to go. Kristoff sprints to a second place, or is this more than a sprint from the Adastra rider?
No, it wasn’t. A strong team performance here by Polar, as their riders lead the peloton of 29 into the last 15 km. Only Boev has been dropped in the last 10 km. Onto the Haaghoek now!
It is not an attack, but favourite Summerhill seems to be forcing a selection on the Haaghoek! Who will follow him, who will be dropped?!
Nobody! Even former breakaway riders Gamper and Bridges still at the back of the leading group with 12.5 km to go! One obstacle left, the Eikenberg!
Machado leads the peloton of 28 into the final 10 km! Green jersey Gaviria in third ahead of Summerhill, while domestique Nych has been dropped.
5.8 km left as Paprstka leads the peloton at the foot of the 800 meter-long Eikenberg! Townsend wants the KoM-points and attacks!
And he gets them! More importantly though is that behind him we see Van Lerberghe and Summerhill, and then a gap over green jersey Gaviria and the rest of the peloton! 5 km to go!
And of course the American champion attacks! Van Lerberghe tries to follow him, but that’s easier said than done!
But he manages to do so! The Belgian feeling strong on home soil! The two leaders enter the final 3 km with 15” over Townsend!
Right behind Townsend we see Gaviria and Kump! The two are 10” ahead of the peloton, where Novardianto is trying to bring his leaders back!
Summerhill is feeling confident and starts his sprint with 2 km to go! He has a small gap over Van Lerberghe, while Gaviria is in third a bit further!
Van Lerberghe doesn’t give up and stays in the wheel of Summerhill! The American knows that just keeping on sprinting isn’t bringing him anywhere and slows down a bit! Gaviria has lost Kump and tries to join the head of the race with 1.5 km to go! Everything still close together!
We are very close to the finish in the city centre of Oudenaarde now, with only 800 meters to go! Summerhill and Van Lerberghe still with a small gap over Gaviria, who is obviously feeling all his earlier efforts of today and earlier in this stage race now! Bush is leading out the peloton behind, but he hasn’t noticed his leader Van Asbroeck is at the back of this group!
Summerhill now really starting his sprint with 500 meters to go, as Van Lerberghe tries to follow him and Gaviria is suffering a lot in his quest to take the yellow jersey!
Van Lerberghe in the lead with 300 meters to go! The Philips rider might be on his way to a sensational victory, but all of a sudden Gaviria seems to have found those last percentages and starts his sprint as well, going way faster than the two leaders!
Final 200 meters! Van Lerberghe still in the lead, but the Lierse rider making up a lot of ground very quickly!
But the Belgian holds on! What an amazing victory for Van Lerberghe and Philips, beating world class riders such as Gaviria (2nd) and Summerhill (3rd)! The Lierse rider does increase his lead in the battle for the green jersey, and takes over the yellow jersey as well!
Kump wins the sprint for fourth place, but won’t be sleeping very well after losing Gaviria’s wheel in the finale! Other top-10 places go to Bush (5th), Houle (6th), Novardianto (7th), Debesay (8th), De Witte (9th) and Benoot (10th).
The GC has been turned upside down this time, with several riders looking to take a big drop with the hard hilly stage tomorrow. Xero doing nicely with four riders inside the top 9 though, while Van Lerberghe is currently second ahead of Kump.
