Year 3 of this race sees 153 riders try tame the beast in Hungary. There is usually a lot of action in a race like, so let's see if this race lives up to it. Without wasting too much time, let's get right into the action...
Favourites
FLA
HIL
RES
COB
ACC
Trentin
74
74
71
81
76
Altur
75
70
70
82
68
Daniel
73
69
76
80
72
Zepuntke
72
69
72
81
65
Vanspeybrouck
75
70
70
81
68
Vanbilsen
78
69
74
80
71
Baugnies
77
71
72
79
72
Vanmarcke
76
66
72
80
72
Van Avermaet
74
72
69
78
72
Van Keirsbulck
72
71
73
78
68
Breen
77
70
72
78
72
Sinkeldam
74
75
70
77
68
Ferreira
73
68
70
79
69
Moulingui
74
71
71
78
68
A relatively calm opening few kilometers is broken by two riders getting away on the incline. They are:
Suter Williams
The peloton is being led by the teams of the favourites - Mapei, Andorra, Podium Ambition and Lierse.
120 km to go for the break and their lead is down to 1'50". It had grown to 3'30" at one point.
Young places an attack on the first cobbles sector. Le Gac tries to follow.
Le Gac's attack didn't last long.
Young himself is caught with 97 km remaining.
Six riders have been dropped off the back but no big names are involved.
Marcos places an attack 4 kilometers later.
Maes and Nooytens have the same idea.
Owen and Jacobs also want a piece of the action!
Up ahead, Suter has dropped Williams.
The dropped riders have made it back to the pack.
Many riders are dropped with 87 kilomeers to go but all the favourites are safe. Well, all except Bakari!
Nolf, Flaksis, De Vreese and Ngandamba are the next to attack. This is a strong cobbled quartet!
85 kilometers to go. The earlier seven attackers - Maes, Owen, Nooytens, Jacobs, Marcos, Suter and Williams - are now riding together.
The second group with four riders is 1'42" behind. The pack are a further minute behind.
Next, it is the turn of Van der Haar and Oelereich to attack.
82 kilometers to go and the pack has 137 riders. Lierse and Mapei are mainly setting the pace in the pack. Podium Ambition and Andorra have kept riders at the front as well.
74 km. Williams has been dropped from the lead group in the interim and is now in the second group. Van der Haar and Oelereich have caught up as well.
Suter is now dropped from the lead group.
Nolf and Van der Haar have dropped the others from the erstwhile second group and is pushing on.
Williams and Oelerich are caught by the pack with 65 km remaining.
Flaksis and Ngandamba are caught a couple of kilometers later.
Here's the race situation with 62 kilometers to go:
E1 -> Maes, Owen, Nooytens, Jacobs, Marcos
E2 --(46" )--> Nolf, Van der Haar
E3 --(1'55" )--> De Vreese, Suter
Peloton --(3'5" )--> 96, including all favourites.
Suter is caught by the pack with 56 km left.
Van der Haar drops Nolf who's being caught by De Vreese.
De Vreese can't make up the ground and is instead caught by the peloton. Smirnovs attacks.
Nolf and Van der Haar are back riding together again.
With 50 km to go, the same five riders continue to lead, 1'33" ahead of the above mentioned duo. Smirnovs is a further 19 seconds back. The peloton trail by 2'21".
Nolf, Van der Haar and Smirnovs are caught with 46 kilometers to go and four cobbles sectors remaining. 87 riders remain in the peloton.
Trentin and Van Keirsbulck are part of a 16 rider group that has been dropped! Both have teammates with them.
More splits with 33 kilometers to go sees Van Keirsbulck fall further back to 2 minutes behind the peloton.
We see the A1 group here with Trentin, Van der Haar, Nolf, Resell, De Bondt and Poljanec.
There is a split in the lead group as well with Maes and Nooytens.
The peloton catches Maes and Nooytens with 31 km left. Trentin has made his way back as well.
Van Keirsbulck makes his way back to the pack 4 km later.
24 km to go. The peloton start the third to last cobbled section with 52 riders. They trail the lead group by 46 seconds. Andorra, Lierse and Mapei are pacing the pack. All the favourites are back to the peloton.
20 kilometers left for the three rider lead group now as they lead by 40 seconds.
Nolf is now dropped, with Van der Haar also here.
Flaksis is dropped too, is further back and pretty much out of it now.
The front group's lead is down to just 13 seconds. 12 kilometers to go for them and the 43 rider peloton.
The Nolf/ Van der Haar group is still some way back.
The break is finally caught with 11 kilometers to go.
8 km. The pack has completed the final cobbled section before the climb to the finish. Vanspeybrouck and Moulingui attack just as they come out onto flat roads.
There's a split in the peloton with the 17 rider group dropped containing Van Avermaet, Schoonbroodt, Breen, Kumara and Jacobs.
Maes has been dropped from the second group now. Van der Haar, Chaturanga and Nolf are further behind still.
Back to the front, Molingui is caught with 7 km to go.
Sinkeldam, Altur and Naesen attack and catch Vanspeybrouck. 5 kilometers left.
The 'peloton' is reduced to just eight riders: Vanbilsen Baugnies Trentin Zepuntke Daniel Vanmarcke Van Keirsbulck Ferreira
Trentin and Van Keirsbulck seem to have overcome their previous hiccup.
The next group consists of Moulingui, Bolivar. Breen, Owen and Saber.
2 kilometers to go for the leading quartet and they lead by 28 seconds. Behind them, Saber has caught up to the chase group.
Baugnies tries to take matters into his own hand and chase down the leaders.
The leaders start the final sector and 1 kilometer remains. Sinkeldam leads and his hills ability could become a factor here. Baugnies is 25 seconds behind, just about to get onto the cobbles.
Saber is dropped from the chase group.
600 meters to go for the lead group as the chasers catch Baugnies. Saber is 17 seconds back.
Sinkeldam still leads with 300 meters to go. Naesen has started to tire.
100 meters later, and Naesen is well and truly distanced!
Sinkeldam is the only one among the leaders who looks fresh with 100 meters left. He's got this now!
Behind. Ferreira has been dropped by the chase group and caught by Saber.
No celebration as Sinkeldam takes the win! Just goes to show the nature of this race! That's a huge result for his team in the CT title battle!
Altur comes past Vanspeybrouck for 2nd.
100 meters still to go for Naesen is 100 meters too much as he's almost caught now by the pack.
Trentin pips Naesen to 4th, with a stronger finish.
Daniel takes 6th.
Vanmarcke completes an uneventful race to take 7th. Quite the same for Zepuntke in 8th. Van Keisbulck, much like Trentin, does a good salvage job to get 9th. Vanbilsen is 10th.
Baugnies's late attack backfires as he can only finish 11th. Saber is 12th.
Ferreira just about holds off Bolivar for 13th.
Owen is 15th. Breen gets 16th.
Edmondson is the third Podium Ambiition rider in 17th.
Kumara and Moulingui come through next with Schoonbroodt completing the Top 20.
Today's winner - Ramon Sinkeldam.
As already mentioned, Sinkeldam pulls off a huge result for his team, perfectly utilizing his puncher skills with an excellently timed attack and excellent positioning on the final uphill. Altur keeps up the momentum that his team has built up in recent months. Andorra will probably still be happy with the podium, especially in the absence of Summerhill.
Despite the hard nature of this race, all riders managed to finish!
