196 km await the riders, who will win the 2021 Roma Maxima?
The breakaway of the day is formed by seventeen riders, as they are now ascending the Salita di Velletri, 5 km at 6%. The names are Bugge (Tafjord), Videika (Aker), Dakteris (Carrefour), Malacarne (Eddie Stobart), Yates (Binance), Barthe (Polar), Oss (Strava), Kooistra (Philips), Keukeleire (Trans), Venturini (Binance), Stavrakakis (Binance), Serry (Crabbe), Cannister (Carlsberg), Suter (Carlsberg), Barbier (Voyagin), Siddikov (Lierse) and Riesebeek (HelloFresh). The peloton’s maximum deficit was 4’, but that’s currently been brought down to 2’30”. Teams working in the peloton are Minions, UBS, Podium Ambition, Bralirwa and GCN. We actually just see some attacks in the peloton, as several riders try to join the leading group. These are Gamper, Manakov, Thwaites, Kulppi, Sinkeldam and both Shiki and Saya Kuroeda.
Most of the chasers join the leading group, but weaker climbers Manakov and Saya Kuroeda are unable to do so. We hit the first cobbled sector with 77 km to go, the peloton is only 1’45” behind. Nobody in the peloton was dropped on the climb.
Exactly 50 km to the finish line. The cobbles have been far from selective so far, with still almost an entire peloton together at 2’ of the leaders. Keukeleire got dropped in the leading group after suffering a puncture, whereas Malacarne simply couldn’t follow the pace anymore.
Aha, the pace is going up a bit! The peloton gets split in two, with the first peloton existing out of 55 riders! No big names missing, as they are 1’10” behind 19 leaders with 40 km to go.
We are at the end of the next cobbled sector with 28 km to go. Thwaites setting the pace and still sixteen others in the leading group able to follow, as a peloton of 44 is only 30” behind.
7 more cobbled sectors and a small but steep hill to come. Who will be victorious?
The escapees get caught a few km further. Stavrakakis still has some juice in his legs left, he attacks! Other breakaway rider Shiki Kuroeda following him, and so does favourite Altur! Other favourite Blythe doesn’t like what he sees and tries to join the attack!
As soon as the other three notice the GCN rider with them, they stop riding. The pace decreases heavily, which is the sign for Jansen to attack. Vanbilsen immediatelly following this move, but so do Blythe and the other favourites.
The attack leads to a group of fifteen with a nice gap over the rest of the peloton! Altur now with another move on the long cobbled sector with 15 km to go, as Anderberg tries to follow him! The other thirteen riders, chronologically, are Vanbilsen, Blythe, Spengler, Jansen, Baugnies, Daniel, Vanspeybrouck, Bush, Puccio, David, Zepuntke, Stallaert and Trentin.
The Aker – Mot rider unable to follow Altur! The Spaniard now with a small gap over the others, as there are 13.5 km to go! Vanbilsen and Spengler trying to close the gap!
But that’s easier said than done! Jansen drops out of the chasing group, as Blythe attacks to try and close the gap with 10 km to go, a couple of km before the riders tackle the steep hill! Two times Roma Maxima winner Vanbilsen wants to follow the GCN rider!
But Altur holds on to his lead so far! 8 km left, and we’re about to hit the steep hill now! A peloton of 60 riders only 30” behind the chasing group of favourites!
And the peloton, with guys as Van Keirsbulck and Naesen at the front, joins the chasing group with around 50% of the hill over! Zepuntke now with the attack, trying to bridge the 18 seconds to leader Altur on slopes of more than 10%!
And the German succeeds! He reaches the top in first, with Stallaert right behind him! Then we see a small gap towards Trentin and the other favourites! 6.5 km to the finish line!
5 km to go! From here on it goes slightly uphill until the finish line, with two cobbled sectors left! We have nine leaders: Stallaert, Zepuntke, Trentin, Anderberg, Altur, Daniel, Blythe, Spengler and Vanbilsen! The first chaser at 15” is Vanspeybrouck!
And Zepuntke tries again on the penultimate cobbled sector, but he’s unable to drop anyone! 3 km left! Four chasers at 30”, then a peloton of 30 at an additional 20”!
2 km to go as we hit the final cobbled sector of the day, which goes until the flamme rouge! The pace went down a bit and both Bush and David used this to join the leading group, with Puccio close as well!
Nobody gets away anymore, as eleven riders will sprint for victory! The best sprinters in this group should be Stallaert (1st), Trentin (3rd), Daniel (5th) and Blythe (6th). The final was quite hard though, so it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the sprint!
Stallaert building himself a little gap with 600 meters to go! Trentin the first rider behind!
And the gap is still the same with 400 meters to go, as Zepuntke remains in third as well!
Final 200 meters and the Carlsberg rider is coming closer! Daniel into third as well now!
Only 100 meters to go, but the first two seem done! Is someone still able to overtake them?!
Not Stallaert! The Bralirwa Belgian wins yet another PTC classic! Blythe manages to finish second with a very fast finish, as Trentin completes the podium. Daniel (4th) and former winner Vanbilsen (5th) also in the top-5, whereas the rest of the leading group comes in as follows: Spengler (6th), Anderberg (7th), Zepuntke (8th), Bush (9th), Altur (10th) and David (11th). Edmondson is the best of the rest in twelfth.
