Yesterday was a hard mountain stage, and today doesn’t get any better. From 3rd cat., to 2nd to 1st, to HC. The finish is downhill though, but we still expect some interesting gaps. Is Kraftwerk able to hold on to the yellow jersey?
Polka-dot Chaiyasombat is the first to attack, but only scores two points at the top of Evergreen Heights (3rd cat), behind teammate Revard and Brandt (16th GC and now 41 points behind in the KoM). Marryatt is also here, with other guys joining the leading group being Novikov, Grmay (19TH GC and 7th KoM), Haas, Christian, Hoem (21st GC), Plucinski, Van Winden, Hansen, Verwilst. These are the first thirteen names, and moments later ten more riders make it a leading group of 23: Croes, Ablenado, Herrera (6th KoM), Azman (22nd GC, 4th KoM), Johansen, Iversen, Cannister, Bagioli, Rachid and Roe (32nd GC). Let’s head onto the mountain of second category, Conifer Mountain!
With 1.3 km to climb, Grmay attacks! Our polka-dots can be found at the back of the leading group, where unsurprisingly Van Winden and Marryatt have been dropped!
Relatively easy ten points here for the P:A rider, with Azman and Croes scoring most of the remaining points. Both the P:A and Strava rider are currently 33 points behind Chaiyasombat, the only way to get ahead of him is by winning both remaining KoM-sprints today. The peloton has been led by Sauber’s Jiang all day so far, they are 7’15” behind with 117 km to the finish line.
Without wasting energy, Christian scores ten points at the only intermediate of the day. Ablenado suffered a puncture but is now back in the leading group of 21 as they have 98 km to go. 37.5 km to go to the top of Guanella Pass (1st cat.), as the peloton is now 4’40” behind. Although the mountain officially doesn’t start for a while, it’s already going uphill from here on.
10 km to the top, still 21 leaders. In the peloton Eurosport started helping Sauber, while teams such as Kraftwerk, Indosat and Cedevita are also positioned near the front (but not helping). The gap is currently 3’50”, 70 km to the finish line.
First we see some weaker climbers such as Johansen, Iversen and Cannister dropped, but now Herrera and polka-dot Chaiyasombat also feel their efforts of this Tour of America so far! 2.5 km to climb and they are done for! McCormick now hoping for an accelerating Hoem to cross the top first!
But it’s Azman who gets beaten by Grmay in a very close sprint! For a moment we thought the Strava rider won this one, but the jury doesn’t agree! Roe, Hoem and Ablenado the only ones able to follow! A peloton of 68, with still only Eurosport and Sauber working, crosses the top at 5’.
40 km to the finish line as we’re at the bottom of the next climb: Loveland Pass (HC). A 25.5 km climb at an average of 4.1%, with the hardest part in the final kilometres. Just behind our leading five we see most of the remaining breakaway rider, but as they have been dropped before we don’t expect any miracles from them once it really comes to it. The peloton at 4’, as youngsters Pogacar and McNulty are struggling to hold onto the peloton in the descent.
Liphongyu setting the pace in the peloton, that is now only 2’20” behind the five leaders with 20 km to climb. Teammate Anacone (35th GC) unable to follow the pace.
10 km to the top as we have seven leaders, with Brandt and Croes here as well, as the peloton is still 2’20” behind. They did come some seconds closer, but as nobody is helping Sauber and Chhetri also seems to be out of energy, this seems to be a turning point in favour of the breakaway!
5 km to the top and 20 km to the finish line, as our seven leaders increased their gap to 3’20”, with nobody working in the peloton! Eighth at the top gives four KoM-points, and polka-dot Chaiyasombat can be seen in a group of three behind the seven leaders! It’s still possible to hold onto his beloved jersey, but it won’t be easy!
And definitely not when Novak attacks! Is the Lierse rider able to gap his rivals?!
Still quite some domestiques left and the gradients not high enough, he’s back in the peloton. Chaiyasombat only right ahead of them, he’s hoping for the pace to drastically drop there again with 3 km to climb for him! Our seven leaders now have 2.5 km to climb, as Croes gets dropped there!
Ablenado attacks with 2 km to climb! 1.5 km to go now, as the other five leaders are still able to follow! The peloton at two minutes now, as Chaiyasombat gets caught, hoping that it won’t be Grmay crossing the top in first! The peloton now reduced to 43 riders, with Ji (31st) the biggest victim!
500 metres to climb, Azman in the lead and Ablenado dropped! Five leaders remaining! In the peloton seven more get dropped, including Mat Senan (28th GC) and Girdlestone (26th GC and 3rd U25). Other U25 riders Pogacar and McNulty still in the group of 37 favourites, after being dropped in the descent!
Azman wins the KoM-sprint and gaps the other four, he might be on his way to an other Strava stage win! We also hear loud cheers coming from the McCormick DS car, as they hold on to the polka-dots yet another day! We also hear Radio Tour announcing yet another Novak attack!
The Lierse rider crosses the top at 2’10” of the race lead with Carapaz, Aru and Chamorro in his wheel. Number two Warchol leads the rest of the favourites over the top 30” later, as yellow jersey Nerz stays very calm and refuses to do any work so far!
Azman was unable to stay away, as he gets caught by Grmay, Roe and Hoem, with Brandt a bit further behind! 10 km to the finish line, all downhill!
Domestique Riesebeek ensuring his leader(s) don’t lose time, closing the gap to the four that got away. Difference between these two groups now only 10”. There has been another split though, with Kuss (12th) and Zordan (18th) in a group of ten riders at 40” of the group Riesebeek.
5 km left! The four leaders still with 25” over Brandt and then at an additional minute Ablenado, then the 25 favourites at 45” and at another 40” the group Kuss-Zordan-Pogacar.
2 km to go for the four leaders, as Novak now starts attacking downhill as well! Will he actually be able to create a gap?!
But first the sprint for the stage victory! Azman leads with 700 metres to go!
Still the Strava rider in the lead, 400 metres left! Hoem seems out of contention!
Roe comes closest, but only 100 metres to go for Azman!
And he holds on! Second stage win for Strava! Roe and Grmay complete the podium ahead of Hoem (4th) and Brandt (5th), who comes in around 25” later.
At 1’35”, Ablenado only just manages to hold onto sixth ahead of Novak (7th) and Chamorro (8th). Other riders coming in in this group and therefore gaining time on other GC rivals are Warchol, Gilanipoor, Carapaz, yellow jersey Nerz, Aru and Potocki!
