The Cheshire Cycling Tour is a one day classic this year. 199k starting in Macclesfield and finishing on the climb to Beeston Brow.
The favorites are the cobblers, can Pedersen continue his great classics season?
25k gone. Affini has been trying to bridge across to the 9-rider breakaway for a long while now, doesn’t look like he will make it. The 9 riders up front are: Girmay, Venturini, Young, Cannister, Arensman, Hagen, Visser, Goldstein, and Tikhonin. Godon is 20 seconds behind them, looks like he will make it across. The peloton is 2’04 behind the leaders. Havik has just attacked from the peloton.
133k to go, the break is passing the finish line for the first time. Girmay 34 seconds behind as he is recovering from a puncture. In a bad few moments for Carlsberg, Trentin also punctured in the pack at about the same time but he never lost contact. Godon and Havik were both able to bridge across to the break as was Palyi. Bringing the break to 12. Affini still in between the pack and the break. The break leads by 3 minutes.
A lot of punctures in the rain, Cannister is the third one from Carlsberg, he is already 1 minute down on his breakaway companions. The peloton 1’42 behind him, a lot of teams working.
109k to go the peloton is on the finishing climb again and Van Keirsbulck launches the first attack. Cannister was able to rejoin the front of the race and the break’s lead is 2’36.
90k to go. Van Keirsbulck has caught Goldstein, who has been dropped from the break, but is still 59 seconds behind the other 11 and only 1’18 up on the peloton. Behind him more attacks have come from Thwaites and Salzmann then Ringheim then Moulingui and Shiki Kuroeda. UBS and Aker leading the peloton which is down to 117 riders.
75k to go Shiki Kuroeda and Ringheim bridge up to the front. Van Keirsbulck at 45 seconds, the peloton at 2 minutes. The others have been caught. Aker doing most of the work in the peloton.
67k to go, the peloton climbing Cats Tor for the time. The lead down to 1’01 as Tinkoff have been helping. Currently Stokbro on the front. Cannister, Hagen, and Tikhonin have been dropped by the breakaway reducing it to 10 riders.
51k to go for the peloton, lead is stable at just over 1 minute. Peloton down to 61 riders as a number of 2nd tier cobblers have been dropped including Zubov, Tiller, Saya Kuroeda and Resell. Havik dropped from the break.
39k to go, second and final time up Cats Tor. Breakaway down to 7 but still hold a 57 second lead. Young and Palyi are the two dropped. Sulimov leading the peloton which is down to 42, although there is a 16-rider group just 42 seconds behind. Further back there is a 6-rider group which includes Blythe, too many hills for him today.
35k to go and Wisniowski attacks the peloton on the Corkscrew cobbles (3 star). Up front Girmay has attacked the break. The whole race within 1 minute right now.
Ringheim leads the breakaway chasers off the Rainow – Oakenbank Lane (4 star) cobbles. Girmay is 20 seconds ahead. 14 seconds behind is an attacking group including Wisniowski, Spengler, Gerts, Van Hooydonck, Theuns, David, and Benoot. Another 18 seconds back is a group with Senechal, Teunissen, and Polanc. A 23-rider “peloton” is another 19 seconds back, Van der Poel leading the chase. Grieg still have 4 riders in that group (Van der Poel, Jansen, Pedersen, De Gendt).
The Senechal group reaches the Wisniowski group and attack loses its impetus. Van der Poel leads the Greig group back to them and the peloton is back to 31 riders.
25k, Girmay is brought back by the rest of the breakaway, except Ringheim, who is dropped. Sulimov leading the peloton, they are just 29 seconds behind.
20k to rider and Girmay is the last hold out from the break to be caught making it a 38-rider lead group. Neilands and Malecki doing the work to complete the catch. From here there are three cobbled sections and a number of short climbs. The next one is Swiss Hill which is also a 3-star cobbled section.
Pedersen drives up Swiss Hill splitting off a 10-rider lead group. Then attacks them on the downhill. The other 9 are Wisniowski, Spengler, Gerts, Teunissen, Van Hooydonck, Theuns, Polanc, David and Benoot. Tinkoff have missed it and Senechal is trying to bring Kamyshev back up, they are 27 seconds down. Malecki with them. Vanbilsen a little further back, the rest seem to be out of it.
13k to go Pedersen has a 24-second lead. The two Tinkoff riders were able to rejoin. Looks like Senechal is going to go to the front. Malecki at 36 seconds.
7.5k to go. Senechal cuts Pedersen’s lead to 11 seconds before cracking. Not clear if this is good tactics by Tinkoff as Senechal seemed to have more left than Kamyshev but just used it up closing down the Greig rider. From here the Rainow-Oakenbank cobbles still to come and then the cobbled climb up Beeston Brow.
As Pedersen is caught David, Benoot, Polanc and Van Hooydonck make a move.
4.5k to go, Van Hooydonck is dropped by the leaders and is back in the chase group of 6 which is 14 seconds down. Senechal, Kamyshev and Spengler dropped from that group. Definitely not good tactics from Tinkoff.
On the cobbled section Wisniowski and Theuns bridge back up. Pedersen, Gerts and Teunissen just 6 seconds behind. Van Hooydonck dropped.
The 8 leaders are together as they turn on to the final climb up Beeston Brow. It is 1.4k long and is mostly covered with 3-star cobbles.
Gerts and Teunissen are the first to attack.
800 meters to go the attackers have a small gap. Wisniowski responding.
400 meters, Teunissen cracks. Wisniowski and Theuns looking strongest behind but Gerts’ lead is holding.
But Gerts cracks badly and Wisiniowski and Theuns catch him. David and Benoot the next two on the road.
Gerts saved everything for one move but made it a little too early. It looks like Wisiniowski versus Theuns. Benoot and David closing in but maybe too late for first place.
And Theuns proves the smartest, following Wisniowski and sweeping past him in the final meters to win the race.
A great result for PCT Phillips as Benoot sneaks past for 2nd. A brave piece of race planning pays off as hills clearly matters on this course. Wisniowski’s season of almosts continues with 3rd place here. A nice ride for David pays off with 4th.
Gerts didn’t get it quite right and settles for 5th just ahead of Polanc.
Teunissen takes 7th ahead of Pedersen, maybe a few too many hills for these two.
Cheshire Cycling Tour 
