Stage 2 of the Franceville Classique is where the race will be decided. Only 163k today from Mvenge to Poubara but red rated cobbles with the final 23k of the race all 4-star cobbles. A few hills to mix things up as well and two sprint points at 103k and 128k, so those will likely go to the break but could come into play for the GC guys.
The favorites are the top cobblers, Per, 6th on the list, grabbed some bonus seconds yesterday.
About 20k gone and the first 10 attackers have come together to form the break of the day. They are on the initial cobbled section and have 2’39 on the peloton. In the break are: Belohvosciks Destribois Benedetti Staune-Mittet Gonzalez Parashchak Van den Broek Menicucci Van Sintmaartensdijk Svestad-Bardseng
Carlsberg preferring to keep their domestiques with Per today. Rabobank, Lierse, and MOL the GC teams in the break.
100k to go for the peleton, they just completed the second cobbled section with the lead reaching over 5 minutes, now they are working to bring that down. On the front are Grieg (Hulgaard), Fastned (Tjotta), Tinkoff (Gonov), and Gazelle (Sosnitskiy)
Third cobbled section for the break, the lead down to 3 minutes with 77k to go. Destribois is the first rider dropped. Altur punctures but never loses contact with the peloton.
Altur punctures but never loses contact with the peloton.
By the end of that cobbled section Menicucci is alone out front, his teammate Van Sintmaartensdijk closest to him.
The two Sauber riders are back together as they hit the 4th cobbled section, this one is only 3-star but it is almost 6k long. Five chasers 21 seconds back, the peloton at 2’25. About 20 riders dropped from the peloton but nobody unexpected. 67k still to go, 7k to the first sprint point.
A few k later Anderberg is the first GC attacker.
Menicucci is back alone by the time he reaches the sprint point. Anderberg already second man on the road, he is 1’16 down on the San Marinese. Peloton at 2’28.
5th cobbled section, 53k to ride. Anderberg catches Menicucci, they have 1’41 on the peloton which is being led by Van Gestel. Anderberg picked up 4 seconds for second at the sprint point with Van Sintmaartensdijk picking up 2 seconds. But the latter is now caught as are the rest of the original break.
Menicucci and Anderberg’s lead is cut to 45 seconds but then Grieg hesitate to commit resources and the lead swells back to 1’19 so Kasperkiewicz attacks. 45k to go, about 1k to the next cobbled section and 10k to the sprint point. Peloton down to 93 riders with the Yellow Jersey, Lander, sitting midpack.
38k to go, Kasperkiewicz has caught and dropped Anderberg but the peloton just 40 seconds down with Jansen setting the pace for Grieg. Menicucci's day out front is over.
A few meters later Pedersen doesn’t so much attack as just ride away from the peloton. He quickly closes to 27 seconds behind Kasperkiewicz. Van Hooydonck and Teunissen are trying to follow him and have almost caught Anderberg as well. The riders are tackling gradients of 4-5% here. Julius Van den Berg has been dropped after suffering a flat.
Pedersen catches Kasperkiewicz before the sprint point but a combination of the Pole’s greater climbing skills and the effort of the bridge by Pedersen means the Specialized rider comes back by Pedersen to take 6 bonus seconds. Pedersen gets 4 and Van Hooydonck the last 2. Given how tough this stage is those seconds probably won’t matter much in the GC but the points could be valuable in that competition. The peloton is down to 45 with the Yellow Jersey dropped. Jacobs also in trouble. Gamper has also attacked while Sulimov is leading the chase.
Around 30k to go. Pedersen and Kasperkiewicz have 57 seconds over the peloton which is being led by Polanc and Meiler. Paprstka just dropped off the front. The leaders have just begun the penultimate cobbled section which is 3.7k of 3 star cobbles. After that it is only a few k before the final mammoth 23k section begins. Full race situation:
Jacobs is in E8, all the favorites not mentioned are in E5.
27k to go. Meiler brings back Gamper and Teunissen. Van Hooydonck has caught the front two and the threesome has 45 seconds on the peloton. Sulimov has been dropped, Anderberg is in trouble.
By the end of that sector Van Hooydonck has been dropped by the other two. He is 29 seconds down, the peloton at 50 seconds. 1.7k to the final cobbled section. Peloton down to 22 riders with Per forcing the pace, Gerts 2nd wheel. The earlier attackers are suffering. Anderberg and Teunissen are dropped and Gamper is in trouble.
Coming off the cobbles more riders are dropped including Gamper, Neilands, Polanc and Daniel. Chase group down to 13.
And then there were 11. 22k to go, the select chasers are 40 seconds down on the leading duo with Gerts on the front. In the chase group are: Stallaert, Per, Bohli, Theuns, Altur, Gerts, Shiki Kuroeda, Ovsyannikov, Kamyshev, Senechal, and Vermeersch
18.6k to go Per catches Kasperkiewicz who has been dropped by Pedersen. The Dane still has a 28 second lead. Dropped from this group from most recent to first dropped were Kamyshev, Vermeersch, Bohli, Ovsyannikov and Kuroeda.
Kasperkiewicz is unable to stay with the chasers and Altur is dropped soon after.
Disaster for Gerts as he flats with 17k still to go and is passed by Altur and Kasperkiewicz. Stallaert is struggling in the chase group leaving 3 riders (Per, Senechal and Theuns) chasing Pedersen who still has a 32 second lead.
Per grits his teeth and riders away from Theuns and Senechal. He has Pedersen’s lead down to 20 seconds. Still 14k to ride.
1.5k later Per catches Pedersen and the Dane can’t hold his wheel. It seems like Pedersen went too early. Behind Gerts seems to be pulling Altur and Stallaert back to Theuns and Senechal.
10k banner. Per has 37 seconds on Pedersen who is just 15 seconds ahead of Gerts who has dropped the rest. Senechal 4th on the road another 36 seconds back.
7.7k Gerts reaches Pedersen, Per has 40 seconds, can these two work together to bring him back? Another 53 seconds back to Senechal then Theuns then Altur and Stallaert, then Kasperkieweicz. Polanc has recovered has is now 9th on the road ahead of Kamyshev. All of them solo except Altur and Stallaert.
4.3k to go, Pedersen and Gerts don’t seem to have the strength to catch Per, his lead is up to 55 seconds. Altur and Stallaert have caught Theuns. Polanc has passed Kasperkieweicz.
1k banner for Per, he is going to win the Franceville Classique, his lead is 1’41 over the two dots in the distance. Further back Senechal still 4th, Altur up to 5th having dropped Stallaert and Theuns who have been caught by Polanc.
Per celebrates with 400 meters to go.
2’09 later Pedersen and Gerts cross the line. Neither has the energy for a sprint but Pedersen is in front. He will take 2nd on the stage and in the GC, he is fond of 2nd this year. Not a bad result but he may have been over eager. Behind Polanc’s brave charge is fading and he has fallen back behind Kasperkieweicz.
The next 6 across are Senechal, Altur, Stallaert, Theuns, Kasperkiewicz and Polanc.
Kamyshev completes the top 10 with a big gap over Gamper, Van Hooydonck and Teunissen.
The GC top 10 matches the stage to 10 except that Kasperkiewicz’s time bonus allows him to jump from 8th to 6th. A good day for the PCT rider.
Per also wins the points competition ahead of Lander with Pedersen third.
Vermeersch faded badly at the end of stage 2 but is still the best young rider by 6 minutes over Cannister.
Tinkoff’s two in the top 10 are good enough to hold off Grieg in the team’s competition by 11 seconds.
Franceville Classique 
