Baking heat, strong winds and a crash just 7km into the parcours proved too much for a big chunk of the field and caused the peloton to split rapidly into three groups; a small lead group being chased by a second and a big pack of riders simply trying to survive some way down the road as the tough conditions dissuaded anyone from even thinking about putting in more effort than was strictly needed. An attitude of "We're all in this together; let's just get through it" developed, made most evident when Senger mechanics went to the aid of Specialized-DPM-SRAM rider Anouska Kloster - a nice demonstration of the friendliness that, for the most part, is found in women's cycling; but nevertheless many riders preferred to sit it out in the autobus and no doubt wished that they were aboard a real, air con-equipped bus.
It wasn't until the final part of the race that the attacks began. Chantal Blaak (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) was first to go but didn't get far, then van Vleuten and Shelley Olds (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) went together, apparently as much to check out one another's strength as in the hope of actually achieving anything because they'd let off the pace and were back with Blaak moments later. Blaak, meanwhile, was feeling the effects of the heat and was replaced by Amanda Spratt (Australian National Team), the three of them working together to grab an extra 50m and 30" going into the 108th kilometre.
Judith Bloem
Spratt launched an attack of her own a short while later but was soon back. The final 5km, with the three of them calmly riding together, was a fantastically tense bit of racing - each of them demonstrated the sort of self-control of which a poker player would feel proud and gave absolutely no indication of when, or even if, they were about to launch what might well prove to be the winning move. They were still together at 2km to go, then 1km, then 200m...and then van Vleuten lit the fuse and flung herself up the road towards the finish, getting there mere fractions of a second before Olds with Spratt 4" behind. The chase group arrived 1'42" later with Marieke Van Wanroij getting a 2" advantage over the rest, then a third group led by Roxane Knetemann came in just shy of three minutes after the winner. The autobus arrived at +6'23" and turned out to have no fewer than 68 riders onboard, then Judith Bloem (Restore) closed up the race when she crossed the line 6'56" after van Vleuten. Chapeau to everyone who finished - 49 riders did not.
Top Ten 1. Annemiek van Vleuten Rabobank 3h04'44" 2. Shelley Olds AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST 3. Amanda Spratt Orica GreenEdge-AIS +04" 4. Marieke Van Wanroij AA Drink-Leontien.nl +1'42" 5. Chantal Blaak AA Drink-Leontien.nl +1'44" 6. Iris Slappendel Rabobank ST 7. Pauline Ferrand Prevot Rabobank ST 8. Gracie Elvin ST 9. Suzanne De Goede Skil-Argos ST 10. Roxane Knetemann Rabobank +2'59"
Stage 4a (Saturday 7th) both starts and ends at Winsum, a town sometimes termed the treasure of the north according to the Tour website - with two traditional Dutch mills and what is reputed to be The Netherlands' oldest pub (Der Gouden Karper) set among quintessentially Dutch countryside.
The parcours leaves Winsom to the north, travelling up to Baflo and then taking a long, fast loop west and south-west to Mensingeweer. Next, it heads east along a road called the Wildeveldseweg (which must sound fantastic in a Dutch accent). Just visible to the south-west from this point is Ezinge, the oldest continually-inhabited village in the country.
Long before the ancient tribes who would become the Dutch worked out how to drain the boggy landscape, they would create artificial islands upon which to live (now known as terps and, since drainage, resembling low hills) - the example at Ezinge is still evident and is now occupied by the village's 13th Century church. During the early 20th Century, worked who dug peat for fuel began finding strange objects that were obviously of great age in the area, soon attracting the attention of archaeologists who found many more - including Roman artifacts and part of a sword almost identical to another dicovered at the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Great Britain. By dating the objects, they determined that people have lived in Ezinge since at least 600BCE, making it among the oldest continually-inhabited villages anywhere in Europe. The riders will complete five laps of the route, which should allow Ezinge to be seen even if there is early morning mist, bringing them up to a total of 76.6km.
Stage 4b, the team time trial, takes place on Saturday afternoon and covers 26.5km, beginning at Veendam some way off to the south-east from 4a. After beginning in the centre of the town on JG Pinksterstraat (53° 6'19.91"N 6°52'27.74"E), the teams pass through the streets and cross the canal, then the N33 motorway as they head into the flat fields. A route made up of fast straights punctuated with 25 bends and corners will make for a fast stage, but one in which a slower rider could very easily be dropped off the back of the squad and never find her way back. When they arrive at Oude Pekela, they follow Feiko Clockstraat into town, then turn left to arrive at the finish on Raadhuislaan (53° 6'17.39"N 7° 0'24.65"E).
Marianne Vos has pointed out that Stage 4b is likely to prove the pivotal point in the campaign of any rider - including herself - who hopes to win this race, because a race leader's General Classification advantage can very rapidly be wiped out by a slow team. For fans and rivals, this is our first opportunity to see how well the Rabobank Women's team, which was formed with the express intention of supporting Vos, performs under team time trial race conditions; making this stage one of the most important races so far this season.
Cyclopunk's prediction: GreenEDGE take the stage, but with an insufficient advantage to knock Marianne off the top spot in the GC
Weather: The riders face a chilly start to the day - it's currently only 4C at Baflo, and with a northerly wind of 25kph it feels more like -2C, possibly -4C in exposed places. At present, it's raining lightly - it should dry up later, but further showers are likely. Veendam looks set to be similar, though afternoon temperatures of 7C will at least feel above freezing though not by much, perhaps 3C.
As ever, the best way to get information during the race is by following the official Twitter @ewacttour, hashtag #EWT12 and @richiesteege.Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily: Stage 4a will be shown at 14:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST), Stage 4b will be shown along with Stage 5 tomorrow at the same time.
Stage 6 - click to enlarge (image credit: Diario Vasco)
Far away to the south, the Tour of the Basque Country enters its sixth and final stage (final stage? Seriously? How did that happened already?!). It's an 18.9km individual time trial and the only stage in this race without mountains, though there are two small hills to take the edge off top speeds.
By the looks of things, it's going to be a a very interesting stage, too: a look at the General Classification reveals numerous riders who could win overall simply by winning today - the top 17 riders are all within a minute of one another. Climbers Joaquin Rodriguez (currently 1st in GC, Katusha) and Samuel Sanchez (currently 2nd, Euskaltel-Euskadi) have got some serious work to do today, not just if either one of them would like to win this year but simply in order to finish in the top 10.
So you're racing Tony Martin in an
individual time trial? Good luck with
that one, chaps. (image credit: Petit BrunCC BY-SA 2.0)
Will they do it? Hard to say. The riders currently in the top positions are, unsurprisingly, almost all climbers; but there are some good all-rounders seeded among them - Michele Scarponi (5th, Lampre-ISD), Ryder Hesjedal (8th, Garmin-Barracuda), Chris Horner (10th, RadioShack-Nissan). Most dangerous of all, however, is Tony Martin of Omega Pharma-QuickStep. 56" is a big gap to make up, but Martin is the man who took the World Time Trial Championship from Fabian Cancellara. If anyone can do it, Martin's your man.
Weather: More rain. Worse still, it'll come as scattered showers, so some riders may have enjoy a dry course while others have to tackle it wet - which can make all the difference and lose the race. Currently, the temperature in Onati is a chilly 6C, which probably feels more like 0C with the 17kph westerly wind. It should warm up to around 12C this afternoon and, since the wind will change to south-west (coming over land rather than sea) it'll feel like 12C too.
Euskal Irrati Telebista provide a free and legal stream of the race each day from 14:15 (BST - add 1h for CEST).
Another day full of attacks, breaks and serious high speed with the pack splitting apart then coming back together time and time again as they completed six laps around the Oldambtmeer lake in the north-western corner of the Netherlands.
Irina Molicheva was star of the show and earned the respect of her RusVelo team sponsors after making an impressive attempt at a solo break and briefly gaining an advantage of 15" before a group of seven chasers went after her and brought her back tot he bunch. Around 30 riders led by Chantal Blaak (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), Kirsten Wild (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), Adrie Visser (Skil-Argos) and Loes Gunnewijk (GreenEDGE) got away with 25km to go, then the result seemed narrowed down to a choice of four when Judith Arndt (GreenEDGE), Visser, Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank) and Emilia Fahlin (Specialized-Lululemon) split off when the end came within 8km.
However, they too were caught rapidly as the peloton began the last approach to the finish line and Marianne Vos (Rabobank), Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Specialized-Lululemon) and Kirsten Wild began a three-woman duel. Many will have been expecting Vos to win, but it was Teutenberg who had the explosive power needed to take the sprint as she nudged Vos into second and take her second consecutive victory.
Vos continues to lead the General Classification, increasing her advantage to 32". (More to come...)
1. Ina Yoko Teutenberg Specialized-Lululemon 02h41'09"
2. Marianne Vos Rabobank ST
3. Kirsten Wild AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST 4. Laura Van Der Kamp Dolmans-Boels ST 5. Evelyn Arys Kleo ST 6. Romy Kasper RusVelo ST 7. Leah Kirchmann ST 8. Adrie Visser Skil-Argos ST 9. Rochelle Gilmore Faren-Honda Team ST 10. Anna Van Der Breggen Sengers ST (Full results)
Follow the official race Twitter @ewachttour for details during each stage and information on the race. Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). It's also available online here (Silverlight required).
Energiewacht Tour Stage 3 - Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 5 - Ballan questions Pozzato's Ronde tactics - No Paris-Roubaix for Leukemans - Argos-Shimano will race the Tour
Stage 3 (Friday 6th) consists of six laps of an 18.4km circuit around the Oldambtmeer lake (53°10'16.18"N 7° 1'31.82"E). It begins on Hoofdstraat by a church (53°11'40.37"N 7° 0'36.38"E), then heads briefly south before rounding the southern edge of the water. At 800 hectares, Oldambtmeer is one of the largest lakes in the Netherlands and is completely artificial, having been created as part of an environmentally sustainable project that includes Blauwestad, a new village designed specifically to encourage bicycle use - since the Dutch in the rest of the country are already well and truly in love with the bike, it seems likely that the locals here are going to turn out in huge numbers to see the race.
After passing between the two smaller lakes on the western side, the riders follow the road along the southern banks and then turn north onto the N967. They arrive at Oostwold and then head west along Huningaweg, back to Hoofdstraat and on to the finish line located at the same point they started. It's another very flat parcours, with a straight and slightly downhill initial section that will promote fast starts and, as was the case yesterday, encourage breaks - if a group of favourites forms in the early part of the race again, they could easily dominate the race. If they don't, expect attacks aplenty from the lesser-known riders - and a concerted effort from the big guns as they pull them back in the final lap.
Marianne Vos (Rabobank) prefers a twistier parcours but since she excels on any route, chances are she'll retain and probably increase her General Classification lead today. The stage will in all likelihood finish with a large group crossing the line together, which means that with the 2.5km, ever-so-slightly uphill final section between Oostwold and the church it'll be the powerful sprinters such as Lizzie Armitstead and Kirsten Wild (both AA Drink-Leontien.nl) who are the ones to watch.
Note: Oldambtmeer is an important nature reserve - if you're fortunate enough to be at the race or to have access to footage, look out for the spoonbills which nest in the reeds at this time of year.
The weather's not looking bad for the stage with sunshine expected for at least part of the day. However, there's a reasonably high chance of light showers and although it won't be windy the temperature as the race begins will feel cold at 6C. Maximum temperature today will be about 9C.
Follow the official race Twitter @ewachttour for details during each stage and information on the race. Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's edition being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST).
Stage 5 - click to enlarge (image credit: Diario Vasco)
Time flies when you're having fun - and the fact that the Tour of the Basque Country is already on its penultimate stage demonstrates just how good a race it's been this year (to think it nearly didn't happen! Eskerrik asko Sabadell Guipuzcoano!)
There's a flat run-in over the first 18km or so again today, followed by Cat 3 climb Alto Gurutze - so anyone planning a break might opt to leave it until the 25km mark after which there are 40km to the next climb, another Cat 3. After passing through a lit tunnel at 90km, riders begin a long climb of Cat 2 Alto de Elosua: the summit is 681m up, but the road is in good condition and not too steep so a break could survive and even increase its advantage on the fast descent once they're over the top and on their way to Alo de Eskarga, Cat 3 and 492km.
If the break's still going after 120km, the pack will be wanting to start picking up the pace to bring them back in over the 35km to Alto de Esentzio, Cat 2 and the last climb of the day, as well as the steepest at 8.57% - which could see the climbers move up to the front of the pack before the initially gentle, then steep descent into the last 12km. Since Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) can descend every bit as well as he can climb (a rare talent), he could get a lead on the mountain, increase it on the way down and then - with luck on his side - power his way through the last section to win his second stage of the race. However, there are a lot of other very talented climbers in this race - and perhaps even more of a danger to Sanchez's hopes, there's Stage 1 winner José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar), a man with an even rarer talent in that he can sprint with the best of them but also knows what he's doing in a sprint. If Rojas can get himself up near the front for the final 2km, he may prove unbeatable today.
Note: If you watch the race, look out for the beautiful medieval architecture at Oñati - especially the Hezkuntza Euskal Herrian (Ancient University of the Basque Country) which, having been built in 1542, is one of the oldest buildings still standing (and in use) anywhere in Spain.
Weather: For the early part of the stage, things aren't looking too bad - Bera may have some light showers today, but should escape heavy rain. It'll also be a reasonable racing temperature at 15C. If the race avoids rain all the way to the end the riders can consider themselves lucky, however; there's at least a 62% of heavier showers around midpoint Bergara and a possibility of thunderstorms with heavy rain at Oñati where the stage ends.
Euskal Irrati Telebista provide a free and legal stream of the race each day from 14:15 (BST - add 1h for CEST).
BMC's Alessandro Ballan believes that he and Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Sella Italia) could have beaten Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma QuickStep) at the Ronde van Vlaanderen had Pozzato not failed to understand tactics.
"To beat Boonen, you've got to attack again and again to tire him out before the sprint," he told L'Equipe. "I was alone in the attack and each time, so Boonen started right away on my wheel. Result: he was fresh as we went into the final 400m."
He also questions what Pozzato was thinking. "I think Flippo kept in mind that two years ago he won the sprint in the E3 Harelbeke [it was actually 2009 - CP]. The thing is, Boonen is on top form this year - I really wonder if Filippo believed he could beat him in the sprint when Boonen won a 30-strong bunch sprint at Gent-Wevelgem, where Pozzato finished ninth."
Other News
Björn Leukemans will miss Paris-Roubaix, Vacansoleil-DCM have confirmed. The 34-year-old Belgian has had an inflamed and painful knee since he crashed at the Ronde van Vlaanderen last weekend.
Argos-Shimano have confirmed that they have received an invite to take part in this year's Tour de France. More details on their website.
As expected on the flat Bad Nieuweschans parcours, today's 107.3km stage was dominated by a group of fast riders who escaped the peloton away early on - and since that break included the likes of Adrie Visser, Iris Slappendel, Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos and 18 other fast favourites, the rest of the field really had no chance at all of sending a rider up to win this one.
Sofie Verdonck (Dura Vermeer-Zuidwesthoek) and Sandra van Veghal (Specialized-DPD-SRAM) had what looked to be a nasty crash, race organisers later noticing a wing mirror missing from a car parked at the side of the road which seems a likely cause. There's no information on their well-being as of yet, but it'll be added here as soon as possible.
With the 22 leaders off up the road, the field began to break apart as the race progressed and gradually formed into several distinct groups. The second pack arrived at the finish 3'44" behind the leaders, then the third 6'02" with various riders coming in either alone, in pairs or in groups afterwards
Rabobank's Marianne Vos now leads
the General Classification
First over the line Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Specialized-Lululemon), beating Kirsten Wild (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) and Marianne Vos (Rabobank) in a fast and furious sprint - Teutenberg's first win of the year and the latest in what has been a fantastic first season for an already great team. Vos - who only recovered from 'flu a day or two before this race began, remember - now moves into overall leadership.
Top Ten
1. Ina Yoko Teutenberg Specialized-Lululemon 02:35:50
2. Kirsten Wild AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST
3. Marianne Vos Rabobank ST 4. Adrie Visser Skil-Argos ST 5. Elizabeth Armitstead AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST 6. Laura Van Der Kamp Dolmans-Boels ST 7. Ellen Van Dijk Team Specialized- ululemon ST 8. Romy Kasper RusVelo ST 9. Annemiek Van Vleuten Rabobank ST 10. Trixi Worrack Specialized-Lululemon ST
Follow the official race Twitter @ewachttour for details during each stage and information on the race. Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). It's also available online here (Silverlight required).
Energiewacht Tour Stage 1
For 2012, the women's Energiewacht Tour has grown to five days - a promising sign in these times when so many races are disappearing for lack of sponsorship or, worse, interest. There's not much in the way of hills in this part of the world (in fact, at a few points along the way the riders will be below sea level), which makes some people think it won't be an interesting race; however, that couldn't be further from the truth - flat stages such as these promote breakaways and attacks, leading to a fast and furious sort of race.
Stage 1 proved this to be very much the case as riders set new best times, other riders smashed them and the process repeated itself time and time again. Clara Hughes (Specialized-Lululemon) set the benchmark at 19'52" early on in the 15.1km individual time trial and remained the fastest for some time. Alexis Rhodes (GreenEDGE) made a lightning fast start and looked set to smash it, but she slowed after passing through Garrelsweer and left Hughes' time intact. It took no less a rider than Olympic Champion Kristin Armstrong (USA) to finally top it, which earned her first place for the stage - and the fact current TT World Champion Judith Arndt (GreenEdge), last year's winner Adrie Visser (Skil-Argos) and Marianne Vos all finished with slower times shows just how much of an effort she put in. (See the podium here)
Top 6
1. Kristin Armstrong USA 19'42"
2. Clara Hughes Specialized-Lululemon +10"
3. Marianne Vos Rabobank +13" 4. Ina Yoko Teutenberg Specialized-Lululemon +45" 5. Ellen Van Dijk Specialized-Lululemon ST 6. Judith Arndt GreenEDGE ST
Cav becomes a dad - Energiwacht Tour Stage 1 - $100k on offer at women's Exergy Tour - Tour of the Basque Country Stage 3 - Scheldeprijs - new Weylandt memorial - Crash for Galimzyanov - Leukemans may miss Paris-Roubaix - Guesdon to retire
A warm welcome to Delilah Grace Cavendish
Delilah Grace Cavendish, daughter of Mark Cavendish and Peta Todd, came into the world late last night - Mark announced the news shortly after midnight on Twitter:
Energiwacht Tour Stage 1 Stage report and results here.
For 2012, the women's Energiwacht Tour has grown to five days - a promising sign in these times when so many races are disappearing for lack of sponsorship or, worse, interest. There's not much in the way of hills in this part of the world (in fact, at a few points along the way the riders will be below sea level), which makes some people think it won't be an interesting race; however, that couldn't be further from the truth - flat stages such as these promote breakaways and attacks, leading to a fast and furious sort of race.
Stage 1 is a 15.1km individual time trial heading west out of Appingedam (53°19'13.91"N 6°50'48.52"E) and through the flat pastureland to Garrelsweer (53°18'48.25"N 6°47'0.82"E) where it turns east to head back, following the canal past some grand country houses. With good roads and no hills, it promises to be a very fast parcours indeed despite a cold north-easterly wind - definitely territory for the time trial specialists (but one where a sprinter might also do well), which is why current World Time Trial Champion (won on a parcours not too dissimilar to this) Judith Arndt is the rider to watch today. There's an up-to-date start list here and the route details are here.
If you're fortunate enough to find live coverage or even get to the race, there's plenty to see along the route (in addition to racing, of course). The outward trip to Garrelsweer passes through some typically Dutch countryside with a number of little churches and cottages dotted among the wide, flat fields and there's a traditional windmill located on the corner of Meedenweg and Hoeksmeersterweg (53°17'51.76"N 6°47'9.31"E - which, for its views and two corners to slow the riders and prevent being nothing but a brightly-coloured flash of movement as they pass by at full speed, looks a good spot from which to view the race). On the return journey, the entire Alberdaweg follows the attractive canal back to Appingedam with views of the boats on the right and the country houses on the left.
Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). Follow @ewachttour for regular updates.
$100k on offer at women's Exergy Tour
The organisers of the 2012 Exergy Tour - due to take place in Idaho, USA from the 24th to the 28th of May - have managed to put together a women's prize fund of $100,000. It's believed to be the largest pot in the history of women's professional cycling - note that the prize fund for the women's race at Gent-Wevelgem was €1000 ($1,314.20) in total.
“One of the primary reasons we founded the Exergy Tour is to help gain notoriety and exposure for the advancement of women’s professional cycling and to encourage media, corporate sponsors, governing bodies, spectators and fans to recognize the value of women’s competitive athletics,” said James Carkulis, CEO of Exergy Development Group, the race's main sponsor. “Offering a significant payout for this race elevates the excitement to a level equal in stature to men’s pro cycling. Our hope is for the Exergy Tour to bring opportunities for both marketing and the media to open up more possibilities for women’s cycling in the USA and abroad.” (More from PRWeb)
It's good to see a sponsor put their money where their mouth is in supporting women's cycling!
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 3 Stage report and results here.
The Tour of the Basque Country continues rolling through the mountains; but whereas Stages 1 and 2 provided opportunity for the sprinters, Stage 3 is one for the climbers - it ends with a summit finish 580m up on the Alto de Usartza at Eibar, a city made famous by the manufacture of guns and scooters and which will also mark the finish of Stage 3 in the Vuelta a Espana this year. There's an introductory video, route details and start list available at Diario Vasco.
Stage 3 - click to enlarge (image credit: Diario Vasco)
The stage begins in Vittoria-Gasteiz, the Basque Country's second-largest city and, like all Basque cities, a place where beautiful ancient and modern architecture exist side-by-side to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The first 35km is flat, which is likely to encourage early breakaways hoping to make good use of the descent from first climb Alto de Kruzieta (Cat 2), but from 55km onwards it's climbs all the way with two Cat 2s, a Cat 3 and a Cat 1 in the following 100km - so if an early break does form, its members are almost certainly doomed to failure and replacement by later attempts.
Riders to watch: Frank Schleck probably isn't going to win today, but he's worth keeping an eye on - how well he does on the climbs (especially the last one) will give us some indication of his own and brother Andy's form. Damiano Cunego may do well and Euskaltel-Euskadi's Gorka Verdago could do too. Whoever you're backing today, save an extra cheer for Thomas Löfkvist - it's the Swedish-born Team Sky member 28th birthday today.
The Basque EITB TV station is covering the race and will provide a legal, free online stream each day from 14:15 BST.
Scheldeprijs
The 100th edition of Scheldeprijs Classic took place in Flanders today, covering 202.2km between Antwerp and Schoten. It's usually considered a sprinters' race, and several cobbled sections make it far from an easy one.
Scheldeprijs profile - click to enlarge
(image credit: Flanders Classics)
Mark Cavendish is a three-time winner, including 2011, but stayed away this year due to the birth of his daughter last night (see above). When the race ended with the expected sprint, specialists Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) and Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) literally threw themselves at the line - Kittel proved the fastest by fractions of a second, taking the first victory for his team. A crash just down the road just after they finished left one Europcar rider lying in the road and a photographer being taken to hospital.
1. Marcel Kittel Argos-Shimano 4:30:53
2. Tyler Farrar Garmin-Barracuda ST
3. Theo Bos Rabobank ST 4. Romain Feillu Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team ST 5. Manuel Belletti AG2R-La Mondiale ST 6. Elijah Favilli Farnese Vini-Selle Italia ST 7. Alexander Porsev Katusha ST 8. Sebastien Turgot Europcar ST 9. Giacomo Nizzolo RadioShack-Nissan ST 10. Guillaume Boivin Spider Tech Powered By C10 ST
Other news
As announced in early March, a plaque in honour of Wouter Weylandt was unveiled yesterday in Middelburg. Netherlands - site of the rider's Stage 3 victory in the 2010 Giro d'Italia. Weylandt was killed during the Giro 364 days later. (Full story from Cycling News)
Luke Durbridge (GreenEDGE) won Stage 2 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, completing the 6.8km individual time trial parcours in 8'15". @ccgdd and @tourdejose reported that Katusha's Denis Galimzyanov, Stage 1 winner, has been involved in a serious crash in the event. More when further details emerge.
Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoliel-DCM) has "inflamed knees," leading to uncertainty as to whether he'll be able to ride in Sunday's Paris-Roubaix.
Frédéric Guesdon, the oldest rider in the UCI WorldTour at 40.5 years, will retire after Paris-Roubaix says his FDJ-BigMat team.
The first women's stage race of the European season, Energiwacht Tour begins on Wednesday the 4th of April at Appingdam in Groningnen. It's not an especially well-known race outside the Netherlands and the world of women's cycling; however, since it brings together the very cream of the crop for six stages (one split), it ought to be: the 2011 edition, won by Adrie Visser, was one of the highlights of the season. Take a look at the placings - with riders such as those finishing in the top 20, it was top-notch racing all the way.
Fast and furious - last year's edition
This year, the race has grown to five days - a promising sign in these times when so many races are disappearing for lack of sponsorship or, worse, interest. There's not much in the way of hills in this part of the world (in fact, at a few points along the way the riders will be below sea level), which makes some people think the race will be boring. That couldn't be further from the truth - flat stages such as these promote breakaways and attacks, leading to a fast and furious sort of race, and with a large field of well-matched riders we can expect some very exciting competition. In the final stage, we're likely to see a different sort of racing in which good team trial tactics work well: it's a parcours made up of several very long, very straight and very fast sections where the best plan is also the simplest - stick with the team, get your head down and concentrate on turning the pedals. A full list of the teams and riders (subject to change - Martine Bras and Irene van den Broek definitely won't be there) is available here.
So, unless you only like mountains, this race pretty much has everything covered. Unfortunately, there seems to be no live coverage of the race but video may appear online after each stage - if it does, it'll be added to the daily stage reports on this blog. Local TV station RTL7 has some limited coverage, details can be found at the bottom of this article, and there's a promo video at Podium Cafe to get you in the mood.
Stage 1 (Wednesday 6th) is a 15.1km individual time trial heading west out of Appingdam (53°19'13.91"N 6°50'48.52"E) and through the flat pastureland to Garrelsweer (53°18'48.25"N 6°47'0.82"E) where it turns east to head back, following the canal past some grand country houses. With good roads and no hills, it promises to be a very fast parcours indeed - definitely territory for the time trial specialists.
Stage 2 (Thursday 7th) starts and ends at Bad Nieuweschans (53°10'60.00"N 7°11'60.00"E). It takes us further out into the countryside, covering 107.3km over four circuits of the route and making a sortie over the border into Germany. Once again, there are no hills, which makes this an ideal parcours for a breakaway - a group of fast riders who manage to get away early on and keep going might just succeed in escaping the peloton for the rest of the race, but with the flat run to the finish they'll have their work cut out for them as the stage reaches its climax.
Stage 3 (Friday 6th) consists of six laps of an 18.4km circuit around the Oldambtmeer lake (53°10'16.18"N 7° 1'31.82"E). It begins on Hoofdstraat by a church (53°11'40.37"N 7° 0'36.38"E), then heads briefly south before rounding the southern edge of the lake. When at the eastern end, they turn north and follow the N967 to Oostwold and then west along Huningaweg, back to Hoofdstraat and on to the finish line located at the same point they started. It's another very flat parcours, with a straight and slightly downhill initial section that will promote fast starts and encourage breaks. If they don't, expect attacks aplenty - especially in the last lap as the riders try to gain an upper hand before it's too late.
Stage 4a (Saturday 7th) both starts and ends at Winsum, a town sometimes termed the treasure of the north according to the Tour website - with two traditional Dutch mills and what is reputed to be The Netherlands' oldest pub (Der Gouden Karper) set among quintessentially Dutch countryside. The parcours leaves Winsom to the north, travelling up to Baflo and then taking a long, fast loop west and south-west to Mensingeweer. Next, it heads east along a road called the Wildeveldseweg (which must sound fantastic in a Dutch accent). Just visible to the south-west from this point is Ezinge, the oldest continually-inhabited village in the country. Long before the ancient tribes who would become the Dutch worked out how to drain the boggy landscape, they would create artificial islands upon which to live (now known as terps and, since drainage, resembling low hills) - the example at Ezinge is still evident and is now occupied by the village's 13th Century church. During the early 20th Century, worked who dug peat for fuel began finding strange objects that were obviously of great age in the area, soon attracting the attention of archaeologists who found many more - including Roman artifacts and part of a sword almost identical to another dicovered at the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Great Britain. By dating the objects, they determined that people have lived in Ezinge since at least 600BCE, making it among the oldest continually-inhabited villages anywhere in Europe. The riders will complete five laps of the route, which should allow Ezinge to be seen even if there is early morning mist, bringing them up to a total of 76.6km.
Stage 4b takes place on Saturday afternoon, a 26.5km team time trial located at Veendam some way off to the south-east from 4a. After beginning in the centre of the town on JG Pinksterstraat (53° 6'19.91"N 6°52'27.74"E), the teams pass through the streets and cross the canal, then the N33 motorway as they head into the flat fields. A route made up of fast straights punctuated with 17 right-angled bends and corners will make for a fast stage, but one in which a slower rider could very easily be dropped off the back of the squad and never find her way back. When they arrive at Oude Pekela, they follow Feiko Clockstraat into town, then turn left to arrive at the finish on Raadhuislaan (53° 6'17.39"N 7° 0'24.65"E).
Stage 5 (Sunday 8th) covers 103.3km in total with riders completing three laps of a parcours made up of numerous long, flat stretches with sharp bends between them - not dissimilar to an extended version of Stage 4b, in fact, and almost a stage for a sprinter. The riders set out from the museum in Fraeylemaborg along a street lined with the sort of houses that in the USA are called Dutch Colonial (and here, presumably, "Dutch") and then almost immediately comes to a tight and, by the looks of it, potentially slippery left corner - with the peloton still closely packed just metres from the start, this is a point with an obvious likelihood of accidents. A road called Schlocterdiep leads to a village, Denemarken, and over a canal into a short twisty section before arriving at Eemskanaal. From this point, the route is almost entirely arrow-straight and pancake flat (well, near enough - according to Aerodata International Surveys there are a number of "hills" as high as 80cm along the way!) - this is the sort of road where clever tactics make little difference and everything comes down to which rider, or more likely which team since this is ideal territory for drafting, can ride the fastest. With the left turn at the end out of the way, the remainder of the circuit is formed of a pair of long, fast U shaped roads leading through Harkstede and to the finish line, which is 16.6km away where the stage began.
Predictions
2011 winner Adrie Visser, now riding for Skil-1t4i (image credit: Highroad Sports)
At this end of the race, it seems hard to see past Rabobank, probably the most well-drilled team in women's cycling right now - especially since the team reported on Tuesday afternoon that Marianne Vos has recovered from the illness that kept her away from the Ronde van Vlaanderen and will be back for this race. We've seen that this is a parcours that favours attacks and sprints, and when it comes down to transmitting sheer power through the chain and back wheel into the road, Vos is without equal. Rabo hasn't put all its eggs in one musette, either - should Vos be forced to abandon, Iris Slappendel and Annemiek van Vleuten are more than capable of taking the race. AA Drink-Leontien.nl are a squad worth watching too, as would be any team that was sending both lightning fast Lizzie Armitstead and Kirsten Wilde. Specialized-Lululemon have Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, another experienced rider who specialises in power, and Clara Hughes - anyone who rememebers Hughes' spectacular solo break at the Copenhagen World Championships will not be surprised if she picks up points and perhaps even a stage win. GreenEDGE have been on a winning streak since the start of the season and with Loes Gunnewijk (second place last year) and Judith Arndt onboard, that state of affairs may continue. Nicole Cooke of Faren-Honda is another rider who is very good at riding bikes very fast - she too is likely to do well. Finally, Skil-1t4i, the team led by last year's winner Adrie Visser.
To sum up, Vos is top choice (just as she is in any race, regardless of the terrain); but there are numerous riders who will chase her all the way - and when conditions are right, each of them is capable of performing exceptionally well.
RTL7 coverage
Note times are CET - minus 1 hour for BST (image credit:Energiwacht Tour)
