Welcome to Australia for the 172k Great Ocean Road Classic.
Bol is a surprise name near the top of the favorites while Girmay gets the nod ahead of Willems for Bralirwa. The organizers don’t think Coquard has what it takes today.
16k gone and 10 riders have been able to get away although the second group of 6 haven’t quite been able to reach the first group of 4 yet. Lots of new jerseys represented. The second group in the foreground includes Muller, M. Kopecky, Watson, Toneatti, Orins, and Turek. 13 seconds ahead are Van Boven, Gojkovic, Kusi, and De Pooter.
Another 12k gone, the front groups still 8 seconds apart and the peloton, particularly Tryg, seem unwilling to let them go. Gap just under a minute. Piat chasing for the peloton.
The front groups do merge but the peloton continues to chase. With 131k gone Orins and Van Boven are dropped from the break and caught. The time to the remaining 8 is just 41 seconds. Minions and Ethiopian have also been chasing.
Bringing the attackers down to 8 seems to satisfy the peloton and the lead maxes at 3’30 with 120k to go. With 100k to go it is back to 2’46.
48k to go the lead is down to 49 seconds. Minions and Ethiopian doing the most work but Trans, Tryg and Peugot have all contributed. Right now, the front 5 chasers are Sobrero, Tuyizere, Guavita, Matuzevicius, and Van Heerden. The big news is that the peloton has split with 84 riders in this group. The big names sprinters are all in the front group but some of the 2nd tier CT guys have missed it including Bauhaus, Walscheid, Mayrhofer, and Hayakawa. Also, Willems and not Girmay in the front group for Bralirwa, they are playing mind games with the peloton.
The catch is made with 35k to go and 700 meters to the last named climb on the route (Challambra Crescent (1.4k at 7.9%). Sobrero on the front. The riders named above are all still off the back except Girmay. Ewan’s leadout man Gross has also missed the split.
Sarreau attacks on the climb.
Rogora controls Sarreau and the pace slows after the climb. The peloton briefly comes back together before Zingle and Dversnes attack with 28k to go.
Medvedev tries to join the attack but doesn’t make it. Work mainly from Peng and Leonard brings them back after about 5k.
Things remain quiet until 18k to go when Medvedev, 2 riders from DeNa (Vangheluwe, Hayashibara), 3 ridres from Greig (Salby, Abrahamsen, Dversnes) and Veyhe all launch.
That attack ends up pulling 23 riders off the front including some of the top sprinters. Ewan misses it and right now he only has Kipruto ahead of him.
Panic stations for Ethiopian as Gladysh and Chavanne try and pull Ewan across the gap. Peugeot let them go, they have 4 riders ahead. If it gets to 10k with this split well take roll call in the front group.
10k banner, it looks like the winner will come from this group. The gap has expanded to 53 seconds. Ewan did not make it across. But things could still change as the roulers teams have been doing the work but they might stop as a lot of top sprinters are still here. In the front:
Tryg (Lamperti, Walls)
DeNa (Hayashibara, Vangheluwe)
Peugot (Coquard, Zabel, Wallenborn, Venturini)
Lotto (Cherkasov, Veyhe)
JEWA (Bayer, Gough)
Grieg (Abrahamsen, Raim, Dversnes, Salby)
Simba (Sureda, Medvedev)
Riders of Rohan (Gunnlaugsson, Osborn)
Minions (Jakobsen, Major)
Trans (Liu)
7k to go, right after the 10k banner Abrahamsen attacked, he has 19 seconds on the main group. In between are Medvedev, Veyhe, Osborne and Dversnes. Venturini chasing for the rest. Bianchi have taken up the chase back in the main peloton.
5k as the crest the last of those bumps on the course. Mostly downhill from here. The 4 counter attackers have just about reached Abrahamsen, next group at 29 seconds with Venturini having cracked.
The attackers lose their momentum once they combine and the rest come back. Front group down to 15 with many of the helpers gone but Minions and Peugot both still have two sprinters here. If they hesitate now the chase group might still catch them.
3.5k to go as Major starts the lead out. It is a long way to go but with the chasers closing fast he might have felt he had to go. On his wheel Jakobsen, then Liu and Walls. Ewan has been leading the chase so not clear how much he will have left for the sprint if they make the catch.
2.4k to go. Major still leading Jakobsen. Behind them Liu and Walls. Inside it is Coquard leading out Zabel. Dversnes leading the rest behind them. The peloton of 56 is 28 seconds down and have stopped closing for now.
A huge turn by Major as he is still on the front to almost the 1k banner where Coquard accelerates. The peloton has sat up and is now 1 minute down. These 15 will contest the top 15. Also left in the group behind Dversnes are Abrahamsen, Bayer, Medvedev, Vangheluwe, Gunnlaugsson, Osborne, Cherkasov, and Veyhe.
400 meters. Right now, it is a Peugot 1-2 with Coquard on the right and Zabel on the left.
Coquard finishes his celebration but it looks like he might get Zabel’d by . . . . Zabel.
He does not, Coquard goes back-to-back down under. An outstanding race for Peugot as Zabel does get second. An outstanding race for Peugot, they sat back early but were really strong when it mattered. Jakobsen 3rd and then Walls 4th.
Liu is 5th. Then Medvedev and Bayer as the CT gets some points. Cherkasov is 8th followed by Abrahamsen and Vangheluwe. The roulers made the race but they forgot to leave the sprinters behind.
Great Ocean Road Classic 
