olabj wrote:
When you write Markov is assume you mean Mørkøv, cna`tyou just write Mörköv instead? just so its a little easier to know who it is, Markov sounds like a Russian name
I did not mean to offend nad mistakenly make the name seem Russian. I do not know how to write the name using either those characters. Can you tell me how?
I was unaware of this accident, but after a quick search I found news of his accident. Dangers of the sport, I reckon. But not a way that anyone should go.
Tour Mediterreen - Stage 3:
The 3rd stages presents another tough day for the Fyn riders. Two moderate climbs early the stage. After two rolling sections in the middle of the course, a long fast downhill leads into a difficult climb to the finish. The Fyn riders will look to hold on, protect as necessary and attempt to finish strong. Giving these guys the standard pep talk at the beginning of each day is already starting to get old.
As the road begins to rise for the first climb a group of 6 shoot off the front in search of the early Mountain Points.
With 4km to the top 6 more riders attack and look to join the original break.
And its the Mach of the Bissell team who takes the first points just edging out Thompson of MTN.
As the second climb begins Kaisen (Silence-Lotto) leads a group of 21 that has broken free and presses towards the top of Col de l'Espigoulier and the 16 Mountain Points.
At the top Trek Livestrong's Baumann holds off Kaisen and Dumoulin (Cofidis)
Only a third of the way into the race and four of the Fyn riders have already lost more than 4min on the leaders. Although, Lund, Kodrup, and Werenberg have maintained contact with the main pack.
At the half way mark with 14 riders working hard together in the lead group, the Caisse d'Epargne team takes charge of the pack and begins to drive down the gap.
As the road rises to more difficult inclines Calzati attempts to bridge the gap from pack to break.
Calzati along with Jacobs of Silence-Lotto press past the leaders and gain 45" before anyone reacts.
With 25km to the finish the Yellow Jersey breaks out in an effort to catch the leaders 2'15" ahead.
Jacobs takes the next to last climb and scores the 10 points. In the distance you can see the valley followed by the final climb to the finish.
On the steep downhill the pack is gobbling up riders and the time gap it is now only 1'20".
At the foot of the last climb, Agritubel rider Moreau is the last of the leaders to be caught. Dekker (Silence-Lotto), and the Yellow Jersey (shielded by Moreau) are starting to make moves on the hill.
With 300m remaining, Dekker has been caught by Valverde. Who is the strongest up the remaining portion of the climb.
And Dekker holds on for the stage with Valverde a close second. An amazing stage.
With a strong effort, Kodrup, Lund, and Werenberg finish with the pack. A moral Victory!!!
One thing i've always hated with the PCMDaily's 2009 db is the low stats of some riders from EnergiFyn. I know Christian Ranneries and some of the other riders because he has been a rider in my club for age's. He's a good talent and a good rider on the track and therefor he should have higher stat's in TT and Sprint. TT should be around 69-71 and sprint about 70. He is a good allrounder and should have about 67-68 in Hill and 71-72 in cobblestones.. Mørkøv should also have got some more in his stats..
Tour Mediterreen - Stage 4:
Stage 4 of the tour presents one more challenging course for the field. With Valverde and Dekker only seperated by +4", my expectation is a hard tactical race. Dekker is a better TTist and with this being the last stage before tomorrow's ITT final stage Valverde may try to increase his lead. For the Fyn riders, this will be the end of a long couple of days hilly rides. Lets hope for a moderate pace by the pack and a solid ride by Team Energi Fyn.
Early in the stage 6 non-threatening riders have gained a 45" advantage on the pack.
Baumann (Trek Livestrong) takes the sprint points and the 6"/6 point prize. Keough (Kelly Benefit) takes second. The lead group of 6 now has more than 3 minutes on the pack and technically Keough is the "on the road" Tour leader.
10km from the top of the longest of two climbs the lead group's advantage has grown to more than 6 min. Back in the pack Valverde's Caisse d'Epargne crew has taken up the pacemaking, but is yet to push the pace.
At the top Baumann also claims the mountain points as he pushes for a few seconds advantage. The lead by this group of 6 has shrunk to 5'30" as the pack begins to organize up the climb.
When the leaders hit the bottom the lead has now been reduced to 4'30". You can see the pack in the distance making up ground quickly.
At the second Mountain Point, El Fares (Cofidis) is first as he, Keough, and Baumann have slipped out to 35" over the other half of the break and still hold just under a 3min lead on the closing pack.
As the pack transitions over the top Mørkøv is the only rider struggling and he fall off the back.
With 40km remaining and the climbs out of the way, the attacks begin. Berges (Agritubel) leads a 4 man break away from the pack in an effort to bridge the gap to the leaders.
Cervelo and CarmioOro have taken the reins of the pack and have narrowed the gap to less than 2min. The leaders have broken into a smaller groups in thier effort to stay away.
with just over 16km to ride the last of the hold outs is reeled in.
With 6km to the finish Fyn riders Mørkøv, Meyer, Bugge, Hansen, and Ranneries (shown here) have all lost the battle with the packs blistering pace.
MTN has placed thier riders in good position to perhaps steal a stage win although, Hushovd is also placed very well and has been the strongest sprinter so far this tour. Valverde and Dekker are both safely tucked into the pack and will go into the ITT seperated by just 4"
In the end Hushovd proves to be the strongest again and edges out MTNs Van Heerden.
Kodrup crosses the line 24th. The highest finish thus far for an Energi Fyn rider.
Summary
Not as competative of a stage as I would have expected. Both Valverde and Dekker cruised to safe finishes inside the peleton. The main breakaway was not challenged throughout the race and was caught with precision. The Fyn riders performed as expected with Kodrup, Lund, and Werenberg all finishing in the pack and the remainder struggling to stay close at all.
Correction to previous post:
I was mistaken when I noted this stage as being an ITT. Sadly it is not and that changes the manner in which I would have expected the last stage and this stage to be competed.
Tour Mediterreèn - Stage 5:
The final stage of the Tour takes us 3 laps around a 40+km Circuit that includes a short steep climb. The pace should be moderate with some amount of action as the Mountain Jersey and the overall GC are up for grabs.
10km in a group of 5 attack. Lund got a late jump, but he attempts to go with them.
The first time over the climb, Farnham (Bissell) takes the climbing points. However, the pack doesn't let anyone get too far away.
On the second loop, Delfosse (Landouwkredit) leaps off the front of the main pack.
Rider after rider leapt the gap and now a group of 12 has more than 4 minutes on the main pack as they race towards the second mountain points.
Nobody fights for the points as organized front group works to stay away.
On the downhill side of the climb, Fyn rider Kodrup speeds away from the main pack.
He extends to 40" but cannot get any further away.
As the pack reels in Kodrup. his teammate Lund leaps off the front and attempts to gain an advantage.
The jump was only temporary as the pack is focused on catching the main leaders.
Just as in the previous stages, Cervelo and CarmioOro take up the pacemaking to assure Hushovd and Ventoso are in position for a sprint finish.
The pack gobbles up the rest of the lead on the final climb and a mass sprint is inevitable.
With 3.5km to the finish, the MTN train is moving to put Van Heerden in a position to win. Hushovd is no where to be found.
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As the sprint kicks in; Kocjan (CarmioOro) seems to be in the best position however, Hushovd (Blue Points Jersey) has pulled a decent wheel and his moving up quickly.
At the 1km marker, Hushovd has swung wide and looks to be the fastest today. Can anyone stay with him?
Nobody has the speed to threaten Hushovd as he wins his third stage of the tour.
Summary:
Not as competative of a stage as I would have expected. Team Energi Fyn showed thier colors a bit in the middle of the stage, however the final drive to the sprint finish was above thier capability and most slipped off the back. This tour experience will be catalogued and used for later races.
