Even in an easy stage, the riders have to climb to an altitude of over 1400 metres. Nevertheless, the stage is classified as flat, and it suits a breakaway.
93km to go
The prediction efore the stage was that a breakaway might be succesful here. Well, the prediction was right. Antonio D'Aniello (Androni), Nick Nuyens (Saxo), Yohan Offredo (FDJ), Jerome Pineau (Saur), Frantisek Rabon (Omega Pharma), Javier Aramendia (Euskaltel) and Maarten Neyens (Lotto) are the lucky ones today that can fight for the stage win. D'Aniello secures himself with a nice consolidation price, as he collects the maximum amount of KOTM-points and becomes the new leader in the KOTM-ranking.
After 1 relatively easy day, the riders face another tough mountain stage. After the start in Spiez, the riders have to climb the Süstenpass (28.6km at 5.5%), the Oberalppass (15.0km at 6.8%) before the road starts to ascend to finish at the Oberurmein (10.5km at 8.3%) after 211km. A total of 4672 height metres!
134km to go
AG2R's Yoann Barbas leads the BOTD, consisting of 9 riders, over the Süstenpass at an altitude of 2217m. Together with Nordhaug, Albasini, Lloyd, Barredo, Ignatiev, Seeldraeyers, Bak and Colby, he has a margin of 5'30 to the peloton.
30km to go
The 9 leaders create a maximum margin of 9 minutes, when the peloton decides that it has been enough. The pace of the peloton increases (thanks to BMC and Qantas) and with 30km to go, the margin is only 4'25. At this moment, the GC-leader surprisingly attacks. Jurgen Van den Broeck uses a speed bump to attack out of the peloton, but the other GC-favourites immediately send their domestiques to the fornt and let them chase.
9km to go
The final climb has started and Van den Broeck has been caught. Being 2 minutes behind the 9 leaders, JoaquÃm RodrÃguez attacks. Tony Martin tries to counter, while we set up a high pace as usual.
5km to go
Purito gets caught again, and Kelderman takes a good position in the peloton, protected by Schleck. But when the BOTD gets caught, they both get blocked, a lot...... Somehow they can't find their way around Ignatiev and Barbas and loose a lot of time and places (with 6km to go, they're riding in 50th position!). Consequently, the 2 have to make their way through riders that are getting dropped, getting blocked a few times, and with 5km to go, they're already more than 1 minute behind the first group.
2km to go
Nothing important happens in the first group, except setting a high pace. With 2km to go, Van den Broeck must have recovered from his earlier attack and attacks again. This time, no one can follow him. Andy Schleck follows at '51, Kelderman at 1'22.
Finish
Jurgen Van den Broeck takes his 2nd stage win and sets an important step towards winning the Tour de Suisse. Alberto Contador finishes in 2nd place at '54. A group with Fränk Schleck, RodrÃguez, Nibali, Brajkovic and Kruijswijk at 1'17, Andy Schleck at 1'40 and Kelderman at 1'50.
Results
1
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
5h52'01
2
Alberto Contador
Movistar Team
+ 54
3
Fränk Schleck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 1'17
4
JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
5
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
6
Janez Brajkovic
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
7
Steven Kruijswijk
Qantas Airways
s.t.
8
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 1'40
9
Arnold Jeanneson
FDJ
+ 1'50
10
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
GC
1
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
24h52'34
2
Steven Kruijswijk
Qantas Airways
+ 1'52
3
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 2'06
4
JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
Katusha Team
+ 2'10
5
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 2'25
6
Janez Brajkovic
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 2'39
7
Alberto Contador
Movistar Team
+ 4'16
8
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 4'41
9
Giampaolo Caruso
Katusha Team
+ 5'03
10
Arnold Jeanneson
FDJ
+ 7'59
Points
1
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
40
2
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
35
3
Antonio D'Aniello
Androni Giocattoli
35
4
Janez Brajkovic
Radio Shack - Nissan
34
5
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
31
KOTM
1
Antonio D'Aniello
Androni Giocattoli
35
2
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
32
3
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
30
4
Zdenek Stybar
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
24
5
Lars Petter Nordhaug
Sky ProCycling
24
Today's winner
Word from the DS
When you followers, would be a fly and would be able to be present at the dinner in the hotel, you would have heard something like: "What the heck were you 2 thinking? Were you looking at the women next to the road??? Stay focussed and you won't get blocked! The GC-win is gone now! Wilco, you are unexperienced and can only learn from this. And Andy, when you do this in the Tour, don't be surprised when that is the last race you ride for the team!! Now shut up, let's pray and eat. And for tomorrow, you have 1 task: attack 'till you fall of the bike!"
Edited by dienblad on 21-07-2012 11:13
The 3rd big mountain stage is stage 7 from Thusis to Arosa. In the 178 kilometres, 4132 height metres await, including a mountain top finish in Arosa / Loc. Pratschli.
96km to go
No riders are allowed today to form an early breakaway, as the peloton catches all attackers. It lasts untill the descend of the Bouchwald, that a riders is able to creat a margin of bigger than 1 minute. Androni's Cristiano Salerno is the one to do it, and he arrives in the town of Davos at the 2nd KOTM-sprint with a margin of 2'06 to the peloton.
42km to go
In the 3rd climb of the day, the Oberfaz (7.6km at 10.0%) we reveal our masterplan for today. Rob Ruijgh increases the pace of the peloton with th egoal of thinning out the peloton and to function as a spring board for Wilco Kelderman and Andy Schleck.
Together with Damiano Caruso (Liquigas), the 3 Monster Energy-riders arrive at the summit of the Oberfaz with a gap of 30 seconds to the peloton. In the descend, they close the gap to Salerno.
26km to go
But the peloton doesn't want to let us sneak away. This, and the fact that Kelderman is suffering from a bad day (daily form -2), makes us throwing away our masterplan.
The ascend of the Praden (6.9km at 8.2%) has started and Andy Schleck is still in the lead. He is joined by the 2 French climbers Thibaut Pinot (AG2R) and Arnold Jeanneson (FDJ). The group of favourites (21 riders) with GC-leader Jurgen Van den Broeck setting the pace, follows at '34.
17km to go
The first part of the final climb to Arosa / Loc. Pratschli has started and Pinot attacks. Jeanneson can follow, but Schleck can't (daily form 0). Behind them, Brajkovic, Fränk Schleck and Kruiijswijk attack.
15km to go
At a very steep part of the climb (gradient of 60%!!), JoaquÃm RodrÃguez has attacked out of the chasing group. Jeanneson leads the race, with Pinot '29 behind him. A. Schleck follows at 1'00 joined by Brajkovic, Kruijswijk and bro Fränk. Purito follows at 1'24 and the group Van den Broeck, Nibali, Contador and Kelderman at 1'50.
10km to go Andy also gets cracked by Fränk, Brajkovic and Kruijswijk. As these 3 catch Pinot, only 1 rider remains up front, French Arnold Jeanneson. With the stage win and maybe the GC-lead to look forward to, Kruijswijk attacks and tries to bridge the 43-second gap to Jeanneson.
The group Contador, Nibali and Van den Broeck follows at 1'23, who have dropped Kelderman.
5km to go
Jurgen Van den Broeck realizes he has to do something not to loose his GC-lead. 'Together with Contador, he bridges the gap to Fränk Schleck and Pinot.
Jeanneson is still in the lead, Kruijswijk follows at '11, Brajkovic at '33, the group Van den Broeck at '52 and the group A. Schleck-RodrÃguez-Nibali at 1'36. Kelderman follows at 2'15.
3km to go
Jeanneson has lost the lead and settles himself in the wheel of Steven Kruijswijk. WIth 3km to go, the 2 have a gap of 28 seconds to Jurgen Van den Broeck and Janez Brajkovic. F. Schleck, Contador and Jeanneson follow at '50 and A. Schleck at 1'50....
Finish
Jeanneson is too tired to sprint, so the win goes to Dutch Steven Kruijswijk! It ain't enough for him to take over the GC-lead, as Van den Broeck finishes only '27 behind.
Brajkovic finishes in 4th, with the group F. Schleck & Contador at 1'00. Nibali finishes at 1'15, Pinot at 1'24 and an exhausted A. Schleck at 1'43. Kelderman crosses the line 3'41 behind his countryman.
Results
1
Steven Kruijswijk
Qantas Airways
5h04'49
2
Arnold Jeanneson
FDJ
s.t.
3
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
+ 18
4
Janez Brajkovic
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 27
5
Fränk Schleck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 1'00
6
Alberto Contador
Movistar Team
s.t.
7
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 1'15
8
Thibaut Pinot
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 1'24
9
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 1'43
10
JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
Katusha Team
+ 2'20
11
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 2'40
...
15
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 3'41
GC
1
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
29h57'37
2
Steven Kruijswijk
Qantas Airways
+ 1'28
3
Janez Brajkovic
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 2'52
4
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 3'51
5
JoaquÃm RodrÃguez
Katusha Team
+ 4'16
6
Alberto Contador
Movistar Team
+ 5'02
7
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 5'33
8
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 5'42
9
Giampaolo Caruso
Katusha Team
+ 7'29
10
Arnold Jeanneson
FDJ
+ 7'39
Points
1
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
50
2
Janez Brajkovic
Radio Shack - Nissan
43
3
Steven Kruijswijk
Qantas Airways
43
4
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
35
5
Antonio D'Aniello
Androni Giocattoli
35
KOTM
1
Jurgen Van den Broeck
BMC Racing Team
38
2
Antonio D'Aniello
Androni Giocattoli
35
3
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
32
4
Steven Kruijswijk
Qantas Airways
28
5
Cyril Dessel
AG2R La Mondiale
28
Today's winner
Word from the DS
2nd bad day in the mountains in a row. But this time, the boys surely showed some guts, unfortunately it didn't pay off....
Edited by dienblad on 21-07-2012 17:38
thats tough.
One of the only times I laughed out loud at a story.
