Thanks a lot for the positive feedback! Very much appreciated!
Haven't had the time to spend much time on this due to a lot of schoolwork. I don't have much planned for the weekend tho, so expect a couple of reports during it, if everything goes according to plan.
My plan is a little risky, but it could pay off. Evaldas will be fully backed up by the rest of the squad on all stages, trying to do a nice GC thanks to the bonifications that will be up for grabs. I believe that the demanding finishes will suit him a bit better than other sprinters, so that'll be interesting.
The huge favourite in my eyes has got to be Julien Simon. Home soil plus four perfect finishes - it can barely get any better for him. A similar rider is Nicolas Roche, who'll perhaps thrive the most of all on the hardest day.
Another highlight will be watching our new signing, Serebryakov, in action for Team Type 1. He should, together with Adrien Petit be the strongest sprinter in the field. They're both questionmarks in the uphill sprints though.
OPQS, Auber and Team Type 1 keep things under control throughout the whole stage, and brings the morning breakaway closer and closer towards a shutdown as the race enters it's final phase.
Something strange happens however. With a little more than 20 km remaining, the hunt is completely blown off. With the recent similar incident from Tour de l'Ain fresh in memory, Koretzky breaks clear immediately!
After a short period of fumbling among the sprinter teams, the speed picks up again, and after an intensive chase, they swallow Koretzky inside of five kilometers to go. Just a bit too far for him this time!
The catch being made.
After trying his best to stall the chase, Paillot quickly shifts focus and instead moves to the front with Skujins and Evaldas tagging on. Funnily enough, TT1 are the ones that take up the challenge - leading out Serebryakov!
Serebryakov runs out of team mates just after the two kilometer mark and decides to go for a long one. Fortunately, Evaldas is vigilant enough to move into his future team mate's slipstream. Manuel Belletti and Barry Markus also start to move up, just as the road is about to start rising.
Serebryakov gambles on an early jump.
Evaldas makes his move past in the final corner, and proves to be far too strong for the rest! Stybar finishes with good speed as well, pushing Serebryakov down to third place. Talk about great start!
Victory for Evaldas in a tough finish!
1
Evaldas Siskevicius
La Pomme Marseille
3h43'27
2
Zdenek Stybar
OmegaPharma - Quickstep
s.t.
3
Alexander Serebryakov
Team Type 1 - Sanofi
s.t.
4
Julien Simon
Saur - Sojasun
s.t.
5
Manuel Belletti
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
2.HC: Tour du Limousin: Stage 2
Just like yesterday, Koretzky can't resist when an opportunity shows up towards the end of the race. Today in the shape of a small climb, twenty kilometres out from the finish.
To the surprise of all fans, yesterday's runner-up, Stybar, responds to the move, along with number four from yesterday, Simon.
Koretzky drags Stybar and Simon away with him.
After failing to establish any decent cooperation in the trio, Koretzky goes solo in the final ten kilometers. It's just not going to work today either though, as TT1 basically shut him down with just over three ks left. Luckily our train manages to move into position as well.
Deja-vu - La Pomme versus. TT1 towards the end.
Koretzky gets eaten up when Serebryakov storms into the lead with just over a kilometer left. Evaldas once again rapidly latches onto his back wheel. Armindo Fonseca also joins the battle today, right next to them.
Just like yesterday: Serebryakov leading Evaldas.
Serebryakov is just not going to get beaten again, and holds the lead all the way. Evaldas is barely able to stay on the wheel, let alone try to challenge. A bit too fast finish for him I think.
And guess what? Polish champion Michal Kwiatkowski completes the podium, meaning that today's top three are all riding for us next year! Kind of funny, actually!
The breakaway becomes very popular as we head on to the third day and penultimate day. Yannick and Novo makes sure that the very large group that eventually forms doesn't get too far away. An impressive job, considering that none of the other teams decide to help us.
The two obviously run out of energy after a long day, and when the other teams reject our request for help in the final ten ks, Koretzky goes off!
Accelerating away over a short climb.
As you can figure out yourself, the other teams suddenly spring to life - organizing a very strong chase. Realizing that it's a hopeless task, Koretzky slows down and waits after just five kilometres alone.
The duo actually gains around 15 seconds before anyone manages to react. Evaldas takes over at the kilometer mark, just as the road starts to go up, with the rest of the field closing in very rapidly.
After a heavy acceleration at the bottom of the climb, Evaldas pulls clear a bit more. However, the lactic acid really takes over in the last threehundred meters, just as Stybar shoots back from behind with a ridiculously high speed.
Stybar claws his way back!
It's just a bit too far and too steep for Evaldas, and Stybar makes the jump around for the stage win. Third place goes to a slight surprise, Jean-Marc Bideau.
Behind them, a gap appears. After starting the sprint from a position quite far back, Koretzky sprints up in the finale to take fourth place - annoyingly missing out on the bonifications. Well, well - can't complain about that, can I?
Our leadout train falls apart during the final lap around Limoges, on a climb that turned out a lot harder than expected.
None of the other teams seem to have the firepower to take over, so David Veilleux profits from the mess to sneak away with just over a kilometer left to go.
Evaldas finally makes it back to the front a few hundred meters later, starting the hunt together with Steven Tronet, Koen De Kort and Manuel Belletti. Unfortunately with very limited energy left from moving back up.
Veilleux escapes through the chaos.
They've left it too late though. The smart move from Veilleux allows him more than enough room to take the stage win away from the sprinters!
Simon and Tronet wrap up the rest of the bonus seconds, with Koretzky showing good finishing skill with another fourth place. Probably mainly because of the slight uphill finish. Evaldas runs out of energy too early, and fades to a tenth place. Enough to take the overall?
Yes! The only serious threat, Stybar, doesn't take any bonus seconds - meaning that Evaldas wins the race overall! Rather clearly as well, with over a minute over the big field. Surely this will give us good points!
Also known as "The race with the ridiculously difficult name". The organizers have designed a real sprinters race, with the only climb very early in the race.
Knowing that the non-sprinters' chance here is basically zero percent, it's all in for Evaldas. Perichon and Delaroziere have meanwhile taken place in the squad in difference to previously. It's purely to improve the form for upcoming races.
None of the other teams voluntarily takes the responsibility to organize the final sprint, so we take things into our own hands. It works out perfectly, with Paillot taking Skujins and Evaldas to the front with three ks left.
Complete control of things towards the end.
Skujins takes over at two km left, but can only just begin his leadout before Steele Von Hoff makes the jump out from two wheels back, forcing Evaldas to move past his team mate as well, a bit earlier than preferred.
A long one from Von Hoff!
They both get overtaken after just a hundred meters or so, and instead it's Continental Tour's own victory king, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, who adds win number 16 to his account!
An Post's Kenneth Vanbilsen pushes the South African all the way to the line though, after profiting from the slipstream. Really close one. Evaldas lost a bit of speed for a while, but recovers in the very finale to come back up to third.
Well, considering he had to start his sprint early, third is a very nice result.
And you're right, what a ridiculous name Edited by Ian Butler on 12-11-2012 21:15
2.HC: Tour de Limousin: Preview
1.2: GP Kralovehradeckeho Kraje
