I got the 48 hours before I needed to be in Northern France. I was going to be riding the Paris-Roubaix... Oh S#*T!!
Coming into the team as the replacement for Turgot didn't mean that I was the Leader on the road, but it did mean I would have a big part to play on the race. We have no big rider for a high position at the end, and it could be a case of 'last man standing' for Europcar.
Race Report
Call me eager, call me stupid, but I woke up in the morning wanting to stretch my legs, and attack. So that is what I did. A group of 4 riders went away from the flag drop, and jumped out the saddle to join them.
On the first cobble sections, I got my true taste of the Hell of the North. This was completely different to what I had ridden on before, but I felt comfortable. The gap to the peleton was over 6 minutes, and we were working well as group.
As the stage wore on, cracks began to form in the escape group. Romain Bardet (AG2R) and Ruban Plaa (Movistar) were the first to be dropped, as Rast (Trek) and Martens (IAM) had attacked out of the peleton to try and bridge the gap.
The chasing pair, along with Senechal (Cofidis), quickly bridged across and with their added strength, soon resulted in Brajkovic (Astana) and Mourey (FDJ) was thrown out the back.
I lasted until 40km to go before I was caught by the main favourites. A group of 12 riders slowly but surely closed the gap, and there was nothing I could do about it. As soon as I was part of the group, I felt the sudden surge in speed. I was not going to last too much longer at this pace.
Rast, Senechal, Martens and I were dropped within 6km and it would be a case of just making sure we made it to end of the race. I had made this far, and there was no chance I was going to give up now. A top 20 place was still to fight for.
Entering the velodrome, the noise was amazing! So many fans, it was just the lift I needed to get to the end. John Degenkolb (Giant) had long won the race, and my aching legs meant that I was unable to even lift myself off the saddle to sprint. I crossed the line in 23rd place, and very proud of my ride.
My performance in the Hell of the North, I was confident that my form was coming in nicely for the Ardennes Classics. I had been worried that the missed races earlier in the season could have hindered by the missed races, and the in-team disputes, but it appeared not to be the case.
The Amstel Gold Race lay ahead as my first race in the Ardennes. Won by so great riders in the past, and with a very strong start list, I will be happy to just try and stay with the main favourites today. Yes, I had won last season in Canada, but this is completely different.
Race Report
Thinking back to the Flèche Wallonne last year, the key to Tommy Voeckler's victory was the strength to have a man in the break and offer support at the finish. Maxime Bouet was the man who attacked at the beginning of the stage, and he would form part of a 10-man breakaway.
AG2R, Movistar and BMC took control of the peleton, as the break gained over 10 minutes on the main group at one point. I sat comfortably towards the front of the main pack, with Maxime Monfort and Björn Thurau for company and protection.
The gap to the escapees was down to less than 2 minutes when the favourites began to attack. Philippe Gilbert (BMC) was the first to go, closely followed by Michal Kwiatkowski (OmegaPharma).
As more favourites began to go off the front, I decided to accelerate with them. Valverde (Movistar), Costa (Lampre) and Betancur (AG2R) were clearly the most active of the small chase group, but as the pace slowed, I kicked again to jump across to Kwiatkowski and Gilbert.
The break was all gone, as we came into the final 10 kilometres. Bouet tried to offer his support but it was no use. The pace was just too fast. I bridged to the leading pair, but also immediately the Pole Kwiatkowski attacked again. Gilbert tried to follow, but I was unable to get out the saddle. The victory was gone at that moment.
Kwiatkowski soloed to the victory, with Gilbert finishing 37" down on the Pole in second. I was tiring, and felt like I was going to be caught by the chasing group behind. On the climb to the finish, I was still clear, and I claimed my first Podium in the Ardennes! What an amazing race.
My podium in the Amstel Gold Race had left me physically buzzing, and I was really looking forward to seeing how I fared in the Flèche Wallonne. The legs, although I would have liked to have had more miles in them, were feeling good, and I was easily outshining many bigger riders.
Last year, Tommy Voeckler took a famous victory, and I played the role of domestique. 12 months later, and I lead the team in the Ardennes. I feel like I have grown into the role of Leader, and after all the issues at the beginning of the season, I was even more revved up to go out and perform.
Race Report
Cyril Gautier was our man part of the day's breakaway, as 3 riders were allowed to go clear in the first 20km. A man in the break was integral to Tommy's win last season, and we would go with that tactic again.
Belkin and Katusha took control of the peleton, and the break was allowed some breathing space as the gap grew to over 8 minutes at one point. I sat within the first 5 rows of the peleton, as I normally would, with Voeckler as my super domestique for the race.
Just like in Amstel Gold Race, the attacks happened as the race approached the 20km to go mark. Whilst I was able to respond to the early acceleration, the elastic snapped as a group of 5 managed to jump away from me. I had a good gap on the those behind, so I just need to concentrate on myself.
At the bottom of the Mur de Huy, the victory would go to Philippe Gilbert (BMC), Michel Kwiatkowski (OmegaPharma) or Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha). Jelle Vanendert (Lotto) and Bauke Mollema (Belkin) were giving chase behind, whilst I was a further 15" back on them.
In the sprint for the win, there was no contest. Gilbert showed the turn of speed that won him the Ardennes Triple in 2011. Kwiatkowski and Rodriguez had no response, and rounded out the podium. I finished in 6th, just holding off a fast finishing Simon Spliak (Katusha).
I used to look on the Tour de Romandie as a daunting race, especially after my suffering last season. But this season, it would be a key part to my Giro preparation, and finalising my form after a great Classics season.
I was never going to be able to challenge for the overall standings, but I still wanted to show myself during the race. The hillier stage 3, with its uphill sprint the finish would be my main target.
Race Report [Stage 1,2 & 3]
The 2015 edition of the Tour de Romandie opened with a Team Time Trial, and as expected Team Europcar didn't set the world alight. We finished in 12th place, 1'04" down on winners Katusha.
Stage 2 was a frantic affair, and whilst I wanted to go and attack, I also had to work for Rohan Dennis, who was the team's leader in his own preparation for the Giro.
Before the start of the race, I had set my sights on Stage 3, but following the frantic action of stage 2, it was going to be difficult. Rohan had to remain the overall focus for the GC, and I had to keep my own focus and look after him. The end of the stage was again fast and furious, and going into the latter stages of Romandie, I sat 15th on GC, 4'24" down on Race Leader Simon Spilak (Katusha). Rohan has lost some time on his GC rivals, and sat 3'55" down on the Slovenian in 13th.
@atlanta: Thanks Giro will be stage hunting for Martijn. His Mountain stats aren't good enough to challenge for a jersey. Wearing a jersey at some point in the Giro would be nice though
The second half of the race in Romandie would be where I will take more of a backseat, and prepare myself, and tailor my recovery for the Giro.
Stage 4 looked made for the tough sprinters in the peleton, with the Queen Stage coming on Stage 5. Flat for most of the day, two tough climbs end with a summit finish. Romandie ends with a Mountain TT, which again, can really be tough if you are not in the right frame of mind at the start.
Race Report [Stage 4,5 & 6]
Initially, the plan was to work for Turgot on Stage 4, but when he woke up with a head cold, it was turned to me for the finish. It was slightly uphill, and if I could position correctly, I could finish well. I crossed the line 3rd, and was shocked by my performance. The legs felt strong, and it was pedalling without any sort of effort.
The Queen Stage was taken at my own pace. I didn't want any unnecessary effort on my legs and body, and I admitted at the start on the team bus that my work for Rohan and his GC battle was over. I came home with my good friend Adam Yates (Orica), losing over 25 minutes. I dropped to 51st on GC, but a great ride from Dennis moved him up to 9th on GC.
The Mountain TT was the last stage before the Giro. I felt ok after the climbing on Stage 5, and I was surprised to finish as well as I did. I crossed the line in 42nd on the stage, beating Tony MArtin (OmegaPharma) in the process, and climbing back inside the Top 50 on GC, and 1 place ahead of Bradley Wiggins (Sky). I was happy with that.
Rohan showed he was also ready for the Giro, finishing 2nd to Chris Froome (Sky) on the stage, and finishing 8th on GC. A great result for the Australian.
John Degenkolb
Matti Breschel
Alexander Kristoff
Sep Vanmarcke
Zdenek Stybar
Sebastian Langeveld
Fabian Cancellara
Michal Kwiatkowski
Carlos Betancur
Joaquim RodrÃguez Oliver
Rui Costa
Fränk Schleck
Enrico Gasparotto
Simon Spilak
Michael Matthews
Peter Sagan
Tinkoff-Saxo
BMC Racing Team
