krisa - Happy to hear that! Boem deserved it, yes!
sutty68 - Thanks, mate!
AbhishekLFC - Couldn't ask for a better start. Thanks
Raziz -
Selwink - I don't think so. San Remo was an exceptional performance but Antonio has to grow like any upcoming rider.
Ollfardh - I definitely agree. There's progress to be made, even though he won one of the biggest races already. Like I said before, he was far from the strongest there, but the only one brave/foolish enough to attack and that's what got him the win!
Tamijo - Exactly. Wallonne should be easier, though, with lesser hills.
Amazing support, guys! Thanks a lot, this is great for motivation. Going back to work in 5 minutes. Have a meeting after work and am going training right after so I won't be back until 8 pm and then I need to cook, eat and clean. So I hope to maybe do one race this evening but there won't be much time
Another day in the Ardennes (even though I found out the Ardennes are in Belgium so Amstel Gold Race isn't an Ardennes race) with La Flèche Wallonne.
La Flèche Wallonne
Pre-race
Should be more easy-going than Amstel, though I doubt it'll be easy in any way. Less climbing, less kilometers. Mur de Huy is something to be scared of, though. De Marchi is our absolute leader today so I'm ready to help him when I have to.
The race
If I'm being honest, today was just not a fun day. Rain, non stop. So this is Belgium, very nice(!)
A whole day riding in the rain, being wet, going up those steep hills. Just going round in the peloton.
Pier Andrea Gaudio Pucci (love him name) managed to get in the breakaway, which was probabaly the highlight of our day. Well De Marchi wasn't bad, either. Still, Cattelan scored big with San Remo early in our young existence as a team, but the Ardennes classics haven't been kind on us.
The rain didn't stop. Nobody was in a good mood today. Some days, you win Milan - San Remo. Other days, you're less happy and you almost regret being a cyclist.
I guess you need both days every once in a while.
Kwiatkowski, showing off his World Champion jersey, opened the race a bit further than we're used to in this race.
In the end, Dan Martin took a deserved victory here on the Mur of Huy.
I had a bad day all the way (did I mention it had been raining all day yet?). I crossed the finish line about 3 minutes later, around position 50.
If this is Belgium - the heart of cycling, or so they say - I need a longer adjustment period. But I have patience. I long to go back to Italy, though!
De Marchi did pretty well, with a 13th place, so at least something positive came out of this day!
Full Result
1
Daniel Martin
Team Cannondale - Garmin
5h02'10
2
Michal Kwiatkowski
Etixx - Quick-step
+ 13
3
Romain Bardet
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 19
4
Julian Alaphilippe
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
5
Simon Gerrans
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
6
Sergio Luis Henao
Team Sky
s.t.
7
Richie Porte
Team Sky
s.t.
8
Daniel Moreno
Team Katusha
s.t.
9
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
s.t.
10
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
+ 48
(...)
48
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
+3'11
Spoiler
11
Samuel Sánchez
BMC Racing Team
+ 1'08
12
Thibaut Pinot
FDJ
s.t.
13
Alessandro De Marchi
Cattelan Italia
+ 1'28
14
Jan Bakelants
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 1'36
15
Rui Costa
Lampre-Merida
+ 1'48
16
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
17
Jean-Christophe Péraud
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
18
Lars Petter Nordhaug
Team Sky
s.t.
19
Fabio Aru
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
20
Giovanni Visconti
Movistar Team
s.t.
21
Arthur Vichot
FDJ
s.t.
22
Ben Hermans
BMC Racing Team
+ 2'06
23
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
+ 2'28
24
Tony Gallopin
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
25
Diego Ulissi
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
26
Simon Spilak
Team Katusha
s.t.
27
Louis Meintjes
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
28
Tom Jelte Slagter
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 2'48
29
Tsgabu Grmay
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
30
Gianluca Brambilla
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
31
Pieter Weening
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 2'56
32
Miguel Angel Rubiano
Colombia
s.t.
33
Ryder Hesjedal
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
34
Rohan Dennis
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
35
Yukiya Arashiro
Team Europcar
+ 3'11
36
Manuele Mori
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
37
Marcel Wyss
IAM Cycling
s.t.
38
Ilnur Zakarin
Team Katusha
s.t.
39
Cameron Meyer
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
40
José Herrada
Movistar Team
s.t.
41
Egor Silin
Team Katusha
s.t.
42
Tony Martin
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
43
Simon Clarke
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
44
Enrico Gasparotto
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
45
Anthony Geslin
FDJ
s.t.
46
Alberto Contador
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
47
David López García
Team Sky
s.t.
48
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
49
Felipe Silva
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
50
Dayer Quintana
Movistar Team
s.t.
51
Julian Arredondo
Trek Factory Racing
+ 3'57
52
Bauke Mollema
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
53
Steven Kruijswijk
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 4'09
54
Arnold Jeannesson
FDJ
s.t.
55
Warren Barguil
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
56
Jan Polanc
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
57
Jarlinson Pantano
IAM Cycling
s.t.
58
Dries Devenyns
IAM Cycling
s.t.
59
Jesus Herrada
Movistar Team
s.t.
60
Yury Trofimov
Team Katusha
s.t.
61
Maxime Monfort
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
62
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
63
Fabio Duarte
Colombia
s.t.
64
John Gadret
Movistar Team
+ 4'45
65
Chris Froome
Team Sky
+ 4'59
66
Francis Mourey
FDJ
s.t.
67
Moreno Hofland
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
68
Fränk Schleck
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
69
Emanuele Sella
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
+ 5'11
70
Franco Pellizotti
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
+ 5'16
71
Laurens Ten Dam
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
72
Joe Dombrowski
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 5'25
73
Nathan Earle
Team Sky
s.t.
74
Romain Sicard
Team Europcar
s.t.
75
Sebastián Henao
Team Sky
s.t.
76
Alexey Lutsenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
77
Michael Albasini
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
78
Damiano Caruso
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
79
Jens Wallays
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
80
Leigh Howard
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
81
Manuele Boaro
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 5'55
82
Tobias Ludvigsson
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 6'42
83
Laurens De Vreese
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
84
Jérôme Coppel
IAM Cycling
s.t.
85
George Bennett
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
86
Michel Kreder
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
87
Rein Taaramae
Astana Pro Team
+ 6'55
88
Stephen Cummings
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
89
Joaquim Rodriguez
Team Katusha
s.t.
90
Frederik Backaert
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
91
Stefan Denifl
IAM Cycling
+ 7'06
92
Cayetano Jose Sarmiento
Colombia
+ 7'11
93
Matthew Busche
Trek Factory Racing
+ 7'19
94
Daan Olivier
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
95
Pavel Brutt
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
96
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
97
Damien Howson
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
98
Fabio Sabatini
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
99
Gianfranco Zilioli
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
100
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
s.t.
101
Haimar Zubeldia
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
102
Borut Bozic
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
103
Angelo Tulik
Team Europcar
s.t.
104
Mario Costa
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
105
Tom Van Asbroeck
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
106
Alex Cano
Colombia
s.t.
107
Kristof Vandewalle
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
108
Chris Anker Sørensen
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
109
Albert Timmer
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
110
Carlos Alberto Betancur
Movistar Team
s.t.
111
Bert-Jan Lindeman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
112
Laurens De Plus
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
113
Andriy Grivko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
114
Patrick Gretsch
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
115
Boris Dron
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
116
Marc De Maar
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
117
Perrig Quemeneur
Team Europcar
s.t.
118
Yannick Eijssen
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
119
Pavel Kochetkov
Team Katusha
s.t.
120
Floris De Tier
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
121
Edward Beltran
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
122
Edward Theuns
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
123
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
124
Dylan Teuns
BMC Racing Team
+ 9'23
125
Kristijan Durasek
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
126
Jackson Rodriguez
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
127
Laurent Didier
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
128
Rafael Valls
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
129
Walter Pedraza
Colombia
s.t.
130
Simone Antonini
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
131
Reinier Honig
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
132
Laurent Pichon
FDJ
s.t.
133
Mike Terpstra
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
134
Natnael Berhane
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
135
Tyler Farrar
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
136
Sean De Bie
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
137
Karel Hnik
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
138
Iljo Keisse
Etixx - Quick-step
+ 9'48
139
Roy Jans
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
s.t.
140
Pier Andrea Gaudio Pucci
Cattelan Italia
+ 9'59
141
Vasil Kiryienka
Team Sky
+ 10'27
142
Ben Gastauer
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
143
Ivan Rovny
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 10'39
144
Kenny Elissonde
FDJ
s.t.
145
Davide Villella
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
146
Moreno De Pauw
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
147
Preben Van Hecke
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
148
Yonder Godoy
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
+ 10'54
149
Brian Bulgac
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
150
Nathan Brown
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
151
Wesley Kreder
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
152
Samuel Dumoulin
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
153
Frantisek Padour
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
154
Thierry Hupond
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 11'13
155
Riccardo Zoidl
Trek Factory Racing
+ 11'18
156
Pieter Jacobs
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
157
Jérôme Cousin
Team Europcar
s.t.
158
Brayan Ramirez
Colombia
s.t.
159
Janier Acevedo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
160
Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
161
Alex Howes
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 12'05
162
Peter Stetina
BMC Racing Team
+ 12'38
163
David De la Cruz
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
164
Caleb Fairly
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 13'08
165
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Team Europcar
+ 13'54
166
Alessio Taliani
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
+ 14'36
167
Jay Thomson
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
168
Martijn Keizer
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
169
Patrick Schelling
IAM Cycling
s.t.
170
Tejay Van Garderen
BMC Racing Team
+ 14'49
171
Daniel Martinez
Colombia
s.t.
172
Carlos Verona
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
173
Jesper Asselman
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 15'16
174
Marco Minnaard
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
+ 15'39
175
Sander Armée
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
176
Alexis Vuillermoz
Ag2r La Mondiale
+ 16'38
177
Adrien Niyonshuti
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
178
Frederik Ludvigsson
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 17'38
179
Jaco Venter
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
180
John Ebsen
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
181
Alberto Losada
Team Katusha
+ 18'51
182
Gijs Van Hoecke
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
s.t.
183
Ivar Slik
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 19'25
184
Arthur Vanoverberghe
Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
+ 20'42
185
Carlos Quintero
Colombia
s.t.
186
Maxime Méderel
Team Europcar
+ 21'04
187
Miguel Angel Lopez
Astana Pro Team
+ 21'31
188
Nicolas Dougall
MTN-Qhubeka
+ 22'12
189
Bruno Maltar
Cattelan Italia
+ 22'19
190
Huub Duyn
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
191
Matteo Bono
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
192
Frederik Veuchelen
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
+ 24'27
193
Thomas Degand
IAM Cycling
+ 26'25
194
Simon Pellaud
IAM Cycling
+ 29'04
Well, that was it for me in Belgium. The team and myself have decided not to race Liège - Bastogne - Liège. I'll be racing the Tour of California in a few weeks and I'm going back home now. Maybe I'll ride one or two home races before leaving for the United States.
Liège is undoubtedly a beautiful race, with a rich history, and I'd love to be there, but the DS understands I'm still very new at this and if you look at my schedule since I turned pro, it doesn't resemble any neopro's calendar. My first races showed us I have potential for sure, but these last few races showed us I still have a long way to go, much to learn. I shouldn't go too fast.
So, I'll see you back in Italy!
Ciao
Antonio
Edited by Ian Butler on 25-04-2017 21:08
It feels good to be back in Italy. I have two more races planned before heading to the USA for the Tour of California. I'll use these two races to sharpen my form. I hope to ride a good result in either or both races.
Giro dell'Appennino
Pre-race
A hilly profile, but not overly so. A top 20 would be good today. I expect things to come down to a sprint with a thinned out peloton.
The race
The most interesting thing came when two riders attacked with 30 kilometers left.
We decided not to let them ride too far and we reacted!
When the rest of the peloton seemed unwilling to lend a hand and my team mates were getting tired, I decided to try and make the jump!
I got a small gap. The two riders were still half a minute ahead of me. Could I catch them?
With 20 km left, I caught up with the two attackers. There were three leaders now.
Unfortunately we had one dead weight, so there were only two of us pulling. Myself and Bongiorno. The peloton was hot on our tail.
I was able to shake off my two fellow attackers and went into the final kilometer alone. 500 meters and still ahead. 400 meters...
With 200 meters left, I was overhauled by the sprinters. So close to the finish, but no top 10 today!
All in all not a bad race, either. It was definitely a good attempt and I couldn't have won from a mass sprint anyway. Maybe I could've timed my attack a bit better but nobody was chasing the two attackers so I feel I did the right thing.
Full Result
1
Adam Blythe
Orica-GreenEDGE
4h40'11
2
Manuele Mori
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
3
Simone Ponzi
Southeast
s.t.
4
Manuel Belletti
Southeast
s.t.
5
Giampaolo Caruso
Team Katusha
s.t.
6
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
7
Simon Yates
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
8
Sergey Chernetckii
Team Katusha
s.t.
9
Emanuele Sella
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
10
Heinrich Haussler
IAM Cycling
s.t.
(...)
24
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Enrico Battaglin
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
12
Davide Cimolai
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
13
Davide Malacarne
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
14
Pavel Kochetkov
Team Katusha
s.t.
15
Franco Pellizotti
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
16
Valerio Agnoli
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
17
Alexey Lutsenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
18
Mauro Finetto
Southeast
s.t.
19
Fabio Taborre
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
20
Enrico Barbin
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
21
Edoardo Zardini
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
22
Alexandr Kolobnev
Team Katusha
s.t.
23
Lieuwe Westra
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
24
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
25
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
26
Stefano Pirazzi
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
27
Elia Favilli
Southeast
s.t.
28
Pierpaolo De Negri
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
29
Matthias Brandle
IAM Cycling
s.t.
30
Luis León Sánchez
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
31
Marko Kump
Adria Mobil
s.t.
32
Francesco Reda
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
33
Simon Clarke
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
34
Egor Silin
Team Katusha
s.t.
35
Gianni Moscon
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
36
Primoz Roglic
Adria Mobil
s.t.
37
Francesco Manuel Bongiorno
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
38
Paolo Ciavatta
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
39
Alessandro Malaguti
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
40
Marc Garby
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
41
Radoslav Rogina
Adria Mobil
s.t.
42
Niccolo Bonifazio
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
43
Ivan Santaromita
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
44
Simone Stortoni
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
45
Alessandro Bisolti
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
46
Valerio Conti
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
47
Svein Tuft
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
48
Luke Durbridge
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
49
Daniil Fominykh
Astana Pro Team
+ 2'04
50
Vyacheslav Kuznetsov
Team Katusha
s.t.
51
Larry Warbasse
IAM Cycling
+ 2'29
52
Battista Panetto
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
53
Federico Zurlo
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
54
Felipe Silva
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
55
Luca Wackermann
Southeast
s.t.
56
Luca Fassoli
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
57
Alberto Losada
Team Katusha
s.t.
58
Yonder Godoy
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
59
Giorgio Cecchinel
Southeast
s.t.
60
Simone Petilli
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
61
Jon Bozic
Adria Mobil
+ 3'44
62
Marcel Aregger
IAM Cycling
s.t.
63
Frantisek Padour
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
64
Riccardo Stacchiotti
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
65
Josip Rumac
Adria Mobil
s.t.
66
Domen Novak
Adria Mobil
s.t.
67
Gabriele Campello
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
68
Luca Chirico
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
69
Sondre Holst Enger
IAM Cycling
s.t.
70
Lorenzo Rota
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
71
Giovanni Carboni
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
72
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
73
Adriano Brogi
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
74
Stefano Nardelli
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
75
Giacomo Berlato
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
76
Marco Tecchio
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
77
Alessandro Tonelli
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
78
John Ebsen
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
+ 6'14
79
Giuseppe Fonzi
Southeast
s.t.
80
Francesco Chesi
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
81
Luka Pibernik
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
82
Gang Xu
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
83
Francesco Baldi
D’Amico - Bottecchia
+ 7'31
84
Eduardo Estrada
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
85
Mirko Torta
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
86
Simon Pellaud
IAM Cycling
+ 8'06
87
Manuel Todaro
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
88
Genki Yamamoto
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
89
Antonio Nibali
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
+ 9'07
90
Iltjan Nika
D’Amico - Bottecchia
+ 9'42
91
Maurizio Damiano
Team Idea 2010 ASD
+ 11'51
92
Giovanni Pedretti
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
93
Luca Cappelli
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
94
Bruno Maltar
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
One more race before I head out to the USA. Can't wait!
Ollfardh - Hmm not looking good You know my stance on that and I think a story can really flourish from the audience having to get to know the rider by sheer racing and not on stats alone. That said, anyone desperate enough can pm me about them
sutty68 - Yeah, unfortunate AI there. Antonio had to do most of the work and so it didn't quite work out. But still, a nice attempt and I'd rather have the one at MSR succeed and this fail than the other way
The Giro della Toscana was the final race before heading out to the United States. I'm leaving tomorrow, a few days early to get accustomed to the time difference before the race.
Giro della Toscana
]
Pre-race
An interesting profile. Some hills, which shouldn't be too much of a problem since they're rather short. But the roads are narrow and that will make it a very demanding race.
The Race Bono got in the breakaway, giving us some breathing room.
The race organisation really made a big mistake in some parts of the route. This corner is asking for trouble and obviously you'll get mass crashes like this. I avoided this one.
But then I got mixed up in another crash some 70 km from the finish, having to chase the peloton with De Plus.
Caruso attacking brought some panic in the peloton. He was caught about 15 minutes later, but then Reichenbach went solo.
There really was a lack of interest of catching Reichenbach and I ended up doing most of the work. I was keeping the gap around half a minute, but we weren't getting much closer and without any help it was hard to do anything more.
And so Reichenbach took the win. I had spent my energy and couldn't sprint properly, still finishing 14th, which isn't too bad. Legs felt good enough for a top 10, though.
Full Result
1
Sébastien Reichenbach
IAM Cycling
4h49'29
2
Bob Jungels
Trek Factory Racing
+ 24
3
Davide Formolo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
4
Ángel Vicioso
Team Katusha
s.t.
5
Arthur Vichot
FDJ
s.t.
6
Louis Meintjes
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
7
Maxime Bouet
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
8
Simone Ponzi
Southeast
s.t.
9
Yury Trofimov
Team Katusha
s.t.
10
Matthieu Ladagnous
FDJ
s.t.
11
Giampaolo Caruso
Team Katusha
s.t.
12
Rinaldo Nocentini
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
13
Fabio Felline
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
14
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
15
Francesco Gavazzi
Southeast
s.t.
Spoiler
16
Tiago Machado
Team Katusha
s.t.
17
Davide Malacarne
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
18
Kristjan Fajt
Adria Mobil
s.t.
19
Manuele Mori
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
20
Franco Pellizotti
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
21
Rein Taaramae
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
22
Cameron Meyer
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 2'03
23
Valerio Conti
Lampre-Merida
+ 2'51
24
Laurens De Plus
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
25
Marcel Wyss
IAM Cycling
s.t.
26
Simon Yates
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
27
Jérôme Coppel
IAM Cycling
s.t.
28
Yonnatta Monsalve
Southeast
s.t.
29
Yves Lampaert
Etixx - Quick-step
+ 3'34
30
Rüdiger Selig
Team Katusha
+ 4'00
31
Hugo Houle
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
32
Francis Mourey
FDJ
s.t.
33
Nathan Haas
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
34
Benoit Vaugrenard
FDJ
s.t.
35
Paolo Tiralongo
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
36
Niccolo Bonifazio
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
37
Michal Golas
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
38
Stephen Cummings
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
39
Lukasz Wisniowski
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
40
Kenny Elissonde
FDJ
s.t.
41
Gianni Moscon
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
42
Edoardo Zardini
Bardiani CSF
+ 4'46
43
Karel Hnik
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
44
Francesco Manuel Bongiorno
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
45
Simone Petilli
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
+ 5'15
46
Radoslav Rogina
Adria Mobil
s.t.
47
Fabio Chinello
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
48
Tyler Farrar
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
49
Davide Cimolai
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
50
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
51
Pierre-Roger Latour
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
52
Mikael Chérel
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
53
Petr Vakoc
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
54
Jan Polanc
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
55
Pierpaolo De Negri
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
56
Natnael Berhane
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
57
Alexis Vuillermoz
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
58
Primoz Roglic
Adria Mobil
s.t.
59
Guillaume Bonnafond
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
60
Tsgabu Grmay
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
61
Diego Rosa
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
62
Kristof Vandewalle
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
63
Quentin Jauregui
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
64
Andrea Zordan
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
65
Youcef Reguigui
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
66
Matteo Bono
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
67
Matej Mohoric
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
68
Matthew Busche
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
69
Carlos Verona
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
70
Luke Durbridge
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
71
Riccardo Zoidl
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
72
Olivier Le Gac
FDJ
s.t.
73
Stef Clement
IAM Cycling
s.t.
74
Andrey Zeits
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
75
Joe Dombrowski
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
76
Emanuele Sella
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
77
Sergey Lagutin
Team Katusha
s.t.
78
Jacques Janse Van Rensburg
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
79
David De la Cruz
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
80
Jonathan Fumeaux
IAM Cycling
s.t.
81
Julien Vermote
Etixx - Quick-step
s.t.
82
Benjamin King
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 6'21
83
Miguel Angel Lopez
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
84
Larry Warbasse
IAM Cycling
s.t.
85
Alessandro Malaguti
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
+ 7'58
86
Daniele Colli
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
87
Antonino Parrinello
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
88
Roberto Ferrari
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
89
Francesco Reda
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
90
Stefan Denifl
IAM Cycling
s.t.
91
Pier Andrea Gaudio Pucci
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
92
Thomas Degand
IAM Cycling
s.t.
93
Janier Acevedo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
94
Adam Yates
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 10'39
95
Enrico Battaglin
Bardiani CSF
+ 12'06
96
Giacomo Berlato
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
97
Rafael de Mattos Andriato
Southeast
s.t.
98
Marko Kump
Adria Mobil
s.t.
99
Jesse Sergent
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
100
Stefano Pirazzi
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
101
Michael Hepburn
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
102
Chun Kai Feng
Lampre-Merida
s.t.
103
Nathan Brown
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
104
Marc Garby
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
105
David Boucher
FDJ
s.t.
106
Domen Novak
Adria Mobil
s.t.
107
Paolo Ciavatta
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
108
Alessio Taliani
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
109
Marco Tizza
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
110
Marco Tecchio
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
111
Alessandro Bisolti
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
112
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
113
Alex Howes
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
114
John Ebsen
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
115
Eduard-Michael Grosu
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
+ 13'27
116
Rino Gasparrini
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
117
Samuele Conti
Southeast
s.t.
118
Stefano Nardelli
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
119
Marco Coledan
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
120
Johann Van Zyl
MTN-Qhubeka
s.t.
121
Giovanni Carboni
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
122
Anthony Geslin
FDJ
s.t.
123
Serghei Tvetcov
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
124
Pavel Kochetkov
Team Katusha
s.t.
125
Alberto Losada
Team Katusha
s.t.
126
Enrico Barbin
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
127
Simone Andreetta
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
128
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
129
Andrea Fedi
Southeast
+ 14'24
130
Frantisek Padour
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
+ 15'24
131
Silvio Giorni
D’Amico - Bottecchia
+ 16'07
132
Alessandro Pettiti
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
133
Francesco Chesi
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
134
Josip Rumac
Adria Mobil
s.t.
135
Riccardo Stacchiotti
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
+ 17'41
136
Hubert Dupont
Ag2r La Mondiale
s.t.
137
Andriy Grivko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
138
Federico Zurlo
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
139
Luca Chirico
Bardiani CSF
+ 18'43
140
Giacomo Peretto
Team Idea 2010 ASD
+ 20'09
141
Gabriele Campello
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
142
Davide Plebani
Team Unieuro Wilier Trevigiani
s.t.
143
Fumiyuki Beppu
Trek Factory Racing
+ 20'57
144
Antonio Nibali
NIPPO - Vini Fantini
s.t.
145
Jens Mouris
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 21'37
146
Iltjan Nika
D’Amico - Bottecchia
+ 22'44
147
Giuseppe Fonzi
Southeast
s.t.
148
Francesco Baldi
D’Amico - Bottecchia
s.t.
149
Luca Cappelli
Team Idea 2010 ASD
s.t.
150
Gianfranco Zilioli
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
151
Damien Howson
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
152
Giorgio Cecchinel
Southeast
+ 29'11
153
Alessandro Tonelli
Bardiani CSF
s.t.
A bit of a shame I couldn't ride a better result in these two Italian races when I put in some good work in both of them. But that's cycling sometimes. I'm very happy with my showing and I have a feeling I'm riding around with a good pair of legs. As a neopro I've certainly put my mark on both races and that's hopeful towards Tour of California.
I'm in the United States. Beautiful country here, lots of space. Very different from Italy. But I didn't come here for sightseeing, I came here to race. My form should be good, but I have no idea what to expect from this race. There's one time trial which should be good for me. The other stages look interesting so I'll have to see where I end up.
Tour of California :: Stage 1
]
Pre-race
A stage with lots of climbing during the race, but never too steep. A flat finish so should end in a group sprint, maybe with 20 - 30 men. If I can be one of them, I might have a good finish. I'll try to stay quiet until the finish and not make the mistake of Appennino. I have to stay in the peloton and wait for the sprint, as I don't believe the attackers will make it here.
Since our prime racers are in the Giro and my good form (and let's not forget San Remo!), I have a totally free role here.
The Race
Nice racing here in California. I've never been here so it's nice to look around.
The peloton started thinning out rather quickly. I was always in position 25-30 to be safe.
I had a good day and didn't have too much trouble with the climbing. When the peloton split after a crash, I found myself in the better half. We were about 30 men and the finish was nearing quickly.
With Impey still in the group, he was the big favorite. I managed to get in his wheel to prepare for the final sprint.
Since there was a tailwind, I decided to try and play on the surprise. I went rather early, but with full force!
I succeeded in surprising the other sprinters and got a gap, but then they set their sprint in motion and came closer again!
To my surprise, I wasn't slowing much, if any. It was a long and good sprint. I felt Impey coming at high speed, though. The finish line was still quite some distance away.
He overtook me with a few meters to go with a speed I couldn't match at the end of a race like this.
The strongest man certainly won, or rather the fastest. But I'm very happy with my second place here. It shows I have qualities to finish a race in a small sprint when the real sprinters are absent.
Full Result
1
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
4h32'23
2
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
3
Tom Jelte Slagter
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
4
Julian Arredondo
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
5
Simon Clarke
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
6
Matti Breschel
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
7
Michael Matthews
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
8
Bauke Mollema
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
9
Fabio Duarte
Colombia
s.t.
10
Mike Terpstra
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Bob Jungels
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
12
Rafal Majka
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
13
Rohan Dennis
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
14
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
15
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
16
Marc De Maar
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
17
Gianni Moscon
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
18
Ivan Rovny
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
19
Edward Diaz
Colombia
s.t.
20
Mickael Delage
FDJ
+ 1'29
21
Janier Acevedo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
22
Lukasz Owsian
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
23
Zico Waeytens
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
24
Bert De Backer
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
25
Luka Mezgec
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
26
Leonardo Duque
Colombia
s.t.
27
Evgueni Petrov
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
28
Riccardo Zoidl
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
29
Branislau Samoilau
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
30
Jens Keukeleire
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
31
Cédric Pineau
FDJ
+ 3'03
32
Bert-Jan Lindeman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
33
Michael Schär
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
34
James Oram
Axeon Cycling Team
s.t.
35
Tomasz Kiendys
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
36
Jay McCarthy
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 3'43
37
Johannes Fröhlinger
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
38
Danilo Wyss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
39
Michael Mørkøv
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
40
Isaac Bolivar
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
41
Daniel Martinez
Colombia
+ 4'30
42
Michael Woods
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
43
Thierry Hupond
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
44
Sebastian Molano
Colombia
+ 6'20
45
Marc Sarreau
FDJ
s.t.
46
Caleb Fairly
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
47
Nikias Arndt
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
48
Lorenzo Manzin
FDJ
s.t.
49
Benjamin Dilley
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
50
Piotr Brozyna
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
51
Olivier Le Gac
FDJ
s.t.
52
Joe Dombrowski
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
53
Nikolay Mihaylov
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
54
Charles Planet
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
55
Scott Ambrose
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
56
Carlos Mario Ramirez
Colombia
s.t.
57
Sep Vanmarcke
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
58
Reinier Honig
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
59
Matej Mohoric
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
60
Dylan Van Baarle
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
61
Geoffrey Curran
Axeon Cycling Team
s.t.
62
Curtis White
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
63
Jonathan Clarke
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
64
Benjamin King
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
65
Daniel Eaton
Axeon Cycling Team
s.t.
66
Jesper Asselman
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
67
Philip O'Donell
Axeon Cycling Team
s.t.
68
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
69
Campbell Flakemore
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
70
Javier Megias
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
71
Juan Pablo Valencia
Colombia
s.t.
72
Felipe Silva
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
73
Tom Leezer
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 8'22
74
Daniele Bennati
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
75
Federico Zurlo
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
76
Barry Markus
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
77
Mike Teunissen
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
78
Etienne Van Empel
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
79
Ivan Santaromita
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
80
Pier Andrea Gaudio Pucci
Cattelan Italia
s.t.
81
Christian Meier
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
82
Juraj Sagan
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 8'56
83
Hayden Roulston
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
84
Jos Van Emden
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
85
Kristof Vandewalle
Trek Factory Racing
+ 9'50
86
Huub Duyn
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
87
Grzegorz Stepniak
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 12'28
88
Eryk Laton
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
89
Charles Bradley Huff
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
90
André Looij
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
91
Lasse Hansen
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
92
Alessandro Bazzana
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
93
Hilton Clarke
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
94
Kevin De Mesmaeker
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
95
Rick Zabel
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
96
Thomas Raeymaekers
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
97
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
98
Tom Zirbel
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
99
Marco Coledan
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
100
Tim Kerkhof
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
s.t.
101
Bradley White
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
102
Timo Roosen
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
s.t.
103
Christopher Jones
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
104
Arnaud Courteille
FDJ
s.t.
105
Bjorn Selander
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
106
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
FDJ
s.t.
107
Martijn Verschoor
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
108
William Barta
Axeon Cycling Team
s.t.
109
Justin Oien
Axeon Cycling Team
s.t.
110
Thomas Soladay
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
111
Christopher Clements
Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
s.t.
113
Joonas Henttala
Team Novo Nordisk
s.t.
114
Darwin Pantoja
Colombia
s.t.
115
Kamil Malecki
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 18'13
116
Bruno Maltar
Cattelan Italia
+ 20'35
117
Davide Frattini
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
+ 21'27
A great start. Tomorrow's profile is very comparable, so let's hope for a race just like today! See you then.
Sorry it took so long, but it's been crazy busy during this race. Going from hotel to hotel, it's hard to find time to write down these pieces. Anyway, here's what happened at the Tour of California!
Tour of California :: Stages 2 - 8
I had mistaken the race profile for stage 2. It was an uphill finish, unlike stage 1. Luckily the uphill part wasn't too long and I was able to power through and finish 6th.
Next were the flat stages, where I was never outside the top 30, but never in contention for the win. (Best placing was around 15th).
The time trial was my main goal and when I crossed the line I was a provisional first. Only Dumoulin was able to beat my team and so I had another second place here. Once again beaten by a much stronger man. After the time trial, I was in fourth in the general classification!
The mountain finish (Mt Diablo) proved too hard for me. Still, with Silva there to support me and this not being a heavy-climbing startlist, I still managed to finish within the top 30, albeit 6 minutes down on the race winner. I dropped down the GC but was very happy to see I was still within the top 10!
Stage 2
1
Bauke Mollema
Trek Factory Racing
4h46'47
2
Rafal Majka
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 1'44
3
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 1'56
4
Tom Jelte Slagter
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 2'04
5
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
+ 2'14
6
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
+ 2'46
7
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 3'02
8
Rohan Dennis
BMC Racing Team
+ 3'22
9
Julian Arredondo
Trek Factory Racing
+ 3'33
10
Branislau Samoilau
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 4'35
Stage 6 (time trial)
1
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant-Alpecin
57'20
2
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
+ 52
3
Rohan Dennis
BMC Racing Team
+ 1'11
4
Gianni Moscon
Cattelan Italia
+ 1'17
5
Bauke Mollema
Trek Factory Racing
+ 1'26
6
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
+ 1'28
7
Rafal Majka
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 1'33
8
Tomasz Kiendys
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
+ 2'11
9
Sebastian Langeveld
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 2'18
10
Dylan Van Baarle
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 2'19
Stage 7
1
Tom Jelte Slagter
Team Cannondale - Garmin
4h01'43
2
Riccardo Zoidl
Trek Factory Racing
s.t.
3
Rafal Majka
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
4
Janier Acevedo
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 14
5
Rohan Dennis
BMC Racing Team
+ 25
6
Bauke Mollema
Trek Factory Racing
+ 34
7
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
+ 1'28
8
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 2'06
9
Michael Matthews
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 3'03
10
Julian Arredondo
Trek Factory Racing
+ 3'20
11
Fabio Duarte
Colombia
s.t.
12
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 3'38
13
Marc De Maar
Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton
+ 4'21
14
Jay McCarthy
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
15
Simon Clarke
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 4'38
16
Bob Jungels
Trek Factory Racing
+ 5'05
17
Joe Dombrowski
Team Cannondale - Garmin
s.t.
18
Ivan Rovny
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 5'18
19
Bert-Jan Lindeman
Team LottoNL - Jumbo
+ 5'30
20
Michael Schär
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
21
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
+ 6'37
22
Johannes Fröhlinger
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
23
Tomasz Kiendys
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
24
Branislau Samoilau
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
s.t.
25
Leonardo Duque
Colombia
s.t.
Stage 8
1
Michael Matthews
Orica-GreenEDGE
2h48'17
2
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
3
Marc Sarreau
FDJ
s.t.
4
Michael Mørkøv
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
5
Luka Mezgec
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
6
Daniele Bennati
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
7
Nikias Arndt
Team Giant-Alpecin
s.t.
8
Matti Breschel
Tinkoff-Saxo
s.t.
9
Jens Keukeleire
Orica-GreenEDGE
s.t.
10
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
Final Classification
1
Bauke Mollema
Trek Factory Racing
27h34'51
2
Rafal Majka
Tinkoff-Saxo
+ 1'17
3
Tom Dumoulin
Team Giant-Alpecin
+ 2'08
4
Rohan Dennis
BMC Racing Team
+ 3'08
5
Tom Jelte Slagter
Team Cannondale - Garmin
+ 4'21
6
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
+ 5'21
7
Daryl Impey
Orica-GreenEDGE
+ 6'45
8
Riccardo Zoidl
Trek Factory Racing
+ 7'33
9
Antonio Andolini
Cattelan Italia
+ 8'19
10
Julian Arredondo
Trek Factory Racing
+ 8'50
For some reason I'm some sort of talisman for Mollema. He seems to win races when I'm riding, too. Anyway, a good showing here in California, with both the opening stages and the time trial really worth remembering. With a stronger field, my losses would've been heavier on Mt Diablo. On the other hand, with a weaker field I feel I could've top 5'd even. Yet it is what it is. A good race with even a good GC.
Now I'll be going back to Italia! The rest of the calendar is still a mystery to me. My next target is the Nationals, I guess. Let's hope I can put on a good showing there!
Just a small update in between racing. I've got some news that I'll tell you all about below. The other thing is that I've fallen ill a few days after returning from the United States. It wasn't anything serious, I had to spend three days off the bike. I'm back in training mode right now and we're actually doing some good work on the time trial bike with the team. While half our squad is still at the Giro d'Italia, Cattelan reserved a wind tunnel for us to test our aerodynamics. I really feel I improved my seating there.
With these improvements and my performances so far this season in time trials, I'm making the National Championships Time Trial my next big target. On a good day, I feel I could challenge for the podium. Italy has some decent time trialist but besides team mate Malori we have no real specialists, so I guess I could finish anywhere between 1st and 20th.
Cattelan License
Cattelan Italia will be aiming to get a World Tour license for season 2017. Some expected us to aim for World Tour next season, 2016, but now the team's spokesperson revealed that the team wants to build up a bit more gradually and go World Tour in 2017. So that means we want to build a squad of around 24-25 riders for the upcoming year and then increase it to 28-29-30 for 2017.
The biggest reason is economically. Signing over 10 riders, worthy of World Tour level, is almost impossible in one season with our budget. We don't just want to ride in the World Tour, we want be in the upper half, become an Italian force to be reckoned with. Italian cycling has taken a beating the last few decades and this team has high ambitions of becoming one of the strongest teams around. So let's be patient about it and build a strong team gradually instead of a (simply) decent team quickly.
La Flèche Wallonne 
Giro dell'Appennino 
You know my stance on that and I think a story can really flourish from the audience having to get to know the rider by sheer racing and not on stats alone. That said, anyone desperate enough can pm me about them 
Tour of California :: Stage 1 
