I don't get why Kwiat didn't attack, he was clearly one of the strongest yesterday and Sicard + Denifl didn't look like they had the legs to chase him down... he didn't even get a stage win and the points jersey that came with it for his dumb conservative racing. LLS is just a flop too.
Normally I wouldn't mind this stuff too much, but we really don't have many points to spare.
Thanks tsmoha, nice coverage throughout! And gratz on the stage win SN! (I won't congratulate you yet bikex because you don't wan it, though you have this pretty wrapped up )
Awesome! Thanks for the great reports throughout the race tsmoha. I wouldn't have sent Denifl here if it wasn't for the Deutschland/Austria clash, as I didn't think he'd be competitive in the hilly stages. Luckily I did and Denifl gets his first GC win.
Also congrats to all others who had a successful race!
Looking forward to the next rankings update. This was a very decent month for us.
Congrats now bikex! If somebody has to beat Kwiat, it's nice to see Denifl succeed.
The result for me is okay, though we could've expected a little more and I'm disapointed Kwiat didn't at least try, still, his stage and Point jersey Points will make up for the gap between 3rd and 2nd.
Oh the pain of seeing Passalacqua being caught literally meters from the line.. But I can't complain, the boys present in yet another successful break. Not a disaster of a race but could've been better.
Congratz SN on the stage win and Bikex for that sweaty win And thanks tsmoha for the great reports.
Stage 1 sees another nice prologue for Hamza. Great to see him achieving some results this season, and a run in the U25 jersey too.
Stage 2 a very Ignatiev suited stage and he gets the win. Van Heerden proving great for the team's positioning, crash-victim Reguigui aside, and 3rd is a nice result for him - as is the 7th for Kudus.
Disappointing to lose Teklehaimanot to a crash on Stage 3. Khederi stepping up instead then, and some luck with the time gaps. Good to have stayed with Kwiatkowski and Roche, and opened up the gap on some rivals like Shikai. It lets Kudus keep the U25 jersey within the team. Interesting to see Kinoshita going so well, and if he can continue to do enough to counter Mt Fuji.
Kudus not able to match Denifl and Sicard. Not unexpected, but a shame to have lost so much - and also a blow to be behind Kwiatkowski. Current GC position of 4th now looks to be the best available outcome. Pity that Khederi didn't go a bit better. From a neutral view, it's nice to see Denifl finally delivering.
Nice to see Reguigui in the Stage 5 break, although Kudus has clearly benefited earlier in the race from when Eritel have been doing the chasing instead. Great effort by Reguigui but not to be, then a very pleasant surprise to see Kudus positioned at the front. And the win! Finally Kudus gets a win this season, very nice to see. Shame that Khederi lost a minute, but at least only two GC positions, with 13th still being good for him. Tekle salvages 30th in GC but could have been so much better if not for the crash.
Then Craven goes and makes it a stage win double on Stage 6! He's had a lot of breakaway near misses in the past two seasons, but finally makes it with a win. Adds to a season already exceeding expectations after a stats decrease, with 5th at the Tour of Norway the biggest rankings-based highlights. And this win comes in very nearly the final race day of his career, with only the Giro dell'Emelia to come. I don't think he will be able to continue in a team, following a further stats decrease. Nice to see former rider Ssabagwanya taking the KoM jersey too - taking on the mantle from Khederi who won it last year.
Good race for the team, and enjoyable in general - as Tour of Japan usually is. Thanks for the reports tsmoha.
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kiss kiss kiss
