I'm now back after a few days off during Christmas. Don't expect any massive amount of reports in the next days though, as I'm still quite busy.
Squad for Tre Valli, Agostoni and Bernocchi
Geschke is obviously our leader because of the hilly terrain, and the others will have to settle with team mate roles. Geniez might get a more free role than the others, and Kluge will take over if any of the races gets easier and ends with a mass sprint tho.
16.08: Tre Valli Varesine
First a quite flat travel from Campione d'Italia to the finishing circuit in the 2008 worlds host city Varese. Seven laps on a hilly course is on the menu, and the uphill finish will favour the punchers even in a slow race.
Geschke followed the right attack, and broke clear together with Francesco Gavazzi on the finishing climb, outsprinting the Italian in the final kilometer for yet another victory. Another group of attackers followed half a minute later, while the big peloton crossed the line just under a minute behind Geschke.
Result:
1
Simon Geschke
Skil - Shimano
5h22'22
2
Francesco Gavazzi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
3
Matteo Carrara
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 26
4
Constantino Zaballa
Miche - Guerciotti
s.t.
5
Luca Ascani
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
6
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
+ 48
7
Evgeni Petrov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
8
Egor Silin
Katusha Team
s.t.
9
Gianluca Brambilla
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
10
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
s.t.
17.08: Coppa Agostoni
Another hilly classic, this time with a lot easier finish, favouring those with a decent finishing kick. Geschke is one of those, but also a marked man after the show in Varesine. Doubling up here?
Almost. Only Nicki Sörensen could overcome him in the final sprint, surprising Geschke with an early launch from the smaller group. He closed the gap, but ran out of road before being able to pass the Dane. Still another good result.
Result:
1
Nicki Sørensen
Saxo Bank SunGard
5h29'17
2
Simon Geschke
Skil - Shimano
s.t.
3
Danny Pate
HTC - Highroad
+ 11
4
Marco Frapporti
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
5
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
6
Mitja Mahoric
Adria Mobil
s.t.
7
Javier Moreno
Caja Rural
s.t.
8
Daniele Callegarin
Team Type 1
s.t.
9
Luca Ascani
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
s.t.
10
Patxi Vila
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
18.08: Coppa Bernocchi
Third Italian hilly classic in the same amount of days. Also the easiest one, held on a course looking a lot like the British championships. There are some hills on the route, but it's unlikely that any of them will be selective.
To most people's surprise, the breakaway stayed clear, and a late attack from NSP's Fabien Bruno pulled him and Yann Huguet clear, with the latter outgunning his companion for the victory. The rest of the breakaway followed a bit behind, while Geschke led home the peloton just over a minute later.
The race can be described perfectly well with just one word: flat. Our sponsors are expecting a victory, so we'll do our best to be up there in the mass sprint.
Squad:
Kittel would in a normal case be our man here, but due to lack of shape he'll have to step aside for the top shaped Kluge or possibly even Veelers. The others will do their best to set those two up.
Our sprint train turned out to work perfectly and a bad feeling (-5) Kluge released the Veelers rocket as we entered the final kilometer, delivering the Dutchman to an easy victory. Non-sprinter Anthony Roux took second, telling a bit about the weakness of the field. Still, goal accomplished.
Thanks everyone. We had a nice classics streak there.
Squad:
Kittel are going here, but once again due to bad shape, he'll most likely assist Kluge in the mass sprint. Same goes for Food Valley winner Veelers and De Backer, while Geschke will be looking to do something on one of the Waseberg climbs. Our sponsor goal of a Top 10 should definitely be achievable.
After showing good form in Eneco Tour, Hushovd will be a marked man today, on a course that fits him very well. Only doubt is whether he can match the fastest in a flat mass sprint. His two main rivals in Eneco, Goss and Bennati will be the Norwegian's big rivals. However, it's not impossible that the race provides a big surprise or two.
21.08: Vattenfall Cyclassics
The race takes some turns around the Hamburg area, before making their way towards the final on some different circuits around the city. The incredibly steep Waseberg features three times in the second half of the race, giving also the punchers a chance in this very flat race.
Huguet in the early breakaway, along with seven others: Hondo (Lampre), Boaro (Saxobank), Obst (NSP), Sicard (Euskaltel), Longo Borghini (Liquigas) and late upcomer Geraint Thomas (Sky). Surprsingly strong group, with good sprinters in it.
Just before the last ascent of the Waseberg, Thomas attacked and formed a new leading group together with Boaro and Hondo. Huguet didn't have a great day and wasn't able to follow. Still a surprisingly big lead for the three of them, around three minutes with twenty-five to go.
The sprint teams had apparently given up the chase, as the pace was very low. Therefore we decided to take things in our own hands by sending Geschke in pursuit after them up the last Waseberg climb.
He pushed on incredibly hard and distanced the peloton by almost two minutes quite quickly, and also closed in on the three leaders. However, he struggled to bridge the final metres, tired after his heroic effort.
Geschke couldn't reach them, so the three could kick off the sprint with plenty of gap for foxing. Thomas in the best position, with Hondo leading them out with two k's to go.
But a huge surprise in the sprint, as Saxobank's young Italian Manuele Boaro jumped out of Hondo's slipstream for a huge victory, beating two normally much better sprinters. Thomas really messed this up.
Geschke lost a lot on them in the final kilometres after blowing up, but managed to just stay ahead of the very fast closing peloton for a 4th place and an accomplished goal. Jurgen Roelandts took the mass sprint, while Kluge got boxed in, unable to release any sprint power.
Thomas loves to mess up those breakaway sprints a lot, like he did this year in Dwars door Vlaanderen and Bayern Rundfahrt ( irl ). Very good attack by Geschke, great tactical move and once again Skil does great job in WT race. Keep it going
Thanks guys. The result was all luck and good timing in a strange race.
Squad:
Geniez's form is pretty good at the moment, so he'll be looking for a decent overall result, with help from Doi, Fröhlinger and Bonnin. The others have no real roles, but Kittel and Kluge might be able to do something in a mass sprint.
An Post
191. K.Heytens
192. S.Bennett
193. M.Cassidy
194. M.Debusschere
195. D.Dzervus
196. P.Ghyllebert
197. P.Lavery
198. K.Terweduwe
***** Rein Taaramae
**** Vladimir Efimkin, Johann Tschopp
*** Michael Rogers, Tom Danielson, Oliver Zaugg
** Machado, Laverde, Geniez, Sutherland
* Fothen, Jacobs, Hivert, Peterson, Deignan
22.08 - 29.08: USA Pro Cycling Challenge
Stage 1
Colorado Springs (ITT)
A normal prologue. Short, flat and fast. Even a bit easier than usual, as most of it is slightly downhill. There will be gaps, but no huge ones.
Geniez showed that he deserves the French champion jersey today with a very good ride and finished as best Skil rider. He could nothing do against the pure timetriallists though, and Sebastien Rosseler proved to be the fastest today, becoming the first ever leader of this race.
The first mountain stage, and possibly also the only one where there might be some gaps. The steep final climb up to Crested Butte gives a great opportunity for the overall contenders to gain a few seconds on their biggest rivals. You bet we will try.
We didn't just try, we did it with big success. A perfectly timed attack from Geniez left the others in the dust while he increased his gap all the way to the line, gaining nineteen seconds plus the time bonus on the rest of the field, enough to move into overall lead.
Second mountain stage in a row, and one with some serious climbing on the route. However, the top of the hard Independence Pass comes quite far out from the finish line. A pretty big group might definitely stay together over the top, ending the stage with a "mass" sprint.
Just as said, a big group reached the finish together, and Mauro Santambrogio proved to be the fastest in it, grabbing the stage win. Geniez did try near the top of the Pass, but got caught at the bottom of the incredibly long descent, then having no power for a sprint.
A hard mountain time trial up Vail Mountain, providing what probably is the best place to distance rivals. A bad day here can cost not just seconds, but minutes. The overall is still pretty close, so we've far from won this yet.
No doubt who was the strongest today. Rein Taaramae caught his team mate Cusin who started two minutes in front of him after just a few kilometres of the climb, telling us a bit about his performance. The young Estonian completely crushed all earlier best times, taking a huge provisional lead.
Geniez fought with every ounce of power in his body on his way to the top, but just couldn't match the insanely strong Taaaramae, losing the jersey to the Cofidis rider. Still third overall tho, also passed by Michael Rogers.
Down on the easy terrain after three very hard days. The onehundred and thirtyfour flat kilometres from Avon to Steamboat Springs should provide the first mass sprint in this race. Maybe Kittel?
No mass sprint and no Kittel. The breakaway got a way too big advantage and easily held all the way to the line, where Kiwi champ Hayden Roulston made no mistake, delivering another HTC victory. The peloton came in more than four minutes later, without any serious sprint.
The penultimate stage, and the last mountain stage. According to me, it's a huge exaggeration to call it a mountain stage, but according to the game, it is. Anyway, it's quite unlikely that the final very slight uphill will create any gaps.
What a shame. After being in solo breakaway all day, Yuki Doi got caught by the late stage escapee trio of Tschopp (BMC), Laverde (Colombia) and Rutkiewicz (CCC) with just three kilometres to go after running out of green bar. So unfair.
Without green bar, Doi couldn't even follow the three and they moved on with Rutkiewicz outgunning his two companions in the final for the stage win. Doi was so tired he even got caught and passed by Taaramae, who won the sprint for fourth place, Geniez was just behind the Estonian, but didn't pass his team mate Doi.
Even more annoyingly than losing the stage win, Laverde and Tschopp both moved up a lot in the overall, pushing Geniez down to fifth.
As in pretty much all stage races, the final stage is a flat one for celebration. The sprinters are probably really looking for a mass sprint here after missing out in Steamboat Springs.
But of course, the breakaway made it again. This time Caleb Fairly surprisingly outsprinted his normally faster companion Martin Pedersen for the stage win. This also proved to be a lucky day for us, as a crash in the final kilometres caught race leader Taaramae, second placed Laverde and third placed Michael Rogers, who all three lost time on Geniez. Therefore he moved up to second overall, only beaten by Johann Tschopp.
