This is the it, the final mountain stage. Favourites?
Sella wants revenge from the Giro, he has had a couple of stages, but they mean nothing unless he can take a GC ahead of Cunego
Andy Schleck destroyed the Vuelta, winning three jerseys, and leading Domina Vacanze to victory in the Team Classiment as well. Yet people still say Cunego is the better GC rider because Andy didn't win the points jersey. Today he wants to prove that he is the best GC rider in the world and if he can look down from the summit at his rivals then he will have proven it.
Cunego? what does he have to prove? Not much but Sella has sprinted past him two days in a row now and, no matter how many Giro's you have won, that hurts. Also, people have started saying he can't win outside Italy, today he needs to prove them wrong.
What about the other riders?
The fact that Pellizotti was not mentioned with the the first three is probably enough motivation for him to go hard and fast up the final climb, to show that he should be considered one of the best in the world.
Then there are Uran, Gil, Perez Sanchez, the list goes on. All these riders could do some serious damage up to Pragaten. Speaking of damage, Arroyo has been Schleck's destroyer in chief so far, will he do the same thing today?
What more could you want? How about fanatical home support, both for Rohregger who will surely try something up the climb and for Lipton who are based in the mountains around this region. The tour de France is starting today, let fans from all over the world have turned up on the slopes of Austria to watch the best in the world go at it.
And the setting?
A vicious 11 kilometre climb starting at about 9% but the last 2km are all above 12% and hitting as high as 18%, this combined with the fact that there has already been three difficult days in the saddle mean that today's stage is leaning towards absolutely epic.
Sella leads us off
Tension is high and Lipton pull back the first break away attempt.
And after initally chasing they the let the second break go.
As we ride through the countryside we identify the riders as: Hopman, Laguti, Ulissi, Lalouette, Miholjevic, Nielsen, Barlon, Ingels and Jacobs, later joined by Wherry and Kozontchuk
At the first sprint Kozontchuk has a small gap and leads through followed by Ulissi and Lalouette.
With the breaks lead touching nine minutes and only eighty kilometres to go Sella sends his troops forwards. He doesn't want any breakaway riders getting in the way of the massive battle ahead.
Kozontchuk has a puncture, and although the neutral service car is quick to the situation it looks like his day in the break is over.
The break reaches the minor hill and Ulissi puts on the pressure.
When the peleton hits the hill Cunego and Schleck send forward their own domestiques to increase the tempo.
With the peak in sight Ingels and Nielsen have to let go of the break.
Lalouette leads over with Hopman and Barton next, although the huge sheer cliff ominously foreshadow what is coming
and on the descent Ingels and Neilsen make it back.
While as the peleton nears the top the fast pace has left riders scattered over a kilometre of road.
and as Duenas Nevado leads over a glance to the left shows what to come.
the break hits the bottom of the valley and know they have a long drag up it before they head for the summit.
They now have 5'15" with 50km to go.
The weaker riders in the peleton are left to manage on their own, still 40km to go and the pace is taking it's toll.
In every town the locals are out in force to cheer the rders on.
Ulissi leads Lagutin and Hopman through for some points.
In the peleton the tension spills over and still with 30km to go Martinez de Esteban, Uran, Tondo and Lopez GArcia attack.
Hacecky goes with them
The gap is quickly built up to 50 seconds however there is a lot of flat to go and assistance from the break looks a long way off.
In the peleton the same three teams control the pace.
Up front as the gradient gradually increases Neilsen and Barton go off the back.
While further back the attackers catch Kozontchuk.
however the peleton is pulling them back.
and the break now has less than two minutes to the peleton.
the early attackers are pulled back with 17km to go
Neilson and Barton managed to pull themselves back up to the break, however now Mihiljevic has gone.
With 15km to go more riders try to escape the peleton. Gil leads the attack and Lopez Garcia, Cataldo, Martinez de Esteban and Tondo follow.
Hopman takes the break through the final sprint, Ulissi and Wherry follow.
The break has worked well together today, pity it won't be enough.
Cataldo leads the attackers through the breakaway riders, some of whom have tried to get away. Martinez is after him.
We are now on the climb proper and most of the attackers are caught now. Cunego goes immediatly, he doesn't want to have to work his way up to Sella today.
I need to take a break, the next third will hopefully be up in an hour or soEdited by Roman on 17-10-2016 03:09
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182]Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
Sella, grits his teeth, puts his head down and goes after Cunego.
Arroyo has moved to the front to work for Schleck.
Under 10km to go and Pellizotti, De la Fuente and Gerdeman go.
Sella closes on Cunego as Cunego catches the leaders, Martinez, Cataldo and Tondo.
Cunego has 15 seconds on Sella who is desperately trying to hunt him down
8km to go
Martinez de Esteban is trying to stay with Sella as Pellizotti passes Cataldo and Tondo.
Gerdeman and De la Fuente are trying to get away but Schleck is happy to let his team work even though Cunego's lead is up to 50 seconds.
Pellizotti makes it up to Sella
Martinez has dropped back to Cataldo who has been joined by De la Fuente and Gerdeman.
Tondo meanwhile has been pulled back to the peleton by Arroyo who is again pushing hard on the front.
for those wondering about the gradient it is 9.1% and rising
Gil tries to break free
Cunego seems to be pulling away from Sella and Pellizotti.
7 km to go.
Arroyo has pulled back everyone ecept the front three as Marzano tries to get away.
Uran, Van Huffel and Gil try and follow.
Sanchez Gil tries to escape as the others get pulled back.
Cunego goes under the five km banner with a 30 second gap to Sella and Pellizotti, Once again he is proving himself unmatchable when it counts.
Pellizotti seems happy to sit on Sella's wheel as they slowly fall back from Cunego. Sella has managed to gain a minute on the peleton though.
Arroyo seems confidant in stopping Sanchez Gil get away, however if Andy Schleck still has aspirations for winning this thing then he needs to attack soon.
Pellizotti moves past Sella to see if he can dent the gap that Cunego is pulling out,
Rohregger gets the home fans cheering when he makes his move. Schleck is still happy sitting in the peleton, it now is down to 30 people.
Almost all the lesser favourites try and make small attacks, however they are just pulled back by the machine that is David Arroyo.
Pellizotti hasn't managed to close on Cunego however he has managed to drop Sella. No need for any acceleration, he just moved past as soon as he felt Sella's pace drop. That seems as good a place as any to stop, next instalment in however long it takes me to write it up
[url=www.pcmdaily.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=33182]Team Santander Media Thread[/url]
As Cunego glances down the hillside he can see his rivals scattered beneath him, unable to keep up with his pace up this vicious climb.
Ardilla and Sanchez Gillook like they have finally escaped the clutches of Domina's man monster.
Sensing weakness other riders attack, including Andy Schleck.
Ardilla now has Sella in his sights and is closing fast.
while with only 2km to go, Sella looks like he might be able to close the gap on Pellizotti.
and Schleck is trying to get as close as he can to Sella.
12.5% and still Cunego is motoring up the mountain. It doesn't look like anything can stop him now.
Spurred on by the onrushing Schleck Sella pushes past Pellizotti.
Further back Gil and Sanchez Gil have a small gap over the rest of their group.
Up to 17% and Cunego's lead just keeps growing
Sella drops Pellizotti, as Schleck and Ardilla ride past him.
And Schleck starts sprinting to catch pellizotti, while Ardilla seems to have lost Schlecks wheel.
However in a steep uphill sprint, as we have seen before, Sella is too strong and starts pulling away.
while behind the exceedingly steep gradients mean that it's every man for himself.
with 400 meters to go Cunego is already celebrating.
Further back, Pellizotti has almost made it back up to Ardilla.
And Cunego wins in style on one of the toughest finishes this year.
Andy has managed to come along side Sella, can he go on to take second?
While Ardilla is just about holding Pellizotti.
As the road flattens Schleck pulls away slightly to take 2nd 1'30" behind Cunego. The sprint he put on realise closed the gap, although not enough to make any real difference.
Ardilla just holds off a late charge from pellizotti to take 4th in 2'10"
Gil took 6th in 2'39" ahead of Perez Sanchez and Marzano.
With Sanchez Gil, Uran, Rohregger and Van Huffel in the next group.
Then comes the 'peleton' of 14 including Arroyo at 3'50" back.
riders arrived in tiny groups for the next 30 minutes.
With the final group actually stopping to savour the moment before crossing the line.
So Cunego takes the leaders and points jersey withUran the Mountain and Schleck hanging on to young rider.
