2012 Tour de France Stage 8, 7/08/12

July 8, Stage 8: Belfort - Porrentruy 157.5km

Pinot rides to glory in Porrentruy

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-8/results)

Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) pulled off a famous home victory in stage 8 of the 2012 Tour de France. The Tour’s youngest competitor passed leader Frederik Kessiakoff (Astana) with 17km to race and launched a bold attack that left him with enough of a gap to hold off a host of big name challengers who pursued him intensely, but ultimately in vain, over the final kilometres. There were ecstatic scenes of jubilation from the home fans and from Pinot’s team as he crossed the line with 26 seconds to spare.

Cadel Evans (BMC) took second place ahead of Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan). Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins kept his GC rival Evans comfortably in his sights and retained the yellow jersey with his fourth placed finish.

"Those were the longest ten kilometers of my life," Pinot said afterward. "When I saw 10km to go and the peloton was coming back, I was really afraid."

Pinot was able to take advantage of having a teammate in the breakaway all day, and he dedicated the victory to Jeremy Roy. "When Jeremy [Roy] was away I wasn't really riding, and then he truly sacrificed himself for me. I'm really happy."

The young Frenchman looked set to take over the white jersey from Cofidis's Rein Taaramae, but the Estonian battled back to come in 2:21 behind the winner to save his best young rider classification.

Pinot was overjoyed with his stage victory, but played down his chances for the overall classification. "Tomorrow my legs will really hurt so I have no real plans for the rest of the Tour, I will take it day by day."

The tone for the 157km stage, which contained a grand total of seven categorised climbs, was set very early on as Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) led an early break of ten riders. Within a few kilometres Voigt was on his own but a few minutes later he was passed and dropped by Roy.

As Roy ploughed a lone furrow up the road, 60km in there was a major crash involving three Spaniards – Samuel Sanchez, Jorge Azanza (both Euskaltel-Esukadi) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). In the end it was Sanchez who came off worst, with the 2008 Olympic road race champion having to withdraw with injuries that include a broken collarbone and a dislocated shoulder. It will take a miracle for him to be declared fit to defend his Olympic title in London at the end of this month.

Meanwhile, further up the road, Roy was caught by Kessiakoff with just over 80km to go and the two men worked together to build a healthy lead over the rest of the pack. Pinot then made his first significant move of the afternoon, attacking from the main peloton and forming part of a large 22-man group that went off in chase of the two leaders.

Shortly before the fifth categorised climb of the day – the Cote de Saulcy – Pinot launched a successful bid to bridge the gap to the leading duo, joined by Kevin de Weert (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Steven Kruiswijk (Rabobank). Kessiakoff responded immediately and attacked, opening up a lead that peaked at 1:45 and one that he would hold until well inside the final 20km.

Pinot and Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) burst clear of the pack and Pinot eventually proved the stronger, passing Kessiakoff with 17km left – just at the top of the final Col de la Croix climb. He then made a daring bid for the winning line on the fast descent into Porrentruy, chased by some of the race’s biggest favourites. Evans, Wiggins, Nibali, Menchov and Frank Schleck were amongst the names that went off in hot pursuit of the youngster.

With these stellar names bearing down on him, it would have been excusable if such a relatively inexperienced rider buckled. But the 22-year-old, who rode through his home town on yesterday’s seventh stage, held his nerve impressively and had time to savour the final 200 metres before celebrating what is easily the biggest win of his highly promising career to date.

As for Wiggins, he find himself in a commanding position - tomorrow's stage is a 41.5km individual time trial that should play to his strengths. But as he revealed on the Team Sky website after the finish, today's stage wasn't as easy as he had anticipated.

"That stage was a lot harder than I expected it to be," he said. "The boys were incredible again today and really marshalled the race. They set us up to be able to go with the others on that last climb.

"Early on we had to wait to let the right break go, and that took a long time and a lot of work. We were racing from the off and that didn’t stop for two hours really. The peloton was decimated and it was a tough day for a lot of people. We’re still in a fantastic position after this first week and that’s two tough days down now. We’ve got a time trial ahead of us now and then a rest day."

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat	3:56:10
2	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:00:26
3	Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan
4	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
5	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
6	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
7	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling
8	Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team
9	Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan
10	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:30

2012 Tour de France Stage 3, 7/03/12

July 3, Stage 3: Orchies - Boulogne-sur-Mer 197km

Sagan dances to second Tour de France stage win

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-3/results)

Peter Sagan danced his way to his second Tour de France win in stage 3 to Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Slovakian champion and green jersey holder unleashed his powerful acceleration in the final hundred meters, distancing Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), who held on for second over Peter Velits of Omega Pharma-QuickStep. A fourth place finish was enough for RadioShack-Nissan's Fabian Cancellara to hold on to his overall lead.

The final climb saw a large group going up for the win in a difficult situation. Oscar Freire of Katusha was squeezed in the dash for the line by a Vacansoleil rider, and set off a crash. It was mostly contained on one side of the road, holding up a number of riders already out of contention for the stage, but all were given the same time as the main bunch. Held up was Denis Menchov (Katusha), Bradley Wiggins and his Sky Procycling teammate Chris Froome. The latter toppled into the barriers but emerged unscathed.

The day was marked by climbs and crashes in the last half of the day. Garmin-Sharp suffered the worst luck of the bunch, although Ryder Hesjedal overcame a late-race puncture to regain the front group and ultimately finish the stage in 12th, the rest of the team's climbers - Dan Martin, Christian Vande Velde and Tom Danielson, in addition to sprinter Tyler Farrar, were held up by a large crash in the final 20km and never regained the front of the race.

Team Sky lost one important helper in Kanstantsin Siutsou, who abandoned after a crash, as did Movistar's sprinter JJ Rojas.

Mørkøv strikes again

Once again, all 198 riders were at the start in Orchies, with the race having finally moved into France. It took only five kilometers for the day's group to form. Andriy Grivko (Astana), Giovanni Bernaudeau (Europcar), Ruben Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Sebastien Minard (AG2R) and Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff) took off and quickly built up a gap of 5:40 by km 30. That was enough for the field, and it soon came down to under five minutes.

It was a return appearance for Mørkøv, who has been in the escape group for all three road stages. He took the mountain jersey in the first stage and gathered points one by one in the first two stage to hold on to it.

With some 107km to go, RadioShack got help with the chase. Sylvester Szmyd of Liquigas turned up at the head of the field, an obvious signal that Peter Sagan would be looking for his chance in the difficult last half of the stage.

The first half of the stage was nearly dead flat, and the field was happy enough to roll along, keeping the break group on a long rein, knowing that the fireworks would come soon enough.

The break group rolled right under the intermediate sprint banner as if it were not there, but things were different behind them.

GreenEdge led the charge for the intermediate sprint, and it was a wild sprint. Mark Cavendish looked like he was boxed in but as so often, managed to pull it out at the last minute. And he even turned back to have a word with Kenny Van Hummel of Vacansoleil, who had unnecessarily boxed him in.

As expected, Mørkøv took advantage of being in the lead group to grab the points at the first climb of the day.

Climbing and crashing

And as the field moved onto the narrow roads that would take them over the climbs, the crashes started. Giro d'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal was involved in an early one. Only minutes later a more serious crash took out Kanstantsin Siutsou (Sky), who became the first rider to abandon the race.

With 37km to go and a gap of about 2:30, the break group kicked up the speed, and managed to drop one of their number, Bernaudeau. Mørkøv took the points on the second climb as well. The peloton picked up their speed as well, to cut the gap. Between the acceleration and the climbs, the sprinters, especially the wounded ones, started dropping off the back.

Not long there after another crash took down a number of riders, including Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge). JJ Rojas (Movistar) and Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) appeared to be injured, Rojas abandoned with an suspected broken collarbone. The crash also split the field, with many riders having a long way to go to catch up again. Even Philippe Gilbert was apparently caught up in it.

Things were frantic form there on. The lead group tried its hardest to stay away, but BMC grabbed control of the chase group and brought the gap down dramatically. Riders were desperate to get up to the front, but Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) was busy with a stuck rear derailleur and waved down the neutral support car for repairs.

Grivko and Sanchez took the next climb alone in the lead, but with only 16km to go, there were still three more to come.

Gilbert, thought to be a favourite for this stage, was stuck back in one of the chase groups, as was Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), and both were struggling.

Yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) was still in the large first group, as were top race favourites Cadel Evans (BMC) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky). Peter Sagan must also have been there, as a Liquigas rider was often in the lead. And with 10.5km to go, raindrops started to appear.

At the 10km marker, Mørkøv and Grivko had only 28 seconds on the high-powered chase group, and still two more climbs to go. And at 7.3m to go, Mørkøv was caught, leaving the Astana rider alone with a minimal lead. He too was soon overtaken by the chase group.

With 5.5km to go, Sylvain Chavanel of Omega Pharma-QuickStep attacked out of the field. It was familiar terrain for the Frenchman and he popped over the last rise before a long descent, and gradually pulled away.

A roundabout with 2km to go gave Chavanel a problem, and in the peloton behind, Movistar's Alejandro Valverde also had difficulties with it: both had to brake hard and lost ground as the final climb to the finish approached.

Chavanel retained his lead going into the final kilometer, but the thundering horde gave him no chance. Although a crash halfway up broke up the field, the powerful sprinters at the front sailed past the Frenchman.

GreenEdge's Michael Albasini led the way up, but Sagan jumped by him and easily went on for the win, whilst behind him, Boasson Hagen and Velits struggled up the steep climb to fill out the podium.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	4:42:58
2	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling	0:00:01
3	Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
4	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan
5	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
6	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
7	Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
8	Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
9	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
10	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale

Other Favorite Picture of the Day:

RadioShack Nissan Team riding

19 - June - 2012 - Daily News

Today's edition is coming out early because I have to work late tonight.

Let's begin with the teams that are announcing their Tour de France lineups:

Rabobank: Laurens Ten Dam, Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk, Bauke Mollema, Mark Renshaw, Luis Leon Sanchez, Bram Tankink, Maarten Tjallingii and Maarten Wynants

Argos-Shimano: Marcel Kittel (Ger), Patrick Gretsch (Ger), Roy Curvers (Ned), Koen de Kort (Ned), Tom Veelers (Ned), Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger), Matthieu Sprick (Fra), Albert Timmer (Ned) and Yann Huguet (Fra)

With National Championships coming up right before the Tour de France, riders get to choose if they will participate. Is this beoming a race to fine-tune performance before the biggest race of the year? Or is it still about National pride?

Valverde and Sanchez to skip National Championships

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-and-sanchez-to-skip-national-championships)

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) will not line up at the Spanish National Championships, which begin on Thursday in Salamanca. Valverde, who initially wanted to compete in both the time trial and the road race, finally decided to skip the event while Sanchez never planned to race it in the first place.

According to El Periódico, the Movistar leader "talked to Eusebio Unzué on Sunday evening. Considering that Valverde already rode 1,300 kilometres in the Tour de Suisse, and that his state of form was up to Tour de France level, the sports director thought that it was best to use this week to fine-tune his shape by training at home in Murcia."

The 32-year-old, who will be his team's top man at the Tour starting June 30 in Liège, was instrumental in Rui Costa's overall victory in Switzerland last week-end. By skipping the Nationals, Valverde will start the French Grand Tour with 36 days of competition in his legs.

Sanchez, who together with Valverde was named into the Spanish Olympic selection earlier this month, is sticking to his intital plan of not attending the National Championships. Euskaltel-Euskadi's sports director Gorka Gerrikagoitia confirmed to BiciCiclismo that "since the very beginning" of the season, Sanchez' race programme up to the Tour de France did not include the Salamancan event.

On Tuesday last week, after having completed the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Olympic champion retreated to a training camp in Sierra Nevada where he will stay until Saturday. His crash on the second day of the French stage race did not result in any serious injuries.

Sanchez, who won the mountains classification at the 2011 Tour, will thus have 31 days of competition in his legs at the start of this year's Tour.

This confused me. A few days ago we learned that Pozzato isn't being investigated, even though he had a conversation(s?) with Dr. Michele Ferrari. However, now he is being called to talk to the Italian Olympic Committee.

Pozzato to front CONI anti-doping prosecutor today

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pozzato-to-front-coni-anti-doping-prosecutor-today)

Filippo Pozzato's participation in the London Olympic Games is under threat having been called to appear before the anti-doping prosecutor of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on Tuesday. The meeting is scheduled for 1230pm local time.

The move follows a report in Saturday's La Repubblica which suggested that Pozzato was a client of the controversial Dr. Michele Ferrari, who last week was formally charged with doping by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), alongside Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel.

The article quotes extracts from a telephone conversation intercepted in the summer of 2009, in which Pozzato allegedly speaks of working with Ferrari, something which the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) outlawed in 2002. According to La Repubblica, Pozzato can be heard speaking in Vicenza dialect in the recording, saying "Listen: I went to Ferrari because I asked him myself."

Pozzato also allegedly discusses the Emanuele Sella doping case in the recording, and expresses his distaste at the manner in which the rider had negotiated a reduction on his ban after collaborating with the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) panel.

"If you go to see him in his own house, then you're responsible," Pozzato is alleged to have said. "You don't have a gun pointed to your head. I wanted to go to Ferrari. We're grown-ups aren't we?"

La Repubblica's report notes that the recorded conversation also reveals that it cost €40,000-50,000 per year to be "followed" by Ferrari.

Pozzato's lawyer, Pierfilippo Capello denied the Farnese Vini-Selle Italia rider denied the association.

"We've checked several times with magistrates in Padova and in other places where there are ongoing anti-doping inquiries, and my client is not listed in any register of those under investigation," Capello told Tuttobici and Gazzetta dello Sport.

Ferrari remains banned for life by the Italian Cycling Federation based on rider testimony and other evidence that he provided doping products to athletes, but was cleared of criminal charges in 2006. Riders found to have worked with Ferrari face a possible ban in Italy of between three and six months.

And of course, how can I miss a RadioShack Nissan Trek news update.

Fuglsang disappointed to miss Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-disappointed-to-miss-tour-de-france)

After winning the Tour of Luxembourg and working diligently for RadioShack-Nissan teammate Fränk Schleck in the Tour de Suisse, Jakob Fuglsang was expected to be selected for the Tour de France. Although he was named to the team's long list for July, the Dane was surprisingly left off the final roster, announced today.

In his place was Chris Horner, a rider who was not listed in the long team, but who petitioned for his inclusion for the Tour, insisting his back injury that flared up after the Tour of California was all better.

Interviewed by sporten.dk, Fuglsang wouldn't speculate as to the reasons why he was not chosen for the Tour team. "I was told by Kim Andersen, but he could not say why," the 27-year-old Dane said.

"Of course I'm disappointed with it and I think I should have a place on the team. If you look at my form and my results, I can not see that there are nine riders who are better."

The flip-flop in selections could be related to Andy Schleck's broken sacrum, which was discovered last week, as stated by RadioShack press officer Philippe Maertens. The decision could also be related to Fuglsang's own admission that he is considering moving back to the Saxo Bank squad, or it could simply be that the team, sponsored by two US sponsors, wanted at least one of the team's three Americans in the race.

"[It] Was a difficult choice, but a choice of team management. Andy [dropping] out changed many things. And it was not a choice [of] Horner or Fuglsang," Maertens told Cyclingnews via e-mail.

Fuglsang said he respects the decisions of the team's sport directors, but when questioned about the drama currently surrounding his team, he hinted, "There is more than what appears in the press. We see only the tip of the iceberg. It does not take a genius to see that it is not running as it should."

What appears in the press are several indications that general manager Johan Bruyneel's authority is not what it once was: Bruyneel has engaged in a public debate with the Schleck brothers over their performances this season and the decision to leave director Kim Andersen at home in July, and as a result both riders are rumoured to be looking to leave the team next year.

More recently, it became public that Bruyneel is embroiled in the Lance Armstrong/USADA doping case, the Belgian is facing the end of his career in the sport if he is found guilty of anti-doping rule violations from the US Postal Service team days.

The case could lead the Tour de France organisers ASO to exclude the team from the race, although Christian Prudhomme refused to comment on the speculation.

Before I conclude today's post, let's have a look back at the Numbers of the Tour de France. However, I am surprised to see that George Hincapie isn't on the Most Tour Appearances. from my understanding, he tied the highest last year, and this year would be the record. I guess I have to look into it.

History of the Tour de France by numbers

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/history-of-the-tour-de-france-by-numbers)

The world’s most famous road race - the Tour de France - has a rich 109 year history and its fabled past is synonymous with the greatest names in the sport.

But who are the figures that have written themselves into the record books of this most emblematic of events? Who’s the fastest winner? The oldest winner? The youngest winner? Which country has basked in yellow more than any other? Who’s the climber that stands head and shoulders above all the other?

We’ve got all the answers and more right here in our history of the Tour de France by numbers, and alongside it is a gallery of some of the race's biggest names. With the start of the latest edition on June 30 rapidly approaching, will any of the current generation force their way into some of these categories?

Multiple winners
7: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 1999-2005
5: Jacques Anquetil (Fra) – 1957, 1961-64
5: Eddy Merckx (Bel) – 1969-72, 1974
5: Bernard Hinault (Fra) – 1978-79, 1981-82, 1985
5: Miguel Indurain (Spa) – 1991-95

Victories by nation
France: 36
Belgium: 18
Spain: 13
USA: 10
Italy: 9
Luxembourg: 4
Holland and Switzerland: 2
Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Australia: 1

Smallest winning margins (since 1947)
8 seconds: 1989 - Greg LeMond (USA) beats Laurent Fignon (Fra)
23 seconds: 2007 – Alberto Contador (Spa) beats Cadel Evans (Aus)
38 seconds: 1968 – Jan Janssen (Hol) beats Herman Van Springel (Bel)

Largest winning margins (since 1947)
28m 17s: 1952 – Fausto Coppi (Ita) beats Constant Ockers (Bel)
26m 16s: 1948 – Gino Bartali (Ita) beats Alberic Schotte (Bel)
22m 00s: 1951 – Hugo Koblet (Sui) beats Raphael Geminiani (Fra)

Yellow jersey wearers by nation
France: 82
Belgium: 53
Italy: 25
Holland: 17
Germany: 12
Spain: 12
Switzerland: 10
Luxembourg: 7
Denmark and USA: 5
Great Britain and Australia: 4
Ireland: 3
Canada: 2
Austria, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Estonia, Colombia, Norway and Ukraine: 1

Most days in the yellow jersey
Eddy Merckx (Bel): 111
Lance Armstrong (USA): 83
Bernard Hinault (Fra): 79
Miguel Indurain (Spa): 60
Jacques Anquetil (Fra): 52

Most green jersey victories
6: Erik Zabel (Ger) – 1996-2001
4: Sean Kelly (Ire) – 1982-83, 1985, 1989
3: Jan Janssen (Hol) – 1964-65, 1967
3: Eddy Merckx (Bel) – 1969, 1971-72
3: Freddy Maertens (Bel) – 1976, 1978, 1981
3: Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Uzb) – 1991, 1993-94
3: Robbie McEwen (Aus) – 2002, 2004, 2006

Green jersey winners by nation
Belgium: 19
France: 9
Germany: 8
Holland, Ireland and Australia: 4
Uzbekistan: 3
Italy, Switzerland and Norway: 2
Spain, Great Britain: 1

Most polka-dot jersey victories
7: Richard Virenque (Fra) – 1994-97, 1999, 2003-04
6: Federico Bahamontes (Spa) – 1954, 1958-59, 1962-64
6: Lucien Van Impe (Bel) – 1971-72, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983

Polka-dot jersey winners by nation
France: 18
Spain: 15
Italy: 13
Belgium: 11
Colombia: 4

Most white jersey victories
3: Andy Schleck (Lux) – 2008-2010
3: Jan Ullrich (Ger) – 1996-98
3: Marco Pantani (Ita) – 1994-95

White jersey winners by nation
France, Holland, Italy and Spain: 5
Germany: 4
Luxembourg: 3
Colombia, USA and Russia: 2
Australia, Mexico and Ukraine: 1

Highest average speed of Tour winner
41.654kph: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 2005
40.940kph: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 2003
40.553kph: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 2004

Biggest winning margin in a stage (since 1947)
22m 50s: 1976 (Montgenevre-Manosque) - Jose Luis Viego (Spa)
21m 48s: 1957 (Pau-Bordeaux) – Pierino Baffi (Ita)
20m 31s: 1955 (Millau-Albi) – Daan De Groot (Hol)

Most stage victories
34: Eddy Merckx (Bel)
28: Bernard Hinault (Fra)
25: Andre Leducq (Fra)
22: Andre Darrigade (Fra)
22: Lance Armstrong (USA)
20: Nicolas Frantz (Lux)
20: Mark Cavendish (GBr)

Most time trial victories
20: Bernard Hinault (Fra)
16: Eddy Merckx (Bel)
11: Jacques Anquetil (Fra)
11: Lance Armstrong (USA)

Most stage wins in one Tour
8: Charles Pelissier (Fra) – 1930
8: Eddy Merckx (Bel) – 1970, 1974
8: Freddy Maertens (Bel) – 1976

Oldest Tour winners (age at end of the race)
36: Firmin Lambot (Bel) – 1922
34: Henri Pelissier (Fra) – 1923
34: Gino Bartali (Ita) - 1948
34: Cadel Evans (Aus) – 2011

Youngest Tour winners (age at end of the race)
19: Henri Cornet (Fra) – 1904
21: Romain Maes (Bel) – 1935
22: Francois Faber (Lux) – 1909
22: Octave Lapize (Fra) – 1910
22: Philippe Thys (Bel) – 1913
22: Felice Gimondi (Ita) – 1965
22: Laurent Fignon (Fra) – 1983

Longest gap between victories
10 Years: Gino Bartali (Ita) – 1938 and 1948

Most Tour appearances
16: Joop Zoetemelk (Hol)
15: Lucien Van Impe (Bel)
15: Guy Nulens (Bel)
15: Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus)

12 - June - 2012 - Daily News

I think I'm going to start naming my posts "<enter date> - Daily News" because recently I have been posting longer posts that cover a variety of topics. So here is June 12, 2012 - Daily News.

I know this shouldn't come as a surprise, but Peter Sagan won another stage in the Tour de Suisse! This man is on fire!!!

June 12, Stage 4: Aarberg - Trimbach/Olten 188.8km

Sagan sprints to stage 4 win in the Tour de Suisse

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-suisse-2012/stage-4/results)

Superlatives are rapidly being exhausted at the Tour de Suisse, as Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) raced to his third stage win in four days with disarming facility in the rain at Trimbach/Olten. 

After his haul of five stage victories at the Tour of California, Tuesday’s win was the Slovak’s eighth in less than a month. The rules of cycling, it seems, have been condensed to just one: the peloton races for almost 200 kilometres, and in the end, Sagan wins in the sprint.

With 6 kilometres to go here, it briefly appeared as though the 22-year-old might for once be thwarted, as escapees Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Martin Elminger (Ag2r-La Mondiale) and Lars-Petter Nordhaug (Sky) held a 35-second lead over the reduced peloton, but a lengthy stint of pace-making from Liquigas’ Moreno Moser helped reel them in ahead of the finish.

“I have to thank Moreno for helping me so much, today the win is thanks to him,” Sagan said as he waited to mount the podium.

Once the juncture was made inside the final three kilometres, there was an ineluctable feel about the sequence of events. Only Vladimir Gusev (Katusha) and then Jakob Fuglsang (RadioShack-Nissan) raged briefly against the dying of the light, but their attacks were deftly quenched by Moser.

In the final sprint, Marcus Burghardt (BMC) made a bold attempt to anticipate Sagan by opening his effort early. In vain. With 200 metres to go, Sagan lifted himself from the saddle and moved past remorselessly to take the win.

José Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) dived gamely for Sagan’s rear wheel, but it eluded his grasp, ghosting away inexorably to the line. Indeed, if anything, Rojas’ move seemed mainly to upset the sprint of his fellow countryman Oscar Freire (Katusha), who could only manage 9th.

Rojas came home in second, ahead of Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge), with Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) coming across the line in fourth, but nobody was ever able to threaten Sagan’s striking pre-eminence.

“No win is easy but I’m very happy,” Sagan said. “I’m very glad that I was able to take the right wheel in the sprint.”

There was no change at the head of the overall standings, even though the conditions and the undulating finale saw the peloton whittled down to just 60 before the finish. Rui Costa (Movistar) retains his 8-second lead over Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan), while Roman Kreuziger (Astana) remains in third, 15 seconds back.

Attacking finale

While a number of riders attempted to slip clear after the damp, grey start in Aarberg, it was not until the 1st category climb of the Scheltenpass (81.5km) that the principal break of the day took shape, with Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Mathew Hayman (Sky), Martin Kohler (BMC), Gregory Rast (RadioShack Nissan), Ruben Perez (Euskaltel), Sebastien Minard (AG2R), Sergio Paulinho (Saxo Bank), Javier Megías (Team Type 1) and Brian Vandvorg (Spidertech) going clear.

Cataldo began the stage just 1:15 off Rui Costa’s (Movistar) overall lead, which meant that the escapees were never granted much leeway by the peloton behind. By the time the race reached the finishing circuit at Trimbach/Olten with 40km to go, their lead was just 2 minutes, and their unity was shattered on the 3rd category Unter Hauenstein.

A flurry of attacking did little other than see their gap to the bunch dwindle to just 25 seconds and on the way down the other side, Nordhaug clipped off the head of the peloton and set off in lone pursuit. By the base of the descent, he was alone in front, while Cataldo, the only survivor of the early leaders, had been joined by Elminger and Van Avermaet.

Atop the final climb of the Salhöhe with 15km to race, Nordhaug had 30 seconds on the reduced peloton, while Van Avermaet and Elminger had shed themselves of Cataldo and were grimly closing the gap in driving rain. In spite of the diminished numbers behind, the overall contenders remained tentative as Albasini, Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan), Roman Kreuziger (Astana) and overall leader Rui Costa (Movistar) closely watched one another on the climb.
Movistar’s lack of numbers in the group meant that they were unwilling to take up the chase on the run-in, a stalemate which initially allowed the three leaders (who finally came together with 7 kilometres to go) to stretch out their lead. But when Katusha, Garmin-Barracuda and, particularly, Liquigas’ Moser began to commit themselves, the picture changed dramatically and the stage swung inevitabily back into Sagan’s orbit.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	4:36:55
2	Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
3	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
4	Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Barracuda
5	Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Pro Team Astana
6	Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha Team
7	Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
8	Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
9	Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team
10	Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing Team

After some riders had a less than stellar performance at the Criterium du Dauphine, they are now worrying about their Tour de France chances:

Dan Martin happy to make it through Critérium du Dauphiné

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dan-martin-happy-to-make-it-through-criterium-du-dauphine)

In spite of crashing heavily on the opening road stage, Dan Martin (Garmin-Barracuda) managed to complete the Critérium du Dauphiné and keep his hopes of making his Tour de France debut intact.

The Irishman fell forcefully on his right side, injuring his shoulder and cracking his helmet in two in the process, but fortunately sustained no broken bones in the incident. Although his restricted movement would hinder his ability to eat on the bike for much of the week, Martin battled through to Châtel and declared himself pleased with his condition as he emerged from the race.

“I’m really proud to have finished the race now because it’s been a really tough week,” Martin told Cyclingnews in Morzine ahead of Sunday’s final stage. “The physios and the chiropractor have been great and the guys have been incredible at keeping the morale up.

“I just count myself pretty lucky because I was pretty sure that I’d broken my shoulder when I crashed. So to come away from that with just some muscular damage is pretty good.”

Martin was able to count on the help of Sep Vanmarcke in particular during his travails on stages two and three, as he struggled to feed himself on the hoof. “I didn’t have the strength in my right arm to support myself when I took my left hand off the bars to eat,” he explained.

Indeed, like Andy Schleck, who would crash and eventually abandon later in the week, Martin’s injuries meant that simply climbing out of the saddle proved nigh on impossible for several days. “I couldn’t get out of the saddle, so I’ve done it all seated, which really isn’t usual for me,” he explained, before joking, “But in terms of training my lower back to sit in the saddle all the time, I suppose it’s been a good week for me.”

Tour de France

After a strong spring campaign that saw him finish 4th at the Volta a Catalunya and in the top 6 at both Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it would be understandable if Martin were frustrated that his crash denied him the chance to test himself against the likes of Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggins in the mountains.

“It’s hard to be frustrated when I’m still in one piece,” he said. “I split my helmet in two as well, so it could have been a lot worse. Besides, I was able to climb in the front group on Friday, the first hard day [over the Col du Grand Colombier - ed.]”

Martin was one of many riders unable to follow the tempo imposed by Team Sky’s disquieting show of force on the Col de Joux-Plane on Saturday afternoon, but given his travails earlier in the race, the Irishman was not unduly concerned.

“Physically, I think getting through this week has shown that my form is pretty good, but the lack of recovery over the week caught up with me,” he said. “I know the legs are there, I’m confident. Hopefully I’ll be up with those guys at the Tour.”

Forced out at the last minute through injury in 2009 and surprisingly overlooked last season despite a fine run of June form, Martin is still waiting to make his Tour de France debut. Given his past experience, he is reluctant to discuss La Grande Boucle until he has a number pinned on his back on June 30.

“I pulled out when I was already in Monaco in 2009 with a sore knee and it could have been the same with this crash as well,” Martin said. “Anything can happen. I’ll just wait until I’m in Liège before I start talking about the Tour.”

Sanchez heads for Sierra Nevada ahead of Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sanchez-heads-for-sierra-nevada-ahead-of-tour-de-france)

Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) struggled through the Critérium du Dauphiné after crashing early on the opening road stage, but the Spaniard’s Tour de France participation is not in doubt after a scan on Monday confirmed that he had sustained no broken ribs in the incident.

The Olympic champion consulted Sporting Gijon club doctor Antonio Maestro on his return from France, and learned that he was suffering from a tear to his left latissimus dorsi muscle and an edema near his right fourth rib. Sanchez will spend two days off the bike before beginning his final build-up to the Tour.

“If I had pulled out of the Dauphiné, I would have been a step behind in my preparation and I could almost have waved goodbye to the Tour, but I managed to keep going and at least I have eight days of high-level racing in my legs,” Sanchez told El Comercio.

Sanchez, who finished the Dauphiné almost an hour down on overall winner Bradley Wiggins (Sky) will travel to Sierra Nevada on Wednesday to undertake a ten-day training camp at altitude. Third overall in 2010 [following the disqualification of Alberto Contador – ed.] and king of the mountains last year, Sanchez agreed that based on their Dauphiné form, Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) would be the men to beat in July.

“Wiggins is very strong and his Sky team is really very motivated,” said Sanchez. “I also felt that Evans was going very well."



Nibali starts training camp on Passo San Pellegrino

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-starts-training-camp-on-passo-san-pellegrino)

From Tuesday, June 12 until Saturday, June 23, Liquigas-Cannondale is holding a last pre-Tour de France training camp on the Passo San Pellegrino, including Vincenzo Nibali and Ivan Basso. Nibali, the designated leader for the upcoming grand tour, will use the camp to get his form up to the desired level following a Critérium du Dauphiné in which his performances were somewhat limited compared to his rivals for July.

The Italian was on the attack on the final day after having losing more than nine minutes on Saturday's queen stage, which involved the HC climb Col de Joux-Plane. "It was a question of pride, and most of all, I wanted to see how I'd feel," he told Gazzetta dello Sport, explaining his moved that was ultimately doomed. "In the stage of the Joux Plane I had a bad day. But I'm not hiding the fact that I'm looking for better form, and for that the efforts made in the race will serve me well. I was looking for answers and I got some.

"There were riders who were doing well, but I think that many were worse than I was," he added, possibly alluding to Andy Schleck's recent form. The RadioShack-Nissan is arguably in even worse form just three weeks prior to the Tour, where Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Cadel Evans (BMC) now look to be the top favourites.

But Nibali remains confident that he can catch up on his delay during the training camp and by competing in the Italian road race championships on June 23. On Passo San Pellegrino, "I have to do some specific mountain training, especially on the long ascents that last more than one hour."

The 2010 Vuelta a Espana winner and two-time Giro d'Italia podium finisher will be back at the French grand tour for the first time since he finished seventh overall in 2009. As for his view on the favourites for the yellow jersey, he thought that "the only ones that have shown to have something extra are Wiggins and Evans. Still, the Tour isn't won at the Dauphiné."

But for every rider that feels that his performance in the Dauphine wasn't as good as it could be, there is always one that believes he is doing good:

Rolland "better than last year"

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rolland-better-than-last-year)

Winner of the white jersey last July, Frenchman Pierre Rolland is looking forward to the upcoming Tour de France, having found the form he was looking for at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Rolland did not score any spectacular result at the Dauphiné, but used the race to gauge his form - and was very satisfied. "It's not easy to express 100 percent of my capabilities in a one-week race. I tried to get into the right breakaways, but I'm often better in the second or third week. All in all, I feel a bit better than last year. I'm more at ease in the mountains and inside the peloton in general. The last Tour de France taught me the importance of positioning. I've also gained more confidence in the descents," the Europcar rider told L'Equipe.

Thanks to his success at last year's race, Rolland has matured into a team leader, a position he shares with Thomas Voeckler. "I've gained a lot of confidence in myself. Moreover, I've come to an age where I can be more of a protected rider within my team. My teammates will be playing towards my advantage."

This also applies to the more experienced Voeckler. "I worked for him in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, on the Tour last year, and I know he'll be doing the same for me. If I tell him one morning that I feel good and that I can win, I know he'll help me. He's a smart guy, you can tell by the way he races. He never attacks for nothing," Rolland continued.

Unlike the previous edition, this year's Tour de France will include an increased number of time trial kilometres, for which the climber will prepare by racing the French time trial championships. "It's simple: I'll do the same amount of kilometres against the clock in June as I will in July [counting also the long time trial at the Dauphiné - ed.]. That way, my body will be more used to this kind of effort."

As for the increased pressure since his tenth place at the Tour last year, Rolland taking it in his stride. "Of course there is more pressure, but that's the game. I'm not making an obsession of it. I'm able to put aside quite a lot of things. My career will not stop at the 2012 Tour if ever I have some problem. Within the team, Jean-René (Bernaudeau) is not putting us under pressure - we know what we can do."

And finally, keeping up with my RadioShack Nissan Trek news, (what, you think I'd forget to mention them??), let's add more fuel to the fire that is already burning out of control. Not only did the RSNT team leave Chris Horner off the Tour de France selection, but they also lied about their reason why. Well, in true fashion, Horner has his own comments about the situation:

Horner on Tour selection snub: ‘My back is fine’

(http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/horner-on-tour-selection-snub-my-back-is-fine_223336)

Hours after learning that his RadioShack-Nissan team had not included him on its list of riders pre-selected for the Tour de France due to a back injury, American veteran Chris Horner told VeloNews that his back is no longer hurting him, and that he would have been ready to race come the Tour’s June 30 start in Liège, Belgium.

Horner’s team said Monday that back problems, which flared up last month following the Amgen Tour of California, had prevented him from racing the Tour de Suisse and therefore made it unfeasible for him to race the Tour.

“Already at California, his back was not OK. That is also the reason why he is not in the Tour de Suisse this week,” RadioShack spokesman Philippe Maertens told VeloNews on Monday. “Without racing Suisse, it would be impossible for him to race in the Tour de France.”

Horner acknowledged that he took a week off the bike following California to treat his lower back — forcing him to skip the May 31 road race at the USA Cycling Professional National Championships — but he said that he had since returned to training and he had opted to skip Suisse, as he did last year, to fully concentrate on being at his best for the Tour.

“My back is fine,” Horner said. “There is no problem with my back. It was tight after California. It spasms up from time-to-time. I needed five days to rest it, so I took a week off the bike. I could have shown up to Suisse but I wouldn’t have had form.

“If the Tour de France was a month later, I could do Suisse, recover, and then train again. But the finish of Suisse is 10 days before the Tour, so it was better to just train and focus on doing that. I trained hard last week, I rode 600 miles, and I rode 100 miles today.”

Horner, who will turn 41 in October, has dealt with intermittent lower back problems since 2006, adding that the only time he’s ever missed a race because of the pain was the 2008 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. That year his Astana team had been excluded from the Tour, and Horner instead spent his July supporting his teammate Levi Leipheimer at the Cascade Cycling Classic, which Leipheimer won.

Horner’s best Tour ride was ninth overall in 2010. He crashed out of last year’s edition with a concussion. Later doctors discovered a potentially dangerous embolism in his lung and he didn’t return to racing until this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico, where he finished second overall.

Horner said he learned about his exclusion from the RadioShack Tour team from his wife, who read it on the Internet and called him while he was out training. He added that as of Monday evening, he had not yet spoken with anyone from RadioShack team management. The last time he spoke with team manager Johan Bruyneel, Horner said, was a month earlier in Santa Rosa, California, when Bruyneel briefly visited the team prior to the start of the Amgen Tour.

“While I’m out doing a 100-mile training ride, I’m told that my back is wrecked beyond competing at the Tour de France,” Horner said. “As bike racers, you want to do the Tour more than any other race. By all means I can understand the team being concerned about a back problem, but my therapist was able to get it back under control, and at almost three weeks out, it’s still early to make that kind of decision.”

With Horner’s permission, Greg Bourque — a licensed acupuncturist and certified massage therapist who has treated Horner since 1997 — described Horner’s back issues as general erector spine tightening, absent of signs of sciatica or neurological dysfunction.

“I’ve treated Chris seven days a week since the Amgen Tour of California, for 90 minutes nightly, and after the first week, we didn’t even really focus on his back,” Bourque said. “I moved on to a knee treatment, and some general neuromuscular work, focusing on soft tissue — not joints or ligaments, just muscles.

“Lately it was not even therapeutic massage, because he was riding 100 miles a day,” Bourque continued. “It was not even deep work, nothing fancy, just a drainage massage to get him ready for the next day of training. He was doing everything right to look after himself. I know him really well, and I fully expected him to be ready for the Tour — and I fully expected him to be going to the Tour. And I know he did as well.”

What comes next?

Horner admitted that his back issues are triggered by outside stresses, and acknowledged that there is more stress on his RadioShack team this year than in the past.

Owned by Luxembourg-based businessman Flavio Becca, who merged his Leopard-Trek team with RadioShack after disappointment in his squad’s 2011 season, RadioShack-Nissan has fallen short of expectations both in stage races and at the spring classics. Only Fabian Cancellara and Jakob Fuglsang have registered wins thus far — both have missed starts due to injury — while Tour contender Andy Schleck has struggled throughout the year to finish races.

Horner’s ride in the leader’s jersey and eventual second-place overall at Tirreno was among the few bright spots for the squad in early 2012. His contract with the team is set through 2013.

And while he said he was “devastated” to miss the Tour, describing his disappointment as “catastrophic,” Horner said he was equally as concerned about what the team’s message might mean for potential Olympic selection.

USA Cycling is set to announce its five-man Olympic team roster on Friday, June 15. None of the five spots have been claimed through automatic qualifications.

As of the June 10 UCI WorldTour ranking, Horner was the highest-placed American rider, 25th, as well as the highest-ranked RadioShack rider on the list.

Throughout his career, Horner has been in the running, but overlooked, for Olympic selection — first back in 1996, and again in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Horner said he spent Monday afternoon emailing his most recent power files to Jim Miller, USA Cycling’s vice president of athletics, to prove that he is race-fit and worthy of Olympic selection.

“I’ve had great results this year. I was top 10 at the Tour of the Basque Country, and I was third on the hardest climbing stage at Basque,” Horner said. “I was second overall at Tirreno, and in California I was clearly one of the best riders. I know I had a bad time trial; I was there, I remember it well. But if you look at the Mount Baldy stage, it was epic, there were three teams destroyed chasing me, I had a one-minute lead at the bottom of the Baldy climb and only four guys caught me by the finish.

“I’ve proven I can ride with best in the world,” Horner continued. “My back is healing. Whether or not my team wants to take me, I can’t control that. But I don’t like that they’re putting something out there that’s not true, that could affect my chance of going to the Olympics.”

Because he hadn’t spoken with anyone from his team, Horner couldn’t speculate on what the rest of his 2012 race schedule might look like, and if August might include racing Stateside, at the Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge, or abroad, at the Vuelta a España.

“I have no idea what the team is planning for me, because we haven’t spoken,” he said. “No one has called me, so I have no idea what they are thinking. I’ve had no communication with the team.”

Instead, Horner said he wanted to focus on what he did know.

“The team has put it out there that I have a severe back problem,” Horner said. “I don’t. I’m not injured. I’m not hurt. This is something I’ve had since 2006. It flares up, and it disappears, and I keep racing. I’ve had the best results of my career with this problem. Could it reoccur at the Tour de France? Sure, anything is possible. A knee injury is possible. A broken collarbone is possible. But I’m not going to let the team make it out like I have some devastating back problem, when I don’t.”

Amstel Gold Race 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/results)

Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) won a thrilling Amstel Gold Race, timing his sprint to perfection atop the Cauberg, to win ahead of Jelle Vanendert (Lotto Belisol Team) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale).
Three time world champion Oscar Freire (Katusha Team) finished fourth after his bold attack in the closing 7 kilometres was caught in the final meters of the race. Two-time defending champion, Philippe Gilbert, (BMC Racing Team) had to settle for sixth behind Thomas Voeckler (Europcar).

BMC had controlled the race throughout much of the closing stages but Gilbert was left to do all the work on the final ascent of the Cauberg. His acceleration first brought back Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma QuckStep) and then Freire's dying legs to within touching distance. However the move proved as a spring board for the podium placers.

Sagan was the first rider to come around the Belgian champion but he too ran out of gas, with Gasparotto accelerating on his left and Vanendert on his right.

Maastricht treaty lasts until opening climbs

The riders had left the chilly start city of Maastricht with a blessing of rain drops and a cold northern wind on their noses. Typically many riders tried break clear on the first of the 31 climbs but nobody gained enough in the first hour of the race, which was covered at 45kph.

After nearly 60 kilometers of racing a large group finally was allowed to go. Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), Pello Bilbao (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Barracuda), Alex Howes (Garmin-Barracuda), Steven Caethoven (Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda), Cedric Pineau (FDJ-Big Mat), Simone Stortoni (Lampre-ISD), Sébastien Delfosse (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) and Eliot Lietar (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) were the lucky men.

During the second hour they gathered a maximum lead of 13:30 on the peloton, with no teams wanting to chase. Eventually RadioShack-Nissan, BMC and Katusha took the responsibility and gradually the gap went down.

When approaching the second ascent of the Cauberg the pace in the peloton increased even more and after the Vrakelberg a first group of riders was caught behind the peloton, including outsider Cadel Evans (BMC). In front, the breakaway group lost ground. On top of the Cauberg the gap was down to less than five minutes and that was also where Evans abandoned the race.

With 55 km to go the breakaway group still had four minutes on the peloton. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) went down on the Bemelerberg and even though he was assisted by a couple of teammates his race was almost over. When the pace increased inside the final 30 kilometres he was dropped. Meanwhile Danish rider Matti Breschel (Rabobank) also abandoned the race.

The Wolfsberg, at 41km from the finish line on the Cauberg, was the first of the last string of eight climbs. It proved to be the ground where the Astana moved forward. The gap quickly dropped below two minutes and the speed went up another notch when Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank) attacked the peloton, without much success.

In front Bardet, Bilbao, Howes and Stortoni dropped their fellow breakaway companions although Kreder and Delfosse returned little later. The six remaining leaders entered the last 30km with an advantage of 1:10.

The break split further when Bardet and Howes accelerated again.

Boasson Hagen was the first contender to attack inside the final 15 kilometres but the Sky rider was unable to gain more than 100 meters, with the BMC trio of Mauro Santambrogio, Greg Van Avermaet and Gilbert holding court at the head of the race.

Avermaet, was the perfect teammate, sacrificing his chances for Gilbert, who was either confident of taking on Sagan in the sprint or lacked the legs to attack earlier.

On the penultimate climb of the Keutenberg, Boasson Hagen was swiftly brought back, with Bardet shelling his breakaway companion for the second and final time.

Sky, Astana and Katusha were able to send probing attacks off the front, and Thomas Voeckler and Sagan went briefly alone, but it was Freire who struck a decisive blow with 7km to go, just after Bardet was finally swallowed up.

Freire has never made the podium in Amstel and with Rabobank having such a poor race with Breschel out and Gesink already dropped, Freire's former Dutch team must have been reeling when the Spaniard had a gap of 13 seconds.

But it wouldn't be a Spring Classic without Omega Pharma-Quickstep having their say, and Niki Terpstra accelerated away in pursuit of the Spaniard as the race descended from the Keutenberg.

At the foot of the Cauberg Terpstra had failed to make contact, with a tiring Van Avermaet leading a 20-strong group with Gilbert latched to his wheel.

Gilbert's attack displayed elements of panic and reluctant acceptance at the same time, the rider well aware that everyone was watching him, while also knowing that Freire was on the cusp of a shock win.

Terpstra was quickly reeled in and Gilbert's second acceleration caused the chase group to splinter. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) crashed along with Lars-Peter Nordhaug (Sky), and with a fading Freire unable to hold on the race came down to the strongest, but also the freshest in the sprint for the line.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Pro Team Astana	6:32:35
2	Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
3	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:02
4	Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team
5	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
6	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
7	Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
8	Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda	0:00:04
9	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
10	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team