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Almas Cingur wins 1591 Ceribian Tour
By Richard W. Wallace
Published: Nueva 26, 1591


Almas Cingur proved to be the best climber in the last mountain stages, winning a stage and the Ceribian Tour's Mountain classification for second time.


Etora, Ceribia - Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) became the first Kyrzbekistani rider to win the Ceribian Tour. He had ended fourth the previous season.

The first stage, a 9-km individual time-trial, was won by Nentsian Aliaksei Radziwilo (Nenergo Cycling). The next two stages followed the predictable script and were decided in mass sprint. On stage 2, Keszarian sprinter Kárdas Nyíregyházi (NDM Cycling) defeated Mordvanian Miroslav Gradishar (Iskra Team) and Batavian Frederik de Jong (Anzcell-RIFF) to win his first stage in a Grand Tour. The following day, Sven-Ole Wieth (Scholden-Gulcron) defeated Richard Malone (Dido-Great Life) and Frederik de Jong.

On stage 4, a 33-km team time-trial created the first important differences in the general classification. The stage was won by NDM Cycling, and Xavier de Molinari was the new leader of the general classification. The sprinters had another chance before the first high mountain stage the next day, in which Wieth won his second stage this Ceribian Tour after defeated Richard Malone and Vallish sprinter Antoine Duchesnay (Vançotte Team).

The Veteran East Tambossan climber Mutara Gasana (Tyrus-Empire) was the first one to attack the main group, then reduced to twelve riders, in the last climb. He was later followed by Hippolyte La Chapelle. In the last kilometres they were joined by Eskkyan Pierre Bonchamps (BataVelo) and 1590 Ceribian Tour winner Romain Poquelin (Télecon Team). Poquelin won the stage after a final attack in the final metres, becoming the new leader of the general classification.

The next stage, ended in a category-2 climb was not expected to create important differences in the general classification. Tyrus-Empire, however, tried soon to prove otherwise, first working hard to avoid any successful breakaway, and moving the race soon in the last climb. Only Ceribian Mukhran Chavchavadze (Magram) could follow the definitive attack by Tour de Valland winner Eden Grace Weatherhead (Tyrus-Empire). They joined Zachariah Nordfeldt (ZMG-Nissen), Grzegorz Sutzkever (Helahuvudet Vingard Cycling) and Kazbek Noorhamatur (KyrzAir), who had attacked in the previous climb. Weatherhead won the stage after defeating Nordfeldt and Noorhamatur in the final metres. The new leader was his teammate Mutara Gasana, followed by Chavchavadze at eight seconds and Poquelin at nine. Salika was fourth at fifteen seconds while Weatherhead climbed to the eight position at twenty-nine seconds.

The stage clearly created expectations if Weatherhead and Tyrus-Empire could repeat the performance we saw in the last Tour de Valland. However, they soon faded away. Benoît Montfleury broke the race with a long attack, only Chavchavadze and Sechnall MacCeallaig (United Strathae) could follow him. Behind, the main group was reduced to seven riders, with no Tyrus-Empire rider on it. The three riders would catch Lars Brunewald (NDM Cycling), the last rider from the breakaway, in the final kilometres. The Strathaen climber would outpace his rivals in the last km, winning easily the stage. Mukhran Chavchavadze (Magram) was the new leader of the general classification, with a lead of one minute and two seconds over Brunewald, inspiring hope to the local fans.

Two medium-montain stages followed. On stage 9, Hippolyte La Chapelle (Vançote) and Tamaz Chkheidze (Bagdati) would surprise with a faraway attack, in which they found cooperation in a large breakaway. Nylander Chester Stenbeck (Anzcell-RIFF) won the stage after easily beating on the sprint to La Chapelle and other four riders. La Chapelle and Chkheidze would climb to the sixth and seventh positions in the general classification respectively. The next stage was won by Nentsian Ryhor Martsinkyevich (MTS-Biassoni) with no changes in the general classification.

After the first rest day, high mountain returned on stage 11. The main group, reduced to thirteen riders, arrived together to the last kilometres of the last climb. Strathaen climber Sechnall MacCeallaig was again one of the most active and attacking riders. Following a final acceleration of the Strathaen rider, Goldecian Caleb Foster (Ogo Cycling), Mordvanian Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo), and Kyrzbekistani Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) created a small gap with the rest of riders of the main group. Bratansek outpaced Cingur, Foster and Sechnall in the last 500 metres to win the stage. Mukhran Chavchavadze led the general classification one day more. Amaury Servan (Nenergo Cycling) was second, at one minute and twenty-three seconds, while La Chapelle was third at one minute and forty-five seconds.

Stage 13 allowed some rest to the peloton, which finished the stage almost a hour later than expected. The stage was decided in a mass sprint, won by Richard Malone (Dido-Great Life), after defeating Kárdas Nyíregyházi (NDM Cycling) and Miroslav Gradishar (Iskra Team) in a close sprint. It was the 51th individual stage for the Florinthian sprinter in the Ceribian Tour, who had recently announced that he would retire at the end of this season unless he won the World Championship in Athos, Ceribia, at the end of the season. The stage also allowed Malone to wear the Points classification jersey for first time this Ceribian Tour, overcoming Oslanburgan Sven-Ole Wieth who had been wearing the green jersey since stage 5.

Mordvanians Rajko Kryzanek (Iskra Team) and  Marcus Gucevicius (Vançotte) were the last survivors from the breakaway in the last climb. Behind, the main group was reduced to twenty riders. Gucevicius would defeat his countryman, winning his first stage in a Grand Tour. Mukhran Chavchavadze would suffer and struggle to keep the red jersey, which he would be able to keep by only three seconds over Benoît Montfleury. Sechnall MacCeallaig and Eskkyan Pierre Bonchamps (BataVelo) were next at twenty six seconds while Kyrzbakistani Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) was fifth at twenty-eight seconds.

Chavchavadze's hopes would evaporate the following day, as he was soon unable to follow the pace of the main group, accelerated by BataVelo team. Only Oslanburgan Jonathan Geissler (ZMG-Nissen), Mordvanian Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo) and Florinthian Stephen Newgreaves (Helahuvudet Vingard) were the only ones able to follow Alessio Gagliardi and Pierre Bonchamps (BataVelo) in the last kilometres. Gagliardi won easily the stage after outpacing the other four rivals. Eskkya Pierre Bonchamps (BataVelo) was the new leader of the general classification, in which Mukhran Chavchavadze dropped to the 16th position after losing more than three minutes.

Stage 15 was expected to be another calm transition stage before the last rest day, but Mordvanian Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo) and Kyrzbekistani Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) surprised with a faraway attack. It was not a great day for BataVelo, as Pierre Bonchamps was barely able to remain in the peloton in the main group. Bratansek would defeat Lomarren Massimo Magnani (Anzcell-RIFF), and Asham Borran (Druzhberg) to win his second individual stage this Ceribian Tour. Eskkyan Amaury Servan (Nenergo Cycling) was the new leader of the general classification, with Bratansek mereley at three seconds -along a comfortable lead in the Youth classification- and Bonchamps third now at twenty-seven seconds.

Vallish Romain Guimard (Scholden-Gulcron), Hippolyte La Chapelle (Vançotte), and Ceribian Shalva Jughasvili (Magram) were the main protagonist of stage 16, while behind the group was reduced to eight riders. The young Shalva Jughasvili won the stage, giving the Ceribian fans their first joy. It was not Servan's best day this time, as he finished more than four minutes after the stage winner. Mordvanian Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo) was the new leader of the general classification, with Bonchamps second at seventeen seconds and Jonathan Geissler third at fifty-seven seconds.

There was no surprise on stage 17, expected to be the last chance for the sprinters, which was decided in a mass sprint. Richard Malone (Dido-Great Life) defeated Frederik de Jong (Anzcell-RIFF) and Ander Vitecz (Druzhberg Cycling) to win the stage. Jonathan Geissler would suffer a puncture who made him to lose twenty seconds and, as consequence, the third provisional place in the podium to Almas Cingur, without any important change in the general classification.

Now, the last two high mountain stages and the final time-trial were expected to decide the general classification, in which it seemed that anything is possible. Magram, Bagdati, and United Strathae teams -probably with their mind on the stage rather than the general classification- imposed a hard pace, which selected considerably the main group. Riders such as Geissler, Servan, Bonchamps and La Chapelle were already suffering in the first curves of the last climb. The definitive attack came from Kyrzbekistani climber Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) winning the stage after a long attack. Bratansek, who lost twenty-seven seconds to Cingur, retained the red jersey, with his lead to the Kyrzbekistani climber reduced to thirty-eight seconds. Lomarre climber Alessio Gagliardi (BataVelo) who arrived second in the stage, was third at two minutes and nineteen seconds. Jonathan Geissler was fourth at two minutes and fifty-five seconds, while Tamaz Chkheidze was the sixth. Bonchamps, after losing more than four minutes, was seventh.

On stage 19, the final high mountain stage, a breakaway with important riders such Grzegorz Sutzkever (Magram), Jose Cardoso (MTS-Biassoni), Germain Guimard and Nicolaj Bruun (Luft Wurberg), and Aivars Helmanis (Bagdati) was formed, although nobody posed a real threat for the general classification. Behind, the main group was already reduced to eleven riders. Bratansek started to struggle in that group, while Tamaz Chkheidze resisted the attacks by Eden Grace Weatherhead and Almas Cingur.
Germain Guimard defeated Sutzkever in the final metres to win his first Grand Tour stage, while Bratansek would end losing more than a minute to Cingur group. As consequence, Almas Cingur was the new leader in the general classification with a lead of thirty-seven seconds over Bratansek before the last individual time-trial. Tamaz Chkheidze (Bagdati) was third at two minutes and twenty seconds, while Gagliardi was now fourth at two minutes and fifty one seconds. Sutzkever improved two positions in the general classification to the fifth place at three minutes and thirty-five seconds.

Stage 20, a 37-km ITT which ended in Etora, was won by Vallish time-trialist Robert Annequin (NDM Cycling), one of the top specialists in the peloton. Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) resisted to lost barely more than a minute to Ceribian Tamaz Chkheidze (Bagdati), becoming the second Kyrzbekistani rider to win a Grand Tour and the first one to win the Ceribian Tour. The time-trial served at least to Chkheidze to end second -at one minute and twenty-six seconds in the final general classification-, the best position for a Ceribian rider in the Ceribian Tour since 1572, when Zurab Avakidze won the Ceribian Tour. Mordvanian Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo) could comfortably keep the third place in the podium, ending at two minutes and one seconds, also winning clearly the Youth classification. Grzegorz Sutzkever (Magram) climbed to the fourth position at three minutes and six seconds. Alessio Gagliardi and Pierre Bonchamps (BataVelo) ended fifth and sixth, respectively. Shalva Jughasvili (Magram) ended seventh, his best result in a Grand Tour so far for the Ceribian rider.