Eternity RPC Board
06-22-2019, 02:07 PM
Stage 13 - Saint-Martin to Nantes | Hilly stage - 191 km
The peloton entered in the northern range on the 13th stage, although the stage ended in Nantes, with the exception of a minor hill in the last kilometres, the last 50 kilometres were almost completely flat. However, it was pretty obvious that the stage was going to be as much demanding as an ordinary mountain stage, with several breakaways, and Mordvelo team leading the peloton at a fast speed. Soon, many sprinters, and even some favourite riders, struggled to keep the peloton's pace.
Following the descend of Saint-Pomme, fifty-six kilometres from the finish, the peloton was reduced to thirty-eight riders, surprising many riders. Behind, Télecon, Bagdati and Magram tried to bring the peloton together again, but Mordvelo found cooperation from Dido-GDC and KyrzAir to increase the difference.
In the final hill, Kyrzbekistani Almas Cingur attacked, and only the leader Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo) was able to follow him. Cingur would clearly defeat Bratansek in the final metres to win his 7th individual stage in the Tour de Valland since 1584. A consolation for the Kyrzbekistani climber as he failed this season to repeat the success of previous years.
Nine seconds later, Vallish sprinter Antoine Duchesnay (NDM) came third with a small group of nine riders, including Gehennan Max Pappenheim (Dido-GDC), who along Mordvelo team was the favourite who was helped the most by the differences between the groups in which the peloton was divided through the day.
Bratansek saw his lead increased to two minutes ahead of the second rider in the general classification, who was now his own teammate Walentyn Lauterpacht. Max Pappenheim was third at three minutes and two seconds, while Blaise Brunschvicq and Pharnavaz Undiladze fell to the fourth and fifth position, respectively.
Stage 14 - Aubain to Mount Proulx | Mountain stage - 243 km
The peloton returned to the high mountain with a stage which finished in the mythical Mount Proulx. A large breakaway was formed at the first climb, but Mordvelo worked hard to reduce the differences, or at least avoiding that they went too high.
At the first kilometres at Mount Proulx, the first to attack was Adwestene climber and current champion Eden Grace Weatherhead (Scholden-Gulcron). His attack found no opposition or reaction from Mordvelo team, maybe influenced that at six minutes and forty-six seconds behind Bratansek, he was not seen as a direct threat for now.
However, more attacks came -specially from Jevgenijs Kalnins (Magram) and the young Pharnavaz Undiladze (Bagdati)- and although other favourites such as Pappenheim or Brunschvicq dropped from the main group earlier, Mordvelo started to have more problems to control the race.
In the last five kilometres, already left without teammates, Bratansek started to suffer in the main group, reduced to eight riders, including Undiladze, Kalnins, Eskkyan Amaury Servan, Strathaen Tuathal Seoras (United Strathae), Batavian Jaap Frisch (BataVelo), Goldecian Caleb Foster, and Castlian Jose Cardoso (AHN-Bank of Florinthus).
The distance between Weatherhead, the last two riders from the breakaway, Strathaen Sechnall MacCeallaig (United Strathae) and veteran Oslanburgan champion Jonathan Geissler (Luft Wurberg), and the main group reduced, but a last sprint was enough to assure the Adwestene champion to win the stage. Ten seconds later, after Geissler and MacCeallaig came, Kalnins crossed the finish, and Seoras and Undiladze did sixteen and eighteen seconds later, respectively.
Bratansek crossed the finish one minute and twenty seconds after Weatherhead. Undiladze, who consolidated -if not directly sentenced- his lead in the Youth classification, climbed to the second place in the general classification, at two minutes and thirty-five seconds, while Nylander Zachariah Nordfeldt (Vançotte) was third at three minutes and two seconds.
Stage 15 - Gosselin to Babineaux | Mountain stage - 168 km
After the second rest day and before the last individual time-trial, another high mountain stage awaited the peloton.
As the stage before, Videjszeme climber Jevgenijs Kalnins (Magram) was the most active rider, and following his last attack from the main group, he won the stage after outplacing Svarnan Amrit Mallaya (Abbott Cycling) and Jose Cardoso (AHN-Bank of Florinthus).
Bratansek lost another minute to Kalnins' group, which included Blaise Brunschvicq and Weatherhead between other riders, but was able to increase his lead over Undiladze, as the young Ceribian climber probably paid the efforts of the day before. Now, Bratansek was three minutes and five seconds ahead of Undiladze in the general classification.
Nylander Zachariah Nordfeldt was third at three minutes and thirty-two seconds, after losing another thirty seconds to Bratansek, although he hoped to reduce such difference in the next day ITT. Weatherhead climbed to the fourth position, at three minutes and forty-seven seconds, while Blaise Blunschvicq (Télecon) was fifth at three minutes and forty-eight seconds.
Stage 16 - Le Duguy to Tailler | ITT - 32 km
The last individual time-trial was expected to bring changes in the general classification before the last three last high mountain stages, where everything would be decided.
Bratansek, although certainly not a specialist against the clock did better than expected in the stage -which included some minors hills in the first twenty kilometres- and only lost a minute to Weatherhead -who climbed to the second position at two minutes and twenty-seven seconds in the general classification- while barely lost ten seconds against Nylander Zachariah Nordfeldt, who kept the third place by merely eleven seconds. Blaise Blunschvicq climbed to the fourth position in the general classification, while Ceribian climber Pharnavaz Undiladze (Bagdati) lost his provisional place in the podium, as he fell to the sixth position at four minutes and forty-one seconds. Bratansek's teammate Walentyn Lauterpacht climbed to the fifth place.
The stage was won by Strathaen Tighearnán Aidan MacRisnidh (United Strathae) who improved Lomarran Dominic Genosoto (NDM) time by merely four seconds.