1602 Tour de Valland

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1602 Tour de Valland

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Stage 1 | Flat stage - 195 km

Mordvanian sprinter Miroslav Gradishar (Iskra) became the first rider to wear the red jersey in the 1602 Tour de Valland after defeating Nylander Derryl Benjaminson (Dido-GDC) and Christophe Villiers (Anzcell) in a mass sprint. The stage was easily controlled by the peloton, without many incidences.

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Stage 2 | Team time trial - 28 km

The first important differences already came in the second stage, with a 28-km TTT stage. An unpredictable weather helped to increase the differences, with teams such as BataVelo, Nenergo, Mordvelo and MTS-Biassoni losing more than forty seconds.

The stage was won by Bagdati team, although as Iskra team came second at only three seconds behind, Gradishar continued as leader of the general classification for another day.

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Stage 3 | Hilly stage - 215 km

The third stage, which included a small hill only a few kms before the finish, resulted in a considerably reduced peloton. Sprinter Christophe Villiers (Anzcell) defeated Galeaen Melker Rausing (Yetech-Druzhberg) and Lomarran Simone di Muzio (Nenergo) in a close sprint to give the first Vallish individual stage win this Tour.

Veteran Keszarian rider Ferenc Racz (Bagdati) was the new leader of the general classification.

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Stage 4 | Flat stage - 214 km

Antoine Duchesnay gave the second stage to Valland, after defeating Melker Rausing (Yetech-Druzhberg) and Christophe Villiers (Anzcell). The stage was much calmer than the previous stage, and Racz could continued wearing the red jersey a second day.

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Stage 5 | Hilly stage - 176 km

The fifth stage was expected to be a transition stage, but including a number of hills -although none of them qualified as high mountain, many teams saw on the stage a chance for either the fight of the general classification or the individual stage - or even both. Soon, the peloton was unable to control the stage from the earlier kms.

1599 Tour de Valland winner Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) was one of the most active riders in the final kms, but it was Yamaguchi Shoyo (MTS-Biassoni) who broke the main group in the final kilometres with a sustained attack. Soyabarian Bering Vandenstroom (Luxomatic) won easily in the final metres after defeating Radak Ilsatur (KyrzAir) and Oskar Spann (Yetech-Druzhberg) in a 5-rider group. The third place helped the Vienlander rider to become the new red jersey.

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Stage 6 | Flat stage - 230 km

Antoine Duchesnay (NDM) won his second stage this Tour after defeating Mordvanian Miroslav Gradishar (Iskra) and Osvald Jokumsen (Luft Wurberg) in a close sprint. The stage ended without incidences and changes in the general classification.

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Stage 7 | Hilly stage - 200 km

Sequoian Martin de Gasparette (Yetech-Druzhberg) won the the following stage, in a chaotic mass sprint, defeating Christophe Villiers (Anzcell) and Simone di Muzio (Nenergo). It was a bittersweet win for his team, however, as Spann suffered a crash and lost the red jersey. Kyrzbekistani Radak Ilsatur (KyrzAir) was the new leader of the general classification.

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Stage 8 | Hilly stage - 171 km

In the final hill of the stage, Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) was again one of the most active riders in the peloton, following a long attack by Ceribian Irakli Maisuradze (Magram). Oslanburgan Osvald Jakumsen (Luft Wurberg) defeated Nentsian Vyacheslav Bohdanovich (MTS-Biassoni) and Goldecian Spencer Grant (Ogo-Abbott) in the final metres to win the stage.

Roman Herzogenrath took the red jersey, with a thirty-five seconds lead over Saratovian Péťa Vacek (Soyuz-Kuprin).

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Stage 9 | Flat stage - 218 km

Antoine Duchesnay (NDM) won the next stage, the third this Tour, consolidating his lead at the Points classification. Ostlander Johannes Rapp (Scholden-Gulcron) and Lomarran Cesar Spinoza (Vançotte) were second and third, respectively.

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Stage 10 | Flat stage - 167 km

After the first rest day, the peloton had another clam day, which was decided in mass sprint again. This time, Christophe Villiers (Anzcell) avoid Duchesnay's fourth individual stage win, in a clear sprint. Florinthian Quentin Symonds (Dido-GDC) was third. Roman Herzogenrath continued leading the general classification without problems.

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Stage 11 | Mountain stage - 210 km

High mountain arrived on the eleventh stage. Vienlander Siegfried Jundt (AHN-Bank of Florinthus) surprised with a far away attack and win the stage without opposition.

A minutre later, a group of eight riders arrived, which included Manuel Aidas (Nenergo), 1596 Tour de Valland winner Zeljo Bratansek (Mordvelo), Lomarran Tomasso Zavala (Velomax) or Claude Bécaud (Vançotte), who became the new leader of the Youth classification.

Jundt also took the red jersey, leading now the general classification with five seconds ahead of Goldecian Spencer Grant (Ogo-Abbott), twenty-one seconds of Ceribian Irakli Maisuradze (Magram), while Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) fell to the fourth place, forty-four seconds behind the Vienlander climber.

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Stage 12 | Individual time trial - 27 km

Jundt, however, had not probably many hopes to keep the red jersey after the following stage, a 27-km individual time-trial (ITT). It was the only and last ITT this Tour, and although it was not very long, it was rather technical. The stage was won by Kyrzbekistani Alim Timerur (KyrzAir).

Ceribian Irakli Maisuradze (Magram) took the red jersey, with another two Ceribians in the provisional podium: Pharnavaz Undiladze (Bagdati), who was now second at twenty-one seconds after an impressive time-trial -finishing 7th in the stage- and his teammate Malkhaz Lomidze, who climbed at the third place at twenty-one seconds. Saratovian Péťa Vacek (Soyuz-Kuprin) retook the Youth classification jersey, as he climbed to the fourth place in the general classification at forty seconds.

Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) went down to the sixth place, although only fifty seconds with still five more high mountain stages to come, while Jundt fell from the first place directly to the eighth place. He was one minute behind Maisuradze now.

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Stage 13 | Mountain stage - 111 km

Irakli Maisuradze proved that he was willing to fight for the red jersey. He did not only remain in the main group in the last kilometres, which was reduced to nine riders, but he -following an attack by Yamaguchi Shoyo (MTS-Biassoni), he won the stage, followed by Shoyo himself and Kyrzbekistani climber Damir Zagipur (KyrzAir).

Maisuradze increased his lead to forty-three seconds over his countryman Malkhaz Lomidze (Bagdati), while Saratovian Péťa Vacek (Soyuz-Kuprin) and Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) were third and fourth, respectively, one minute and eight seconds behind Maisuradze. Pharnavaz Undiladze (Bagdati) lost more than one minute and half to Maisuradze, probably paying the efforst of the two previous days as well as the Tour of West Brigidna, which he had won barely two months ago.

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Stage 14 | Mountain stage - 185 km

The next stage, however, Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) showed his candidacy to the title in Lauren. He was the most active rider in the last climb, and his attacks could be followed by two other riders, Kazemuran Yamaguchi Shoyo (MTS-Biassoni), and Lomarran Tomasso Zavala (Velomax), leaving behind the rest of riders of the main group (a fourth rider would join them in the last metres, Kyrzbekistani Anvar Anvar Lenarur, the last survivor of the day breakaway).

Tomasso Zavala would easily won the stage, after leaving behind the other riders, after a final attack in the last two kms. A second group with included Malkhaz Lomidze and Pharnavaz Undiladze (Bagdati), Damir Zagipur (KyrzAir), and Claude Bécaud (Vançotte) arrived thirty seconds after.

Maisuradze lost his options that day, after losing more than three minutes and falling directly to the eighth place in the general classification. Another Ceribian, Malkhaz Lomidze, took the red jersey. Herzogenrath was second at only fourteen seconds, with Undiladze third at one minute and three seconds. Vacek fell from the provisional podium, fourth at one minute and seventeen seconds, while the winner of the stage, Tomasso Zavala, climbed to the fifth place at one minute and forty-seconds behind Lomidze.

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Stage 15 | Flat stage - 177 km

After the final rest day, and before the final three mountain stages that would decide the 1602 winner, the peloton had a rather calm day on the fifteenth stage.

As expected, the stage was decided in a mass sprint, in which Mordvanian Rein Warma (Iskra) surprised the favourites to win the stage, defeating Galeaen Melker Rausing (Yetech-Druzhberg) and Christophe Villiers (Anzcell) in the final metres.

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Stage 16 | Hilly stage - 200 km

The sixteenth stage was supposed to be a transition stage before the comeback of the high mountain. However, in the descend of a minor hill, more than sixty kilometres before the finish, a large group of riders found themselves behind the main group, including leader Lomidze and Roman Herzogenrath. Bagdati team found itself in a complicated situation, with Undiladze in the leading group while their leader was losing time and time. Some teams, mostly Velomax, Soyuz-Kuprin, and KyrzAir worked hard to increase the distance as much as they could. This attitude would cause a tense situation when the stage ended.

Télecon team found the cooperation of Vançotte team, and they helped to reduce the gap to merely one minute at the end of the stage. As a consequence, Lomidze retain the red jersey by merely three seconds over his teammate Undiladze, feeding the debate about who should be leading the team in the final mountain stages. Vacek was third at seventeen seconds now, while Zavala was fourth at forty-seconds. Roman Herzogenrath fell to the sixth place, at one minute and fourteen seconds.

Mordvanian Miroslav Gradishar (Iskra) defeated Sequoian Dieudonné Saint-Blanc (NDM) to win his second stage this Tour de Valland.

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[Hadash]

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Stage 17 | Mountain stage - 208 km

A long breakaway was formed in the seventeenth stage, the longest of the three remaining high mountain stages, which were expected to decide the winner (and podium) of the 1602 Tour de Valland. The winner of the stage was not decided until the last kilometres, after a long and sustained attack by Goldecian Caleb Foster (Ogo-Abbott), which broke the unity on the first group. Foster, however, would be defeated in the final metres by Kyrzbekistani Anvar Lenarur (KyrzAir), winning his first Tour de Valland individual stage in the same season he finished second in the Tour of West Brigidna.

Tomasso Zavala (Velomax) was the most active rider between the favourites, surprising with a far away attack. Behind, it was certainly a bad day for Bagdati team, as their Ceribian team leaders lose considerable time in the final kilometres in the stage.

Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon) became the new leader of the general classification, with Zavala only twenty-six seconds behind. Kazemuran climber Yamaguchi Shoyo (MTS-Biassoni) was again one of the most active riders of the stage, which climbed to the third place in the podium, at one minute and thirty-six seconds. The young vallish climber Claude Bécaud (Vançotte) climbed to the fourth place, at one-minute and forty-nine seconds, as well as taking the Youth classification jersey.

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Stage 18 | Mountain stage - 127 km

The stage eighteenth was considered the toughest of the last week's high mountain stages. However, despite many attempts to form a successful breakaway, the peloton took relatively easy before the final climb. Then, the Télecon team imposed a high pace which ended the options of the remaining riders from the breakaway.

Saratovian climber Arnošt Klement (Soyuz-Kuprin) attacked when there were already ten kilometres to finish, and his attack could only by followed by other three riders: Tomasso Zavala (Velomax), the leader Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon), and Soyabarian Ulrick Vandenhof (Scholden-Gulcron). During the last kilometres, Zavala attacked several times, but he failed to leave behind Herzogenrath.

Three kilometres to the finish, Vandenhof attacked for first time and he did not need a second try, as his rivals did not try to follow him at first. Although his lead was reduced quickly from 40" to 20" in the new kilometre, the 1600 Tour de Valland winner crossed the line in solitary, winning his second Tour individual stage in his career. Zavala arrived fourteen seconds later, followed by Klement and Herzogenrath a few metres behind.

Yamaguchi Shoyo (MTS-Biassoni) had clearly paid the efforts of the previous day, losing more than five minutes in the stage. As a consequence, Herzogenrath distanced from most of his rivals before the final mountain stage, except Zavala, who was second at seventeen seconds now. Claude Bécaud (Vançotte) was third at two minutes and thirty-seven seconds.

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Stage 19 | Mountain stage - 130 km

The last mountain stage was not as tough as the previous ones, but it was expected to decide the winner of the Tour. There was not much action until the last climb, with the main group reduced to eleven riders. Along Télecon team, Soyuz-Kuprin and Scholden-Gulcron were particularly active, impossing a high pace.

Zavala tried to leave Herzogenrath behind several times with constant attack, but the Dyrheimer climber was able to follow the Lomarran's wheel every time. During a pause that followed once of Zavala's attacks, Yamaguchi Shoyo (MTS-Biassoni), surprisingly attacked, probably aimed to forget his bad day the day before with a stage win. Only Marek Maruška (Soyuz-Kuprin) was able to follow him, with the young Saratovian rider easily defeated a visibly frustrated Shoyo in the final metres. Seventeen seconds later, a group of five riders arrived, including Zavala and Herzogenrath, as not even his last attack was able to leave Herzogenrath behind.

Although Claude Bécaud would lose more than one minute, most of his rivals for the third place in the podium did as well, allowing the 24-year old climber to reach the podium for first time, as well as the Youth classification.

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Stage 20 | Flat stage - 128 km

The peloton entered in Lauren led by Télecon team, which won their third Tour de Valland in four years. Roman Herzogenrath also became the first rider to repeat victory since 1595.

As expected, the stage winner was decided in a mass sprint, without incidences, in which Antoine Duchesnay (NDM) won his fourth individual stage this Tour -the number 25 in his career-, defeating Mordvanian Rein Warma (Iskra) and Florinthian Quentin Symonds (Dido-GDC).

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