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Almas Cingur wins 1594 Tour de Valland
By Richard W. Wallace
Published: Nueva 28, 1594


Almas Cingur won also his third stage in Tour de Valland, exactly ten years after his first one.


Lauren, Valland - Kyrzbekistani climber Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) won his first Tour de Valland, becoming the second Kyrzbekistani rider to win the Tour de Valland.

The 1594 Tour de Valland started with a clear favourite, Adwestene Eden Grace Weatherhead, who hoped to win his fifth Tour in a row in order to become the first rider to win five Tour de Valland. His main rival was expected to be Kyrzbekistani climber Almas Cingur, who was runner-up the two previous season. Both riders showed early in the season their ambition and strength, with Weatherhead winning the Tour of Florinthus and the Tour of Keszaria, and Cingur clearly winning the Tour of Eskkya and two stages in the Criterium of Ventmont.

The Tour started with an early surprise, as the first stage did not end in the expected sprint, but rather in a small group of twelve riders who took advantage of the doubts of the peloton and a complicated terrain 30 km beforer the finish. The stage was won by Otto Biashke (ZMG-Nissen) who became the first Voltan rider to win a stage in the Tour de Valland (and as consequence, also the first Voltan to wear the red jersey the next day).

More important diffences came with stage 2, a 18-km Team time-trial (TTT) stage, which was won by Sequoian Le Cycle Super, which improved Télecon Team and Luft Wurberg Cycling time in thirteen seconds. Kazemuran Ryouichi Takenaka (Le Cycle Super) was the new leader of the general classification, which he would kept until stage 9. Despite the surprise on stage 1, the rest of days of the first week seemed favourable for teams aiming to work for their sprinters, and so it was.

On stage 3, Oslanburgan Sven-Ole Wieth (Scholden-Gulcron) defeated Kyrzbekistani Ilsat Alimur (KyrzAir) and Vienlander Ander Vitecz (Yetech-Druzhberg) to win his 26th stage in the Tour de Valland. The next day, Mordvanian Miroslav Gradishar (Iskra) defeated Ander Vitecz and Florinthian Quentin Symonds (Dido-GDC). A more chaotic followed on stage 5, in which Adwestene sprinter Varchar Mellent (Tyrus-Empire) defeated Mordvanian Rein Warma (Iskra). The main favourite to win the Points classification, Batavian Frederik de Jong, and most successful sprinter in the last five years, only won his first stage in the 1594 Tour de Valland on the sixth stage, in which he defeated Gradishar and Symonds.

The Batavian sprinter was close to win his second stage, but that prize ended for the veteran Oslanburgan, as Wieth defeated de Jong in a close sprint. On stage 8, Frederik de Jong won his second stage his season after defeating Ander Vitecz and Rein Warma, taking the Points classification for first time in this Tour.

On stage 9, a tough hilly stage, other riders were able to have a change to fight for the stage. A large breakaway was formed, which still included eight riders ten kilometres to the finish. Oslanburgan Morten Kaas defeated Adwestene Art McLeod (Tyrus-Empire) to give the third individual stage to Scholden-Gulcron. Vallish Gaston Martel (Iskra) who came third about seven seconds after Kaas and McLeod became the new leader of the general classification with a comfortable lead at least until the first mountain stage.

Before that, sprinters had a new chance on stage 10. That story had the expected conclusion, however, as Frederik de Jong won his third stage, defeating Ceribian Sergo Gvarjaladze (Bagdati) and Keszarian Kárdas Nyíregyházi (NDM Cycling) to win 30th individual stage in the Tour de Valland.

High mountain arrived on stage 11, although it was not expected to create big differences as it had only one serious climb and ended in a short but technicall descend. Already in the main and last climb, the main group was reduced to fourteen riders, including the two favourites, Eden Grace Weatherhead and Almas Cingur. Veteran Vallish Hippolyte La Chapelle proved to be the fastest rider in the descend, winning easily to a trio formed by Nylander Blaise Brunschvicq (ZMG-Nissen), Eskkyan Amaury Servan (Nenergo) and Batavian Jaap Frisch (BataVelo). Cingur and Weatherhead lost ten and sixteen seconds, respectively. Jaap Frisch was the new leader of the general classification, while Jose Cardoso (MTS-Biassoni) was second at twenty-eight seconds. Weatherhead was seventh, at one minute and thirty-five seconds.

Stage 12 was considered a medium-mountain stage rather than high mountain, despite the stage started with a 1-category climb followed by another 2-category climbs. A large was formed early, which included favourite riders such as Benoît Montfleury (Télecon) and Jonathan Geissler (ZMG-Nissen) along other who were already actived the previous day, such as La Chapelle and Strathaen Sechnall MacCeallaig. Mordvanian Walentyn Lauterpacht (Mordvelo) dropped his main rivals in the breakway to beat Goldecian Caleb Foster (Ogo Cycling) in the sprint. Jose Cardoso took the red jersey, with Jaap Frisch losing it by only seven seconds. Weatherhead was now sixth, improving a position, although at more than two minutes to the new leader. However, a more demanding high mountain stage was expecting the peloton the next day.

On stage 13, Tyrus-Empire toughened the race since almost the beginning of the stage, occasionally helped by teams such as United Strathae and Magram. Already before the last climb the main group was reduced to twelve riders, with Cardoso and Frisch dropping a few kilometres after starting the climb. Following an attack by Weatherhead, the group was already reduced to eight riders, including the Adwestene champion. However, Weatherhead would not be able to follow another attack by Goldecian Caleb Foster, who was only followed by Almas Cingur (KyrzAir) and, not without problems by Eskkyan Amaury Servan (Nenergo) and Nerysian Wulf Käufer (Luft Wurberg). Cingur beat Foster in the final metres to win the stage. Weatherhead would lose one minute and five seconds, although it was a worse day for riders such as Jaap Frisch, who lost almost three minutes and Cardoso, who started the stage as leader of the general classification to lose more than three minutes at the end.

Goldecian Caleb Foster (Ogo Cycling) was the new leader of the general classification, with Eskkyan Amaury Servan at one minute and eight second. Despite his bad day, Jaap Frisch retained a place in the podium, at one minute and twenty-seconds. Almas Cingur was now fourth, still more than two minutes, while Weatherhead was fifth at two minutes and six seconds.

The peloton took relatively easier the next stage, which was decided in the sprint, without important changes in the general classification. The stage was more than tough for many sprinters, which along the fatigue of the previous day, gave a chance to different sprinters than the first week. That way, Strathaen Aonghus Tadg (United Strathae) defeated Florinthian Quentin Symonds (Dido-GDC) and Varchar Mellent (Tyrus-Empire) to win his first stage in the Tour de Valland. A similar result followed the next stage, with Quentin Symonds winning his first individual stage in a Grand Tour after defeating Tadg with Mellent being again third.

On stage 16, high mountain returned. A breakaway was early formed, with Hippolyte La Chapelle, and Mordvanian Zeljko Bratansek (Mordvelo) and Ceribian Irakli Kapanadze (BataVelo) as last survivors. Behind, the main group was reduced to nine riders after Adwestene Hubert Salika (Tyrus-Empire), working for his leader Eden Weatherhead, imposed a high pace which Goldecian Caleb Foster struggled to follow. Bratansek suffered to win the stage with merely five seconds ahead of Strathaen Sechnall MacCeallaigh and Almas Cingur, who had just caught Kapanadze in the final kilometre. Ten seconds after Bratansek arrived Weatherhead and Jevgenijs Kalnins (Magram).

Caleb Foster, ending eleventh, lost nearby a minute to Weatherhead and Cingur, being reduced his lead in the general classification to one minute and eight seconds over Weatherhead and one minute and thirty-eight seconds over the Kyrzbekistani climber. Jaap Frisch dropped to the fourth place, at two minutes and nine seconds.

On stage 17, Foster was again unable to follow Weatherhead and Cingur, who saw no rival marching together and without further company - while keeping to attack each other. Foster lost one minute and eight second against both, and therefore losing the red jersey by only five seconds, as Weatherhead took five bonus seconds after ending second in the stage. Almas Cingur was third at thirty-three seconds, while Batavian Jaap Frisch saw complicated his options to the podium, as three minutes and forty-five seconds. The stage was won by Eskkyan Pierre Bonchamps (Le Cycle Super), his seventh Tour de Valland individual stage in eight years.

The last high mountain arrived, with three riders with clear options for the victory, although Weatherhead was still considered the favourite as not only he had a small advantage over his rivals but he was considered better time-trialist than Foster and Cingur for the final ITT on stage 19. The main group was reduced to twenty riders when they started to climb the mythical Mount Valloux. Caleb Foster soon started to suffer in the group along the BataVelo riders Jaap Frisch and Alessio Gagliardi. Ahead, Kazemuran Ryouichi Takenaka (Le Cycle Super) and Oslanburgan Jonathan Geisslen (ZMG-Nissen) were the only two remaining riders from the breakaway.

Weatherhead did not doubt to try to answer every attack, probably aiming to consolidate his fifth Tour de Valland with a victory in one historical climb. However, following an attack Strathaen Sechnall MacCeallaigh, which Weatherhead struggled to neutralize while being followed by Almas Cingur, it seemed clear that everything was still to be decided. 6 km to go, Weatherhead was not able to follow an attack Cingur, and saw as the Kyrzbekistani and Strathaen climbers advanced without him. Soon, he was overcame by Vallish Benoît Montfleury (Télecon) and Mordvanian Marcus Gucevicius (Vançotte). Meanwhile, ahead of all them, 34-year old Oslanburgan Jonathan Geissler (ZMG-Nissen), after dropping earlier Takenaka, suffered to keep his lead, probably knowning that he was not going to have more chances to write his name in such climb.

Jonathan Geissler was able to win the stage, his four individual stage in the Tour de Valland, with only dozen seconds ahead of Cingur and Sechnall, who crossed the line followed by Takenaka. Thirty seconds later, Montfleury and Gucevicius, along Goldecian Jack Marshall (Ogo Cycling). Weatherhead lost more than one minute, arriving in a small group which included Goldecian Caleb Foster and other six riders, one minute and twenty-four seconds, in probably his worst day in the Tour de Valland in the last five years.

With only the final ITT, Almas Cingur took the red jersey, while Weatherhead was now second at one minute and one second. Caleb Foster was third, only five seconds behind Weatherhead. Benoît Montfleury climbed to the fourth place, although without realistic options to the podium, as he was at five minutes and fourty-four seconds. Goldecian Jack Marshall was fifth, while Batavian Jaap Frisch and Mordvanian Marcus Gucevicius were sixth and seventh, respectively.

With everything to decide, both the winner of the Tour and the order of the podium, after the final rest day, the last individual time trial was expected to decide one of the most exciting Tours of the present decade. The stage was won by Didier de Cromm (Le Cycle Super), who won a Tour de Valland individual stage six year later. It became obvious soon that Goldecian Caleb Foster could not aspire to anything more than to keep the third place in the podium, as he lost fifty-six and forty-nine seconds to Weatherhead and Cingur, respectively, in the first ten kilometres. Weatherhead kept improving Cingur time kilometre after kilometre, but Cingur was able to resist, only twenty-four seconds at the end of the stage, although not without suffering and tension. Exhausted, Almas Cingur barely could celebrate his victory after crossing the finish.

In the final general classification, Almas Cingur was able to win his first Tour de Valland, with thirty-seven second ahead of Eden Grace Weatherhead (Tyrus-Empire), who had defeated him in the last two seasons. Cingur becomes the second Kyrzbekistani rider to win the Tour de Valland, after Gjöke Kelmend win in 1571 (and the first Kyrzbek, as Kelmend was an ethnic Arberian). It was the third Grand Tour for Cingur, who had previously won the Ceribian Tour in 1591 and 1592. Besides winning the  general classification, Cingur also won the Mountain classification.

Weatherhead was unable to beat Jacques Gaudin, although it is surely that he will try again next season. It was the the seventh podium for the Adwestene climber, a feat only achieved by Jacques Gaudin, who ended eight times in the podium between 1511 and 1520.

Goldecian Caleb Foster (Ogo Cycling) ended third, at three minutes and twelve seconds, after at not very brilliant time-trial, but enough to keep the third place, becoming the second Goldecian to reach the podium in the Tour de Valland. Benoît Montfleury (Télecon) was the first Vallish rider in the general classification, at four minutes and forty-four seconds. Batavian Jaap Frisch (BataVelo) was fifth at six minutes and forty-three seconds, while Goldecian Jack Marshall (Ogo Cycling) was sixth at seven minutes and twenty-two seconds. Roman Herzogenrath (Télecon), who ended 19th, won the Youth classification.

Only two things were left to decide on the final stage in Lauren, the winner of the stage and the winner of the Points classification. Frederik de Jong had a relatively comfortable lead as he only needed to finish seventh to win the Points classification for sixth time, becoming the second rider to win the Points classification six times in total and four in a row - both records held by Florinthian Richard Malone. His only rival was the veteran Oslanburgan sprinter Sven-Ole Wieth (Scholden-Gulcron). De Jong's team, Nylander Anzcell Cycling worked hard for de Jong during all day. However, an unexpected puncture in the final kilometre, left de Jong without options to fight for the stage. Still, Wieth needed to win the stage, something he did after beating de Jong's teammate Julius Magnusson and Varchar Mellent in a close sprint. After the finish, Wieth declared that he was surprised to win the Points classification for third time as everyone else, which he achieved by merely a few seconds (Wieth had previously won the Points classification in 1585 and 1587).