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Tour of Thailand - 2.2
Thailand, December 16-21, 2007
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Stage 2 - December 17: Nakhon Ratchasima - Chiang Mai, 184.8 km
Masahiko sprints to victory
By Steve Thomas in Thailand
Mifune Masahiko (Matrix Powertag) gave victory to Japan by sprinting to the win on stage two of the Tour of Thailand after a long, hot and flat day in the saddle in Northern Thailand. Under clear skies, the sun beat down on the riders for the 184.8 kilometre long route from Nakhon Ratchasima to Chiang Mai.
Stage two, despite misunderstood translations to the contrary, was in fact a flat day, and the mountains still lie ahead. With nothing to stand in their way, the riders put on a fast and furiously tough day of racing.
From the start, the Thai national team went on the attack, despite defending the yellow jersey of their team rider Prajak Mahawong. The chase resulted in a split in the field, with a large breakaway group going clear early on. With around 30 kilometres to go the group had a clear six minute lead, but the heat and the wind was taking its toll and the numbers had been whittled down to eight. With teams such as Iran and UAE not represented, the chase went into last-minute overdrive, crushing the lead and reeling the break back in within just a few kilometres.
Coming into the finish there were a couple of promising attacks, but the straight and open run to the line meant it was a tough task to stay clear, and a bunch sprint was to finish the day off. Japanese Matrix team rider Masahiko proved fastest, coming to the line half a bike length clear of Philippines rider Warren Davadilla to take the stage.
The overall lead stayed with Mahawong, although the local who races with the Japanese Nippo team doubts he will hold it for long; "I'm not so great in the hills, I think the riders from the Philippines could be the ones to watch." Translations permitting those hills will start on stage three.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Steve Thomas
- The jersey leaders on the line at the start of stage two
- A lone Thai rider early in the stage, the bunch are soon to pull him back
- The main break of the day goes clear
- Zamri Saleh of Malaysia eventually lost contact with the break
- Thailand's race leader Mahawong talks to Japanese team and racing mates before the start
- The Thai riders were aggressive from the start
- The Iranian team was on the attack early on stage two
- The field baking under the hot Thai sun
- A Japanese rider clearly enjoying the day
- A Thai rider keeps cool with a cold bottle down the back of the jersey
- The break drives on but is doomed
- Jurai Segan of the Merida team made the break
- Tasji Yoshimitsu of the Matrix team drives the break
- The final eight breakaway riders just couldn't hang onto their lead
- Malaysia's Suhardi Hassan drove hard in the break and kept his sprint leaders jersey as reward
- Riders doused themselves with water to try and keep cool as the break was caught
- Mifune comes through on the line to take the stage
Results
1 Masahiko Mifune (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 4.44.53 (38.92 km/h) 2 Warren Davadilla (Phi) Philippines 3 Maros Kovac (Svk) Dukla Trencin 4 Roel de Vries (Ned) Ysselstreek 5 Ghafari Vahid (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 6 Nguyen Hung Mai (Vie) Vietnam 7 Kohei Uchima (Jpn) Japan 8 Lex Nederlof (Ned) Ysselstreek 9 Hsiang Kuei (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 10 Malaya van Ruitenbeek (Ned) Kuota Senges 11 Masakazu Ito (Jpn) Japan 12 Shiri Sisan Hamid (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 13 Endra Wijaya (Ina) Customs Cycling 14 Akira Kakinuma (Jpn) Japan 15 Christoph von Kleinsorgen (Ger) Kuota Senges 16 Thomas Just (Den) Faeso Denmark 17 Matej Vyssna (Svk) Dukla Trencin 18 Badr Mohammed Banihammead (UAE) United Arab Emirates 19 Yoshimitsu Tsuji (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 20 Yen Lin Huang (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 21 Natthapon Jeebthaworn (Tha) Thailand 22 Phuchong Sai-Udomsin (Tha) Thailand 23 Tonton Susanto (Ina) Faeso Denmark 24 Chaturat Phongphanat (Tha) All Star Thailand 25 Trung Hieu Dang (Vie) Vietnam 26 Muhammad Rauf Nur Nisbah (Mas) Malaysia 27 Seree Ruangsiri (Tha) All Star Thailand 28 Yousif Banihammad (UAE) United Arab Emirates 29 Prajak Mahawong (Tha) Thailand 30 Muhammad Faris Abdul Razak (Mas) Malaysia 31 Agung Alisyahbana (Ina) Customs Cycling 32 Panup Koonrungruangkit (Tha) Thailand 33 Yuli Haryanto (Ina) Customs Cycling 34 Soren Peterson (Den) Kuota Senges 35 Irish Valenzuela (Phi) Philippines 36 Paul Griffin (Irl) Giant Asia Racing 37 Okan Bualoi (Tha) Thailand 38 Yoshimitsu Hiratsuka (Jpn) Japan 39 Suhardi Hassan (Mas) Malaysia 40 Janaidi Bin Hashim (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore 41 Jahanbanian Hossein (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 42 Muhammad Fauzan Ahmad Lufti (Mas) Malaysia 43 Seiichi Koshiumi (Jpn) Japan 44 Mitsuhiro Matsumura (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 45 Kuan Hua Lai (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 46 Muhammad Zamri Saleh (Mas) Malaysia 47 Jurag Sagan (Svk) Dukla Trencin 48 Daisuke Hioki (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 49 Lloyd Lucien Reynante (Phi) Philippines 50 Edi Purnomo (Ina) Customs Cycling 51 Greg Svarc (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore 52 Danny Fang (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore 53 Morten Knudsen (Den) Faeso Denmark 54 Victor Espiritu (Phi) Philippines 55 Cong Hieu Mai (Vie) Vietnam 56 Ronald Gorantes (Phi) Philippines 57 Phat Dat Trinh (Vie) Vietnam 58 Partovi Mehdi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 59 Patnk Tybor (Svk) Dukla Trencin 60 Matthias Berting (Ger) Kuota Senges 61 Ahad Sarai Kazemi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 62 Ryan Ariham (Ina) Faeso Denmark 63 Jatuphoom Lekhawat (Tha) All Star Thailand 64 Jan Sipeky (Svk) Dukla Trencin 65 Wim Spijkerboer (Ned) Ysselstreek 66 Alexander van Bavel (Ned) Ysselstreek 67 Wakumoto Masaki (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 68 Bjorn Glasner (Ger) Kuota Senges 69 Thijs Poelstra (Ned) Ysselstreek 70 Omar Almansory (UAE) United Arab Emirates 1.40 71 Li We Chen (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 4.20 72 Mohamed Almurawwi (UAE) United Arab Emirates 5.59 HD Nicholas Dale Swallow (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore DNF Thanawat Somna (Tha) All Star Thailand
General classification after stage 2
1 Prajak Mahawong (Tha) Thailand 2 Irish Valenzuela (Phi) Philippines 3 Trung Hieu Dang (Vie) Vietnam 4 Nguyen Hung Mai (Vie) Vietnam 5 Maros Kovac (Svk) Dukla Trencin 6 Suhardi Hassan (Mas) Malaysia 7 Kohei Uchima (Jpn) Japan 8 Jurag Sagan (Svk) Dukla Trencin 9 Shiri Sisan Hamid (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 10 Badr Mohammed Banihammead (UAE) United Arab Emirates 11 Muhammad Rauf Nur Nisbah (Mas) Malaysia 12 Okan Bualoi (Tha) Thailand 13 Malaya van Ruitenbeek (Ned) Kuota Senges 14 Akira Kakinuma (Jpn) Japan 15 Phuchong Sai-Udomsin (Tha) Thailand 16 Tonton Susanto (Ina) Faeso Denmark 17 Soren Peterson (Den) Kuota Senges 18 Paul Griffin (Irl) Giant Asia Racing 19 Jahanbanian Hossein (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 20 Kuan Hua Lai (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 21 Lloyd Lucien Reynante (Phi) Philippines 22 Ahad Sarai Kazemi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 23 Jatuphoom Lekhawat (Tha) All Star Thailand 24 Thomas Just (Den) Faeso Denmark 25 Muhammad Zamri Saleh (Mas) Malaysia 26 Hsiang Kuei (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 27 Masakazu Ito (Jpn) Japan 28 Partovi Mehdi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 28 Jan Sipeky (Svk) Dukla Trencin 30 Morten Knudsen (Den) Faeso Denmark 31 Masahiko Mifune (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 32 Roel de Vries (Ned) Ysselstreek 33 Ghafari Vahid (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 34 Lex Nederlof (Ned) Ysselstreek 35 Endra Wijaya (Ina) Customs Cycling 36 Christoph von Kleinsorgen (Ger) Kuota Senges 37 Yoshimitsu Tsuji (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 38 Yen Lin Huang (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 39 Natthapon Jeebthaworn (Tha) Thailand 40 Chaturat Phongphanat (Tha) All Star Thailand 41 Trung Hieu Dang (Vie) Vietnam 42 Seree Ruangsiri (Tha) All Star Thailand 43 Yousif Banihammad (UAE) United Arab Emirates 44 Muhammad Faris Abdul Razak (Mas) Malaysia 45 Agung Alisyahbana (Ina) Customs Cycling 46 Panup Koonrungruangkit (Tha) Thailand 47 Yuli Haryanto (Ina) Customs Cycling 48 Yoshimitsu Hiratsuka (Jpn) Japan 49 Janaidi Bin Hashim (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore 50 Muhammad Fauzan Ahmad Lufti (Mas) Malaysia 51 Seiichi Koshiumi (Jpn) Japan 52 Mitsuhiro Matsumura (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 53 Daisuke Hioki (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 54 Edi Purnomo (Ina) Customs Cycling 55 Greg Svarc (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore 56 Danny Fang (Sin) Cycleworx Singapore 57 Victor Espiritu (Phi) Philippines 58 Cong Hieu Mai (Vie) Vietnam 59 Ronald Gorantes (Phi) Philippines 60 Partovi Mehdi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochem 61 Patnk Tybor (Svk) Dukla Trencin 62 Matthias Berting (Ger) Kuota Senges 63 Ryan Ariham (Ina) Faeso Denmark 64 Wim Spijkerboer (Ned) Ysselstreek 65 Alexander van Bavel (Ned) Ysselstreek 66 Wakumoto Masaki (Jpn) Matrix Powetag 67 Bjorn Glasner (Ger) Kuota Senges 68 Thijs Poelstra (Ned) Ysselstreek 69 Matej Vyssna (Svk) Dukla Trencin 70 Omar Almansory (UAE) United Arab Emirates 71 Li We Chen (Tpe) Giant Asia Racing 72 Mohamed Almurawwi (UAE) United Arab Emirates
