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Tour of Britain - 2.1
Great Britain, August 29-September 3, 2006
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Stage 1 - August 29: Glasgow to Castle Douglas, 162km
Pedersen takes the Tour of Britain opening stage
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Denmark’s Martin Pedersen (CSC) won the opening stage of the Tour of Britain in Castle Douglas on Tuesday 29th August. Pedersen out sprinted his breakaway companions Luis Passamontes (Unibet.com) and Mathew Goss (South Australia.com-AIS) after four hours of racing over the Scottish countryside. The trio were still together on the top of the climb at Shiel Hill and battled together to hold onto the lead that had been over 10 minutes on the road at around half distance. When they rounded the final corner it was Pedersen that had the strength to win the gallop on the uphill drag in front of hundreds of spectators lining the last 300 metres.
Pedersen’s 10 second time bonus gained from the stage win saw him take the leaders yellow jersey with a margin of just two seconds over Goss who had won all three hot spot sprints on the day.
The trio’s break had gone early as the race left Glasgow and the riders had done only around 15-miles of riding. Passamontes had attacked on a small drag with the peloton reacting only briefly moving into echelons to make set the chase but sat up with only Pedersen and Goss making it across. The bunch showed little interest in chasing and when they reached the top of the climb at Kyle Forest the temperature had dropped and the rain came down to dampen their enthusiasm further. But as the weather warmed up again a few miles later and the riders removed their rain capes, the Barloworld team livened things up with a surge of speed that caused a split.
11 riders had gone 20 seconds clear including Juan Manuel Garate (Quick Step – Innergetic), Karsten Kroon (CSC), Frederik Willems (Chocolade Jaques), Ian Stannard (GB), Piet Rooijakkers (Skil Shimano) and Matteo Piramo (Ceramica Panaria – Navigare). Another four were chasing including Rob Partridge (Recycling.co.uk) and Jean-Claude Lebeau (Landbouwkredit-Colnago).
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Both groups were mopped up as the main field put the hammer down to reduce the leaders winning margin. This year the big teams were not about to make the mistake of last year when the break had built an unassailable race winning margin of 28 minutes but they left it too late to alter today's podium places finishing 2’36” behind.
Quick Step took fourth and fifth places via the bunch sprint with Francesco, Chicchi beating Filippo Pozzato. Russell Downing ( DFL Cyclingnews-Litespeed) came home in sixth place to keep British hopes up for a possible stage win later in the week.
“I was pleased to get into the break really early,” said Pederson. “All three of us worked really hard. When we built the lead up to 10’ 40’ we realised we had a chance of winning the stage. We were getting time checks from the manager and we knew the gap was coming down but I was feeling really good and I was determined to try to take the stage win. It’s a great performance for me and the team. I am delighted to take the yellow jersey and we will be very keen to keep it for the rest of the week.”
Mathew Goss was a little disappointed not to win the stage. “ I did get caught out a little in the sprint today. I went with about 200 metres to go and the uphill caught me after being in front for 160km and my legs were tired. I am still happy as it’s still a good result for me. I was surprised how big the time gap was. With 80km to go I thought they might still bring us back but we still had 10 minutes with 50km to go and I knew we had a chance. My main objective is to try to get another stage result but I will see how it goes with the overall. Winning the GC might be a little bit hard for me.”
GB team leader Roger Hammond explained what happened in the bunch. “To be honest the chase was non existent. Everyone was leaving it to everyone else. Quick Step starting chasing but nobody else helped them so they just stopped. The two Barloworld guys slipped off the front by 10m and got away and another 9 got across and bunch really started chasing. As soon as we caught the 11 we stopped chasing again but we had taken back four minutes in that 20km stretch. It was a bizarre day really. We have three 18-year-olds in our team and we didn’t think it was up to us to chase on the first day and obviously a lot of other teams were thinking the same thing.”
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Gerry McManus/www.gerrymcmanus.co.uk
- The main field rolls out from Glasgow at the start of the race
- Martin Pedersen (CSC) wins the stage frtom Luis Pasamontes (Unibet) and Mathew Goss (South
- Andreas Kloden (T Mobile) wears number 11 on his back that he changed to for supertitious reasons but the frame still has the original 13 that he was allocated.
- The peloton heads though Muirkirk on their way to the finish at Castle Douglas
- World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step - Innergetic) sporting the champions rainbow jersey takes to the front of the idling bunch
- Stage winner Martin Pederson (CSC) leads Luis Pasaontes (Unibet.com) and Mathew Goss (South Australia.com-AIS) in the race winning break
- Luis Pasamontes (Unibet.com), Mathew Goss (South Australia.com-AIS) and Martin Pederson (CSC) in the race winning break
- Luis Pasaontes (Unibet.com), Mathew Goss (South Australia.com-AIS) and Martin Pederson (CSC) in the race winning break
- Martin Pederson (CSC) climbs to the top of ascent at Kyle Forest with a 10 minute lead on the peloton
- Stage winner Martin Pederson with the winners trophy
- Stage winner Martin Pederson (CSC) sprays the champagne after his victory also gave him the yellow jersey
- Luis Passamontes (Unibet.com) with the points jersey after stage one
- World Champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step - Innergetic) heads out from Glasgow with the main field
- Britain's Mark Cavendish on a trial with the T Mobile team on the Tour of Britain
- All smiles for the T Mobile team at the start of the event
- Milan San Remo winner Filippo Pozzato (Quick Step - Innergetic) enjoys Glasgow sunshine at the start
- Former British champion and stage winner into Blackpool, Roger Hammond heads back to the peleton through the race convoy
- No time to see the view for the main field on stage one on Scotland
- New kid on the block - New DFL-Cyclingnews Director Sportif Eric Vanderaerden on the Tour
Images by Richard O'Brien
- Andreas Kloden (T-Mobile) didn’t look like he was enjoying the race, he retires a few kilometres later.
- Michael Morkov (Denmark) visits the team car for some much needed water.
- Koen Barbe (Chocolade Jacques) didn’t look like he was enjoying the middle of the race as the rain started to come down.
- Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) rejoins the race after visiting the team car.
- Andy Tennant (Great Britain) had a good day finishing with the rest of the peloton.
- Filippo Pozzato (Quickstep) leads Olaf Pollack (T-Mobile) through team cars after visting their respective team cars.
- Stage winner and yellow jersey wearer , Martin Pedersen (CSC), enjoys the attention on the podium.
- Stage 1 podium consisting of Luis Pasamontes (Unibet), Martin Pedersen (CSC), Matt Goss (South Australia.com) and Karsten Kroon (CSC)
Results
1 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 4.03.38 2 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 3 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 4 Francesco Chicchi (Ita) QuickStep-Innergetic 2.36 5 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) QuickStep-Innergetic 6 Russell Downing (GBr) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 7 Mark Cavendish (GBr) T-Mobile 8 James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 9 Alex Rasmussen (Den) Denmark 10 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Unibet.com 11 Roger Hammond (GBr) Great Britain 12 Enrico Degano (Ita) Barloworld 13 Luke Roberts (Aus) CSC 14 Giosuč Bonomi (Ita) Barloworld 15 Nick Nuyens (Bel) QuickStep-Innergetic 16 Piet Rooijakkers (Ned) Skil-Shimano 17 Erwin Thijs (Bel) Unibet.com 18 Evan Oliphant (GBr) Recycling.co.uk 19 Michael Morkov (Den) Denmark 20 Nico Mattan (Bel) Davitamon Lotto 21 Frederik Veuchulen (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 22 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Skil-Shimano 23 Andy Cappelle (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 24 Kenny Lisabeth (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 25 Dean Downing (GBr) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 26 Hugo Sabido (Por) Barloworld 27 Frederik Willems (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 28 Jakob Piil (Den) CSC 29 Moises Aldape Chavez (Mex) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 30 Karsten Kroon (Ned) CSC 31 Kristan House (GBr) Recycling.co.uk 32 Baden Cooke (Aus) Unibet.com 33 Joeri Clauwaert (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 34 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile 35 Olaf Pollack (Ger) T-Mobile 36 Christian Vandevelde (USA) CSC 37 Koen Barbe (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 38 Tom Barras (GBr) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 39 Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Unibet.com 40 Bert Roesems (Bel) Davitamon Lotto 41 Cameron Jennings (Aus) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 42 Igor Astarloa (Spa) Barloworld 43 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Davitamon Lotto 44 Paride Grillo (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 45 Rob Partridge (GBr) Recycling.co.uk 46 Robin Sharman (GBr) Recycling.co.uk 47 Simon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 48 Ben Greenwood (GBr) Recycling.co.uk 49 Iljo Keisse (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 50 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 51 Andre Steensen (Den) Denmark 52 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 53 James Meadley (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 54 Matteo Priamo (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 55 Edward Clancy (GBr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 56 Mirko Allegrini (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 57 Jean Claude Lebeau (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 58 Andy Schleck (Lux) CSC 59 Axel Merckx (Bel) Phonak iShares 60 Tom Boonen (Bel) QuickStep-Innergetic 61 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Phonak iShares 62 Mathew Lloyd (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 63 Nick Gates (Aus) Davitamon Lotto 64 Ryan Cox (RSA) Barloworld 65 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) QuickStep-Innergetic 66 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Unibet.com 67 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Skil-Shimano 68 Patrick McCarty (USA) Phonak iShares 69 Johann Tschopp (Swi) Phonak iShares 70 Alex Coutts (GBr) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 71 Aitor Galdos (Spa) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 72 Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Skil-Shimano 73 Paul Manning (GBr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 74 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Great Britain 75 Matthias Kessler (Ger) T-Mobile 76 Shaun Higgerson (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 77 Ian Stannard (GBr) Great Britain 78 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak iShares 79 Mads Christensen (Den) Barloworld 80 Casper Jorgensen (Den) Denmark 3.00 81 Ben Swift (GBr) Great Britain 3.22 82 Andrew Tennant (GBr) Great Britain 83 Ross Sander (GBr) Great Britain 4.00 84 Jonathon Clarke (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 4.41 85 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) QuickStep-Innergetic 6.18 86 Kane Oakley (Aus) DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 6.31 87 Leon Van Bon (Ned) Davitamon Lotto 88 Christopher Newton (GBr) Recycling.co.uk 7.50 89 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Davitamon Lotto 8.02 90 Rene Weissinger (Ger) Skil-Shimano 9.11 91 Hidenori Nodera (Jpn) Skil-Shimano 92 Glenn D'Hollander (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 9.45 93 Daniel Kreutzfeldt (Den) Denmark 10.42 Sprints Cumnock, 55km 1 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 5 pts 2 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 3 3 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 2 4 Glenn D'Hollander (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 1 Kyle Forest, 71.6km 1 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 4 pts 2 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 3 3 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 2 4 Wilfried Cretskens (Bel) QuickStep-Innergetic 1 New Galloway, 115.3km 1 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 5 pts 2 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 3 3 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 2 4 Karsten Kroon (Ned) CSC 1 Kirkcudbright, 144.9km 1 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 5 pts 2 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 3 3 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 2 4 Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Skil-Shimano 1 Mountains Shiel Hill, 101.5km 1 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 4 pts 2 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 3 3 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 2 4 Ryan Cox (RSA) Barloworld 1 Lochfergus, 148.8km 1 Martin Pedersen (Den) CSC 4 pts 2 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Unibet.com 3 3 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS 2 4 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) QuickStep-Innergetic 1 Most combativite 1 Mathew Goss (Aus) South Australia.com-AIS Teams 1 Unibet.com 12.16.06 2 CSC 3 South Australia.com-AIS 4 QuickStep-Innergetic 2.36 5 Barloworld 6 Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 7 DFL-Cycling News-Litespeed 8 Chocolade Jacques-Topsport 9 T-Mobile 10 Denmark 11 Recycling.co.uk 12 Davitamon Lotto 13 Skil-Shimano 14 Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 15 Great Britain 16 Phonak iShares
