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World Championships - CM
Stuttgart, Germany, September 26-30, 2007
Main Page Results & report Race Details Previous Race
Race 6 - September 30: Elite men's road race - 14 laps, 267.4km
Complete live report
Live commentary by Hedwig Kröner and Bjorn Haake
Live coverage starts: 10:30 CEST
Estimated finish: 17:30 CEST
Welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of the 2007 World Championship Road Race from Stuttgart. 267.4 kilometres over 14 laps on a tough course. Today we will have SRM data from the following data Christian Knees (German National Team), Marcus Burghardt (German National Team), Roger Hammond (British National Team), Christian Poos (Luxembourg National Team), Christian Vande Velde (USA National Team)
'Grüß Gott' and a hearty welcome back to the World Championships in Stuttgart,
Southern Germany. We are coming to the end of a roller-coaster-like week here
in the metropole of Daimler-Benz, with the Men's Elite Road Race taking place
today on a course of which could be said the same... 14 laps are going to be
raced for a total of 267,4 km, and in about seven hours we'll know if next year's
rainbow jersey will still be on the shoulders of that famous little Italian
or not.
Speaking of the World Champion: The latest news coming out of the Squadra
Azzurra camp unfortunately hasn't got anything to do with sports. Paolo
Bettini's lawyer here in Stuttgart has announced he will be filing suit against
the Worlds organisation committee, the town of Stuttgart and TV channel ZDF
for damaging his reputation. ZDF claims to be in possession of hearing transcripts
of Patrik Sinkewitz, in which the German named Bettini as one of his providers
of testogel, the testosterone product which caused 'Sinke' a positive doping
test in June. Meanwhile, Bettini's former team-mate has of course denied these
statements.
Also, the town of Stuttgart and the Worlds organisation didn't want Bettini
to take part in today's race because he had not signed the entire UCI 'commitment
for a cleaner cycling'. They tried to prevent him from racing in front of a
court but failed on Friday. All of these events did not add to a calm warm-up
to today's event, of course, and the general feeling here in Stuttgart is not
a very pleasant one.
Still, let's focus on this particularly important competition that is
the Worlds RR - in the end, that is what we're here for. The peloton of 198
riders has gathered in the start area. It's quite a cool morning - only 7° Celsius.
But the sky is gorgeous! The sun is finally out on Stuttgart!
10:37 CEST
The bunch is nicely strolling out
on the 19.1km circuit which provides two main uphill sections. But as always,
the U23 race yesterday has shown that the parcours is not as demanding as many
observers said prior to the event. We might see the sprint of quite a big group
in the end...
Paolo Bettini himself is mostly afraid of Oscar Freire.
This morning, the Spaniard and triple World Champ was asked what he thought
his chances were, and he just smiled, saying: "I am not a bad rider."
10:39 CEST
Germany's Christian Knees' heart
rate is around 112 right now. That's pretty easy... but we guarantee it won't
stay this way. Check out the live SRM data link on the bottom of this page!
10:46 CEST
And we have a first attack by a Croatian
rider. Robert Kiserlovski (Croatia) jumped away and is now joined by Roman Bronis
(Slovakia). The two have a 400m gap.
10:49 CEST
Hmm. The bunch is speeding up now.
Only 15 seconds for our two-men break at the moment.
10:52 CEST
A group of 15 has started chasing
just in front of the bunch, but they've been re-integrated. Sergey Kolesnikov
(Russian Federation) has joined the break now.
10:54 CEST
A few other riders are starting to
come out of the bunch, Tyler Farrar (United States Of America) for example.
He lives in Gent in Belgium and is going to join Team Slipstream next season.
10:56 CEST
Farrar has four other riders with
him. amongst others a Russian and a Japanese. They have a small gap.
10:58 CEST
There's Yukiya Arashiro (Japan),
Vladislav Borisov (Russian Federation), Zolt Der (Serbia), Daryl Impey (South
Africa)... but they're caught now.
10:58 CEST
There's Yukiya Arashiro (Japan),
Vladislav Borisov (Russian Federation), Zolt Der (Serbia), Daryl Impey (South
Africa)... but they're caught now.
10:59 CEST 20km/247.4km to go
The first lap is
done. 40,638 km/h - that's still a decent average. Waiting for the next attack...
11:05 CEST
We have a new break attempt: It's
Sébastien Augé and Perez Arango from Colombia. They have 10 seconds in the first
of the two climbs of the circuit.
11:07 CEST
But the gap is growing to 30 seconds.
The Colombian is working now, while the bunch looks like it's giving the OK
to let them ride.
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11:08 CEST
Philippe Gilbert is at the back of
the bunch waving for his team car. His mechanic is fixing something with his
rear derailleur.
11:12 CEST
Augé has thrown away his arm covers.
It should be warming up now with about 20° Celsius expected in the afternoon.
Their advance is over a minute now, 1'08".
11:17 CEST
The bunch is going easy now, with
the gap to the break still growing. In the uphill sections, a nice crowd has
gathered in the morning sunshine.
TT silver medaler Laszlo Bodrogi
is riding near the front, together with an Italian and German, who is munching
an energy bar. Tranquilo!
11:21 CEST 35km/232.4km to go
Augé takes out
the radio set of his back pocket and fixes something. Wrong frequency?
11:24 CEST
Christian Vande Velde, and all of
team USA, was happy to be at the race here in Stuttgart with a team that has
the potential to win. The American commented to Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown
about the team's leader. "Really I am just looking out for George [Hincapie]
at the end of the race. My job will be to be a wildcard. But I will mostly look
after George. I don't want to go into the escapes; I feel a little rough after
the Vuelta [a España].
"I am really happy with the Vuelta, but now
I feel I am going into the unknown. I maybe did not do enough training, and
I feel a little blocked... But we will see."
In addition to to Tyler
Farrar, the team will use recent Vuelta stage winner in the escapes. "For escapes
I think we will have Jason [McCartney]. And Bobby [Julich]. We have a great
team and hopefully we can build on this, and do more stuff in the future."
Vande Velde confirmed that David Zabriskie's was more on the time trial of last
Thursday. "Dave hasn't ridden his bike that much, he has trained hard for the
time trial but the road race is a different animal all together."
Jason McCartney added that he will need some time to get his legs up to full
revs. "I don't know, I need a while to get my engine warmed up; we will have
to see what happens," said the American. He reckoned the race will be harder
to read because it is a one day versus a three-week affair. "It is touch and
go, you never know how you are going to go in a one day event, whereas in a
stage race you really get a feel of your body.
"We have a super motivated
team, I think that is exciting and it is kind of a first for us for a while,"
he confirmed the team's backing of Hincapie. "It has been nice together [with
team USA]. We have been going out to dinner together as a group. It is a good
time."
He is closer to signing a contract for 2008. "I think I have
something in the works. Yes, a ProTour team. Yes, in Europe. That is all I can
say."
11:25 CEST
The break's advantage has stabilised
around 1'20".
The World Champ Bettini also has a problem with his
radio. He is at his team's service car now, but getting back on to the bunch.
No worries.
11:29 CEST 38km/229.4km to go
Augé and Perez
Arango pass through the start/finish area again with an average of 39.953 km/h
for this second lap.
Fränk Schleck, in the middle of the bunch,
is taking something to eat.
11:36 CEST
Marcin Sapa (Poland) has jumped away
in pursuit of our two-men lead group. He has ten seconds.
11:37 CEST
Our SRM-wired rider, Knees came through
in third position of the field, entering lap three. Riding this far up front
shows the effort and his heart rate has risen to 155.
Situation
- Marlon Alirio Perez Arango (Colombia) and Stéphane Augé (France)
- Marcin Sapa (Poland) and Dainius Kairelis (Lithuania) at 1.36
- Peloton at 1.40
11:38 CEST
Sapa has been joined by Dainius Kairelis
(Lithuania) in the chase, but they can't get a significant advantage at the
moment.
11:41 CEST
The bunch is stretched out single-lane,
taking up a bit of speed. Sergey Kolesnikov (Russian Federation) has emerged
out of it and is trying to get to the chase group.
11:44 CEST
The leader's advance is shrinking
to 50 seconds as the race picks up some speed. Spain's Alejandro Valverde is
still taking it easy at the back of the peloton - certainly waiting for the
last laps to make his move.
11:47 CEST
Kolesnikov is doing a good job chasing,
but he's sandwiched in between the bunch and the leaders and has only 25 seconds
over the bunch - 35 yet to recover to the break.
11:50 CEST
The field is currently riding at
around 45 km/h, according to the live SRM data stream you can check out at the
bottom of this page. More and more spectators are lining up at the barriers
along the course.
11:52 CEST
Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) was
going into this road race a little bit more relaxed thanks to his win in the
Time Trial on Thursday. He confirmed to Gregor Brown of Cyclingnews that
he will be biding his time in the peloton, making over the multiple assents
of Herdweg and Birkenkopf. "It is a long hard race. I want to wait; it is more
than 5000 metres of climbing.
"I feel good, and I think being the
second time world champion will give me a lot of motivation. It makes me more
relaxed, but we will have to see at the end how much power is left. For sure,
I want to do a good race, but it is long, we will see."
How many
glasses of Champagne did you enjoy the other night? "A few! A few!"
11:53 CEST
Kolesnikov almost made it to the
break, only 15 seconds remaining. Russia has many young riders, eight of whom
are born in the 1980s, with Kolesnikov (normally with Unibet.com) being the
youngest. Vladimir Gusev confirmed to our man on the start line, Gregor Brown,
the team's desire to make the race.
"Russia is going well with young
riders and very strong riders," he said. "Today, we will see how the team goes.
We are not favourites, but I think we have a strong team, and in the final,
we will attack."
Mikhail Ignatiev is going so strong, and he is still
under 23. "Yes. You know that continental races and ProTour races can be different,
and I don't know how he is going in the ProTour races. For now, he is going
well."
The Russian is looking for a team for next year with Team
Discovery Channel closing its doors. "I have not yet signed a contract for 2008.
I will race with a ProTour team, but I can't say which, it is a secret."
11:58 CEST 57.4km/210km to go
The Russian has
joined the two leaders now as they go for the fourth lap.
11:59 CEST
Kolesnikov punctured his front wheel!
What bad timing. He's chasing up again, now, but the two others seem to wait
for him.
12:02 CEST
The bunch rolls over the finish line
with Bettini in front, smiling, at 3'25" behind the leaders.
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12:05 CEST
The three in front are working well
together as they go up a climb. No doubt they are also enjoying the beautiful
sunshine.
12:06 CEST
The peloton goes around a hair-pin
curve, 3'26" after the leading trio.
12:07 CEST
Jens Voigt is near the front of the
chasing peloton. So is Oscar Freire.
Situation
- Marlon Alirio Perez Arango (Colombia), Sergey Kolesnikov (Russia) and Stéphane Augé (France)
- Peloton at 3.25
12:10 CEST
Race organizers are spraying over
some message that was sprayed on the street -- it must have been something they
found objectionable. So maybe it is a good thing that we couldn't read it.
12:11 CEST
A flat front tire for Kolesnikov
-- again? Or, no, more likely a replacement. The first "spare" was from the
neutral supply car, now he has one from his team.
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12:12 CEST
Meanwhile the other two are continuing
on their way as he tries to catch up. He's not that far back but it must seem
like an eternity to him until he gets there.
12:13 CEST
His task is not made easier by the
fact that they are climbing now and all three are up out of the saddle. But
he has only a few more metres to go.
12:18 CEST
We see Fabian Wegmann sitting in
the peloton. He is German champion and would dearly love to add the rainbow
stripes to his title collection. But his team-mate -- both on the national team
and on Gerolsteiner -- Stefan Schumacher is the team captain here.
12:20 CEST
Who is going to win? "I don't know,
we will find out in about four hours," said Cadel Evans (Aus) to Gregor Brown
about his recovery from the three-week Vuelta a España, where he finished fourth.
"I am glad it is sunny." He spent the last week in Switzerland training. "It
was absolutely piss rain all last week."
12:21 CEST
"I saw the crono the other day on
TV, and [the weather] was not looking promising," Evans continued. "Today, it
is definitely looking better. We have a really young team this year. We have
our two guys to look after. For the young guys it is a bit of a learning experience.
It will be their job to look after me. Depending on which way the race goes,
I could become the race leader, which is more or less our plan every year."
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12:24 CEST
Evans also had some thoughts as to
the end of the race. The Under 23 race ended in a sprint, and there is some
speculation the same could happen for the elite men's race. "I thought the race
would be more selective, but after seeing the under 23 I thought that maybe
it will be a sprint of 20 or 30. It really depends what the race takes in the
first 100 kilometres."
12:27 CEST
Perhaps that was Menchov talking
with one of his Rabobank colleague?
12:29 CEST 76.4km/191km to go
The leading trio
has finished the fourth lap. It took 31'09" with an average speed of 36.7. Ten
more to go!
12:29 CEST
Kolesnikov pulls away, but only to
make a box stop. He gets yet another new front wheel.
12:31 CEST
The repairs didn't cost him any time,
since he is already back with his escape companions. But how much extra power
does he have to put it every time he has to catch up with them? At some point
it might tell on him.
12:32 CEST
The peloton is only now passing under
the 1 km to go mark.
12:34 CEST
The escapees advantage has grown
dramatically. It is now 5'13. Is the peloton taking an after-lunch nap?
12:35 CEST
Belgian coach Carlo Bomans was realistic
before the start and while he would certainly love to have another rainbow jersey
for the team, after Tom Boonen won in 2005, he declared before the race that
"I would be happy with a top ten."
Boonen, of course, is not riding
today because of an injury.
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12:37 CEST
Alejandro Valverde is calm going
into the race today, noting "We have a good atmosphere and a good spirit in
the Spanish team."
12:40 CEST
Christian Knees is still very much
in the front, in the top 20. His heart rate is around 160, while his cadence
is about 90 revs per minute.
12:43 CEST
The Italian team has put on the pressure
a bit now. Andrea Tonti (Italy) has jumped away on the climb with Kim Kirchen
(Luxembourg), but they dragged a few other riders with them on that move, amongst
others Marcus Burghardt (Germany).
12:49 CEST
The bunch is moving up on the chase
group on the second, longer climb of the circuit, the Birkenkopf. They're caught
again.
At the back of the peloton, the first riders get dropped as
the repetition of climbs causes some damage.
12:51 CEST
By the way, today is Dimitri Grabovskyy's
22nd birthday. He'll certainly be looking for that very special birthday present!!
12:55 CEST 90km/177.4km to go
In the downhill
section, the bunch has split in two groups: some 40 riders have about 30 seconds
on the big bunch. They are led by two Italians.
12:58 CEST
All the big nations have riders in
this chase group, which seems to count about 45 men. The big bunch behind is
sitting up - they have already 2 minutes advantage!
13:00 CEST
We see Thor Hushovd, Sylvain Chavanel,
Hincapie, Sastre, Voigt... Some big names. Maybe the three leaders will sit
up and wait for them?
13:03 CEST 95km/172.4km to go
They cross the
start/finish line. There is also Juan Antonio Flecha, Grivko, Ardila, Siutsou,
Devolder, Tankink, Bodrogi, Mandri, Usov, Cunego, Barredo, Rodriguez, Aerts,
Gerrans... Hard to identify them all. Give us a minute.
13:04 CEST
The Dutch men are leading the peloton.
They probably missed that train with Boogerd still behind.
13:06 CEST
Bettini and Schumacher are also back
in the bunch. This may not be the Italian team's final word.
The
break has been swallowed by the big group.
13:11 CEST
Jeremy Vennell of New Zealand has
made the front group as well, as well as Stéphane Goubert.
Roger
Hammond is lending a hand in the front of the peloton, together with Erik Zabel.
An Iranian rider is getting dropped in the Herdweg climb.
Situation
- 1st peloton with about 50 riders, including Marlon Alirio Perez Arango (Colombia), Sergey Kolesnikov (Russia), Stéphane Augé (France), Hincapie, Hushovd, Sastre, Cunego, Juan Antonio Flecha, Grivko, Ardila, Siutsou, Devolder, Tankink, Bodrogi, Mandri, Usov, Cunego, Barredo, Rodriguez, Aerts, Gerrans.
- 2nd peloton at 3.25
13:13 CEST
Ruslan Podgornyy (Ukraine) has attacked
out of the front group. Voigt leads the chase now, but they look at each other.
A lot of talking to do about team tactics now...
13:17 CEST
The Oranje squad is leading
the chase of the peloton. They're not happy with the situation - they are 2'40"
back, while the chase group is driven by Mauricio Ardila. The lone leader Podgornyy
has only 13 seconds...
13:18 CEST
Ronny Scholz of Gerolsteiner is also
in the lead group. One of his bikes appeared in the U23 race yesterday, as Team
Canada's bikes were stolen shortly after arrival in Stuttgart, and Team Gerolsteiner
promptly and kindly supplied them with bikes. Christian Meier yesterday was
riding on Scholz' reserve bike.
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13:22 CEST
Podgornyy is powering, aero-style.
He has his forearms on the handlebars, while Voigt tries to raise the others'
motivation to chase. Goubert said 'no'...
13:28 CEST
The Ukrainian is still away, but
the Italian riders are chasing him a bit now. The big peloton's speed is tougher,
though, as six Orange-clad riders are putting the hammer down now.
13:39 CEST
We finally have a complete list of
the chase group for you: Marzio Bruseghin (Italy), Matteo Tosatto (Italy), Alessandro
Bertolini (Italy), Damiano Cunego (Italy), Robert Gesink (Netherlands), Kristjan
Fajt (Slovenia), Ronny Scholz (Germany), Jens Voigt (Germany), Christian Knees
(Germany), Bobby Julich (United States Of America), George Hincapie (United
States Of America), Martin Mares (Czech Republic), Andriy Grivko (Ukraine),
Leonardo Duque (Colombia), Bram Tankink (Netherlands), Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary),
Rene Mandri (Estonia),
Hugo Sabido (Portugal), Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus),
Aleksandr Kuschynski (Belarus), Mario Aerts (Belgium), Stijn Devolder (Belgium),
Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium), Murilo Antonio Fischer (Brazil), Luis Felipe Laverde
Jimenez (Colombia), Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano (Colombia), Radoslav Rogina
(Croatia), Sylvain Chavanel (France), Ludovic Turpin (France), Stéphane Goubert
(France), Thor Hushovd (Norway), Gorazd Stangelj (Slovenia), Carlos Barredo
Llamazales (Spain), Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain), Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni
(Spain), Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Vladislav Borisov (Russian Federation),
Unai Etxebarria Arana (Venezuela).
The Ukrainian has 25 seconds over
the chasers at the moment, with the big bunch 1'30" behind, trying to pull things
back together.
13:42 CEST
With four Italians in the group,
will the team direction change its tactics in favour of someone like Cunego,
for example? And what will the Germans do as they have three men in it? But
at the moment, it looks like they're not very committed to the chase...
13:47 CEST 125km/142.4km to go
The French and
the Spaniards should join forces in our opinion as they could make a difference
with the riders present in this group: Sylvain Chavanel, Ludovic Turpin and
Stéphane Goubert are there, along with Carlos Barredo Llamazales, Joaquin Rodriguez
Oliver, Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni and Carlos Sastre Candil...
13:49 CEST
"We are a small team in a big, big
race," said Hayden Roulston to Gregor Brown of Cyclingnews this morning
at the start. The New Zealander is part of a three-man team here at the Worlds.
"It has its negatives and post. We can do what we want. Follow, if we are there,
we are there."
He was happy with the spirit and the weather at the
Worlds. "It is a really big buzz here at the worlds. [The weather] is really
nice; we are lucky. Touch wood, we are lucky."
He has not made the
current escape group, and is planning to bide his time in the gruppo
until the final hour. "I don't think the race will start until the last hour.
In the last hour it will be really on. My goal is to make it until the
last hour, and then we will see." The chances of a sprint are slim according
to Roulston. "No, it won't end in a sprint. A small group, but not a sprint
like the U23 race."
13:52 CEST
Julich is taking a turn in the front
now, with his CSC team-mate and best friend Jens Voigt sucking up a bit of extra
energy out of a gel bag.
13:55 CEST
The peloton has come to within 25
seconds of the 50-rider group. Ruslan Podgornyy is still 25 seconds ahead of
the chasers.
13:56 CEST
One of the Dutch riders still has
a vest on. It doesn't strike us as too cold, but everyone is different...
13:58 CEST
Argentinean Martin Garrido Mayorga
has had a little crash and is now trying to straighten his handle bar. Argentina
is riding without Davide Rebellin, whose attempts to become Argentinean and
ride the Worlds have not worked out. He is still Italian and part of the team
now.
13:59 CEST 133.7km/133.7km to go
Ruslan Podgornyy
comes through the start finish area with a lap time of 29'17"
14:03 CEST
The bunch is about one minute behind.
They take it easy through the feed zone, but Tosatto jumps right after that.
Knees is attentive, though.
14:05 CEST
Podgornyy is flying down the descent.
Almost a little too fast as he has some trouble in a right hand bend and gets
dragged out all the way to the left hand side of the road. But avoids using
the side walk and continues.
14:05 CEST
The peloton can see the Ukrainian
now, maybe another half minute of an advantage.
14:07 CEST 136km/131.4km to go
And that is it
for Podgornyy as the Italian-led peloton passes him.
14:10 CEST
And it is Italy again. They are riding
aggressively. Bertolini this time, who is off the front.
14:13 CEST
There is another split, about 30
riders are off the front. They have caught up with Bertolini. Voigt is looking
around for some help, but not everyone is interested. Devolder, Gilbert and
Julich are in the group, as is Burghardt.
14:16 CEST
Andriy Grivko is making his way to
the front group as well. He is by himself and can't draft. That's tough.
14:18 CEST
Samuel Sanchez is not wearing his
usual orange Euskaltel outfit, but the white of the Spanish team. Julich is
leading the front pack right now, as Grivko is still chasing. 30 more metres!
14:23 CEST
The front group is getting organized
and have extended the lead to 1'30" now. Among the riders are Australian Simon
Gerrans and Kiwi Jeremy Vennell
14:30 CEST 152.8km/114.6km to go
With a lap time
of 29'18" the front group finishes round eight. Van Summeren, Sandy Casar, Philippe
Gilbert, Bobby Julich, Simon Gerrans, Jens Voigt, Marcus Burghardt and Juan
Antonio Flecha are some of the riders in front.
14:32 CEST
The main bunch follows 1'45" later.
Rabobank is still leading the chase as they only have Karsten Kroon in front.
Not enough against the Italians, who have three riders in front.
14:36 CEST
Wegmann and Schumacher are on the
right hand side of the road, near the front. They are shadowing the Dutch team
closely. Andy Schleck is also near the front.
14:39 CEST
The front group is still not too
organized, as some are more interested in getting a rotation than others. But
the lead has stayed the same, it is 1'47"
14:45 CEST
Spanish rider Carlos Sastre was in
the break earlier and comes to the Worlds with high morale, having finished
second overall in the Vuelta a España seven days ago. He hadn’t quite made up
his mind about the circuit this morning.
"I saw the
course a couple of days ago, but I am not really sure what it is like…we saw
it with a lot of people and there was traffic also,” he told Cyclingnews just
before the start. "I did just a few laps. It looks like it is not easy, but
it also depends on how the wind is and everything."
We
asked him if he felt good after the Vuelta. "I hope so," he replied, smiling.
14:54 CEST
Here is a list of all the riders
in the front group: Andriy Grivko (Ukraine), Bobby Julich (United States Of
America), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Jens Voigt (Germany),
Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spain)
Rene Mandri (Estonia, , Stijn Devolder
(Belgium), Matej Stare (Slovenia), Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spain), Alessandro
Ballan (Italy), Vladimir Efimkin (Russian Federation)
Joaquin Rodriguez
Oliver (Spain, , Damiano Cunego (Italy), Robert Gesink (Netherlands), Alessandro
Bertolini (Italy), Karsten Kroon (Netherlands), Marcus Burghardt (Germany)
Johan Van Summeren (Belgium, , Simon Gerrans (Australia), Sandy Casar (France),
Christian Pfannberger (Austria), Ruslan Podgornyy (Ukraine), Philippe Gilbert
(Belgium)
Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Colombia)
14:56 CEST
The front of the bunch is still orange,
but less so, as the six riders from the Dutch team have morphed into only two,
with the others saving their energy. But the Dutch don't seem to have too much
confidence in Kroon and Gesink, who are in the front.
14:58 CEST 171.9km/95.5km to go
The last lap
was ridden in just under 30 minutes, as the leaders tackle the next round.
15:01 CEST
After 4h27'30" the peloton is back
over two minutes. Schumacher is still attentive at the front. He is one of the
main favourites today. Rebellin also looks concentrated, but he will likely
be looking to set up Bettini, unless he can make a good break of course.
15:02 CEST
The average speed so far is 38.557km/h.
Not bad for such a hilly course, but the pace will likely pick up later, when
about 170 riders want to try to cross the line in first.
15:04 CEST
And up the Herdweg again, with pitches
up to 13 percent. The break is single file going into the hill.
15:06 CEST
Julich is always in the front of
the group. So is Bertolini. The Italians also have Ballan and Cunego in the
group. Not a bad setup for them.
Situation
- Andriy Grivko (Ukraine), Bobby Julich (United States Of America), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Jens Voigt (Germany), Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spain), Rene Mandri (Estonia), Stijn Devolder (Belgium), Matej Stare (Slovenia), Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spain), Alessandro Ballan (Italy), Vladimir Efimkin (Russian Federation) Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain), Damiano Cunego (Italy), Robert Gesink (Netherlands), Alessandro Bertolini (Italy), Karsten Kroon (Netherlands), Marcus Burghardt (Germany) Johan Van Summeren (Belgium), Simon Gerrans (Australia), Sandy Casar (France), Christian Pfannberger (Austria), Ruslan Podgornyy (Ukraine), Philippe Gilbert (Belgium) Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Colombia)
- Peloton at 1.20
15:25 CEST 191km/76.4km to go
The fastest split
so far. 27'30" as the chase was on and the average recorded at over 38 km/h.
15:32 CEST
Devolder has set up and is back in
the main group. Julich in the mean time is really forcing the pace.
15:33 CEST
Bertolini has a few metres, as they
go up the Herdweg climb, but the others are passing him close to the top. Kroon
is one of them on the front. Barredo also is close.
15:35 CEST
Ouch. Devolder is almost at a standstill
now. He is getting dropped. Tyler Farrar rides next to him. Or stands next to
him, as the steep climb takes its toll. In the mean time Bruseghin really stands
on the mountain, but only to wait for a spare bike.
15:36 CEST
Austrian Pfannberger is now pushing
the pace. He is ahead a few metres, but on the flat section everything comes
together again.
15:37 CEST
Oscar Freire is attempting to win
what would be a record fourth Elite worlds today. He triumphed in Verona (1999),
Lisbon (2001), Verona once again (2004) and also took the bronze medal in Plouay
in 2000.
If that wasn't enough, Freire was second in the 1997 world
under 23 championship in San Sebastian. That's three golds, one silver and one
bronze medal in his collection. Not bad at all for a rider who has missed several
editions due to injury.
Situation
- Andriy Grivko (Ukraine), Bobby Julich (United States Of America), Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Jens Voigt (Germany), Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spain), Rene Mandri (Estonia), Stijn Devolder (Belgium), Matej Stare (Slovenia), Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spain), Alessandro Ballan (Italy), Vladimir Efimkin (Russian Federation) Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain), Damiano Cunego (Italy), Robert Gesink (Netherlands), Alessandro Bertolini (Italy), Karsten Kroon (Netherlands), Marcus Burghardt (Germany) Johan Van Summeren (Belgium), Simon Gerrans (Australia), Sandy Casar (France), Christian Pfannberger (Austria), Ruslan Podgornyy (Ukraine), Philippe Gilbert (Belgium) Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Colombia)
- Peloton at 0.39
15:42 CEST
The front group is gobbled up, but
the peloton is pretty small now, maybe 50-60 riders.
15:46 CEST
In the madness of the merge, Kroon
and Bertolini are still off the front. They are joined by the Portuguese rider
José Rodrigues.
15:49 CEST
Well, everything is back together,
but Bertolini is still at the front. The Squadra Azzurra cannot ask more
from this rider, he is doing an outstanding job.
15:50 CEST
Jens Voigt is also still present,
riding behind the French rider currently leading the bunch. Of course, out in
the wind is Voigt's preferred position anyway. He tells people sometimes in
breaks to "Look ahead, that's where there finish is. Don't turn around."
15:51 CEST
The peloton passes a huge banner
that supporters of Davide Rebellin have put up on the lawn.
15:53 CEST
The group comes to the flamme rouge
- but it's not the last lap yet, as shortly they will see the three to go sign.
15:55 CEST
Ouch. 27'11" or an average speed
of 42.158 km/h. That's the funny thing.. The more tired riders get the faster
the pace gets. And the higher the lactate values.
15:57 CEST 211.4km/56km to go
The Italians are
still on the front. They ride like their women's team did - very active and
hoping to win it that way. Tosatto, Bertolini and Cunego in the front three
positions, as a German rider waves to the crowd.
Situation
- Peloton together
15:59 CEST
But the Germans are now hitting the
front, too. Voigt ahead, with Wegmann and Schumacher close by. Wegmann is the
reigning German champion, but today he can't wear that jersey. Instead he is
in the red/black German outfit.
16:04 CEST
After a nervous minute, the riders
are taking out the pace again, getting a drink. Now they're on the descent.
Frederik Willems (Belgium) and Maarten Den Bakker have abandoned the race.
16:06 CEST
The Italians still control the bunch
as the race builds up more tension. Four of them at the front, including Cunego
and Pozzato. Who will be the next riders to take their chances?
|
16:09 CEST
It's Ballan! He jumps in another
uphill stretch but can't make a proper gap. A French rider tries to get away,
but he only has ten metres. It's Thomas Voeckler!
Cancellara has
problems hanging on at the end of the bunch. Not his type of race, is it...
16:10 CEST
Sorry, it's not Voeckler, but Ludovic
Turpin. He's on his own now, but the bunch is flying close behind.
16:12 CEST
Turpin is caught. They're rolling
downhill again into Stuttgart-Feuerbach.
16:18 CEST
In this race of attrition, the peloton
has shrunk to about 60 riders. They are 3 kilometres away from the start/finish
area.
|
16:22 CEST 229.4km/38km to go
The tempo is leg-breaking,
and the hills do the rest. Once the race is finished, we'll know the winner
was definitely the strongest guy in this event. Freire is still there, of course,
as is Bettini, right next to him. Will it come down to a sprint? Young German
Ciolek could be a dark horse here. His compatriot Zabel is still there, too.
Two laps to go!
16:26 CEST
Now the Belgians drive the bunch
towards the Herdweg climb. The Squadra Azzurra was dominating until now, but
other countries will be on the attack now that the race is ON.
16:28 CEST
Hushovd powers up the climb, followed
by Wegmann, Gilbert, then Zabel, Bettini... other riders get dropped.
Matija Kvasina (Croatia) is off the front now, but he only has 15 metres.
16:30 CEST
Germans Burghardt and Voigt were
in trouble there, as Kvasina is caught again. Rebellin, Evans, Beltrán, Elmiger
and Menchov are now trying to get away.
It's still all together,
though.
Situation
- Peloton together
16:33 CEST
The pace is terrible - now it's a
Dutch rider at the front, speeding down the descent. But we have another attacker:
Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus). He has 20 metres as the others still have to
decide who'll organise the chase.
16:34 CEST
Siutsou pushes on, but is kept on
the long leash. He won't stand a chance on his own, anyway.
16:37 CEST
Rebellin leads the chase on the second,
longer climb now. He gets an unintentional gap, it looks like. Russian Kolobnev
joins him, and now he's gotta hang on.
16:39 CEST
The bunch is stretched out in one
single line as Sioutsou is caught. Rebellin and Kolobnev are out the front,
with the peloton not far behind. They have about 13 seconds now.
16:42 CEST
Now a crucial part of the race, as
the peloton comes to halt, almost, as everyone looks at each other. An Aussie
tries to go after the leaders. The gap is 18 seconds.
|
16:45 CEST 245.4km/22km to go
As the Italians
control the bunch, the pace eases up. The gap to the two leaders is 35 seconds
now.
The two have a difference of ten years of age: Rebellin is 36,
and the Russian is 26. By the way.
16:46 CEST
Aha - the Spaniards take over the
chase now with three men for Alejandro Valverde. Well, Rebellin and Kolobnev
are too good riders to let get away at this particular stage of the race!
16:47 CEST
The gap is 24 seconds under the flamme
rouge.
Sastre, Barredo and Beltrán are doing the job for their leader.
16:48 CEST
And it's time for the bell!! Last
lap of this year's World Championships!
Valverde himself does a turn
in the chase. Could all still be a bunch sprint next time they come to the finish...
16:50 CEST
This was yet the fastest lap we believe:
26'47" with an average of 42.8km/h.
16:52 CEST
Rebellin and Kolobnev give it everything
as they approach the first climb. But will it be enough? The bunch is reeling
them in now.
16:54 CEST
Kolobnev looks back. Wegmann is the
first rider to catch them. Freire, Bettini, Schumacher, Gilbert... they're all
there.
16:56 CEST
Wegmann pushes on with Boogerd on
his wheel. The best riders are emerging now, about 12.
16:58 CEST
Schumacher, Evans, Sanchez is there...
Sanchez attacks! But they all hang on.
17:01 CEST
Bettini of course didn't miss that
train, and has Pozzato and Rebellin with him. There is Dekker and Kroon, too,
for Boogerd, and Wegmann for Schumacher. Fränk Schleck is also there.
Valverde was left behind, so he's chasing now with a teammate.
17:03 CEST
Now Bettini attacks! Schleck and
Wegmann try to follow. The three have 20 metres and now speed down a descent.
17:04 CEST
This is the group: Paolo Bettini
(Italy), Filippo Pozzato (Italy), Davide Rebellin (Italy), Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez
(Spain), Cadel Evans (Australia), Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation), Frank
Schleck (Luxembourg), Stefan Schumacher (Germany), Fabian Wegmann (Germany),
Philippe Gilbert (Belgium), Björn Leukemans (Belgium), Michael Boogerd (Netherlands),
Thomas Dekker (Netherlands), Karsten Kroon (Netherlands), Martin Elmiger (Switzerland).
Schleck, Bettini and Schumi are still a bit off the front.
17:06 CEST
Bettini gives it another attack.
Jeez, he is strong today. Kolobnev is chasing him down, Schumi and Evans follow.
17:08 CEST 262.4km/5km to go
Bettini, Evans,
Kolobnev, Schleck and Schumacher still have a small gap in front of the remaining
eight chasers.
17:10 CEST
The group is collaborating now to
stay away. Bettini took a turn, now it's Kolobnev. The Italian urges the others
to continue working.
17:11 CEST 264.4km/3km to go
Wegmann, Elmiger,
Sanchez, Boogerd are still chasing at about 15 seconds.
17:12 CEST 265.4km/2km to go
What a race... Their
power is fading, but they give it everything. The chase group is close behind...
17:13 CEST
Schleck is at the front now in that
final uphill false flat. They come under the red flag. The attacks will start
- Evans goes!
17:14 CEST
But he can't get away, Schumi catches
him. Evans, Schumi, Bettini, Kolobnev and Schleck at the back.
17:14 CEST
Schleck moves up as they get out
of the saddle...
17:15 CEST
Kolobnev leads out. the sprint is
on... And Bettini does it! The world champ defends his title!!
17:15 CEST
Bettini first, then Kolobnev and
Schumacher.
17:18 CEST
Bettini is on a roll. The tifosi
are going mad, journalists included. What a revenge for the Italian after the
last few days spent defending himself... He's crying now in the arms of his
soigneur. That is some pressure taken off his shoulders...
17:19 CEST
He's still crying, can't believe
it. Probably thinking of his brother, too, who died a few days after last year's
win in Salzburg.
17:24 CEST
That is a very emotional Paolo Bettini
there, experiencing one of the greatest moments in his career. He was clearly
the strongest in the end of the race, attacking over and over again. The Spaniards
lost out today big time...
Thank you for joining us once again for
the Worlds - watch out for full results, a report and many photos to come soon
on Cyclingnews. Tschüss, as we say in Germany.
Provisional results 1 Paolo Bettini (Italy) 2 Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation) 3 Stefan Schumacher (Germany) 4 Frank Schleck (Luxembourg) 5 Cadel Evans (Australia)
