The team jersey has featured on the top step of the podium before now but with Alberto Contador’s two stage wins in the Tour de San Luis struck off after the rider was suspended, Jonathan Cantwell’s stage victory in the Tour de Taiwan earlier today is an important one. Officially, it is the Saxo Bank team’s first win of 2012.
The team is under some pressure as the UCI’s Licence Commission is currently weighing up whether nor not it should retain its ProTeam licence. Contador clocked up two thirds of its WorldTour points in 2011 and with those results now removed, the UCI is deliberating if the team is of the required level, or if it should instead be demoted to Pro Continental status.
Cantwell’s success is therefore an important one, bringing to an end a long wait for victories by riders other than Contador. The team will try to clock up more before the licence commission’s decision.
Cantwell triumphed in the big bunch sprint which settled the race’s fourth stage, a 140 kilometre leg from Taichung City Hall to Taichung Metropolitan Park. He beat Roberto Ferrari (Androni Giocattoli), Alexander Serov (RusVelo) and the rest of the peloton to the line.
Directeur sportif Bradley McGee said that Cantwell dug deep to come back at another rider after his initial surge. “In the sprint, Johnny first went past Ferrari who then pushed his bike back ahead of him, but in the final meters, Johnny accelerated once again to win the stage. It was a sprint within the sprint from Johnny, which is almost unheard of.”
He described the triumph as a ‘win for the whole team.’ Given the nervous wait for the UCI’s decision, that statement is an accurate one. The team needs to keep the momentum going, though, with more big results likely needed.
The Tour of Taiwain continues today with a fifth stage in Chang Hua City. Australian rider Rhys Pollock (Drapac Cycling) leads Hong Kong’s Kam Po Wong by two seconds. Takashi Miyazawa is the best Saxo Bank rider in fifth overall, twenty seconds back.
Tour of Taiwan (2.1) stage 4 result: Taichung City Hall to Taichung Metropolitan Park:
1, Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank) 140 kilometres in 2 hours 40 mins 14 secs
2, Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
3, Alexander Serov (Rus) RusVelo)
4, Hossein Nateghi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team)
5, Tom Vermeer (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus)
6, Ben Grenda (Aus) Rapha Condor - Sharp)
7, Alireza Haghi (IRI) Azad University Cross Team)
8, Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Action Cycling Team)
9, Cameron Wurf (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
10, Po-Hung Wu (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida)
11, Lee Rodgers (GBr) RTS Racing Team)
12, Chan Jae Jang (Kor) Terengganu Cycling Team)
13, Ricardo Van Der Velde (Ned) Jelly Belly Cycling)
14, Artur Ershov (Rus) RusVelo)
15, Giaro Ermeti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
16, Antonio Santoro (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
17, Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank)
18, Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers)
19, Muhamid Adiq Othman (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
20, Ying Hon Yeung (HKg) Hong Kong Team)
21, Hsin-Hua Huang (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida)
22, Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Japan National Team)
23, Rhys Pollock (Aus) Drapac Cycling)
24, Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
25, Wei Cheng Lee (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team)
26, Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team)
27, Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Cycling)
28, Mohd Sharul Mat Amin (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team)
29, Yusuke Hatanaka (Jpn) Japan National Team)
30, Alex Schmitt (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus)
31, Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Team Saxo Bank)
32, Dirk Müller (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus)
33, Kristian House (GBr) Rapha Condor - Sharp)
34, Ben Dyball (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers)
35, Genki Yamamoto (Jpn) Japan National Team)
36, Kam Po Wong (HKg) Hong Kong Team)
37, Alex Coutts (GBr) RTS Racing Team)
38, Hossein Askari (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team)
39, Volodimir Gustov (Ukr) Team Saxo Bank)
40, Wu-Hsing Yang (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team)
41, Ghader Mizbani Iranagh (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team)
42, Sergio Hernandez (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling)
43, Siu Wai Ko (HKg) Hong Kong Team)
44, Victor Nino Corredor (Col) Azad University Cross Team)
45, Nic Hamilton (Can) Jelly Belly Cycling)
46, Wei Chieh Liu (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:00:21
47, Chin-Lung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team)
48, Miguel Angel Nino Corredor (Col) Azad University Cross Team)
49, Chung Yan Wong (HKg) Hong Kong Team)
50, Chien Liang Chen (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:00:26
51, Salvatore Mancuso (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
52, Anuar Manan (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
53, Cheng-Yen Chen (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:00:28
54, Shih Hsin Hsiao (Tpe) Action Cycling Team)
55, Chia Chun Chen (Tpe) Action Cycling Team)
56, Chun Liang Pan (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 00:00:31
57, Samuel Davis (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers)
58, Je Sung Yeon (Kor) KSPO) 00:00:33
59, Dong Hyun Shin (Kor) KSPO)
60, Wen Chung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team)
61, Chin Feng Liu (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team)
62, Tomohiro Hayakawa (Jpn) Japan National Team)
63, Sebastian Körber (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus)
64, Sean Mazich (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling)
65, Amir Mustafa Rusli (Mas) Drapac Cycling)
66, Behnam Khalilikhosroshahi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team)
67, Adam Semple (Aus) Drapac Cycling) 00:00:39
68, Yung-Hua Cheng (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:00:54
69, Soon Yeong Kwon (Kor) KSPO)
70, Wei Kei Chang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team) 00:00:59
71, Do Hyoung Kim (Kor) Terengganu Cycling Team)
72, Alexey Markov (Rus) RusVelo) 00:01:03
73, Burr Ho (HKg) Hong Kong Team) 00:01:04
74, Cheng Ying Hsieh (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 00:01:07
75, Felix English (Irl) Rapha Condor - Sharp) 00:01:28
76, Dean Downing (GBr) Rapha Condor - Sharp) 00:02:06
77, Evgeny Kovalev (Rus) RusVelo)
78, Keisuke Nakao (Jpn) Japan National Team) 00:02:17
79, Abbas Tanha Saeidi (IRI) Azad University Cross Team) 00:02:35
80, Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank) 00:02:42
81, Alex Carver (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers)
82, Che-Wei Hu (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:02:43
83, Antonino Parrinello (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
84, Patrick Shaw (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 00:03:55
85, Ji Min Jung (Kor) KSPO) 00:04:57
86, Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Drapac Cycling)
87, Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Terengganu Cycling Team)
DNF : Steven Wong (HKg) Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
DNF : Ki Ju Lee (Kor) KSPO)
General classification:
1, Rhys Pollock (Aus) Drapac Cycling) 09:57:13
2, Kam Po Wong (HKg) Hong Kong Team) 00:00:02
3, Dirk Müller (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus) 00:00:06
4, Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Japan National Team) 00:00:08
5, Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Team Saxo Bank) 00:00:20
6, Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 00:00:21
7, Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 00:00:30
8, Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Androni Giocattoli) 00:00:42
9, Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank) 00:00:44
10, Alexander Serov (Rus) RusVelo) 00:00:50
11, Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Cycling) 00:00:51
12, Muhamid Adiq Othman (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team) 00:00:53
13, Genki Yamamoto (Jpn) Japan National Team)
14, Ben Grenda (Aus) Rapha Condor - Sharp) 00:00:54
15, Tom Vermeer (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus)
16, Antonio Santoro (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
17, Hossein Askari (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team)
18, Kristian House (GBr) Rapha Condor - Sharp)
19, Giaro Ermeti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli)
20, Alex Coutts (GBr) RTS Racing Team)
21, Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team)
22, Volodimir Gustov (Ukr) Team Saxo Bank)
23, Gang Xu (Chn) Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
24, Ghader Mizbani Iranagh (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team)
25, Ben Dyball (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers)
26, Yusuke Hatanaka (Jpn) Japan National Team)
27, Ying Hon Yeung (HKg) Hong Kong Team)
28, Victor Nino Corredor (Col) Azad University Cross Team)
29, Po-Hung Wu (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:00:59
30, Cameron Wurf (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling Team) 00:01:14
31, Salvatore Mancuso (Ita) Androni Giocattoli) 00:01:32
32, Adam Semple (Aus) Drapac Cycling) 00:01:33
33, Ricardo Van Der Velde (Ned) Jelly Belly Cycling) 00:01:38
34, Alex Schmitt (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus) 00:01:40
35, Samuel Davis (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 00:01:49
36, Nic Hamilton (Can) Jelly Belly Cycling) 00:01:52
37, Chin Feng Liu (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:01:53
38, Miguel Angel Nino Corredor (Col) Azad University Cross Team) 00:02:03
39, Hossein Nateghi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 00:02:18
40, Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank) 00:02:21
41, Chin-Lung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team) 00:02:33
42, Wei Cheng Lee (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:02:53
43, Hsin-Hua Huang (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:03:19
44, Mohd Sharul Mat Amin (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team) 00:03:34
45, Sergio Hernandez (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling)
46, Wei Chieh Liu (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:03:40
47, Siu Wai Ko (HKg) Hong Kong Team) 00:03:41
48, Soon Yeong Kwon (Kor) KSPO) 00:03:47
49, Antonino Parrinello (Ita) Androni Giocattoli) 00:03:48
50, Chien Liang Chen (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:04:00
51, Wu-Hsing Yang (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 00:04:11
52, Tomohiro Hayakawa (Jpn) Japan National Team) 00:04:14
53, Chung Yan Wong (HKg) Hong Kong Team) 00:04:17
54, Alireza Haghi (IRI) Azad University Cross Team) 00:04:34
55, Yung-Hua Cheng (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:04:35
56, Shih Hsin Hsiao (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 00:04:39
57, Chia Chun Chen (Tpe) Action Cycling Team)
58, Burr Ho (HKg) Hong Kong Team) 00:04:45
59, Floris Goesinnen (Ned) Drapac Cycling) 00:05:05
60, Dean Downing (GBr) Rapha Condor - Sharp) 00:05:09
61, Lee Rodgers (GBr) RTS Racing Team) 00:05:23
62, Amir Mustafa Rusli (Mas) Drapac Cycling) 00:05:35
63, Abbas Tanha Saeidi (IRI) Azad University Cross Team) 00:05:50
64, Alexey Markov (Rus) RusVelo) 00:06:05
65, Keisuke Nakao (Jpn) Japan National Team) 00:06:27
66, Alex Carver (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 00:07:47
67, Patrick Shaw (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 00:08:09
68, Cheng Ying Hsieh (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 00:08:38
69, Chan Jae Jang (Kor) Terengganu Cycling Team) 00:09:16
70, Sebastian Körber (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus) 00:09:59
71, Ji Min Jung (Kor) KSPO)
72, Cheng-Yen Chen (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:11:03
73, Do Hyoung Kim (Kor) Terengganu Cycling Team) 00:11:04
74, Behnam Khalilikhosroshahi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 00:11:12
75, Evgeny Kovalev (Rus) RusVelo) 00:11:32
76, Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Terengganu Cycling Team) 00:11:50
77, Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank) 00:12:06
78, Sean Mazich (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling) 00:12:11
79, Wei Kei Chang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team) 00:13:54
80, Che-Wei Hu (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 00:14:09
81, Wen Chung Huang (Tpe) RTS Racing Team) 00:14:23
82, Felix English (Irl) Rapha Condor - Sharp) 00:15:09
83, Artur Ershov (Rus) RusVelo) 00:15:14
84, Chun Liang Pan (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 00:15:20
85, Je Sung Yeon (Kor) KSPO) 00:16:46
86, Anuar Manan (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team) 00:17:16
87, Dong Hyun Shin (Kor) KSPO) 00:27:29
Points classification:
1, Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 23 pts
2, Chan Jae Jang (Kor) Terengganu Cycling Team) 17
3, Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Team Saxo Bank) 11
4, Po-Hung Wu (Tpe) Team Senter - Merida) 7
5, Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Drapac Cycling) 5
6, Lee Rodgers (GBr) RTS Racing Team) 5
7, Alex Schmitt (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus) 4
8, Rhys Pollock (Aus) Drapac Cycling) 3
9, Samuel Davis (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 3
10, Nic Hamilton (Can) Jelly Belly Cycling) 3
11, Shih Hsin Hsiao (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 3
12, Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Terengganu Cycling Team) 3
13, Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank) 3
14, Muhamid Adiq Othman (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team) 2
15, Genki Yamamoto (Jpn) Japan National Team) 2
16, Anuar Manan (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team) 2
17, Taiji Nishitani (Jpn) Japan National Team) 1
18, Tom Vermeer (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus) 1
19, Chien Liang Chen (Tpe) Chinese Taipei National Team) 1
Mountains classification:
1, Shinichi Fukushima (Jpn) Terengganu Cycling Team) 16 pts
2, Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Action Cycling Team) 13
3, Behnam Khalilikhosroshahi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team) 9
4, Victor Nino Corredor (Col) Azad University Cross Team) 9
5, Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Genesys Wealth Advisers) 8
6, Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Androni Giocattoli) 8
7, Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank) 6
8, Muhamid Adiq Othman (Mas) Champion System Pro Cycling Team) 6
9, Lee Rodgers (GBr) RTS Racing Team) 6
10, Evgeny Kovalev (Rus) RusVelo) 6
Team classification:
1, Drapac Cycling, 05:53:24
2, Japan National Team, 00:00:11
3, Androni Giocattoli, 00:00:15
4, Team Saxo Bank, 00:00:30
5, Champion System Pro Cycling Team, 00:00:57
6, Nutrixxion Abus, 00:01:03
7, Genesys Wealth Advisers, 00:01:41
8, Tabriz Petrochemical Team, 00:02:25
9, Hong Kong Team, 00:03:02
10, Azad University Cross Team, 00:04:27