For the second day running, German sprinter Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto) proved quickest at the Eneco Tour, blasting to victory at the end of a 173.7 kilometre stage to Ardooie.
He once again timed his finishing burst perfectly, kicking late and overhauling Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo), Sky Procycling’s Edvald Boasson Hagen and Jean-Pierre Drucker (Veranda's Willems – Accent).
Overnight leader Taylor Phinney once again showed solid form, netting sixth. The BMC Racing Team rider remains at the head of the general classification but the time bonuses mean that his lead over Boasson Hagen has been cut from seven to three seconds. Garmin-Cervélo’s David Millar remains eight seconds back in third.
“It was not an easy day,” Phinney admitted in the post-race TV interview. “It started pretty relaxed, the breakaway went away nicely and we thought it might be an easy day. But there are no real easy days in bike racing. The last half was really stressful and really nervous. The team did a really good job keeping me in position, keeping me out of the wind when Lotto tried to break it up in the crosswinds.
“At the finish I was a little big upset that I couldn’t pay the team back with a better result,” he continued. “It was better than yesterday – yesterday I hit out really early in the sprint. I had good power and I think if I can time it right, can do it right, I can be up there for the win or the top three.”
Phinney said that he was blocked in and had to make a big effort to get back up to the wheel of Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling). That left him tired for the final kick.
In contrast, things went perfectly for Greipel. He was relaxed about things, and even though he was at the back with six kilometres to go, was able to move right up. “I knew the finish from the years before,” he said. “I told the guys what to do, especially [Marcel] Sieberg and [Jurgen] Roelandts.
“There was a block headwind, so I told the guys with five kilometres to go that we had to move up. They did it, it was just a question of [being in] the position in the corner with 1.5 kilometres to go. Sieberg and Roelandts brought me in a really good position there, then Roelandts was pulling the sprint a long time. I let three guys in between us and then I started the sprint. I am really happy.”
He was asked to comment on a Tweet yesterday by Greg Henderson (Sky Procycling), who appears to have unwittingly sent a general message to all his followers rather than a direct message. The Tweet indicated that he is frustrated on missing out on key races with his current squad and would be moving to join Greipel at the new Lotto team next year.
Greipel declined to verify that Henderson was coming, saying that it was up to the team to make such announcements.
Early break gains over five minutes:
162 riders started the stage, with Kris Boeckmans (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) and another one of yesterday’s crash victims Johann Tschopp (BMC Racing Team) not lining out. After eight kilometres four riders clipped away, and 22 kilometres later Sam Bewley (Team Radioshack), Han Feng (Skil-Shimano), Jelle Wallays (Mercator-Topsport Vlaanderen) and Rob Goris (Willems Veranda's Accent) had established their maximum lead of five minutes 15 seconds.
Five kilometres after that, Goris beat Feng and Wallays to take the first sprint. They remained clear until after the second sprint in Tiegemberg, 112.6 kilometres into the stage, where Wallays beat Goris and Feng to the line. The quartet were just one minute 25 ahead there, and the pace increased to try to stay clear.
Feng and Bewley were unable to keep up the workrate and dropped back to the peloton 53 kilometres from the finish. Four kilometres later, Goris and Wallays received reinforcements when Lars Bak (HTC Highroad), Aleksejs Saramotins (Cofidis) and Mitchell Docker (Skil-Shimano) bridged across.
Almost immediately, Wallays and Saramotins pushed ahead and 23 kilometres later, just under 25 kilometres from the end, they crossed the final intermediate sprint line in that order. Greg Henderson (Sky Procycling) led the chasers across very soon afterwards, and the peloton finally reeled in the break.
Julien Fouchard (Cofidis) tried his chance with fourteen kilometres to go but was unable to stay clear. The sprinters teams worked hard to ensure a bunch gallop and in the ensuing sprint to the line, Greipel once again underlined that he is one of the very quickest in the peloton.
Big battle pending tomorrow:
Phinney holds on for another day, and said that he’s prepared to fight on tomorrow’s tough 192.2 kilometre stage through the Ardennes. “I was looking forward to the hills today,” he stated. “We only had three of them, but I’m looking forward to the hills tomorrow. It will make for stressful racing, but a little bit more of a natural selection.”
He knows there’s a big battle ahead, with Gilbert motivated to race in his home area and being just 15 seconds back. However Phinney said that he believes in the strength of his BMC Racing Team plus their determination to support him.
“We will try to hold onto the jersey…I lost some seconds today, but I’ll try,” he vowed. “Obviously Boasson Hagen took some time back on me today and is a very good climber. Gilbert is the king of these kind of mountains.
“There are a lot of teams with strong riders who are keen to get up there and try to take the jersey away. But we’ll see – we’ll take it as it comes and I’m looking forward to it.”