2010 Tirreno–Adriatico
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Tirreno–Adriatico was the 45th running of the Tirreno–Adriatico stage race. It started on 10 March and finished on 16 March. The race started in Livorno
and ended San Benedetto del Tronto
. The race was won by Stefano Garzelli
after gaining 2 seconds in intermediate sprints in the last stage which tied him for first with Michele Scarponi
; Garzelli held the tiebreaker, combined stage finishes.
teams, including the provisionally-licensed , and six UCI Professional Continental teams. These teams, along with three others, also contested Milan – San Remo
.
The 22 teams participating in the race were:
to Rosignano Solvay
, 148 km (92 mi)
The race of two seas began with a mostly flat stage from Livorno
on the Tyrrhenian coast to Rosignano Solvay. The riders took a finishing circuit in the arrival town, seeing the finish line twice.
A lone rider from comprised this stage's major breakaway. Dmytro Grabovskyy
slipped away early and quickly built an advantage of over five minutes. The peloton, battered by the freezing rain that almost kept the stage from being run at all, was content to let him stay away until the 40 km (24.9 mi) to go mark, when the and teams set to bringing him back in the hopes of setting up a potential mass sprint finish for their top sprinters Daniele Bennati
and Tyler Farrar
.
Grabovskyy was caught with 22 km (13.7 mi) left to race, and 's Pablo Urtasun
took the opportunity to counter-attack, being joined after a short while by Niki Terpstra
from . They were away until the 8 km (5 mi) to go mark, and another move took shape when they were caught, including Terpstra's team leader Linus Gerdemann
and Matti Breschel
. Despite never holding even ten seconds advantage over the main field, and not having an appreciable gap over them at the finish line, they were able to contest the stage among themselves and deny the pure sprinters the chance. Gerdemann came around Pablo Lastras
' early leadout to take the stage win and the first blue jersey as race leader. With the time bonus at the finish line, he became the first leader of the race with a four second advantage over Lastras. Gerdemann was also awarded the red jersey as points classification leader; Lastras wore it during stage two.
, 165 km (102.5 mi)
Stage two contained a categorized climb after just 6 km (3.7 mi), but following the descent from that climb the course was a plateau with no further raises in elevation of any consequence. The stage started and ended in the same town, and concluded with a 5-lap circuit with repeated visits to a short hill.
Four riders again tried their luck to contest the stage win among themselves in a breakaway, but on this day the sprinters would not be denied. The four were Mikhail Ignatiev, Diego Caccia
, Alan Pérez
, and Alan Marangoni
, who escaped 11 km (6.8 mi) into the stage. They built up an advantage of over four minutes, while race leader Linus Gerdemann
's Milram team rode a tempo at the front of the peloton. Various teams representing strong sprinters worked to reel in the escape toward the end of the stage, and three of them were caught 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from the finish line. Ignatiev tried to counter-attack as the catch occurred, but the blazing speed with which was driving the peloton at the time meant that it was only a few seconds until the Russian too was brought back. Liquigas-Doimo led out the sprint in the final kilometer, but their top sprinter Daniele Bennati
was unable to take advantage. Belgian national champion Tom Boonen
began his sprint first, but was able to hold on to the finish line for the win. The win, and the time bonus it afforded, left Boonen tied with Gerdemann on time in the general classification.
to Monsummano Terme
, 159 km (98.8 mi)
Stage 3 was the last in Tuscany. This course had two categorized climbs in the final 30 km (18.6 mi) before the peloton reaches Monsummano Terme. There were three uncategorized rises in elevation before that point, and a lengthy flat stretch to the finish.
The day's escapees were Sebastian Lang
, Cameron Wurf
, and Diego Caccia
. By virtue of being in the breakaway for the second day in a row, Caccia took the lead in the mountains classification after the stage from his teammate Dmytro Grabovskyy
. Wurf was the last of them to be caught, on the final climb of the day. The main field was all together for a sprint finish, but this was nearly not the case, as ten riders broke away on the descent from the last climb, including overall contenders like defending champion Michele Scarponi
, last year's runner-up Stefano Garzelli
, and the duo of Vincenzo Nibali
and Roman Kreuziger
. This breakaway group had 18 seconds on the main field with 5 km (3.1 mi) left to race, but they were unable to ride as cohesively as the peloton, who caught them just before they reached the red kite indicating 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) to the finish line. Just as they had the previous day, the Liquigas-Doimo squad executed an efficient leadout for their top sprinter Daniele Bennati
. Unlike the previous day, Bennati used it to his full advantage, winning the stage over Alessandro Petacchi
, Bernhard Eisel
, and Tyler Farrar
. The time bonus at the line made Bennati the new race leader. He also took the lead in the points classification – previous race leader Linus Gerdemann
dons the red jersey for stage 4.
to Chieti
, 243 km (151 mi)
The profile for this long stage, entering the region of Abruzzo
, is bumpy, with many climbs, both categorized and uncategorized. The riders head east and slightly to the south to Chieti and will nearly reach the Adriatic Sea. The final 3 km (1.9 mi) are especially difficult, with stretches containing maximum gradients of 19%.
The peloton reeled in many early attacks on this stage, and the day's principal breakaway did not form until 34 km (21.1 mi) had been covered. The seven escapees were Rubén Pérez
, Vasil Kiryienka
, Marco Frapporti, Maarten Wynants, Paolo Longo Borghini
, Vladimir Efimkin
, and Italian national champion Filippo Pozzato
, who did much of the pacemaking for the group. Their biggest advantage over the main field was 8'30", at the halfway point of the stage. and did the majority of the pacemaking at the front of the peloton, as overnight race leader Daniele Bennati
was quickly dropped on this stage, eventually finishing 12 minutes back of the stage winner.
The break still had 3 minutes on the main field with 25 km (15.5 mi) left to race, though several riders tried escapes from the peloton before the breakaway was caught, indicating that they did not believe the group could stay away. riders Alexander Vinokourov
and Enrico Gasparotto
both tried their luck, but could neither stay away nor bridge to the leaders. Vincenzo Nibali
then attacked, and drew with him defending Tirreno–Adriatico champion Michele Scarponi
. In the lead of the race, Kiryienka dropped his remaining breakaway companions and tried to solo to the line inside of the last 5 km (3.1 mi). Nibali and Scarponi quickly absorbed all of them, and at that point had Maxim Iglinsky
and Stefano Garzelli
in tow in their leading group. No one could answer Scarponi's subsequent attack, which gave him the stage win and the blue jersey. He finished 14 seconds the better of Benoît Vaugrenard
, who had come up from what remained of the main field to finish with Garzelli's group. Due to the narrow, twisting roads on which the stage finished, Vaugrenard had not seen Scarponi cross the finish line, and he thought he had won the stage when he led his group across the line. Nibali was unable to maintain the pace of this group and lost a further 7 seconds to them, finishing 21 back of Scarponi.
, 216 km (134.2 mi)
The first half of this stage, which saw the peloton ride directly alongside the Adriatic coast, was flat, but the second half contained several climbs. The final 18 km (11.2 mi) were removed from the course due to poor road conditions, leaving out the originally scheduled final climb, one that reaches a 20% maximum grade. The resultant course featured a smaller, but still difficult, summit finish.
An eleven-rider breakaway formed early in the stage, but it did not come close to staying away, as only Marco Pinotti
from this group was out front for any length of time. He was caught with a good 55 km (34.2 mi) left to race. Race leader Michele Scarponi
's team set a furious pace to control the main field, even though two of its riders crashed hard. José Serpa
finished the stage, continuing to take pulls at the front of the main field, covered in dirt with a blood-streaked face meagerly patched up by a bandage. A counter-attack from Juan José Oroz
as the time Pinotti was caught got the Basque rider clear for most of the remainder of the stage. 's Enrico Gasparotto
bridged across to him just before the short but nearly vertical climb to Colmurano which concluded the stage. Cadel Evans
, Stefano Garzelli
and Maxim Iglinsky
next bridged from the Scarponi group to the leaders, and Evans tapped out a pace to get them to the finish line first. Despite having been in the flats in his bridge up to Oroz, Gasparotto still had the legs to come around Evans and claim the stage win. Scarponi retained the overall lead, but his advantage was narrowed.
to Macerata
, 134 km (83.3 mi)
Stage six is hilly, concluding with a 4-lap circuit that involves a visit to the Macerata climb each lap. The first and third laps will count the climb towards the mountains classification, while for the second pass it will be considered an intermediate sprint.
Twelve riders from twelve teams broke away at the 8 km (5 mi) mark. The best-placed riders in this group were Paul Martens
of and Simon Špilak
from , respectively 1'36" and 1'48" back of race leader Michele Scarponi
as the day began. The significance of 12 different teams being represented in the break was that Scarponi's team did not get much help in setting a pace for the peloton to bring them back, as teams do not normally help chase down breakaways when they have a rider in them. Androni Giocattoli rode a deliberate pace for much of the stage, with the breakaway's time gap hovering at around two minutes most of the day. As the end of the stage neared, the main field had closed the gap to under a minute, meaning Martens and Špilak did not stand to threaten Scarponi's overall lead. This caused Androni Giocattoli to ease up on their pace, but they nonetheless absorbed 11 of the breakaway riders before the finish, since the hilly parcours did not suit most of those riders. The one who got away was 's Mikhail Ignatiev, a time trial specialist who shed his breakaway mates with 8 km (5 mi) remaining and was able to pace himself to the line for the stage win. A hectic final kilometer for the race's top contenders was resolved when Stefano Garzelli
and Cadel Evans
broke away from a small group containing Scarponi. They finished 2 seconds better than the race leader, but more importantly, both won time bonuses. Scarponi retained the race leader's blue jersey heading into the final day, but by a margin of just 2 seconds to Garzelli and 12 to Evans.
to San Benedetto del Tronto
, 164 km (101.9 mi)
The first 60 km (37.3 mi) of this course contained two categorized climbs, but from that point on the stage was perfectly flat to the finish. The race concluded with a seven-lap circuit in San Benedetto del Tronto
, with intermediate sprint points available on the third and fifth laps.
rider Blel Kadri formed a solo breakaway soon after the true beginning of the stage. He stayed out front for 100 km (62.1 mi). With the intermediate sprints affording 3, 2, and 1 bonus seconds, had a vested interest in chasing him down, since the sprints could move their team leader Stefano Garzelli
past Michele Scarponi
for the race's overall classification. The first sprint took place 40 km (24.9 mi) from the end of the stage. Francesco Ginanni
won the first sprint, ahead of José Joaquin Rojas
and Garzelli. This put Garzelli one second behind Scarponi. In the second intermediate sprint, 20 km (12.4 mi) from the line, Ginanni and teammate Jackson Rodriguez
easily took the first two places, but Acqua & Sapone successfully led Garzelli out to again get third. This left the two exactly tied on time, but Garzelli held the tiebreaker for better stage placings over the course of all seven days of racing. While 10, 6, and 4 bonus seconds were available for the first three across the finish line, neither team figured to be able to control the upcoming mass sprint. This meant Garzelli had won the race's overall classification by the thinnest of margins.
The teams of the sprinters came forward in the final 10 km (6.2 mi) to set up the finale. Mark Cavendish
, who had missed out on the previous sprint finishes, crashed hard with 8 km (5 mi) and missed an opportunity to contest this sprint. Assan Bazayev
and Rui Costa
also crashed. controlled the race in the final kilometer, and delivered Edvald Boasson Hagen
to the line in first position.
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
and ended San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto is a city and comune in Marche, Italy, in the province of Ascoli Piceno. It lies on the Adriatic Sea. San Benedetto del Tronto is an important little town on the Marche coast, an active fishing port and one of the main seaside resorts on the central Adriatic coast.Located...
. The race was won by Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but...
after gaining 2 seconds in intermediate sprints in the last stage which tied him for first with Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case...
; Garzelli held the tiebreaker, combined stage finishes.
Teams
Twenty-two teams started the race. These included sixteen UCI ProTourUCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
teams, including the provisionally-licensed , and six UCI Professional Continental teams. These teams, along with three others, also contested Milan – San Remo
2010 Milan – San Remo
The 2010 Milan – San Remo was the 101st running of the Milan – San Remo cycling race, held on March 20. The race was won by Oscar Freire of Spain in a bunch sprint finish.- Teams :...
.
The 22 teams participating in the race were:
Stage 1
10 March 2010 - LivornoLivorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
to Rosignano Solvay
Rosignano Solvay
Rosignano Solvay is a frazione of Rosignano Marittimo, Tuscany, Italy, located some 25 km from Livorno.It houses the White Beaches , whose sand is formed by limestone and Calcium chloride produced by the nearby Solvay since 1914.Sights include the Teatro Solvay, two Etruscan museums and the...
, 148 km (92 mi)
The race of two seas began with a mostly flat stage from Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
on the Tyrrhenian coast to Rosignano Solvay. The riders took a finishing circuit in the arrival town, seeing the finish line twice.
A lone rider from comprised this stage's major breakaway. Dmytro Grabovskyy
Dmytro Grabovskyy
Dmytro Grabovskyy is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, currently competing for UCI Professional Continental team . He was second in the time trial for juniors at the 2005 World Championship Cycling in Madrid and he won the road race. He signed his first professional contract with Quick...
slipped away early and quickly built an advantage of over five minutes. The peloton, battered by the freezing rain that almost kept the stage from being run at all, was content to let him stay away until the 40 km (24.9 mi) to go mark, when the and teams set to bringing him back in the hopes of setting up a potential mass sprint finish for their top sprinters Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train...
and Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar is an American professional road racing cyclist since 2003.-Cycling career:Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006 he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe and broke his collarbone and missed most of the season...
.
Grabovskyy was caught with 22 km (13.7 mi) left to race, and 's Pablo Urtasun
Pablo Urtasun
Pablo Urtasun Pérez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Euskaltel-Euskadi.- Palmarés :20062007200820092010- External links :*...
took the opportunity to counter-attack, being joined after a short while by Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . He is the silver medal winner of the team pursuit in the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, together with Levi Heimans, Jens Mouris and Peter Schep...
from . They were away until the 8 km (5 mi) to go mark, and another move took shape when they were caught, including Terpstra's team leader Linus Gerdemann
Linus Gerdemann
Linus Gerdemann is a German professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for .-Career:After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Jens Voigt, signing on for a 2-year contract...
and Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .-Career:He got his breakthrough with small Danish Team PH, finishing 6th at the U/23 Cycling World Championship in Verona in 2004 where he helped fellow Dane Mads Christensen finish 3rd...
. Despite never holding even ten seconds advantage over the main field, and not having an appreciable gap over them at the finish line, they were able to contest the stage among themselves and deny the pure sprinters the chance. Gerdemann came around Pablo Lastras
Pablo Lastras
Pablo Lastras García is a Spanish racing cyclist who rides for Spanish UCI ProTour team .Lastras won a stage in the 2003 Tour de France and picked up two stages in the 2002 Vuelta a España. In 2005 he won stage 8 at Tour de Suisse. He also won the Vuelta a Burgos in 2003. His idols are Bernard...
' early leadout to take the stage win and the first blue jersey as race leader. With the time bonus at the finish line, he became the first leader of the race with a four second advantage over Lastras. Gerdemann was also awarded the red jersey as points classification leader; Lastras wore it during stage two.
Stage 1 results
|
General Classification after Stage 1
|
Stage 2
11 March 2010 - Montecatini TermeMontecatini Terme
Montecatini Terme is an Italian district of 21,095 inhabitants within the province of Pistoia in Tuscany. The most important center in Valdinievole...
, 165 km (102.5 mi)
Stage two contained a categorized climb after just 6 km (3.7 mi), but following the descent from that climb the course was a plateau with no further raises in elevation of any consequence. The stage started and ended in the same town, and concluded with a 5-lap circuit with repeated visits to a short hill.
Four riders again tried their luck to contest the stage win among themselves in a breakaway, but on this day the sprinters would not be denied. The four were Mikhail Ignatiev, Diego Caccia
Diego Caccia
Diego Caccia is an Italian racing cyclist with UCI Professional Continental team .-External links:...
, Alan Pérez
Alan Pérez
Alan Pérez Lezaun is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He currently rides for the UCI ProTeam Euskaltel-Euskadi.- External links :*...
, and Alan Marangoni
Alan Marangoni
Alan Marangoni is a professional Italian road cyclist, currently riding for . He began his career as a track cyclist, including a national title at the elite level, but switched to road cycling after signing with the Under-23 team U.S. Fausto Coppi Gazzera Videa, with whom he rode for three seasons...
, who escaped 11 km (6.8 mi) into the stage. They built up an advantage of over four minutes, while race leader Linus Gerdemann
Linus Gerdemann
Linus Gerdemann is a German professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for .-Career:After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Jens Voigt, signing on for a 2-year contract...
's Milram team rode a tempo at the front of the peloton. Various teams representing strong sprinters worked to reel in the escape toward the end of the stage, and three of them were caught 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from the finish line. Ignatiev tried to counter-attack as the catch occurred, but the blazing speed with which was driving the peloton at the time meant that it was only a few seconds until the Russian too was brought back. Liquigas-Doimo led out the sprint in the final kilometer, but their top sprinter Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train...
was unable to take advantage. Belgian national champion Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
began his sprint first, but was able to hold on to the finish line for the win. The win, and the time bonus it afforded, left Boonen tied with Gerdemann on time in the general classification.
Stage 2 results
|
General Classification after Stage 2
|
Stage 3
12 March 2010 - San MiniatoSan Miniato
San Miniato is a town and comune in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy.San Miniato sits at an historically strategic location atop three small hills where it dominates the lower Arno valley between the valleys of Egola and Elsa...
to Monsummano Terme
Monsummano Terme
Monsummano Terme is an comune located in the Province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in the Valdinievole, and is a popular spa resort....
, 159 km (98.8 mi)
Stage 3 was the last in Tuscany. This course had two categorized climbs in the final 30 km (18.6 mi) before the peloton reaches Monsummano Terme. There were three uncategorized rises in elevation before that point, and a lengthy flat stretch to the finish.
The day's escapees were Sebastian Lang
Sebastian Lang
Sebastian Lang is a German professional road bicycle racer and time trialist for UCI ProTour team . He rode on Team Gerolsteiner from 2002 until its demise in 2008, and in 2006 became Germany's national time trial champion....
, Cameron Wurf
Cameron Wurf
Cameron Wurf is a professional Australian road cyclist, currently riding for Liquigas-Cannondale.-Palmarès:2007-References:* at Liquigas-Cannondale...
, and Diego Caccia
Diego Caccia
Diego Caccia is an Italian racing cyclist with UCI Professional Continental team .-External links:...
. By virtue of being in the breakaway for the second day in a row, Caccia took the lead in the mountains classification after the stage from his teammate Dmytro Grabovskyy
Dmytro Grabovskyy
Dmytro Grabovskyy is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, currently competing for UCI Professional Continental team . He was second in the time trial for juniors at the 2005 World Championship Cycling in Madrid and he won the road race. He signed his first professional contract with Quick...
. Wurf was the last of them to be caught, on the final climb of the day. The main field was all together for a sprint finish, but this was nearly not the case, as ten riders broke away on the descent from the last climb, including overall contenders like defending champion Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case...
, last year's runner-up Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but...
, and the duo of Vincenzo Nibali
Vincenzo Nibali
Vincenzo Nibali is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who rides UCI ProTeam . Born near the Strait of Messina, Nibali's nickname is the "shark of the strait" or simply "the shark." His first major win came at the 2006 GP Ouest-France, where he beat an impressive field on a tough course...
and Roman Kreuziger
Roman Kreuziger
Roman Kreuziger is a Czech professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Kreuziger is an all-rounder, with climbing and time trial abilities, becoming a contender for the General Classification of stage races...
. This breakaway group had 18 seconds on the main field with 5 km (3.1 mi) left to race, but they were unable to ride as cohesively as the peloton, who caught them just before they reached the red kite indicating 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) to the finish line. Just as they had the previous day, the Liquigas-Doimo squad executed an efficient leadout for their top sprinter Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train...
. Unlike the previous day, Bennati used it to his full advantage, winning the stage over Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for .A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In 2007 Alessandro was banned from cycling...
, Bernhard Eisel
Bernhard Eisel
Bernhard Eisel is an Austrian professional road bicycling racer who currently rides for . He will join Team Sky for the 2012 season.-Career:...
, and Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar is an American professional road racing cyclist since 2003.-Cycling career:Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006 he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe and broke his collarbone and missed most of the season...
. The time bonus at the line made Bennati the new race leader. He also took the lead in the points classification – previous race leader Linus Gerdemann
Linus Gerdemann
Linus Gerdemann is a German professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for .-Career:After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Jens Voigt, signing on for a 2-year contract...
dons the red jersey for stage 4.
Stage 3 results
|
General Classification after Stage 3
|
Stage 4
13 March 2010 - San GeminiSan Gemini
San Gemini is a comune of c. 4,500 inhabitants in the province of Terni in the Italian region Umbria, located about 60 km south of Perugia and about 10 km northwest of Terni....
to Chieti
Chieti
Chieti is a city and comune in Central Italy, 200 km northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region...
, 243 km (151 mi)
The profile for this long stage, entering the region of Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, is bumpy, with many climbs, both categorized and uncategorized. The riders head east and slightly to the south to Chieti and will nearly reach the Adriatic Sea. The final 3 km (1.9 mi) are especially difficult, with stretches containing maximum gradients of 19%.
The peloton reeled in many early attacks on this stage, and the day's principal breakaway did not form until 34 km (21.1 mi) had been covered. The seven escapees were Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez Moreno is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Euskaltel-Euskadi....
, Vasil Kiryienka
Vasil Kiryienka
Vasili Kiryienka is a Belarusian racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam . Kiryienka finished 2nd in the 10th stage of the 2010 Tour de France, he was outsprinted at the line by Sérgio Paulinho after basically leading him out to the finish...
, Marco Frapporti, Maarten Wynants, Paolo Longo Borghini
Paolo Longo Borghini
Paolo Longo Borghini is an Italian professional road bicycle racer.In the 2011 season, Palo will ride for the UCI ProTeam .He formerly rode for , and ....
, Vladimir Efimkin
Vladimir Efimkin
Vladimir Alexandrovich Efimkin is a Russian professional road bicycle racer, who as of 2011 rides along his twin brother Alexander Efimkin on...
, and Italian national champion Filippo Pozzato
Filippo Pozzato
Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato is an Italian road racing cyclist with UCI ProTour Team Katusha.-Career:...
, who did much of the pacemaking for the group. Their biggest advantage over the main field was 8'30", at the halfway point of the stage. and did the majority of the pacemaking at the front of the peloton, as overnight race leader Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train...
was quickly dropped on this stage, eventually finishing 12 minutes back of the stage winner.
The break still had 3 minutes on the main field with 25 km (15.5 mi) left to race, though several riders tried escapes from the peloton before the breakaway was caught, indicating that they did not believe the group could stay away. riders Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, is an ethnically Russian Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer who currently competes with the UCI ProTeam Astana...
and Enrico Gasparotto
Enrico Gasparotto
Enrico Gasparotto is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team , which he joined in 2009...
both tried their luck, but could neither stay away nor bridge to the leaders. Vincenzo Nibali
Vincenzo Nibali
Vincenzo Nibali is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who rides UCI ProTeam . Born near the Strait of Messina, Nibali's nickname is the "shark of the strait" or simply "the shark." His first major win came at the 2006 GP Ouest-France, where he beat an impressive field on a tough course...
then attacked, and drew with him defending Tirreno–Adriatico champion Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case...
. In the lead of the race, Kiryienka dropped his remaining breakaway companions and tried to solo to the line inside of the last 5 km (3.1 mi). Nibali and Scarponi quickly absorbed all of them, and at that point had Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky is a Kazakh road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTour team , who he joined in 2007. Iglinsky turned professional in 2005 with Domina Vacanze and rode for in 2006. Iglinsky won stage 6 of the 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.He is the elder brother of Valentin Iglinsky.-...
and Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but...
in tow in their leading group. No one could answer Scarponi's subsequent attack, which gave him the stage win and the blue jersey. He finished 14 seconds the better of Benoît Vaugrenard
Benoît Vaugrenard
Benoît Vaugrenard is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares:2005...
, who had come up from what remained of the main field to finish with Garzelli's group. Due to the narrow, twisting roads on which the stage finished, Vaugrenard had not seen Scarponi cross the finish line, and he thought he had won the stage when he led his group across the line. Nibali was unable to maintain the pace of this group and lost a further 7 seconds to them, finishing 21 back of Scarponi.
Stage 4 results
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General Classification after Stage 4
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Stage 5
14 March 2010 - Chieti to ColmuranoColmurano
Colmurano is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region of Marche, located about 50 km southwest of Ancona and about 15 km southwest of Macerata. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,255 and an area of 11.2 km².Colmurano borders the following...
, 216 km (134.2 mi)
The first half of this stage, which saw the peloton ride directly alongside the Adriatic coast, was flat, but the second half contained several climbs. The final 18 km (11.2 mi) were removed from the course due to poor road conditions, leaving out the originally scheduled final climb, one that reaches a 20% maximum grade. The resultant course featured a smaller, but still difficult, summit finish.
An eleven-rider breakaway formed early in the stage, but it did not come close to staying away, as only Marco Pinotti
Marco Pinotti
Marco Pinotti is an Italian road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam . Pinotti is a specialist of individual time trial, in which he is a five-time Italian Time Trial Champion ....
from this group was out front for any length of time. He was caught with a good 55 km (34.2 mi) left to race. Race leader Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case...
's team set a furious pace to control the main field, even though two of its riders crashed hard. José Serpa
José Serpa
José Rodolfo Serpa Pérez is a professional road racing cyclist from Colombia. In 2006, Serpa won the individual points championship to wear 2005-2006 UCI America Tour leader's jersey and won the road race at the Pan American Cycling Championships.He rides for UCI Professional Continental cycling...
finished the stage, continuing to take pulls at the front of the main field, covered in dirt with a blood-streaked face meagerly patched up by a bandage. A counter-attack from Juan José Oroz
Juan José Oroz
Juan José Oroz Ugalde is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Euskaltel-Euskadi.- Palmarès :...
as the time Pinotti was caught got the Basque rider clear for most of the remainder of the stage. 's Enrico Gasparotto
Enrico Gasparotto
Enrico Gasparotto is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team , which he joined in 2009...
bridged across to him just before the short but nearly vertical climb to Colmurano which concluded the stage. Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
, Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but...
and Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky is a Kazakh road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTour team , who he joined in 2007. Iglinsky turned professional in 2005 with Domina Vacanze and rode for in 2006. Iglinsky won stage 6 of the 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.He is the elder brother of Valentin Iglinsky.-...
next bridged from the Scarponi group to the leaders, and Evans tapped out a pace to get them to the finish line first. Despite having been in the flats in his bridge up to Oroz, Gasparotto still had the legs to come around Evans and claim the stage win. Scarponi retained the overall lead, but his advantage was narrowed.
Stage 5 results
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General Classification after Stage 5
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Stage 6
15 March 2010 - MontecosaroMontecosaro
Montecosaro is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about 35 km southeast of Ancona and about 15 km east of Macerata...
to Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
, 134 km (83.3 mi)
Stage six is hilly, concluding with a 4-lap circuit that involves a visit to the Macerata climb each lap. The first and third laps will count the climb towards the mountains classification, while for the second pass it will be considered an intermediate sprint.
Twelve riders from twelve teams broke away at the 8 km (5 mi) mark. The best-placed riders in this group were Paul Martens
Paul Martens
Paul Martens is a German professional road bicycle racer for .- Palmares :19992001200420052006Paul Martens is a German professional road bicycle racer for .- Palmares :1999...
of and Simon Špilak
Simon Špilak
Simon Špilak is a Slovenian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .-Palmares:2004...
from , respectively 1'36" and 1'48" back of race leader Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case...
as the day began. The significance of 12 different teams being represented in the break was that Scarponi's team did not get much help in setting a pace for the peloton to bring them back, as teams do not normally help chase down breakaways when they have a rider in them. Androni Giocattoli rode a deliberate pace for much of the stage, with the breakaway's time gap hovering at around two minutes most of the day. As the end of the stage neared, the main field had closed the gap to under a minute, meaning Martens and Špilak did not stand to threaten Scarponi's overall lead. This caused Androni Giocattoli to ease up on their pace, but they nonetheless absorbed 11 of the breakaway riders before the finish, since the hilly parcours did not suit most of those riders. The one who got away was 's Mikhail Ignatiev, a time trial specialist who shed his breakaway mates with 8 km (5 mi) remaining and was able to pace himself to the line for the stage win. A hectic final kilometer for the race's top contenders was resolved when Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but...
and Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
broke away from a small group containing Scarponi. They finished 2 seconds better than the race leader, but more importantly, both won time bonuses. Scarponi retained the race leader's blue jersey heading into the final day, but by a margin of just 2 seconds to Garzelli and 12 to Evans.
Stage 6 results
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General Classification after Stage 6
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Stage 7
16 March 2010 - Civitanova MarcheCivitanova Marche
Civitanova Marche is a comune in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about 40 km southeast of Ancona and about 25 km east of Macerata.-Geography:...
to San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto is a city and comune in Marche, Italy, in the province of Ascoli Piceno. It lies on the Adriatic Sea. San Benedetto del Tronto is an important little town on the Marche coast, an active fishing port and one of the main seaside resorts on the central Adriatic coast.Located...
, 164 km (101.9 mi)
The first 60 km (37.3 mi) of this course contained two categorized climbs, but from that point on the stage was perfectly flat to the finish. The race concluded with a seven-lap circuit in San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto
San Benedetto del Tronto is a city and comune in Marche, Italy, in the province of Ascoli Piceno. It lies on the Adriatic Sea. San Benedetto del Tronto is an important little town on the Marche coast, an active fishing port and one of the main seaside resorts on the central Adriatic coast.Located...
, with intermediate sprint points available on the third and fifth laps.
rider Blel Kadri formed a solo breakaway soon after the true beginning of the stage. He stayed out front for 100 km (62.1 mi). With the intermediate sprints affording 3, 2, and 1 bonus seconds, had a vested interest in chasing him down, since the sprints could move their team leader Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli
Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but...
past Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case...
for the race's overall classification. The first sprint took place 40 km (24.9 mi) from the end of the stage. Francesco Ginanni
Francesco Ginanni
Francesco Ginanni is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team , with whom he turned professional in 2008. As an amateur, Ginanni won five races in 2006 and four races in 2007, including the Giro del Casentino, a 1.2 rated single-day race on the UCI Europe Tour...
won the first sprint, ahead of José Joaquin Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas Gil is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros-Würth team. His older brother Mariano was a professional cyclist as well, riding for ONCE until 1996...
and Garzelli. This put Garzelli one second behind Scarponi. In the second intermediate sprint, 20 km (12.4 mi) from the line, Ginanni and teammate Jackson Rodriguez
Jackson Rodriguez
Jackson Jesús Rodríguez Ortíz is a Venezuelan professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmarès :2005...
easily took the first two places, but Acqua & Sapone successfully led Garzelli out to again get third. This left the two exactly tied on time, but Garzelli held the tiebreaker for better stage placings over the course of all seven days of racing. While 10, 6, and 4 bonus seconds were available for the first three across the finish line, neither team figured to be able to control the upcoming mass sprint. This meant Garzelli had won the race's overall classification by the thinnest of margins.
The teams of the sprinters came forward in the final 10 km (6.2 mi) to set up the finale. Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
, who had missed out on the previous sprint finishes, crashed hard with 8 km (5 mi) and missed an opportunity to contest this sprint. Assan Bazayev
Assan Bazayev
Assan Bazayev is a professional road bicycle racer from Kazakhstan. Since 2007, he rides for on the UCI ProTour.In 2004 he won the Hellas Tour, but he did not win any stage.He also won stage 1 of the 2006 Tour of Germany in August 2006.- Palmares :...
and Rui Costa
Rui Costa (cyclist)
Rui Alberto Faria da Costa is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam ....
also crashed. controlled the race in the final kilometer, and delivered Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist riding for the UCI ProTour team . He is the Norwegian Time Trial Champion and also considered as one of the biggest rising talents in the sport, being ranked as no...
to the line in first position.
Stage 7 Results
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General classification
| Cyclist | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |   |
30h 51' 36" | |
| 2 | + 0" | ||
| 3 | + 12" | ||
| 4 | + 22" | ||
| 5 |  |
+ 27" | |
| 6 | + 29" | ||
| 7 | + 33" | ||
| 8 | + 42" | ||
| 9 | + 1' 04" | ||
| 10 | + 1' 07" | ||
Classification leadership
| Stage | Winner | General Classification |
Points Classification |
Mountains Classification |
Young Riders Classification |
Team Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann is a German professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for .-Career:After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Jens Voigt, signing on for a 2-year contract... |
Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann is a German professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for .-Career:After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Jens Voigt, signing on for a 2-year contract... |
Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann is a German professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for .-Career:After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Jens Voigt, signing on for a 2-year contract... |
Dmytro Grabovskyy Dmytro Grabovskyy Dmytro Grabovskyy is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, currently competing for UCI Professional Continental team . He was second in the time trial for juniors at the 2005 World Championship Cycling in Madrid and he won the road race. He signed his first professional contract with Quick... |
José Joaquín Rojas José Joaquín Rojas José Joaquín Rojas Gil is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros-Würth team. His older brother Mariano was a professional cyclist as well, riding for ONCE until 1996... |
|
| 2 | Tom Boonen Tom Boonen Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint... |
|||||
| 3 | Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train... |
Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train... |
Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train... |
Diego Caccia Diego Caccia Diego Caccia is an Italian racing cyclist with UCI Professional Continental team .-External links:... |
||
| 4 | Michele Scarponi Michele Scarponi Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case... |
Michele Scarponi Michele Scarponi Michele Scarponi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .In 2006, Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case... |
Rigoberto Urán Rigoberto Urán Rigoberto Urán Urán is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .-Early life:Urán's first cycling race was at the age of 14, three months before his father was accidentally killed in a gunfight related to the drug war in Colombia... |
|||
| 5 | Enrico Gasparotto Enrico Gasparotto Enrico Gasparotto is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team , which he joined in 2009... |
Dmytro Grabovskyy Dmytro Grabovskyy Dmytro Grabovskyy is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, currently competing for UCI Professional Continental team . He was second in the time trial for juniors at the 2005 World Championship Cycling in Madrid and he won the road race. He signed his first professional contract with Quick... |
Robert Gesink Robert Gesink Robert Gesink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Rabobank.-Early years:At the Junior World Championships of 2004 UCI Road World Championships in Verona, Gesink finished eighth in the individual time trial and sixth in the road race, while riding for team De Peddelaars in... |
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| 6 | Mikhail Ignatiev | Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but... |
||||
| 7 | Edvald Boasson Hagen Edvald Boasson Hagen Edvald Boasson Hagen is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist riding for the UCI ProTour team . He is the Norwegian Time Trial Champion and also considered as one of the biggest rising talents in the sport, being ranked as no... |
Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but... |
||||
| Final |
Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but... |
Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli Stefano Garzelli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.-Career:He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but... |
Dmytro Grabovskyy Dmytro Grabovskyy Dmytro Grabovskyy is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, currently competing for UCI Professional Continental team . He was second in the time trial for juniors at the 2005 World Championship Cycling in Madrid and he won the road race. He signed his first professional contract with Quick... |
Robert Gesink Robert Gesink Robert Gesink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Rabobank.-Early years:At the Junior World Championships of 2004 UCI Road World Championships in Verona, Gesink finished eighth in the individual time trial and sixth in the road race, while riding for team De Peddelaars in... |
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