Posted by Editoress on 09/27/09
A beautiful sunny day in Mendrision Switzerland. 202 names on the start list including our 3 Canadians: Michael Barry, Ryder Hesjedal and Svein Tuft
Coverage of the 2009 World Championships made possible with the support of Shimano
Comments from CC editor Rob Jones who has been onsite in Switzerland all week.
"The crowds were already arriving 2.5 hours before the start of the race, and the press room is full of Italians. The espresso machine is going to burn out... Everyone picks the Italians and Spanish as the big favourites.
The men's 262.2 km - 19 lap road race is 80 km in.
A group of 10 went away early on lap 2 with 6 riders: Matija Kvasina (Croatia) Peter Kusztor (Hungary) Jan Barta (Czech Republic) Yukiya Arashiro (Japan) Christoph Sokoll (Austria) Andre Greipel (Germany).
were chased down on lap 3 and then joined on lap 4 by the 4 additional: Gorazd Stangelj (Slovenia) Mauricio Ardila (Columbia) Olegs Melehs (Latvia) Volodymyr Zagorodny (Ukraine) and quickly extended the gap to 5:49 by the end of the 4th lap
At the end of lap 5 the gap was 6:42
At the end of lap 6 it was 10:06
Canadians are in the bunch: Barry 90th, Tuft 196th and Hesjedal 197th
Now on Lap 7:
93.8 km completed at 6:59 am and the gap is still increasing (now 10:16) as they head to complete the lap and start the 8th lap
Lap 7 done, 96.6 km completed at 7:02 am and the gap is 9:55
Barry sitting 104th, Hesjedal 191st and Tuft 195th in the bunch
2 dnf's so far (Ruslan Pydgornyy (Ukraine) and Peter Wrolich (Austria)) and one dropped rider Daniel Martin (Ireland) is at 10 min
Peloton starting now, on lap 8, to wake up
7:26 am Lap 9 started by the leaders
110. 4 km completed and the gap is 8:29
Barry sitting 116th, Hesjedal 168th and Tuft 190th
More riders dropping off the back now
8:29 is the gap at 7:30 am
7:37 am. Spanish riders have moved to the front and the pace has picked up. Peloton is really starting to string out
Lap 10 started at 7:49am
Gap now, at 121.4 km completed, is 7:02
Barry moving up near the front sitting 36th, Hesjedal and Tuft still hanging around at the back in 185th and 187th
10 have now dropped out and another 6 are well off the pace including Jason Mccartney (United States) at 7:20, Gerald Ciolek (Germany) at 8:59
DNF's are: Allan Davis (Australia), Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway), Valentin Iglinskiy (Kazakhstan), Ruslan Pydgornyy (Ukraine), Alfredo orlando Lucero (Argentina), Peter Wrolich (Austria), Gergely Ivanics (Hungary), Zolt Der (Serbia), Esad Hasanovic (Serbia), Carlos Ivan Oyarzun Guiñez (Chile)
7:55 am, gap now 6:55 between the lead group and the peloton
Lap 11 starting at 8:12 am EDT 138 km completed and 9 laps to go now
The bunch crosses the line at 6:32 back
Barry sitting 154th, Tuft 162nd and Hesjedal is dropped off the back, not too sure if he has had a mechanical? but he is over 7 min behind the bunch, so it may be over for him. He has company back there though with Roger Hammond and Andy Schleck also off the back
6:09 is the gap at 8:24 am EDT
Leaders have lost Olegs Melehs (Latvia) to a flat, now chasing back at 20 sec down
at the end of the lap - Barry sitting 24th, Tuft 174 and no Hesjedal
Lap 12 starting at 8:30 am
gap now 5:29 with 149 km completed
An attack now by a group of 5 off the front of the peloton and then another attack went by 4 more.
Lap 13 - 8:59 am EDT
At the start of the lap : Lead group, now 9 after having lost the Latvian, have a gap of 3:28 min on the first chase group. Chase group 2 is at 3:39 and the peloton is at 5:35
9:07 am
The chase group
Ballan (Italy), Scarponi (Italy), Visconti (Italy), Rodriguez (Spain), Van Avernmaet (Belgium), De Greef (Belgium), Albasini (Switzerland), Maertens (Germany), Hoogerland (Netherlands) Boonen (Bel) and many more as the 2 chase groups are together now at 3+ min
Peloton at over 5 min back
Full list in chase group at 2:29 behind the lead group that has been out there since lap 2
Luca Paolini (Italy), Michele Scarponi (Italy), Giovanni Visconti (Italy), Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spain), Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spain), Juan Manuel Garate Cepa (Spain), Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain), Michael Rogers (Australia), Paul Martens (Germany), Vladimir Karpets (Russian Federation), Tom Boonen (Belgium), Francis De Greef (Belgium), Bert De Waele (Belgium), Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Geraint Thomas (Great Britain), Johnny Hoogerland (Netherlands), Christophe Riblon (France), Lars Ytting Bak (Denmark), Michael Albasini (Switzerland), Rubens Bertogliati (Switzerland), Oliver Zaugg (Switzerland), Borut Bozic (Slovenia), Leonardo Fabio Duque (Colombia), Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Portugal), Dmitriy Fofonov (Kazakhstan), Volodymyr Starchyk (Ukraine), José Rujano Guillen (Venezuela), Rein Taaramae (Estonia), Alessandro Ballan (Italy)
Peloton is at 4:30
Canadians are in the peloton: Barry and Tuft are the only 2 left of the 3 starters
Lap 14 starting at 9:24 am EST
Leaders cross with a gap of 2:42 on one single rider, José Rujano Guillen (Venezuela). Then the large chase group at 3:06 and the peloton at 4:50.
Barry in peloton sitting at 108th and Tuft 164th
Lap 15 starting at 9:42 am EDT
193 km completed and 5 to go. Gap from lead group to chasers is under 2 min
Australia is at the front of the bunch chasing, but they are at another minute 10 sec
9:50 am
Lead group of just 8 now (Matija Kvasina (Croatia) Peter Kusztor (Hungary) Jan Barta (Czech Republic) Yukiya Arashiro (Japan) Andre Greipel (Germany) Gorazd Stangelj (Slovenia) Mauricio Ardila (Columbia) Volodymyr Zagorodny (Ukraine))
are being chased by: Alessandro Ballan (Italy), Luca Paolini (Italy), Michele Scarponi (Italy), Giovanni Visconti (Italy), Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spain), Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain), Michael Rogers (Australia), Paul Martens (Germany), Vladimir Karpets (Russian Federation), Tom Boonen (Belgium), Francis De Greef (Belgium), Bert De Waele (Belgium), Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium), Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg), Geraint Thomas (Great Britain), Johnny Hoogerland (Netherlands), Christophe Riblon (France), Lars Ytting Bak (Denmark), Michael Albasini (Switzerland), Rubens Bertogliati (Switzerland), Oliver Zaugg (Switzerland), Leonardo Fabio Duque (Colombia), Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Portugal), Dmitriy Fofonov (Kazakhstan), Volodymyr Starchyk (Ukraine), Rein Taaramae (Estonia), Christoph Sokoll (Austria) at 1:14 now
Peloton, being lead by the Australians, chasing at another minute. Barry at 105th, Tuft 158th
9:59 am
As they head to the end of lap 15, the lead group has just 58 sec on the chasers and the peloton is at 1:38
We still don't know why Hesjedal dropped out, but there was a crash on lap 10 that took Roger Hammond down and a few others, so maybe Hesjedal was taken down in it too. Will update as soon as we know.
Lap 16 starting at 10:05 am
Average speed has been 37.329 km/h
Chase group goes through at 35 sec. Peloton at 1:10
Barry sitting 81st and Tuft 144th
10:12 am
The lead group is about to be caught over the top of the 1st climb. Peloton is still closing in on the chasers, they are under 1 min back now
10:16 am
Lead group is caught
10:20 am
Through the feedzone the gap to the peloton is 1:45
Lap 17 starting at 10:27
3 to go
Lead group now has 2 min on the peloton, who have given up after the Australians backed off chasing.
Leonardo Duque (Colombia) attacks from the lead group and he has a gap being chased by Boonen and Eduard Vorganov (Russian Federation) and Gorazd Stangelj (Slovenia)
10:32 am
Up the climb and Duque is away and is being chased by Johnny Hoogerland (Netherlands)
and he catches him and passes and gaps easily.
Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain) comes up and joins Hoogerland over the top of the climb.
Peloton is getting further and further behind as the Belgians shut everything down, now over 2 min
10:38 am
Leaders now have regrouped on the descent, with Boonen and Paolini being very aggressive
Duque and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium) are off the front with a small gap as they approach the 2nd climb
10:42 am
Up the climb there is small group of chasers at 20 sec with Rogers, Kirchen, Rujano, Zaugg,
10:47 and the leaders are caught and just as they reconnect another attack
Barry still sitting in the bunch in 70th, Tuft is now gone off the back
10:50am EST and Lap 18 is starting
Lead group is 18 riders, who seem a bit a lot disorganized. Peloton goes through just under 2 min back
Up the climb and the Slovenian, Stangelj, who was out all day on the break has gone again and has 20 seconds on the climb
The Spanish and the French have gone to the front of the peloton and are chasing the Boonen group... and have brought the gap under 1 min
10:56 am
Kirchen, Rodriguez, Paolini, Zog have bridged up to Stangelj, and they have 18 seconds over the top of the climb
On the descent and it appears the peloton has caught the front chase groups. It is all together again.....
10:59 Cancellara has gone taking Kirchen with him and Paoloni too
Now there are more joining them, Cunego, Booenen, Zaugg , Valverde, Ballan and more
now a big group up over the top of the 2nd climb. Boonen and Ballan dropped off the back
11:08 am
Heading down to the start of the final lap
There is a group of ~ 30 away... with Pozzato, Friere, Cancellara, Evans, Kroon, Cunego, Vinokourov
11:10am
Starting the last lap
Vinokourov attacks at the base of the climb
Vino still away, but Kroon and Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation) are chasing
11:15 am
Kolobnev attacks and goes by Vino
11:17 am
Cancellara attacks and brings Sanchez, Valverde, Gilbert, Freire, Rodriguez and Evans and others up to Kolobnev up over the top of the climb
under 10 km to go
11:19 - 7 km to go
Down the descent and Cancellara is pulling out all the stops. Sanchez on his wheel
11:21 am
Kolobnev, Breschel, Cancellara, Cunego, Evans are away
11:23
Evans attacks in the final KM's, up the climb and he is away
11:25 am
Kolobnev and Rodriguez chasing at 5 sec back
Cancellara group are another 5 sec and not going hard
11:27 am
Over the top of the climbEvans has 12 seconds and the Cancellara group is 24 sec back with under 2 km to go
1 km to go and Evans is really flying
Final
1 Cadel Evans (Australia), 6:56:29
2 Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation) at 0:27
3 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spain) s.t.
4 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spain)
5 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
18 Michael Barry (Can) 2:44
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