Posted by Editoress on 06/13/12
The riders are assembling for the start of the 2nd stage of the 2012 Tour de Beauce. Today's stage is the Thetford-Mines circuit, 160 km of rolling terrain, with 2 sprints and 2 KOM's. Neither KOM is as high as tuesday's but the terrain looks very similar, except the run in to the line is quite flat for the final 20 km.
It has been raining HEAVILY this morning, but has currently stopped.. I say currently because it is liable to start back up at any time. Temperature is ~ 20C, but if it rises so will the humidity.
Some changes to yesterday's results:
• Sebastien Salas, who crashed just before the finish of yesterday's stage, has been given the same finish time as the winner. Yesterday's result has him finishing at 1:22 back.
• The Best Young Rider red jersey was removed from the shoulders of Flavio de Luna and awarded instead to his teammate Hugo Houle.
10 am
Start. The first 2.6 km will be conducted as neutral, meaning the peloton stays together as they head out of town
10:14 am
Neutral start over and the attacks are starting. Nothing is sticking, and the rain holding off.
10:21 am
Sébastien Rousseau (Deda / Hype Ski-Velo) and William Blackburn (Team Medique p/b Silber Investments) have both had mechanicals, but are now back in the bunch.
10:27 am
15 Km done - still all together
10:35 am
@ 23 km: Russel Hampton (Raleigh GAC) and Cody Canning (Trek Red Truck Racing Team p/b Mosaic Homes) attacked and went clear with a 10 sec gap.
@25 km it 's all back together again.
10:41 @ 27 km . Another attack. There are now 10 away with a small gap. The first Sprint of the day (29.6 km) coming up, so the points riders will be trying to go for it.
10:44 am
All back together
10:51 am
The riders have passed the first Sprint of the day and then there was a crash just after....
It was a bunch sprint and Alex Candelario (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) takes the Sprint points
10:56 am
Pace of the peloton has picked up and 'racing' has now started" . Rain is holding off, but the heavy rain earlier in the day has made for very wet roads.
10:58 am
An attack.
Joris Boillat (Champion System Pro Cycling Team), Liam Holohan (Raleigh GAC), Marsh Cooper (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies), Morgan Schmitt (Exergy), Michael Torckler (Pure Black Racing), Bruno Langlois (Garneau-Quebecor-Norton Rose QC) and Robert Ralph (Team Medique p/b Silber Investments) have 20 seconds
Lots of riders 'shedding' off the back
11:04 am
@ 41 km and all back together again
11:10 am
Looks like we might have the first SERIOUS break of the day.
Craig Lewis (Champion System Pro Cycling Team), Jamie Sparling (Raleigh GAC) and James Williamson (Pure Black Racing) are away with a 1:55 gap
11:20 am
The 3 leaders have extended their gap to over 2 min
11:28 am
@55 km The gap is now 3:30. As expected it is race leader Mancebo's team at the front of the prloton setting tempo
First KOM coming at 66 km
11:51 am
Leaders hit KOM, at 66.6 km, with a gap of 3:37
Williamson takes the pts, Lewis 2nd , Sparling 3rd
12pm
76 km done. Gap to leaders 3:35. Mancebo's team doing all the work to keep the break "manageable". Lewis leader on the road
12:15 pm
@ 82 km. Gap over 4 min
12:21 pm
Climbing now and @87 km gap 3:52
Race is a bit behind schedule. SLOWEST estimate says that by 12:30 pm they should have covered 92 km. Best schedule shows 100 km in 1.5 hrs of racing. BUT then add Rain and all schedules go out the window
12:26 pm
no change. Gap holding just under 4 min
Kianoush Missaghi (Team Medique p/b Silber Investments) and Casey Roth (Canadian National Team) have dropped out.
12:41 pm
@100 km the Gap 3:20
Result of Second sprint at 91 km: Lewis, Sparling, Williamson
We are in an area that cell coverage is not good. So bear with us
12:59 pm
@ 112 km. Gap 3:20. Competive Cyclist still at the front of the peloton
1:13 pm
At 118 km the gap is 2:52
Soon they will go over the top of a climb and start a long descent into St-Jean-de-Brébeuf. After which come a couple smaller climbs, final KOM of the day is at 130.5 km, before the descent into Thetford Mines and the finishing circuit at starting at 147.4 km, @ 12.3 km to go.
1:21 pm
Gap back up to 3:15. There is a gravel section on the road before hte 2nd KOM and it is slowing the peloton down. Not a problem for hte break though.
KOM Lewis takes the points
1:34 pm
132 km covered. Gap is 3 min and James Williamson (Pure Black Racing) has been dropped from break
1:38 pm
35-40 riders have now been dropped from the peloton, which has upped the pace. TT1 is now doing the bulk of the work at the front. They want to bring Sparling and Lewis back before they enter he circuit. TT1 has a couple sprinters that want to take a win - TT1 won this stage last year.
25 km to go and the gap is 1:50
Gap 1:40 w. 20 km to go
At 15 km, the gap is 1:23. They will now do 3 laps of the in town circuit
2 laps to go and the break is holding at 1:30 INCREDIBLE
1 lap to go and the gap is still 1min... They might just do it!!!!
Gap down to 40 sec
Finish UNOFFICIAL
1 Craig Lewis (Champion System Pro Cycling Team)
2 Jamie Sparling (Raleigh GAC)
3 Alexander Serebryakov (Team Type 1)
Mancebo holds onto the leaders jersey
Stage profile - courtesy Tour de Beauce
Stage map - courtesy Tour de Beauce
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