Canadian Cyclist Road World Championships: Elite Men's Road Race UPDATES

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September 23/12 7:24 am - Road World Championships: Elite Men's Road Race UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 09/23/12

After 100 km ride through the countryside, the Elite men have entered the circuit that has been used for all the other road races of this year's Road Worlds. They will do 10 laps of the 16.5 km's that make up the circuit. (see maps below)

A total of 207 starters FULL LIST HERE

Canada has 4 men in the race:

Ryder Hesjedal, Francois Parisien, Svein Tuft and David Veilleux

As they hit the circuit there's a breakaway of 11:

Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spain), Dario Cataldo (Italy), Timothy Duggan (United States), Alex Howes (United States), Jerome Coppel (France), Winner Anacona Gomez (Colombia), Luka Mezgec (Slovenia), Vladimir Isaichev (Russia), Vitaliy Buts (Ukraine), Gatis Smukulis (Latvia), Fabricio Ferrari Barcelo (Uruguay)

Lap 1

7:41 am ET

The peloton being led by the Brits, The French and the Belgians were at 5:11 when they entered the circuit, and now, as they complete the first lap the gap is dropping slowly, now 4:27

Lap 2

Setting out onto Lap 3, no changes. 11 still away, but the peloton has closed the gap down to 3:28

8:14 am

Now 1/2 way through the lap and the gap has dropped - now 2:33 to a chase group of 9

Stephen Cummings (Great Britain), Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spain), Rinaldo Nocentini (Italy), Gianni Meersman (Belgium), Michael Matthews (Australia), Maxime Bouet (France), Michael Schär (Switzerland), Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan), Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark)

....and 3:31 to the main bunch, where the Belgian team has taken the point on and are chasing hard

David Veilleux sitting 84th, Francois Parisien 156th

Ryder Hesjedal and Svein Tuft hanging around the back, are 193rd and 194th

Lap 3 end

8:28 am ET

Lap 4 starts and the lead bunch has only 1:49 on the chasers and 2:17 to the main bunch

Defending champion, Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) has done his job at the front of the GB train. Looks like he is about to retire.

1/2 way round and the gap is 1:34 to the chasers and 2:22 to the bunch

Belgium and France doing the bulk of the work at the front of the peloton

Francois Parisien sitting 36th, David Veilleux 126th, Ryder Hesjedal174th and Svein Tuft? either a mechanical or he is out

Up the Cauberg on the way to the start of Lap 5, and Spain's Alberto Contador has decided to stir it up.... He attacks, forcing everyone else to react

Lap 5 start 8:50 am

Across the line, the leaders have 2 sec on on a group that had been dropped from the lead group, 1:10 on the chasers and 1:42 on the main bunch

Tuft HAS dropped out

1/2 way round:

Leader bunch back up to 11 again, chasers at 49 seconds, Main bunch at 1:27 with Team Netherlands now at the front doing the chase work

9:10 am

Up the Cauberg heading to the end of the lap and Contador attacks again. He takes Voeckler, Albasini, Gesink, Tiernan-Locke, Ulissi and more with him. They will soon catch the 2nd chase group at thei pace...

Lap 6 start 9:13 am

The 3 front groups have joined to form a large lead group - for a total of 29 riders. Pelton at 29 sec and Belgium is being forced to chase

Some of the (29) riders in the front group:

Contador, Gesink, Voeckler, Fuglsang, Nocentini, Dugan, Cummings, Beppu, de Koert, Flecha,

3 French, 3 Spanish, 2 Belgians, 2 Italians, 2 Americans, 2 Brits, 2 Dutch

Half way round: 196.5 km done, 67.5 to go. Break has 1:08 on peloton

Crash at the back has taken down Taylor Phinney

David Veilleux 108th, Francois Parisien 125th, Ryder Hesjedal 142nd, Tuft DNF

9:33 am

Up the Cauberg climb: Rigoberto Uran Uran (Colombia) attacks

Lap 7 start 9:35 am

Lead bunch is starting to shed riders. Duggan is off the back after the climb. Uran still out front of the pelton by 4 sec, leading Simon Clarke (Aus) and Ferrari (Uru) -48 sec behind leaders) and pelton at 52 sec.

9:46 am ET

1/2 way round and the gap is 42 sec. Germans and Belgians lead the chasewith a little help of the Aussies

Parisien and Veilleux are moving up in the bunch

Hesjedal 154th

Wiggins has retired as has Phinney, Euser, Froome,

Lap 8 start

Lead bunch 17 with 3 chasers who have been dropped form front at 25 s and the bunch at 48 sec

Big crash on the Cauberg has caused a massive split in the field. Only about 56 riders made it through unscathed. Veilleux has avoided it but Hejedal and Parisien caught.

Looks like Parisien is out, Hesjedal at 1:25

Lots of riders taking on new bikes, but are now well off the pace

Lap 8.5

Leaders have 33 sec on large chase group of 50+. Rest are over 1 min

Those caught behind the crash have no chance of getting back into this race

Coming to the end of lap 8 and the gap is ~15 sec

The Germans and the Belgians have done a LOT of work to bring the break back

Starting up the Cauberg and the pelton has the break in sight

10:16 am

Contador attacks on the climb. Voeckler reponds, but riders have been shed and there is nothing left in the legs of the (most of) break members

Lap 9 - 2 to go

10:18 am

All together as they head out onto the 2nd to last lap. Just 70 riders now left in the main pelton

10:28 am

Andrew Talansky (United States) attacks on the Bemlerberg and Ian Stannard (Great Britain) reponds

They are away with a small gap

10:34 am

1/2 way round - Andrew Talansky (USA) and Ian Stannard (GBr) have 14 sec

20.9 km to go . Rain is threatening?

On the Cauberg for the 2nd to last time, Stannard drops Talansky. Niballi attacks, catches Stannard and GOES with a long line of chasers

LOTS off attacks now

Last lap

Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spain), Greg van Avermaet (Belgium), Stefan Denifl (Austria), Thomas Voeckler (France) have a small gap on Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway) and the remainder of the peloton. There are ~ 48 riders left

Vielleux has not made the cut, is at 24 sec

It will all come down to the final climb up the Cauberg now

Riders of note: Boonen, Contador, Uran, Nibali, Valverde, Boasson Hagen, Sanchez, Sagan, Paolini, Gilbert, Moreno, Voeckler, Nordhaug, Martin, Gerrans

1/2 way

Sam Sanchez leads the 5 Belgians Leukamans, Gilbert, Roelandts, Boonen and van Avermaet. There are 5 Spanish too in the bunch Gomez, Rodriguez, Contador, Friere. 5 Italians: Nibali, Paolini, Gatto, Marcato, Moser, Nocentini

Sagen is there, Voeckler, Boom,

Who will attack on the Cauberg?

Italians are starting to drive the pace

Up the climb and Gilbert attacks. Kolobnev chases

But they are not going to catch Gilbert......

Finish

1 Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)

2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)

3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain)

4 John Degenkolb (Germany)

5 Lars Boom (Netherlands)

6 Allan Davis (Australia)