Champion System Pro Cycling Team’s Bobbie Traksel protected his lead in the most aggressive rider classification on Friday’s penultimate stage of the Tour of Oman.
General Manager Ed Beamon said he knew the 144-km race would be difficult for all the riders, so he was glad Traksel got into breaks on the first 3 stages to build a nearly insurmountable lead in the classification.
“I can’t say we defended the jersey today,” Beamon said. “But we certainly kept it.”
Friday’s stage proved to be a battle between the favorites that began with a flurry when nine riders escaped after 11 km. This group was kept in check, never gaining more than 2:45, before being caught less than 15 km from the finish. That set up a battleground on the third ascent of the climb of the day on the circuitous route.
Alberto Contador (Team Saxo-Tinkoff), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team) and Christopher Froome (Sky Procycling) summited it ahead of a splintered peloton. Froome then won the three-up sprint at the finish to hang onto the leader’s red jersey for the second consecutive day.
In the most aggressive rider standings, only Jesus Hernandez (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) is close enough to Traksel to take the jersey in Saturday’s 144 km race. Closing an 8-point gap would take extraordinary effort.
“It looks like only Hernandez can only catch Bobbie now if he takes maximum points tomorrow on both sprints and the king of the mountain,” Beamon said.
Chun Kai Feng, who finished 47th on the stage, remains Champion System’s best-placed rider overall in 32nd (6:08 behind). In addition to protecting Traksel’s jersey, Beamon said he is pleased with how Kai Feng and the team’s other new signees are performing on the world stage.
“I am very happy with the climbing from him and Ryota Nishizono,” Beamon said. “This is their first race at this level against the best stage racers in the world and they are staying close to the leaders on these difficult climbs.”
BMC Racing Team’s Cadel Evans held onto a podium position Friday at the Tour of Oman, but slipped from second to third overall when a flurry of attacks split the peloton late in the race.
Alberto Contador (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) was the primary aggressor, attacking the final time up three ascents of the Bousher Alamrat climb to win a bonus time sprint. Only race leader Chris Froome (Sky Procycling) and Thursday’s stage winner, Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team), could follow and the trio held off a seven-man chase group that included Evans. Froome won the stage in the three-up sprint while Evans finished eighth, four seconds behind. The past world road champion said he knew the 144 kilometer race had the potential to shake up the overall. “For Alberto to overtake me on the general classification, he had to work his team a lot,” Evans said. “His team worked well, and, in the end, it succeeded for them. I consolidated my losses and tried to play it in the final. I expected the group to come back in the end, but they didn’t come back.” Evans is 39 seconds off the lead and 12 seconds behind second-placed Contador with a day to go.
Before the fireworks late in the stage, it was BMC Racing Team’s Greg Van Avermaet who helped protect Evans’s place on the general classification by being part of a nine-man breakaway. His group gained more than three minutes’ advantage before being caught by a significantly-reduced peloton. “It was a good day for me, especially being in the breakaway was a good training for the upcoming Belgian races,” Van Avermaet said. “We did good work for Cadel and it was also good for myself. Only when Contador attacked was it too hard for me. We are riding for the team classification and that motivates me.” Van Avermaet (33rd place) joined five of his teammates in the top 35 on the stage: Evans, Philippe Gilbert (14th), Yannick Eijssen (15th), Steve Cummings (30th) and Michael Schär (32nd). Already winners of the team classification at the Tour de San Luis and the Tour of Qatar, the BMC Racing Team leads AG2R La Mondiale by 18 seconds in that category.
A terrific onslaught of Team Saxo-Tinkoff the fifth stage of the Tour of Oman
Today’s 144 km long stage from Al Alam Palace for Housing in Boshar shot Team Saxo-Tinkoff’s Jesus Hernandez with a promotion, which would prove to be the start of a fantastic eventful stage with Team Saxo-Tinkoff in the lead role. In the final 3 ascents on the Boushar Alamrat, in spite of the limited height of 355 meters above sea level took its toll in the due to the excessive speed. Team Sky acted as locomotive, when the British crew had the lead to defend. On the second to last climb an attack by Team Saxo-Tinkoff’s Alberto Contador from the chase group with Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) on his wheel, while Chris Froome (Sky) remained behind. Soon Nibali could not stay with the Spaniard, who now approached the front group with teammate Jesus Hernandez. On the descent to the third and final ascent the favorites regrouped. But as soon as the front group reached Boushar Alamrat for the third time, Team Saxo-Tinkoff’s Alberto Contador stubbornly and persistently attacked for several laps. Behind was Chris Froome (Sky) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha). In an alliance to get him again, and the trio reassembled with 12 kilometers to go. In the chase group sat Cadel Evans (BMC) who fought hard to keep his second place.
For Team Saxo-Tinkoff’s Alberto Contador it’s never over never over until it’s over. He attacked several times from the front group to create the key hole for Froome and Rodriguez. But the trio came together to the finish line, where Chris Froome (Sky) drew the longest straw and won with Contador second and with Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) in third place.
Alberto Contador is now up to second overall: “We had planned to have a rider with the break in support of Alberto when he was supposed to attack on the climb and succeeded. Alberto tried again and again to get free, and he got bonus seconds, ensuring him second overall after the stage. It is highly commendable that he persisted on getting away, and he pays this way back to his fans, his sponsors and his team. And so he is a winner type that never gives up when he sees his chance to get to the top,” says Team Saxo-Tinkoff’s Lars Michaelsen. The race ends tomorrow.
