| Slovenia show their strength |
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| By Paul Verkuylen in Xuhua, China |
After yesterdays epic stage in the wind and heat, many of the riders in this years Tour of Qinghai Lake could have been forgiven for thinking that today's stage, just 94.8 kilometres in length, would be more like a walk in the park. However, as so often happens in the high mountains, the weather had other ideas as it made a complete 180 degree turn overnight. Bright blue skies and 30 plus degree temperatures were replaced with thundery skies, and sub 12 degree temperatures. The walk in the park replaced with a torturous day in the rain.
For the Sloveian national team, today became a day where they would realise their collective strength, top the day off with a one-two in the stage, and move into third overall in the race.
As a large group of 20 riders crested today's only climb – albeit a Haute Category ascent of some 30 kilometres, Slovenia set about capitalising on their advantage. They still had their entire team of seven riders represented in the remnants of the peloton, and just one lone rider to reel in on the 40 kilometre descent to the finish line.
It wasn't going to be easy though. With a sprinter the calibre of Danilo Hondo in the group with them, most teams would begin to consider sending a rider up the road rather than risk being rolled in the sprint by the big German. But Kochan Jure was feeling good and decided to ask his team to set up the sprint.
Flying into the finish town of Xuhua, Jure repaid his teams faith as he stormed down the right hand barrier with 200 meters to go with team-mate Mitja Mahoric in tow to claim first and second for Slovenia. Valentin Iglinskiy, brother of Astana rider Maxime rounded out the top three.
“The stage was short but hard because of the weather,” Jure explained.
“On the climb there was about 30 riders – seven of which were from our team, so we knew that we were the strongest team in the race today, so we worked hard for the sprint.
“I told the guys that I felt good so they were working for me. We came to the front and in the final few hundred meters I started my sprint, it wasn't until after that I found out that there was no one on my wheel.”
“I knew that Danilo Hondo was on my wheel, but with 100 to go he was no longer there,” Jure said almost surprised that his speed was enough to blow Hondo off his wheel.
Mahoric's second place, and with it his move into third overall may be a signal that the Slovenian is finally acclimatising to the altitude here is Qinghai, and could be a force to be reckoned with as the Tour continues to make its way through the high mountains.
Jure played down his team-mates strength, but hinted that the team is not going to be satisfied with just one stage win.
“I think that Mizurov is the strongest guy on the race, but we will see – we will try to win at least one more stage.”
Tabriz makes their intentions very clear
Along with Slovenia's strength, today's stage was highlighted by an attack from last years King of the Mountains winner, Ahad Kazemi Sarai. The Iranian climber who rides for the same team as overall leader Andrey Mizurov rode away from the main field alone, just a few kilometres into the climb.
Dancing on the pedals, at a pace so furious that no one dared attempt to follow, Sarai quickly built up a lead of over a minute on the climb. His intention? The jersey with the distinctive polka dot's of course.
Cresting the climb at well over a minute ahead of the chasing peloton, Sarai almost seemed to turn off the gas his objective achieved and wait for the main field, so quick was his capture.
“Last year I was also the king of the mountains - this is my speciality,” was Sarai's only explanation for his attack.
But with his team now leading every classification on offer apart from the teams classification, it may become apparent in the next few stage that Tabriz are here to show the rest of the world that they are a force to be reckoned with.
“It will be difficult to win all the jerseys – I don't think that we will be able to win the points jersey, but we will try to win the mountains and the overall.”
Indeed the major hurdle they face before they are able to show their strength on European soil – and how they wish they could – is politics. Unable to gain the necessary visa's for their riders to race in Europe, the Iranian riders are forced to show what they are capable of only on Asian soils.
While Asari moved into the lead of the Mountains classification, his team-mate, Mizurov, survived another day in yellow, again showing that it is going to take a lot of strength and courage to wrestle the lead from his grasp.
“Today was one of the most difficult days that I have had, with the weather, but I was able to control the race and it all worked out,” he said in his typical relaxed and understated manor.
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| Stage
Map&Profile |
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Prologue(ITT) |
| 1st |
Xining-Ping'an-Zhaba-Tongren |
| 2nd |
Tongren-Bao'an-Xunhua |
| 3rd |
Xunhua-Zhaba-Ping'an-Xining |
| 4th |
Xining(DuobaBase)-Qinghai Lake |
| 5th |
Qinghai Lake-Bird Island |
| 6th |
Bird Island-Xihaizhen |
| 7th |
Xihaizhen-Menyuan |
| 8th |
Menyuan-Huzhu |
| 9th |
XN Circuit Race |
| Route
Map |
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