Tour of Luxembourg (spoiler?)

knedlicky

The Tour of Luxembourg starts today, with a nice little evening prologue (2.5 km) then 4 stages, ranging roughly 160-200 km each - and thus effectively covering the whole country!

Last km of stage 2 is a climb of about 13%. Stages 3 and 4 include a couple of steepish climbs too, but equally short, so they ride them more than once. The finish circuit/climb on stage 4 might be the same as used for the last stage last year.





Greipel, Gerdemann, Ciolek, Henderson and a couple of the Columbians, late of Acquarone's fair, will all be there, what a scene - as will the Schleck brothers. One hopes Messrs A. and F. will show the public, their performance will be second to none.

Last week the Schlecks plus another Trek rider (I forget who) were riding this year’s Tour’s mountain stages as preparation for the Tour.

But for now, an Andy versus Linus battle would mean a splendid time is guaranteed for all.

josame

Go Linus!

ridgerider

If you can tour it in a week, does Luxembourg count as a chipper country?

josame

Andy Schlek not the best time, but poor weather

hommelbier

For what it's worth - Prologue results

1 Danny VAN POPPEL (Trek Factory Team) 3'58"
2 Jean-Pierre DRUCKER (Wanty-Groupe Gobert)+ 4"
3 Alex KIRSCH (Leopard-Trek Continental Team)+ 5"
4 Cyril LEMOINE (Cofidis, Solutions Credits)+ 8"

Crampeur

Andy Shleck gets his 2nd best result of the year: 41st @0:27

jimmythecuckoo

Hoping Albert Timmer retains his KOM title from this... if he is riding after the Giro heroics.

RideOnTime

Ahhh Luxembourg.
self contained tour... small and perfectly formed...

note to self...

must visit.

genki

RideOnTime wrote:

Ahhh Luxembourg.
self contained tour... small and perfectly formed...

note to self...

must visit.

You should do. Fantastic place to cycle - quiet roads, lots of hills and no potholes (seriously hardly a single one!).

It's possible to do a "Tour" of Luxembourg in a day but it's not as small as you think. The outside route is 320km...
http://app.strava.com/activities/142752561

knedlicky

hommelbier wrote:

For what it's worth - Prologue results
1 Danny VAN POPPEL (Trek Factory Team) 3'58"

Danny Van Poppel:
“It’s a prologue that I like, it’s short with a steep cobbled climb* and I am very good in the cobblestones, especially when it’s uphill. I have the power from being a sprinter. … I am super happy with this victory. … It was very dangerous with the rain but I am sprinter so I am a little bit crazy”

(* a 300 meter long cobbled climb of 13%)

hommelbier wrote:

For what it's worth - Prologue results
2 Jean-Pierre DRUCKER (Wanty-Groupe Gobert)+ 4"

He's known as Jempy Drucker - a good and welcome result (for him, and for Luxembourg); Jempy has the potential and (this year) the form to probably have done with being in a better team this season.

Jempy's performance, however, was overshadowed this evening by (in football) Luxembourg drawing 1-1 with Italy in Perugia, a result setting the bar high for England at the World Cup!

knedlicky

jimmythecuckoo wrote:

Hoping Albert Timmer retains his KOM title from this... if he is riding after the Giro heroics.

Don’t think Timmer is there .... but Teklehaimanot is.

hommelbier

The gorilla is back. Danny Van Poppel retains lead in GC

Stage 1
1. André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol)
2. Michael Morkov (Tinkoff-Saxo)
3. Danny Van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing)
4. Jempy Drucker (Wanty-Gobert)
5. Greg Henderson (Lotto-Belisol)

GC
1. Danny Van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing)

knedlicky

A break of 3 riders - Valencia (Colombia), Dron (Wallonie-Bruxelles) and Fonzi (Nero Sottoli - went away after 16 km and stayed away, mostly 3-5 mins ahead, till km 168, less than 5 km before the finish. They collected all the mountain and sprint points on their way, though.
Must have been hard work as pretty windy, and often on exposed roads with no shelter from trees, hedges, walls, etc., just wind turbines turning overhead.



Underway, Breschel was nominated 'nicest' rider in the peloton, whatever that means. Perhaps Linus is hoping to get this on one stage.
Then, at 4 km Breschel tried to jump clear but was caught with 2 km to go, and the inevitable happened – Greipel won a mass sprint.
Van Poppel finished third and keeps the leader's jersey.



Should be a more interesting day tomorrow.
Hopes!

Richmond Racer

Linus should aim for nicest hair - he'd scoop that one

inseine

genki wrote:

RideOnTime wrote:

Ahhh Luxembourg.
self contained tour... small and perfectly formed...

note to self...

must visit.

You should do. Fantastic place to cycle - quiet roads, lots of hills and no potholes (seriously hardly a single one!).

It's possible to do a "Tour" of Luxembourg in a day but it's not as small as you think. The outside route is 320km...
http://app.strava.com/activities/142752561

That's a cool ride, but it really is 'around' , it doesn't actually go into Luxembourg !

hommelbier

Today's third (edit) place was good enough to put Jean-Pierre (Jempy) Drucker into the leaders yellow jersey.

Despite Lotto's best efforts Breschel was able to get away on the final short climb and claim victory.

Stage 2 results (so far)
1 Matti BRESCHEL (Tinkoff-Saxo)
2 Jempy DRUCKER (Wanty-Groupe Gobert)
3. Silvio HERKLOTZ (Team Stölting)
4. Michael MORKOV (Tinkoff-Saxo)

GC Jempy Drucker

thomthom

hommelbier wrote:

Today's second place was good enough to put Jean-Pierre (Jempy) Drucker into the leaders yellow jersey.

Despite Lotto's best efforts Breschel was able to get away on the final short climb and claim victory.

Stage 2 results (so far)
1 Matti BRESCHEL (Tinkoff-Saxo)
2 Jempy DRUCKER (Wanty-Groupe Gobert)
3. Silvio HERKLOTZ (Team Stölting)
4. Michael MORKOV (Tinkoff-Saxo)

GC Jempy Drucker

Get in

knedlicky

The race started with Trek turning up with a substitute bus after their team bus was confiscated by the police after a control on the motorway.
The substitute bus was also a Trek one, but was supposed to be on its way today to the Alps to support the Trek team taking part in the Dauphine.
Apparently it wasn’t a drugs-raid though, rather the bus’s paperwork for crossing borders was not correct.

After 37 km a break of 4 formed, like yesterday’s break including Dron (Wallonie-Bruxelles). The break hovered in the 3-4 min range for about 60 km, then in the 1-2 min range for another 50 km, until being caught with 6 km to go.
By then Tinkoff-Saxo were pushing the pace, clearly with Breschel in mind, with Lotto taking over as the final km, a steep climb, got closer.

Breschel went clear to win, Drucker came 2nd to take the yellow jersey, .... and Andy lost 1-10 on this last climb!

hommelbier

There's a review on local tv (RTL) this evening, 1850 UK/ 1950 local, which may be watchable on livestream (currently showing the Simpsons)


http://tele.rtl.lu/programm/#/2014-06-06/1

josame

knedlicky wrote:

.... and Andy lost 1-10 on this last climb!

That'll be due to the crash (took out blanket boy too) and being an uphill finish no 3k rule

josame

.....

hommelbier

Brief review of yesterday's stage - starts at 3.25. The Luxembourgish language sounds like a mixture of French and German.

http://tele.rtl.lu/v/3015945/

knedlicky

Same story as the earlier stages today - a break of 4 went clear (today after only 5 km) and stayed 3-4 mins ahead, until about 25 km from the finish, as they reached the Col Col de l'Europe for the first of 3 times over it.
One of the break was Tom Dernies, the son of 1990 Tour of Britain winner Michael Dernies.

On the first crossing of the Col de l'Europe Fränk Schleck and Linus were slightly ahead, to be later joined by others, making a 30-strong group. Then Henderson und Teklehaimanot had a go at escaping, Fränk later joining them, but that was also caught, with about 4 km to go. And finally Breschel took victory as the front group of 30, by then spread out, reached the finish.

Thereby Breschel took over the yellow jersey. Yesterday’s yellow jersey, Drucker, finished 7th but 18 secs back. Fränk Schleck was 18th, farther back in the front group.

And Andy lost 8 mins – something going wrong with his Tour preparation?

thomthom

Matti will win the Tour!

frenchfighter

hommelbier

Final stage sees a second win for Greipel while Breschel does enough to retain the yellow jersey.
Hard work by fellow Lotto rider Greg Henderson saw Greipel take an impressive solo win.

1. André Greipel
2. Matti Breschel +14
3. Daniel Teklehaimanot
4. Rudy Molard
5. Silvio Herklotz

GC
1. Matti Breschel

frenchfighter

Wow Greipel solo win...going to have to watch the highlights. Tekle 3rd nice.

Crampeur

frenchfighter wrote:

Wow Greipel solo win...going to have to watch the highlights. Tekle 3rd nice.

Any idea where you can get highlights? Anything posted on Youtube is being pulled at the moment.

knedlicky

Trek turned up this morning with a bus belonging to a local travel company as team bus, since the first team bus was still in the hands of the police, and their second team bus had to go down to the Dauphine. Good publicity for the travel company!

After early attempts by others to get clear, after 30 km Andy Schleck attacked and was joined by 8 other riders, including Henderson, who’d already tried to escape earlier today, and the first yellow jersey, Danny van Poppel.
Greipel was also in the group, and won the first mountain points of the day – that must be a novelty. The lead of the break rose gradually to about 4-45 at km 95, but then started to decrease.

The finish was a circuit whereby they climbed the Pabierberg in Luxembourg City 6 times in the last 30 km. On the first ascent Henderson went clear and by the third time, he had a lead of 30 secs over the remains of the break (still including Greipel) while Andy had slipped back to even behind the main peloton, which was about 50 secs behind Henderson.
Then with about 5 km to go, Greipel passed Henderson and became the lone rider ahead, going on to win - the start of a new career for him?

In the pack which followed at 14 seccs, Breschel finished second, Teklehaimanot was third.
In the GC, Breschel won, Drucker finished second at 19 secs and Morkov (Breschel’s team mate) third at 20 secs. Yesterday’s second, Molard, dropped to 4th, but took the young rider’s jersey.

Andy came in 4-41 down and was 50th in the GC at nearly 15 mins. Linus finished 29th in the GC at 4-15.

frenchfighter

Thanks for the info.

Crampeur

http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/schle ... urg_hills/

This headline really does reflect how much things have changed.