Nicolas Roche (above) and Dan Martin faced a slightly more gentle challenge at the Tour de Sussie today ahead of some tougher racing in coming days.
Gavin McLoughlin
Nicolas Roche (Saxo Tinkoff) and Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) held station in the general classification standings on a day for the sprinters at the Tour de Suisse today, Tuesday. Martin remains in 7th place, 1:23 behind race-leader Mathias Frank (BMC). Roche is in 20th position, 2:44 behind Frank.
The Irish duo will have been glad of a relaxed day in the saddle after the mayhem of the previous two days.
The high mountains played no part in today’s affairs, with the riders instead required to tackle a relatively gentle 161-kilometre course encompassing two second-category climbs and one fourth-category ascent which peaked with 25 kilometres remaining.
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Pre-race analysis suggested that the fast men would finally be afforded their chance to shine. And after his imperious triumph yesterday, the burning question was whether the Slovak speed-merchant Peter Sagan (Cannondale) could be thwarted in his pursuit of back-to-back stage wins. With a sweeping left-hand bend 150 metres before the finish line, positioning would be of crucial importance in determining the day’s winner.
An early breakaway established itself almost immediately after the action began in earnest, with a trio consisting of the evergreen German Jens Voigt (Radioshack-Leopard), Robert Vrecer (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Olivier Kaisen (Lotto-Belisol) riding off into the distance. Sagan’s lime-clad lieutenants on the Cannondale squad marshalled the chasing pack for much of the day, with the ever-enthusiastic Voigt pulling all sorts of faces up front in an effort to defy the odds and secure his second win of the season.
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Kaisen was quickly distanced when the escapees commenced the final climb, and Voigt and an equally-determined Vrecer worked well together to remain beyond the peloton’s grasp. Their two-minute advantage began to creep ever so slowly downward, but the stubborn combination of German and Slovene would not relent. With 8 kilometres remaining, their gap stood at 30 seconds and suddenly a two-man dash for glory appeared a real possibility.
The gap seemed to hover around 30 seconds for an eternity, and as the 5-kilometre banner loomed the canny Voigt jumped his companion and powered ahead alone. Vrecer’s morale was shattered, and back in the bunch the sprinters’ teams frantically shared the workload as it began to appear their chance had gone.
But that panic did the trick and within two kilometres Voigt’s advantage had melted away to nothing. With a rueful shake of his 41-year-old head, the German pulled over to the side of the road as the bunch flashed past, the sprinters fighting furiously for position.
As the critical corner approached, the young Frenchman Arnaud Demare (Francaise des Jeux) was bravest, nipping up the inside of the Orica-GreenEdge lead-out train to round the bend with an advantage of two bike lengths at most. Just 100 metres remained, and Matt Goss fought frantically to try and catch the Frenchman, but the line came too quickly for the Australian. Demare crossed with his arms in the air, half a bike length clear and the deserving winner of a heart-stopping sprint.
Tomorrow’s stage is a 176-kilometre run from Buochs to Leuggern. With five fourth-category ascents occurring in the final 65 kilometres, Roche and Martin may be tempted to try something in an effort to move up the overall standings.
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