Out of Cork, Aqua Blue Sport win big
The only non-WorldTour man in the top 20 on the Tour de Suisse mountain stage; Larry Warbasse brings it home for Ireland's Aqua Blue Sport.
The upstarts of the pro peloton, having been no more than an idea this time last year; Aqua Blue Sport has today bullied its way into the big time.
The Irish ProContinental outfit has won this afternoon's stage 4 at the Tour de Suisse.
That it was US rider Larry Warbasse rather than an Irishman who took the team's first WorldTour win matters little.
The squad's winning a mountain stage in front of a field packed with some of the very best in the world is a seminal achievement.
But they've done it; and in the end they did it in some style.
Warbasse tamed the 150km from Bern to Villars-sur-Ollon to such an extent he had 40 seconds over his nearest rivals.
Advertisement
Behind him, new race leader Damiano Caruso (BMC Racing) would best Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) for 2nd place.
In the wake of Warbasse, 20 WorldTour men - riding for the richest, biggest, best and most established squads in the sport - ceded time one after another to the Michiganian riding for the Irish ProContinental outfit.
Warbasse, the only rider in the top 20 not riding for a WorldTour team, prevailed where it counts for most; out front solo in the mountains.
It was not only the team’s first win, but Warbasse’s first ever victory as a pro.
He rode out of his socks over the final 50km; dropping the breakaway men he had gone clear with in the early part of the stage.
Related News
Astana's Lars Boom went south on the first climb under the pressure applied by the Aqua Blue Sport man.
And on the finishing climb to Villars-sur-Ollon the others would follow.
Nick van der Lijke (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij) and Antoine Duchesne (Direct Energie) proved no match for a Larry Warbasse on the rampage
Once alone, the leader’s destiny was in his own hands on the climb up to the summit finish.
In the end he had the measure of the gradient and the men chasing him as they fought the general classification battle.
Having had eight minutes on the peloton at one point, Warbasse went solo with 8km remaining.
And behind it was Caruso who lit it up in the fight for yellow with about 6km remaining.
From that point the GC contenders never let up; attack after attack threatening the lead of the man out front.
But it was to be Warbasse’s day; all the suffering of his pro career crystalising in a moment of great joy on the summit.
He never faltered in his writing of an unusual, and all the more compelling, chapter of Irish sporting history; an American victorious on a Swiss mountain for the small but determined outfit from Cork.
To top it all, his team mate Lasse Norman Hansen has retained the montains jersey he took in a breakaway ride alongside Conor Dunne on the opening stage.
Stage 4: Bern to Villars-sur-Ollon (150.2km)
1 Larry Warbasse (USA) Aqua Blue Sport 3:48:55
2 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:40
3 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
4 Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin
5 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:44
6 Mathias Frank (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:47
7 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:59
8 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team 0:01:07
9 Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky 0:01:20
10 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:34
11 Pello Bilbao (Spa) Astana Pro Team
12 Valerio Conti (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:44
13 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Team Sky 0:02:00
14 Matvey Mamykin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 0:02:02
15 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
64 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 12:47
150 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Cannondale-Drapac 22:03
153 Conor Dunne (Irl) Aqua Blue Sport
Topics
