57th Four Days of Dunkirk - May 4 to 8 2011 (with Zdenek Stybar)

[Echoes]

Historical Flemish stage race to come. Called 4 Days while there are actually 5 of them.


Stream: Saturday's stage at 3.25pm (CET) on http://video-direct.france3.fr/player.php?id=1095


Provisional subscription list includes Pippo Pozzato, back from injury Niki Terpstra and Yoann Offredo, Nick Nuyens and - as guest star - double World Champion cyclocross Zdenek Stybar in his debut race for Quick Step (with also Mathieu Boulo and Nicolas Bazin, the other crossers !).

http://www.4joursdedunkerque.org/dl/4Jours-2011-Engages.pdf

The five routes are here: http://www.4joursdedunkerque.org/edition-parcours.php

Worth mentioning:

The second stage (May 5) has a "previously unreleased" cobble section in the final laps near Iwuy, with a distance of 1700m, which is about the distance of Orchies (chemin des prières) or Camphin en Pévèle but I guess better aligned. It'll be crossed 3 times.

The 4th stage is a classic from Dunkirk, the climb stage to Mont Cassel, which in the final laps will be climbed 6 times but from to sides: http://www.4joursdedunkerque.org/dl/4Jours-2011-Etape-4-Monts.pdf

The second side is a classic in the classic. Not very steep but reasonably long and second half on the cobbles.

Profile: http://jmpodvin2000.free.fr/denivellephoto/cotenord/Cassel/casselportededunkerque.htm


Past winners:

2002 : Sylvain Chavanel
2003 : Christophe Moreau
2004 : Sylvain Chavanel
2005 : Pierrick Fédrigo
2006 : Roberto Petito
2007 : Mathieu Ladagnous
2008 : Stéphane Augé
2009 : Rui Faria da Costa
2010 : Martin Elmiger

This is also the first stage race ever won by Roger De Vlaeminck in 1971 and the race in which Charly Mottet took over the World #1 rank from Sean Kelly in 1989.

 

[El Pistolero]

Pozzato is riding this, at least said so in the news papers

Should win a stage here unless he's total loser that's mentally broken.

Hope Nick Nuyens, Stybar and Chavanel do something nice here. Good start list.

 

[Reuell]

Wondering how many victories Voeckler will take here
He's unstoppable this season

 

[Parrulo]

is rui costa riding this year?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Movistar aren't riding at all. This is the first time Abarcá have done the Vuelta a Asturias in a while, so I suspect doing Dunkerque may have been an agreement with their (French) sponsor while they were Caisse d'Epargne.

 

[greenedge]

I shall go with two outsiders. Docker and Voeckler. De Gendt should have competed too, along with Matthews. Can Nizzolo win a stage? Paolini. Stybar can win a stage too.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

somehow I'm not expecting too much of Stybar. I'd love it if he could prove me wrong though

 

[Ferminal]

Bump.

Is this televised?

 

[Echoes]

Yup I forgot to mention this. The 4th stage on Saturday (the Queen stage to Mont Cassel) is televised on France 3 Nord Pas-de-Calais.

And it's streamed on the net (3.25pm CET though probably delayed as usual): http://video-direct.france3.fr/player.php?id=1095

(I'm editing the OP to insert the link)

somehow I'm not expecting too much of Stybar. I'd love it if he could prove me wrong though

You bet ! It's his first race since February. I guess he's lacking condition by now. But I hope he can do well in upcoming races.



PS: Sticky this? (it's earlier than the Tour of Italy!)

 

[joy118118]

nys will go to the race too

stybar will be happy \0/

 

[Michielveedeebee]

nys will go to the race too

stybar will be happy \0/

Haha Nys will just wobble along again How I'd love to see him attack on the road

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I shall go with two outsiders. Docker and Voeckler. De Gendt should have competed too, along with Matthews. Can Nizzolo win a stage? Paolini. Stybar can win a stage too.

lol. I very much doubt this.

 

[taiwan]

Going by the cyclingfever startlist, Saxo have a strong squad. Haedo for stages, Nuyens for the overall. Wouldn't surprise me if Voeckler won it though, as he never seems to leave a race empty handed these days, be it a sprint or a MTF. Feillu looks like another good shout. In terms of depth, FDJ's team looks nice too.

 

[Jamsque]

Is there going to be anything in the way of coverage for this?

 

[taiwan]

Is there going to be anything in the way of coverage for this?

There seems to be a ticker on the race site

It`s altogether at km 50.

Marcel Kittel seems motivated, having taken two intermediate sprints already.

 

[Highlander]

Does this race offer time bonuses? I see that Voeckler got points at the 2nd intermediate sprint.

 

[TeoSheva]

Does this race offer time bonuses? I see that Voeckler got points at the 2nd intermediate sprint.

yes:

3 sec, 2 sec, 1 sec for each intermediate sprint
10sec, 6 sec, 4 sec at the arrival

 

[TRDean]

Any updates on what is going on here? Thanks!

 

[taiwan]

Stefano Borchi (De Rosa-Flamina) has 6`15" with 70km to go.

 

[TRDean]

Stefano Borchi (De Rosa-Flamina) has 6`15" with 70km to go.

Thanks tiawan!

 

[TeoSheva]

20km to go, 40sec for Borchi

 

[TeoSheva]

Kittel wins!

 

[roundabout]

2. Galimzyanov
3. Nizzolo
4. Casper
5. Hutarovich

 

[Michele]

Funny how cyclingnews live ticker lost the last part of the race while you'd find the finish standing here.

 

[fezzer]

Galimzyanov and Nizzolo making a lot of podium finishes this year.

Good for Galimzyanov that he got one stage win this year, or he would be thinking he never has what it takes to win.