Tour de Wallonie 2014 (2.HC), 26 - 30 July

[Dazed and Confused]

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Teams and key riders:
1. BMC Racing Team (Hushovd, Nerz)
2. AG2R La Mondiale (Hutarovich, Nocentini)
3. Belkin-Pro Cycling Team (Bos, van Emden)
4. FDJ.fr (Roux, Geslin)
5. Lotto Belisol (Debusschere, Wellens)
6. Movistar Team (Lobato, Ventoso)
7. Omega Pharma - Quick-Step (Štybar, Meersman)
8. Team Europcar (Berhane, Jerome)
9. Team Katusha (Tsatevich, Gusev)
10. Tinkoff-Saxo (Breschel, Kroon)
11. Trek Factory Racing (Nizzolo, van Poppel)
12. Bretagne - Séché Environnement (Laengen, Corbel)
13. Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Senechal, Hardy)
14. Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise (Van Asbroeck, Jacobs)
15. Wanty - Groupe Gobert (Drucker, Leukemans)
16. Color Code - Biowanze (Robeet, Wertz)
17. Wallonie - Bruxelles (Delfosse, Demoitie)

Startlist: http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Tour_de_Wallonie_2014-Startlist

Official website: http://www.trworg.be/tw/news.php

There will be highlights of the first two stages on RTBF in the evening.
Stage 3,4 and 5 will be live. Streams should be available.

Meersman FTW

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Ticker for stage 1 (from 13:00 local): http://direct.directvelo.com/live-course/2036/tour-de-wallonie-etape-1-2-hc.html

 

[Echoes]

How TRW organization managed to make a start in Frasnes-Lez-Anvaing and avoid the Côte du Beau Site, which is not even 10km away is beyond me.

Reminder:

The Côte du Beau Site is one of the hardest cobble climbs in Belgium, can only be compared to Koppenberg, used to be the main climb of Dwars door België until 1999 before it became Dwars door Vlaanderen and is the main climb of the Tryptich "Monts et Chateaux" and of the "Tweedaagse der Gaverstreek".


Anyway ready for the re-start of the season, 3 weeks without cycling is long.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's a real shame that there aren't more cobbled races that use it. I know in Wallonie it's not exactly splendidly located to link to big towns, but it's so close to Ronse it could be easily used in more of the non-geographically-specific one day races (i.e. not De Ronde, but some of the others). Certainly Eneco should be using it in one of their stages through the area. Tournai -> Bourdeau -> Knokteberg -> Oude Kwaremont -> Côte de Beau Site -> Kruisberg -> Taaienberg -> Eikenberg -> Haaghoek -> Leberg -> Berendries -> Zottegem would be a very nice combination. Can always throw Stationsberg between Taaienberg and Eikenberg, or Holleweg-Ruitersstraat's flat cobbles between Eikenberg and Haaghoek. Other direction, perhaps a finish in Ath, Leuze or Lessines with the final climb sequence being Oude Kwaremont -> Rampe -> Côte de Beau Site?

 

[Echoes]

Well as an example of combination, you have the old CN article about the last edition of Dwars door België in 1999 before it became Dwars door Vlaanderen :

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/mar99/dwars99.html

The Beau Site is referred to as the "Côte des Hauts" but it's definitely the same climb.

The Côte de Hurdumont is also a nice climb in the French-speaking part, but it's on asphalt:

The rest is classic from the Flemish Ardennes and from the Dwars route in particular: Eikenberg, Kwaremont, etc.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Stage 1 result:
1. Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Belisol)
2. Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step)
3. Juan José Lobato (Movistar)
4. Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory)
5. Marko Kump (Tinkoff-Saxo)
6. Yauheni Hutarovich (AG2R La Mondiale)
7. Louis Verhelst (Cofidis)
8. Tom Van Asbroeck (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise)
9. Theo Bos (Belkin)
10. Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha)

From the web site.

http://www.trworg.be/tw/news.php

 

[Christian]

Nizzolo wins stage two in front of Meersman, Dillier, Hutarovich and Debusschere. Happy for Nizzolo

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Nizzolo wins stage two in front of Meersman, Dillier, Hutarovich and Debusschere. Happy for Nizzolo

Yep, another good win for him.

stage 2 result:

1 Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) 4:51:35
2 Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 0:00:00
3 Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team) 0:00:00
4 Yauheni Hutarovich (AG2R La Mondiale) 0:00:00
5 Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) 0:00:00
6 Marko Kump (Tinkoff-Saxo) 0:00:00
7 Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) 0:00:00
8 Tom van Asbroeck (Topsport Vlaanderen) 0:00:00
9 Nick van der Lijke (Belkin) 0:00:00
10 Antoine Demoitie (Wallonie-Bruxelles) 0:00:00

GC:
1 Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 8.30:38
2 Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) 0:00:05
3 Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) 0:00:05
4 Zico Waeytens (Topsport Vlaanderen) 0:00:06
5 Sebastian Lander (BMC Racing Team) 0:00:10
6 Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team) 0:00:11
7 Juan José Lobato (Movistar) 0:00:12
8 Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen) 0:00:12
9 Matti Breschel (Tinkoff-Saxo) 0:00:14
10 Yauheni Hutarovich (AG2R La Mondiale) 0:00:15

Stage 3 will be live. Hopefully a stream will be available.

From website:

http://www.trworg.be/tw/detail_photos.php?id=60#

 

[roundabout]

Okay, checked the route.

4 bunch sprints (1 slightly selective stage) and LBL last 25 km almost-copy. Lame.

 

[Gloin22]

Yep, another good win for him.

stage 2 result:

1 Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) 4:51:35
2 Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 0:00:00
3 Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team) 0:00:00
4 Yauheni Hutarovich (AG2R La Mondiale) 0:00:00
5 Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) 0:00:00
6 Marko Kump (Tinkoff-Saxo) 0:00:00
7 Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) 0:00:00
8 Tom van Asbroeck (Topsport Vlaanderen) 0:00:00
9 Nick van der Lijke (Belkin) 0:00:00
10 Antoine Demoitie (Wallonie-Bruxelles) 0:00:00

GC:
1 Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 8.30:38
2 Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) 0:00:05
3 Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) 0:00:05
4 Zico Waeytens (Topsport Vlaanderen) 0:00:06
5 Sebastian Lander (BMC Racing Team) 0:00:10
6 Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team) 0:00:11
7 Juan José Lobato (Movistar) 0:00:12
8 Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen) 0:00:12
9 Matti Breschel (Tinkoff-Saxo) 0:00:14
10 Yauheni Hutarovich (AG2R La Mondiale) 0:00:15

Stage 3 will be live. Hopefully a stream will be available.

Good win, but got confused with 'another' . It's his second of year, and last one was in January. So he hasn't been winning at all much.

Which is a shame, since he should have got one at Giro.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Okay, checked the route.

4 bunch sprints (1 slightly selective stage) and LBL last 25 km almost-copy. Lame.

lol, judging from this year's LBL we will have five bunch sprints here.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Good win, but got confused with 'another' . It's his second of year, and last one was in January. So he hasn't been winning at all much.

Which is a shame, since he should have got one at Giro.

From shoddy memory, I was certain he had won but yea the string of 2nd places messed with the image a bit.

 

[murali]

Stage 3, I think Meersman will get his win/

please post the links to live stream.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

121 km still to go:

Leading : Sébastien Turgot (AG2R La Mondiale), Christopher Juul Jensen (Tinkoff-Saxo), Ludwig De Winter (Color Code-Biowanze), Antoine Demoitié (Wallonie-Bruxelles),

A 2'54", le peloton.

Live on Eurosport.

Streams should be available in 50 minutes

from ticker:

http://direct.directvelo.com/live-course/2041/tour-de-wallonie-etape-3-2-hc.html

 

[murali]

i found links here
http://www.cyclingfans.com/tour-de-wallonie/live


this stage looks interesting.


its not kirby in Eurosports.

 

[Hugo87]

Stybar going strong now.

 

[Hugo87]

Wow but Lobato takes it so easily.

 

[murali]

Lobato 1st in stage 3,
meersman second.
Dillier 3rd

 

[classicomano]

Wow Lobato wins something, I guess hes not the new Rojas after all.

 

[shalgo]

Easy win for Lobato. Meersman came from way back in the sprint.

 

[murali]

Easy win for Lobato. Meersman came from way back in the sprint.

yep. Meersman got positioning wrong after OPQS did all the work for the entire stage. ended up as a comfortable win for Lobato.

I think Meersman didnt have enough teammates to keep him in front when stybar launched.


what a ride by stybie in his new jersey!!

 

[murali]

GC as shown by procyclingstats now:

1(1) MEERSMAN Gianni Omega Pharma - Quick-Step A
2(7) LOBATO Juan José Movistar Team 0:11
3(4) WAEYTENS Zico Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise 0:15
4(6) DILLIER Silvan BMC Racing Team 0:16
5(53) JUUL-JENSEN Christopher Tinkoff-Saxo 0:19
6(5) LANDER Sebastian BMC Racing Team 0:19
7(8) JACOBS Pieter Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise 0:21
8(18) MONDORY Lloyd AG2R La Mondiale 0:22
9(9) BRESCHEL Matti Tinkoff-Saxo 0:23
10(25) TURGOT Sébastien AG2R La Mondiale 0:23

 

[jens_attacks]

quite the kick from lobato. well done!

 

[movingtarget]

quite the kick from lobato. well done!

How the hell was there no time gap ? He won by a country mile. Thankfully that stage won't decide the race.