Bet on cycling

Posts Tagged ‘Sky’

Waar zijn ploegmaat Niki Terpstra - alleen op kop met de Spanjaard Urtasun - strandde op ruim zes kilometer van de meet, slaagde Linus Gerdemann wel. De Duitser boekte al zijn tweede overwinning in 2010 en dat was meteen ook goed voor de eerste leiderstrui in de 45e editie van de Tirreno-Adriatico, die geheel in het teken staat van de verongelukte Italianse bondscoach Franco Ballerini (45). Gerdemann won in het ijskoude Rosignano Solvay een sprint met vier, die op initiatief van Luca Paolini tot stand was gekomen. De veteraan van Acqua e Sapone kreeg Matti Breschel (Saxo ) mee, waarna ook Gerdemann en tenslotte nog de Spanjaard Lastras (Caisse d’Epargne) aansloten. Het peloton volgde op korte afstand en aangevoerd door de renners van Sky en Cervélo kwamen ze na de passage van het rode vod nog terug bij de koplopers. Maar toen was kennelijk de brandstof op, want tot hun eigen verbazing liepen de vier weer uit, waarna Gerdemann de klus kon klaren. Mark Cavendish was er toen allang niet meer bij. De Brit moest passen op bij de eerste passage van de klim naar Rosignano Marittimo. Ook zijn collega Tom Boonen sneuvelde in de lastige laatste kilometers. 1. Linus Gerdemann (Milram) 3u36.15 2. Pablo Lastras (Caisse d'Epargne) 3. Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) 4. Luca Paolini (Acqua e Sapone) 5. Yahueni Hutarovich (Française des Jeux) 6. Jose Joaquín Rojas (Caisse d'Epargne) 7. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) 8. Marco Bandiera (Katusha)

New Zealand cyclist Greg Henderson won the first stage of the Paris-Nice race on Monday for the British-based Team Sky.

The 33-year-old, a gold medal winner at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, beat Slovenia’s Grega Bole in a sprint finish to clinch first place.

“This year I picked up Sky’s first victory (the Criterium before the Tour Down Under), but it’s great to win this time after such a nerve-wracking day,” Henderson said.

“We spent our time accelerating, braking, then accelerating again. I was lucky to find myself out in front,” he added.

But Henderson could not do enough to take the yellow jersey from yesterday’s prologue stage winner, Rabobank’s Dutch rider Lars Boom.

France’s Romain Feillu and The Netherlands’ Albert Timmer led the peloton for most of the stage before fading away after 146 kilometres (100 miles) of the 201-kilometer course.

Spain’s two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador crossed the line despite falling three kilometres from the end.

“My worry is not the time lost on the first stage, even though I would have liked it to have turned out differently, but the pain,” said the Madrid-born Astana rider, who hurt his left thigh in the fall.

“It is not the 17 seconds lost that concerns me right now but mainly how I will feel tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” the 27-year-old added.

Fellow challengers Pierre Rolland and Levi Leipheimer also took a tumble but both managed to recover to finish the stage.

The second stage will be held between Contres and Limoges on Tuesday.

1st stage (201.5km):
1. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky 4hr 22mins 17sec,
2. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre same time,
3. Jeremy Galland (FRA) Saur s.t,
4. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d’Epargne, s.t,
6. Nicolas Roche (IRL) AG2R s.t,
7. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank s.t.
8. Marco Marcato (ITA) Vacansoleil s.t,
9. Tony Martin (GER) Team HTC s.t,
10. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas s.t.
11. David Millar (GBR) Garmin s.t,
12. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank s.t,
13. Serguei Ivanov (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
14. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne s.t,
15. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur s.t,
16. Francesco Chicchi (ITA) Liquigas at 17sec,
17. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA) Lampre at 17,
18. Koldo Fernandez (ESP) Euskatel at 17,
19. Tom Leezer (NED) Rabobank at 17,
20. Jimmy Casper (FRA) Saur at 17.
Selected:
67. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 17.

Overall:
1. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank 4hr 33min 11sec,
2. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank at 05 secs,
3. David Millar (GBR) Garmin at 13
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 14,
5. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas at 15,
6. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky at 20,
7. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack at 25,
8. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 25,
9. Peter Sagan (SVK) Liquigas at 29,
10. Xavier Tondo (ESP) Cervelo Test Team at 29,
11. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 31,
12. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre at 32,
13. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) at Euskatel at 34,
14. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur at 35,
15. Janez Brajkovic (SLO) RadioShack at 35.

Photo’s by: CorVos Pro

New Zealand cyclist Greg Henderson won the first stage of the Paris-Nice race on Monday for the British-based Team Sky.

The 33-year-old, a gold medal winner at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, beat Slovenia’s Grega Bole in a sprint finish to clinch first place.

“This year I picked up Sky’s first victory (the Criterium before the Tour Down Under), but it’s great to win this time after such a nerve-wracking day,” Henderson said.

“We spent our time accelerating, braking, then accelerating again. I was lucky to find myself out in front,” he added.

But Henderson could not do enough to take the yellow jersey from yesterday’s prologue stage winner, Rabobank’s Dutch rider Lars Boom.

France’s Romain Feillu and The Netherlands’ Albert Timmer led the peloton for most of the stage before fading away after 146 kilometres (100 miles) of the 201-kilometer course.

Spain’s two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador crossed the line despite falling three kilometres from the end.

“My worry is not the time lost on the first stage, even though I would have liked it to have turned out differently, but the pain,” said the Madrid-born Astana rider, who hurt his left thigh in the fall.

“It is not the 17 seconds lost that concerns me right now but mainly how I will feel tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” the 27-year-old added.

Fellow challengers Pierre Rolland and Levi Leipheimer also took a tumble but both managed to recover to finish the stage.

The second stage will be held between Contres and Limoges on Tuesday.

1st stage (201.5km):
1. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky 4hr 22mins 17sec,
2. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre same time,
3. Jeremy Galland (FRA) Saur s.t,
4. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d’Epargne, s.t,
6. Nicolas Roche (IRL) AG2R s.t,
7. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank s.t.
8. Marco Marcato (ITA) Vacansoleil s.t,
9. Tony Martin (GER) Team HTC s.t,
10. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas s.t.
11. David Millar (GBR) Garmin s.t,
12. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank s.t,
13. Serguei Ivanov (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
14. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne s.t,
15. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur s.t,
16. Francesco Chicchi (ITA) Liquigas at 17sec,
17. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA) Lampre at 17,
18. Koldo Fernandez (ESP) Euskatel at 17,
19. Tom Leezer (NED) Rabobank at 17,
20. Jimmy Casper (FRA) Saur at 17.
Selected:
67. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 17.

Overall:
1. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank 4hr 33min 11sec,
2. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank at 05 secs,
3. David Millar (GBR) Garmin at 13
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 14,
5. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas at 15,
6. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky at 20,
7. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack at 25,
8. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 25,
9. Peter Sagan (SVK) Liquigas at 29,
10. Xavier Tondo (ESP) Cervelo Test Team at 29,
11. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 31,
12. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre at 32,
13. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) at Euskatel at 34,
14. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur at 35,
15. Janez Brajkovic (SLO) RadioShack at 35.

Photo’s by: CorVos Pro

Team Sky's Greg Henderson powered to victory on what proved to be a dramatic first stage of Paris-Nice.

New Zealander Greg Henderson (Sky) took the first stage today at Paris-Nice. The 203.5 kilometres from Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines - Contres saw a chaotic stage with a series of crashes, strong...