Graeme Brown (Rabobank) has finally got a top 10 finish in the Eneco tour in Holland, finishing Stage 5 in third place behind Brazilian Luciano André Pagliarini Mendonca. The Australian rider, who was angry having missed out on previous sprints at the event, again experienced some of the same difficulties that have plagued him over the past few days.
Brown managed to place himself on the correct wheel of Pagliarini going into the final few hundred metres, however the Brazilian was able to slip right through a small gap in the final 150 metres, a gap that closed just as Brown tried to squeeze through. The Australian had to find the right balance to prevent himself from crashing, and subsequently have the entire pack fall down on him.
Director Sportif, Erik Dekker was philosophical about Brown's Stage 5 sprint. "He demonstrated today that he has great speed," noted Dekker. "Additionally, he put out all stops in order to achieve a good performance. It is unfortunate that the gap just behind Pagliarini was clogged. Brown cannot be blamed for that, although he should have perhaps started his sprint a little earlier. That is a skill that he still needs to develop. To be in the right spot at the right moment."
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