Paris-Roubaix victory for Hayman - Weekend Wrap
Contador wins Pais Vasco, Redlands wins for Armstrong and Dal-Cin, Energiewacht Tour victory for van Dijk
Mat Hayman won the biggest race of his long career by outsprinting Tom Boonen on the Roubaix velodrome having made the early breakaway. The 37-year-old Orica-GreenEdge rider became the second Australian to win the 'Hell of the North' after Stuart O'Grady in 2007 as he proved to have the strongest legs after 257km of racing.
Broadcast from the first kilometre for the first time, Paris-Roubaix started with a flurry of attacks as riders tried to establish the breakaway that eventually went clear with the likes of Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Yaroslav Popovych (Trek-Segafredo) in his last race and Hayman. A crash just before sector three saw several groups emerge, with Fabian Cancellara and Peter Sagan caught out and forced to chase. On the Mons-en-Pévèle sector, Cancellara hit the deck and saw his dreams of a fourth Roubaix disappear as it became clear the winner would come from the front group.
In the closing kilometres, the front group of Hayman, Boonen, Sep Vanmarcke, Ian Stannard, Edvald Boasson Hagen all tried to attack and arrive solo but it would come back together as the Australian won the biggest race of his career.
See also:
- Meet the aero bike that won Paris-Roubaix: Mathew Hayman's Scott Foil - Gallery
- Hayman in disbelief after winning Paris-Roubaix
- Bannan praises Hayman's character after Paris-Roubaix victory
- No fairy-tale finish for Boonen at Paris-Roubaix
- Crashes wreck Cancellara’s last-ever Paris-Roubaix
- Boasson Hagen fades in the finale after impressive Paris-Roubaix
- Vanmarcke felt strongest on the cobbles at Paris-Roubaix
- So close yet so far for Stannard at Paris-Roubaix
- Paris-Roubaix: 'When Cancellara crashed that was the last chance gone' says Sagan
- Sagan's Paris-Roubaix bike switch - Gallery
- Phinney: I definitely have an appreciation for how hard it is just to finish Paris-Roubaix
- Surprise Paris-Roubaix debut for Phil Gaimon
- Hinault, Moser and Duclos-Lassalle praise 'magnificent' Paris-Roubaix
- Viviani 'lucky' to escape serious injury after collision with motorbike in Paris-Roubaix
- Viviani involved in collision with motorbike in Paris-Roubaix
- Rowe gives everything for Stannard in 'bittersweet' Paris-Roubaix
- Lefevere: "Our team was too good. They had balls"
- Durbridge revels in teammate Hayman's Paris-Roubaix victory
- Paris-Roubaix pros' tubulars of choice - Gallery
- UCI check ten teams for mechanical doping at Paris-Roubaix
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Alberto Contador sealed his fourth career Vuelta al Pais Vasco victory with a win in the final day time trial ahead of Nairo Quintana (Movistar). The Tinkoff rider started the day second on GC, swapping places with Sergio Henao of Sky at the conclusion of the 16.5km Eibar test against the clock. Having finished third, second and second in his first three stage races of the season, Contador took his fist overall victory since last June's Route de Sud.
Friday's stage 5 saw Diego Rosa celebrate a long solo ride by lifting his bike above his head with as he arrived at the finish with a lead of over three minutes. The wet queen stage saw several GC men abandon the race, including the likes of Fabio Aru, Simon Yates and Ryder Hesjedal.
After claiming overall victory on Saturday afternoon, Contador confirmed that he is likely to continue his career into 2017.
Click here of the stage 5 results and here for the stage 6 results
Silber Pro Cycling's Matteo Dal-Cin jumped into a breakaway that made it to the finish line and launched him past Jamis rider Janier Acevedo for the overall win.
In the women's race Twenty16-RideBiker put a stranglehold on the final stage, delivering Leah Thomas to the Sunset Road Race win and securing the overall victory for Kristin Armstrong.
Click here for the full weekend race reports from Redlands
Ellen van Dijk won her second Energiewacht Tour career title, adding the 2016 edition to her 2013 victory as the Boels Dolmans rider protected her lead over Annemiek van Vleuten (Orica-AIS) on the final stage, won by Kirsten Wild (Hitec Products).
Click here for the full Energiewacht Tour race coverage
Klasika Primavera de Amorebieta
The Movistar Team dominated the Klasika Primavera de Amorebieta, with Giovanni Visconti taking out the win from a four-man breakaway. The move started on the first of three Montecalvo ascents. Alejandro Valverde and Gorka Izagirre joined Sergio Pardilla (Caja Rural) off the front, and then Visconti bridged across. After 60km off the front, the Italian proved quickest, and took home his first win since the 2013 Giro d'Italia, ending a three-year dry spell. Izagirre came in second, with Pardilla third.
“I've got to say this is a huge victory for me," Giovanni said. "It might not be a WorldTour race, but to me, it means even more than a top-tier one. It's three years since I have won, and it's an immense joy and something that keeps me motivated for the upcoming races."
Simon Andreassen and Eva Lechner were the big winners in a muddy start to the US Pro Cup at the hors categorie-ranked Bonelli Park XC race. Andreassen overcame a puncture to hold onto a lead over Raphael Gagne, with Geoff Kabush rounding out the top three. Lechner won her race in a sprint over Emily Batty, with Katerina Nash coming just behind in third.
Full men's and women's results and photos.
