Cavendish wins the Clasica de Almeria
By Cycling News
Manxman beats Lobato and teammate Renshaw in the sprint
Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) continued his run of early season success by winning the Clasica de Almeria one-day race in Spain.
The Manxman yet again got excellent support from his teammates, who chased down the break of the day and controlled the attacks in the hilly first half of the race and the wind-affected flatter finale.
After a late crash took out some of their rivals, Mark Renshaw gave Cavendish a perfect lead out, allowing him to beat Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar), with Renshaw finishing third. Cavendish crossed the line with his arms open in celebration. It was the 124th victory of his professional career.
Only 58 riders finished in the front group, with many of the other sprinters unable to make the selection, yet further proof of Cavendish's excellent early-season form.
"Yesterday I didn't really feel good during the race at Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia, but today the team was really motivated," Cavendish said. "We started riding from kilometer zero. We were always in front, in the first 10 positions of the group the entire race. We also rode strong in the wind, and made the decision to break up the bunch in the crosswind after the last climb.
"With 30 kilometers to go Katusha and Movistar moved up to help us out, so the front group went full gas until the finish line," Cavendish added. "In the sprint Zdenek Stybar began the leadout into the final 450 meters. Then Mark Renshaw led me out, and I was in his slipstream until 150 meters to go. By the time I went it was just a matter of finishing off the race for the win. It was perfect. I am super happy and proud about the way the team controlled the race the entire day."
A day in the hills before the fast chase
The 183km Clasica de Almeria is known as a race for the sprinters but the hilly profile in the first part of the race means the fast men and their teams always have to work hard for success.
This year Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Romain Sicard (Europcar), Migel Angel Benito (Caja Rural-RGA), Arthur Van Overberghe (Topsport Vlaanderen) and Unai Intziarte (Murias) formed the breakaway of the day for the peloton to chase.
They went away after just seven kilometres and quickly opened a gap, that touched a maximum of 5:30. Sicard topped the El Chive climb first after 77km of racing as Van Overberghe and Intziarte suffered. The remaining trio then reached the Lucainena climb with a lead of 3:15, with 60km left to race but lack real unity.
The final 60km was largely downhill or flat and the cat and mouse chase began in earnest. However not every rider made it through the hills and survived the echelons that formed in the finale -a testament to Cavendish's form and the determination of his teammates to set him up.
Etixx-QuickStep lead the chase with Katusha and Movistar also helping with the work as the riders powered back to Almeria.
The late crash, just two kilometres from the finish, wrecked the hopes of several teams, including MTN-Qhubeka, who was hoping Tyler Farrar could contest the sprint, and Trek Factory Racing, who had Fábio Silvestre for the finish.
Etixx-QuickStep was well placed near the front and avoided the crash, with Renshaw again using his experience and expertise to lead out Cavendish in Almeria.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick Step | 4:36:19 |
2 | Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Esp) Movistar Team | |
3 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Etixx - Quick Step | |
4 | Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
5 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
6 | Alexander Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha | |
7 | Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
8 | Grega Bole (Slo) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
9 | Oscar Gatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | |
10 | Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Team Katusha | |
11 | Maciej Paterski (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
12 | Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) IAM Cycling | |
13 | Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ | |
14 | Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar | |
15 | Jérôme Pineau (Fra) IAM Cycling | |
16 | Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
17 | Patrick Schelling (Sui) IAM Cycling | |
18 | Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
19 | Fabio Taborre (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | |
20 | Clement Chevrier (Fra) IAM Cycling | |
21 | Beñat Txoperena Matxikote (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
22 | David Arroyo Duran (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
23 | Matthew Brammeier (Irl) MTN - Qhubeka | |
24 | Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek Factory Racing | |
25 | Johan Vansummeren (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
26 | Antoine Duchesne (Can) Team Europcar | |
27 | Adrian Honkisz (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
28 | Oliver Naesen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | 0:00:05 |
29 | Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick Step | 0:00:07 |
30 | Fränk Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing | 0:00:08 |
31 | Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
32 | Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Esp) Astana Pro Team | |
33 | Marc Soler Gimenez (Esp) Movistar Team | 0:00:20 |
34 | Davide Malacarne (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 0:00:27 |
35 | Ken Hanson (USA) UnitedHealthcare | 0:00:35 |
36 | Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Team Katusha | 0:00:36 |
37 | Fabio Silvestre (Pol) Trek Factory Racing | |
38 | Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Esp) Movistar Team | 0:00:55 |
39 | Miguel Angel Benito Diez (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | 0:00:58 |
40 | Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:01:08 |
41 | Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
42 | Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar | |
43 | Yury Trofimov (Rus) Team Katusha | 0:01:12 |
44 | Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Team Katusha | |
45 | Alberto Losada Alguacil (Esp) Team Katusha | |
46 | Tony Hurel (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:01:14 |
47 | Tyler Farrar (USA) MTN - Qhubeka | 0:01:34 |
48 | Daniele Ratto (Ita) UnitedHealthcare | 0:01:40 |
49 | Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
50 | Daniel Navarro Garcia (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
51 | Carlos Verona Quintanilla (Esp) Etixx - Quick Step | |
52 | Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
53 | Jean-Christophe Péraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
54 | Davide Appollonio (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | 0:01:43 |
55 | Marco Bandiera (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | |
56 | Hayden Roulston (NZl) Trek Factory Racing | 0:01:58 |
57 | Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek Factory Racing | |
58 | Romain Sicard (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:02:00 |
59 | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar | |
60 | Rubén Fernandez Andujar (Esp) Movistar Team | |
61 | Kenneth Van Bilsen (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | 0:02:57 |
62 | José Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Bora-Argon 18 | 0:05:15 |
63 | Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | |
64 | Francesco Lasca (Ita) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
65 | David Belda Garcia (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
66 | Ricardo Vilela (Por) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
67 | Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
68 | Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
69 | Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ | |
70 | Jonathan Fumeaux (Sui) IAM Cycling | |
71 | Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | |
72 | Andrey Solomennikov (Rus) RusVelo | |
73 | Alessio Taliani (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | |
74 | Amaury Capiot (Ger) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
75 | Ibai Salas (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
76 | Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
77 | Imanol Estevez Salas (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
78 | Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar | |
79 | Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
80 | Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | |
81 | David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) Etixx - Quick Step | |
82 | Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
83 | Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare | |
84 | Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare | |
85 | Roman Kustadinchev (Rus) RusVelo | |
86 | Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) Androni Giocattoli | |
87 | Nick Dougall (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | |
88 | Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ | |
89 | Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling | |
90 | Jan Barta (Cze) Bora-Argon 18 | |
91 | Igor Anton Hernandez (Esp) Movistar Team | |
92 | Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Esp) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
93 | Dario Hernandez Illana (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
94 | Calvin Watson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing | |
95 | Julien Simon (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
96 | Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ | |
97 | Bartlomiej Matysiak (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
98 | Branislau Samoilau (Blr) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
99 | Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha | |
100 | Alexandre Geniez (Fra) FDJ | |
101 | Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
102 | Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Trek Factory Racing | |
103 | Robert Förster (Ger) UnitedHealthcare | |
104 | Davide Frattini (Ita) UnitedHealthcare | |
105 | Federico Zurlo (Ita) UnitedHealthcare | |
106 | Stephen Cummings (GBr) MTN - Qhubeka | |
107 | Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Argon 18 | 0:09:35 |
108 | Eneko Lizarralde (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
109 | Ander Barrenetxea (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
110 | Jon Ander Insausti Irastorza (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
111 | Aleksandr Komin (Rus) RusVelo | |
112 | Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
113 | Songezo Jim (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | |
114 | Unai Intziarte (Esp) Murias Taldea | |
115 | Alexander Foliforov (Rus) RusVelo | |
116 | Josef Cerny (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
117 | Artem Ovechkin (Rus) RusVelo | |
118 | Alexander Rybakov (Rus) RusVelo | |
119 | Serguei Firsanov (Rus) RusVelo | |
120 | Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier (Fra) FDJ | |
121 | Arthur Vanoverberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
122 | Marc Sarreau (Fra) FDJ | |
123 | Simon Pellaud (Sui) IAM Cycling | |
DNF | Bjorn Thurau (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | |
DNF | Floris De Tier (Esp) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
DNF | Juan Carlos Riutort Martinez (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
DNF | Sebastian Mascaro Rigo (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
DNF | Álvaro Robredo Crespo (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
DNF | Unai Arranz Alonso (Esp) Burgos-BH | |
DNF | Rein Taaramäe (Esp) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Gianluca Brambilla (Est) Etixx - Quick Step | |
DNF | Julian Alaphilippe (Esp) Etixx - Quick Step | |
DNF | José Gonçalves (Por) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
DNF | Eduard Prades (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
DNF | Javier Moreno (Esp) Movistar Team | |
DNF | Beñat Intxausti (Esp) Movistar Team | |
DNS | Sander Helven (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise |
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