Mollema wins overall title at the Tour of Alberta

Image 1 of 25

Nikias Arndt (Giant-Alpecin) won the final stage 6 at the Tour of Alberta on Monday in Edmonton. The German sprinter won the bunch kick to the line ahead of Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) and Dion Smith (Hincapie Racing).

"It was a hard finish for me, with a climb before, but I had a good team around me that supported me well and we waited for the right moment," Arndt said. "Into the last corner I was in position four, two guys attacked and we used that, then my lead-out guys went. It was perfect. I started with 150 metres to go and I could do a perfect sprint."

Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing), who led the race for five of the six stages, won the overall title at the Tour of Alberta. He finished the race with a six-second advantage over Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) and 22 seconds over double stage winner Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale-Garmin).

"It's been really great week for us and it couldn't have started better with the team time trial, and I think that's the reason why I was in the lead all week and why I won the general classification," Mollema said. "The uphill finishes were hard but the team time trial was the key for us this week. We are really happy to win the GC. It is really nice for me because it's been several years since I've won a general classification and that is really special. It's been a great week."

How it unfolded

The peloton lined up for the sixth and final stage of the Tour of Alberta under warmer temperatures of roughly 10 degrees Celsius, but more importantly dry conditions. After the week of near-freezing temperatures with rain and overcast, it was a welcomed change.

The downtown Edmonton circuit-race was 11 laps, 11km each, for a total of 124km. The start-finish line was located on 102 Avenue at Churchill Square outside the Edmonton’s City Hall. There were two intermediate sprints available at the finish line with three seconds in time bonuses for the first to cross the line, and then 10 seconds for the winner of the stage. The highest peak of the circuits was located on the other side of the course and offered three KOMs on Bellamy Hill.

An early breakaway of five set off on the first circuit that included Kristoffer Skjerping (Cannondale-Garmin), Cesar Benedetti (Bora-Argon 18), Jon Hornbeck (Hincapie Racing), Benjamin Perry (Silber Pro Cycling) and Taylor Sheldon (Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis). A chase group bridged across on the first climb over Bellamy Hill with Ty Magner and Toms Skujins (Hincapie Racing), and Greg Daniel (Axeon). Hincapie Racing Team was the most represented with three riders.

Perry took full points at the top of the first KOM, to further increase his lead in the mountain classification. Skujins, who was sitting in seventh overall at 1:14 back, won the first intermediate sprint for three seconds.

Trek Factory Racing lined up at the front of the field and continued to set the pace for their overall leader Bauke Mollema. The three riders that Mollema really had to watch out for were Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) at six seconds back, Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale-Garmin) at 22 seconds and Sergey Lagutin (Katusha) at 35 seconds.

The team got some help in the chase from Drapac Professional Cycling, likely working for their fast man Wouter Wippert, and the gap held steady at one minute.

With two laps to go (22km) the gap was reduced to just 25 seconds, as Trek Factory Racing kept breakaway rider Skujins’ gap in check. Sheldon was the first to attack out of the breakaway group with Benedetti on his wheel, however, it was only a matter of time before all of the original breakaway riders were reabsorbed into the field.

Trek Factory Racing remained at the front but Orica-GreenEdge moved their riders to the fore to begin their lead-out for Michael Matthews, with a presence from Optum Pro Cycling and Katusha, at the start of the last lap.

Katusha, Cannondale-Garmin, Team SmartStop, Axeon, Hincapie Racing and Bora-Argon 18 launched riders off the front in the closing kilometres but it was tough to get a gap with the speeds of the field so fast.

Slagter made a last-ditch attack in pursuit of a third stage win and the time bonus, however, Mollema was right on his wheel and the pair were reeled back in with 2km to go.

Giant-Alpecin and HIncapie Racing took control of the field in the final kilometre for their sprinters Arndt and Smith, and Matthews tucked in behind them as they raced toward the finish line. Matthews and Arndt crossed the line nearly side-by-side with Arndt taking the final stage win.

Full Results