Metlushenko sprints to victory

Ukraine sprinter Yuriy Metlushenko (Amore & Vita-Conad) has taken out the Tour of Qinghai Lake preface criterium with a convincing charge to the line in Huzhu County. Metlushenko punched both fists into the air and screamed "Yeah!" in what could be a message to all others in the peloton that he is the man to watch in the points competition this year.

Metlushenko defeated Italy's Paolo De Negri (ISD-Neri) with Russia's Boris Shpilevskiy (Russian National Team) finishing third before an estimated crowd of 50,000. The criterium has no bearing on the tour’s GC but certainly gave the locals an opportunity to witness the speed that can be expected on the race.

Rain fell early in the twelve-lap race and although the peloton got through the 72 kilometres unscathed the riders would have been keen to get into a hot shower. Mud-splattered bodies and the grimaces on the riders’ faces told the story of day.

Breakaways were few and far between on a circuit with very long straights that made it difficult for any escapees to ride out of sight. There were some who tried but the best chance came in the second half of the race when Vitaliy Buts (Ukrainian National Team) and eventual third-place Boris Shpilevskiy (Russian National Team) got a gap of twenty seconds over the peloton.

The bunch was averaging around 7:50 per lap on the 6km circuit but when the pace picked up on the concluding laps, any chance of a break was gone. Metlushenko’s power on the pedals came to the fore and he added another win in China after claiming a stage in last year’s tour.

The Tour of Qinghai Lake proper gets underway tomorrow in Xining where riders face a 171km trek to Tongren. If conditions are anything like today the peloton is in for a tough day in the saddle. There is a category two climb of 3,038 metres at the 64km mark.

The sprinters will have two intermediate sprint sections along the way where Metlushenko is sure to figure again. A breakaway is highly likely given the stage profile and distance.