The Jonker report - Day of endeavour and surprises
January 21 2010
What
an interesting day on the road today. The rising temperature - 40C+ had
to have had an impact on the whole field with a lot of riders ending
their two and half hours in the saddle feeling dehydrated and very, very
tired.
Team UniSA-Australia again delivered a great performance with Simon Clarke carrying the load today winning Most Aggressive Rider - making it a hat-trick for the team. Very nice indeed.
It is important to realise that any kind of breakaway is an achievement. You don't just pedal off to the front and have a go. And the peloton doesn't just let you go, so it is persistence and sometimes a little bit of luck as to who is represented in the breakaway and leads the race. Today Team UniSA was determined to be in there in that number with Jonathan Cantwell, Rohan Dennis, Peter McDonald, and Tim Roe all having a crack.
Unfortunately Tim's efforts over Wickham's Hill were not enough for him to retain the King of the Mountain Jersey where he is a close second.
When Simon Clarke made the break with Jack Bobridge of Garmin Transitions (team mates in Team UniSA in 2009) they made the run stick. The effort to stay out in front right up until the final 4 km of the race was something special, with Clarke the last man standing before the inevitable swallowing by the peloton. If the Team UniSA riders were out here just to make a name for themselves they could not be doing any better. Their constant attacking rides are fearless and forthright and they are coming out to play when many of the professional teams are playing it safe.
But today I was pleased to see that there were a few other young guns making a splash in the breaks. And what a dream for our surprise stage winner Manuel Cardoso a young Portuguese rider from Team Footon-Servetto-Fuji. In his first pro race and his first pro tour to take out the stage with names like Valverde and Evans hot on his heels must be the thrill of a lifetime.
It was interesting to see that Greipel's army, Team HTC-Columbia was a little quieter today and in the battle to take control of the peloton, they acquiesced to Caisse D'epargne in the bid to get Valverde into the mix.
To see Cadel Evans in the placings was also a bit of a surprise. It shows he is in better form than we might expect and augers well for his next assault on the Tour de France. We may see more of Cadel at the Willunga stage.
Tomorrow is probably the last chance for one of those amazing breaks where one or two riders believe in themselves enough to ride right out early and get enough time on the field (they would probably need at least 15 minutes) to take it all the way to the finish. It is a tough ask - it would require clever tactics and the courage of a gambler to pull it off. But you never know it may just happen and if it does I am hoping Team UniSA will be a part of it.
Patrick Jonker