And so, once again we start the Season Recap! How was your Season? Worth mentioning? If it was, it is here for sure! This time we won't have 4 articles... we'll have 5! This time , the Top Division Classics! All have been beautiful described here! Take a moment to read it all and know everything about the Classics! Enjoy and don't forget to read the upcoming articles! Congratulations for your Season 22 and good luck for the Season 23!
Day 5
As usual the classics season begins with the Alpe D'Huez climbing classic. This year there was an extraordinally good field, . At the forum there were two clear favourites: Tito Vera (Team Crazy Downhillers) and Godo Figuereido (Greenride). But the race didn't go as planned for both of them. While Tito Vera only came in second, Godo was still in the race for the victory. He managed to get away with Peter-Jan Van de Wal (CCFC) and Nico-Jan Stubbe (WV de Dommel). At the final climb af Alpe D'Huez, Stubbe breaked away, and was never seen again by the other two. What a great vicory for the Dutchman, one of the true climbing greats of OCM, and showing he still has what it takes to win the most prestigious climbing classic of them all. Shortly after that, his victory got even more worth the effort, when the amazing new trophy was intruduced. It will only make the classic go higher on every managers 'to win' list.
Day 10
It's the time of the year when all cobblers get excited. Not only do they have a tour to ride for, but also one very famous classic: Roubaix Classic. Unfortunately this also had some consequences for the field, as some managers rested their top riders so they would be in a better form in TvA. Even more remarkeble is the fact that this amazing clssic didn't fill up. But enough about the peripheral issues, the race is what's important. At the famous velodrome of Roubaix, the race was decided. In third place came Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto), making this his 4th consecutive top-4 in a (Pre-) Roubaix race. The second place was for Heinrich Uttenberger (Drapeau Noir), who was very satisfied whit his first Roubaix Classic Podium. But the great winner was the dominator of the (Pre-) Roubaix races, Mauricio Viola (Glamourade), making this his first win after five (!) consecutive top-4's.
| | Day 15
The second climbing classic of the year, Zürich-Bern-Zürich, was on the agenda. And just like Roubaix classic earlier this season, it didn't fill up. After Division 1 was declared dead in the forum, it turned out to be quite an exciting race. Stubbe and Van de Wal were aiming for their second classic podium of the season, but their dreams didn't come true. After an amazing fight, Bob Lepage (sprint4live) came in third, just behind Sjaak van Fessum (NECFTW), who raced one of his last races for the team before leaving. A great goodby present from a great rider, who strangely enough could only have success with his home team. But for the winner it obviously was an even moer important victory. Antony Michala (peddelen) won his first ever classic, and was seen partying for a long time.
Day 22
Norwich-London is the first sprint classic of the Div 1 season. But there was no JJ Dussel, as he always had prefered tours over classics. That didn't mean the field was weak, I would sooner say the opposite. Great riders like Rytis Kondrotas (Red Star), Otto Beier (Greenride) and Kai Diggele (Yuri Super Team) not succeding to get a top-9 totally proves that point. In the streets of London, the most prestigious sprinting classic of them all got a very worthy winner. Not that number three Gregor Bartenstein (peddelen) and second place Todd Caff (sprint4live) didn't deserve to win, but the public was totally on the hand of all-time great Lean Ahnfeld Mollerup (ABK). By winning this classic, he proved once again he is one of the best sprinters OCM has ever seen. This amazing victory was the last 'Hurrah!' of The Beast.
Day 51
Another cobblers classic and again it didn't fill up. But that didn't make Antwerpen-Huy less exciting. Whit almost the complet cobble favourites pack, there was no way you could predict the outcome. And the outcome had lots of surprises indeed, like Uttenberger and Semerjaks, two former TvA winners, finishing out of top-9 and a new face, Ralph Couderc (ridecoppi) on the podium. What wasn't a surprise, was the fight for victory between Lowell Shingleton (peddelen), this years TvA winner adn Mauricio Viola (Glamourade), the winner of Roubaix classic. In the end Viola snatched victory in front of a dissapointed Shingleton, and again the team of Glamourade won a classic.
Day 61
| |
Another cobblers classic Astana GP and this time it did fill up. After his successes in the past cobble classics, Mauricio Viola was favourite to get a triple win. Unfortunately for him, he only finished in 9th place.
This opened perspective for the other cobblers, that all thought a moment about winning the race. But only one rider could win it. This time it was a surprise win by Viljo Teravainen (Assym Project), who came in first in fornt of a very dissapointed Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto) and the talent to watch, Rogerio Echave (TACXkin).
Day 65
Helsinki GP might not get as much attention from the press as Norwich-London, but it's a public secret that it's very popular under the riders because of its hotels, featuring relaxing Sauna's and an air-guitar playnig set. Under this circumstances, the field was very good indeed, whith out of top-9 finishes of Kirk Narramore (Connaught) and Jens Weasbergen (The Killers) tom prove it. That made the spactaculary overperforming podium finish of Balthazar Kint (Stroopwafel) even more amazing. Second place was for Edward van Baerlem (Team Tirrilla), but he was not evenn ion the photo-finish, as Anton Ugulnikov (Yuri Super Team) totally demolished the field, giving his team their third win in this classic as a farewell gift before leaving to nonnies.
Day 75
The field in this last climbing classic, Critérium La Provence, wasn't nearly as strong as in the first two, mainly because most captain want to race Germany Tour, but it wasn't to be called weak, as top rider in the rankings Rolf Enoch (scuppernong) finished outside of the top-9.
The number three wasn't a surprise of all, as Sebastuian Moura's team Greenride gathered the best climbing team ever and results were inevitable. In second place came the Latvian Ulvis Aktieris (Legia). The man who defeated all the others cam from Romania. Mihaita Radocioiu (try saying that five times in a row without error), making this peddelens second climbing classic win of the season, after Michala's victory in ZBZ.
Stay tuned for more reviews...
and Merry Christmas!
Written by season analyzer Don Hamstre from don hamstre team to the OCM Awards Committee
|