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Rabobank's Ten Dam takes Critérium opener
Those no-hope breakaways that inevitably get reeled in within sight of the finish line seem to be working more these days.
Some say it’s a sign that the peloton is cleaning up and that attacking riders have more chances of winning. Others insist it’s business as usual, at least tactically, and that sometimes breakaways work, but usually not.
Saturday’s 193km first stage of the two-day, three-stage Critérium International in France saw unsung journeyman Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) hold on after a heroic, all-day breakaway to win just 10 seconds ahead of the fast-charging, busted-up peloton.
“I told my teammates I was going to do something today. I felt like I had good legs, so that’s why I attacked so soon,” Ten Dam told letour.fr. “I really pushed hard for the win, because on several occasions I have been overhauled in the final few hundred meters before the finish line. I thought about it and said to myself, ‘not this time.’”
American Ian McKissik (BMC) joined Ten Dam just 2km into the hilly course to Charleville-Mézières in northeast France and the pair built up a huge 17-minute lead at 64km.
The team’s left the chase too late, which had major consequences for several pre-race favorites who lost contact as the peloton busted up into three groups in the high-speed pursuit in the closing 50km.
With the gap falling quickly to under two minutes with 23km to go, McKissik faded back to the main pack after securing the best climber’s jersey for the day’s efforts, probably believing the effort was doomed.
As Ten Dem kept taking digs, the peloton chased harder, which caused the pack to crack under the pressure over the bumpy course in France’s Ardennes region.
Such riders as 2005 winner Bobby Julich (CSC), Dave Zabriskie (Slipstream-Chipotle), Sandy Casar (FDJeux), Kim Kirchen (High Road) all lost more than six minutes (more than 12 minutes for Kirchen) and torpedoed their chances for overall victory.
Only 33 riders made it in with the main pack, led by Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJeux) ahead of Mirco Lorenzetto (Lampre).
Team CSC put five of its men in the front group, including the Schleck brothers and three-time winner Jens Voigt.
Others well positioned in the elite group were David Millar and Trent Lowe (Slipstream-Chipotle), Alejandro Valverde and Luís León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne), Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Robert Gesink (Rabobank) and Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi).
With the lead at 1:30 with 12.5km after the day’s final climb, the sprinters were sharpening their knives in the looming pack.
Ten Dam -- a 27-year-old whose lone win in his five-year pro career was a time trial -- kept pouring it on.
He carried a 20-second lead into the final kilometer and that would be just enough to win after riding 191km in a breakaway by 10 seconds.
Chalk one up for the dreamers. Sunday’s two-stage finale might see reality come crashing back down.
The morning 98km road stage is a hilly profile with a summit finish while the race concludes with a short, technical individual time trial in the afternoon.
