« With a distance of 174km with a category one climb at the end of the race, this stage from Santa Cruz to San Ramon promise to be a big test!

The race started strangely with the leader JPS team happy to let 26 riders go up the road not even 10km into the stage. When I see the way they were riding, I took a chance and attacked even tough the gap was already pointing at 1min30. I was joined by 2 riders, Carlos Lopez from Mexico and Bryan Villalobos from Costa Rica. We rode very hard and only made junction to the group around the 55km mark. By then, the lead to the peloton was about 9min. I was happy to see Gavriel and Etienne in the break. With a "breakaway" that big, the cohesion was not perfect among the group and there was constant attacking until it settle down.

Around the 100km mark, our group had a serious lead of 12min over the field and I followed a Cuban and a Guatemalan who attacked. We rode well together and started the climb with 1min30 on the chase group. Soon enough, the best climbers from the chase group joined and pass us as I stayed within my limits on the climb.

As the race situation settles, I was now on the second group on the road with 6 riders in front. The climb was 20km long with the last 10km at 6%. I was able to follow the group with a good cadence. With 34 degree weather, I must have gone through 15-20 bottles, just like the day before.

As we climbed, we catch 3 of the riders in front who overestimated their capacity and my group was now fighting for 4th place. When we reached the top of the climb, 6km to the finish, my group was now down to 6 riders.

Quickly after the descent as we hit the flat towards the finish line, Juan Carlos Rojas, the leader of the Vuelta, came from nowhere. He managed to close down an enormous gap during the 20km climb as the last gap we heard before the climb was 12min!

This was good coincidence for me as I let him do all the work, which facilitate me taking the sprint for 4th and comforting my "regularidad" jersey. I now have 31points advantage on Jose Vega who won the stage.

I was very happy with the way I raced both tatcitcally and phisically as this is one of the hardest day I've had in a bike race.

Tomorow we have an uphill time trial. »

Jean-Michel Lachance

Page mise en ligne par

Consultez notre ENCYCLOPÉDIE sportive