|
|
|
Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
MARIN WINS,GONZALEZ IN YELLOW; McCANN,DEIGNAN STRONG
By Shane Stokes
14 Feb 2004,
|
Email this article
|
 |
| Ruber Marin set up Gonzalez for the overall win and took the stage - photo © Shane Stokes |
As anticipated, today’s penultimate stage of the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia was a climber’s paradise for the Colombia Selle Italia team, with two of its riders dominating the gruelling, mist-shrouded climb to the resort of Genting Highlands. King of the Mountains leader Ruber Marin and team captain Freddy Gonzalez rode within themselves on the early part of the 26 kilometre climb, which is one of the hardest summit finishes in cycling, before turning on the afterburners with three kilometres remaining and shedding all of their main rivals. Marin and Gonzalez crossed the line arms aloft, with the former taking the stage victory and the latter virtually guaranteeing his victory when the race ends tomorrow with a criterium in Kuala Lumpur.
Both riders had in theory been dedicated to protecting the overall lead of team-mate Marlon Perez, who went into the stage 36 seconds clear of Hector Guerra Garcia (Relax Bodysol) and a further ten clear of Gonzalez.
 |
| Marlon Perez slipped out of yellow today - photo © Shane Stokes |
However, after looking good during the early part of the climb, Perez got into difficulties and slid off the back of the ever-reducing front group, eventually finishing three minutes and ten seconds down in twelfth place.
Irish riders David McCann and Philip Deignan rode well on the torturously steep slopes, McCann finishing three minutes and fifty seconds behind Marin in nineteenth place. Deignan was three places and twenty-four seconds further back, while Paul Griffin (43rd), Denis Lynch (50th), David O’Loughlin (84th) and Eugene Moriarty (97th) played a supporting role and all got through the gruelling stage.
Today’s good result means that McCann and Deignan are both set to take world ranking points from the race. Barring accident, McCann will finish fourteenth overall tomorrow and Deignan sixteenth, both excellent performances against professional teams. Deignan’s ride in particular has attracted a lot of attention due to his youth, the twenty-year old taking two sixth places and that top-twenty GC position and showing that he is one of Irish cycling’s brightest prospects for the future.
Today’s stage was always going to be about the sadistic final kilometres, but that didn’t stop a number of opportunists trying to outwit the climbers. After a short-lived attack from an unnamed (on race radio) Irish rider, eleven riders went clear at the twenty-one kilometre point. These were reeled in almost immediately but six kilometres later another identically sized group went clear. Amongst those present in this move were Jans Koerts (Chocolade Jacques), Jeremy Hunt (MrBookmaker.com/ Palmans Collstrop), Ryan Cox (Team Barloworld), former world under 23 TT champion Danny Pate (Health Net Pro) and Ireland’s Eugene Moriarty, yet despite the promising composition these too were recaptured.
At the 54 kilometre point twelve riders slipped away and worked well together to build a maximum lead of one minute and four seconds. The Hibernian Team Ireland squad also had a representative in this, Denis Lynch spending a total of 45 kilometres away before being reeled in.
With thirty kilometres remaining the Canadian national champion Dominique Perras played his hand and led the race, until being passed by De Nardi’s Michele Gobbi on the early slopes of Genting Highland. With nineteen kilometres left on the stage the Italian had built a lead of over one minute; Wismilak’s Susanto Tonton set off in pursuit, motivated in part by his second place in the Asian rider classification, and by the 115 kilometre point was almost a minute clear of the dwindling front group. However a smooth-pedalling Gobbi had opened out his own lead to two and a half minutes and so would not be joined.
China rider Xueli Jiang did what he could to get across to the two leaders before a general acceleration started the real race behind. Relax Bodysol’s Hector Guerra Garcia went south, so losing his second place overall, but thoughts that Perez was home and dry soon dispersed when he too went into the red. Cox and ninth placed Dave Bruylandts (Chocolade Jacques) did what they could to shed the rest, and when Gonzalez and Marin slid to the back of the small group it looked as if Colombia Selle Italia’s plan B was also shot. Appearances were, however, deceptive. The duo sparked their own move with three kilometres remaining, accelerating clear and cruising home over half a minute clear of Bruylandts and Cox. South African champion David George and Tiaan Kannemeyer completed a Team Barloworld fourth, fifth and sixth, while former world MTB champion Roland Green (Canada) was next across the line.
McCann and Deignan completed their good ride to the top of the climb and, barring accidents on tomorrow’s final stage, have done enough to guarantee top twenty finishes in the general classification. The Hibernian Team Ireland squad can take pride in this, and also in the fact that they were highly prominent throughout the race and in the stage-end results. Theirs was a late invitation; next time round, they should be much more prominent in the minds of the organisers of this excellent event.
 |
| Perez's team-mate Freddy Gonzalez was on hand to keep yellow within the team - photo © Shane Stokes |
‘It was very difficult to know what would happen but it all worked out well for us’, said the new race leader Freddy Gonzalez. ‘Even when Marlon got dropped we knew we could sew it up because both Ruber and myself felt very strong. We had a plan of campaign worked out before the start and it all well to plan, although the South African Team Barloworld did give us some worries and looked strong. We launched our final attack with three kilometres to go, which was a bit earlier than was planned, and it all worked out well.’
The Telekom Malaysia Tour de Langkawi concludes tomorrow with a twelve lap, eighty kilometre criterium on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.
Telekom Malaysia Tour de Langkawi stage nine, Telekom HQ Kuala Lumpur – Genting Highlands : 1, Ruber Marin (Colombia Selle Italia) 130.2 kilometres in 3 hours 37 mins 15 secs (35.96 kph) ; 2, F. Gonzalez (Colombia Selle Italia) same time; 3, D. Bruylandts (Chocolade Jacques) at 37 secs; 4, R. Cox (Team Barloworld) same time; 5, D. George (Team Barloworld) at 1 min 16 secs; 6, T. Kannemeyer (Team Barloworld) at 1 min 18 secs; 7, R. Green (Canada) at 1 min 36 secs; 8, N. White (South Africa) at 1 min 51 secs
Hibernian Team Ireland riders: 19, D. McCann, at 3 mins 50 secs; 22, P. Deignan, at 4 mins 14 secs; 43, P. Griffin, at 9 mins 12 secs; 50, D. Lynch, at 10 mins 14 secs; 84, D. O’Loughlin, at 16 mins 7 secs; 97, E. Moriarty, at 20 mins 9 secs
Asian rider: 1, G. Mizbani (Iran) 3 hours 39 mins 8 secs; 2, A. Kazemi (Iran) at 1 min 20 secs; 3, X. Jiang (China) at 1 min 39 secs
Team stage: 1, Colombia Selle Italia; 2, Team Barloworld; 3, Iran
Other: 9, Ireland
Asian team: 1, Iran; 2, China; 3, Pagcor-Casino Filipino
General classification after stage nine: 1, Freddy Gonzalez (Colombia Selle Italia) 27 hours 14 mins 46 secs; 2, Cox, at 48 secs; 3, Bruylandts, at 1 min 54 secs; 4, Kannemeyer, at 1 min 55 secs; 5, George, at 2 mins 11 secs; 6, White, at 2 mins 12 secs; 7, Marin, at 2 mins 22 secs; 8, M. Perez (Colombia Selle Italia) at 2 mins 30 secs; 9, Green, at 3 mins 45 secs; 10, G. Mizbani (Iran) at 4 mins 2 secs
Irish: 14, McCann, at 5 mins 18 secs; 16, Deignan, at 6 mins 54 secs; 56, Griffin, at 25 mins 48 secs; 65, Lynch, at 32 mins 25 secs; 68, O’Loughlin, at 33 mins 39 secs; 102, E. Moriarty, at 48 mins 42 secs
Points: 1, Gordon Fraser (Health Net Pro) 105 points; 2, G. Vanderaerden (MrBookmaker.com/Palmans Collstrop); 3, Perez, 54
Mountains: 1, Marin, 57; 2, Gonzalez, 40; 3, Perez, 34
Team: 1, Team Barloworld; 2, Colombia Selle Italia; 3, Relax Bodysol
Other: 10, Ireland
|
|
|
|
