Van Baarle smashes Bretagne TT; Zoidl bolsters overall lead

There is a reason why Dylan van Baarle is number one on my list of U23 talents right now and it is simply because of the way that he can utterly dominate a time trial. The Rabobank Development rider stormed the rolling TT by averaging nearly 46.5 kilometers per hour over the 15.9 kilometer course around Huelgoat (please...tell me a funnier town name...I dare you.) The Flying Dutchman beat overall race leader Riccardo Zoidl (Gourmetfein-Simplon) by 13 seconds and Jasha Sütterlin (Thüringer Energie) by a further two.

1. Dylan van Baarle (Rabobank Development)
2. Riccardo Zoidl (Gourmetfein-Simplon) +13
3. Jasha Sütterlin (Thüringer Energie) +15
4. Vegard Breen (Joker Merida) +23
5. Bryan Nauleau (Vendée U) +25

While van Baarle might have lost his G.C. hopes with Riccardo Zoidl going up the rode on the 2nd stage with van Baarle's teammate Nick van der Lijke, the man from Voorburg moved up to 4th overall in the overall classification. Van der Lijke, who was only one second off the lead coming into today, tried his hardest to limit his losses and put in a valiant effort but he lost 41 seconds to Zoidl on the course. Rabobank now has three riders in the top 10 overall with U23 cyclocross World Champion Mike Teunissen moved into 8th overall.

1. Riccardo Zoidl (Gourmetfein-Simplon)
2. Nick van der Lijke (Rabobank Development) +42
3. Jasha Sütterlin (Thüringer Energie) +48
4. Dylan van Baarle (Rabobank Development) +1'07
5. Bryan Nauleau (Vendée U) +1'17
6. Vegard Breen (Joker Merida) +1'19
7. Luis Mas Bonet (Burgos BH) +1'21
8. Mike Teunissen (Rabobank Development) +1'29
9. Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-iHNed) +1'31
10. Jeroen Lepla (Ventilair-Steria) +1'32

With a hard road race on tap for the final stage on Wednesday including parts of the Tro Bro Léon course, Zoidl looks to be in charge but anything can happen...

P.S. I know it might sound like a total lie but as I was driving to work this morning, I thought these three would be on the podium.