On Floods, Dikes and Dams: A ZLM Tour Preview

ZLM Tour

-178.9 kilometers
-Goes, Netherlands - Goes, Netherlands
-Saturday April 13th
-UCI 1.NCup
-Race Website, Startlist, Course Map (PDF)

The 3rd Nations Cup race of the week and final one for a while is the ZLM Tour, a race around the Oosterscheide, an estuary and the largest national park in the Netherlands. Situated in the provice of Zeeland, the race starts in the city of Goes winds around and over the Oosterscheide and then loops back into Goes for two finishing loops. This race can be descirbed as...Hmm...well Michael Valgren (CULT Energy) probably has the best answer...

@philiplindau Zlm worst crazy shit ever! Good luck ;-) heheYeah, i'll try, let the legs talk!
— Michael Valgren (@MichaelValgren) April 8, 2013

This race is known for it's flat windy roads and havoc that it wreaks on the peloton. While it is a primarily flat race, there has not been a finishing group of more than thirty that has reached the finish together since the race went on the Nations Cup calendar in 2008.

The Course

To understand the course, we have to take a trip back in time, albeit an abridged version. In January 31st-February 1st of 1953, the North Sea flooded and caused catastrophic damage in the Netherlands, concentrated around the area of Zeeland, an area which is primarily at or under sea level. Nearly 2,000 people died in the Netherlands alone and 70,000 people had to be evacuated. With 450 million euro (in today's money) in damages, the Delta Works project was accelerated and a multitude of dams, dikes, levees and barriers were built to protect the country from the rising tides of the sea.

The province of Zeeland itself was at one time completely underwater but over the course of centuries, the land was reclaimed via poldering. Even when you look at Zeeland now, it really is still just a grouping of islands and peninsulas. The '53 flood changed the face of Zeeland as new infrastructure (dams, bridged, tunnels, etc.) became an integral part of the province and allowed the area to be fully connected for the first time (which was finally accomplished in 2003 with the Westerscheldetunnel).

Course Map

The course of the ZLM Tour takes in the vast majority of Zeeland. Starting in Goes, the race heads north and over the Zeeland bridge, the longest bridge in the Netherlands at 5,022 meters. Once over the bridge, the race takes a left at Zierikzee and heads along the coast of the Schouwen-Duiveland municipality. At Bruinisse, the race heads across more strands as it heads over the Rijksweg N59 and then makes a right onto the Philipsdam. After the race gets back onto dry land, the course heads west and crosses briefly into North Brabant but heads back into Zeeland and begins to venture back south. After passing through the city of Tholen, the races continues south via the Oesterdam, a 10.5 kilometer long dam, the longest in the Delta Works network.

While the Netherlands isn't known for them, this race does have a small bit of cobbles. After the race gets over the Oesterdam, they take a left and follow the Hogerwaardweg, a narrow cobbled road that lasts for about 2 kilometers. The race briefly re-enters North Brabant and loops around the town of Woensdrecht before heading back into Zeeland and for the southern coast of the Reimerswaal municipality. There will be wind and lots of it as the race stays along the coast for 13 kilometers before turning northwest and heading back towards Goes. The race will cross the finish three times and will have two finishing loops around Goes and the surrounding areas to the east. The race will follow the Kattendijksedijk on the first approach and the following two laps and will offer up a lot of wind.

If this was a bit confusing, have no fear as the organizers made a neat video profile of the course and important areas along it.

The Contenders

While this race can be a bit crazy with the wind and echelons, the winner is usually a rider with a one-day and sprinting background. Since it became a Nations Cup race in 2008, the race has been won by Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana), Arman Kamyshev (Astana), Maxime Daniel (Sojasun), and twice by Luke Rowe (SKY), once in a sprint and once in a late breakaway. John Degenkolb was on the podium twice here, 2nd in 2008 to Guarnieri and winning the chasing group sprint for 3rd in 2009 behind Rowe.

Caleb Ewan

So our suspect will obviously be someone with a sprint. The obvious favorite has to be the Australian Caleb Ewan. He won Wednesday's La Côte Picarde after latching himself onto the winning breakaway and outsprinting Sean De Bie. Slovenia brings Luka Pibernik, who was 3rd to Ewan in the GP Palio del Recioto and 8th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen Nations Cup last Saturday. Sprinters Ty Magner (USA) and Paddy Bevin (New Zealand) will be making their Nations Cup debuts for this year here. Both were racing the Redlands Classic stage race in California last week so we shall see if their form has come across the pond with them. Other sprinters to watch will be Yoeri Havik (Netherlands), Christophe Laporte (France) and Jorne Carolus & Florent Mottet (Belgium). 

We could also see a winner that is not a pure sprinter. Points Race World Champion Simon Yates (Great Britain) has been attacking the hell out of races lately, including both the Ronde van Vlaanderen and La Côte Picarde Nations Cups. If he is feeling well, we could see a late race move from him, which coupled with strong finishing speed, could mean trouble for everyone else. Slovenia's Jan Polanc would prefer some hills but he always seems to be in an attacking mood. Other strong men to watch include Toms Skujins (Latvia), Damien Howson (Australia),  Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev (Kazakhstan) and Alexis Gougeard (France). 

My pick for the win: Caleb Ewan ahead of Havik and Carolus.

Ewan strikes gold at La Côte Picarde

Ewan beats out Sean De Bie (Photo: velostory.net)

Caleb Ewan (Australia) won his 2nd race in eight days as he got himself into the right breakaway with only 15 kilometers left and outsprinted Sean De Bie (Belgium) and Simon Yates (Great Britain) to win La Côte Picarde.

Australian squad before the race; Ewan 2nd from left

The race was fast from the start as multiple attacks tried to establish an advantage without much success. The lone attacker from Saturday's Ronde van Vlaanderen, Frenchman Alexis Gougeard, was at it again but this time with other guys. He was apart of an early breakaway of seven that was joined by 12 more, including Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier (France) and Jorne Carolus (Belgium), with 110km to go.

With around 80 kilometers to go, a group of 7 formed including Jonathan Dibben (GB), Philip Lindau (Sweden), Janis Dakteris (Latvia), Nurbolat Kulimbetov (Kazakhstan), Daniel Klemme (Germany), Benoit Poitevin (France) and Mark Dzamastagic (Slovenia). This group would dominate the next 60 kilometers and sweep up all of the KOM points, with Dzamastagic winning the competition with three 1st places and a 2nd. There gap got to a maximum of 2'05" at 65km to go before being slowly brought back by the chasing peloton.

On the 4th KOM point with 36km to go, Mark Dzamastagic took the points and along with Lindau and Poitevin, accelerated over the top and broke away from their fellow break companions. Simultaneously, Jasper Stuyven (Belgium) used the climb as a launch point and bridged up to the group of four that had been dropped by the leading trio. Stuyven's group was eventually caught by the chasing peloton and with 25km to go, the race was brought back together.

The final lap of the race began with 18km to go and on the final KOM point at 17km to go, Simon Yates (GB) launched an attack and quickly got a gap. A group of four was able to breakaway from the peloton including Caleb Ewan, Sean De Bie, Jan Polanc (Slovenia) and Kristian Haugaard Jensen (Denmark). Yates continued to plow on as the advantage between he and the peloton grew but with just 5km left in the race, the chasing four latched on to the Points Race World Champion.

The gap grew between the leading five and the peloton and coming into the final straight, Ewan lead the sprint out and easily won the race ahead of a tight sprint for 2nd, won by De Bie with Simon Yates in 3rd. In the sprint behind, Christophe Laporte (France) beat out U23 Ronde winner Rick Zabel (Germany) and Yoeri Havik (Netherlands) for 6th place.

1 Caleb Ewan (Australia)2 Sean De Bie (Belgium)3 Simon Yates  (Great Britain)4 Kristian Haugaard Jensen (Danemark)5 Jan Polanc (Slovenia6 Christophe Laporte (France)7 Rick Zabel (Germany)8 Yoeri Havik (Netherlands)9 Campbell Flakemore (Australia)10 Edward Theuns (Belgium)11 Kristoffer Skjerping (Norway)12 Viktor Manakov (Russia)13 Daniel Freitas (Portugal)14 Andreas Hofer (Austria)15 Patrick Konrad (Austria)16 Ulises Castillo Soto (World Cycling Centre/UCI Mixed)17 Takero Terasaki (Japan)18 Daniel Hoelgaard (Norway) 19 Haavard Blikra (Norway)20 Stefan Küng (Switzerland)

Belgium is now leading the Nations Cup classification but with this weekend's ZLM Tour, the standings could easily change once again.

La Côte Picarde Nations Cup (Short) Preview

You know what really grinds my gears? When races don't put up a website or release any sort of course information to the public. First it was the Istrian Spring Trophy. Now it is La Côte Picarde, a race that has been one of the biggest U23 races in the last decade. The race has no official website and as far as I can see, there is no course map of any kind available. Do you want your race to be ignored? Honestly, when you are registering your race with the UCI, there should be some basic categories met including making your course maps and startlists available to the public, even if it comes just from the UCI website.

Aerial of finishing town, Mers-les-Bains

The name of this race says it all...The Picardy coast. Taking place in the Somme department, the race winds its way around the primarily flat, windy region. While the race is primarily flat, that does not mean that there will be a bunch sprint at the end of 172.2 kilometers of racing. If I had a map perhaps I could go into more depth but I guess that was too much for the organizers to handle.

The race has a pretty rich history albeit only two decades old. The race originally started as an amateur event before being promoted to professional status in 1992 and then French Cup (Coupe de France) status in 1996 and maintained that status through 1999. Winners during that time included Thierry Marie, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov and Philippe Gaumont. In 2000, the race went a strictly U23 format and attracted many big European amateur squads. 2001's edition saw Andrei Kashechkin shred the field and win solo while 2002 saw Sebastian Chavanel beat out Gert Steegmans in a 20-man sprint, a race which saw Franck Schleck get 4th place in said sprint. In 2007, the race joined the inagural UCI Nations Cup calendar and along with the Tour de l'Avenir, is the only original race left on the calendar.

With Nations Cup races only having 6-man teams, any race is hard to control but when you add in the vicious crosswinds of the French coast? Well there will be guys with big engines breaking away for breakaway wins. In fact, in the six editions since the race became a Nations Cup race, five of them have been from a breakaway of no more than three. These previous winners include stalwarts such as Simon Spilak, Kristjan Koren and Timofey Kristkiy. Arnaud Demare's win in 2011 was the only one that finished in a bunch sprint, where he beat out Alexey Tsatevitch and Tosh van der Sande. So if you are going to follow the race live (textually) on directvelo.com, don't except to see a bunch sprint.

There are lots of contenders for the win, including from a breakaway and if the race comes down to a sprint. My favorites from a breakaway include Dylan van Baarle (Netherlands), Damien Howson (Australia), Jasper Stuyven (Belgium), Frederik Ludvigsson (Sweden) and Lawson Craddock (USA). I know that list might seem a bit cliché as they are all big names but they have showed themselves within the last month to be in good form and could pull off a big win. On the sprint side, there are a boat load of riders that could pull off a win. The big names include Caleb Ewan (Australia), Jorne Carolus and Sean De Bie (Belgium), Magnus Cort (Denmark), Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier (France) and Luka Pibernik (Slovenia). It really depends on the wind if this race with be decided by the few or the many. As of now, it looks like the many should triumph but that can change rather quickly.

Here is the full startlist

The race will be covered with live updates from directvelo.com tomorrow starting at 12.45 local time

Weekend Roundup

After the Ronde van Vlaanderen U23 Nations Cup on Saturday and Paris-Roubaix on Saturday, the rest of the weekends races were overshadowed a bit but there were a few good races out there.

First, the bad news. The Toscana-Terra di Ciclismo-Coppa della Nazioni Nations Cup stage race has been postponed by the organizers, hopefully to a date later this season. The organizers cited the financial state of Italy along with increasing burdens. The GiroBio (Baby Giro) is also facing financial difficulty (both races are run under the same management company) but president Giancarlo Brocci has not given a definite answer on whether the race will be cancelled outright. Big stage races in Italy have been suffering all year starting the the Giro del Friuli, which was cancelled early this year. For the GiroBio to be saved, some sponsors will have to come out of the woodwork or the race will have to be shortened.

There is some good news in all of this in that the Giro della Valle d'Aosta Mont Blanc will be returning with six stages in July. President Vasco Sarto lamented that in recent years the race has lost nearly 20% of its budget but they were determined to make the race happen. Cuts were made, including to communications, but in the end, the race will go on.

Trofeo Piva Banca Popolare di Vicenza (UCI 1.2U)

Michele Scartezzini (Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli) won the Trofeo Piva Banca Popolare in an upset after winning a three up sprint against Simone Andreetta (Zalf-Euromobil) and Damien Howson (Australia). While the Italians have been winning many races at home, they have been shut out recently by foreign riders in the UCI-ranked events. The Australians came into this event having won the previous two editions with Richie Lang and Jay McCarthy. The three dropped Pierre Paolo Penasa just before the line and Scartezzini, a rider with the Italian team pursuit on the track, easily took the sprint.

Behind, Caleb Ewan (Australia) won the field sprint for 8th place while Italian sprinter Andrea Zordan (Zalf-Euromobil) finished 11th. Previous winners of this race include Yaroslav Popovych and Janez Brajkovic.

Paris-Roubaix Juniors (Junior Nations Cup)

While the U23 Nations Cup was taken off the calendar due to lack of funding, the juniors event still takes place ahead of the men's event. Dane Mads Pedersen was able to outsprint Belgian Nathan van Hooydonck and British rider Tao Geoghegan in a three-up sprint in the Roubaix velodrome after 128.3 kilometers of racing. Pedersen is one of the gems of the 1995 class as last year he won botht he Tour of Istria and Trofeo Karlsberg Nations Cup stage races.

Memorial Valenciaga (Copa de España 4)

Photo: Federacion Vasca de Ciclismo

Airán Fernández (Coluer) took the fourth round of the Copa de España in Eibar, Basque Country in a solo uphill victory. 20-year old Loïc Chetout (Naturgas) is the new leader of the overall competition. This race is notable in that past winners include Oscar Freire, Joaquim Rodriguez and Mikel Nieve. Also notable is the fact that Dayer Quintana (Lizarte) was a protagonist in the day's events. You might recognize the surname because Dayer is the brother of World Tour rider Nairo Quintana (Movistar). Dayer attacked uphill on the second to last climb but was eventually brought back in by other attackers and when it was all said and done, he finished 8th. 

Trofeo Giacomo Larghi (Italy)

Niccolò Bonifazio (Viris Maserati) won the 9th Trofeo Giacomo Larghi in a fast sprint over Niccolo Ruffoni (Colpack). The race itself was blistering fast with a 45.2 km/h average over a 146.9 kilometer course. I include this result simply because Bonifazio has an agreement with Lampre-Merida (along with Slovenian rider Jan Polanc) that will see him stagiaire with the team in August and then ride with them full time after that. 

Stay tuned for my preview of Wednesday's La Côte Picardie Nations Cup race!

Rick Zabel sprints to Ronde van Vlaanderen U23 glory

Rick Zabel taking the sprint...looks just like his dad, no?
(Photo via Het Nieuwsblad/Sportwereld)

After a day filled with wind, cobbles and attacks, Rick Zabel (Germany) was able to beat Dylan Groenewegen (Netherlands) and Magnus Cort Nielsen (Denmark) in the final sprint of nearly 30 riders to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen U23 Nations Cup. The strongly favored Belgians tried to play their hand with Jasper Stuyven but after multiple attacks were shut down, they had to settle for 4th in the sprint with Sean De Bie.

The action was hot as soon as the flagged dropped as multiple attacks tried to get an advantage. A group of 14 tried to get away early but only Alexis Gougeard (France) was able to get an advantage and the peloton was very willing to let the Frenchman get a healthy lead. By healthy, I mean that his advantage grew out to 7 minutes before the peloton decided to take any action.

The day's lone breakaway, Alexis Gougeard (France), on the Guilleminlaan in Geraardsbergen
(Photo via Twitter @NicoMattan)

The peloton finally decided to wake up with about 80 kilometers left in the day and once they started to ride, the gap quickly began to tumble. On the Valkenberg, Martin Olsen (Norway) started off the affairs by attacking the peloton. Olsen was brought back with 74km left but the gap to Gougeard was now just at 5'30". A crash in the peloton took out a few riders including Britain's Sam Harrison and sent Slovenia's Andrej Rajsp to the hospital.

Hill after hill, Gougeard's advantage tumbled as the peloton continued to pick up it's pace; spitting riders out the back as the selection was being made. As the peloton came back into Oudenaarde, Gougeard's advantage was no more; in just a little over 45 kilometers, his advantage went from nearly 7 minutes to naught.

As the peloton came back into Oudenaarde to start the final two loops of the Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg and Eikenberg, a group of seven attempted to get of the front. This group, including riders such as Gavin Mannion (USA), Stefan Küng (Suisse) and Tom Skujins (Latvia) got a gap but once the race hit the Steenbeekdries, their gap was eliminated.

Kristian Haugaard Jensen (Denmark) attacked on the Taaienberg, the same berg which Tom Boonen has used as a launch pad on multiple occasions, and remained solo for a few kilometers before he was joined by Jimmy Turgis (France) and Mannion. The trio held a gap over the Eikenberg (35km to go) while Edward Theuns (Belgium) and Toms Skujins (Latvia) attacked and pursued the leading trio. The chasing duo was brought back into the fold but after Mannion flatted out of the break, the leading duo of Jensen and Turgis maintained a 25 second gap across the finish line with one lap left to go.

As the race headed up the Steenbeekdries for the final time, the gap to the breakaway began to dwindle to only 10 seconds. As the leading tandem were brought back in, Jasper Stuyven (Belgium) attacked the peloton with only 13 kilometers left in the race. His move was short lived as the race and was followed by Simon Yates (Great Britain) attacking on the Taaienberg. Yates was joined by an elite group of ten riders including Stuyven, De Bie, Dylan van Baarle (Netherlands) and Frederik Ludvigsson (Sweden). This gap was neutralized but Yates again tried to attack on the Eikenberg but was brought back into the fold of a ~30 rider strong peloton.

Coming back into Oudenaarde, there were multiple attacks in the final flat kilometers. Dieter Bouvry (Belgium) attempted to go with 2 kilometers to go but as he was brought back, a dangerous counter was launched. Jasper Stuyven, Ignazio Moser (Italy) and Sean Hambrook (New Zealand) attacked in just before the final kilometer and gained a gap over the peloton and taking it into the final straightaway. With the peloton in full-sprint, the last-minute break attempt was brought back within the final 250 meters. In the end, Rick Zabel (Germany) had a clean line was able to taken the sprint ahead of a lunging Dylan Groenewegen (Netherlands), who had the misfortune of being stuck behind a cramping rider.

Congratulation to @zabelrick for his win in the #rondeU23 #newUpComingTalent
— Fabian cancellara (@f_cancellara) April 6, 2013

1. Rick Zabel (Germany)
2. Dylan Groenewegen (Netherlands)
3. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Denmark)
4. Sean De Bie (Belgium)
5. Kristian Haugaard Jensen (Denmark)
6. Nick van der Lijke (Netherlands
7. Toms Skujins (Latvia)
8. Luka Pibernik (Slovenia)
9. Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier (France)
10. Alberto Bettiol (Italy)

Full Results

Some takeaways...

• This is the biggest win of Zabel's young career and while this race played out different than other U23 Ronde's in the past, it is a big signal that he is destined for greatness.
• Denmark did well to get two in the top five and did about as well as they could have hoped for, realistically
• Groenewegen had some bad luck in the final sprint but his 2nd place here, along with other strong result the last two years, signal big things to come. His Netherlands squad showed very well today after multiple attacks and with no classics specific riders, 2nd place is an accomplishment.
• The USA probably had the worst luck of the day after Mannion experienced multiple flat tires and other riders had mechanical problems which made them a near non-factor in the finale.
• New Zealand and Kazakhstan finished strong with three and four rider respectively finishing in the front group. 

Ronde van Vlaanderen U23: The Field and the Favorites

The Magical Startlist

I know it is just so much to ask from the organizers but I really would like if they could get a finalized startlist out more than two days in advance. Or at least just a preliminary startlist. This startlist has mistakes as it is and I will point them out as we go along.

The big favorites are the home team, the Belgians. Belgium is bringing a very strong roster that is headlined by Jasper Stuyven (Bontrager CT) and Sean de Bie (Leopard-Trek). Stuyven won the recent Volta ao Alentejo and is on great form while De Bie is coming off a solid Triptyque Monts et Châteaux and will be trying to replicate the 2nd place he got here last year. It is kind of hard to define the rest of the team as "support" because many of them could just as well go for the win. Dieter Bouvry (Etixx-iHNed) was going well at Alentejo and Boucle des l'Artois while Edward Theuns (VL Techniks) is probably on the form of his life at the moment. With Belgian U23 champ Jorne Carolus (Lotto-Belisol U23) out sick and Boris Vallee (ColorCode-Biowanze) replaced, Niels Wytinck (AnPost-ChainReaction) and Bert van Lerberghe (Ventilair-Steria) will be riding. Both have been in good form with the latter going 10th overall at Triptyque while Wytinck made the front group at last weekend's Volta Limburg Classic.

Looking past the Belgians, I see very strong teams in France, the Netherlands, Denmark and the USA.

• France comes with a stacked team that includes two former junior world champions in Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier (Vendée U) and Olivier Le Gac (Bic 2000). Le Gac won the Boucles de l'Essor earlier this year while Lecuisinier, who finished in the front group last year here in RvV, rode well at the Tour de Normandie and has had multiple high placings on the France's domestic scene. The French also bring powerhouse Florian Sénéchal (Etixx-iHNed), who has been on great form this last month and will be looking forward to a nice result. Jimmy Turgis (CC Nogent sur Oise) rode a solid Tour de Normandie and has experience here as he was a front group finisher last year.
• The Dutch are bringing a mini-Rabobank Development team with the team taking up four of the six spots. The only problem that I see with this team is that they don't have a lot of experience riding one-day races with cobbles. They of course have the star of this year's U23 class, Dylan van Baarle (Rabobank Devo) along with super strong teammates Nick van der Lijke and Jasper Bovenhuis. Elmar Reinders (Metec) got his first selection for a U23 Nations Cup after doing some cracking rides in Ster van Zwolle and the hellish Ronde van Drenthe.
• The Danes will by led by last year's 15th place finisher Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (Tre-For). They also bring Michael Valgren Andersen (CULT Energy), who does well in hillier events but should be in form. They have a solid team and I have an eye on them to bring a surprise result.
• Team USA has not been a favorite in Flanders in recent years but with an in-form Lawson Craddock and Tanner Putt (both Bontrager), they will be one of the dark horses. Craddock solo-ed away on the 2b stage at Triptyque while Putt was top 15 here last year and will be looking to move up the rankings.

There are lots of other strong riders here that could pull a good result...

• Italy brings the highly touted Ignazio Moser (BMC Devo), who has buckled down on his training and has been doing strong work. Another rider that DS Amadori has touted is Alberto Bettiol, so watch to see what he can do.
• The Russians...well I never know what they are up to. Perhaps Kiril Yatsevich could bring them a result. 
• Germans bring Rabobank Devo teammates Rick Zabel and Ruben Zepuntke, both of whom have been in form lately. 
• Jan Polanc (Radenska) and last year's junior World Champion Matej Mohoric (Sava) headline for Slovenia with Luka Pibernik (Radenska) also in form. 
• I have a soft spot for Toms Skujins (Rietumu-Delfin), who is in his final U23 season, and have liked him since he was 2nd here in 2011. I think he could perhaps go top 10 here for Latvia. 
• Lukasz Wisniowski (Etixx-iHNed) did well at Boucle de l'Artois so perhaps he could go top 20 here for Poland.
• Look for Conor Dunne (VL Techniks) as Ireland's go-to man as he has had a good season in Belgium so far this year.
• Simon Yates (Great Britain) had two wins in a week in Belgium for his 100%ME squad. He won a track world championship in the points race in Minsk this year. 
• New Zealand is not exactly a cobbles power but they could take a top 20 place. Cameron Karwowski was 24th last year and could be here again but he hasn't had much racing time. Josh Atkins (EFC-OPQS) will be a strong presence while I believe, while he isn't on the startlist, Alex Frame (Thüringer Energie) will be present and will be quite a boost for the squad.
• Kazakhstan doesn't have as strong a team as they have had in the past but Daniil Fominykh will be the team's best bet for a result.  

That's all I've got...got someone else that I missed? Comment or tweet me @Vlaanderen90 and drop some science on me. This list isn't at all comprehensive and I left out a few of the teams so if you have a hot tip, I will be all ears.

P.S. The UCI wrote about the race briefly but the piece they put out is chock full of mistakes. Larson Craddok? Jasper Stuyvens? Inexcusable for the governing body to churn out such a pile of shit.

Silvio Herklotz: The German Wunderkind

Bridging up to the breakaway riders at the GP Palio del Recioto, Silvio Herklotz decided that he wasn't going to wait around for his companions to make the race. Herklotz took of on the descent, riding like a man possessed and taking incredible chances to try and secure the victory; chances that would catch up with him on the last descent. Going into the final left-hand bend at nearly 80 km/h, Herklotz hit a wooden pole and went skidding out. Bruised and bloodied, he immediately hopped back on his bike and attempted to salvage the victory that was assuredly his. Herklotz was joined by 8 chasers, including noted sprinter Caleb Ewan. He led the sprint out from the front with 250 meters to go but Ewan was able to over power him. While Silvio might have had a sour taste in his mouth over getting 2nd, duplicating his result from the day before at the Giro del Belvedere, there is no denying the immense talent that the young man from Berlin possesses.

Born in Berlin in May, 1994 and living in the suburb of Mahlow, Herklotz began riding when he was only 9 years old and quickly took to racing. At 12, he won Berlin's prestigious International Kids Tour in the U13 category, a race won by the like of John Degenkolb. He would go on to place 2nd overall in the following two years in the same race in the U15 classification, being beaten by Ruben Zepuntke (now Rabobank Development) and Maximillian Schachmann (Thüringer Energie). Other riders that have previously won the U15 classification there include Roy Sentjens, Oscar Gatto, Degenkolb and Mads Christensen. Also from a young age, Herklotz was active on the cyclocross scene; racing on the Deutschland-Cup circuit along with local Berlin races. From 2008 to 2010, he won the Deutschland Cup overall for U15 (2008) and U17 (2009-10) racers along with his first national title in 2010 in the U17 (Debutant) Category in Magstadt for his RSV Werner Otto Berlin club.

His first season in the juniors started out incredibly well as Herklotz rode the World Cup circuit in the 2010/11 cyclocross season where he was twice in the top ten in World Cup races, finished 8th at the World Championships in Sankt Wendel and won the German junior title. While he experience great success in 'cross, he had always been focused on the road, where his lanky body was suited to climbing and time trialling. He won the time trial at the Juniors Peace Race, beating Danny van Poppel (now Vacansoleil) and Alexis Gougeard (vice-champion in French U23 TT last year). In part to a strong time trial, Herklotz won the overall at the Drei Etappen Rundfahrt Frankfurt, one of the most prestigious junior stage races, where he beat riders such as Ivar Slik (now Rabobank Development).

Cyclocross again proved to fruitful for the young German in the 2011/12 season as three times he came 2nd place to the freight-train that is Mathieu van der Poel, the now two-time world champion. Herklotz finished 5th overall in the junior World Cup overall rankings after finishing 7th at Worlds along with another German title. This would be his adieu to cyclocross racing because his eyes were now fully trained on the road.

Herklotz and his former 'cross rival Quentin Jauregui (France) went head-to-head at the GP Général Patton in Luxembourg, with Jauregui beating Herklotz by two seconds on the first stage and just as much in the overall. After experiencing an off day at the first stage of the Giro della Lunigiani, Herklotz went on a rampage and won the next three stages, which pushed him up to 2nd overall and secured him the points and mountain classifications. There were no sprint stages either. Each stage involved Herklotz breaking away from the peloton and taking wins in breakaways. This attacking nature is one of the major characteristics of Herklotz' riding style. He isn't a rider that looks out of control when attacking either. His pedal stroke is smooth and his upper body is still with all of the power going directly into the pedals. It is easy to draw comparisons to another German rider that was highly touted at a young age. I don't like saying riders "resemble so-and-so" because I always think that sets them up for failure but coming out of the junior ranks, it is hard not to look to Jan Ullrich when you see Silvio Herklotz. Perhaps Ullrich was a bit different type of rider and had more raw power but I still think that they are comparable.

Moving into this season, Herklotz transferred to the Stölting-Ruhr team led by Jochen Hahn, who specializes in nurturing young talent and in the past, he coached riders such as Linus Gerdemann and Gerald Ciolek. Also taking on Hahn as his personal coach, Herklotz had a very solid winter training that put him on line for a big season. Herklotz had a sojourn with cyclocross as he went on to finish 3rd in the German U23 championships.

His 2013 season has gone incredible for a rider his age. I have written about him a lot so far this year simply because of his results. In the Istrian Spring Trophy, his first elite stage race, he went 2nd in the prologue and 3rd on the queen stage on the way to 4th overall behind racers such as Matej Mugerli and Patrick Sinkewitz, both of whom have decades of experience. Just this week, Herklotz has been at it again at U23 races Giro del Belvedere and GP Palio del Recioto, where he attacked both races hard and came away with two 2nd places. Go to my write-up of both if your curious for more.

With the Toscana-Terra di Ciclismo Nations Cup stage race on tap for Herklotz, it will be interesting to see what he can do on a higher level with the best U23 talent around. It would be a big mistake if riders don't take notice to him because if they let him get up the road, he could be gone for good.


Silvio Herklotz

• Mahlow, Berlin, Germany
• Team Stölting-Ruhr Profi Radteam
• Age: 18 (May 6th, 1994)
• Height: 1.90 meters (6'3")
• Weight: 68kg (150 pounds)
• Strengths: TT, Stage races, hard one-day races