2009 race winner is a favourite to win
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling) rode to second place in today’s Eneco Tour prologue, seven seconds behind stage winner Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team). The 2009 winner used a controlled time trial on a difficult course to firmly stamp his name on the list of overall contenders.
“It was a really good start and that was a strong ride for Edvald,” team director Servais Knaven said after the stage. “He has shown that he has good legs and now with two sprint stages coming up, we will try to get Edvald some time bonuses.”
“Every second counts in this race and there aren’t that many possibilities to gain time. We will try for the sprint tomorrow with him.”
Race conditions varied throughout the day, leaving almost every rider with at least one obstacle. Matt Brammeier (HTC-Highroad) and Rick Flens (Rabobank) were two riders who hit the deck as a result of some rain-slickened roads. As the sun came out and the roads dried for the latter half of the prologue, the wind picked up. Flags were nearly taught and banners waved in the breeze as Boasson Hagen and the other favorites took the course.
“It was really windy today,” Knaven confirmed. “At the start of the day it was raining so the first 40 or 50 riders were riding on wet roads. Then it dried up again. But after the rain was gone it was still windy. It was difficult to ride the bike sometimes.”
Like Boasson Hagen, many riders beginning the Eneco Tour are back to real racing for the first time since the Tour de France concluded. Knaven believes this could factor in to the race as Phinney, who did not race the Tour, tries to fight off a stable of contenders with more racing kilometres in their legs.
“It is good for the guys to be back in action. It always feels a bit strange after two weeks without racing to be back,” Knaven explained. “But as soon as you are on the bike, you can see that they are really strong. The feeling in the legs is not always the same as the result. They don’t feel great but they can still put in a good time. They will get better every day.”
If it weren’t for Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Boasson Hagen would likely be getting much more attention this season as one of the best all-around riders in the sport. With four wins this season, including two in the Tour de France, the Norwegian is on a multi-year run of success that nearly equals that of Gilbert. The Belgian today named Boasson Hagen as the primary hurdle in his path to overall victory.
Going into tomorrow’s first road stage, it is Boasson Hagen, Gilbert, Lars Boom (Rabobank), and Alex Rasmussen (HTC-Highroad) chasing overall leader Phinney. Making up time on the American phenom may not be easy.
“Everyone is looking good and motivated and we going to try our best to take some time back on Taylor Phinney,” Knaven concluded. “It is a six-day race and we have a strong team. But today was already a really good start.”