Aberasturi sprints to second stage win at Qinghai Lake

Spanish sprinter Jon Aberasturi won a select bunch sprint after his chase group caught a five-rider break with just a little over a kilometre to go on the fifth stage of the 16th Tour of Qinghai Lake (UCI 2.HC) in China on Thursday.

It was the second stage win for the 28-year-old Team UKYO rider, who also won the opener on Sunday to be the first cyclist to don the yellow leader’s jersey. A pair of Nippo-Vini Fantini riders rounded out the podium with Eduard Michael Grosu second and Riccardo Stacchiotti third.

The both highly anticipated and dreaded 185-kilometre crosswind stage from Qinghai Lake to Gangcha is never easy, however this year’s fifth stage was tough for other reasons.

“It was a really hard day,” current mountains classification leader Ilia Koshevoy (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia) told Eurosport after the stage. “The crosswinds were not as bad as expected, but the nervousness of the peloton waiting for them to slam against us was mentally exhausting all day. Everyone was constantly battling for position in fear of getting caught out by the wind.”

Points leader and previous stage winner Ahmet Örken, who was sitting beside Koshevoy in the post-race press area, agreed with the 26-year-old Belarusian and former WorldTour rider.

“It was a very nervous day,” explained the Rio Olympian further. “Like the KOM said, the crosswinds were not as strong as expected, but peloton was nervous and it took its toll on us mentally as well as physically.”

Both Koshevoy and Örken sit inside the GC top 10 at sixth (+1:14) and seventh (+2:06) place respectively. Last year’s stage winner and current ‘Best Asian Rider’ Yevgeniy Gidich (Vino-Astana Motors) is 2 minutes 26 seconds back in 11th position.

Stage 5 featured three intermediate sprint points, with Munkhtulga Erdenesuren (Ningxia Sports Lottery-Livall Cycling Team) claiming the first sprint, followed by last year’s points winner Danielle Colli (Qinghai Tianyoude), who unfortunately later crashed out with a broken collarbone.

A five-rider breakaway launched 60km out. The break included last year’s race winner Sergiy Lagkuti (Kolss), Stefan Schumacher (Kuwait-Cartucho.es), Yevgeniy Nepomnyachshiy (Vino-Astana Motors), Matteo Rabottini (Meridiana Kamen) and Rick van Breda (Monkey Town Continental Team). The quintet would battle for the final sprint bonus with Lagkuti coming out on top over Schumacher and Nepomnyachshiy.

“We hoped for more wind, and the wind wasn’t in the right direction as well, but we kept pushing because we heard the yellow jersey was out,” van Breda told Eurosport. “We kept working for Santoro because he is our main GC guy.

The 27-year-old Dutchman suffered cramps and was temporarily dropped before bridging back to the break minus Nepomnyachshiy.

“I know I’m not that explosive myself, so when they jumped I couldn’t follow that much,” van Breda admitted. “I decided to ride my own tempo because that’s what I’m good at, and I was able to bridge back to the front.

The top three on general classification remained unchanged with race leader Davide Mucelli (Meridiana Kamen) holding on to an 11-second lead over Stage 3 winner Stanislau Bazhkou (Minsk) and 12 over Yonathan Monsalve (Qinghai Tianyoude) heading into tomorrow’s hilltop finish.

Stage 6 starts in Qilian before finishing atop Qilian Mountain at a staggering 4,120 metres in elevation, and after four different race leaders in five days, Friday’s stage winner could ride the yellow jersey all the way to the Stage 13 finish in Zhongwei on Sunday, July 29.

1. Jon Aberasturi, ESP, Team UKYO, 3:58:32

2. Eduard Michael Grosu, ROM, Nippo-Vini Fantini , s.t.

3. Riccardo Stacchiotti, ITA, Nippo-Vini Fantini, s.t.

1. Davide Mucelli, ITA, Meridiana Kamen Team, 17:18:51

2. Stanislau Bazhkou, BLR, Minsk Cycling Team, +0:11

3. Yonathan Monsalve, VEN, Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team, +0:12

Race leader (yellow jersey): Davide Mucelli, ITA, Meridiana Kamen Team

Points leader (green jersey): Ahmet Örken, TUR, Torku Şekerspor

Mountains leader (polka dot jersey): Ilia Koshevoy, BLR, Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia

Best Asian rider (blue jersey): Yevgeniy Gidich, KAZ, Vino-Astana Motors

Teams classification: Kuwait-Cartucho.es, 52:03:36

For full results click here.