Photo: Graham Watson
Stage 5: 150 km
Race leadership has changed once again, and now it is team Liquigas that must take responsibility of the chase. Pretty much, they decide who to let go in the breakaway and how much time to give it. Sometimes team politics give the breakaway a chance for survival, as evidenced by stage 1 of Qatar when no team would take charge of the pace making, and the two man break took a 22 minute lead winning the race 2 minutes ahead of a chase group.
With this in mind a lot of guys are trying for the early break, and we are rocketing through roundabouts and construction zones for about 45 minutes. Ben (Aus), Jesse, Alex, and I jump in a few moves, but never gain much of a lead. Finally, a group of three is released, and Liquigas congregates up front letting the escapees build a comfortable lead before they begin riding tempo. The rest of the flat costal stage is standard operation. The break is caught just before the finish, and the sprinters jockey for the perfect position to burst for the line. Apart from the golfball sized rock that popped off someone’s wheel and hit me in the face and Jesse finishing on the way too small spare bike, today is just another day in the saddle for Trek-Livestrong.