2008 Tour of Missouri Live Updates: Stage 4

for live coverage of stage 4

We join today’s 95-mile stage from Lebanon to Rolla in progress.

We are at mile 53.

Marco Pinotti and Michael Rogers (Columbia)
Matej Mugerli (Liquigas)
Darren Lapthorne (Sparkasse)
Cam Evans (Symmetrics)
Darren Lill (BM)
Ted King (Bissell)
Michael Creed (Rock Racing)
Frank Pipp (Health Net-Maxxis)

Even Columbia’s Mark Cavendish got into the mix. He initiated a move with two men coming across. That got shut down, though, and a number of other small moves went.

Of course Garmin-Chipotle wasn’t having any of that.

Pinotti, a favorite for yesterday’s time trial, suffered a frustrating mechanical early on in the individual event. He got a flat, then had trouble with the wheel change. He lost minutes as a result.

Garmin-Chipotle’s Christian Vande Velde leads the race after a dominating win in the time trial yesterday. Toyota-United could be riding for their sprinter Ivan Dominguez, who found victory at the Tour of Missouri last year.

Toyota has the peloton strung out singlefile. Toyota wants this move shut down. They are not represented in the move up the road.

At the start of the stage, here is how the overall classification looked:

1. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin/chipotle Presented By H3o in 8.48:24
2. Michael Rogers (AUS) Team Columbia in 8.48:45 at 21
3. Svein Tuft (CAN) Symmetrics Cycling Team in 8.49:08 at 44
4. George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia in 8.49:27 at 1:03
5. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Liquigas in 8.49:39 at 1:15
6. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin/chipotle Presented By H3o in 8.49:45 at 1:21
7. Darren Lill (RSA) Bmc Racing Team in 8.49:46 at 1:22
8. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin/chipotle Presented By H3o in 8.49:48 at 1:24
9. Danny Pate (USA) Garmin/chipotle Presented By H3o in 8.49:48 at 1:24
10. Benjamin Day (AUS) Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team in 8.49:49 at 1:25

As Toyota’s turns at the front of the field take their toll.

After a crash back at the day’s first KOM at mile 45, race radio is reporting that two riders were carted off.

We’re at mile 60 now, with the gap just dangling to the break.

Garmin ain’t having it.

Some had speculated that Columbia would be content to let Garmin’s Vande Velde have the GC, and instead just concentrate on stage wins with their ace in the hole Mark Cavendish.
Columbia’s actions on the road today, however, say otherwise.

A few riders on the ground, but all seem to be getting back up okay.

Toyota’s Dominique Rollin is the current leader of the King of the Mountains.

Riders are popping out of the back of the field

But Rollin is right on his wheel, and now comes over the top for the KOM.

Vande Velde is in the front group over the top.

There’s a group of about 20 who are clear. Race leader Vande Velde is there, but we don’t see many of his Garmin teammates in that group.

Barry is leading the race with a Sparkasse rider. Only has a few seconds.

Up the road we have:
Rogers, Pinotti, Hincapie, Barry (Columbia)
Vande Velde, Danielson (Garmin)
Louder, Cruz and Wyss (BMC)
Sven Tuft (Symmetrics)
Tom Zirbel (Bissell)
Andy Bajadali (Kelly)
Dominique Rollin (Toyota)
Tim Johnson (Health Net)
Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas)
Richard Faltus, Dirk Muller (Sparkasse)

This is an interesting move here. Garmin can’t be happy to have just one teammate with race leader Vande Velde.

It’s a hot one today.

Besides working for his teammates, Canadian Michael Barry is at the Tour of Missouri to fine tune his form for worlds. Judging by the ease with which he is riding in the wind the last few days, that form is coming along just fine.

Thomas Rabou (Rabobank)
Bernardo Colex Tepox (Tecos)
Aaron Olson (Bissell)

Are trying to get across. They’ve got a tough road to hoe, as there is some serious firepower in the front group ahead.

The peloton is another 40 seconds behind the trio.

Michael Rogers (Columbia) at 21 seconds
Marco Pinotti (Columbia) at 3:54
George Hincapie (Columbia) at 1:03
Michael Barry (Columbia) at 3:38
Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) race leader
Tom Danielson (Garmin) at 1:24
Jeff Louder (BMC) at 2:25
Tony Cruz (BMC) at 3:23
Danilo Wyss (BMC) at 3:46
Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) at 44
Tom Zirbel (Bissell) at 2:02
Andy Bajadali (Kelly) at 4:25
Dominique Rollin (Toyota) at 2:39
Tim Johnson (Health Net) at 7:22
Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) at 1:33
Richard Faltus (Sparkasse) at 7:20
Dirk Muller (Sparkasse) at 3:03

Looks like this front group could stay clear. Mark Cavendish is back in the peloton.

Looks like BMC, Kelly, Columbia and Sparkasse. Stand by for IDs

Four riders are clear of the front group:
Michael Barry (Columbia)
Richard Faltus (Sparkasse)
Jeff Louder (BMC)
Andy Bajadali (Kelly)

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) race leader
Michael Rogers (Columbia) at 21 seconds
Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) at 44
George Hincapie (Columbia) at 1:03
Tom Danielson (Garmin) at 1:24
Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) at 1:33
Tom Zirbel (Bissell) at 2:02
Jeff Louder (BMC) at 2:25
Dominique Rollin (Toyota) at 2:39
Dirk Muller (Sparkasse) at 3:03
Tony Cruz (BMC) at 3:23
Michael Barry (Columbia) at 3:38
Danilo Wyss (BMC) at 3:46
Marco Pinotti (Columbia) at 3:54
Andy Bajadali (Kelly) at 4:25
Richard Faltus (Sparkasse) at 7:20
Tim Johnson (Health Net) at 7:22

The four men up front are driving it now. On these wooded, winding roads, they are well outside the view of the other 16 guys, despite the gap only being about 20 seconds.

Jeff Louder (BMC) at 2:25
Michael Barry (Columbia) at 3:38
Andy Bajadali (Kelly) at 4:25
Richard Faltus (Sparkasse) at 7:20

The gap is 1:30 from the front 4 to the 16.

This four-man move could stick all the way to the finish. Garmin only has Tom Danielson in the 16-man group to defend Vande Velde’s lead. It will be up to him to make sure Louder’s group doesn’t finish more than 2:24 ahead of Vande Velde.

Bajadali attacks!

The four-man group has temporarily lost its all-for-one, one-for-all cohesion.

Vande Velde is on the front of the 16-man group.

Louder marks him

The leading two – Barry and Louder – are at mile 82.

Louder is hanging on to Columbia’s Canadian motorbike.

Barry takes a rest. Now the two are talking, riding side by side.

But they’re not gaining any ground. Behind, the 16-man group is riding a steady tempo, about 1:30 back.

He’s riding right behind George Hincapie near the front of the group.

The yellow jersey is 1:30 back. Louder is 2:25 down on Vande Velde in the GC. Barry is 3:38.
But right now, the men up front aren’t thinking GC; they’re thinking stage win.

Sparkasse is riding, too.

Just 9 miles to go. Barry is towing Louder.

Barry and Louder are looking back, sizing up their gap and one another. With 8 miles to go, they can’t afford to start playing games just yet. The 16-man group is holding the gap at about 1:30.

The group of 16 doesn’t. The main group may have stopped for lunch. They’re at least 10 minutes behind.

Louder is dropped.

Barry does, too, but for other reasons. Michael Barry is riding for Columbia’s third stage win of the Tour of Missouri now.

He just won the Tour of Utah in August. The fact he just got dropped is testament to the strength of ProTour-level riders like Barry.

Barry is full stick, but looking comfortable.

He will have two laps to go when he crosses the line here soon.

Danielson is on the front for Vande Velde.

That’s 1km to go for the start of two final laps, not the actual finish.

So this is no threat to Vande Velde’s lead today.

Up ahead, Barry has two 2.1-mile circuits left to ride.

Between Barry and the yellow jersey group.

Were it the full peloton behind, Barry probably wouldn’t survive. However, since it’s not a huge group riding for sprinters, but instead a small group of the GC guys, Barry’s chances look good. We’ll see.

Coming up on one final lap to go.

Just one more lap now.

Danielson has taken care of his team leader today. Vande Velde will keep the leader’s jersey tonight.

But you don’t know until you try, right?

We have some aggression in the front group.

Some guys are coming off the back of the 19-man group.

Bingo!

And equally pleased to not be pedaling anymore…

A Sparkasse rider took the bunch sprint, and Vande Velde may have been right behind.

Or was that BMC’s Tony Cruz nipping him at the line? Stand by for confirmation.

Our quick scribble of math has the overall race looking something like this:

1. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) race leader
2. Michael Rogers (Columbia) at 25 seconds
3. Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) at 49
4. George Hincapie (Columbia) at 1:08
5. Tom Danielson (Garmin) at 1:28
6. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) at 1:37
7. Tom Zirbel (Bissell) at 2:06
8. Jeff Louder (BMC) at 2:29
9. Dominique Rollin (Toyota) at 2:43
10. Dirk Muller (Sparkasse) at 3:07

Since our last GC calculation accounted for the 4-second time bonus for third, we’ll do the math again.

Presuming that each of these men finished in the front group, and weren’t among those few riders sitting up in the final circuit, here is what GC should look like:

1.Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) race leader
2.Michael Rogers (Columbia) at 21 seconds
3. Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) at 44
4. George Hincapie (Columbia) at 1:03
5. Tom Danielson (Garmin) at 1:24
6. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) at 1:33
7. Tom Zirbel (Bissell) at 2:02
8. Jeff Louder (BMC) at 2:25
9. Dominique Rollin (Toyota) at 2:39
10. Dirk Muller (Sparkasse) at 3:03

That’s all for now. Thanks for following along for stage 4 of the Tour of Missouri with VeloNews.com. Check back soon for a complete report, full results and photography.