Krizan the king at 2017 Tour de Phuket
24 March, 2017
Phuket, THAILAND – Fresh from two stage victories at the Tour de Bintan, Pavol Krizan (Nich-100Plus) continued his winning streak by claiming the Cat 1 title at the 2017 Cycosports Tour de Phuket last weekend in Thailand. After a successful debut in 2016, the Tour de Phuket returned for its second edition with a few changes but it once again delivered three fantastic stages of racing in the idyllic setting of the resort island that gives the tour its name, as well as in the neighbouring province of Phang Nga. About 140 riders, most of whom had travelled from Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Thailand, began to gather on Thursday and Friday at the Grand West Sands Resort race headquarters ready for the late Friday afternoon Prologue, an individual time trial that kicked off the racing action. By moving the event north of Phuket International Airport to the beachside town of Mai Khao, it allowed for better access to more cycling friendly routes. Indeed, the majority of the racing actually took place off Phuket; the causeway that links the island to the mainland leads directly to a network of quiet country roads in picturesque Phang Nga.
Stage 1, 4.5km, Prologue
As is typical for prologues, the ITT course was short at only 4.5km long, and also very fast. Crucially it was also very light on traffic, something the 2016 Tour de Phuket prologue couldn’t claim. Short prologues are an ideal way to start a stage race, as they provide an early ranking, but with the time gaps typically not too large, they leave everything still to play for as regards the general classification; races that begin with longer time trials often produce huge time gaps that result in overtly negative tactics being employed by the team in yellow. The 2017 Tour de Phuket Prologue did its job perfectly as the top 10 riders in the Cat 1 field were separated by only 12 seconds, so with two difficult stages to follow, there was plenty to play for.
Pavol Krizan enjoys the TT acclaim[/caption] Heading the field was Krizan; the former Slovakian professional rider recorded a time of five minutes and 47 seconds, which represented an average speed of 46kph and gave him a four-second lead over the runner up, Tim Clarsen of the Specialized Mavericks. Rounding out the Cat 1 podium was another Maverick, Ben Arnott, who finished two seconds further back. The Cat 2 top three all produced lightening fast times too. Indeed the time of 5:51.5 of stage winner Roman Barbier (matadorRacing) would have been good enough for third place in the Cat 1 contest. Raphael Junot (GRCC) and Noel Tanner (Muckle CC) finished second and third respectively. A duo from The Cranks occupied the top two positions on the Cat 3 podium, David Kendall and Stuart Baker, with Martin Ferschl (Anza Cycling) joining them in third. Another Ferschl from Anza, this time Andrea, won the Women’s prologue, ahead of Jacqueline Kolb (matadorRacing) and Termtanan Chawaree (Guerciotti Racing Team).
Stage 2, 144km, Phang Nga Beauty
After an 8km ride to the start line, the Cat 1 riders rolled off at 7:30am on a beautiful, but therefore already stinking hot morning in southern Thailand. Ahead of the 40-strong Cat 1 field was a course 144km long that was mostly flat to rolling but also contained two short, sharp climbs that not only offered King of the Mountains points but also the chance to launch potentially decisive breakaways. The early part of the action was marked by Krizan’s Nich-100Plus team setting a high tempo in an effort to dissuade attacks. This largely worked but as the race approached the first KOM at the 68km mark, team Grant Thornton-Ceepo started to ping riders off the front in twos and threes, obviously trying to get a gap onto the climb. One of these attacks had the desired affect but the escapees were caught halfway up the climb and the field stayed more or less intact up and over the climb.
The race crossed the Sarasin Bridge to get to mainland Thailand from Phuket.
The pace settled until about 15km before the second KOM when a trio of Arnott, Michael Naert (matadorRacing) and one of the Grant Thornton-Ceepo riders escaped. The three reached the base of the climb still clear of the bunch, but the Grant-Thornton man couldn’t sustain the pace set by his breakaway companions on the hill. As he faded, Arnott and Naert pressed on, no doubt encouraged by a two-minute time gap they were given at the foot of the climb. With 30km to go they surely had an outside chance. The gap was down to 50 seconds as the duo left the quiet country roads for the busier main road, which signaled, however, that they were nearing the finish line. Then, with 3km to Naert fired a salvo that Arnott couldn’t match, allowing the Matadors man to solo home for a famous victory in a time of 3:42:31.
Arnott crossed the line some 40 seconds later in second place, then out of the blue in third just 14 seconds further back came the hulking figure of Krizan, the yellow jersey having attacked what remained of the peloton in the closing stages in an effort to limit the damage to his GC chances. He didn’t succeed in keeping his race lead, though, the honour of wearing yellow for the third and final stage would go to Naert, who held a 35-second lead on Arnott, with Krizan a further seven seconds back in third. While the Cat 1 leader had a big lead going into Stage 3, the battle for the Cat 2 GC tightened after Stage 2. Tanner of Muckle CC won the stage in a time of 3:49:32, just two seconds ahead of Albert Cahyadi (Sepeda Kita-KGB), with Frank Raenearts (Anza Cycling) in third.
Yellow jersey wearer Barbier finished with the main bunch two seconds back, but six bonus seconds to the stage winner meant his lead was cut to a razor-thin 0.36 seconds from Tanner, with Junot 3.76 seconds back in third.
The pain of the Tour de Phuket[/caption] In the Cat 3 race, race leader Kendall won the stage in style, finishing four minutes ahead of the runner-up Colin Housing (Team Chili Dumpling), with Nuttavut Punyathep (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) coming in third, eight seconds after Housing. The Women’s race saw a three-up sprint with Nuttavut Punyathep (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) taking the win from Kolb and Ferschl.
Stage 3, 108km, Double Phang Nga Peninsula LoopThe concluding stage of the 2017 Tour de Phuket again took place almost entirely off the island, with the riders enjoying another relaxing 8km ride to the start line. The course largely consisted of two laps of the scenic Phang Nga Peninsula loop, complete with views of “James Bond Bay”. The Cat 1 riders didn’t have much time for sightseeing, though. It was always likely to be a torrid day for Naert and his fellow Matadors, and their fears were realised as they quickly came under an onslaught of attacks, led by the strong Nich-100Plus and Specialized Mavericks squads. The race leader’s teammates did an admirable job of defending yellow in the early part of the action, but by the time the field had scaled the first KOM climb at the 30km mark, Naert increasingly found himself on the front having to chase down the constant stream of attacks. Despite the onslaught, Naert was still with the lead bunch as it approached the KOM on the second lap. Alas, the rapid speed up the climb proved too much for his tired legs and he just failed to crest the hill with the lead group of some dozen riders. Nich-100Plus then drove the pace hard in an effort to wipe out Krizan’s 42-second deficit. They had achieved this by the time the race reached the closing kilometres, but Arnott and his teammates still in close attendance, it was the Mavericks’ man who was in the virtual yellow jersey.
Michael Naert in yellow had to contend with non-stop attacks on Stage 3[/caption] Amazingly, though, with 2.5km to go, Krizan launched an unbelievable bid for the line, and despite the concerted efforts of Arnott and Co to chase him down, the big Slovak pulled further away. He crossed the line solo in a time of 2:47:48, some 12 seconds ahead of the bunch. That gap was more than enough to clinch the overall victory for Krizan. Surasak Taweesaman (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) won the bunch sprint for second place, with Harry Kuhnelt (Jenatec-Lawi Masterteam)
in third. On the final general classification, Krizan won the race by a margin of 17 seconds from Arnott, with Clarsen a further 20 seconds back in third. With three men in the GC top 10, the Cat 1 team trophy went to the Specialized Mavericks, from Grant Thornton-Ceepo in second and Roojai-Fuji Ch.Namchai Interbike Cycling Team in third. Cycling can be a cruel sport; just ask the guys from the Matadors, who started the day with two yellow jerseys but ended it with none. The Cat 2 race came down to a bunch sprint and it was Junot who took the win and crucially the six bonus seconds. Ang Kee Meng (Loue Black Dot) was second on the day, with Cahyadi third; Barbier finished with the lead group in sixth but those bonus seconds to Junot saw the overall victory slip away. So it was Junot who pulled on the final Cat 2 yellow jersey, his winning margin from Barbier 3.51 seconds. Tanner took the final spot on the Cat 2 GC podium in third. In Cat 3, Nuttavut Punyathep (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) claimed the stage win after outsprinting breakaway companion and race leader Kendall. Brandon Kandt led the bunch home in third over two minutes behind. Kendall was a runaway winner of the Cat 3 overall, finishing 4:29 ahead of Nattavut, with Housing another two and half minutes back in third. Ferschl won the Women’s Stage 3 race in solo style, finishing eight minutes ahead of Kolb and Apinya. The Anza lady also took the overall victory, also from Kolb in second and Apinya in third.
For full results, go to www.cycosports.com.
Photos courtesy of Cycosports.[
Phuket, THAILAND – Fresh from two stage victories at the Tour de Bintan, Pavol Krizan (Nich-100Plus) continued his winning streak by claiming the Cat 1 title at the 2017 Cycosports Tour de Phuket last weekend in Thailand. After a successful debut in 2016, the Tour de Phuket returned for its second edition with a few changes but it once again delivered three fantastic stages of racing in the idyllic setting of the resort island that gives the tour its name, as well as in the neighbouring province of Phang Nga. About 140 riders, most of whom had travelled from Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Thailand, began to gather on Thursday and Friday at the Grand West Sands Resort race headquarters ready for the late Friday afternoon Prologue, an individual time trial that kicked off the racing action. By moving the event north of Phuket International Airport to the beachside town of Mai Khao, it allowed for better access to more cycling friendly routes. Indeed, the majority of the racing actually took place off Phuket; the causeway that links the island to the mainland leads directly to a network of quiet country roads in picturesque Phang Nga.
Stage 1, 4.5km, Prologue
As is typical for prologues, the ITT course was short at only 4.5km long, and also very fast. Crucially it was also very light on traffic, something the 2016 Tour de Phuket prologue couldn’t claim. Short prologues are an ideal way to start a stage race, as they provide an early ranking, but with the time gaps typically not too large, they leave everything still to play for as regards the general classification; races that begin with longer time trials often produce huge time gaps that result in overtly negative tactics being employed by the team in yellow. The 2017 Tour de Phuket Prologue did its job perfectly as the top 10 riders in the Cat 1 field were separated by only 12 seconds, so with two difficult stages to follow, there was plenty to play for.
Pavol Krizan enjoys the TT acclaim[/caption] Heading the field was Krizan; the former Slovakian professional rider recorded a time of five minutes and 47 seconds, which represented an average speed of 46kph and gave him a four-second lead over the runner up, Tim Clarsen of the Specialized Mavericks. Rounding out the Cat 1 podium was another Maverick, Ben Arnott, who finished two seconds further back. The Cat 2 top three all produced lightening fast times too. Indeed the time of 5:51.5 of stage winner Roman Barbier (matadorRacing) would have been good enough for third place in the Cat 1 contest. Raphael Junot (GRCC) and Noel Tanner (Muckle CC) finished second and third respectively. A duo from The Cranks occupied the top two positions on the Cat 3 podium, David Kendall and Stuart Baker, with Martin Ferschl (Anza Cycling) joining them in third. Another Ferschl from Anza, this time Andrea, won the Women’s prologue, ahead of Jacqueline Kolb (matadorRacing) and Termtanan Chawaree (Guerciotti Racing Team).
Stage 2, 144km, Phang Nga Beauty
After an 8km ride to the start line, the Cat 1 riders rolled off at 7:30am on a beautiful, but therefore already stinking hot morning in southern Thailand. Ahead of the 40-strong Cat 1 field was a course 144km long that was mostly flat to rolling but also contained two short, sharp climbs that not only offered King of the Mountains points but also the chance to launch potentially decisive breakaways. The early part of the action was marked by Krizan’s Nich-100Plus team setting a high tempo in an effort to dissuade attacks. This largely worked but as the race approached the first KOM at the 68km mark, team Grant Thornton-Ceepo started to ping riders off the front in twos and threes, obviously trying to get a gap onto the climb. One of these attacks had the desired affect but the escapees were caught halfway up the climb and the field stayed more or less intact up and over the climb.
The race crossed the Sarasin Bridge to get to mainland Thailand from Phuket.
The pace settled until about 15km before the second KOM when a trio of Arnott, Michael Naert (matadorRacing) and one of the Grant Thornton-Ceepo riders escaped. The three reached the base of the climb still clear of the bunch, but the Grant-Thornton man couldn’t sustain the pace set by his breakaway companions on the hill. As he faded, Arnott and Naert pressed on, no doubt encouraged by a two-minute time gap they were given at the foot of the climb. With 30km to go they surely had an outside chance. The gap was down to 50 seconds as the duo left the quiet country roads for the busier main road, which signaled, however, that they were nearing the finish line. Then, with 3km to Naert fired a salvo that Arnott couldn’t match, allowing the Matadors man to solo home for a famous victory in a time of 3:42:31.
Arnott crossed the line some 40 seconds later in second place, then out of the blue in third just 14 seconds further back came the hulking figure of Krizan, the yellow jersey having attacked what remained of the peloton in the closing stages in an effort to limit the damage to his GC chances. He didn’t succeed in keeping his race lead, though, the honour of wearing yellow for the third and final stage would go to Naert, who held a 35-second lead on Arnott, with Krizan a further seven seconds back in third. While the Cat 1 leader had a big lead going into Stage 3, the battle for the Cat 2 GC tightened after Stage 2. Tanner of Muckle CC won the stage in a time of 3:49:32, just two seconds ahead of Albert Cahyadi (Sepeda Kita-KGB), with Frank Raenearts (Anza Cycling) in third.
Yellow jersey wearer Barbier finished with the main bunch two seconds back, but six bonus seconds to the stage winner meant his lead was cut to a razor-thin 0.36 seconds from Tanner, with Junot 3.76 seconds back in third.
The pain of the Tour de Phuket[/caption] In the Cat 3 race, race leader Kendall won the stage in style, finishing four minutes ahead of the runner-up Colin Housing (Team Chili Dumpling), with Nuttavut Punyathep (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) coming in third, eight seconds after Housing. The Women’s race saw a three-up sprint with Nuttavut Punyathep (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) taking the win from Kolb and Ferschl.
Stage 3, 108km, Double Phang Nga Peninsula LoopThe concluding stage of the 2017 Tour de Phuket again took place almost entirely off the island, with the riders enjoying another relaxing 8km ride to the start line. The course largely consisted of two laps of the scenic Phang Nga Peninsula loop, complete with views of “James Bond Bay”. The Cat 1 riders didn’t have much time for sightseeing, though. It was always likely to be a torrid day for Naert and his fellow Matadors, and their fears were realised as they quickly came under an onslaught of attacks, led by the strong Nich-100Plus and Specialized Mavericks squads. The race leader’s teammates did an admirable job of defending yellow in the early part of the action, but by the time the field had scaled the first KOM climb at the 30km mark, Naert increasingly found himself on the front having to chase down the constant stream of attacks. Despite the onslaught, Naert was still with the lead bunch as it approached the KOM on the second lap. Alas, the rapid speed up the climb proved too much for his tired legs and he just failed to crest the hill with the lead group of some dozen riders. Nich-100Plus then drove the pace hard in an effort to wipe out Krizan’s 42-second deficit. They had achieved this by the time the race reached the closing kilometres, but Arnott and his teammates still in close attendance, it was the Mavericks’ man who was in the virtual yellow jersey.
Michael Naert in yellow had to contend with non-stop attacks on Stage 3[/caption] Amazingly, though, with 2.5km to go, Krizan launched an unbelievable bid for the line, and despite the concerted efforts of Arnott and Co to chase him down, the big Slovak pulled further away. He crossed the line solo in a time of 2:47:48, some 12 seconds ahead of the bunch. That gap was more than enough to clinch the overall victory for Krizan. Surasak Taweesaman (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) won the bunch sprint for second place, with Harry Kuhnelt (Jenatec-Lawi Masterteam)
in third. On the final general classification, Krizan won the race by a margin of 17 seconds from Arnott, with Clarsen a further 20 seconds back in third. With three men in the GC top 10, the Cat 1 team trophy went to the Specialized Mavericks, from Grant Thornton-Ceepo in second and Roojai-Fuji Ch.Namchai Interbike Cycling Team in third. Cycling can be a cruel sport; just ask the guys from the Matadors, who started the day with two yellow jerseys but ended it with none. The Cat 2 race came down to a bunch sprint and it was Junot who took the win and crucially the six bonus seconds. Ang Kee Meng (Loue Black Dot) was second on the day, with Cahyadi third; Barbier finished with the lead group in sixth but those bonus seconds to Junot saw the overall victory slip away. So it was Junot who pulled on the final Cat 2 yellow jersey, his winning margin from Barbier 3.51 seconds. Tanner took the final spot on the Cat 2 GC podium in third. In Cat 3, Nuttavut Punyathep (Bike Centre Phuket/Power max 2 Isotonic) claimed the stage win after outsprinting breakaway companion and race leader Kendall. Brandon Kandt led the bunch home in third over two minutes behind. Kendall was a runaway winner of the Cat 3 overall, finishing 4:29 ahead of Nattavut, with Housing another two and half minutes back in third. Ferschl won the Women’s Stage 3 race in solo style, finishing eight minutes ahead of Kolb and Apinya. The Anza lady also took the overall victory, also from Kolb in second and Apinya in third.
For full results, go to www.cycosports.com.
Photos courtesy of Cycosports.[