The last stage of the 2013 Tour De Taiwan was a 52 kilometer circuit race around the centre of Taipei.
Posted On: 25th March, 2013
The last stage of the 2013 Tour De Taiwan was a 52 kilometer circuit race around the centre of Taipei. The stage was always going to be hotly contested with intermediate sprints and their associated time bonuses on 3 laps of the 5 lap race, but rain and dirty roads added an extra complication.
It seemed the starting pistol signified not only the start of the race but also the rainfall and with only 10 kilometers to the first sprint, the start was once again manic. With only 26 seconds separating 2nd to 11th place on the general classification and a maximum of 19 seconds in bonuses available it came as no surprise when the leading riders of the race were fighting for the sprints.
The top 10 of the classification was constantly changing throughout the stage. Under pressure Andy helped Liam win the 3rd and final intermediate sprint of the day to secure his top ten position in the general classification. In the final sprint Liam was well positioned going into the penultimate very wet cobbled corner where the inevitable pile up occurred. Fortunately he was able to take evasive action and stay upright but in doing so lost all momentum and any chance of a stage win, eventually finishing 12th
“The team once again rode really well, they focused on the task in hand and got the job done. With an average of nearly 44km/h for the entire race, we can go home in the knowledge that the team has had a good week of hard racing in their legs and will hopefully continue to build for the season ahead.” Team Manger – Roger Hammond