08 augustus 2011
- 14 augustus 2011
Eneco Tour 2011
Koen will took part in the Eneco Tour from Monday August 8th
to August 14th. The stage race is part of the World Tour calender
and will bring the riders over various terrain in the Netherlands
and Belgium.
The race kicked off on Monday August 8th with a 5.7 prologue in
Amersfoort and its surrounds. American top talent Taylor Phinney of
the BMC team dominated the prologue. Phinney stopped the clock at
6'57" to win with an advantage of 7 seconds over Norway's Edvald
Boasson Hagen. Koen completed the course 33 seconds slower than
Phinney in 59th place.
The second stage of the Eneco Tour from Aalter to Ardooi,
starting and finishing in Belgium, finished on Wednesday August
10th after 173.7 kilometres in a mass sprint which was won by
German Andre Greipel. Greipel took his second stage of the race.
Koen crossed the line in the peloton in 39th place. Koen now
occupies 52nd place, 33 seconds down on race leader Taylor
Phinney.
On Thursday a very tough stage of the race brought the peloton
from Heers to Andenne through the Belgian Ardennes over a distance
of 191.2 kilometres. For most this was the stage where the Belgian
top talent and classics specialist Philippe Gilbert would show his
cards. For Koen it was a stage to stay ahead in the peloton in
order to obtain a good place in the overall classification. It took
a while to happen but sure enough the attack from Gilbert came. On
the La Flime climb, Gilbert placed a single but devastating attack.
He immediately opened a gap which he increased. Behind him various
riders dropped off the pace on the climb, but not Koen. Koen found
himself in the first chasing group of 15 men after Gilbert.
Unfortunately Gilbert managed to hold on finishing 9 seconds ahead
of a small group where by Koen sprinted to fourth place on the
stage.
You can view the finale here from the third stage from Sporza.
The rain was the big spoilsport on Friday during the individual
time trial that took the riders over a distance of 14.7 kilometres
starting and finishing in Roermond. The first 100 riders managed to
complete the course in dry conditions but after that rest of the
riders had to watch out. Koen completed the narrow and technical
course with the 67th best time 1'20" over Belgian Jesse Sergent who
won the stage.
"For the first time in two years, I felt very good in a time
trial but I ended up having the wettest donditions that you can
have", Koen said afterwards. "That was a real
disappointment."
Three riders managed to stay ahead of the peloton on Saturdays 187
km stage starting and finishing in Genk. In the end it was the
Italian Matteo Bono who bet his breakaway companions Kazah Sergey
Renev and Russian Artem Ovechkin in the sprint for the stage
win.
Koen worked on the front of the peloton for sprinter Kenny van
Hummel, finished in the peloton in 60th place. Van Hummel was 7th.
In the general classification Koen is now in 16th place, 1'21" down
on Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen.
The final stage of the Eneco Tour brought the riders 201.2
kilometres starting and finishing in Sittard-Geleen. Koen obtained
9th place in the stage. Koen did this in a mass sprint where
several riders hit the deck after the final corner and Norwegian
Boasson Hagen went full blast and sprinted for the win. Boasson
Hagen won not only the stage but also the general classification of
the Eneco Tour.
Koen finished in 15th place overall.
Photo: Koen sprints to 4th place (with thanks to Cor
Vos)
Photo underneath: Koen waiting for his start in the prologue (with
thanks to Cor Vos)
