October 31, 2018
Tour of Hainan 2018 – Stage 9 – Changjiang – Danzhou : 181,9 km
The Tour of Hainan is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Hainan Province, China. The race consists of nine stages and is part of the UCI Asia Tour. The event was first held in 2006. It was made a UCI 2.1 race from 2007 and upgraded to category 2.HC in 2009.
Simon Pellaud of the Swiss national team brilliantly won the final stage of the 13th Tour of Hainan with a solo move in the last three kilometres. The win banished painful memories of his near-miss on stage 2, and it was the same for his breakaway companion that day, Fausto Masnada (Androni-Giocattoli), who finished safely in the peloton here to seal the overall title.
“This was my third breakaway during the Tour of Hainan. On stage 2, Masnada and myself got caught just before the finishing line. I’m really happy with the outcome today,” Pellaud said.
“I still had a great motivation to break away today. Androni didn’t really want to bring the peloton back on us. I was more than two minutes down on GC. There was a great cooperation in the breakaway. Alan Marangoni kept telling us to ride smart and ride hard. It’s the best way to finish the season.”
It took 40 kilometres for the breakaway to be formed after many skirmishes. Lorenzo Rota (Bardiani CSF), Jason Lea (Bennelong-Swisswellness), Harry Sweeny (Mitchelton-BikeExchange), Peter Schulting (Monkey Town), Edwin Parra (Ningxia-Livall), Marangoni (Nippo-Vini Fantini) and Pellaud (Swiss national team) were the riders involved.
Schulting was highly motivated as this was the last race of his pro career, which was also the case also for Belarus’ Ilya Koshevoy of Wilier Triestina. Marangoni only has the 1.2 Tour de Okinawa in Japan (November 11) left on his calendar but he was logically designated the most active rider of the day. Those highly motivated riders had a maximum advantage of 1:30 with 70km to go but it was enough due to their strong commitment.
Pellaud rode away solo 2km before the finish and celebrated a very well-deserved victory at the end of an active nine days of racing. He broke away three times during the Tour of Hainan, while also working for teammates, defending Dylan Page’s yellow jersey for three days as well as working for stage 6 winner Gino Mäder, who was the big revelation of the event and finished second overall to Masnada.
Pellaud and Masnada were the two attackers who were swallowed by the peloton 150 metres before the end of stage 2, the day that GC contenders went on the offensive without waiting for the hilly stages. It was cruel, but they both got a worthy reward at the very end of an interesting Tour of Hainan.
“The Tour of Hainan is my first important victory as a pro rider”, Masnada acknowledged. “It’s been a very challenging race. I’m very happy with what I achieved here. We came for winning but winning is never easy. It’s a confidence booster for next year to have bagged this win here. I always try to improve my cycling and I hope to step up again next season.”
Pellaud and Masnada were both born on November 6 but with a one-year difference as the Swiss is from 1992 and the Italian from 1993. Pellaud had a stint in the WorldTour with IAM Cycling and rode the Vuelta a España in 2015 and 2016 before he joined US-registered Team Illuminate and settled down in Colombia. He won the queen stage of the Tour of Rwanda last year.
Masnada was a super talent of Italian cycling as he came sixth in the 2012 Giro della valle d’Aosta – won by Fabio Aru – at the age of only 18 but he got a bit lost until Androni manager Gianni Savio gave him a chance last year and he finished third in the Presidential Tour of Turkey.
Mäder is the other up-and-coming pro rider who made a big impact on the 13th Tour of Hainan by winning stage 6 to Wuzhishan and finishing second overall. His future lies with Dimension Data after he finished third at the Tour de l’Avenir with two stage wins and then fourth at the U23 World Championships road race.
But perhaps the biggest coup came from an absolute rookie. 20-year-old mountain biker Lyu Xianjing of the Hengxiang team – based in the Shandong province and run by former Discovery Channel and RadioShack rider Li Fuyu – finished fifth overall, King of the Mountains and best Asian rider – all in his first ever international road race.
“Nine days ago, before coming to the Tour of Hainan, I only knew a little bit about road cycling, but I’ve trained hard for this”, he said.
Has the world of cycling finally discovered a Chinese super talent?
Results :
Rnk |
Rider |
Team |
UCI |
Pnt |
1 |
PELLAUD Simon |
Switzerland |
20 |
30 |
4:10:53 |
2 |
SCHULTING Peter |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
10 |
18 |
0:05 |
3 |
ROTA Lorenzo |
Bardiani – CSF |
5 |
12 |
,, |
4 |
MARANGONI Alan |
Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini |
|
7 |
,, |
5 |
PARRA Edwin Arnulfo |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
4 |
,, |
6 |
SWEENY Harry |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
3 |
,, |
7 |
MARECZKO Jakub |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
2 |
0:10 |
8 |
GUARDINI Andrea |
Bardiani – CSF |
|
1 |
,, |
9 |
CIMA Imerio |
Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini |
|
|
,, |
10 |
PACIONI Luca |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
|
,, |
11 |
LOOIJ André |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
|
|
,, |
12 |
KREDER Raymond |
Team UKYO |
|
|
,, |
13 |
WARD Tristan |
Bennelong SwissWellness Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
14 |
PAGE Dylan |
Switzerland |
|
|
,, |
15 |
THÖMEL Tino |
Bike Aid |
|
|
,, |
16 |
EINHORN Itamar |
Israel Cycling Academy |
|
|
,, |
17 |
SIMION Paolo |
Bardiani – CSF |
|
|
,, |
18 |
DE JONGE Maarten |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
|
|
,, |
19 |
BOIVIN Guillaume |
Israel Cycling Academy |
|
|
,, |
20 |
HENNESSY Jacob |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
|
,, |
21 |
SAINBAYAR Jambaljamts |
RTS Racing Team |
|
|
,, |
22 |
VELASCO Simone |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
|
,, |
23 |
BELLETTI Manuel |
Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec |
|
|
,, |
24 |
STEIMLE Jannik |
Team Vorarlberg Santic |
|
|
,, |
25 |
OKAMOTO Hayato |
Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini |
|
|
,, |
26 |
MASNADA Fausto |
Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec |
|
|
,, |
27 |
IRVINE Declan |
Team Novo Nordisk |
|
|
,, |
28 |
BOUGLAS Georgios |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
|
,, |
29 |
MAZUKI Nur Amirul Fakhruddin |
Terengganu Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
30 |
THALMANN Roland |
Team Vorarlberg Santic |
|
|
,, |
31 |
MAESTRI Mirco |
Bardiani – CSF |
|
|
,, |
32 |
HUCKER Robbie |
Team UKYO |
|
|
,, |
33 |
MÄDER Gino |
Switzerland |
|
|
,, |
34 |
FEDELI Alessandro |
Delko Marseille Provence KTM |
|
|
,, |
35 |
EL FARES Julien |
Delko Marseille Provence KTM |
|
|
,, |
36 |
SALEH Mohd Zamri |
Terengganu Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
37 |
BATSAIKHAN Tegsh-bayar |
RTS Racing Team |
|
|
,, |
38 |
STALLAERT Joeri |
Team Vorarlberg Santic |
|
|
,, |
39 |
LYU Xianjing |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
40 |
SCHELLING Patrick |
Team Vorarlberg Santic |
|
|
,, |
41 |
ORRICO Davide |
Team Vorarlberg Santic |
|
|
,, |
42 |
VOSEKALNS Andris |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
43 |
GUERIN Alexis |
Delko Marseille Provence KTM |
|
|
,, |
44 |
OVECHKIN Artem |
Terengganu Cycling Team |
|
|
0:15 |
45 |
BENFATTO Marco |
Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec |
|
|
,, |
46 |
ARAQUE Rodrigo |
Team UKYO |
|
|
,, |
47 |
FRAPPORTI Mattia |
Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec |
|
|
,, |
48 |
YOSHIDA Hayato |
Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini |
|
|
,, |
49 |
CARISEY Clément |
Israel Cycling Academy |
|
|
,, |
50 |
GOLDSTEIN Roy |
Israel Cycling Academy |
|
|
,, |
51 |
CALABRIA Fabio |
Team Novo Nordisk |
|
|
,, |
52 |
CHEN Mingrun |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
53 |
BIEKEN Nazaerbieke |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
|
,, |
54 |
GOH Choon Huat |
Terengganu Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
55 |
VAN ENGELEN Adne |
Bike Aid |
|
|
,, |
56 |
BANZER Gordian |
Switzerland |
|
|
,, |
57 |
PRADES Benjamín |
Team UKYO |
|
|
,, |
58 |
CHAVES Brayan |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
|
,, |
59 |
TONELLI Alessandro |
Bardiani – CSF |
|
|
,, |
60 |
ITO Masakazu |
Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini |
|
|
,, |
61 |
SLIK Ivar |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
|
|
,, |
62 |
WILLIAMS Tyler |
Israel Cycling Academy |
|
|
,, |
63 |
BADILATTI Matteo |
Israel Cycling Academy |
|
|
,, |
64 |
LI Zisen |
Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
65 |
HENTTALA Joonas |
Team Novo Nordisk |
|
|
,, |
66 |
HENDRICKS Clint |
Bike Aid |
|
|
,, |
67 |
ZHENG Zhang |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
68 |
QIAO Feng |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
|
,, |
69 |
SCHNAPKA Matthias |
Bike Aid |
|
|
,, |
70 |
BRAND Sam |
Team Novo Nordisk |
|
|
,, |
71 |
POLIVODA Oleksandr |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
|
,, |
72 |
LIENHARD Fabian |
Switzerland |
|
|
,, |
73 |
LIU Jianpeng |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
74 |
SANTORO Antonio |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
|
|
,, |
75 |
BISSEGGER Stefan |
Switzerland |
|
|
,, |
76 |
SCHNEITER Joab |
Switzerland |
|
|
0:24 |
77 |
GU Bingcheng |
Giant Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
78 |
ORTEGA Mauricio |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
|
0:27 |
79 |
MOSCA Jacopo |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
|
,, |
80 |
HIRAI Eiichi |
Team UKYO |
|
|
0:30 |
81 |
VAN RHEE Joey |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
|
|
0:34 |
82 |
ALBANESE Vincenzo |
Bardiani – CSF |
|
|
0:39 |
83 |
CLANCY Stephen |
Team Novo Nordisk |
|
|
0:41 |
84 |
ZHANG Chunlong |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
|
0:43 |
85 |
SMUKULIS Gatis |
Delko Marseille Provence KTM |
|
|
,, |
86 |
SHI Hang |
Giant Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
87 |
FRAPPORTI Marco |
Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec |
|
|
,, |
88 |
LIU Jiankun |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
|
,, |
89 |
MONSALVE Yonathan |
Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
90 |
UCHIMA Kohei |
Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini |
|
|
,, |
91 |
GUTIERREZ Pedro |
Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
92 |
MEILER Lukas |
Team Vorarlberg Santic |
|
|
,, |
93 |
NIU Yikui |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
|
,, |
94 |
WANG Jiancai |
Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
95 |
GIACOPPO Anthony |
Bennelong SwissWellness Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
96 |
GUO Liang |
Giant Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
97 |
YAN Meng |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
98 |
YOKOTSUKA Kohei |
Team UKYO |
|
|
,, |
99 |
LI Jin Song |
Giant Cycling Team |
|
|
0:57 |
100 |
WACKERMANN Luca |
Bardiani – CSF |
|
|
,, |
101 |
TURRIN Alex |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
|
0:59 |
102 |
MEYER Robin |
Delko Marseille Provence KTM |
|
|
1:07 |
103 |
JIANG Zhi Hui |
Mitchelton – BikeExchange |
|
|
1:14 |
104 |
BATMUNKH Maral-erdene |
Terengganu Cycling Team |
|
|
1:15 |
105 |
WANG Bo |
Hengxiang Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
106 |
KOSHEVOY Ilia |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
|
1:21 |
107 |
KLEIMAN Wim |
Monkey Town Continental Team |
|
|
,, |
108 |
TOOVEY Ayden |
Bennelong SwissWellness Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
109 |
YOSHIOKA Naoya |
Team UKYO |
|
|
1:26 |
110 |
SCHAFER Timo |
Bike Aid |
|
|
1:28 |
111 |
BAI Li Jun |
Ningxia Sports Lottery – Livall Cycling team |
|
|
1:32 |
112 |
SUNDERLAND Dylan |
Bennelong SwissWellness Cycling Team |
|
|
1:39 |
113 |
ELLIOTT Nathan |
Bennelong SwissWellness Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
114 |
BEVILACQUA Simone |
Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia |
|
|
2:07 |
115 |
LEA Jason |
Bennelong SwissWellness Cycling Team |
|
|
,, |
116 |
VIEL Mattia |
Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec |
|
|
3:16 |
117 |
FITZPATRICK Tom |
RTS Racing Team |
|
|
5:52 |
DNF |
MONSALVE Ralph |
Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team |
|
|
-4:10:53 |
Final General Classification :