Tour of Hainan 2017 – Stage 5 [FULL STAGE]

November 01, 2017

Tour of Hainan 2017 – Stage 5 – Danzhou – Changjiang : 167,5 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.

Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) won his fourth consecutive stage at the Tour of Hainan. It wasn’t a standard one as the peloton rode a roaring pace from start to finish, despite the headwind in the final 50 kilometres.

Martin Laas (Delko Marseille) finished runner-up once again while Andriy Kulyk (Kolss) made the podium for the first time after the last three breakaway riders were reeled in after the flamme rouge.

“I have never before ridden a stage so flat out with no time to relax or breathe properly,” Mareczko told Cyclingnews in Changjiang. “I think all riders are tired and happy to know that we’re now in the second half of the Tour of Hainan. We rode really fast today. We arrived 20 minutes ahead of the fastest schedule.

“In the last kilometre, we still weren’t sure of closing down the breakaway. We managed to catch them in the last few metres only. We weren’t expecting it would be so hard. The wind has made today’s race very hard for everyone, including my teammates. At some point, there was a breakaway of 47 riders, so we’ve had to give everything to put it back together. We really struggled with the headwind to catch the last three escapees.”

The bunch was on fire right after the flag dropped. Alexis Cartier (H&R Block), Oleksander Polivoda (Kolss) and Ivar Slik (Monkey Town) led the first attack. A total of 47 riders, including the whole Kolss team, runner-up Martin Laas (Delko Marseille) and Best Asian rider Liu Jianpeng (Hengxiang) rode away after 25 kilometres. Mareczko was in the second part of the bunch, forcing his Wilier Triestina team to mount a chase while his teammate Eugert Zhupa, who was at the front won the intermediate sprint at kilometre 32, ahead of Anthony Giacoppo (IsoWhey Sports-Swisswellness). Giacoppo would later be disqualified due to drafting behind his team car for too long after a crash.

The peloton was back together after 44km of a very aggressive racing, and 50 kilometres were covered in less than an hour as the attacks kept flying. Benjamin Hill (Attaque Gusto) took the KOM ahead of Vitaly Buts (Kolss), who nevertheless retained the lead.

Tour of Japan winner Oscar Pujol (Ukyo) made his GC ambitions clear as he came third behind Slik and Alfonso Castillo (Jelly Belly) in the second intermediate sprint. Attacks kept going on with Andrii Bratashchuk (Kolss), Dimitri Bussard (Swiss national team) and Zhang Zheng (Hengxiang) riding away from a 21-man leading group at km 90. But 10 kilometres further down the road, it was another big group of 22 riders on the offensive.

As fatigue was obvious in the bunch with constants attacks, Pujol found the way to escape with 40km to go along with Lukas Sprengler (Swiss national team) and Fabian Lienhard (Vorarlberg) and Cartier. Their maximum lead was one minute 33km away from Changjiang. Cartier was swallowed by the bunch within 10km to go. The Wilier Triestina team struggled to bring it back together, and they only caught the leading trio 500 metres before the line. “It was our idea to make it a really hard day,” said Sprengler. “The Wilier team was tired and the battle between us at the front and them leading the peloton was a hard one until the very end. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough power left to pull till the finish line.”

Delko Marseille tried to take the command before the sprint but Mareczko remained in control to claim his fourth straight stage victory ahead of Laas.

“I was suffering all day because the peloton was going so fast,” said Laas. “I had big pains in my legs and after 10 kilometres I looked back and I could see that we were 40-something guys at the front. I was a little bit surprised that the peloton was broken. We had a 40-seconds gap. It was a funny and hard race today.”

Mareczko indicated that such a hard day of racing wouldn’t be without consequences in the coming stages, especially on the seventh day, but he’s got another opportunity before that with stage 6 finishing in Sanya where he claimed his first pro victory two years ago.

Results :
1 Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 3:35:07
2 Martin Laas (Est) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
3 Andriy Kulyk (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
4 Marc-Antoine Nadon (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
5 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
6 Michael Sheehan (USA) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
7 Mirco Maestri (Ita) Bardiani CSF
8 Mehdi Benhamouda (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk
9 Jure Rupnik (Slo) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
10 Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa) Team Ukyo
11 Zsolt Dér (Hun) Team Vorarlberg
12 Patrick Schelling (Swi) Team Vorarlberg
13 Martin Meiler (Ger) Team Vorarlberg
14 Marco Zanotti (Ita) Monkey Town Continental Team
15 Andriy Vasylyuk (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
16 Paolo Lunardon (Ita) RTS – Monton Racing Team
17 Marco Maronese (Ita) Bardiani CSF
18 Sergiy Grechyn (Ukr) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
19 Luke Mudgway (NZl) RTS – Monton Racing Team
20 Maarten De Jonge (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
21 Dylan Page (Swi) Switzerland
22 Gian Friesecke (Swi) Team Vorarlberg
23 Steven Manuel Cuesta Zamora (Col) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
24 Weijie Hou (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
25 Gerd De Keijzer (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
26 Robbie Hucker (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
27 Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
28 Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF
29 Ivar Slik (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
30 Jason Lea (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
31 Alder Martz (USA) Attaque Team Gusto
32 Mykhaylo Kononenko (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
33 Benjamin Hill (Aus) Attaque Team Gusto
34 Daniel Dominguez Barragan (Spa) Keyi Look Cycling Team
35 Travis Samuel (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
36 Joris Blokker (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
37 Samuel Jenner (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
38 Zhiwen Chen (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
39 Robert Stannard (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
40 Timothy Guy (Aus) Attaque Team Gusto
41 Gordian Banzer (Swi) Switzerland
42 Justin Paroz (Swi) Switzerland
43 Oleksandr Polivoda (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
44 Sven Van Luijk (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
45 Bieken Nazaerbieke (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
46 Lukas Meiler (Ger) Team Vorarlberg
47 Martin Lavric (Slo) Attaque Team Gusto
48 Maxat Ayazbayev (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team
49 Vitaliy Buts (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
50 Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
51 Radoslav Konstantinov (Bul) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
52 Dimitri Bussard (Swi) Switzerland
53 Zheng Zhang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
54 Jai Hindley (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
55 Joseph Cooper (NZl) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
56 Andrii Bratashchuk (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
57 Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
58 Oleksandr Prevar (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
59 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
60 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk
61 Wen Chung Huang (Tpe) Attaque Team Gusto
62 Oscar Pujol Munoz (Spa) Team Ukyo
63 Chris Prendergast (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
64 Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
65 Sam Crome (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
66 Reinier Honig (Ned) Team Vorarlberg
67 Thierry Hupond (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
68 Eugert Zhupa (Alb) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
69 Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
70 Benjami Prades Reverter (Spa) Team Ukyo
71 Alex Turrin (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
72 Joab Schneiter (Swi) Switzerland
73 Eiichi Hirai (Jpn) Team Ukyo
74 Fabian Lienhard (Swi) Team Vorarlberg
75 Marc De Maar (Ned) Hengxiang Cycling Team
76 Juan Jose De Jesus Carrero Acosta (Col) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
77 Cristian Andres Peña Meneses (Col) RTS – Monton Racing Team
78 Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
79 Fuwen Xue (Chn) Mitchelton Scott
80 Rodrigo Araque Lorente (Spa) Team Ukyo
81 Bo Wang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
82 Mingrun Chen (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
83 Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (Den) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
84 Jianpeng Liu (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
85 Emils Liepins (Lat) Rietumu Banka – Riga
86 Stephan Bakker (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
87 Polychronis Tzortzakis (Gre) RTS – Monton Racing Team
88 Xin Wang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
89 Sam Brand (GBr) Team Novo Nordisk
90 Miras Torekhanov (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team
91 Reid Mcclure (Can) Team Novo Nordisk
92 Abdullojon Akparov (Uzb) Beijing Xds – Innova Cycling Team
93 Giuseppe Fonzi (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
94 Meng Yan (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
95 Simone Sterbini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
96 Hang Shi (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
97 Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF
98 Benjamin Dyball (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team
99 Rick Van Breda (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
100 Martin Schäppi (Swi) Switzerland
101 Lukas Spengler (Swi) Switzerland
102 Jiankun Liu (Chn) Mitchelton Scott
103 Tanzou Tokuda (Jpn) Team Ukyo
104 Jonathan Couanon (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM 0:00:15
105 Mikel Aristi Gardoki (Spa) Delko Marseille Provence KTM 0:00:18
106 Umberto Poli (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk 0:00:20
107 Tianhao Gu (Chn) Giant Cycling Team 0:00:44
108 Yadong Wang (Chn) Beijing Xds – Innova Cycling Team 0:00:55
109 Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 0:01:35
110 Ilia Koshevoy (Blr) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 0:02:08
111 Alexis Cartier (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team 0:04:10
112 Chaohua Xue (Chn) Mitchelton Scott 0:05:30
113 Shao Hsuan Lu (Tpe) Attaque Team Gusto 0:07:56
114 Michael Freiberg (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness 0:18:27
DNF Xiang Yuan Li (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
DNF Islam Usmanov (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team
DNF Chien Chou Chen (Tpe) Attaque Team Gusto
DNF Antonio Jose Alarcon Gonzalez (Col) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
DNS Guangtong Ma (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
DSQ Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness

General Classification after Stage 5 :
1 Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 18:46:08
2 Martin Laas (Est) Delko Marseille Provence KTM 0:00:24
3 Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa) Team Ukyo 0:00:31
4 Vitaliy Buts (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team 0:00:40
5 Dylan Page (Swi) Switzerland 0:00:41
6 Benjamin Hill (Aus) Attaque Team Gusto
7 Andriy Kulyk (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team 0:00:43
8 Marco Zanotti (Ita) Monkey Town Continental Team
9 Mirco Maestri (Ita) Bardiani CSF
10 Mykhaylo Kononenko (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
11 Zsolt Dér (Hun) Team Vorarlberg 0:00:44
12 Ivar Slik (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
13 Emils Liepins (Lat) Rietumu Banka – Riga
14 Oleksandr Polivoda (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
15 Oleksandr Prevar (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
16 Jianpeng Liu (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
17 Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis 0:00:45
18 Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
19 Travis Samuel (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team 0:00:46
20 Benjami Prades Reverter (Spa) Team Ukyo
21 Oscar Pujol Munoz (Spa) Team Ukyo
22 Marco Maronese (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:00:47
23 Martin Meiler (Ger) Team Vorarlberg
24 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
25 Gian Friesecke (Swi) Team Vorarlberg
26 Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF
27 Zhiwen Chen (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
28 Marc-Antoine Nadon (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
29 Sergiy Grechyn (Ukr) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
30 Andriy Vasylyuk (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
31 Maxat Ayazbayev (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team
32 Polychronis Tzortzakis (Gre) RTS – Monton Racing Team
33 Maarten De Jonge (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
34 Robert Stannard (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
35 Jure Rupnik (Slo) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
36 Weijie Hou (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
37 Mehdi Benhamouda (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk
38 Joris Blokker (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
39 Paolo Lunardon (Ita) RTS – Monton Racing Team
40 Patrick Schelling (Swi) Team Vorarlberg
41 Robbie Hucker (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
42 Sven Van Luijk (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
43 Gerd De Keijzer (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
44 Gordian Banzer (Swi) Switzerland
45 Daniel Dominguez Barragan (Spa) Keyi Look Cycling Team
46 Bieken Nazaerbieke (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
47 Joab Schneiter (Swi) Switzerland
48 Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
49 Justin Paroz (Swi) Switzerland
50 Lukas Spengler (Swi) Switzerland
51 Timothy Guy (Aus) Attaque Team Gusto
52 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Team Novo Nordisk
53 Radoslav Konstantinov (Bul) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
54 Dimitri Bussard (Swi) Switzerland
55 Samuel Jenner (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
56 Jai Hindley (Aus) Mitchelton Scott
57 Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
58 Reinier Honig (Ned) Team Vorarlberg
59 Fabian Lienhard (Swi) Team Vorarlberg
60 Martin Lavric (Slo) Attaque Team Gusto
61 Jordan Cheyne (Can) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
62 Sam Crome (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
63 Stephan Bakker (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team
64 Chris Prendergast (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team
65 Lukas Meiler (Ger) Team Vorarlberg
66 Xin Wang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
67 Jason Lea (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
68 Reid Mcclure (Can) Team Novo Nordisk
69 Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (Den) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
70 Thierry Hupond (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
71 Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
72 Sam Brand (GBr) Team Novo Nordisk
73 Andrii Bratashchuk (Ukr) Kolss Cycling Team
74 Juan Jose De Jesus Carrero Acosta (Col) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team
75 Wen Chung Huang (Tpe) Attaque Team Gusto
76 Taylor Shelden (USA) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis
77 Alex Turrin (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
78 Cristian Andres Peña Meneses (Col) RTS – Monton Racing Team
79 Marc De Maar (Ned) Hengxiang Cycling Team
80 Fuwen Xue (Chn) Mitchelton Scott
81 Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF
82 Simone Sterbini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
83 Hang Shi (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
84 Abdullojon Akparov (Uzb) Beijing Xds – Innova Cycling Team
85 Giuseppe Fonzi (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia
86 Bo Wang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
87 Meng Yan (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
88 Eugert Zhupa (Alb) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 0:00:56
89 Martin Schäppi (Swi) Switzerland 0:00:59
90 Jonathan Couanon (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM 0:01:02
91 Steven Manuel Cuesta Zamora (Col) Hainan Jilun Cycling Team 0:01:05
92 Mikel Aristi Gardoki (Spa) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
93 Umberto Poli (Ita) Team Novo Nordisk 0:01:07
94 Rick Van Breda (Ned) Monkey Town Continental Team 0:01:29
95 Yadong Wang (Chn) Beijing Xds – Innova Cycling Team 0:01:42
96 Joseph Cooper (NZl) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness 0:01:52
97 Luke Mudgway (NZl) RTS – Monton Racing Team 0:01:56
98 Zheng Zhang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team 0:02:40
99 Mingrun Chen (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
100 Alder Martz (USA) Attaque Team Gusto 0:02:53
101 Michael Sheehan (USA) Jelly Belly P/B Maxxis 0:04:03
102 Rodrigo Araque Lorente (Spa) Team Ukyo 0:04:15
103 Jiankun Liu (Chn) Mitchelton Scott 0:05:55
104 Eiichi Hirai (Jpn) Team Ukyo 0:08:15
105 Tianhao Gu (Chn) Giant Cycling Team 0:08:20
106 Shao Hsuan Lu (Tpe) Attaque Team Gusto 0:08:43
107 Miras Torekhanov (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team 0:10:11
108 Ilia Koshevoy (Blr) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 0:10:59
109 Tanzou Tokuda (Jpn) Team Ukyo 0:12:32
110 Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina – Selle Italia 0:12:44
111 Benjamin Dyball (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team 0:13:31
112 Alexis Cartier (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team 0:18:06
113 Chaohua Xue (Chn) Mitchelton Scott 0:18:33
114 Michael Freiberg (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness 0:19:10