I got a bit of resistance from people over tipping Greg Van Avermaet in the World Champs recently, expecting him to further move out of the shadow of his countryman Gilbert as he has a similar riding style and is slightly younger. Since failing in Denmark by being caught up in the crash which split the race - he has won Paris-Tours and finished second a few days ago in the Gran Piemonte. Clealry, he is the form rider in this race and I would expect him to win or finish in the placings here.
1. ZAUGG Oliver 2. MARTIN Daniel 3. RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin 4. BASSO Ivan 5. NIEMIEC Przemyslaw 6. POZZOVIVO Domenico 7. VISCONTI Giovanni 8. GILBERT Philippe 9. BETANCUR GOMEZ Carlos A. 10. CHIARINI Riccardo 11. PAOLINI Luca 12. VAN AVERMAET Greg
...well for Van Avermaet to get out of Gilbert's shadow he has to firstly beat him consistently in the placings of a race, which he didn't do here, but didn't disgrace himself either. I layed Gilbert to pay for my Van Avermaet punt, which was risky, but which payed off on account of a long and tiring if highly successful season for Gilbert. Nibali gave a courageous ride for his home fans, but was just out there for far too long.
That's it for the season, though. Things get under way again next year from here in Australia, with the Tour Down Under.
Best wishes, SwingingPick
1. ZAUGG Oliver2. MARTIN Daniel 3. RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin4. BASSO Ivan5. NIEMIEC Przemyslaw 6. POZZOVIVO Domenico 7. VISCONTI Giovanni 8. GILBERT Philippe 9. BETANCUR GOMEZ Carlos A. 10. CHIARINI Riccardo 11. PAOLINI Luca 12. VAN AVERMAET Greg...we