Popping on the Final Climb O21-3
With over two hundred kilometers in their legs already, the final climb was taking its toll on many at the back of the peloton. Some, like Jan Polanc (Slovenia) had been working on the front for their team. Others, like Eddie Dunbar (Ireland) had launched an attack and been pulled back by the peloton. And then still others just found the distance and the pace too much like Merhawi Kudus (Eritrea) and the Spanish duo of Alejandro Valverde and Jesus Harrada.