The quiet American in the world of Cycling
While the media focuses on Lance and Hincapie and the glamour boys of cycling guys like Kirk Obee grind it out flying back and forth between the US and Europe on less then half the budge of a team like Discovery Channel i.e. US Postal. However, Obee continues to be one of the best unknown riders in the USA. He gets no press but gets results in Europe. Obee got a 3rd place in last weeks stage of the Pease Race one of Europe’s biggest. He has won and finished in the top 10 in many other major races in the US and Europe. How many other pro bike racers are out their that get no respect? F--- Lance and his pretty boys. Hincapie roles in the money and takes 10 years to win a stage of the tour and still can’t won one day races consistently--if ever:fuckyou: . While Guys like Obee struggle to support a family, train, fly back and forth to Europe, live on a shoe string budget, get no press and still win European races, what’s up with that?
Stage 6 - May 18: Dippoldiswalde - Meerane , 172.0 km
Erwin Thijs of Unibet.com broke out of a five-man breakaway group to win the sixth stage of the Peace Race Thursday. The leader's jersey changed hands again and now belongs to Gianpaolo Cheula (Barloworld).
Thijs, Giuseppe Palumbo, Kirk O'Bee, Lars Wackernagel and Fraser MacMaster broke away early in the race and had a lead of up to nine minutes in the headwind and constant rain. With five km left to go, Thijs made his move and stayed away to finish 29 seconds ahead of Palumbo and 36 seconds ahead of O'Bee.
Back in the peloton, race leader Kanstantsin Siutsou (Acqua e Sapone) was battling it out with the second-placed Cheula. As they finally reached the finish line some five minutes after the day's winner, Cheula managed to finish 9 seconds before Siutsou, who fell to fourth overall.
Friday's seventh stage is the race's longest, 192 km from Delitzsch to Thale. A closing lap to be ridden twice takes the riders up the Category 1 climb, the Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dance Place).
Results
1 Erwin Thijs (Bel) Unibet.com 4.21.36
2 Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) Acqua e Sapone 0.29
3 Kirk O' Bee (USA) Health Net Presented By Maxxis 0.36
4 Lars Wackernagel (Ger) Team Wiesenhof Akud 0.42
5 Fraser Mac Master (NZl) Team Vorarlberg 0.52
6 Andrea Tonti (Ita) Acqua e Sapone 5.26