Yakovlev wins 2nd Tour stage, Amin still leading<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Tasikmalaya, West Java<\/p>\n
Yevgeny Yakovlev of Polygon Sweet 'n' Nice pulled away early
\nand went on to win the second stage of the Tour d'Indonesia
\ncycling race here on Tuesday, while Amin Suryana retained the
\nyellow jersey after finishing in the main pack of riders.<\/p>\n
The 135-kilometer stage from Bandung to Tasikmalaya was marred
\nby an accident near the finish line that left Amir Mahmud of
\nGiant Asia Racing Team with a fracture of his right shoulder and
\nanother five riders with minor injuries.<\/p>\n
At the end of the race, Ben Robson of Greenfields Fresh Milk
\nand Ferinanto of the Indonesian national team, who placed second
\nand third behind Yakovlev in the climbing points category, were
\npenalized for failing to turn up for the award ceremony.<\/p>\n
The two riders not only had their cash prizes canceled but
\nwere also handed fine of 100 Swiss Francs (about Rp 600,000)
\neach.<\/p>\n
\"Having to attend the ceremony for the winners is obligatory,
\naccording to the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) rules,\"
\nJamaludin Mahmud, the international commissioner, told the
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He also confirmed that Amir Mahmud's tour was done, after the
\ndoctor examined him.<\/p>\n
On the road, Yakovlev, a 24-year-old from Kazakhstan, showed
\nhis strength by covering the stage in two hours, 57 minutes and
\neight seconds to make amends for his disappointing run in the
\nopening stage in which he had mechanical problems after taking
\nthe lead.<\/p>\n
\"I had a tire puncture during the opening stage and it
\nrequired ten minutes to fix. Today, I tried hard to win this
\nrace,\" Yakovlev said.<\/p>\n
The victory, according to team manager Harijanto Tjondro, came
\nbeyond the team's expectation given the initial plan that the
\nteam would have been content to simply see the rider get some
\nclimbing points on the mountainous course.<\/p>\n
However, as the race developed it started to become clear that
\nYakovlev was able not only to beat his rivals on the 7-kilometer
\nclimb, but maintain his pace to wind up with the stage victory.<\/p>\n
Yakovlev touched the finishing line far ahead of second place
\nEdmund Hollands of Giant Asia Racing Team and third place Llydo
\nReynante of Pagcor Casino Filipino almost three minutes behind.<\/p>\n
Yakovlev's teammate and compatriot Vyacheslav Dyadichkin
\nfollowed closely behind. Another three riders to finish later
\nwere Hong Kong National Team's Wong Kam-Po, Wong Ngai-Ching and
\nMalaysian Suhardi Hasan.<\/p>\n
Although the route was not as long and time-consuming as in
\nthe opening stage, the Bandung-Tasikmalaya stage provided the
\nriders with the task of coping with a dangerous section which
\nbegan from the Nagrek slope, which is notorious for traffic
\naccidents, to Cibereum around five kilometers from the finish
\nline.<\/p>\n
The route was generally characterized by steep slopes, sharp
\nand clipping turns, along which deep ravines made for a daunting
\nview. But Yakovlev did not appear to be phased, making a steady
\nacceleration of speed to leave other riders far behind.<\/p>\n
After his early attack in the first 20 kilometers of the stage
\ndid not give him a significant gap over the chasing pack,
\ncomprising Abdul Rochman, Ben Robson, Kohar, Bernard Luzon and
\nFerinanto, the Kazakhs jumped to another break after another
\nthree kilometers and he began to build on the gap until the
\nsummit of the climb.<\/p>\n
\"At the summit, he asked me about the chasers' position. And I
\nsaid just go to the finish line,\" Harijanto said.<\/p>\n
While the home riders were denied podium awards during the
\nstage, Amin Suryana of Sinar Sentosa managed to conserve his
\noverall lead and will keep the yellow jersey when the tour enters
\nthe third stage from Tasikmalaya to Purwokerto in Central Java
\nfor a 155-kilometer race.<\/p>\n
Amin, who finished in the main bunch of around 40 riders
\nincluding pre-race favorite Iranian Ghader Mizbani, has the best
\ntime of eight hours, four minutes and 50 seconds.<\/p>\n
In the team classification, Greenfields Fresh Milk is in the
\nlead with 24:31.48. Polygon Sweet 'n' Nice Pro Team is in second
\nplace, 16:42 behind, and Hong Kong National Team is in third at
\n20:29 behind.<\/p>",
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