Endura Racing’s Russell Downing was 4th today on stage 2 of the 38th Circuit des Ardennes International in France, losing the yellow jersey but retaining the Points one.
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Related Link: Third win for 2012 for Russell Downing on stage 1Â (report and interview)
The second stage followed the normal pattern of pro racing with a flurry of attacks from the get go with the yellow jerseyed Russell Downing keeping a close eye on dangerous moves going and eventually one did after 30 kilometres with his teammates Zak Dempster and Rene Mandri (both Endura Racing) in the group of 12.
That got Endura Racing off the hook of controlling the peloton and it was down to Bretagne-Schuller to do the chasing. And chase they did and after an hour of racing the break had a lead of only twenty seconds over a group with the race leader, Endura Racing’s Russell Downing and the peloton at just over a minute.
The yellow jersey chase group soon made contact with the leaders which meant Endura Racing had three riders in the leading group but there was still had plenty of racing to be done. The intermediate sprints for example saw Zak take three seconds in one, and then after there was a regrouping, Russell Downing used his sprinting legs to get himself three seconds as well.
On such a lumpy course, there were plenty of springboards for riders to get a move going and with just under 80k (50 miles) to go, Zak Dempster and Rene Mandri (Endura Racing) got themselves in a break of eight.
Photo: Hervé Dancerelle / www.circuitdesardennes.fr
After 20 or so kilometres of freedom though the break came back as the peloton approached the category 1 climb of the Côte des Mazures. With only 21 kilometres to go, the long climb did some damage to the legs of the riders and then on yet another climb, Rutkiewicz (CC Polkowice) and Steensen (Glud & Mastrand) got themselves clear.
With the peloton half the size it was now, fatigue was setting in and soon a chase group of seventeen broke clear fourty seconds behind the leaders with what was left of the peloton just over a minute back.
Rutkiewicz and Steensen were in the zone and holding their lead over the yellow jersey group when the pace of the chase saw the chase group split with Downing in the right half — the front one! But despite the chase, the lead for the duo out front was not coming down by much and they held on to win by 27 seconds from Johan Mombaerts with Downing’s group at 30 seconds.
The win by Steensen saw him take the leader’s jersey from Downing who drops to fourth,  while Endura Racing’s Rene Mandri was also rewarded for his efforts with the Rene Combativity prize.
Stage 2
1. Andre Steensen Glud & Marstrand 04:05:47
2. Marek Rutkiewicz CCC – Polkowice @ same time
3. Johan Mombaerts Big Mat – Auber 93 00:27
4. Russell Downing Endura Racing 00:30 seconds
5. Ruslan Tleubayev Continental Team Astana @ same time
6. Andrey Solomennikov Itera – Katusha @ same time
7. Jean Marc Bideau Bretagne Schuller @ same time
8. Matthias Allegaert Ovyta – Eijssen Acrog @ same time
9. Tim Wellens Lotto – Ridley Espoirs @ same time
10. Warren Barguil CC Etupes Le Doubs @ same time
23. Zakkari Dempster Endura Racing @ 1.59
25. René Mandri Endura Racing @ same time
53. Paul Voss Endura Racing @ same time
94. John Jack Anderson Endura Racing @ 9.19
96. Alexandre Blain Endura Racing @ same time
OVERALL
1. Andre Steensen Glud & Marstrand 08:22:41
2. Marek Rutkiewicz CCC – Polkowice 00:04
3. Johan Mombaerts Big Mat – Auber 93 00:33
4. Russell Downing Endura Racing 00:27
5. Jean Marc Bideau Bretagne Schuller 00:55
6. Ruslan Tleubayev Continental Team Astana 00:56
7. Daan Olivier Rabobank Continental Team 00:57
8. Warren Barguil CC Etupes Le Doubs 00:59
9. Vyacheslav Kuznetsov Itera – Katusha 01:00
10. Matthias Allegaert Ovyta – Eijssen Acrog @ same time
19. Zakkari Dempster Endura Racing 02:09
31. René Mandri Endura Racing 2.12
48. Paul Voss Endura Racing same time
82. Alexandre Blain Endura Racing 14.41
104. Jack Anderson Endura Racing 20:20
