Le Tour 100 – Stage 8

Castres to Ax-3-Domaines

Distance: 195 kilometers.

Welcome to the Pyrenees. I hope you have comfortable shoes, because you will the standing on them for most of the last 50 km of this stage.

It starts with the category 4 Côte de Saint-Ferréol about 25 km into the race and then it is rolling hills for 150 km and the sprint. That was the easy part, now things get serious. The last quarter of the stage involves climbing the Hors Catégorie Col de Pailhères [15.3 km at an average 8% grade, 2001 meters (6565 feet)] and then 1800 meters downhill before you climb the category 1 Ax 3 Domaines [7.8 km at an average 8.3% grade, 1375 meters (4511 feet)] and the finish line.

Today was the Froome/Quintana show. Christopher Froome took the Stage, the Yellow, and the Polka Dot, while Nairo Quintana took the White, Red Numbers, and helped his team take the Yellow Numbers.

The Col de Pailhères was the highest point on this year’s Tour at 2001 meters, Quintana was born in Tunja, Colombia which is 800 meters higher, so he doesn’t have a problem with altitude, or riding up mountains. He is in fourth for the Polka Dot 6 points behind Froome, which is one good climb.

At the end Christopher Froome just went for it, and brought Richie Porte with him on the climb up Ax 3 Domaines as everyone else faded. Quintana helped his captain, Alejandro Valverde, but Froome quite simply still had energy left while most of the field had left theirs on the climb up the Col.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 32h 15′ 55″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 234 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 31 points
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) 9 [White]

Team: Movistar ( MOV – 121-129 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
Combative: Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Richie Porte ( Aus – SKY – 006 ) + 00′ 51″
3 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 01′ 25″
4 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 01′ 44″
5 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 01′ 50″
6 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 01′ 51″
7 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 01′ 51″
8 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 02′ 02″
9 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 101 ) + 02′ 31″
10 Michael Rogers ( Aus – TST – 098 ) + 02′ 40″

The Rest of the Top 30:

11 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 124 ) + 02′ 45″
12 Andrew Talansky ( USA – GRS – 178 ) + 02′ 48″
13 Daniel Martin ( Irl – GRS – 175 ) + 02′ 48″
14 Mikel Nieve Iturralde ( Esp – EUS – 116 ) + 02′ 55″
15 Igor Anton ( Esp – EUS – 111 ) + 03′ 06″
16 Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) + 03′ 25″
17 Jakob Fuglsang ( Den – EUC – 063 ) + 03′ 27″
18 Jean-Christophe Péraud ( Fra – ALM – 081 ) + 03′ 29″
19 Haimar Zubeldia ( Esp – RLT – 049 ) + 03′ 30″
20 Romain Bardet ( Fra – ALM – 082 ) + 03′ 35″
21 Andy Schleck ( Lux – RLT – 041 ) + 04′ 00″
22 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – TST – 097 ) + 04′ 10″
23 Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 031 ) + 04′ 36″
24 Daniel Moreno Fernandez ( Esp – KAT – 106 ) + 04′ 36″
25 Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) + 04′ 57″
26 John Gadret ( Fra – ALM – 086 ) + 05′ 09″
27 Andreas Klöden ( Ger – RLT – 046 ) + 05′ 26″
28 José Serpa ( Col – LAM – 149 ) + 06′ 20″
29 Thibaut Pinot ( Fra – FDJ – 071 ) + 06′ 39″
30 Davide Malacarne ( Ita – EUC – 056 ) + 07′ 40″

Did not finish:

Matteo Bono ( Ita – LAM – 142 )

Note: Wikipedia has a simple article on the Mountain classification used on the Tour. The basic fact is that climbs fall into five types, with the four numbered types decreasing in difficulty as the numbers get larger, and then there is the Hors Catégorie, literally “without category”, which generally makes you look for an elevator or Sherpas.

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