Category — Le Tour

From the BBC coverage of today’s stage:

With around 100km to go of the 164.5km stage from Carhaix to Cap Frehel there were a string of crashes.

Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins was one of the first to suffer but was able to continue after a change of bike.

Soon after, [Janez] Brajkovic was involved in a big crash when he slipped on a white line on the roadside.

Brajkovic lay still on the ground before being attended to and although he was able to stand up, he was taken to hospital with his team later saying that he should withdraw from the event.

“It’s a hard day but there’s nothing you can do,” said RadioShack team director Alain Galopin. “It’s the Tour de France, it’s a lottery. Almost everybody crashed. We were hoping to have four leaders in the Pyrenees and there will be only three.”

Defending Tour champion Alberto Contador also took a tumble on the tight roads in Brittany, with the Spaniard also requiring a bike change.

Nicki Sorensen, Contador’s team-mate, was then pulled down when his handlebars became entangled in a photographer’s motorbike, although he was able to continue.

Today’s stage winner, Mark Cavendish from the Isle of Man, dedicated his win to his dog, Amber, who died on Tuesday.

Carhaix – Cap Frehel

Distance: 164.5 kilometers.

The sprinters will get a workout in this run through Brittany. As yesterday was affected by rain, the wind along the coast could be a factor in today’s race.

The guys at the BBC’s Day-by-Day continued their string of predicting stage winners by selecting Mark Cavendish.

Thor Hushovd ( Nor – GRM – 051 ) [Yellow] 17h 36′ 57″
Philippe Gilbert ( Bel – OLO – 032 ) [Green] 120 points
Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 141 ) [Polka Dot] 2 points
Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 117 ) 7 [White]

Team: Garmin-Cervelo ( 051-059 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 171 )
Combative: José Ivan Gutierrez ( Esp – MOV – 083 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 749.5 kilometers [465.7 miles] at an average speed of 42.5 kph [26.4 mph] ↑.

OVERALL STANDINGS:
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Lorient – Mur de Bretagne

Distance: 172.5 kilometers.

The stage starts out nice enough with a ride through the countryside, the finish is a 7.5% [a rise of 7.5 units for every 100 units traveled] Category 3 climb. There will be a lot of passing at the end.

Adding to the fun today was rain and a photo finish between Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador. Alberto was attempting to gain time on Thor, but that didn’t happen. Although he moved up in the rankings from 69 to 41, Alberto is still a minute, 42 seconds behind.

Thor Hushovd ( Nor – GRM – 051 ) [Yellow] 13h 58′ 25″
Jose Joaquin Rojas ( Esp – MOV – 088 ) [Green] 82 points
Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 141 ) [Polka Dot] 2 points
Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 117 ) 7 [White]

Team: Garmin-Cervelo ( 051-059 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 141 )
Combative: Jérémy Roy ( Fra – FDJ – 138 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 585.0 kilometers [363.5 miles] at an average speed of 41.9 kph [26.0 mph] ↓.

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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Olonne sur Mer – Redon

Distance: 198 kilometers.

A real sprinter’s stage.

Thor Hushovd ( Nor – GRM – 051 ) [Yellow] 9h 46′ 46″
Jose Joaquin Rojas ( Esp – MOV – 088 ) [Green] 64 points
Philippe Gilbert ( Bel – OLO – 032 ) [Polka Dot] 1 points
Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 117 ) 4 [White]

Team: Garmin-Cervelo ( 051-059 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Tyler Farrar ( USA – GRM – 054 )
Combative: Mickaël Delage ( Fra – FDJ – 133 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 412.5 kilometers [256.3 miles] at an average speed of 42.2 kph [26.2 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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In a report about Australian cyclist Cadel Evans, the ABC notes the problems on the first stage of Le Tour:

Evans’ main rivals for the yellow jersey, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, both lost a minute and twenty seconds after being caught-up in a massive crash triggered when a cyclist hit a spectator.

Nine kilometres from the finish line, Kazakh Maxim Iglinskiy rode into a spectator on the roadside and crashed, halting more than half of the main pack.

The spectator was unhurt.
…

The second big crash involved other favourites such as Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, Briton Bradley Wiggins and Dutchman Robert Gesink, but it took place less than three kilometres from the finish, meaning they were awarded the same time as the first bunch.

When I mentioned that Le Tour is like NASCAR, I should have noted that it would be if they ran races on the two center lanes of the I-405 and allowed spectators to use the other lanes.

There are no grandstands, fences, ropes, or any other barrier or separators between the riders and the spectators. The average speed yesterday was in excess of 25 mph, and it was uphill at the end.

Les Essarts

Distance: 23 kilometers.

This stage is a team time trial in a loop over flat terrain. The time logged is when the fifth member of the nine-member team crosses the finish line.

A number of teams were affected by the two crashes that occurred yesterday, with members riding in pain. The crashes are the primary reason that Alberto Contador is a minute and 42 seconds back.

Thor Hushovd ( Nor – GRM – 051 ) [Yellow] 5h 06′ 25″
Philippe Gilbert ( Bel – OLO – 032 ) [Green] 45 points
Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 141 ) [Polka Dot]
Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 117 ) 4 [White]
Team: Garmin-Cervelo ( 051-059 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Thor Hushovd ( Nor – GRM – 051 )
Combative: Not awarded for time trials.

They’ve gone 214.5 kilometers [133.3 miles] at an average speed of 42.0 kph [26.1 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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Passage du Gois – Mont des Alouettes

Distance: 191.5 kilometers.

The race began with a real stage this year, rather than a prologue/time trial. It started on a causeway on the west coast of France, and ran a flat, sprinter’s route until the end with a climb up the Category 4, Mont des Alouettes.

Philippe Gilbert is actually entitled to all three of the top jerseys, but you can only wear one at a time, so he chose the Yellow.

Philippe Gilbert ( Bel – OLO – 032 ) [Yellow] 4h 41′ 31″
Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 141 ) [Green]
Thor Hushovd ( Nor – GRM – 051 ) [Polka Dot]
Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 117 ) 6 [White]

Team: OLO Omega Pharma – Lotto ( 031-039 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Philippe Gilbert ( Bel – OLO – 032 )
Combative: Perrig Quemeneur ( Fra – EUC – 187 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 191.5 kilometers [119.0 miles] at an average speed of 40.8 kph [25.4 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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The race starts on 2 July on the Passage du Gois and will finish on 24 July in Paris, so I thought I should explain some of what I’ll be ranting about.

The cartoon characters from my header are wearing the various colored jerseys that indicate the leader in the different classifications in the race.

The Maillot Jaune, Yellow Jersey is worn by the rider with the lowest time overall in the race. The eventual winner of the race may never have come in first in any stage, but was near the lead throughout the race and achieved the lowest time over the entire course of the event. The winner is normally an “all-arounder”, someone is very good at the sprints and the hill climbing, even if they aren’t the best. Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, and Fabian Cancellara are “all-arouders”, showing up on the lists of the sprinters and the climbers, while staying in the top ten for overall time.

The Maillot Vert, Green Jersey, is for the speed demons, the sprinters. The guys who hit the highest gears on the bike. They are the flat-out, flat land fliers, reaching suicidal speeds. They win points for sprints on certain portions of the course. The top sprinters tend to be found in the back of the overall times because good sprinters tend to be lousy climbers.

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Longjumeau – Paris

Distance: 102.5 kilometers.

This is the final stage and Alberto Contador is assured of the Yellow. There are, however, two sprints and three people separated by 16 points in the race for the Green Jersey.

Petacchi held on to the Green, as Cavendish moved into second with his fifth stage win, and Thor Hushvodt settled for third.

Alberto Contador takes his third Yellow without winning a single stage, and Andy Schleck takes his third White.

Charteau won the Polka Dot, followed by Christophe Moreau of GCE, and Andy Schleck third.

Sylvain Chavanel was the winner of the most Combative rider on this years race. He won two stages and the Yellow twice.

The Lanterne Rouge [Red Lantern] goes to Adriano Malori of Lampre who finished 4 hours, 27 minutes, and 3 seconds after Contador.

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 91h 58m 48s
Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green] 243 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 143 points
Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) 2 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 111 )
Super Combative: Sylvain Chavanel ( Fra – QST – 131 ) [Red numbers]
Lanterne Rouge: Adriano Malori ( Ita – LAM – 207 ) +4h 27m 03s

They’ve gone 3,641.9 kilometers [2,263.0 miles] at an average speed of 39.6 kph [24.6 mph].

FINAL STANDINGS:

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Bordeaux – Pauillac

Distance: 52 kilometers.

This is a time trial and Andy Schleck’s last chance to make up the 8 seconds that Alberto Contador has on him.

Fabian Cancellara has won the second time trial stage, just as he won the first, and Andy lost 31 seconds to Alberto.

With Thor Hushovd only 10 points behind Alessandro Petacchi in the battle for the Green, the sprints will dominate tomorrow as Alberto parades into Paris.

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 89h 16m 27s
Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green] 213 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 143 points
Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) 2 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Fabian Cancellara ( Sui – SAX – 013 )

They’ve gone 3,539.4 kilometers [2,199.3 miles] at an average speed of 39.6 kph [24.6 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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Salies de Béarn – Bordeaux

Distance: 198 kilometers.

Back on the flat with a couple of sprints. Tomorrow will be time-trials and then it’s the parade to Paris, so this is the last stage for the sprinters and non-climbers to make a move.

Mark Cavendish made his move and won his fourth stage, but a withdrawal is the only reason he moved up. The finish involved the bottom of the list from 149 down at the front of the pack, but no real change in their overall standings. Alberto Contador hasn’t won a single stage but he is wearing Yellow.

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 88h 09m 48s
Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green] 213 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 143 points
Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) 2 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 111 )
Combative: Daniel Oss ( Ita – LIQ – 046 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 3,487.4 kilometers [2,167.0 miles] at an average speed of 39.6 kph [24.6 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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Pau – Col du Tourmalet

Distance: 174 kilometers.

Andy Schleck won the race up the Col at the end, but Contador was right on his wheel, so he gained none of the 8 seconds he needs to get back the Yellow.

The last day in the mountains starts with a mild category 4 followed by a sprint. Then things get sweaty with a pair of category 1 climbs. There is a sprint to warm people up to take on the Hors Catégorie Col du Tourmalet again. It is the highest point in the race, and this time the stage ends at the summit.

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 83h 32m 39s
Thor Hushovd ( Nor – CTT – 095 ) [Green] 191 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 143 points
Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) 2 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 )
Combative: Alexandr Kolobnev ( Rus – KAT – 074 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 3,289.4 kilometers [2,043.9 miles] at an average speed of 39.4 kph [24.5 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

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Bagnères de Luchon – Pau

Distance: 199.5 kilometers.

A day for mountain goats. You start with two category 1 climbs, Col de Peyresourde and Col d’Aspin, and then things get really serious with a pair of Hors Catégorie ascents, Col du Tourmalet and Col d’Aubisque. There is a sprint into Pau for the survivors.

Lance made the break away and was ahead of the peloton all day, but didn’t have enough left for the sprint at the end which was won by Pierrick Fedrigo.

Thor Hushovd took the green back by virtue of being the only ranked sprinter with anything left at the end and able to pick up some points.

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 78h 29m 10s
Thor Hushovd ( Nor – CTT – 095 ) [Green] 191 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 143 points
Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) 2 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Pierrick Fedrigo ( Fra – BBO – 154 )
Combative: Carlos Barredo ( Esp – QST – 132) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 3,115.4 kilometers [1,935.8 miles] at an average speed of 39.7 kph [24.7 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

[Read more →]

Pamiers – Bagnères de Luchon

Distance: 187.5 kilometers.

This stage starts off reasonably enough with a category 4 climb followed by a sprint. Then there are two category 2 climbs and another sprint. It is the last bit that is frankly insane. Climbing the Hors Catégorie Port de Balès is difficult, of course, but then there is the descent to Bagnères de Luchon and the finish line. As you come over the top you have to ask yourself: Are you feeling lucky?

Thomas Voeckler made his own luck and won the stage, but Andy Schleck’s luck ran out as he approached the top of Port de Balès. Probably during a shift his chain slipped off and jammed his rear wheel. That allowed Alberto Contador to pick up 39 seconds on him to take the Yellow.

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 72h 50m 42s
Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green] 187 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 115 points
Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) 2 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Thomas Voeckler ( Fra – BBO – 151 )
Combative: Thomas Voeckler ( Fra – BBO – 151 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 2,915.9 kilometers [1,811.9 miles] at an average speed of 40.0 kph [24.9 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 ) [Yellow] 72h 50m 42s
2 Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) [White]
3 Samuel Sanchez ( Esp – EUS – 181 )
4 Denis Menchov ( Rus – RAB – 191 )
5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck ( Bel – OLO – 101 )
6 Robert Gesink ( Ned – RAB – 195 )
7 Levi Leipheimer ( USA – RSH – 025 )
8 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 077 )
9 Alexandre Vinokourov ( Kaz – AST – 009 )
10 Ryder Hesjedal ( Can – GRM – 054 )
11 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – LIQ – 044 )
12 Luis-Leon Sanchez ( Esp – GCE – 161 )
13 Carlos Sastre ( Esp – CTT – 091 )
14 Ivan Basso ( Ita – LIQ – 041 )
15 Andréas Klöden ( Ger – RSH – 024 )
16 Thomas Lövkvist ( Swe – SKY – 037 )
17 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – ALM – 081 )
18 Kevin De Weert ( Bel – QST – 133 )
19 John Gadret ( Fra – ALM – 085 )
20 Ruben Plaza Molina ( Esp – GCE – 168 )

22 Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 121 )
23 Bradley Wiggins ( GBr – SKY – 031 )
31 Lance Armstrong ( USA – RSH – 021 )
48 Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot]
51 Thomas Voeckler ( Fra – BBO – 151 ) [Red numbers] [Stage winner]
63 Jérôme Pineau ( Fra – QST – 135 )
72 Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 039 )
140 Thor Hushovd ( Nor – CTT – 095 )
143 Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green]
151 Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 111 )
155 Julian Dean ( NZl – GRM – 052 )
157 David Millar ( GBr – GRM – 057 )
167 Robbie McEwen ( Aus – KAT – 075 )