Tag Archives: postaday2011

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 20

Posted on by
3

Tears were in abundance in the eyes of Cadel Evans after his monumental performance in yesterday’s individual time trial. For the records Saturday’s dash against the clock was the penultimate stage this year, however it was the last opportunity to fight for overall supremacy. Final stage of the Tour is always a procession, time for the peloton to soak in the atmosphere and for a sprinter to shine.

Evans hit the road today aiming to turn around the 57 seconds deficit to Andy Schleck, and by the time he was done riding he had minutes in hand, comfortable to do a “Bolt moment” approaching the finish if he wished to. Ofcourse show-boating is not in the nature of the Australian who is often criticized for his introvert nature, but the emotions started flowing soon after Andy had finished his run.

Schleck Jr’s time might not have told the entire story, because he did give it his all. Maybe that audacious break on stage 18, followed by the toil a day later did have something to do with his relative lack of pace today. Such was the attack of Cadel Evans however, that mid way through it was clear that Andy was now racing for second.

He finished and collapsed in the arms of elder brother Frank, after all it cannot be easy to take in a third consecutive “second” place finish in Le Tour. In his own words, Andy had admitted of Friday “I’ve never come this close to winning the Tour.” Evans ensured it would not be a case of so near, yet so far, cause his lead is a very respectable 1min 34sec.

Despite his scorching pace, Evans was second on the day, HTC’s Tony Martin winning the stage in an incredible time of 55′ 33″ (avg speed of 45.9km/h).  Not all that surprising considering the German had won the Critérium du Dauphiné last month on this very route in an comparable time of 55′ 28″. Pre-stage favourite Fabian Cancellara’s run was spoilt by a wet route following early showers (which dried by the time later riders had a go) and he could only finish eighth on the day.

Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen seemed to be on his way to earn his third, and Norway’s fifth victory of the Tour, until loose handlebars forced him to change his bike after the third time check, wiping his hopes of a competitive time. Philippe Gilbert too hit mechanical woes in his attempt, though the Belgian was never going to match the top times.

Probably the most aggressive rider on the day – apart from Evans – was Alberto Contador. The defending champion knew before starting that his two-year reign was over, but went for broke nevertheless. Fuelled by pride, he matched Martin’s splits in all time checks and finished third on the stage leapfrogging to fifth overall, a place ahead of compatriot Samuel Sánchez.

His tenacity though could not overhaul that enigma Thomas Voeckler. The man who stayed in yellow for the longest period this year had struggled in the past two days, and yesterday was no different. But as he has done all through the Tour’s three weeks (and maybe his career), he kept suffering and pushing to save his fourth place in the standings, a result surpassing all expectations.

Compatriot and team-mate Pierre Rolland also managed to hold on to the maillot blanc with an impressive performance to ensuring there would be French presence on the podium in Paris. His gutsy ride could not earn a place in the top ten (he finished eleventh overall), but the man from Gien has marked himself as a future prospect if nurtured well. Who knows, a couple of Tours later we might see Voeckler guiding him to yellow, and what a turn around that would be.

Talking of turn arounds, Evans is only the fifth man since World War II to overturn a deficit in the final time trial. Today he will have the honour of becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France, the most impressive addition to his already long list of firsts for a cyclist from down under. He termed his performance today as ‘the ride of his life’ and it would go a long way in silencing his critics who often point to his lack of aggression.

In his moment of triumph Evans had one name to thank above everyone, his Italian mentor, the late Aldo Sassi. “Aldo said to me last year, ‘now that you’ve won the worlds (road race) you’ve made yourself a complete rider. You can win a Grand Tour, and hopefully it will be the Tour de France. For him today, to see me now, it would be quite something.” said Evans, adding, “We went through both good and bad. I had some bad moments in the last 10 years, but this makes the good moments even better.”

As for the Schlecks, they made history too, being the first brothers to finish together on the podium. It might be scant consolation – at least for Andy – but a proud moment for the family nonetheless. He has trained in wind tunnels in San Diego, taken special stretching exercises to improve his aerodynamic efficiency, but all that has failed to improve him in a dash against the clock.

History has taught us that to be the overall winner in the Tour de France, you have to be an overall cyclist. There is no doubt Andy is a champion climber, maybe comparable only to Contador, but if only he could time trial, he would have won the Tour. The bitter truth is that he can’t – and so he hasn’t.

There is nothing much to preview for the final stage of Le Tour. It’s a flat 95km ride to Paris in which all riders will congratulate the maillot jaune, as they enjoy sipping champagne on the road. Later Evans’ team BMC will have the honour to lead the peloton to the Champs-Élysées, and action will resume for a brief six laps of a circuit around the famous landmarks of the city.

The green jersey classification is still mathematically open, though barring a disaster Cavendish should sail through. However there is the matter of the stage finish, and every sprinter worth his salt would love to win in the shadow of the iconic Arc de Triomphe. For the leaders of the Tour it won’t matter. It will be a case of waiting for the finish for one, while the other will yet again be thinking what if…. So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                           General Classification:              Maillot Jaune –  Cadel Evans                                       Cadel Evans – 83h 45’ 20” Maillot Vert –  Mark Cavendish                                                Andy Schleck – 83h 46’ 54”        Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Samuel Sánchez                  Frank Schleck – 83h 47’ 50”       Maillot Blanc –  Pierre Rolland

About these ads

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 19

Posted on by
2

Stage 19 was to be all about that dreaded name – L’Alpe d’Huez. 13.8 km of asphalt spaghetti draped across an alpine mountain, it was celebrating its 100th year of terrorising the peloton. A 100 years of making grown men cry, most with agony, but a very select few with sheer joy.

Pierre Rolland was the latest to join that élite latter group, as he claimed the most famous victory of his career. Attacking late on the climb, he pumped big gears, leaving three-time winner Alberto Contador and Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez in his wake. At the finish line waited not only a white jersey, but also membership into a revered club of riders to have mastered the 21 steps of “the devil’s staircase”.

That euphemism comes from the leg sapping 21 hairpin bends that make up the climb to the ski-resort at the summit, and Rolland knew it all too well, “I knew at turn one, I could push the big chainring early on this climb at such a pace because I did it many times in training. This is a stage that I’ve watched dozens of times on video, with Armstrong, Pantani… I studied their cadence. And now it’s me who has won! It will take me a little time before I realize what I’ve done.”

Pierre also brought joy and glory to his nation, with the first home victory in this year’s Tour. His team has already done France proud with Thomas Voeckler holding to yellow against all odds, and a lot of credit for that goes to young Rolland. Today’s winner has been the super-domestique for Voeckler all Tour long, guiding the maillot jaune up slopes that not many had expected him to survive.

Today though Voeckler had realised by the second climb of the day that the show was over for him. Unable to keep pace with Contador and Andy Schleck, he set Rolland free, ““I said I wanted to do everything possible to defend the yellow jersey of Thomas but on the climb of the Galibier, he told me, ‘Seize your chance, don’t worry about me’. This is also where I see that he is a great champion, one who was able to tell me to go at the right time,” said Pierre.

Voeckler fought valiantly, screaming, grimacing, dancing over the handle bars, doing his best as he has all of the ten days in yellow. But today even his indefatigable spirit and immense will power were not enough to protect the maillot jaune. Maybe he panicked and made a mistake when he tried to chase the leaders solo up the Galibier. Common sense would have suggested for him to hold back and wait for his team, and let then nurture him back to the leading pack.

Some are commenting he did not have that confidence in his team, but I for one don’t buy that. It is the nature of the man, he has always been a fighter. In fact its this very virtue of his that has made him dodge the favourites for 10 days each in 2004 and this year. He is an all or nothing person, when thrown a challenge he goes all guns blazing, no thinking and tactics for him, just pure guts.

Another gutsy rider on the day was defending champion Alberto Contador. The Spaniard blew up all calculations as he attacked within 15km of the start, early on the climb of Col du Télégraphe. Among the top contenders only Evans and Andy Schleck could match Contador’s multiple accelerations. Voeckler, Schleck Sr and Ivan Basso, were all dropped once Alberto began his trademark dance on the pedals.

And then disaster struck for Cadel Evans. He had to dismount thrice due to mechanical troubles, and eventually changed to a new bike from his team car, losing over a minute to the Contador group in the process. It took him one and a half mountains of effort to catch up with the lead group and save his Tour, as he had chased Andy Schleck only a day before.

At the front of the race Alberto seemed to be a man on a mission. He had cracked on the climb of the Galibier on thursday, and had himself declared the challenge for yellow all but finished. Today was then about redemption, to show everyone that the Spanish bull had not laid arms. He was doing most of the hard work ahead as Andy was content to stay in his slipstream, knowing all too well Contador was not his main rival now.

But once they knew Evans was pulling back, Andy did share the workload, though that was not to be enough. The Australian caught up with the leaders near the 25km banner, and though his team were instrumental in the chase, it was mostly a solo effort by the BMC leader. Once the favourites were all together, the group called truce for a while.

That peace was short-lived, broken by Pierre Rolland right on the foot of last climb. He pumped ahead knowing all too well the leaders would not be bothered to chase him back, Contador though had other plans. As on the Télégraphe he surged ahead viciously and this time no one responded. Alberto was too far behind in time to bother the Schlecks or Evans and all he sought was a victory on the hallowed summit.

He seemed to be going well as he overtook Pierre, with his form of yore that even the best find hard to challenge, nevertheless compatriot Sánchez set on a chase with Rolland. The Frenchman was being the tactician, using Sánchez to pull him up the slopes towards Contador. Despite furious gestures from Sánchez, Rolland refused to share the workload, till they caught up with the defending champion.

Once they did, Rolland almost immediately jumped on to a big gear and being relatively fresher of three, raced ahead to the stage victory. It was a justified reward, as Rolland has been a revelation all Tour long. He also moved into the lead of the best young rider classification and is being seen as probably the next French winner of the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985.

Sánchez also did not go empty-handed for all his effort up the Alpe d’Huez and finished second on the day between Rolland and Conatador. His biggest reward was earning the polka dot jersey for the king of the mountains. With no mountain points on offer in the last two stages, he will carry that till Paris, a remarkable achievement for a small team like Eukaltel-Easkadi.

Behind them Evans tried a few attacks, and a final dash to the line but was unable to shake off the two Schleck brothers. That means he heads for the Individual Time Trial of Saturday in third place, 57 seconds behind Andy Schleck who inherited yellow from Voeckler (who eventually finished 3’22″ behind) at the end of the day.

Stage 20 is a 42km solo race against the clock in Grenoble. No team mates, no shields behind attackers, just pure man and machine against the wind. The route is rolling and will not suit a pure specialist, especially as it comes after three gruelling days in the mountains. Evans is the clear favourite here compared to the Schlecks, but so was he in 2008 against Sastre, and was not able to turn the tables on that day.

Nerves, luck, crowd support and pure motivation are among the several factors that will come into play today in addition to personal ability of course. Deciding a three-week, 3400km long Tour in a short 42kms on the penultimate day is like deciding a marathon with a 100m sprint, but that is the unpredictability of sport. 57 seconds is the magical figure separating the two challengers, and as the great Eddy Merckx would say, ” It’s a lot and it is nothing.” So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                           General Classification:              Maillot Jaune –  Andy Schleck                                                 Andy Schleck – 82h 48’ 43” Maillot Vert –  Mark Cavendish                                                Frank Schleck – 82h 49’ 36”       Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Samuel Sánchez                               Cadel Evans – 82h 49’ 40”         Maillot Blanc –  Pierre Rolland

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 18

Posted on by
Reply

What does it take to win the Tour de France? Some say that you got to beat the best, to suffer more than the worst and yet not wince, to be an all round rider and not just a specialist. While all the above may be true, Andy Schleck showed us yesterday that for aspiring a victory in Le Tour, you first have to beat yourself and answer the challenge thrown by your own body. Only then shall these mountains bow to your will, and hopefully the riders will follow.

Such was the majesty of Andy’s attack that in a stage meant to separate the great from the best, he rose higher leaving greats behind to join the legends. By the end of the day he was proudly standing on a podium higher (in pure altitude terms) than any winner of the Tour ever has. His incredible performance on stage 17 does not guarantee overall victory, but does make sure that his feat goes down into history books to be admired for ages.

This was one of those classic attacks, not seen since the days of Eddy Merckx, and one which Charly Gaul – the last winner from Schleck’s home country Luxembourg – would be proud of. As fate would have it, Merckx was there in person to applaud Schleck’s efforts and give him a nice little pep-talk from a car pulling alongside the climber in the final stages. Not that Andy was lacking any motivation, but this would have been like a psychological shot of testosterone!

The sheer audacity of Schleck’s plan is understood considering that when he attacked 60km from the finish, not one commentator, nor any online expert, not even the top riders and their team directors considered it worthy of a serious challenge. Some ridiculed, others laughed and the riders themselves continued with contempt towards the aggressor’s move.

Leave aside the heroics for a while though, and it becomes clear that this was not a move out of pure bravura, but one that took birth in the confines of team Leopard Trek‘s hotel a night ago. It’s no coincidence that Posthuma and Monfort were part of the initial breakaway, conveniently available to guide their team leader right when he needed them at the Izoard.

This was tactical genius, the complete team plan where every member played his role to perfection. Elder brother Frank was the sniper covering Andy’s attack squad. He spent all day shadowing Contador and Evans, holding them down and ready to pounce for a counter-attack if things turned ugly for Schleck Jr. It did not come to that, but pounce he did meters off the finish line to claim second place on the day behind his brother (making it the first ever one-two in Tour history for their home nation).

Monfort’s effort was probably the vital link in the plan as he protected Schleck from the strong headwinds down the long and tricky descent of Col d’Izoard. Going downhill is the acknowledged weakness of the Schleck brothers and it was upto Monfort to guide his leader, providing him with the best lines and drafts on the way down. He performed better than expectations, making Andy pull further ahead from the better descenders behind him.

This was the Tour’s Queen stage, as it is called, featuring the highest point of the race at 2,774m summit of Col d’Agnel. Keeping true to the honour of such a significant stage, it awarded us with more heroics in a single day than the entire Harry Potter series. Apart from the man of the day, it was Cadel Evans who shone brightest as he toiled to pull the young Luxembourgeois back.

Once the top contenders had realised they had underestimated Andy, someone had to lead the chase. Cadel started it, and with lack of any help from the others, gritted his teeth and decided to do it all on his own. He was visibly irritated as no one offered any help at the head of the pack, but continued despite his frustration, towing the rest on his rear wheel. Ofcourse Frank was not expected to offer any help – he was there precisely to disrupt the chase – but the Australian certainly deserved more assistance from Contador and Voeckler.

Despite Voeckler’s reluctance to do the hard work – as Evans saw it – the Frenchmen put in one of the sternest performances of the day. His expression at the finish line told a story his suffering to save the yellow jersey, which the Europcar rider did by a very narrow margin. All seemed lost as he cracked mid-way through the Galibier, but when told that Andy was slowing near the top, the Tour’s current leader ignored all the pain and rode a big gear, saving fractions with every turn of the pedal.

Andy Schleck won the award for the most aggressive rider of the day, but for anyone who would have watched only the last 15 minutes of the stage, it was all about Voeckler’s unbelievable resilience. He did it to Armstrong in 2004, and is doing it all over again this year, staying in yellow beyond the wildest expectations.

Surprisingly the only rider to have cracked on the day was Alberto Contador. The three-time winner and defending champion, instigator of the chaos on stage 16, was completely off his usual form yesterday. He never looked in trouble at any point, till finally cracking within the last 3km. He crossed the line in 15th place and this little slip-up cost him precious 3’50” over Schleck and 1’35” over Evans.

The other sufferers (relatively speaking as everyone suffers on a day like this) were the sprinters, whose conundrum evident by the fact that maillot vert Mark Cavendish finished outside the cut-off time, entailing disqualification from the race. Thankfully for him and 77 other riders, the manic pace set by Andy Schleck ensured more than 20% of the Tour riders could not make it within the cut-off time. Hence the rules permitted the commissaires to save the grupetto from capital punishment.

Escaping disqualification was certainly good news, but the late comers were docked points based on their time over the cut-off limit. Cavendish lost 20 points, bringing down his lead over Jose Rojas to just fifteen. Unfortunately the sprinters cannot look for much respite from today either. Forget them, there would be many top riders fidgeting at the thought of the three major climbs today, as the organisers have designed this route precisely to cause cracks in the field. At a mere 109km, it is one the shorter stages this year (except the time trials), but right up there with the most brutal we have seen so far.

There are hardly any flats to talk of and the category-one ascent of Col du Télégraphe is almost dwarfed by the giants ahead. The real challenge of the day begins as riders renegotiate the Galibier, this time from its harder side and finish on the summit of Alpe d’Huez – a climb steeped in Tour lore, which has made as many legends as it as destroyed.

Last time these 21 hair pins were part of Le Tour was in 2008, and were witness to the move that won Carlos Sastre the tour. Incidentally the Spaniard was then leading team CSC Saxo Bank, which included both Schleck brothers, and the rider who lost out that day (finishing second in the Tour) – a certain Cadel Evans.

The GC table has been shaken yet again, and though Voeckler is still unmoved off his perch, he is on the brink. The Schelcks lying at No 2 & 3 have tasted blood and Evans is not far behind. Andy might move into yellow today, but he knows the 57 seconds he has over the Australian are too close for comfort considering the individual time trial of Saturday.

So the Schlecks have to gain more time, but their need is remotely not as urgent as of Alberto Contador. After yesterday’s debacle he has to fight for serious time, though maybe more for pride. This has been one of the most unpredictable Tours in recent history, so I won’t risk making a prediction, but rest assured there will be tremors in-keeping with the traditions of L ‘Alpe d’Huez – the ultimate killing ground.

Against my usual habit, I will not finish this report with a preview of the next stage, but the defining moment of this one. No prizes for guessing that its the “Schleck moment” which prompted @lancearmstrong to tweet, “Watching the #tourdefrance. Gutsy and smart riding by @andy_schleck and his team. Fun to watch.” Fun it was for us, for the great man himself it was a feeling of redemption and glory. So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                           General Classification:              Maillot Jaune –  Thomas Voeckler                                           Thomas Voeckler – 79h 34’ 06” Maillot Vert –  Mark Cavendish                                                Andy Schleck – 79h 34’ 21”        Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Jelle Vanendert                                Frank Schleck – 79h 35’ 14”        Maillot Blanc –  Rein Taaramae

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 17

Posted on by
Reply

Sa majesté le Galibier (which google translates to “His majesty the Galibier”) shouted today’s L’equipe. That pretty much narrates that yesterday’s stage was seen as nothing more than a little inconvenience to be tackled enroute to the monster stages 18 and 19. Wednesday’s route took us into Italy, the only other country part of Le Tour this year, till we return back to France today.

However try telling that to any Norwegian and he won’t care for what is in store. Not when they are celebrating their second consecutive stage victory, this time Edvald Boasson Hagen the winning rider. He came second to compatriot Hushovd only a day ago, and yesterday brought up his second win in this year’s Tour, taking Norway’s tally to four. An amazing feat considering Thor and Edvald are the only two riders from Norway. What kind of success ratio is that, you do the math.

“I wanted to win this stage because I came so close the day before,” said Edvald. “I wanted to get revenge. My team-mates did a good job early on to get me in the break and I felt quite strong all the way.” The Norwegian also brought much-needed joy to Team Sky, who despite the vagaries of their title sponsors are performing better than expected (considering how early they lost their leader Bradley Wiggins).

Stage 17 started from Briançon, which boasts of being the highest city in Europe, and half way across moved into Italy to finish in Pinerolo. Four categorised climbs – highest being a category one – lay spread across the 179km, finishing with a precarious descent labelled ”fatally dangerous” by Andy Schleck.

This was just a day after Contador had set the Tour on fire. He had attacked against common wisdom on stage 16, timing it to perfection and dropping both Schleck brothers in the process. The Luxembourg rider’s concern then seem slightly genuine, because called on to cover any attack today, he (and other riders) would have to take risks on the descent of Côte de Pramartino.

On the road, no one seemed to have faced any problems with the Italian authorities, all passports seemingly in order as the peloton rode over the border climbing up the category-one Sestrières. Ahead of them in the breakaway, Ruben Peréz launched the first attack of the day, racing over the highest peak on the stage in the lead. Too early to hope for a victory, the Spaniard continued nevertheless till Dmitriy Fofonov decided to chase him down.

Attacks continued unabated thereafter. First it was Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel who caught Peréz, but was then caught himself by Boasson Hagen, 2km from the last climb. The Norwegian continued ahead with the assurance of knowing the descent all too well. That credit goes to his mastermind performance director Dave Brailsford who had the Sky rider recce this route twice and look at it further on film, thereby arming him with the best data to consolidate his position.

Behind in the peloton Contador was back to his antics, attacking as surreptitiously as the day before. But this time all his rivals were better prepared, more attentive and neutralized the move immediately. There were no further “moments” till the main group scaled the summit, and then Contador set off again with Sanchez for company.

We did have a crash on the precarious slope as Jonathan Hivert - in his bid to catch up with Boasson Hagen – took a risk too many and misjudged a corner. He was very lucky to have a soft landing and continue with no injuries. Not one to take heed from this, he continued in the same maverick mode, being lucky for a second time as he missed his apex, this time an open parking lot coming to his rescue.

That same little run off zone (parking lot) again proved to be a saving grace very soon as the maillot jaune himself had to take refuge after misjudging the turn. But for the noble soul who thought of leaving the door wide open, we would have had two nasty crashes, one of which could have brought a tragic end to the fight of Thomas Voeckler.

One rider who did not put a wheel wrong was Edvald Boasson Hagen. He continued to the line unchallenged and finished a comfortable 40 seconds ahead of second placed Bauke Mollema of Netherlands. Edvald has impressed everyone this year and Jens Voigt had this to say of the Norwegian on his blog. “Now I have known how good Thor is for a long time, but I don’t even think Edvald knows how good he is yet. He doesn’t know if he wants to be a sprinter, a climber or a time trailer. And the thing is, he’s really good at all of them!”

Contador and Sanchez worked together for the entire descent and seemed to have put in a few seconds between themselves and the Evans + Schleck group. But despite their best efforts, they were caught right on the line with everyone being awarded the same time. Only loser on the day was Voeckler, whose mistakes on the descent eventually costing him 27 seconds.

“Mountain biking is not my specialty,” said Voeckler, but he continues to defiantly hold on to the maillot jaune. Today he has to survive a different beast altogether. As the Tour celebrates the centenary of its first visit to the Alps, the organisers have rewarded us with a gruelling stage consisting of three Hors Catégorie climbs.

It starts with a relatively peaceful 50km till the intermediate sprint, and then all hell breaks loose. First comes the searing Col Agnel peaking at 2744m. Then the slightly lower (2360m), yet equally brutal Col d’Izoard, with its famous Casse Déserte (a barren desert-like patch just before the summit). Finally we have the killer ascent of Col du Galibier, which at 2645m will go in the record books as the highest finish on the Tour – ever.

At the end of the 200km the first man over the line can claim to be the closest descendant of Clark Kent and probably the strongest claimant to the overall victor’s crown. There cannot be any chess moves on such brutal mountains because the amount of suffering these riders will go through won’t leave any room in their mind for “games”. It will be all out racing, hopefully the likes of what we saw at the Tourmalet last year.

This last phase of the Tour has seen incessant action, both among smaller teams and the big guns. Tomorrow is the day everyone had bookmarked in their Tour diary and what the riders dream of. I don’t think any breakaway will have it in them to go all the way to the finish, hence we should see a top rider win the stage, probably after a day of heroics. I can hardly wait. So till tomorrow then…

ps: Stage 17 was one of the most scenic yet, enjoy :)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Jersey holders:                                                           General Classification:              Maillot Jaune –  Thomas Voeckler                                           Thomas Voeckler – 73h 23’ 49” Maillot Vert –  Mark Cavendish                                                Cadel Evans – 73h 25’ 07”       Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Jelle Vanendert                                 Frank Schleck – 73h 25’ 11”       Maillot Blanc –  Rigoberto Uran

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 16

Posted on by
Reply

I would like to boast that in my stage 15 report I had mentioned today “should still be engrossing as the second rest day always plays tricks.” In fairness though I accept that not even for a moment was I referring to the kind of action we saw today on the slopes of Col de Manse. Pray why me, not one expert, pundit, hell not even the Schlecks and the maillot jaune had expected what transpired.

For all the big talks about the Pyrenean climbs, this little appetizer of a stage (as termed by many) sorted out the GC better – and proved to be far more thrilling. On this wretched day with rain uncannily following the Tour riders all the way till the finish (almost wanting to stay with the action), defending champion Alberto Contador left his first impression on the 98th edition of the Tour de France.

The move he started sent tremors across the peloton, triggering the first full-scale battle between the favourites on the Tour. At the end of it the Schleck brothers were the big losers of the day with Andy in particular, having lost 1min 8sec over Cadel Evans. Elder brother Frank did marginally better limiting his losses to 21sec, however surrendering his second place in the overall standings to the Australian.

Cadel Evans looks to be in the form of his life, and this time equally focussed as well. He responded to every challenge thrown by Contador better than all the other favourites, and later turned it around by counter-attacking the three-time defending champion on the slopes heading down to the famous town of Gap. If not for some help from compatriot Sammy Sanchez, the Saxo Bank rider would have lost much more than the three seconds he eventually did over the Aussie.

The three time winner let the cat among the pigeons almost surreptitiously, when anyone least expected. As the peloton rushed towards the finish, led by Evan’s BMC team, one got the feeling that all they wanted was to finish their misery on a tough stage - weather wise - as soon as possible. On a serious note though they wanted to keep their respective leaders at the front to avoid them losing time in the scenario of a crash.

But then out of nowhere sprang Contador, with a move so reminiscent of his trademark attacks, which were conspicuously missing on the earlier slopes. Despite the surprise element, all his immediate rivals scurried (with help from Fabian Cancellara) to catch up before the Spaniard could run away. All well then, Contador had had his little “Andy Schleck” moment, and the stage would finish in peace – or so we thought.

Alberto definitely had a plan in his mind, he knew all too well that the Schlecks are uncomfortable on rainy days and thus persisted with his attacks. The third one finally paid off. As he increased his pace yet again, all except Evans and Sanchez conceded defeat and Andy in particular seemed to hit the wall. Tour leader Thomas Voeckler also succumed to the pace and forgetting the leaders, tailed alongwith the Leopard Trek men.

Once the descent began it was not even a contest. Evans has been the mountain bike world champion and showed his skills in great measure distancing himself off both Spaniards. The Schlecks meanwhile were trying hard to keep with Voeckler, again Andy struggling in particular. The younger Schleck was finding it hard to stay even with Voeckler and eventually elder brother Frank had to move ahead to limit the damage, leaving Andy to be guided home by Maxime Monfort.

As the Leopard Trek leader (or is he?) locked up, overheated his brakes and shook his head in despair, I heard the commentators say, “Andy Schleck is literally stopping himself from winning the Tour de France.” In the glamour of the mountains & time trials and the maze of tactics, we often forget that the Tour is also won by good bike handling skills, but most importantly, by a rider ready to risk all. A rider who pushes himself beyond the real to rise to glory and awe in the shadow of the inspiring Arc de Triomphe.

While all this was happening there was a race on, which incidentally was won again by Thor Hushovd. This time the Norwegian pipped compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen in the sprint with team-mate Ryder Hesjedal coming in third. It was a perfect run in by the veteran, part of the breakaway yet again, who held the group and Boasson Hagen at bay as Hesjedal attacked on the last climb of the day.

Going over the summit, as it was clear that the Canadian would soon be caught by the rider from Team Sky, the Garmin rider’s roles reversed with Hesjedal now doing the support job. It was a tough ask for the younger Norwegian to go for the final sprint against two team-mates, one of who is the world champion. Victory today though could be attributed more to Hushovd’s experience rather than pure talent, as he timed his attack to perfection, taking Boasson Hagen by surprise.

Once Thor was off, the split second hesitation by Edvald killed any hopes for a tight finish and the Garmin-Cervélo man made it home by more than a bike length. He (and his team) have had an incredible Tour, this being his second stage victory after having rode several days in yellow. “I was sitting there to control him and I feel a little sorry for Edvald…he did not have an easy job in the end with two Garmin-Cervélo guys in the front…The first win [in Lourdes] was better than this one because I was able to win alone but today is another nice one,” said the stage winner.

It was a hard-earned victory with yesterday being one of the fastest stages this year. The first hour was covered at a speed of 51.4km/h, Hushovd eventually crossing the finish line in 3h 31min 38sec, good 20 minutes before the organisers had expected. The manic pace and Thor’s efforts are best encapsulated in Cadel Evans’ tweet, “Today was…..kinda tough…. 48.2km/h for ~2h: Thor is a ‘hardman’! #TdF.” Even with the results so far it is safe to say that the 2011 Tour is bringing success to Norway like it did to its home nation last year.

Then again all this sounds a mere postscript in the cosmic scheme of things happening at the top end of the GC table. I am not a big fan of Contador, but have to doff my hat to the Spaniard. Where others throw short punches, the defending champion launches a volley of sustained attacks. I don’t know if its talent or experience or a sixth-sense, but he just seems to know when to attack, and for how long to pull the pain-train for others to break.

Schlecks need not panic yet though. Frank still sits third overall with Andy only a place behind, both ahead of Contador. Yes these kind of time differences can be wiped off in a single hard climb, but the assurance of any time in hand is a big psychological benefit during attacks (after all Contador had a mere eight seconds gap over Andy this time last year). Yesterday’s reversal also cannot be counted as any weakness by the Leopard Trek riders, as only five days ago we saw Contador crack on the climb of Luz-Ardiden, only to bounce back today. The Luxembourgeois know their strength is climbing, and there is still a lot of that to come.

More immediate of their concerns would be that both brothers are behind Australian Cadel Evans, who on current evidence looks strongest of all. He answered every question raised by Alberto yesterday and got a bonus when he outpaced the instigator on the descent. Evans has a strong BMC team with him, is not shy of climbing, descends better than most and crucially is the best time trialler among the top men. If it does get close, then we all know who will gain those vital seconds on the penultimate stage.

Andy Schleck however criticized the organisers for their choice of route, labelling today’s final descent as “fatally dangerous.” Though many may consider that as a case of sour grapes for a rider who knows his limitations going down hill all too well, the descent of Côte de Pramartino indeed is the most challenging part of a day consisting of four categorised climbs.

On the face of it, there is nothing particularly tricky about the 179km that take us into foreign lands (Italy) and the peloton should be focussed on the two monster stages ahead. Yesterday’s events though, cast it in a different shade altogether. We know Contador is not going to sit quiet now and is bound to throw down the gauntlet once again, probably on the descent Andy has already cast a doubt over.

Hold your breaths then everyone – this is the Tour de France – and the final days are not for the faint hearted. We will see manic descents, brutal climbs and a blitzy time trial. Yesterday was shocking enough, more than anything else this year (except for the high crash rate ofcourse) and I think the most apt finish for this report is by bringing out Team Leopard Trek’s tweet yesterday, “Time lost. Hope remains. Three days in the Alps ahead. bit.ly/nA8zGR ” So till tomorrow then…

ps: till then feast yourselves over this gallery encapsulating all the action of stage 16 in pictures…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 Jersey holders:                                                      General Classification:               Maillot Jaune –  Thomas Voeckler                                     Thomas Voeckler – 69h 00’ 56”      Maillot Vert –  Mark Cavendish                                          Cadel Evans – 69h 02’ 41”        Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Jelle Vanendert                          Frank Schleck – 69h 02’ 45”            Maillot Blanc –  Rigoberto Uran

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 7

Posted on by
Reply

It was a tale of two days for Team Sky, who having scored their maiden victory in Le Tour on Thursday, lost their leader and podium hopeful Bradely Wiggins to a crash yesterday. The stark contrast in emotions was evident in Ben Swift’s statement, “You can’t go through more different emotions. We had a little glass of champagne last night, it was a big moment, and then it’s overshadowed by today.”

The fateful crash came with 37km left to go on the stage as the peloton approached the intermediate sprint steaming along at 60km/h. It involved around 25 riders present at the center of the peloton and when the dust settled – rather the riders untangled themselves, Wiggins was the last man left lying. As he got up clutching his arm, the worst fears crept into the minds of all his team-mates who had stopped to look after the Briton.

Seriousness of his injury was then confirmed as soon as his team mounted their bikes and continued leaving behind their leader. Wiggins tried to get back on but Sky’s doctor Richard Freeman was convinced that the ambulance was what would transport him back. Rémi Pauriol (FDJ), another causality of the crash, also had to bid adieu to the 2011 Tour for good. Chris Horner (Radioshack) was catapulted badly in the melee, but remounted and raced back receiving treatment rolling alongside the medical car.

The American outfit created by Armstrong seem to be running into bad luck this year almost every day. Levi Leipheimer and Yaroslav Popovych were involved in separate crashes yet again today, and while both escaped major injuries, time lost will hurt the American’s chances in the general classification. And one never knows what the knock on effect of all these crashes would be in the mountains.

One rider to succumb to the effects of a previous crash was Quickstep’s Tom Boonen. The Belgian fell hard on stage 5 and had been suffering since, riding two days with what I think is a broken collar-bone. This probably is not the way Boonen would liked to have ended probably the last Tour of his career, though no one can accuse him of being soft. His withdrawal left 192 riders competing in the Tour – after Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar) was disqualified having finished outside the time limit on thursday.

Meanwhile back where things were not as bad, the four man breakaway of Perez Urtasun (EUS), Mickael Delage (FDJ), Gianni Meersman (FDJ) and Yannick Talabardon (SAU) continued to keep the peloton at bay till inside the last twenty kilometers. They had broken free right after the neutral zone, and were all but caught till the accident briefly interrupted the chasing pack.

The stage today otherwise had no classified climbs in the 218km route and the finish was on straight and broad roads. Perfect then for the sprinters and all but Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) and Boasson Hagen (Sky) had manged to reach the end without being involved in the earlier crash.

HTC-Highroad yet again formed a textbook perfect train in the lead up to the finish. With Cavendish at the tail end of the formation and riders decoupling in a premeditated schedule, it seemed like a foregone conclusion for the Isle of Man rider to win the stage honours. André Greipel (OLO) accelerated viciously but seemed to have started too early and was spent right before the line to finish behind Cavendish and “Ale jet” Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre).

“I know my rivals and the speed Greipel went past, it was obvious he’d come from a few places behind me and he’d gone early. Unless he has his very best form he wasn’t going to hold it to the line so I knew he was going to die,” said an ecstatic Cavendish who earned his 17th stage victory at the place where it had all begun.

Riders held up in the Wiggins crash – including all eight surviving members of Team Sky, finished more than three minutes behind the main pack. As an upshot Geraint Thomas lost his white jersey to Robert Gesink, but that would be the least of the team’s worries. This large group included many top ten contenders and the general classification list saw some upheavals as a result.

Wiggins’ withdrawal is the biggest news of the Tour yet and the triple Olympic champion is obviously disappointed as he was looking good to better his fourth place finish of 2009. ”Everyone was jostling for the front,” he said. “We were constantly told on the radio that we’ve got to stay in the front … I couldn’t get up off the floor for love nor money, and once I did make it to the side of the road I kept saying I wanted to get back on the bike, but there comes a point where you just can’t do it.”

The survivors move ahead and today get their first taste of the mountains. While the climbs on stage 8 are not serious enough to trouble the top contenders, they should see the yellow jersey change shoulders. We are now in the Massif Central and this route will take a toll on the legs, especially that of the sprinters who have been the focus of most attention till now. It has one category 2 climb, but more importantly the finish is uphill making Philippe Gilbert yet again a favourite to win today. So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                                    General Classification:

Maillot Jaune –  Thor Hushovd                                       Thor Hushovd – 28h 29’ 27”      Maillot Vert –  Jose Joaquin Rojas                                  Cadel Evans – 28h 29’ 28”            Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Johnny Hoogerland                Frank Schleck – 28h 29’ 31”                Maillot Blanc –  Robert Gesink

ps: The commissaires –  in an act seemingly to justify their existence - fined riders yesterday for “breaches of protocol.” Two participants were fined 30 Swiss Francs each for throwing bidons while others lost 100 Swiss Francs for the heinous crime of “public urination.” Well there is a rumour of a rider who has a wee into his bottle on the go to save time, so I wonder what would punitive action he would invite if caught!!!

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 6

Posted on by
Reply

A day after the carnage that was stage 5, riders looked forward to a flat route, albeit a tiring one as stage 6 was the longest distance they would cover on any stage this year. As the main pic above displays, they were not offered any respite from the elements, but most managed to end the day with their flesh and bones in the right places.

They stage went to Team Sky and their Norwegian sprinter Edvald Boasson Hagen, who held off a late charge by HTC’s Matt Goss and compatriot Thor Hushovd.  It was a maiden win both for the rider and his high-profile British team, which will make last year’s agony diminish further. Sky Procycling have achieved this feat in only their second attempt at the Tour and that should give them a lot of confidence in the coming days.

If the British were ecstatic, it was a far better day for the Norwegians, both their riders in the event finishing in the top three, and Hushovd hanging on to the maillot jaune for another day (by a gap of one second). The Garmin-Cervelo man with a name to die for – would you not like to be called the “god of thunder” – has put in a remarkable performance, finishing strong in all stages, some of which were definitely not suited to his style.

Mark Cavendish, probably still recovering from his superhuman effort in yesterday’s finish was dropped much before the final sprint, and his it was left to his team-mate to pick up points for the team. Alberto Contador came to the fore again, prompted by the slight incline leading to the finish, but he pulled out on second thoughts, having done enough to send the message across.

Much of the route preceding this was what the riders call “French flat” with never-ending crests and troughs to keep the muscles tingling.  Thursday began with the sad news of Euskaltel’s Ivan Velasco having to pull out because of a broken collarbone sustained in a crash in the final stages a day before. Though he had remounted and finished within the stipulated time, his condition did not permit for any further action.

Few sign boards claimed the route to be passing “paradise in Normandy”, however it seemed anything but. For one, the peloton was racing along some decisive battlefields of the Normandy campaign and then the rain that had started falling by the second hour made things seem right out of the Deathly Hallows. Distance and conditions though are never much of a concern for these athletes as was vindicated by the speed in the first hour, a nippy 49.4km/h.

As the half-way mark approached, the breakaway of five riders had opened up a gap close to 10 minutes over the main field. They had at one point gained  11min 35sec, which has been the biggest advantage by any breakaway this year. But with Garmin and HTC organising the chase – later to be joined by Movistar – it would have never sufficed. Mark Cavendish got something out of the day as he was first across the intermediate sprint line among the main lot, picking up 10 points for the green jersey classification.

Only crash of the day came towards the end, with the rain finally taking its toll. It was Armstrong’s former team-mate Levi Leipheimer (Radioshack) who slipped on the white markings on the road and hit the barriers with 6km to go. The American thankfully suffered no major injuries and managed to finish the stage, albeit losing just over a minute in the process.

Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) attacked again today, this time inside the final 2km and with Jelle Vanendert (OLO) for company. They managed to pull 100m clear, but were never a match for the hungry peloton with the Gilberts and Millars gunning for glory (personal or the team’s).

In the final dash Boasson Hagen was launched with perfection by David Millar – who has been doing a splendid job for Sky this year – to take victory in 5h 13′ 37″. Mark Cavendish was definitely missed and his green jersey chances this year are hanging in the balance, the uphill finishes favouring Phillipe Gilbert and José Joaquín Rojas, who are 50 and 49 points ahead of him.

Today we start heading southward, beginning with a car transfer to Le Mans – home to the legendary 24 hour car race. According to the Tour’s official website, it’s the flattest of all stages this year and hence should yet again favour the sprinters to shine on the day. At the face of it the route looks pretty straightforward (only considering the ability and stamina of these riders mind you), but rain and wind can raise a tempest in the calmest of scenarios. It’s also where a certain Mark Cavendish won his first Tour stage back in 2008, and with him lying low yesterday I would recommend you to watch out for him. So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                                    General Classification:

Maillot Jaune –  Thor Hushovd                                         Thor Hushovd – 22h 50’ 34”
Maillot Vert –  Philippe Gilbert                                        Cadel Evans – 22h 50’ 35”
Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Johnny Hoogerland                 Frank Schleck – 22h 50’ 38”
Maillot Blanc –  Geraint Thomas

Obituary: The 26-year-old Australian road cyclist Carly Hibberd has been killed after being hit by a car while training in Como, northern Italy. It’s a shocking loss to the sport merely couple of months after the death of Wouter Weylandt in the Giro. Please pay your tributes here.

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 5

Posted on by
2

On a day of attrition Mark Cavendish blitzed to his 16th career stage victory in Le Tour, while the peloton was battered and bruised much beyond the regular. There were a spate of crashes and withdrawals, partly caused by the vicious cross-winds and partly by the tricky route on the day. For a fan like me, it hurts to see all the hard work and endless hours of painful toil go to a waste because of such unfortunate events.

Each day the Tour doctors issue a medical bulletin, which ranges from innocuous items such as stings and saddle sores to the most common on the list – broken bones. But even by these rather unsettling standards, yesterday’s bulletin sounded like a war record. It was only the incredible will of these riders that propelled all but the most severely injured to remount and finish the stage grimacing in pain. The gallery below does not bring out the scintillating beauty on the Tour, but the incredible bravery of each of these men.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Nobody had expected for such carnage and the confidence was there for all to see as the first breakaway tore free as soon as the riders hit the zero kilometer mark at the end of the neutral zone. This time it consisted of Frenchmen Sebastien Turgot (Europcar), Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) and Tristan Valentin (Cofidis), plus Spanish rider Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Movistar).

First crash of the day arrived at the 60km mark, involving 12 riders, chief among them being Chavanel (Quickstep), Wiggins (SKY), Ten Dam (Rabobank), and Leipheimer (Radioshack). Hardly had 10km passed, when Radioshack’s Janez Brajkovic touched wheels with Rabobank’s Robert Gessink. This was much more serious and while podium hopeful Gessik remounted and continued in pain, the Slovenian rider was not as lucky.

He suffered deep wounds on his forehead and lay in a daze till professional medical help arrived shortly after. Brajkovic had to ultimately be stretchered into an ambulance, needing further treatment, and his Tour ends in a pool of blood and plenty of road rash. Ahead on the road within a kilometer of this, defending champion Alberto Contador hit the tarmac, falling back first and admitted this would cause him a few troubled nights.

While unfortunate, such events are to be expected in this brutal event, however what happened next shocked everyone. Contador’s teammate Nicki Sorensen got entangled with a passing photographer’s motorbike and was pulled along. The Dane was unceremoniously thrown off his bike and away from the peloton while the motorbike kept dragging his machine. Seorensen was justifiably furious and confused, though managed to continue on a spare bike with no major injuries. Fate of the motorbike rider though, seems to be sealed.

Also around the 90km mark fell Yaroslav Popovych (Radioshack) and Christophe Kern (Europcar), latter’s injured knee ruling him out of any further action in this year’s event. Worse was to come and this time two Quickstep cyclists, Tom Boonen and Gert Steegmans’ wheels touched and both came crashing hard. Boonen – the 2007 maillot vert – seemed to have taken a big knock and lost a huge amount of time recovering. In-keeping with the tenacity of Tour de France riders, the pair – with pale faces - continued all by themselves.

Ahead of all this carnage Jérémy Roy (FDJ) and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) broke from the peloton with 33km to go. The French duo battled hard and their quixotic venture was highly appreciated by the fans all the way along. Even at this late stage there was no stopping the crashes with Euskaltel’s Ivan Velasco hitting the side barriers hard.

Roy and Voeckler continued to play catch-me-if-you-can with the peloton, and caught they were, with just under 3km to go. Voeckler made a last gasp dash, alas in vain as he was reeled in just after a kilometer. Considering the manic speeds the sprinter’s teams were pulling the peloton with, it was almost surreal to watch a colourful bunch whirr by the narrow lanes of Cap Fréhel.

Toward the end many riders tried their luck, but no one was to deny the Manx missile his much due victory. Cavendish seemed to have lost it as he lay in 10th place with just under 100m to go. But as always the burly HTC-Highroad man turned on the turbos and accelerated with such venom that he left the World champion, the Spanish champion and all the rest stunned in his wake.

This performance seems to have re-validated his “fastest man in the world” tag (all Bolt and Vettel fans we are talking cycling here). But even the never-say-die islander admitted that this was one of his toughest victories. Ceding he was in the red during the slight uphill leading to the finish he said, “I had to give it over 100%. It will take a couple of days to recover from this.”

Everyone please spare a thought for Boonen, Steegmans and Velasco; who despite their terrible falls and searing pain, pulled through sheer willpower to finish within the stipulated time (to avoid disqualification). The way each rider’s team-mate nursed them back – losing time themselves in the process – is a testament to the class of this event and its participants. Bravery, honour, support and above all proud display of the undefiable human spirit.

I know this post was not very uplifting and maybe I overdid with all the gory details of each crash, but I precisely wanted to bring out the immense sacrifice these men make and the risk they take in today’s “health and safety” obsessed world. It is definitely not desirable, but is a manifestation of the Tour’s toughness, where nothing but the very best manage to survive.

Today’s stage 6 hopefully would be benign and is a rolling route as we move from Brittany on to Normandy. It’s the longest stage this year with the riders covering a total of 226.5km in the day. There is a little climb just under 2km from the finish and yet again this can cause the peloton to split up. Philippe Gilbert has another opportunity to double his tally for this year, which he narrowly missed out yesterday and this should again make for a closely fought finish. So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                                    General Classification:

Maillot Jaune –  Thor Hushovd                                       Thor Hushovd – 17h 36’ 57”
Maillot Vert –  Philippe Gilbert                                        Cadel Evans – 17h 36’ 58”
Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Cadel Evans                              Frank Schleck – 17h 37’ 01”
Maillot Blanc –  Geraint Thomas

Fun fact: Romain Feillu’s dash in the wake of his team car was judged to be within the rules by the commissars and did not entail any fine for the Frenchman. However his insistence for the car to go faster than the 70kph he was doing (cycling!) landed the driver on the wrong side of the French traffic police. The poor man was fined although I could not confirm the amount.

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 4

Posted on by
Reply

 

172.5km of effort, 6 inches of glory! That best describes yesterday’s stage 4 of Le Tour. Where else does one find such microscopic distances distinguishing competitors in a marathon event. For the record, Cadel Evans edged out a highly spirited Alberto Contador in the most dramatic fashion at the end of day four yesterday. It was so close in fact that the Spaniard raised his arm in triumph, confident of having nipped his old adversary by his late charge.

The photo-finish replays proved otherwise and it is just another sign how things are not going as per plan for the defending champion. But Contador and his manager seem pleased with his overall performance, and considering he got one better over most of the main contenders, this could be seen as a sign that the Saxo Bank leader is not taking things lying down.

Evans was ecstatic after the victory – his first since 2007 – and thanked his team for the achievement. He said, “My hero today is Marcus Burghardt who made sure I was exactly where I was meant to be. I can’t believe I beat Philippe Gilbert going into a headwind like that.” This victory was more remarkable considering the BMC rider had to drop off to the rear for fixing his gears a mere 15km from the finish. The only minor irritant for Evans may have been his failure to snatch maillot jaune from Thor Hushovd, who finished a commendable sixth.

The Norwegian was expected to struggle on this stage, especially in the tricky uphill finish. But it was to his credit that despite all odds he pulled himself, successfully defending his slender margin of ‘one second’ over Evans. Based on this performance and with the profiles of the upcoming stages, he should pretty much see through till Saturday in yellow.

Race organisers had specially designed this stage to finish on “The Wall” with its mile long dead straight ascent to throw the peloton out of its comfort zone. Higher powers were in no mood of mercy either with much of the stage being run in miserable conditions. Sleeting rain rendered roads so greasy that the first crash came in the neutral zone itself, even before the stage was flagged off by the race director.

Yet again a breakaway was formed within the first 10km, this time being lead by the Frenchman Jeremy Roy (FDJ) with Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Euskatel), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) and Blel Kadri (AG2R) for company. They continued on their own till the day’s intermediate sprint with a max gain of around four minutes over the main group. But soon Garmin-Cervelo and Omega Pharma-Lotto whipped the peloton into action and despite the sternest fight from the leaders, they were caught well before the tricky ascent.

Action of the day belonged to Vacansoleil-DCM sprinter Romain Feillu who after a forced halt, rode inches behind the team car trying to rejoin the peloton. With the vehicle zipping along at 75km/hr, an incontent Feillu gave the rider a thumbs-up urging him to go faster! Even considering the driver was not quite as adventurous as the cyclist on slippery tarmac, hats off to the physical ability of the French rider.

Yesterday also brought the first retirement in this year’s Tour with Omega Pharma-Lotto’s Jurgen van de Walle abandoning the race, probably as an after effect of his crash early on day one. Makes the job of the remaining 197 competitors so much easier then!

Towards the end the peloton had stretched out like a freight train, though speeds were in check considering the surface conditions. Also the ‘three-kilometers rule’ was not applicable on this stage, meaning a crash at any distance would entail a damaging delay for the rider(s) involved.

Hence all top contenders were right at the fore of the pack with most spectators eyeing birthday boy Philippe Gilbert gunning for his second victory of the Tour. Sadly that was not to be as Evans and Contador out paced everyone in the final dash, with Vinokourov taking up the last podium place. Massive crowds at Mûr-de-Bretagne made this appear as a major mountain finish, and with the two big guns going elbow to elbow, this could be a tasty appetizer before the main course of the Alpine stages.

At the end of the day there were no major fluctuations in the general classifications. However the keen-eyed would have noticed the almost surreptitious climb of one of the Schlecks into the top three. Just a sign of matters heating up and riders beginning to get into their strides.

Today’s stage 5 continues east across Brittany, beginning in captivating countryside and with the latter half a scenic ride down the coast. However the peloton would not have the time to marvel on the beauty and would be more focussed on the cross-winds which will prompt echelons to form. Opportunities exist then, for a team with adequate horsepower to try to split the field. Traditionally it should be won by a sprinter, but after yesterday’s results I will refrain from making a prediction (though it may be noted that I had highlighted Evans for glory in my short preview of stage 4). So till tomorrow then…

Jersey holders:                                                                    General Classification:

Maillot Jaune –  Thor Hushovd                                        Thor Hushovd – 13h 58’ 25”
Maillot Vert –  Joaquin Jose Rojas                                  Cadel Evans – 13h 58’ 26”
Maillot à Pois Rouges –  Cadel Evans                              Frank Schleck – 13h 58’ 29”
Maillot Blanc –  Geraint Thomas

ps: Thor Hushod apologised to Mark Cavendish over the disqualification of both riders from yesterday’s intermediate sprint. Referees penalised the riders for allegedly clashing helmets going for the line, however Hushovd claimed all responsibility for the mishap. In reply Cav tweeted “Just heard that Thor’s offered to take the punishment solely. What a true gentleman. I reckon it won’t change fuck-all though. But thank you.”

Tour de France 2011 – Stage 2

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday for the Tour meant 23km of painful, hooter-to-the-pedals, flat-out sprinting. Teams started seven minutes apart hitting the deck as fast as possible. The manic pace always ensures casualties and exhausted riders peel off the group as discarded serpent skin. This is all well as the team is awarded the time of the fifth rider to cross the line, ensuring that we generally get to see a bunch of 5-6 riders finishing for each team (am not sure if the dropped riders keep their own time, or are jumped up to that of the team).

Team Sky, HTC-Highroad and Garmin-Cervelo were the favourites for the day, though with little to distinguish between them. It was made up to be a direct face-off between Geraint Thomas, Mark Cavendish and David Millar, with each trying to lead and inspire their team for glory. The proceedings then were begun by Saxo Bank-Sunguard of Alberto Contador. Never the favourites on the day, their main aim was to limit the deficit as far as possible for the Spaniard, who had already had a disastrous start to the Tour the previous day.

They finished in a credible time of 25m 16s with an average speed of 54.6km/h. That sounds freakishly fast to achieve on a bike with pedals, however such is the calibre of the men on the Tour that at the end of the day it was good enough for just eighth place in the standings. Such margins are lost and won in the twinkling of an eye; a few stints on the front from a rider who is below-strength or a couple of misjudged corners. In an event this short with margins this tight, only perfection is good enough.

The first to go from among the favourites were Garmin-Cervelo and they had supposedly practiced for this event in great detail. No surprises then when they posted the best time of the day with six riders covering the circuit in 24m 48s. Team Sky did give them a fight, being a second ahead at the first split, but eventually finished four seconds below the American team.

Last of the main contenders (for the time trial) were HTC-Highroad, but disaster struck early for them. One of their main engines, Bernhard Eisel crashed shortly after the start, and the team never seemed to have recovered from thereon. They finished a further second adrift of Sky, limiting their damage, but would be disappointed with the day’s events for sure.

Performance of the day came from BMC of Cadel Evans and Leopard Trek of the Schleck brothers. Both finished tied with Sky, four seconds short of the best time, that places their top riders in an excellent position for the coming days. Fabian Cancellara stood out of all the rest, the World TT Champion putting in a lung bursting effort for the team from Luxembourg, guiding them almost single-handedly to a remarkable time.

Both these teams seemed to have run a textbook perfect time trial with the riders smoothing along corners like water slipping off a smooth stone. Its one of the many sights of the Tour to watch a stream of riders clad in aerodynamic suits – look like a bunch of aliens to me – banking on corners and gliding along the tarmac as if on wings. While it might look effortless, a closer look at the faces would show the agony each man is going through, even if for such a short distance.

Last to take the road was Omega Pharma-Lotto, who frankly were never expected to save Philippe Gilbert’s jersey at the end of the day. They duly finished 10th fastest and the maillot jaune shifted to the shoulders Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo). The Norwegian is surely having a colourful Tour, which he started in the world champion’s rainbow jersey, shifted to the polka dot (quite an oxymoron for  a sprinter) after day one, and today proudly dons the best of the lot.

Alberto Contador’s deficit has increased to 1’42” but that does not seem to have perturbed the Spaniard who yesterday said, “The Tour can be lost every day, but it is won in the mountains.” That is an undeniable fact, but the mountains are still some distance away. For today’s stage 3, we head out of the Vendée and into Britanny, crossing the Loire via the Saint-Nazaire bridge. It’s a largely flat 198km finishing at Redon and is the first chance for the sprinters to fight for glory. Will we see some headbanging like last year, well I can only guess. So till tomorrow then…

Thor Hushovd – 5h 06’ 25”               Maillot Jaune – Thor Hushovd
David Millar – 5h 06’ 25”                  Maillot Vert – Philippe Gilbert
Cadel Evans – 5h 06’ 26”                   Maillot à Pois Rouges – Philippe Gilbert