B. McPherson

Bradley Wiggins(SKY)  proved his right to wear the yellow jersey on the podium in Paris today. He excelled in the time trials, held off his rivals over 34 88 kilometres of competitive racing and acted as lead out man for his team mate Mark Cavendish. Wiggins is the first Briton to claim the top prize in the Tour de France’s 99 year history.

The rest of the SKY team that supported the effort also were rewarded. Chris Froome claimed second place to Wiggins and Mark Cavendish also made history with his fourth sprint win in Paris, a feat no other has accomplished.

As with the other stages of this year’s Tour, the unexpected happened. There was no easy ride in to Paris with champagne bottles and glasses toasting rivals and colleagues. Usually the honour of entering the Champs-Elysees first goes to the yellow jersey wearer, but this year competitors insisted that veteran George Hincapie(BMC) cross first in homage to his 17 years of class act. He will be retiring from competing in the Tour after this.

A breakaway of 11 men formed quickly off the front and at times had gained up to a 24 second advantage. They could not resist the might of the peloton when they made the move to sweep them up, but three men popped off the front of the breakaway and it was touch and go if they would spoil the party for Mark Cavendish. They were caught within the last kilometre. During that scramble two unfortunates touched wheels and crashed hard on the famous cobblestones.

Already there is talk about next year’s Tour. It will be the centennial of the race and while the final route won’t be revealed until October, word has it that the start will be in Corsica.

Stage Win

1.       Mark Cavendish

2.       Peter Sagan(Liquigas)

3.       Matt Goss(Orica Greenedge)

4.       Juan JoseHaedo(Saxobank)

5.       Kris Boeckmans(Vacansoleil)

Jersey Winners

Yellow – race leader, Bradley Wiggins

Green – most sprint points, Peter Sagan

White – best young rider, Tejay van Garderen(BMC)

Polkadot – king of the mountains, Thomas Voeckler(Europcar)

Red – most combative, Chris Anker Sorensen(Saxobank)

Top Team – Radioshack Nissan

TDF Final Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas)

4.       Jurgen van den Broeck(Lotto)

5.       Tejay van Garderen

Many of these athletes will be competing at the 2012 Olympics in London starting next week. Others will be travelling to the US to compete in the USA Pro-Challenge.

B.McPherson

Barring an unforeseen disaster, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, both from Team Sky will make cycling history tomorrow in Paris. They are slated to finish the epic race one, two. A Briton has never won the Tour de France in its 99 year history.

The individual time trial was a 53.5 km energy sapping run from Bonneval to Chartres. Each cyclist rode as fast as they could for the distance. Wiggins showed that he is the champion. Not only did he wear the yellow jersey for 13 days so far, he clocked the fastest time trial, finishing the 53+ km in an hour and four minutes. Chris Froome clocked in with the second fastest time.

This stage sees the end to many of the races within races that go on within the Tour. Traditionally, only the sprinters will contest each other on the Parisian cobblestones.

The Tour is a contest of teams. No one can win the contest without the support of their team. There is a contest for the team with the best team time. Radioshack-Nissan took the honours for that in spite of having their troubles this year. Prize money can be considerable with 2 000 Euros awarded at each stage and for the overall top team 50 000 will be awarded.

Prizes in Euros

·         Yellow Jersey, final winner – 450 000

·         Yellow Jersey, each stage – 8 000

·         Overall Green Jersey(sprint champ) – 25 000

·         Best Climber(polka dot Jersey) – 25 000

·         Best Young Rider – 25 000

·         Most Combative Overall – 20 000

Some of the prizes have already been decided. Bradley Wiggins will take first place on the podium if he finishes the race. Thomas Voeckler(Europcar) will be crowned Best Climber, Best Young Rider will be Tejay van Garderen(BMC). All of the contestants must finish the race to qualify.

Stage 19 Results

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Luis Leon Sanchez(Rabobank)

4.       Peter Velits(Omega Pharma)

5.       Richie Porte(Sky)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas)

4.       Jurgen van den Broeck(Lotto)

5.       Tejay van Garderen(BMC)

Defending champion Cadel Evans(BMC) placed seventh, a respectable finish, but not what the world was expecting.

The winners will probably celebrate for a day, but the thoughts of many of the athletes now turn to London and the Olympics which are looming on their horizon. Some of the team mates in the Tour will find they are competing against each other, representing  their respective countries.

B. McPherson

Mark Cavendish(SKY) showed the world once again that he’s the fastest man on earth when it comes to cycling. He came out of a scrum of top notch sprinters to ride away with the stage. Sky reaffirmed their dominance of the Tour de France this year with Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome taking first and second podium positions in Paris barring a disaster. While it won’t be decided officially until the riders finish on Sunday, tomorrow’s individual time trial is unlikely to unseat the two Brits. Traditionally, only the sprinters compete for glory on Sunday.

Today’s stage from Blagnae to Brive-la-Gaillarde was lengthy – 225 km. but was undulating compared to the Pyrenees. It was designed to allow the sprinters to show their talents on what is essentially the last day. Many attempts were made by riders to leave the peloton behind, but today the peloton refused to let the escapees range far. The relentless pursuit continued, gradually sweeping up all challengers to the Sky machine until only Alexander Vinocourov(Astana) and Jeremy Roy(FDJ Big Mat) were left. Both were swept aside in the last kilometre. The average speed of the group today was about 45 km/h.

Vinocourov has already stated that this is his last tour. He has shown he still has the legs to compete at the highest level. He wanted to do well to show the French fans that he still “had it” as much of his cycling career was spent in France. As he passed the fans today, many were chanting “Vino, Vino” for him. He was awarded the red jersey as most combative today.

Anything can happen on course. Fans often make a difference in the outcome of the race as the route is largely open to them. Tacks thrown on the road precipitated a crash a couple of days ago that saw a rider break his collar bone. Yesterday Chris Anker Sorenson(Saxobank) and highly placed in the standings finish the race with his left hand dripping blood through bandages. He had some surgery last night and will endure more when the Tour is finished. He caught his fingers in the spokes trying to clear newspaper that a fan had thrown poorly. Today a pile up was caused by a large dog running onto the road. All the fallen resumed the race. The dog is fine.

Stage 18 Finish

1.       Mark Cavendish

2.       Matt Goss(Orica Greenedge)

3.       Peter Sagan(Liquigas)

4.       Luis Leon Sanchez(Rabobank)

5.       Nicolas Roche(AG2R)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Vincenzo Nibali

4.       Jurgen Van den Broeck(Lotto)

5.       Tejay Van Garderen(BMC)

B. McPherson

The combination of Bradley Wiggins and Cris Froome as well as the rest of the support riders on the British racing team Sky look unbeatable at this point in the Tour de France. They met the challenges in the Pyrenees and bested all comers. They are still one two in the overall standings.

Thursday’s stage took the peloton from Bagneres-de-Luchon to Peyragindes, a distance of 143 km. A saw tooth route over HC and #1 peaks tested the legs of the riders. The course finished with a slight downhill run after going over a #1 category climb.  Early breakaways did not succeed, but at about the 50 km mark a large group was off the front and managed to stay there. The Sky and Liquigas teams kept them on a short leash, but they gradually spun out the distance.

Some of the riders, including Thomas Voeckler(Europcar) got absorbed by the peloton, but Movistar teammates Rui Costa and Alejandro Valverde escaped. Valverde rode on alone to grab top spot on the podium. It was a nail biter until the end because Wiggins and Froome launched an attack and came in two, three behind Valverde only 19 seconds later. Today Froome looked much stronger in the climb than his captain. There have been rumblings and rumours that Froome isn’t happy playing second fiddle to Bradley, but he never showed it in being the pilot fish for the yellow jersey. The TV commentator remarked that Froome could have won the stage if he had been set free.

Team BMC allowed Tejay Van Garderen his leeway to compete for overall standings today. Clearly defending champion Cadel Evans was having a bad day. It was reported that he has picked up a parasite. Evans has had bad luck this Tour. He’s in the top ten finishers, but unlikely to make up a 9+ minute deficit.

A big surprise today was the inability of Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas) to answer the climbing challenge put out by Team Sky. Liquigas rode at the front of the pack for most of the day to shield and position Nibali for a jump off the front. It never came.

There were a couple of crashes today, but riders were able to resume. Chris Anker Sorenson had a freak accident in which he caught his fingers in his spokes, injuring them. He finished the race with a bloody, dripping hand.

Stage 17 Finish

1.       Alejandro Valverde

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Bradley Wiggins

4.       Thibaut Pinot(FDJ)

5.       Pierre Rolland(Europcar)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Vincenzo Nibali

4.       Jurgen Van den Broeck(Lotto)

5.       Tejay Van Garderen(BMC)

6.       Cadel Evans(BMC)

Friday’s run takes the race north towards Paris. It will be a 225 km route from Blagnae to Brive-la-Gaillarde. Stage 18 will be the last of the team road races. Saturday will be individual time trials. It is not usual for competitors to fight for position on the ride into Paris on the last day of the Tour. The sprinters, of course, are exempt from this tradition and the hard riding on the equally hard cobble stones of the Champs Elysses is a fight for final glory.

  B. McPherson

Riders today were confronted with the wall of the Pyrenees. They had a short reasonably flat stage and then the mountains came one, two, three, four. Included in the challenges was the Col de Tourmalet. Thomas Voeckler(Europcar) rode his heart out to victory, gaining the King of the Mountains points and the stage win.

Voeckler was part of an early breakaway that was never caught. By the 20 km to go mark, Voeckler was riding in isolation. He never let up until the final kilometre when he eased off enough to salute the cheering crowds. In case two prizes weren’t enough, he was also awarded the red jersey for the most aggressive rider of the day. It was nearly two minutes before Anker Chris Sorensen(Saxobank) crossed the final line.

  The never-say-quit prize should go to Alexander Vinocourov(Astana) who placed fourth and might very well have won his sprint with Gorka Izaguirre Insausti(Euskaltel-Euskadi) but for a foot that dislodged from his pedal. Fourth place goes to Vinocourov. 

  The very demanding day and the pace set by the riders meant that the peloton was in tatters by the last climb. At times the 11 man breakaway was nine minutes in front of the main bunch. As legs tired and teams Lotto and Sky set a punishing pace, the riders were scattered. An unexpected casualty of the pace was defending champion Cadel Evans(BMC) who could not compete with the top riders of the day. Young rider Tejay Van Garderen(BMC) was given leave to ride ahead. Garderen now places sixth in the overall standings. 

The top three placed competitors treated fans to a breakout ride, competing with each other for a second or two. Bradley Wiggins(SKY), Chris Froome(SKY) and Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas) crossed with the same time.

A surprise withdrawal from the competition was Frank Schleck. He had a test sample that showed the use of a diuretic, a banned substance.

“Schleck left the Tour late on Tuesday, hours after being told by the International Cycling Union (UCI) he had tested positive for Xipamide, a banned diuretic.”Mail and Guardian

http://mg.co.za/article/2012-07-18-tour-de-france-schleck-poisoning-complaint

He has denied using any banned substance and says if it was positive, it means he was poisoned. The Radioshack-Nissan has already had its share of controversy this season with allegations of non-payment of wages.

The Tour will leave Pau and Bagneres-de Luchon tomorrow to ride a 143 km sawtooth route to Peyragudes.

Stage 17

1.       Thomas Voeckler

2.       Anker Chris Sorensen

3.       Gorka Izaguirre Insausti

4.       Alexander Vinocourov

5.       Brice Feillu(Saur-Sojasun

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome

3.       Vincenzo Nibali

4.       Jurgen Van den Broeck(Lotto)

5.       Haimar Zubeldia(Radioshack)

B. McPherson

Today’s stage from Samatan to Pau, a distance of over 158 km saw Pierrick Federigo(FDJ) maintain an early break from the peloton to claim first place. He and Christian Vande Velde(Garmin) were the two untouchables in the last few kilometres. Six started the stage with a break that stretched from a few seconds to over 11 minutes at times.

The commentator remarked about the speed of the peloton today. At first they rode after the escapees like their lycra was on fire. Edvald Boasson Hagan(Sky)made hand gestures to slow the group down – to no avail. Then they seemed to give up on the idea of catching them and rode the rest of the day at a sedate pace. While it was not very exciting to watch, there were no crashes enroute.

The Tour leaders maintain their positions.

It is fortunate for some that tomorrow will be the second rest day. While the first week saw carnage in the peloton with at least 22 riders off with broken bones, this second week is claiming riders from exhaustion. Of the 198 who started the race, only 157 are left. Those who finished today have ridden 2751.5 km and still have the steepest part of the Pyrenees to go.

The Astana rider Robbert Kiserlovski who broke his collar bone on a descent yesterday crashed due to the vandalism of a spectator or spectators. Altogether 48 punctures of cycle tires were noted, also motorcycles and team cars were affected.

Stage 15 Standing

1.       Pierrick Federigo(FDJ

2.       Christian Vande Velde(Garmin)

3.       Thomas Voeckler(Europcar)

4.       Nicki Sorenson(Saxobank)

5.       Dries Devenyns(Omega Pharma)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome(SKY)

3.       Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas)

4.       Cadel Evans(BMC)

5.       Jurgen van den Broeck(Lotto)

Tags: TDF, tour de France 2012, Stage 15

B. McPherson

The hard hit Team Rabobank got a real lift today with Luis Leon Sanchez riding away with the Stage. He was part of an early breakaway and never looked back. The riders off the front went early and maintained their distance until only 48 of the 191 km route were left. At the point where the last climb of the day reached an 18% gradient the two Rabobank riders tried to dislodge Peter Sagan(Liquigas). He was tenacious and it wasn’t until Sanchez rode off on his own that it became obvious that he would take first prize for the day.

Rabobank is down to four riders, having lost five from this year’s Tour.

The peloton came in 18 minutes behind the stage winner. Some of that delay was caused by a fool who spread carpet tacks on the route up the last mountain. Defending champion Cadel Evans(BMC) punctured three times, losing precious time to the Sky team. At least 30 riders were affected by this vandalism. Bradley Wiggins and the Sky team showed great sportsmanship in slowing down the peloton so that the BMC team could regroup and ride back into completion. As it was, the contenders kept their overall positions in the standings. It has been traditional to do so, but the large amounts of money resting on the race tempt some to ignore old traditions.

Hazards from the crowd are always there. The thousands crowding the summits of the climbs squeeze into the road, some thoughtless men try to run uphill alongside the cyclists, an overeager photographer caused a pile up in the first week and an idiot with a flare managed to hit and burn Bradley Wiggins arm.

The competition is down to 163 men. Today Robert Kiserlovski(Astana) crashed out on a descent and has a suspected collarbone.

On a more upbeat note. Fabian Cancellara is a father for the second time and Jean-Christophe Pereaud helicoptered to his wife to witness his new baby and was back at the race in time for the morning start.

And on a more gossipy note: Team Radioshack-Nissan has rumours swirling around it that there are money problems. Jakob Fuglsang, a team member, not on the Tour has launched legal action for non-payment of wages. It is unconfirmed that some of the team riding in the TDF are also unpaid at this time.

Stage 14

1.       Luis Leon Sanchez

2.       Peter Sagan

3.       Sandy Casar(FDJ)

4.       Philippe Gilbert(BMC)

5.       Gorka Izabuirre Insausti(Euskaltel Euskadi)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins(Sky)

2.       Chris Froome(Sky)

3.       Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas)

4.       Cadel Evans

5.       Jurgen van den Broeck(Lotto)

Stage 15 will continue in the Pyrenees. The 158.5 km route will probably come as a relief to the cyclists as it has only two cat. 4s and one 3 to climb. Perhaps the sprinters will get a chance to shine.

B. McPherson

Bastille Day couldn’t get much better for the French team Lotto-Belisol. Andre Greipel brought in yet another stage win for his team. Today’s finish was a hard fought but clean finish that saw to the surprise of many the Manx Missle act as the lead out man for his team mate Edvald Boasson Hagan(SKY). Bradley Wiggins showed that not only could he keep up the pace but also accelerate like a sprinter to launch Boasson who was edged out by Peter Sagan(Liquigas) and Griepel.

Today’s run of 217km took the peloton within sight of the Mediterranean Sea, but no time was spent on the sandy beaches. Much of the route was dead flat at sea level, but the organizers had a nasty little surprise for the riders about 15 km from the finish. The run to the finish was peppered  with roundabouts and tight turns.

A breakaway of eight riders had at least a 6” gap from the peloton at one point, but they were caught up and disappeared into the ranks.

The pace of the peloton set mainly by Sky and Lotto left the specialized sprinters in the dust. George Hincapie(BMC) used his experience to mount a challenge for Cadel Evans that split the peloton further. Those caught out when he made the clever move would chalk up more accumulated time.

Last year’s Tour winner, Evans(BMC) could not capitalize on the opportunity and was engulfed by the riders. He finished with the same time as Bradley Wiggins(SKY).

If there were a prize for the most valiant if hopeless effort, it surely would go to Alexander Vinocourov(Astana). The Kazakstan rider came back last year after a couple of years suspension only to be in a horrible accident and was medivaced out. This is probably his last Tour and he showed today that he can still break away from the group and stay away for a respectable time.

The Tour is half finished and fatigue is starting to affect those who are still healthy. Of the starters back in Belgium, 163 of the 198 remain. Tomorrow the Pyrennes will challenge the athletes further. Their legs won’t get a rest until Tuesday.

Stage 13 Finish

1.       Andre Griepel

2.       Peter Sagan(Liquigas)

3.       Edvald Boasson Hagen

4.       Sebastian Hinault(AG2R)

5.       Daryl Inpey(Orica Greenedge)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome(SKY)

3.       Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas)

4.       Cadel Evans(BMC)

5.       Jurgen van den Broeck(Lotto)

Stage 14 is a transitional ride from Limoux to Foix. The peloton encounters the start  of the Pyrennes. There will be a 2, and two 1s for climbs. Not what the sprinters will look for.

Tags: TDF, Tour de France, TDF stage 13

July 13th, 2012 TDF 2012 Stage 12 Millar Takes Stage in Dramatic Finish - B. McPherson
Stage 12 of the Tour de France ended in a tight sprint. David Millar(Garmin-Sharp) took the top finish, edging out Jean-Christophe Peraud(AG2R) at the end of a 226 km (140mile) slog over three cols. They were part of a large breakaway that at times rode over 12 minutes in front of the peloton. Gradually riders fell away until five were left with 40 km to go. Millar and Peraud were the two left at the 2 km mark. They played a tactical game with Millar using his considerable experience to win the day.

Today’s run from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Annonay Davezieux took the pack away from the French Alps on their way to the Mediterranean Sea. It was the longest of this year’s stages.

It’s beginning to look as if Team Sky has a lock on the first two spots in Paris. The team is made up of superstars and may be unbeatable given the grief that some other teams have suffered this year. Team has Cavendish, Michael Rogers, Chris Froome, Edvald Boasson Hagen in addition to Wiggins. It may look as if the team is coddling Wiggins, but the objective is to have him in first place when the race is over. First place is 450 000 Euros. Much more money is there for various other classifications.

Of course having superstars on the team doesn’t guarantee success. Garmin-Sharp had a star studded team but lost their three top riders to injuries in the first week. Today David Moncoutie(Confidis) left the Tour with a heartbreaking crash on a descent. It had announced that this would be his last Tour and was unable to continue due to the extent of his injuries.

The peloton is now down to 164 combatents. At least 22 have broken bones. Alessandro Pettachi(Lampre) finished out of allowed time yesterday and retired from the race. He has been riding with possible broken ribs. Robert Gesink(Rabobank) also left the Tour today, leaving only five teammates in the completion. A team may remain in the fray if they have a minimum of three left.

Stage 12 Finish

1.       David Millar

2.       Jean-Christophe Peraud

3.       Egoi Martinez(Euskaltel Euskadi)

4.       Cyril Gautier(Europcar)

5.       Robert Kiserlovski(Astana)

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins

2.       Chris Froome(Sky)

3.       Vincenzo Nibali(Liquigas)

4.       Cadel Evans(BMC)

5.       Jurgen van den Broeck(Lotto)

Stage 13 takes the peloton from Saint Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Le Cap d’Agde on the Mediterranean Sea. July 14th is also Bastille Day in France so look for some special efforts by the French riders in the group.

Tags: TDF, tour de france 2012, cycling

B. McPherson

Thomas Voeckler(Europcar) owned the stage today. He was part of an early breakaway from the peloton. He kept away from the main field for the day, finally claiming the King of the Mountain points, Most Aggressive Rider and the Stage Win.

This was the first day in serious mountains with three categoried climbs with a 2, a 3 and an HC thrown in for good luck. The route from Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine was an unforgiving 194.5 km with an uphill finish. This was a first for including the HC (Hors Categorie) Grand Columbier in the Tour de France. Some riders were familiar with its snaky route up the mountain. Descents topped out at 80 kmh. Remember these cyclists have no protective gear other than their helmets. In spite of the danger there was only one small crash today and the riders resumed.

The peloton is reduced to 175 riders from the 198 at the start. One withdrew due to illness, but the others have been forced out with injuries. Tony Martin (Omega-Pharma-Lotto) did not start today. He had been riding with a broken wrist. The world champion time trialist may be healed enough to compete in the upcoming London Olympics. Each team member is chosen for their particular talent and when one is forced to retire, it affects the whole team.

Stage Winners

1.       Thomas Voeckler

2.       Michele Scarponi, Lampre

3.       Jens Voigt, Radioshack, Nissan

4.       Luis-Leon Sanchez, Rabobank

5.       Dries Dwenyns, Omega-Pharma-Lotto

Overall Standings

1.       Bradley Wiggins, Sky

2.       Cadel Evans, BMC

3.       Chris Froome, SKY

4.       Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas

5.       Denis Menchov, Katusha

Stage 11 Albertville to La Toussuire-Les Sybelles is one of the shortest this year at 148 km. What it may lack in distance it makes up in elevation gains. In addition to a 2 and a 1, there are two HCs awaiting those legs.