2009 Tour de France - Stage 10

Stage 10 - Limoges to Issoudun

July 14th. Bastille Day.
Oh how the french boys want to win on this day!
But so does everyone else, the peleton is well rested, the sprinters have recovered from the torture of the Pyrenees and everyone will love heading into central France through the countryside and no mountains in sight. But the French will no doubt ruin it for everyone, set out on a dozen attempts at a breakaway, finally succeed, roll at the front for 50 kms and then realise that Columbia want Cavendish to win the green jersey so they are being closed down at a great rate and it will end up being a bunch sprint.
but.....
It is very different winning a bunch sprint in week 1 of the tour compared to week 2.
The sprinters that have survived the Pyrenees will all be raring to go, but usually a few have very sore legs and they fade away. Cavendish managed to win 2 stages last year after his first lot of climbing so its not a problem for him. The bigger guys like Hushovd and Boonen usually have suffered a bit but their strength gets them through, although thor looked to have sprouted wings on stage 8 when he climbed like a guys half his size and raced away to claim enough points to get the green! Boonen has been involved in 3 crashes already, he might be hurting, he certainly has been keeping his head low. Look for him to finally get his lead out men working for him, he is too far back to win the points though, does not mean he does not want to win stages. Oscar Freire has been quietly chipping away as well, he was 3rd yesterday at the head of the peleton and despite being some 60 points behind Hushovd, will be going after intermediate sprints and looking to get stage wins as well, he will be hunting everything and he might actually get some help from his team for once with Menchov out of contention and gessink out of the race. Bennati has not even come close yet. Im hoping the good form of the young guys Ciolek and Farrar continues, they are gong really well against the best sprinters in the world and its great to see.

But cav remains the one to beat.

There are 3 liitle climbs
Km 12.5 - Côte de Salvanet - 1.8 km climb to 4.5 % - Category 4
Km 27.5 - Côte de Saint-Laurent-les-Eglises - 2.0 km climb to 5.3 % - Category 4
Km 58.5 - Côte de Bénévent-l'Abbaye - 1.8 km climb to 3.4 % - Category 4

With the Pyrenees behind us we have to wait until next Friday – Stage 13, a 200-km trek from Vittel to Colmar that traverses four categorised climbs – before we are presented with a stage with the potential to evoke any real change to the overall classification. However Armstrong will be looking for any opportunity to gain time, and if crosswinds or any opportunities present themselves as they did in on Stage 3, he will take them.

This said, there is one important thing of note in this stage.
No race radios.
The teams are not happy, apparently it is 'an experiment'. Tour spokesman Christophe Marchadier said "It's old-time cycling, where the riders will think more about the race and talk more to each other, they won't just be machines listening to people tell them what to do."

Jens Voigt countered "You could also have two days without a helmet. How about that? Or two days where we cut the cables from the brakes."

Interesting. Im not sure how much information will or will not be available to the riders, it might mean that breakaways get lots of leeway because the peleton will not know times, then again they might be able to get them from the cars trailing the peleton with no need for radios?
It might mean that breakaways will not succeed because they will not be given the leeway.

Anyway there are rumours of a riders strike which has been downplayed but it will be interesting to see how it evolves - Lance might take his chance here!
Stage 13 will also be without radios.

Betting.

It's a short price but even money for Cavendish is easy money.

Tour de France rest day - Lance Armstrong & Robin Williams

Funny vid this one, Robin Williams chats with Lance


Tour de France 2009: Lance Armstrong Chats With Robin Williams LIVESTRONG.COM

France again! Status quo at the pointy end.

Pierrick Fedrigo delivered a second stage win for Bbox Telecom and a third for France in stage 9. He and Italian Franco Pellizotti were the remnants of an early 4 man breakaway over the difficult stage, they duelled at the end and the frenchman came up trumps 34 seconds ahead of the peleton. Pellizotti was one of my tips for the KOM and he took climbing honours winning the climbs to both the Aspin and tourmalet to place himself 3rd overall in the race for the polka dot kersey, that classification has had 6 different leaders and is well and truly up for grabs in the Alps, Egoi Martinez gained enough points yesterday to take the jersey from Kern. The peleton chased hard on the decent, Fedrido and Pellizotti were 3 minutes ahead when they crested the summit of the Tourmalet and were made to work hard over the final 10km, they succeeded and im sure are enjoying the rest day.

The standings remain the same in the GC and Points classifications.

Early in the stage Lance Armstong tested his legs and shook things up, he attempted a breakaway, im sure knowing it would fail however it made the AG2R team of race leader Rinaldo Nocentini come to the front and ride and lifted the work rate of the peleton. Lance comfortably rode at the front of the bunch over both climbs and with each mountain they cross he looks better in the saddle. We are in for one awesome showdown in the Alps.

Andy Schleck confirmed that Saxo bank have been waiting for the Alps to launch their assault, he said after the stage "the alps will be different..... we will see a lot of damage in stage 17". the absence of any form of aggression from this team (Cancellara aside) has been quite obvious and with the firepower they boast i think they have played a good tactic and are keeping their powder dry. That said Astana have played the perfect game in strategically staying away from the yellow jersey. They dont have to defend it, they dont have to expend the energy, but of course Lance is riding like he owns the race.

So a rest, some flat stages, some more mountains, a time trial and then one hell of a mountain to finish up.

I cant wait.

2009 Tour de France - Stage 9

Stage 9 Saint-Gaudens to Tarbes - 160.5 km

The Pyrenees part of the Tour ends with a selection of the region’s legendary Tour de France mountain passes; the Col d'Aspin (12.3km at 6.4% ave) and the Col du Tourmalet (17.1km at 7.4 percent), where riders will be greeted by the masses. The Aspin is a challenging Cat 1. The Tourmalet is Hors Category and has been used more times in the tour de France than any other climb. it is the kind of place legends are made.

Consider this passage from 'La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tour' de France by Pierre Chany.

"The Pyrenees were included in the Tour de France at the insistence of Alphonse Steinès, a colleague of the organiser, Henri Desgrange. Steinès first agreed that the Tour would pay 2,000 francs to clear the col d'Aubisque, then came back to investigate the Tourmalet. He started at Sainte-Marie-de-Campan with sausage, ham and cheese at the inn opposite the church and arranged to hire a driver called Dupont from Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Dupont and Steinès made it the first 16km, after which their car came to a stop. Dupont and Steinès started to walk but Dupont turned back after 600m, shouting:
"The bears come over from Spain when it snows."
Steinès set off. He mistook voices in the darkness for thieves. They were youngsters guarding sheep with their dog. Steinès called to one.
"Son, do you know the Tourmalet well? Could you guide me? I'll give you a gold coin. When we get to the other top, I'll give you another one."
The boy joined him but then turned back. Steinès rested on a rock. He considered sitting it out until dawn, then realised he'd freeze. He slipped on the icy road, then fell into a stream. He climbed back to the road and again fell in the snow. Exhausted and stumbling, he heard another, voice.
"Tell me who goes there or I'll shoot."
"I'm a lost traveller. I've just come across the Tourmalet."
"Oh, it's you, Monsieur Steinès! We were expecting you! We got a phone call at Ste-Marie-de-Campan. Everybody's at Barèges. It's coming on for three o'clock. There are search teams of guides out looking for you."
The organising newspaper, L'Autoz had a correspondent at Barèges, a man called Lanne-Camy. He took him for a bath and provided new clothes.

Steines sent a telegram to Desgrange:

"Crossed Tourmalet stop. Very good road stop. Perfectly feasible stop."

You might notice a statue perched on top Tourmalet. In 1910 when it was first included, Octave Lapize was first over the summit, he shouted at the officials at the top "Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins!' (French for 'You are murderers! Yes, murderers!'). Lapize went on to win the tour that year and the statue perched atop them mountain is of him.

This is a big mountain and the scenery is superb, it should make for some excellent viewing, good roads meaning it will be packed with tourists, this is one of those climbs where you wonder how the riders push through the packs.

anyway back to the race....

An early breakaway will need good legs to master both of the challenging climbs and hold out until the finish, as there are still some 70 kilometres to cover to Tarbes after the summit of the Tourmalet. Depending on what happens within the group of favourites, this stage could be more nervous than it appears on paper, especially since there is a rest day tomorrow. This is thew kind of stage Cadel should have had a go on and i guess he still might, three quarters of the way up the tourmalet would be perfect. Maybe it will be one of the other GC riders turn to have a go at Astana or perhaps they are all happy waiting for the Alps next week. A breakaway rider who is an excellent descender (there is 18km of descending after the peak of the Tourmalet) will be hard to catch and might ensure a decent lead.

Climbs.

Km 60.5 - Col d'Aspin - 12.3 km climb to 6.4 % - Category 1
Km 90.0 - Col du Tourmalet - 17.1 km climb to 7.4 % - Category H

Betting
No thanks, wait until they start then bet in play after the descent of the big one.

Expect it to be Mouncoutie or Chavanel or some other frenchman!

Seriously hard stage to pick with the way the GC is positioned.

Cadel Evans does not have a brain.

Luis Leon Sanchez proved the strongest in the breakaway, claiming Stage 8.

Firstly congrats to Luis Leon Sanchez, a former Tour down Under winner who keeps getting better each year. He won stage 7 last year and his good form continued into 2009, he won the Tour Méditerranéen as well as the coveted week long Paris-Nice earlier in the season - he is a great up and coming rider.

Now.

Cadel Evans.

You are an idiot.

Did you think you could win the tour de france by attempting a breakaway on the first climb of the day with 150km still to ride - with 2 more climbs to come? i dont know what the media is saying, probably calling him gutsy, courageous, blaming Astana etc etc. I would call him stupid, ignorant and his attack ill conceived. What did he think was going to happen? Astana and Saxo Bank would just let him get 3 minutes or so that he needs to get back into the race? That he would just ride with a small group out the front for 5 or 6 hours and be left alone? That he would go by himself? (he is not Flloyd Landis you know!) They were never ever going to let him out of their sights, Lance & Contador rode at the head of the bunch like they were wearing Yellow (and even rode away from the yellow jersey on the final climb then basically let him rejoin on the way back down - make no mistakes, if Astana wanted to be in Yellow they would be.) I had to laugh when Fabian Cancellara and then Thor Husovd both told Cadel to 'go away' - im sure that is not what they said, i bet the language was more colourful. It was quite easy to see from the body language of the two that Cadel was not welcome in the breakaway. And right they were, as soon as the breakaway was 45 seconds ahead of the peleton Astana got on the front and closed it down. I know you want to win the race Cadel, i know you think you can, i know you should never give up, but really if you used your brain you would have known it was an impossible task. Then in the post race interview Cadel complains that they "behave like 3 year olds" and they were saying "get out of the break, they will catch us with you here" well it does not take a genius to realised that Hushovd (sastre) Cancellara (Schleks) and the other guys as well had team mates that are in overall contention so they are not gonig to help Cadel take time off them.

That is why he is an idiot.

They did let a few riders not in the overall contention slip away though and Sanchez played a good tactical game over the last 5km to reel in Efimkin who had slipped away from the others and then he easily out sprinted Sandy Casar who did a mountain of work in the stage.

Andy Schlek showed how you attempt an attack on the peleton. At least wait until the last climb of the day and then go. He was marked by a bevvy of Astana riders, i actually think that Schlek did not think at any stage he was going to get away, but he thinned the pack and took note of who had the ability to go with him. The fact that there was a significant downhill to come meant he was never going to get away.

Thor Hushovd was the other revelation last night, the big fella hauled himself over the top of the first climb like a guy half his size and then took off on the decent knowing that two intermediate sprints lay at the bottom. He only needed 2 points to claim the green jersey so with Cavendish nowhere in sight he took the intermediates and now wears a Green Jersey. His strength over the hills is going to make cavendishs' job on winning this green jersey hard. he is going to have to win 3 more stages as I reckon thor will continue to rack up points from here on in. Christophe Kern picked up enough KOM points on the first climb to give himself a new jersey for stage 8 - i doubt he will be keeping it though.

Oh Cadel.

Well done for trying. Well done for your team for Buying Bernard Kohl and Thomas Dekker, both who turned out the be drug cheats and subsequently banned. the only way Cadel or anyone outside Lance and Alberto is going to win this bike race is to gang up on the astana team and i dont think thats going to happen. Time for a new team Cadel. try again on stage 9, but just wait for the Tourmalet -please!