Today's Tour de France stage saw Greg Van Avermaet, BMC, ride into Le Lorian solo and more than five minutes ahead of the next competitor Thomas De Gendt, Lotto. It was a difficult day for the peloton as they rode the mountains of the Massive Central. The day was hot, the tarmac was melting, the distance was over 216 km and there were six peaks to conquer. The run to the finish line was uphill but wasn't given a category. Riders were in the saddle for about five and a half hours. Two crashes occurred in the day's final descent. Serge Pauwels and Cyril Gautier were in the second break and descending a tricky patch when they both hit the pavement. They continued with their ride, but did not place in the top five cyclists. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff, is having a bad start to the Tour. He crashed twice early in the race and sports a large bandage on his right arm. The TV commentators have speculated that he is more injured than he wants the public to know. Competitors have been known to continue in the TDF with broken bones. Stage 5 Standings
The World Anti Doping Agency(WADA) is now in possession of 200 bags of blood that were seized when a doping scandal broke in 2006 in Spain. WADA may try to identify whose blood has been stored. The time limit for imposing any bans has passed as the limit is ten years. It would still be interesting to know who had blood stored for reintroduction before a big competition. Blood that has been stored and transfused increases the number of oxygen carrying cells and increases the body's endurance. Further reading: Le Tour Velo News
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Fans of professional cycling were treated to a second photo finish in as many days. Today's run from Samur to Limoge challenged the sprinters at the end of more than 200 km with a brisk uphill climb before levelling off for the final dash to the finish. Yesterday Mark Cavendish, DDD, took his 28th stage win in the Tour de France. Today it was Marcel Kittel, Etixx, that edged out a rival in the mad dash for the finish. Cavendish was not on the podium today. As the teams were organizing their final dash, he got caught up in the peloton and couldn't get into final position. The TDF would be nothing without controversy. Today Chris Froome, Sky came under criticism from some of the sprinter including Cavendish for participating in the sprint finish. And some would allege that the GC riders imede the top sprinters. For his part, Froome has stated that it is not his choice to ride at the front, that it is the team choice to keep him out of trouble. Peter Sagan, Tinkoff has spoken about how dangerous the peloton has become in the six years that he has been riding the TDF. Too many reckless riders are causing accidents and injuries. To date all those that have hit the pavement have continued the race. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff, hit the deck twice in the first two days of racing. Stage 5 will see the riders see the mountains. The 216 km will have six climbs during the run from Limoge to Le Lioran. Stage 4 Standings
Overall Race Standings
More info: Le Tour Velo News Peter Sagan, Tinkoff, garnered both the yellow jersey as the race leader in today's steep uphill finish and the green jersey for most sprint points. As with Cavendish, this will be the first time that Sagan gets to don the yellow. Today's route hugged the Normandy coastline from Saint-Lo to Cherbourg-en-Cotenlin, a distance of 183 km. It had categoried climbs with a steep climb -- 14% -- to the finish line. Rain and wind played their part as well. Alberto Contador had another spill today reinjuring him. He was not a happy biker but remained philosophical about events. The 60 km mark of the route also saw three others take a tumble. Those who fell yesterday in the melee near the finish line rode today. Four riders went off the front of the peloton early and maintained the gap for most of the day, but victory was not to be theirs. The last of the breakaway was swept up and passed with only 500 metres to the finish line. While Jasper Stuyven, Trek, lost his chance at a stage win, he will ride with the red number tomorrow. Stage 2 finish:
Tomorrow's stage from Granvilleto Angers will be a 223.5 slog. The profile looks like it will be another exciting sprint finish. More details and stats can be found at the official Le Tour site This year’s Tour de France started with a quick run of 188 km from Mont Saint Michel, ending at Utah Beach in Normandy. Mark Cavendish took stage one with panache, to take the opening stage and the yellow jersey. It has been one of his long standing ambitions to stand on the podium holding the little gold lion. Nicknamed the Manx Missile, this is his 27th stage win in the Tour.
One hundred-ninety eight riders began the tour which will take them through France to the Pyrenees and over to the Alps before ridings into Paris for the ritual ride in the heart of the city. When they finish three weeks from now, they will have pedalled 3519 km. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff, crashed with about 80 km to the finish. He was making a tight right hand turn when he failed to notice a traffic island and brushed it. Several other riders crashed as well but Contador was the most injured. He finished the stage with a jersey that was mostly in tatters. He was quite bloodied but stated that nothing was broken and he would be carrying on. There was another spectacular pile up with only about 100 metres to go. All of those riders finished the stage. If a rider crashes within the last three kilometres(usually), he will be awarded the same time as the group that he was riding with, but he must finish the stage. Today’s Results
Jerseys and their meaning
Stage 2: Saint-Lo to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, a distance of 183 km will test the legs with a steep uphill finish. Further reading: Le Tour http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2016/us/overall-route.html |
Barbara McPherson
Blogger, gardener, farmer. Working toward food security and a 30 foot
diet. Addicted to reading. Love this planet, especially my little corner
on Vancouver Island, Canada Archives
October 2016
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