Category: Tour De France

Tour de France opening salvo sees Cavendish take yellow jersey

3/7/2016

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

Mark Cavendish, Dimension Data
Marcel Kittel, Etixx-Quickstep
Peter Sagan, Tinkoff
Edward Theuns, Trek Segafredo
Christophe Laporte, Confidis

Different coloured jerseys are worn by the competitors to denote top place in different categories. The TDF is a complicated race.

Jerseys and their meaning

Yellow – worn by the rider who is the overall race leader
Polkadot – rider who gains most points for climbing
red – rider designated the most aggressive for the day
Green – rider who has accumulated most sprint points
White – rider who is the best young rider

The wearers of the jerseys can change during the three week marathon. Points, jerseys and finishing all garner different amounts of money for the team.

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

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TDF Stage 21 Froome takes top spot for second year

1/8/2015

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Paris 2014

July 26, 2015: Chris Froome, Sky, took top spot for the second year in the 2015 Tour de France. Nairo Quintana, Movistar, took second place for the second time. Bringing up fourth and fifth places were former TDF winners, Vincenzo Nibali, Astana, and Alberto Contador, Tinkoff.

At the end of 84hours 46’14” there was less than two minutes separating first and second place. Quintana, in speaking with a news outlet opined that the race was decided during stage 2 when he lost three minutes to Froome and was put in the position of catch up for the duration.

In keeping with tradition the General Classification riders did not race against each other on the run in from Sevre to Paris. It was a time for posing for photos and renewing friendships.

Mother Nature gave one last smack to the peloton with a fierce rainstorm that hit Paris in the morning, but backed off as the men came into town. The weather was blamed for the large number of flats when the bikes hit the cobbles of the Champs d’Elysees.

While the GC riders were not competing against each other, they were still riding hard at about 60 km for much of the circuit that took them around the Arc de Triomphe and down the boulevard.

The sprinters had been waiting for two weeks for their moment of glory and a hotly contested sprint was won by Andre Griepel, Lotto. He described it as the biggest win of his career and he is no stranger to success.

Even before the final bell on today’s race plans are being laid down for the 2016 TDF. Next year the start will be in France near Utah Beach.

Some riders will be looking for new contracts in the meantime. Some have new contracts to negotiate. Richie Porte who is currently with Sky has announced that he will be leaving that team. Speculation has it that he is moving to BMC but that cannot be confirmed at this time. Team Europcar has announced that they will not be sponsoring a professional cycling team next season.

Stage 21 Standing                                                                           General Classification
1.       Andre Griepel, Lotto 1. Chris Froome, Sky
2.       Bryan Coquard, Europcar 2. Nairo Quintana, Movistar
3.       Alexander Kristoff, Katusha 3. Alejandro Valverde, Movistar
4.       Edvald Boassen Hagen, Qhubeka 4. Vincenzo Nibali, Astana
5.       Arnaud Demare, FDJ 5. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff

198 riders started the three week race, 160 finished it.

For excellent background information on the Tour de France both VeloNews and Le Tour are good sources.

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TDF Stage 19 Nibali shows why he is The Shark

30/7/2015

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The Shark takes TDF Stage 19

July 24, 2015: Vincenzo Nibali, Astana, showed the world why he’s been nicknamed “The Shark” today when he negotiated the other top hunters and scored a stage win on the second to last day of competition for the general classification. Last year’s Tour de France winner has been moving steadily up the general classifications after a disappointing start. Today he staged a daring break to grab a stage win and move his standing up from 7th to 4th place, shaving two minutes off Chris Froome’s, Sky, lead time.

Nairo Quintana, Movistar, challenged the supremacy of Froome today as well. Froome has been well supported by his star team, but once isolated from their support proved vulnerable. Quintana, looking unperturbable rode up the final climb of the day alone. He cut into Froome’s lead by about thirty seconds. He rides in second place with a deficit of 2’28”.

There is only one day left for the GC riders. Whether Quintana can surpass Froome is debatable. It will take the riders to the top of the legendary l’Alpe d’Huez. There will be only two classified climbs, both of them HC. The TDF 2015 has maintained the suspense every day of the three week epic.

A big loser in the GC standings today was Sky rider Geraint Thomas. He slipped from a possible podium finish to 15th. While he dismissed the effects of his crash in Stage 18 as minor, it may be that they were more serious than disclosed.

Stage 19 Standings                                                                      General Classification
1.       Vincenzo Nibali, Astana    1. Chris Froome, Sky
2.       Nairo Quintana, Movistar    2. Nairo Quintana, Movistar
3.       Chris Froome, Sky       3. Alejandro Valverde, Movistar
4.       Thibaut Pinot, FDJ 4. Vincenzo Nibali, Astana
5.       Romain Bardet, AG2R        5. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff

There are other races than the final GC status. The best young rider award is given to the rider under aged 25 years. It looks as if Nairo Quintana will continue to claim that status. Peter Sagan, Tinkoff, looks to be continuing in the green jersey of most points accrued. Romain Bardet and Chris Froome will have to duke it out tomorrow on the slopes of the Alps for King of the Mountain and Team Movistar looks as if it has a lock on the top team classification.

It has been traditional that the peloton comes together in companionship on the 21st day of the race. The GC riders traditionally do not compete against one another. That does not mean that it is a ho hum stage. Once the mob reaches Paris, the pace quickens and the sprinters jockey for position to be the first to cross the finish line. With the cobble stones on the Champs d’Elysees rattling the skinny tires on the racing bikes, the unexpected is to be expected.

For full statistics and background try Le Tour and VeloNews

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TDF Stage 18 Froome has hammerlock on yellow

30/7/2015

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TDF race leader Chris Froome

July 23: Chris Froome, Sky, appears to have a hammerlock on first place in this year’s Tour de France. He has worn yellow denoting race leader and answered all challenges to take it away. After 74 hours of competitive racing, Froome remains just over three minutes ahead of his nearest rival. With the final two days of racing ahead, the time differential seems insurmountable. But it is the Tour de France and you should always expect the unexpected.

There will be no letup in the punishing course. Today’s stage required the athletes to conquer seven peaks over 185 km. Tomorrow the French Alps will offer four peaks, two 1s, one 2 and an HC. One for heroic cycling(my interpretation).

The participants are also succumbing to the grinding pace. Yesterday saw six riders abandon the Tour, including Tejay Van Garderen, BMC, and Michael Kwiatowski, Astana. Today marked two more gone including Mark Renshaw, Etixx.

The downhills have taken their toll as well. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff, crashed during a downhill yesterday and continued, but has admitted that he is feeling the effects today. French star Thibaut Pinot, FDJ, also crashed yesterday and rode with bandages today.

The long swoop down the Col du Glandon which took a fraction of the time to climb it, looked scary to someone who used to apply the brakes on little hills, but former cycling star Jens Vogt said on the TV coverage that it was not bad at all and that at least the riders, “Don’t risk falling down the cliff edge.”

After the descent of the Col du Glandon, the pack had a seventh climb to the finish. It was only 3.5 km of climbing compressed into 17 switchbacks.

Stage 18 Standings                                                                   General Classification
1.       Romain Bardet, AG2R                                                    1. Chris Froome, Sky
2.       Pierre Roland, Europcar                                                2. Nairo Quintana, Movistar
3.       Winner Anacona, Movistar                                           3. Alejandro Valverde, Movistar
4.       Bob Jungles, Trek                                                          4. Geraint Thomas, Sky
5.       Jakob Fulsand, Astana                                                   5. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff

Stage 19 they do it all again Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire-Les Sybelles.

Further reading:
Velo News
Le Tour

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TDF Stage 20 Froome takes top prize

25/7/2015

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Champs d'Elysees turns into a racetrack tomorrow.

July 25, 2015: Chris Froome, Sky, takes top spot in this year’s Tour de France. He was challenged but a combination of superb skills and a powerhouse team saw him dominate. He will also take the jersey for most points and for King of the Mountain points in addition to his yellow jersey.

Stage 20 ended on the legendary Alp d’Huez, a killer of a climb. There were only two climbs today, both of them classed HC. On the first climb of the day Froome was challenged. The high pace isolated the race winner and he was in trouble just before the apex. On the long descent, his teammates rejoined him and piloted him through the rest of the race until the upper reaches of the Alp d’Huez.

The French were stars today. Alexander Geniez, FDJ, rode off the front for most of the stage until being overtaken by his teammate Thibaut Pinot who claimed the stage win on the alp.

Canadians got to cheer their countryman, Ryder Hesjedal, Garmin, who made a late break and came in third after Movistar captain, Nairo Quintana.

The combination of Alejandro Valverde and Quintana made the day difficult for the Sky cohort.

Quintana rode away from the big GC contenders at the 5 km to go mark and was never caught by Froome who crossed the finish today 1’20” behind Quintana.

It is traditional that the GC riders do not attack each other on the 21st day. The sprinters will be fighting it out for the stage victory in Paris.

Quintana will be taking the white, best young rider, second place on the podium and the yellow helmet for his part in the best team competition.

In order to claim the final prizes, the riders must complete the ride tomorrow.

Stage 20 standings                                                                          General Classification
1.       Thibaut Pinot, FDJ 1. Chris Froome, Sky
2.       Nairo Quintana, Movistar 2. Nairo Quintana, Movistar
3.       Ryder Hesjedal, Garmin 3. Alejandro Valverde, Movistar
4.       Alejandro Valverde, Movistar 4. Vincenzo Nibali, Astana
5.       Chris Froome, Sky 5. Alberto Contador, Tinkoff

The grande finale is a flat stage for the sprinters from Sevres to Paris with the dramatic circuit on the Champs d’Elysees.

For full race statistics take a looke at Le Tour and VeloNews

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Tour de France opening salvo sees Cavendish take yellow jersey

TDF Stage 21 Froome takes top spot for second year

TDF Stage 19 Nibali shows why he is The Shark

TDF Stage 18 Froome has hammerlock on yellow

TDF Stage 20 Froome takes top prize

Barbara McPherson

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