Today's stage: Big, nasty
mountain stage with the only Alpine summit finish. For those who wish
to attack leader Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), this was the first
obvious day to do it.
Who won today's stage? Pierre
Rolland (Europcar) got in the early breakaway and then attacked up
the final climb to La Toussuire to take his second career stage win
(he won on Alpe d'Huez last year). If that sounds familiar, it is
because the strategy was similar to how his teammate Thomas Voeckler
won yesterday's stage.
What matters in the GC race?
Defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) cracked against the tempo of
Team Sky while they were chasing Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) after his
attack. The two Team Sky riders (Wiggins and Froome) now sit 1-2
overall with Nibali 3rd and Evans 4th. Further
back, the rest of the top 10 was remade as Denis Menchov (Katusha)
was nowhere to be found amongst the leaders (this is normal but he
didn't manage to ninja himself into the final group this time) and
Maxime Monfort (RSNT) was never seen after the early climbs either.
Behind Evans, the new top 10 includes Jurgen Van den Broeck
(Lotto-Belisol), Haimar Zubeldia (RSNT), Tejay van Garderen (BMC),
Janez Brajkovic (Astana), Rolland and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ).
What matters in other competitions?
Green Jersey (Points) –
Points? For sprinters? On this stage? Surely you jest. Same scores as
yesterday. Peter Sagan (Liquigas) leads Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge)
232-205. Tomorrow brings as opportunity for more points if there is
any climbing ability at all in those legs. There are two category 1
climbs, but then a long flat area before the intermediate sprint and
a possible sprint finish as well.
Polka Dot Jersey (King of the
Mountains) – Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) was in the breakaway
today and took a boatload of points. In the process he regained the
King of the Mountains jersey that he lost yesterday to Thomas
Voeckler (Europcar). Voeckler's teammate Pierre Rolland is now second
and Chris Anker Sorenson (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff) is now third.
White Jersey (Best Young Rider)
– Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) exploded today along with Menchov and
Monfort. That leaves just two men realistically contesting this
category. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) still leads, but his lead over
Thiabult Pinot (FDJ) was shaved down to 1' 54” after van Garderen
has to stay back and help pace the cracked Evans up the final climb.
Team Classification (Calculated by
adding the three best times on each team each day) – RSNT with
its ensemble cast of Grand Tour experience and ex-GC contenders now
has a strangle hold on this as a different three riders finish in the
top 15 of a stage every day. For 2nd place Sky, this isn't
really a goal and being 1-2 on the podium is much more importat.
Biggest surprise: Froome
attacked, ever so briefly. On the final climb of the day, Nibali had
attacked twice and the resulting chase had cracked Evans. Then, in a
fit of enthusiasm, Froome attacked. Everybody followed, except
Froome's team leader Wiggins. Then his team manager yelled at thim on
the radio and Froome backed off.
Non-Froome category, it would be all
the big names in the early breakaway. There were 31 riders in the
breakaway and it read like a who's who of former GC contenders,
fading stars and injured riders. This group at one point included
Valverde, Scarponi, Basso, Leipheimer, and Gesink along with scores
of others and the eventual stage winner Rolland.
Biggest disappointment: Froome
didn't keep the hammer down and make this race, even one between two
teammates. It is obvious now that Froome is better in the mountains
(just as he was at the Vuelta last year when he went from domestique
to 2nd overall, beating Wiggins) and Wiggins is better in
the time trial. Still, I wish Froome has continued to attack. It
would have taken some of the air of inevitability out of the race.
Non-Froome category, nobody cracked the
Team Sky train. This was as weak as they have looked all race, but
nobody cracked Sky and now they will get to ride all the way to the
Pyrenees mostly unencumbered by attacks that will bother them.
Other items of note: Prologue
and first week yellow jersey wearer Fabian Cancellara (RSNT)
abandoned the race today to go home and be with his pregnant wife who
is expecting their second child this month... Also abandoning today
were Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) and Lieuwe
Westra (Vacansoleil), all of whom were involved in that crazy crash
on stage 6...Seven riders missed the time cut today and are out of
the race. Most notable is Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi
(Lampre).
What is coming tomorrow? Some
early high mountains followed by a long flat drag and a late category
3 before a possible sprint, if the sprinters are there and no
breakaway is gone.
Tomorrow's prediction: 1. Peter
Sagan (Liquigas) 2. Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 3. JJ Haedo (Saxo
Bank-Tinkoff)
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