Month: June 2012

June 30, 2012

Preview: Stage 1 of the 2012 Tour de France

Stage 1 of the Tour de France runs from the Belgian city of Liège in a big counterclockwise circle to finish at Seraing, Belgium, barely a stone’s throw away on the other side of the Meuse River. Although there are mountain points available at five locations, they are all Category 4, which means most of the sprinters will probably take them in stride and make the dash at the end of the day for the hilltop finish.

We think that means that some of the true climbers — someone like Jérôme Pineau who finished on the Prologue’s cusp — have the best shot at getting the Point d’Appui. The run into Seraing could get dicey since the entire peloton is likely to come together for the finish and the final kilometers have a few nasty kinks in the cord. Odds are good that all will come home we’ll still have an even number of riders and no fulcrum on the day, but the early stages are the most jittery and anything can happen. (I’m trying not to say that odds are better than even that a crash will force a couple of riders to abandon because, really, who wants to jinx an opening stage?)

Although Pineau is a likely suspect to be the first Point d’Appui, it’s more likely that sprinters behind him will move up in the rankings and push another rider down to the Point d’Appui. Sandy Casar of FDJ-Bigmat, now in 88th position, seems a likely suspect.

June 30, 2012

Pineau, Danielson Share Cusp of Tour de France Prologue

Because the 2012 Tour de France started with an even number of riders and all of them successfully finished the 6 kilometer time trial, there is no Point d’Appui for the prologue stage.

With 151 riders through the prologue, Chris Horner of Radioshack-Nissan sat on the Point d’Appui, slipping out as the faster riders began finishing during the latter part of the time trial. After 181 riders had crossed the finish, Imanol Erviti of Movistar had found himself at the fulcrum.

Jérôme Pineau during the prologue of the 2012 Tour de France. From the Cyclism´ Actu

By the finish of all the racers, however, les Cuspides for the prologue were Jérôme Pineau of Omega Pharma-Quickstep in 99th place and Thomas Danielson of Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda in 100th, both of them finishing 31 seconds adrift. Six riders, including Thomas Voeckler, finished with both the median and average speed of 33 seconds behind the winner, Fabian Cancellara of Radioshack-Nissan.

Tomorrow’s Stage 1 includes a little hilliness with its own geological point d’appui, the Baraque de Fraiture, which peaks at 606 meters just after the feed zone, lunchtime being its own daily fulcrum. Ride in the middle. Eat in the middle.

June 30, 2012

Preview of the 2012 Tour de France

The preview for the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France is not good, not bad, somewhere in between. The defending Point d’Appui, Markel Irizar, was left home by Radio Shack, perhaps because of his wonderful break on the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Irizar got in the break with five other riders at about the 4 kilometer mark. The peloton gave them almost too much room, but the escapees let the mob back in by fighting among themselves. Irizar, though, got a jump on the break group and stayed away until 5 kilometer mark.

Likewise, Fabio Sabatini, who won the fulcrum at the Giro d’Italia, is not at the Tour de France.

Other contenders include:

  • George Hincapie of BMC may have the best shot. He is clearly looking to ride in support of the BMC team leader, Cadel Evans, or whomever pedals forward if Evans isn’t back to his 2012 form. Hincapie finished on the cusp of both the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix. This is his last chance to be the camel’s back.
  • Marco Marzano, riding for Lampre-ISD, is another possibility. Marzano finished in the Point d’Appui at the Dauphiné, riding with perfectly fine form.
  • Vasil Kiryienka of Movistar Team took home the Point d’Appui in the Tour de Romandie and is another possibility.
  • Robert Gesink of Rabobank is probably a long-shot, having won the Point d’Appui at Liége-Bastogne-Liége, and long-shots rarely fall to the middle, although several stages this year favor him.
June 17, 2012

Tour de Suisse Finishes in les Cuspides

Norwegian Lars Petter Nordhaug of Sky Procycling and German Fabian Wegmann of Garmin-Barracuda split the Point d’Appui at the 2012 Tour de Suisse, finishing above and below the fulcrum, respectively. Wegman finished 38:24 behind winner Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa of Movistar with Nordhaug another 50 seconds in arrears.

Only two stages in the Tour de Suisse finished with an odd number of riders and therefore a fulcrum on the day. The general classification Point d’Appui finishes included:

  • Stage 1: No fulcrum
  • Stage 2: No fulcrum
  • Stage 3: Greg Van Avermaet
  • Stage 4: No fulcrum
  • Stage 5: No fulcrum
  • Stage 6: No fulcrum
  • Stage 7: Marzio Bruseghin
  • Stage 8: No fulcrum
  • Stage 9: No fulcrum

And Point d’Appui for each stage included:

  • Stage 1: No fulcrum
  • Stage 2: No fulcrum
  • Stage 3: Dario Cataldo
  • Stage 4: No fulcrum
  • Stage 5: No fulcrum
  • Stage 6: No fulcrum
  • Stage 7: Marzio Bruseghin
  • Stage 8: No fulcrum
  • Stage 9: No fulcrum
June 10, 2012

Marzano Swings into Dauphiné’s Fulcrum

In the 2012 Critérium du Dauphiné,  Marco Marzano moved up three positions in the final stage to win the Point d’Appui. Marzano finished 27:14:03 behind the winner, Bradley Wiggins of Sky Procycling, and 58 minutes ahead of the Lanterne Rouge, Alan Perez Lezaun of Euskatel-Euskadi.

Always a threat to the middle, Irizar Markel finished two spots ahead of the Marzano, barely missing out on a second Point d’Appui.

The fulcrum changed hands five times during the race, and only two of the stages finished with an even number of riders and thus no fulcrum. The following are the overall Point d’Appui holders at the end of each stage:

  • Prologue: Stijn Vandenbergh
  • Stage 1: Arthur Vichot
  • Stage 2: No fulcrum
  • Stage 3: No fulcrum
  • Stage 4: Daniel Teklehaimanot
  • Stage 5: Alessandro Vanotti
  • Stage 6: Luis Angel Mate Mardones
  • Stage 7: Marco Marzano