Month: July 2012

July 3, 2012

Preview: Stage 4 of the Tour de France

The route from Abbeville to Rouen, running down along the coast of Haute-Normandie, is another relatively flat route, but it is also one of the longest stages of the 2012 Tour de France. Slightly more than 214 kilometers, but after 214 kilometers, every meter matters. The sprinters and lead-out riders have slowly moved up in the standings through the flat stages while the mountain climbers and wounded have dropped back below the Point d’Appui.

With those thoughts in mind, I have to think someone like Thomas Voeckler — who dropped back in the standings after getting caught in a crash on Stage 3 but is now on the mend — might move up enough to claim the Point d’Appui during Stage 4. That is, of course, depending on whether anyone else abandons the race.

Kanstantsin Sivtsov of Sky Procycling and Jose Joaquin Rojas of Movistar abandoned on Stage 3, leaving an even 196 riders vying for the Point d’Appui. No abandons tomorrow, and we may stay in Les Cuspides through the American Independence Day.

July 3, 2012

Perez Hits Daily Double in Les Cuspides

The Tour de France sets off on Stage 3 from Orchies to Boulogne-sur-Mer.

After two abandons during Stage 3, and even number of riders finished the stage, and we are still left without a Point d’Appui in the Tour de France. Les Cuspides for overall classification are Aliaksandr Kuchynski of Katusha, who came in 98th, and Rubén Perez of Euskaltel-Euskadi, who came in 99th. They are both 7 minutes and 2 seconds behind the yellow jersey of Fabian Cancellara and 23:03 ahead of the Lanterne Rouge, Brice Feillu.

Ruben Perez

Perez, one of five riders in today’s break-away, hit the Point d’Appui daily double, also finishing as one of Les Cuspides on Stage 3. Rarely does a rider get Les Cuspides in both general classification and for the stage. Perez finished 98th on the stage, just ahead of Juan Horrach of Katusha. Both of them were 3:54 behind stage winner Peter Sagan.

July 2, 2012

Cavendish Only a Spot Out of Fulcrum

Despite winning Stage 2 of the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish could only get to the off-side of les Cuspides of the 2012 Tour de France. There is no Point d’Appui yet since we still have an even number of riders in the race.

The fast flat course of Stage 2 did not favor much movement of riders’ times around the center of the peloton, still we have a new pair of Cuspides since all 198 riders — a bit banged up and gimpy — came home.

Kristin Koren of Liquigas-Cannondale finished 99th and Daryl Impey of Orica GreenEdge finished 100th to win les Cuspides for Stage 2. Cavendish finished 101st in the overall classification, just behind Impey

On the stage, Ruben Plaza Molina of Movistar and Rafael Valls Ferri of VacanSoleil-DCM charged down the middle.

July 1, 2012

Lancaster, Curvers Split Stage 1 at Tour de France

Despite crashes in the last 10 kilometers of the stage, all 198 racers made it home, so there is no Point d’Appui yet. Brett Lancaster of Orica GreenEdge and Roy Curvers of Argos-Shimano are the new Cuspides for the general classification. Lancaster finished 2:18 behind the maillot jaune worn by Fabian Cancellara and 7:25 ahead of the Lantern Rouge, Guillaume Levarlet of Saur-Sojasun.

Brett Lancaster

Roy Curvers

Lancaster won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics for team pursuit and has won a couple of prologues, including the 2005 Giro and the 2008 Deutschland Tour. Hat tip to Curvers, who finished dead last in the Prologue and moved half-way up the field during Stage 1. Another move up like that and he would be thinking podium.

Meanwhile, Yukiya Arashiro of Europcar and Peter Velits of Omega Pharma-Quick Step finished on les cuspides for Stage 1. Arashiro is the first Japanese rider ever to reach the cuspide in the Tour de France. Velits had been in the initial lead group coming into Seraing but had to drop back in the last minute because of mechanical problems. Arashiro came home 1:25 behind the winner and 27 seconds ahead of Velits,who also had the average speed for the stage.

During the final 10 kilometers, the cross wind, the narrow twisting route and a pinheaded photographer standing midstream produced several relatively minor crashes and splintered the field.

Other notes:

  • Yohann Gene, a rider for Team Europcar who made it into the break, won the intermediate sprint.
  • Michael Morkov of Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, also in the break, took the king of the mountain points at the middle Category 4 hill, as well as two other hill climbs, enough to grab the polka-dot jersey.
  • Our prediction that Sandy Casar might slide back from his placement after the Prologue to grab the Stage 1 Point d’Appui wasn’t too far off. Casar actually slid one spot behind the cuspide on the stage and about 8 spots back on the general classification.
  • Les Cuspides from the Prologue rode in opposite directions. Tom Danielson moved from the middle to the 35th position, and Jérôme Pineau fell to 173rd.