July 28, 2014

2014 Tour Finishes Without a Fulcrum

Perrig Quemeneur

Lars Bak

The 164 survivors came home to Paris on Sunday, leaving the 2014 Tour de France without a fulcrum rider, but Lars Bak of Lotto-Belisol and Perrig Quemeneur of Team Europcar finished on les Cuspides of the general classification for the Point d’Appui. Bak finished in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 41 seconds behind the tour winner, Vincenzo Nibali of Astana.

The riders on the cusp after Stage 20 decamped in opposite directions. Imanol Erviti Ollo of Movistar stayed forward with the leading group on the Champs-Élysées and moved up a spot in placement, while Blel Kadri of AG2R-La Mondiale dropped off the back after helping lead his team out earlier in the day.

Bak and Quemeneur have been close to the center of the peloton on numerous occasions this tour, although neither was within 10 places of the fulcrum at the half-way point of the tour, and they did not land on the cusps until the final Stage 21 of the tour. Previously, Bak, a Danish time trial champion, was briefly on the cusp of fulcrum after Stage 9 of the 2012 Tour de France.

Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team had the time closest to the overall tour median time of 3 hours, 1 minute and 12 seconds.

Cheng Ji, the long-suffering Lanterne Rouge, lost more time on the final stage, but survived the time cuts and became the first Chinese bicyclist to ride in the tour and to finish the tour, albeit 6 hours behind Nibali.

The winner of Stage 14, the stage that happened to have the middle distance of 177 kilometers, was rookie Rafal Majka of Tinkoff-Saxo, who attacked the escapees on the final climb to claim his first stage victory in Risoul.

The tour, of course, will be less remembered for rookies than for the number of top contenders who abandoned due to injuries: Andy Schleck, Christopher Froome, Alberto Contador, Andrew Talansky and the sprinter Mark Cavendish.

Let’s take a brief look at a few of the 34 riders who were not able to finish the tour but who are not household names:

Mark Cavendish was not the only rider out before the end of Stage 2. Sprinter Sacha Modolo of Lampre-Merida, riding in his first Tour de France, abandoned during Stage 2 due to illness. He was still 30 kilometers from finishing the day. Said Modolo: “It’s a great disappointment to me. I dreamed of this race. I tried to not give up, but it was not enough.” The day before, he missed out on the bunch sprint for the only stage he finished because a teammate fell at a crucial point and he waited to help lead the rider back into the peloton.
Andy Schleck had to abandon in Stage 4. Gregory Henderson of Lotto Bellisol also abandoned during Stage 4 after a late crash that also brought down two of his teammates and spoiled lead-out hopes for Andre Greipel in that day’s sprint finish. Upbeat despite the crash (or perhaps still slightly dazed), Henderson wrote to fans: “Silly crash and I landed on my weak knee. It just exploded. Messy looking thing. Off to surgery now.”
Alberto Contador abandoned during Stage 10, and another rider did as well. Mathew Hayman, at 36 the oldest bicyclist to be riding in his first Tour de France, said before the race: “The Tour is obviously every pro rider’s dream. But I didn’t have the chance to ride it yet. A matter of circumstances. … My goal is really to complete this Tour all the way to Paris.” His top finish was 12th on the cobblestone Stage 5. After crashing out on Stage 10, the Australian native told the Sydney Morning Herald: “I appreciate that I at least got to start and experience racing in the U.K. with those crowds. But I still feel like there’s a bit of a hole there … [after] the waiting that I’ve done for years to get there.”
Simon Spilak, suffering a stomach ailment, abandoned Stage 17 after about 31 kilometers just prior to the mountains. Spilak also abandoned during his last Tour de France in 2010. In the 2009 tour, however, he rode into Paris in 109th place. This year, Spilak won stages in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and the Tour de Romandie, and his loss from the tour hurt his Katusha team. Of all those who abandoned this year, Spilak had the average placement closest to the average of stage finishes of all the abandonments put together.

The Gray Jersey traded hands eight times during the race after Tom Veelers finished Stage 5 as the first Point d’Appui of the tour. Twelve stages, including the finale finished without a fulcrum. The stage-by-stage general classification results for Point d’Appui:

Stage 1 – No fulcrum.
Stage 2 – No fulcrum.
Stage 3 – No fulcrum.
Stage 4 – No fulcrum.
Stage 5 – Tom Veelers of Team Giant-Shimano
Stage 6 – Tom-Jelte Slagter of Garmin-Sharp
Stage 7 – No fulcrum.
Stage 8 – No fulcrum.
Stage 9 – Jérémy Roy of FDJ.
Stage 10 – No fulcrum
Stage 11 – Sébastien Reichenbach of IAM Cycling
Stage 12 – Ben King of Garmin-Sharp
Stage 13 – Daniele Bennati of Tinkoff-Saxo
Stage 14 – Johan Van Summeren of Garmin-Sharp
Stage 15 – Matthieu Ladagnous of FDJ.fr
Stage 16 – Koen De Kort of Team Giant-Shimano. De Kort finished in 92nd, within 10 spots off the fulcrum.
Stage 17 – No fulcrum
Stage 18 – No fulcrum. Vasili Kiryienka, the winner of the 2012 Tour de France Point d’Appui was one of les Cuspides in Stage 17 and 18. Kiryienka finished the full tour in 86th, only 3 spots off the fulcrum.
Stage 19 – No fulcrum
Stage 20 – No fulcrum
Stage 21 – No fulcrum

July 26, 2014

Time Trial Puts Kadri, Ollo on Cusp Going into Paris

Blel Kadris

Imanol Erviti Ollo

Blel Kadri of AG2R La Mondiale and Imanol Erviti Ollo of Movistar Team finished on the cusp of the fulcrum after Stage 20, the only time trial in the 2014 Tour de France.

Placement is unlikely to change on the ceremonial run into Paris, although time gaps do sometimes make modest changes. Lars Bak of Lotto-Belisol is only 18 seconds ahead Kadri.

Both Kadri and Ollo have shared les Cuspides on previous stages. Ollo shared the cusp of the fulcrum with Vasili Kiryienka of Team Sky after Stage 18, and Kadri shared the cusp with Matthieu Ladagnous of FDJ.fr after Stage 15.

The riders on the cusps after the previous stage split in separate directions during today’s time trial. Lieuwe Westra of Astana Pro Team gained a couple of spots in the general classification, Kiriyenka dropped a couple of spots.

The time trial posed little threat to the leader of the tour, Vincenzo Nibali, but the podium positions and top five overall were in doubt due to the close quarters kept by the also-rans. Two French riders, Jean-Christophe Péraud of AG2R-La Mondiale and Thibaut Pinot of FDJ.fr secured second and third in the general classification, the best showing by French competitors in a quarter century. Alejandro Valverde of Movistar rode poorly in the time trial and was unable to gain on the two Frenchmen.

American Tejay Van Garderen, however, eked out fifth place, slipping past Romain Bardet of AG2R-La Mondiale, who suffered a puncture on the 54 kilometer route through the hills leading from Bergerac to Périgueux.

Cheng Ji, the Lanterne Rouge, appears to have survived the time cutoffs and will ride to the Arc de Triomphe tomorrow as the first Chinese rider not only to compete in the Tour de France but to finish as well. Ji rode on the front end of the peloton on most flat stages, helping Team Giant-Shimano put their sprinter, Marcel Kittel, in position to win the sprint finishes.

The rider with the time closest to the tour median is Roy Curvers of Team Giant-Shimano. His time of 3 hours, 57 minutes and 50 seconds is just 2 seconds off the median.

July 26, 2014

Westra, Kiryienka on Cuspides after Stage 19

The relatively flat Stage 19 produced only minor changes in the 2014 Tour de France, still without a fulcrum heading into Saturday’s time trial.

Lieuwe Westra of Astana Pro Team and Vasili Kiryienka of Team Sky are les Cuspides for the moment, although the time trial is likely to shake up the field a bit tomorrow.

A crash during Stage 19 did not put anyone out of the race, so all 164 racers who started the day came home. Last year’s race had an even number of riders as the peloton began its final ride into Paris, but an abandon by Westra allowed an odd number of racers to finish and a chance for the Point d’Appui to be awarded. We love awarding the Point d’Appui each year but hope all survive this year.

On the day, Ramunas Navardauskas of Garmin-Sharp won Stage 19, gaining enough time on the last climb to solo into Bergerac 23 seconds ahead of an unwieldy peloton and avenging the dashed hopes of teammate Jack Bauer, who fought unsuccessfully for a similar win on Stage 15 but was reeled in at the last moment.

Vincenzo Nibali and Cheng Ji still hold the Maillot Jaune and the Lanterne Rouge, respectively. Matteo Montaguti of AG2R La Mondiale currently has the time nearest the race median of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 35 seconds.
median

July 24, 2014

Winner of 2012 Fulcrum Back in Middle for 2014 Tour

Vasili Kiryienka, the Belorussian rider for Team Sky who won the 2012 Point d’Appui, is now on the cusp of the fulcrum along with Imanol Erviti Ollo of Movistar Team. They finished 82nd and 83rd in general classification, respectively, after Stage 18 of the 2014 Tour de France.

One hundred and sixty-four riders are still in the race after two riders failed to finish the day.

Heinrich Haussler of IAM Cycling left the stage early due to illness. José Joaquin Rojas Gil of Movistar Team was disqualified, apparently for drafting off a team car for too long or too obviously or too well.

Kiryienka is the top rider so far this decade for the Point d’Appui, having won the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France and the 2012 Tour de Romandie, as well as looking as though he would win the 2013 Tour de France Point d’Appui prior to being eliminated on time. With a flat stage and time trial to go, he seems like the odds-on favorite to win the fulcrum again this year, if the tour gets out of les Cuspides.

For Ollo, this is the first time he has been on the cusp, although his placements in his two previous tours put him at 88th in 2010 and 77th in 2009, respectable middle placement. His 2014 tour has been one of improving placement since Stage 8, including a climb of 8 places over yesterday’s finish.

Vincenzo Nibali won the stage and remains the leader of the race. Cheng Ji remains the Lanterne Rouge.

July 23, 2014

Sharp Climbs Put Tour in Cuspides Again

The steep climbs in the Pyrenees have caused further disruptions in the placement of riders. Three abandons left only 166 riders to come home at the end of Stage 17, ending atop the beyond-category Pla d’Adet and throwing the race back into les Cuspides.

Matthieu Ladagnous of FDJ.fr, who held the general Point d’Appui after Stage 15, and Blel Kadri of AG2R La Mondiale are on the cusp of the fulcrum, finishing 83rd and 84th respectively. Ladagnous also was the stage Point d’Appui on Stage 14.

Kadri was among the eight riders who jumped into the first escape group, which included fulcrum favorites Vasili Kiriyenka, winner of the 2012 Tour de France Point d’Appui; Tom-Jelte Slagter of Garmin-Sharp, who held the general Point d’Appui after Stage 6 this year; Cyril Gautier of Europcar, who held the general Point d’Appui GC on Stage 10 of the 2012 tour; Martin Elmiger of IAM Cycling, who held the median time in the 2013 Paris-Nice spring classic; and Jens Voigt, who perennially has been near the middle in many races.

Adam Hansen of Lotto-Belisol currently holds the time closest to the tour median time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 15 seconds.

Rafal Majka of Tinkoff-Saxo won the stage after making his own escapes. Vincenzo Nibali still leads, and Cheng Ji still holds the Lanterne Rouge.

Two riders did not start Stage 17: Reto Hollenstein of IAM Cycling and Simon Gerrans of Orica Greenedge. Simon Spilak of Team Katusha did not finish the stage.

In other notes:
• Kiryienka was the first rider over the Col de Peyresourde, the second Category 1 climb of the day.
• Koen de Kort, who had the fulcrum on the previous stage, slid back two spots.

July 22, 2014

De Kort Moves to Fulcrum on First Day in Pyrenees

On the first day into the Pyrenees, Koen De Kort of Team Giant-Shimano has taken hold of the general Point d’Appui, finishing 85th among the 169 riders still in the 2014 Tour de France.

The Dutch De Kort is the ninth rider of the tour to wear the Maillot Gris. He has consistently finished in the middle ranks of the tour since Stage 2, dropping as low as 112th during the first week of the tour and climbing as high as 62nd after Stage 7.

He is 2 hours, 31 minutes and 7 seconds behind race leader Vincenzo Nibali, and 2 hours and 25 seconds ahead of the Lanterne Rouge, Cheng Ji of Team Giant-Shimano.

On a day with lots of attacks, the winner of Stage 16 proved to be one of the first to successfully get away from the peloton and the most successful at attacking his fellow escapees on the final climb. The Point d’Appui on the stage was José Pimenta Costa Mendes of Team Netapp-Endura.

The young rider Simon Yates of Orica-GreenEdge and world champion Rui Costa of Lampre-Merida abandoned, due to earlier injuries and illness, respectively.

July 20, 2014

Cheers for Bauer; Ladagnous Is New Fulcrum

Before we get to today’s fulcrum, let’s lift up Jack Bauer onto our shoulders, cheer his heroic odyssey and buy him a round for providing the best finish of a tour stage yet this edition. He and Martin Elmiger, the escapees on the day, buried themselves in their pedals through the last kilometers, trying to hold off the peloton as it stormed into Nîmes. Within meters of the finish, they caught Bauer and sent him reeling from first to tenth in the blink of an eye. But we can cheer our tragic heroes with grace and joy and hope for the next race. Here’s to Bauer.

Returning to the central tenet of this article: A day after winning the Stage 14 Point d’Appui, Matthieu Ladagnous of FDJ.fr is the new overall Point d’Appui in the 2014 Tour de France.

Since Stage 5, Ladagnous has finished has high as 72nd place in the general classification and as low as 97th. A champion track cyclist during the early part of his career, he switched to road racing in 2010 and has done quite well on the European circuit.

Meanwhile, the Stage 15 Point d’Appui turned out to be John Gadret of Movistar Team . Gradet finished on the cusp of the general classification Point d’Appui after Stages 2 and 4, although he has continued to rise in the GC standings ever since and is among the top 25 now. The stage winner was Alexander Kristoff of Katusha.

The engine and caboose of the train remain unchanged going into the second race day.

July 20, 2014

Van Summeren Holds Point d’Appui on Second Alpine Day

Johan Van Summeren

During the second day in the Alps, Johan Van Summeren of Garmin-Sharp has settled into the fulcrum general classification after staying within a few places of the middle since Stage 7 of the 2014 Tour de France.

The Belgian Van Summeren is a workhorse for the Garmin-Sharp team, but also leads the team during the classic season. During his 10 years as a pro racer, his top race was winning the 2011 Paris-Roubaix, gaining enough lead that he was able to win in spite of riding the last five kilometers with a flat tire! This is his first time to hold the Point d’Appui.

Vincenzo Nibali continues to hold the Maillot Jaune and continues to put more time between himself and other leaders. Cheng Ji continues to hold the Lanterne Rouge and continues to lose time overall. He’s now four hours adrift of Nibali.

On the stage, Rafal Majka of Tinkoff-Saxo won just ahead of Nibali, finishing atop Risoul. The Point d’Appui on the stage was Matthieu Ladagnous of FDJ.fr. Two more riders abandoned: Rafael Valls of Lampre-Merida and Dries Devenyns of Giant-Shimano.

July 18, 2014

Bennati Lands on Fulcrum During First Alpine Stage

Daniele Bennati of Tinkoff-Saxo slipped back three spots and into the overall Point d’Appui during Stage 13 of the 2014 Tour de France as more abandons narrowed the field to 173 finishers. Vincenzo Nibali again rode in complete command of the race, finishing first atop Chamrousse, the first beyond-category mountain climb.

Bennati, a sprinter, has won two stages in the 2007 Tour de France and the green jersey in half a dozen stage races, including the Vuelta a España. Although Bennati suffered slightly on this year’s first day in the Alps, he did much better than most of the sprinters. He has finished in the general classification this year as high as 70th and as far back as 150th.

Daniel Navarro Garcia of Cofidis, Arthur Vichot of FDJ.fr and Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle of Garmin-Sharp abandoned the race during the stage, . Alexander Porsev of Team Katusha, who helped lead out teammate Alexander Kristoff to the Stage 12 win the day before, had not the energy to finish within the time limit of Stage 13 and was eliminated.

Cheng Ji of Team Giant-Shimano continues to hold onto the Lanterne Rouge, three and a half hours adrift of Nibali.

On the stage, another Tinkoff-Saxo rider, Michael Morkov, won the Point d’Appui. Morkov previously held the general classification Point d’Appui in Stage 11 of the 2012 Tour de France.

July 17, 2014

A New King in the Tour de France Point d’Appui

Ben King

American Ben King of Garmin-Sharp took over the Point d’Appui on the first hot day of the 2014 Tour de France, finishing 89th among the 177 surviving riders.

Two riders abandoned. After the heroic ride during the previous Stage 11, Andrew Talansky, leader of Garmin-Sharp, did not start Stage 12 due to injuries. David De La Cruz of Team Netapp-Endura got into the break-away with four other riders; but, while coming around a sharp right-hand bend, the front tire of his bike appeared to have a blow-out that sent him hard into the pavement, breaking his clavicle and withdrawing from the race.

The overall leader of the tour is still Vincenzo Nibali of Astana, and the Lanterne Rouge is Cheng Ji of Team Giant-Shimano. Alexander Kristoff of Team Katusha won Stage 12, holding off Peter Sagan, who has finished second on sprint stages five times now. The Point d’Appui for the stage was Marcel Sieberg of Lotto-Belisol.

Point d'Appui

Month: July 2014