Alberto Contador

Alberto Contador

Alberto Contador abandoned the Tour de France on Stage 9 after crashing, breaking his shinbone and riding another dozen kilometers before pain forced him out. He followed former tour winners Chris Froome and Andy Schleck as the third tour champion to crash out of the race. Along with two other abandons, his loss left 180 riders to come home at the end of the day put the 2014 Tour de France back in les Cuspides.

Jan Barta of Team Netapp-Endura and Matteo Trentin of Omega Pharma-Quick Step finished 90th and 91st, respectively, to be come the sixth pair of riders to share the cusp at the middle of the peloton. Barta won the combativity award in Stage 3, and Trentin, of course, surprised everyone including himself when he edged out sprinter Peter Sagan to win Stage 7. Their overall times, however, place them in the exact middle of the pack.

The other two riders who had to abandon were Mathew Hayman of Orica Greenedge and Edward “Ted” King of Cannondale. King held the Lanterne Rouge for several days, and his abandon returns Cheng Ji of Team Giant-Shimano to the last place position.

Vasili Kiryienka, the winner of the 2012 Point d’Appui, and Markel Irizar, winner of the 2011 Point d’Appui, are both within shouting distance of the middle. Jérémy Roy, who held the Point d’Appui after Stage 8, moved up a couple of places to escape the fulcrum momentarily.

All this comes amid the stamp of Vincenzo Nibali upon the finish of Stage 9, winning what is arguably the most difficult mountain stage of the tour — just seconds ahead of his nearest overall competitors — to take back the yellow jersey he put on loan to Tony Gallopin for Bastille Day.

Tomorrow, the tour enters its first rest day, a welcome relief for the riders who have survived thus far.

Pieter Weening, out front on a break away during Stage 6 of the Vuelta a España

Pieter Weening of Orica-GreenEdge settled into the middle of the pack during Stage 20 and finished the 2012 Vuelta a España as the Point d’Appui, taking home the maillot gris. He came home 2 hours, 27 minutes and 56 seconds behind the race winner, Alberto Contador, and finished 2 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of Cheng Ji, who held on to become China’s first Lanterne Rouge in a grand tour.

Johan Van Summeren, the Belgian riding for Garmin-Sharp, had the time closest to the median.

On the stage, Ben Gastauer of AG2R La Mondiale came home at the fulcrum position.

The Point d’Appui changed hands nine times, and 10 stages ended without a fulcrum. Of note, Philippe Gilbert, who held the Point d’Appui early in the race, won Stages 9 and 19, thus obviating much chance that he would finish in the middle. For the record, Gilbert finished 59th in general classification. Grischa Niermann, who is retiring after 13 years of racing, held the Point d’Appui after Stage 15. And no race would be complete without a mention of Markel Irizar, winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2011 Tour de France and who briefly held the Vuelta’s middle spot after Stage 18.

Through the stages:

Stage 1 – No fulcrum
Stage 2 – Rémi Pauriol
Stage 3 – Philippe Gilbert
Stage 4 – No fulcrum
Stage 5 – No fulcrum
Stage 6 – No fulcrum
Stage 7 – No fulcrum
Stage 8 – No fulcrum
Stage 9 – No fulcrum
Stage 10 – Gregory Rast
Stage 11 – Arnaud Courteille
Stage 12 – No fulcrum
Stage 13 – No fulcrum
Stage 14 – Martijn Keizer
Stage 15 – Grischa Niermann
Stage 16 – Johannes Fröhlinger
Stage 17 – No fulcrum
Stage 18 – Markel Irizar
Stage 19 – Johannes Fröhlinger
Stage 20 – Pieter Weening
Stage 21 – Pieter Weening

Point d'Appui

Contador Abandons, Putting Tour Back on Cuspides

Pieter Weening Claims 2012 Vuelta’s Point d’Appui