July 11, 2014

Slagter Edges into Fulcrum on Stage 6

Tom-Jelte Slagter of Garmin-Sharp moved up five positions in the general classification to take over the Point d’Appui by the end of Stage 6 of the 2014 Tour de France. Slagter won the 2013 Tour Down Under and also won a stage of Paris-Nice this year. He rides well in the mountains, so he will probably not stay at the fulcrum for long.

Tom Veelers, who held fulcrum after Stage 5, moved up in the standings after a strong finish Thursday.

The tour had four abandons on Thursday. Ariel Maximiliano Richeze of Lampre-Merida, who had held the Lanterne Rouge since Stage 1, did not start Stage 6 after suffering through several crashes. Jesus Alberto Hernandez Blazquez on Tinkoff-Saxo, Egor Silin of Team Katusha and Xabier Zandio of Team Sky dropped out during the stage, which again had several crashes due to wet roads. The loss of Zandio further hurts Sky’s chance of keeping the new captain, Richie Porte, at the fore of the race, and Alberto Contador faces similar issues with the loss of Silin.

The new Lanterne Rouge is the first Chinese rider to race in the Tour de France, Cheng Ji of Team Giant-Shimano. Ji has helped lead out the peloton for Marcel Kittel and then fallen back after doing his work.

Vincenzo Nibali still holds the Maillot Jaune. Andre Greipel won the stage during the sprint finish. Nelson Oliveira of Lampre-Merida finished at the fulcrum for the stage.

Markel Irizar, winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2011 Tour de France, remains within striking distance of the fulcrum.

Tom-Jelte Slagte

July 10, 2014

La Pluie, pas les Pavés, Doom Froome

Christopher Froome, winner of the 2013 Tour de France, abandoned the 2014 Tour on Wednesday after crashes amid the rains of northern France prior to reaching the first sector of cobblestones. His loss left 193 riders to come home, and provided the tour with its first fulcrum.

Tom Veelers of Team Giant-Shimano finished 97th to claim the first Point d’Appui of the 2014 Tour de France. He started the in 168th place, but Stage 5 threw the tour into chaos. In the general classification, Veelers is 24 minutes and 41 seconds behind race leader Vincenzo Nibali. The Lanterne Rouge is still in the hands of Ariel Maximiliano Richeze of Lampre-Merida, who 1 hour, 2 minutes and 49 seconds adrift.

Markel Irizar, winner of the 2011 Tour Point d’Appui, is in 102nd, just five spots out of the fulcrum. Vasili Kiriyenka, winner of the 2012 Point d’Appui, fell 50 places due in part to his quick drop off the back to support Sky teammate Chris Froome after Froome’s first crash and in part as a result of Kiriyenka’s own crash in a slick roundabout.

The number of crashes Wednesday was legion, and that was before les pavés, the seven cobblestone sectors. Two sections of cobblestones were eliminated from the race due to the rain and “bad” conditions, as if there were any good conditions on the route across Flanders and finishing in Arenberg. Well, Stage 5 winner Lars Boom of Belkin Pro Cycling might say the last kilometer was pretty swell.

Greg Van Avermaet of BMC took the Point d’Appui on the stage.

Tom Veelers

July 9, 2014

Tour Enters France, Remains in les Cuspides

The scenery seen by the seekers of tour glory shifted from the linseed fields of Great Britain to the historic battlegrounds surrounding Armentières as Stage 4 of the 2014 Tour de France resumed in the host country.

Outcomes for the day, however, seemed like a replay of Stage 3. Vincenzo Nibali still holds the yellow jersey; Marcel Kittel won the stage again, though with more difficulty; a GC contender hit the deck hard; Ariel Maximiliano Richeze still holds the Lanterne Rouge; and two more riders abandoned.

Andy Schleck, the leader of Trek Factory Racing, bowed out before the start of Stage 4 after taking a hard fall on Stage 3, and Gregory Henderson of Lotto-Belisol 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 the sprint finish.

The two abandons left 194 riders to come home on the day, leaving the race in les Cuspides for the fourth straight day. The two riders on the cusp are John Gadret of Movistar Team at 97th and Peter Stetina of BMC Racing Team at 98th. Gradet also held the leading cusp after Stage 2.

Last year’s winner of the Tour de France, Chris Froome took a hard fall early in the stage, skinning his hip and rattling his wrist bones. As a side note, Vasili Kiryienka, who won the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France and the 2012 Tour de Romandie, showed why he reliably finishes in the middle of the pack, serving Froome as a domestique par excellence, dropping back to the Team Sky car to retrieve a brace for Froome’s wrist. Froome regained the peloton easily and seemed to be in good shape to continue tomorrow, although Stage 5 will rattle both bones and brains.

Luis Mate of Cofidis, who was on the cusp after Stage 1, got into the two-man break with Thomas Voeckler of Europcar during today’s stage, and they stayed off the front together until Mate had a flat. Voeckler was caught by the peloton with about 15 kilometers to go. In the 2013 tour, Voeckler, a perennial French favorite, had the time closest to the median time among all finishers.

For tomorrow, viva les cobbles!