July 6, 2017

Offredo Gets Fulcrum as Laengen Slips Following Ride in Break

Yohann Offredo

Yoann Offredo of the Wanty-Groupe Gobert team took over the general classification Point d’Appui on Stage 6 of the 2017 Tour de France after the fulcrum holder on Stage 5, Vegard Stake Laengen, got into the break during Stage 6, slipped in the standings after the break was caught and was awarded Most Combative Rider for Stage 6.

Offredo won the most-combative jersey on Stage 2 as one of two riders who pulled away from a four-person break but who were nevertheless caught by the peloton with 1 kilometer left in the race.

Offredo finished 14th in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix this year and is riding in his first grand tour. While on a training ride with two friends during April, he was assaulted by thugs who apparently did not like bicyclists, but he took no time off from racing despite his injuries.

Laengen got into a break within the first kilometer with Perrig Quemeneur of the Direct Energie team and Frederik Backaert of Wanty-Groupe Gobert. The worked well together through 198 kilometers before the peloton swallowed them up, and the sprinters’ teams set up for the finish.

Christopher Froome of Team Sky remains the leader of the tour, and Olivier Le Gac of the FDJ team continues to hold the Lanterne Rouge.

On the stage, Marcel Kittel of the Quick-Step Floors team finished first for his second stage win of the 2017 Tour, and Bauke Mollema of the Trek-Segafredo team wound up at the fulcrum position.

A quick review of past contenders for the Point d’Appui shows that:

Vasili Kiriyenka of Team Sky, winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France, is just two spots behind Offredo.
Lars Bak of the Lotto Soudal team and Perrig Quemeneur of Direct Energie, who finished on the cusps of the 2014 Tour de France, are both slightly ahead of the Point d’Appui.
Markel Irizar, winner of the 2011 Point d’Appui in the Tour, is more than a dozen spots behind Offredo.
Andriy Grivko of Astana Pro Team and Fabio Sabatini of the Quick-Step Floors team, who won the Point d’Appui in the 2010 and 2012 Giros, respectively, are currently at 128th and 129th places, respectively. Sabatini, of course, provided a perfect lead-out for stage winner Kittell.
Daniel Navarro of the Cofidis, Solutions Credits team, who won the Point d’Appui in the 2011 Giro, is ahead of the curve at 79th place.
Greg Van Avermaet of BMC Racing Team, who won the Point d’Appui in the 2008 Vuelta a España, is in 70th place.

July 1, 2017

Two Abandons, Two on Cusps of Stage 1

The rain-soaked time trial of Stage 1 of the 2017 Tour de France brought down two experienced riders, leaving an even number to struggle home.

On the cusps of the fulcrum are Tiago Machado of Katusha-Alpecin and Jan Bakelants of AG2R La Mondiale. Bakelants has finished as the Point d’Appui on two Tour stages before, once in 2012 and once last year, although he hasn’t ever held the GC Point d’Appui.

Alejandro Valverde of Movistar was seriously injured and went to hospital after hitting the deck hard and slamming into the barriers. Spaniard Ion Izagirre of Bahrain-Merida was also among the many crash victim and like Valverde abandoned the race.

Geraint Thomas of Team Sky won Stage 1 and is the holder of the first yellow jersey of the Tour de France, much to his own surprise. Teammate Vasili Kiryienka, winner of the 2012 GC Point d’Appui, finished third in Saturday’s time trial.

Tony Gallopin of Lotto Soudal also took a fall and limped 3 minutes and 3 seconds adrift to take hold of the Lanterne Rouge.

July 3, 2016

Kiryienka on Cusp of Fulcrum After TDF Stage 2

Vasil Kiryienka

All 198 riders came home on a wet and winding Stage 2 of the 2016 Tour de France. Gorka Izagirre of Movistar Team and Vasil Kiryienka of Team Sky moved into 99th and 100th places, respectively, for general classification and hold les Cuspides.

Kiryienka is a perennial favorite for the Point d’Appui, riding out front in support of Sky team leader Chris Froome for most of the day and then falling back through the standings after his work is done. Along with winning the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France, Kiryienka finished two stages of the 2014 Tour on les Cuspides and in 2013 finished the Vuelta a España on les Cuspides. He was on pace to do well in the 2013 edition of le Tour before missing a time cutoff.

Kiryienka would be the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Point d’Appuit barring similar disaster, but Markel Irizar of Trek-Segafredo is only five spots off the middle and Paolo Trialongo of Astana Pro is only six away.

Gorka Izagirre and his brother, Jon, ride in support of GC contender Nairo Quintana. During the 2015 Tour de France, their team placed first in the team competition. Jon held the Point d’Appui after Stage 2 of the 2013 Paris-Nice race. Gorka finished 5th overall in this year’s Tour of Dubai, so he has some fire power that might lead him higher in this year’s standings.

Peter Sagan of Tinkoff won Stage 2 and also took on the mantle of the yellow jersey, the first time he has been race leader and the first time since 2013 that he won a stage of the Tour de France. Sam Bennett of Bora-Argon 18, injured during a fall in Stage 1, dropped into the Lanterne Rouge but survived the time cut-off.

The rolling terrain of the 183-kilometer stage between the start at Saint-Lô and strongly uphill finish at Cherbourg played well to the puncheurs, among them Sagan.

The two riders on les Cuspides after Stage 1 — Simon Geschk of Team Giant-Alpecin and Emanuel Buchmann of Bora-Argon 18 — both finished well on Stage 2 and moved up in the standings.

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 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!

John GADRET © Presse Sports/B.Papon

July 5, 2014

Mate, Roy on Cusp After Stage 1 of Tour de France

All 198 riders came home, albeit a couple of them battered during the run-up to the finish, during Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de France. As a result the first day ended without a Point d’Appui. Luis Mate of Cofidis and Jérémy Roy of FDJ took 99th and 100th places, respectively to place in Les Cuspides.

Marcel Kittel won the sprint decisively to gain both the stage and the yellow jersey. Hometown favorite Mark Cavendish hit the deck hard during the sprint along with Simon Gerrans. Both limped home, and Cavendish particularly looked as though the crash might put him off the rest of the tour.

The winner of the 2013 Tour de France Point d’Appui, Manuel Quinziato of BMC, rode for the team in the Giro d’Italia but – like Bradley Wiggins and Nairo Quintana – is not back at the Tour de France to defend his title.

However, the winners of the 2011 and 2012 Tour de France Point d’Appui are back.

Markel Irizar of Trek Factory Racing and winner of the 2011 Point d’Appui finished 75th during Stage 1.
Vasili Kiryienka of Team Sky, finished in 104th position, within striking distance of this year’s fulcrum.

Kiryienka was on track to contest for the 2013 Point d’Appui before being dropped from the tour after finishing outside the time limit on Stage 9 last year.

The Lanterne Rouge after Stage 1 is Alessandro Petacchi of Omega Pharma-Quick Step, who finished 14 minutes back of the leaders.

Stage 1, which started in Leeds, Great Britain, and finished at Harrogate, also took a break for members of the tour to meet members of the royal peloton, Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince Harry.

September 16, 2013

Wyss, Kiryienka Finish on Cuspides of 2013 Vuelta

The 2013 Vuelta a España finished without a Point d’Appui, an even 144 riders coming home to Madrid, but two strong contenders for the Point d’Appui in earlier races this season finished on the cusp of the fulcrum.

Danilo Wyss of BMC and Vasil Kiryienka of Sky Procycling shared the dubious honors of finishing as Les Cuspides at 72nd and 73rd place. Wyss held the fulcrum in the 2013 Giro d’Italia near the end of the race, but an abandon put him on the cusp at the finish. Kiryienka, who won the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France and the 2012 Tour de Romandie, was on track to win the 2013 Tour de France Point d’Appui as well, but finished outside the time limit on Stage 9 and was dropped from the race.

Overall, the 2013 Vuelta a España resulted in a nominal number of stage finishes — only six of 21 — with a general classification Point d’Appui.

Wyss finished 2 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds behind the winner of the Vuelta, Christopher Horner of RadioShack Leopard, and 2 hours and 10 minutes ahead of the Lanterne Rouge, Massimo Graziato of Lampre-Merida. The rider with the median time on the race was Matthew Busche of RadioShack Leopard.

The state-by-stage general classification results for the 2013 Vuelta a España:

Stage 1 – Maciej Paterski of Cannondale
Stage 2 – No fulcrum
Stage 3 – No fulcrum
Stage 4 – No fulcrum
Stage 5 – Alexandre Geniez of FDJ
Stage 6 – Kevin De Weert of Omega Pharma-Quick Step
Stage 7 – Fabian Cancellara of RadioShack Leopard
Stage 8 – No fulcrum
Stage 9 – No fulcrum
Stage 10 – No fulcrum
Stage 11 – Andrey Zeits of Astana
Stage 12 – Alex Howes of Garmin-Sharp
Stage 13 – No fulcrum
Stage 14 – No fulcrum
Stage 15 – No fulcrum
Stage 16 – No fulcrum
Stage 17 – No fulcrum
Stage 18 – No fulcrum
Stage 19 – No fulcrum
Stage 20 – No fulcrum
Stage 21 – No fulcrum

July 21, 2013

Quinziato Wins Point d’Appui in 100th Edition of Tour de France

Manuel Quinziato, winner of the Point d’Appui for the 2013 Tour de France.

Quite sadly, an abandon by Lieuwe Westra of Vacansoleil-DCM on the last stage of the 100th edition of the Tour France, on its way into Paris, left the tour with 169 finishers. We would have been much happier to see Westra finish the tour and not to proclaim a Point d’Appui for the race.

Alas, we do have a 2013 Point d’Appui, but it is well deserved. Manuel Quinziato of BMC Racing finished 2 hours, 39 minutes and 34 seconds behind the winner, Christopher Froome of Sky, to win the 2013 Tour de France maillot gris.

Quinziato started the race with a good first stage, finishing nine places ahead of the middle. On Stage 2, he slipped back to 106th place, but over the next ten stages, he slowly worked his way forward in the peloton to get to the fulcrum position on Stage 12. After a strong finish in Stage 13, he moved up eight places, peaking at 73rd place in Stage 16 when he got into a break of 26 riders that survived to the finish in Gap. Quinziato, though, limited his damages for the Point d’Appui by finishing 26th out of the 26-member break.

By Stage 19, he had dropped back to the middle, finishing on Les Cuspides on 19 and 20. The abandon by Westra and no significant changes on the final day of romps on the Champs allowed Quinziato to finish on the fulcrum and win the Point d’Appui.

Quinziato finished 1 hour, 48 minutes and 21 seconds ahead of the Lanterne Rouge, Svein Tuft of Orica-GreenEdge.

The rider with the time closest to the median for the 21-day race proved to be Thomas Voeckler, the French rider for Team Europcar.

The stage-by-stage general classification results for Point d’Appui:

Stage 1 – No fulcrum.
Stage 2 – No fulcrum. Markel Irizar of RadioShack Leopard, winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2011 Tour de France, was on Les Cuspides.
Stage 3 – No fulcrum.
Stage 4 – Pavel Brutt of Katusha
Stage 5 – Sergey Lagutin of Vacansoleil-DCM
Stage 6 – Vasil Kiryienka of Sky Procycling. Kiryienka was the winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France.
Stage 7 – No fulcrum.
Stage 8 – Adam Hansen of Lotto Belisol
Stage 9 – No fulcrum. Vasil Kiryienka was eliminated from the race after coming home too slow on the stage.
Stage 10 – No fulcrum.
Stage 11 – No fulcrum.
Stage 12 – No fulcrum.
Stage 13 – Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas of Movistar Team.
Stage 14 – Simon Clarke of Orica-GreenEdge
Stage 15 – Julien El Fares of Sojasun
Stage 16 – Alberto Losada Alguacil of Katusha
Stage 17 – Alberto Losada Alguacil of Katusha
Stage 18 – Matteo Tosatto of Team Saxo-Tinkoff
Stage 19 – No fulcrum.
Stage 20 – No fulcrum.
Stage 21 – Manuel Quinziato of BMC Racing