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Tour News for July 20

Cardenas carries on Colombian success

Felix Cardenas
Photo: © Sirotti

Felix Rafael Cardenas gave Kelme and Colombia its first stage win of Le Tour 2001, winning stage 12 to Ax-les-Thermes (Plateau de Bonsacre). It was also the 10th ever Tour stage win by a Colombian, fittingly coming on the country's Festa Nacional on July 20.

Cardenas escaped with David Etxebarria with just over 50 kilometres to go in the stage, catching lone escapee Paolo Bettini on the final climb with 6 kilometres to go. Cardenas wasted no time in attacking, dropping Etxebarria, and holding off the Laiseka/Armstrong/Ullrich onslaught behind him to eventually win the stage.

"I thought they were going to get me," he said after finishing 13 seconds in front of Laiseka. "It was great for the team because we were not brilliant in the Alps. It is important for Kelme to overcome in the mountains, especially in the Pyrenees. The attack was not premeditated. It was one of the three stages which I had in mind. I felt good this morning, so I seized the opportunity."

"It was the first time since the mountain stage that I didn't use my ear piece. I didn't know that Armstrong was coming at me. When I saw the cars passing me, I knew that I had to cross the line."

Cardenas almost abandoned the race in the Alps due to tendinitis in his knee, but he was persuaded to continue by his director Vicente Belda. "He is like a father. I told him that my knee hurt but he told me to keep going and assured me that I would win a stage in the Pyrenees."

"Belda thought that I wanted to go home to Colombia to see my one month old son , but the problem was that I wasn't well. Credit to him for convincing me so now I can enjoy an important victory."

"Belda supports us a lot and in addition there are two more technical personnel and 27 riders in the group. Between the lot of us we are like a family."

Cardenas is 28 years old, from Duitama, Colombia, and his win today was similar to his former teammate Javier Otxoa's in stage 10 to Hautacam last year. Oxtoa was involved in a near-fatal accident earlier this year, which killed his brother Ricardo, and Cardenas also dedicated this win to him.

Cardenas has won a stage in the Vuelta a España 2000, to the ski station of Molina in the Pyrenees (about 30 km from Ax-les-Thermes. He also was a kung fu and taekwando practitioner for two years prior to taking up cycling.

Stage 12 - Full results & report
Stage 12 - Live coverage
Stage 13 - Preview

More post-stage comments

Vicente Belda (Kelme directeur sportif)

We were very nervous because we did not know the time gaps that well. We didn't have many references, but he managed." [note: during the stage, phone access was quite poor on top of the mountain where Tour HQ was located]

"He was incredible, a very capable rider. I must congratulate the whole team, but Cardenas has been phenomenal."

Oscar Sevilla (Kelme, 6th)

"This will help our morale. Chapeau for everyone. We have won with Felix, but all of us have been sensational."

"I missed a corner at the beginning, but at the finish I was OK, although it was quite tough. I am very satisfied with the result."

Lance Armstrong (US Postal, 3rd stage & GC)

Armstrong and Ullrich
Photo: © AFP

"Ullrich was strong, it was not easy to ride against him. From the very beginning of the climb, he set a very strong tempo. But I did not want to finish with him. As soon as he slowed down slightly, I decided to attack."

"Jan is a great rider who one does not get rid of easily. He is a combatant and I expect that he will fight until the end. In his position, he has to attack multiple times. In his place, I do something similar."

"The next stage? I'll point out to you the stage of Piau-Engaly in 1999."

Johan Bruyneel (USPS directeur sportif)

"When you can take time without putting yourself in the red zone, you should not hesitate. François Simon will end up paying for his efforts. There are still two more great mountain stages."

Jan Ullrich (Telekom, 4th)

"Lance is so sure of himself, that he knew how good his legs were. I had planned to attack at the beginning of the last climb, but today there was again nothing in it. I will continue to try."

Joseba Beloki (ONCE, 7th)

About his chances of beating Ullrich for second: "There are two tough stages left, but I continue to be realistic and I must arrive at the last time trial with at least two minutes. I can only take that out of him if he explodes, I am not Indurain."

"No-one from the peloton was able to follow [when Ullrich attacked]; perhaps only a few riders have that explosiveness...I wasn't able. I immediately rode at my own rhythm."

Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (ONCE, 16th)

"I did not enjoy a good day from the beginning, and I knew that it was going to happen like this. It is thus a day to forget because I saw my legs were hurting, I was not good."

Roberto Heras (US Postal, 17th)

"Today it was a very explosive climb, not with big time gaps, but the important thing is that he [Lance Armstrong] has again gained time."

"There are harder stages left, in today's I did not have anything to do. I felt far better today and in the finish I was able to improve a little."

François Simon (Bonjour, Maillot Jaune)

"It is one more day more in yellow. Tomorrow, it will be other thing...I went to the maximum. I still have a margin in advance of the rest. If I keep the jersey tomorrow, it will be a bonus."

"I thought I'd be in the bus anyway today, I was not on a good day. My legs did not respond well. But, with the jersey, you fight until the end".

Didier Rous (Bonjour, 14th)

"The final climb was very hard. It came to a sprint. Jean-Rene Bernaudeau did not want me to remain with François Simon. Ask him why. He desires that I make my own race."

Jean-René Bernaudeau (Bonjour directeur sportif)

"Armstrong is the patron of the Tour. A fortress would have to be built to defeat him; if I were the person in charge of Telekom, I would put my men on the offensive."

"I left Didier Rous in front of because that is normal. His presence with François Simon would have saved us 15 seconds. Tomorrow, I think that we will lose more than that."

Laurent Roux (Jean Delatour, 57th and Maillot Pois)

"I rode as if the finish of the stage was on the first climb. I wanted to gain points because I saw that Laurent Jalabert was very nervous. I hesitated to go with the break because I had bad legs. Tiredness starts to accumulate and it will be very hard but I will try to keep my best climber's jersey."

Christophe Moreau (Festina, abandon)

Christophe Moreau
Photo: © AFP

"Today I pay the price for the cold that I caught in Pontarlier and the antibiotic treatment. I was dropped on the flat, I had empty legs, it was impossible to follow the guy who waited for me. I tried to hang on, but I was at the end of my roll."

"I am very disappointed. My morale is very low...the podium was possible. It is the disappointment of the year and my first abandonment in the Tour. It is hard to cope with, but I do not regret it, I gave everything; I can't reproach myself."

"I hope to bounce back, turn the page and concentrate on the end of the season."

Yvon Sanquer (Festina directeur sportif)

"It is a big blow that should not make us forget the great moments at the start, with his success in the prologue. We will rejuvenate our spirits again. Our riders will fight for a stage win. It would be fantastic."

De Groot in a satisfactory condition

Bram de Groot
Photo: © AFP

Rabobank rider Bram de Groot is reported to be in a "satisfactory condition" at Perpignan hospital, after he was taken there following his terrible fall on the descent of the Col de Jau. So far, nothing appears broken although he has suffered serious facial wounds.

De Groot miscalculated on a corner and went over the barricades on the descent, but fortunately didn't emulate Fabio Casartelli, who fell and died on the Col du Portet d'Aspet six years ago in 1995. The peloton will stop on the Portet d'Aspet tomorrow to honour Casartelli's death, as there is a memorial built there on the steep slopes of the climb.

The first medical communiqué issued by the Tour reported "cranial trauma with immediate coma" but the situation appears less serious now. He received first aid immediately from one of the doctors on a following motorbike, and was evacuated in an ambulance to the hospital.

De Groot was lying in third place at one stage in the Tour, after he was part of the great escape to Pontarlier last Sunday. He is 26 years old, and is riding in his first Tour.

Ivanov and Van de Wouwer out too

Russian Serguei Ivanov was also among the casualties in today's stage. The winner of the stage into Aix-les-Bains was taken away in an ambulance to the hospital in Quillan for X-rays.

Kurt van de Wouwer (Lotto) fell on the final descent, along with Cofidis Guido Trentin. Both managed to finish the stage, but Van de Wouwer was later found to have broken his collarbone.

Official communiqués

Weather
Beautiful summer's day. Sunny with only a few clouds in the afternoon. A weak wind on the parcours [note: this was stronger earlier in the day]. Temperatures between 17 - 26 degrees.

Medical
Bram De Groot (Rabobank): Serious injury to the face. Taken by the SAMU helicopter to the hospital in Perpignan. Satisfactory condition at 18:00.
Serguei Ivanov (Fassa Bortolo): Serious injury to the left shoulder. Transferred to the hospital in Quillan for X-rays.
Kurt Van de Wouwer (Lotto): Fracture of left collarbone and multiple contusions. Transferred to the hospital in Foix for X-rays.
Christophe Moreau (Festina): Abandon due to persistent pulmonary problems.
Steffen Kjaergaard (USPS): Multiple contusions without apparent seriousness
Nicola Loda (Fassa Bortolo): Pain in the left patellar tendon.
Ludo Dierckxsens (Lampre): Cramp in left thigh.
Jacky Durand (Fra): Digestive disorders.

Commissaires decisions
Rolf Sorensen (CSC), Sebastian Hinault (CA), Jacky Durand (FdJ), Jose Enrique Gutiérrez (Kelme): 10 seconds penalty for pacing by directeur sportif

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