59th Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré - PT

France, June 10-17, 2007

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Stage 4 - June 14: Hauterives - Le Mont-Ventoux, 197km

Complete live report

Live commentary by Gregor Brown & Bjorn Haake

Live coverage starts: 15:20 CEST
Estimated finish: 17:40 CEST

15:22 CEST   
Hello and thanks for joining us at our live coverage at Cyclingnews. Today's stage will run 197 kilometres from Hauterives to the famous Mt. Ventoux.

15:29 CEST    145km/52km to go
Currently there is a break of four with an advantage of around ten minutes. The riders are on the Côte de Buisson, a cat four mountain.

Astana is leading the peloton.

15:32 CEST   
Sylvain Calzati, who is in the break, just went to the team car to get another bottle.

15:35 CEST   
Calzati's number is upside down for some good luck.
The field is still on the flat parts, but the Mt. Ventoux is looming in the background.

15:38 CEST    152km/45km to go
Vinokourov is looking fairly relaxed sitting behind his Astana teammates, who are controlling the affair on the front.

The breakaway consists of: Sylvain Calzati (Ag2r Prévoyance), Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Stéphane Augé (Cofidis), Cédric Vasseur (Quickstep-Innergetic)

15:39 CEST    161km/36km to go
The break is working well together. They have now a nine minute lead with 36km to go.

15:41 CEST   
Christophe Moreau and Bernhard Kohl are riding close to the front of the peloton.

15:43 CEST    163km/34km to go
The breakaway is now riding along a tree-lined road. The lead is holding at around nine minutes right now.

15:44 CEST   
Serguei Ivanov is on the front right now, working for his captain Vinokourov. He looks very focused.

15:46 CEST   
The big Swede Magnus Backstedt is also riding close to the front of the peloton. He's ok now, but probably not looking forward to the rest of the afternoon.

15:50 CEST   
Kash is showing off his blue combination jersey on the front.

Paulinho is at the Discovery team car and talks to Bruyneel. He's also taking on some bottles for his fellow teammates.

15:52 CEST    169km/28km to go
Kash is riding right behind Vinokourov now.

The break is hitting the Col de La Madeleine. This is not the 2,000 metres climb frequently visited by the Tour. But its 500m are not pleasant easier, considering the Ventoux is still up ahead.

15:55 CEST    169km/28km to go
Calzati won a stage in the Tour last year.

As the break is starting the uphill of the Madeleine, Stéphane Augé ups the tempo a little bit, but the four do stay together.

The lead is now down to 8 minutes.

15:55 CEST   
For those of you who followed our Giro d'Italia coverage thanks for returning. You might be wondering if we are in our Cyclingnews Ferrari. Yes we are, but we are thinking of exchanging it in for something with a little more of a French feel for Le Tour. Stay tuned.

15:57 CEST   
Calzati wins the mountain sprint over the Madeleine in front of Willems and Vasseur

16:00 CEST   
The field is now on the lower parts of the climb. They are about 8 minutes behind.

The riders at the back of the field are starting to struggle a bit.

16:01 CEST   
Vasseur is taking on a bottle on the descent. And off goes to the old one.

16:04 CEST   
The riders are passing a forested area while going up the Madeleine. They are now in the country side after passing some pretty French towns earlier.

The peloton has now passed the top as well and is heading down the other side.

16:05 CEST    175km/22km to go
The break is now steadily loosing their lead. It's down to 6:48.

16:08 CEST    176km/21km to go
Astana is still making the pace at the front and as they hit a short downhill pretty hard they all turn around to make sure that they don't leave gaps to their team leader, Alexandre Vinokourov.

16:10 CEST   
Vinokourov won the stage to the Ventoux two years ago, also during the Dauphiné Libéré. Will he be able to repeat this today? It surely would be a major step to winning the overall.

16:14 CEST    178km/19km to go
The main field is now strung out and it doesn't look like much fun at the back. The lead for the break is down to 6 minutes. The big climb of the day will start soon.

Vino has a mechanical. All of a sudden he is on the back of the field. But they the quickly rejoin and two teammates move him up on the right side of the field.

16:15 CEST   
Calzati attacks the front group. But the others quickly react.

16:16 CEST   
Calzati's attack has disrupted the cooperation in the front group. Willems shakes his head at the Frenchman and the others start to talk as well. Never a good sign in a break.

16:18 CEST   
Alejandro Valverde is dropped off the main field. He was already at the back for a while. He may be sick, as there is no reasonable explanation why he would get dropped. He finished third a couple of days ago and his time trial yesterday wasn't bad either.

16:19 CEST   
Haussler is in the green sprinter's jersey is also still riding in the front part of the peloton. But there won't be any sprint points for him today.

16:21 CEST   
The break is now facing the lower parts of the Ventoux. A few spectators here and there are encouraging the riders.

16:23 CEST    183km/14km to go
Hincapie and Boonen are looking relaxed. They can ride up the hill at a more comfortable pace. No chance of being outside the time limit.

16:24 CEST   
Astana is still making the pace, but Philippe Gilbert has decided to give it a go with 14km to go.
He quickly gets a gap.

16:24 CEST   
This acceleration fractures the peloton. Gilbert has now two hundred metres.

16:26 CEST   
Bobby Julich is one of those dropped as well as green jersey Haussler.

16:29 CEST   
Four guys are off the front of the peloton, including Moreau

16:31 CEST    185km/12km to go
A Quickstep rider has left the field also and is trying to get up to the four.

It's 12 more kilometres and the front group is breaking up now, too. Augé can't follow the pace. Calzati attacks the remaining two.

16:34 CEST   
Moreau and Szmyd are now the two left from the four man group that left the peloton. They are chasing the break. Vino still looks good as well as Chavanel.

16:36 CEST    186km/11km to go
The lead from Calzati is down to 2'18". Piepoli, Contador, Evans are there as well.

Moreau and Szmyd are about 30 seconds ahead of the main field.

16:37 CEST    187km/10km to go
Vinokourov has to drop back a bit off the front with about 10km tom go.

16:39 CEST   
An Euskaltel rider attacks, there are still quite a few people, maybe 25 or 30, in the front group, but Vino drops back further towards the end of this group.

16:40 CEST   
Vinokourov has now lost contact with the front group. Menchov and Kashechkin are still in there.

16:41 CEST   
Calzati has 1'41" over Moreau and Szmyd. Augé just got passed by them. Less than 10km to the finish.

16:43 CEST   
Moreau and Szmyd are about to catch Willems and Vasseur.

16:45 CEST   
Menchov gets gapped a bit by the front group, which is now down to the about 15.

16:46 CEST    188km/9km to go
Moreau and Szmyd are now 1'11" behind Calzati. Moreau is doing all the work, which is surprising with his teammate off the front.

16:49 CEST    189km/8km to go
Leipheimer got dropped and is trying to catch up again.
Beltrán, Evans, Piepoli, Zabriskie, Verdugo are among those in the front group

16:50 CEST   
The lead of Calzati is down to 34 seconds. We'll still have to question the tactics of Ag2R.

16:52 CEST   
Szmyd is now taking a pull, too. Calzati is still ahead of the two, just passing a fan club of his. He is now pedalling less smoothly.

16:53 CEST   
The riders are leaving the thick forested area. There are still trees bit it's more open. Many spectators are up here.

16:55 CEST    191km/6km to go
The splintered groups are back together and the main group is again more than 30 people.
It's 6km to go and Calzati is still in the front.

16:56 CEST   
Fans are dressed appropriately against the weather - It's starting to get a bit overcast and it's not too warm.

16:59 CEST    192km/5km to go
CSC is now leading the front group, which has shrunk again. Zabriskie is in second place, Chavanel is still in there. Vinokourov got dropped earlier and is not in the front group any more.

Calzati is about to be passed.

17:01 CEST   
Calzati is now caught by Moreau and Szmyd and gets dropped. CSC is still on the front of the main group.
Moreau attacks!

17:03 CEST    194km/3km to go
The riders are now passed all vegetation. The Ventoux is a hard climb physically and mentally.

Moreau is now by himself.

Leipheimer is still in the main group.

17:05 CEST   
Moreau has 3km to go .

Botcharov attacks from the main group. Zabriskie tries to follow, but drops back to the group.

Evans has caught up with Botcharov and is now leading the main field.

17:05 CEST   
There is now one attack after the other. It is Igor Anton this time.

Chavanel gets dropped.

17:06 CEST   
Chavanel actually makes it back to the front group. Anton is still ahead of the main field by about 10 seconds

17:07 CEST   
Calzati is now dropped by the main group

17:08 CEST    196km/1km to go
Moreau is already on the last kilometre! He's going to make it.

17:08 CEST   
His mouth is wide open, he labours hard, but still looking good.

17:10 CEST   
Fofonov attacks off the front group now.

17:11 CEST   
Moreau is now at the barriers, at an 8% grade.

17:11 CEST   
Moreau wins!!!!

17:12 CEST   
Szmyd will get second, but he is already almost a minute behind. Szmyd is really suffering in the wind.

17:12 CEST   
Szmyd in the finish, at 1'05"

17:12 CEST   
Evans leads the main field.

17:13 CEST   
Cadel Evans gets fourth! He gapped the remaining front group on the last uphill pitch.

17:15 CEST   
We forgot to mention that Igor Anton got third.

17:17 CEST   
Chavanel comes in a bit after the front group.

Vino has not crossed the line yet.

17:18 CEST   
Leipheimer gets 8th place, only 5 seconds behind Evans.

17:18 CEST   
Vinokourov comes in at 7'20"!

17:21 CEST   
Moreau wins his second stage of this year's Dauphiné Libéré.

Thanks for joining us at the live coverage of today's stage and please join us again tomorrow.

Please check homepage for full report and results later.

Provisional Results

1 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Ag2r Prévoyance
2 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital           1.05
3 Igor Antón (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi              1.22
4 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
6 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
7 Manuel Beltrán (Spa) Liquigas
8 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel
9 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir
10 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel

  Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana               7.20
 
General classification after stage 4
 
1 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana

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