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94th Tour de France - ProT
France, July 7-29, 2007
Main Page Results & report Stage Details Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 14 - Sunday, July 22: Mazamet - Plateau-de-Beille, 197km
Live commentary by Shane Stokes and Bjorn Haake
Complete live report
Live coverage starts: 13:00 CEST
Estimated finish: 17:15 CEST
Bonjour again to the Cyclingnews live coverage of the 94th edition of Le Tour de France. We have adjusted our Cyclingnews clocks to the French time zone and will be starting the coverage slightly earlier. Today the riders go from Mazamet to the Plateau de Beille. It is a mostly flat stage - well, for the first 100 kilometres. After that it's a free for all, with two back-to-back hors catégorie climbs and a mountain top finish at the Plateau de Beille.
12:13 CEST 13km/184km to go
The peloton is currently
riding together, after the first attacks have been thwarted off. Initially it
was Rubén Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) to take the initiative. He was joined by
Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner), David De La Fuente (Saunier Duval-Prodir),
Félix Rafael Cárdenas (Barloworld) and Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic).
Schumacher subsequently crashed and the five were gobbled up by the peloton
12:17 CEST
Nicolas Jalabert (Agritubel) and
Cyril Dessel (Ag2r Prévoyance) have been distanced on the first difficulty of
the day, the category two Saint-Saraiille climb. Bad news for Nicolas to get
dropped virtually in his hometown. Brother Laurent may not appreciate it. But
he's the one to talk, following the Tour on the back of a motorcycle and updating
France 2 on what's happening on the road.
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12:20 CEST
Over the top of the climb it's David
De La Fuente (Saunier Duval-Prodir) in front of Mauricio Soler (Barloworld),
Yaroslav Popovych (Discovery Channel), Juan Manuel Gárate (Quickstep-Innergetic),
Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Laurent Lefčvre (Bouygues Telecom).
12:24 CEST
So Soler took one point back from
Popo, to be in second place by four points over the Ukrainian. Soler is wearing
the red dotted shirt that really belongs to Rasmussen. The rules say that the
yellow has to be warn - no choice for the Dane. Not that he wanted to trade
it, anyway. He looks pretty cool in all yellow.
12:29 CEST 29km/168km to go
After a few fruitless
attempts and smaller groups being slightly off the front, a large group of 27
has formed and are currently 45 seconds ahead of the field. We are about 30
kilometres into the race.
12:32 CEST
The race started in Mazamet and is,
as indicated, the hometown of the Jalaberts, who are both in the race. The younger
Nicolas is back in the peloton, after having some trouble in the beginning.
It is hard to start race with a climb. But of course it's hard to finish a race
with a climb and it's likely not the last time that the younger Jalabert will
be having trouble today, although he he surely won't be the only one.
12:35 CEST
The field has passed le montages
noir (black mountain), but fortunately they went by far enough west so they
didn't have to go over the higher peaks, like the 700+ metre high Pradelles-Cabardès.
There is plenty of climbing left anyway.
12:36 CEST 37km/160km to go
The group in the
front contains Rasmussen! Which is why Predictor-Lotto is driving the pace right
now.
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12:37 CEST
Six guys have peeled off the front,
while the Predictor work has reeled in the yellow jersey group.
12:39 CEST
Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne),
Rubén Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), Amets
Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Antonio Colom (Astana) and Aleksandr Kuschynski
(Liquigas) are the six who took off about 35 kilometres into the race.
Current situation
- Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Rubén Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Antonio Colom (Astana) and Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
- Peloton at 0.45
12:48 CEST
The Plateau de Beille first featured
in the Tour de France in 1998. Ullrich had flatted at the bottom of the climb
and came back to front like a "Storm of Power." Pantani had to courtesy to wait
until Jan was back, before attacking and taking valuable time out of the German.
The first crack in the Armour, that year.
12:51 CEST 48km/149km to go
The lead of the six
front runners has steadily increased and is now over four minutes. Truce is
on and Rasmussen being in the front group may just have been a sign of attentiveness,
rather than an attack.
12:53 CEST
Plateau de Beille is the finish,
for the third time this year. The climb is almost 16 kilometres long and averages
7.8 percent, topping out at 1780 metres.
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12:57 CEST
The other hors catégorie climb is
the Port de Pailhères, a climb that is in the program also for the third
time, after 2003 (stage winner: Mercado) and 2005 (stage winner: Totschnig).
It is about a kilometre longer than the finishing climb, but less steep (7.2
percent), but it's top is over 2,000 metres, which will leave many gasping for
air.
Current situation
- Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Rubén Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Antonio Colom (Astana) and Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
- Peloton at 4.20
p>13:02 CEST
The sprint in Carcassone is won
by Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas) in front Rubén Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
and Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne)
13:04 CEST 57km/140km to go
After staying steady
for awhile the lead of the front group has sky rocketed after the sprint and
is now over ten minutes. Well, they will need a lot more than that!
13:09 CEST
Marcus Burghardt's heart rate is
currently between 70 and 80 beats per minute. That is close to the resting heart
rate for some people and shows that the peloton isn't doing more than necessary
(to avoid tipping over). You can see the rider's data by clicking the link at
the top or bottom of the page. This cool feature is brought to you thanks to
hard work by our partners SRM and the sponsor of the live telemetry, T-Mobile.
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13:09 CEST
Please note the SRM and T-Mobile
telemetry needs the latest version of the Java runtime environment to be installed
on the user's system. If you don't have this - and it's useful, non-invasive
software needed for many web-based applications - please visit the Sun website
for the Java download page. When the telemetry page opens, please select a rider
and then wait a few moments for the data to begin to load. Each day we will
update the riders using this equipment, as the group of riders who are connected
each day will change. In addition to today's group, other riders who may also
be connected in subsequent stages include Linus Gerdemann (T-Mobile), Sven Krauss
(Gerolsteiner) and Christian Vande Velde (CSC)
13:13 CEST
We also used to have Patrik Sinkewitz
here, but can't locate his data easily anymore. He also wasn't easily located
for his out-of-competition doping control in June. This was revealed yesterday
in a sports broadcast featuring anti-doping Helmut Pabst and Sinke's lawyer,
Michael Lehner. Mick Rogers wasn't even granted a shower after a hard training
ride in the Pyrenees. Sinkewitz managed to sneak in his room anyway, where he
was quickly rescued again from the doping testers.
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13:19 CEST 64km/133km to go
One third of the
course completed and there is some truce between the leaders right now. The
peloton is half-way between the only two sprint of the day. The second sprint
comes up at kilometre 91.5. This is also when the riders will get the only feed
zone of the day. They may not really looking forward to it, as it also indicates
the start of the uphill. Slightly at first, but brutal later.
13:22 CEST
Two persons however gladly look past
the feed zone and that's because they are hungry. Not (only) for food, but for
the mountains. Michael Rasmussen and Alexander Vinokourov are expected to go
on the attack. The Kazakh to make up for lost time following his crash in stage
5, the Dane to get more time before the second long time trial. For more on
Vino read
this.
Current situation
- Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Rubén Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Antonio Colom (Astana) and Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
- Peloton at 10.20
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13:26 CEST 71km/126km to go
The lead has gone
up to 10'40", but enough is enough and the peloton is starting to pick up the
pace. With the result that the lead has dropped to 10'35"
13:33 CEST
Quick.Step's Carlos Barredo tried
twice today, he desperately wanted to be in the break today. Just like Rubén
Pérez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
13:35 CEST
Francisco José Ventoso (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
showed a lot of courage yesterday and the day before to finish despite his crash
injuries sustained in the crash just before the finish two days prior. Especially
his hand looked pretty bad. He decided to not take the start today. The Tour
is cruel!
13:38 CEST
Well, the lead has gone out again.
Apparently the field has decided to let them dangle over the first climb and
catch up later.
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13:42 CEST
Laurent Jalabert took the green jersey
in 1992. In 1994 he had a less pleasant experience, crashing heavily in Armentière.
But it had its good, as Jaja developed into a more diverse rider, winning Paris-Nice
and even the polka dot jersey.
13:46 CEST
American Levi Leipheimer (Discovery
Channel) had a great time trial yesterday and moved into fifth place overall.
With team-mate Contador in third Discovery has some good cards to play. But
so does Astana, occupying 4th, 6th and 9th.
13:52 CEST
Laurent Jalabert took the decision
to quit the 1998 Tour, saying there should be some dignity towards the riders.
That was the year of the Festina scandal and several strikes from the riders,
even deciding not to contest the stage into Aix-les-Bains. The whole peloton
sat on the street for more than an hour before taking off their numbers.
13:58 CEST
Thousands of crazy and not so crazy
are already up in the mountains, some more drunk than others. The hill sides
are lined with campers and it's best to not only arrive a few days earlier,
but also stay a few days afterwards, as the traffic jams are large. Actually,
the best way is of course to ride the bike up (bring a tent!) and then stay
for some gorgeous hikes in the Pyrénées.
13:59 CEST
The temperatures are 25 degrees in
the valley and 15 degrees on the peaks. Most importantly, it's dry.
14:07 CEST 98km/99km to go
Our attentive readers
have caught a mistake in the Tour de France history book. Stage
13 in 2003, which went over the Col de Pailhčres, was won by Carlos Sastre,
who is one of the hopefuls for this Tour. He is currently 7th at 4'45".
14:10 CEST
Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
has the red number of most aggressive rider and he is in the break again! He
has team-mate Rubén Pérez with him. Euskaltel is always looking for the mountain
stages
14:13 CEST 102km/95km to go
The lead holds steady
at just above 10 minutes. Astana has the yellow numbers, leading the teams classification
after their stunning time trial performance yesterday. Sven Krauss (Gerolsteiner)
and Ińigo Cuesta (Team CSC) are towards the back of the field right now
14:14 CEST
The peloton is heading through the
fee zone. A Saunier rider is drinking a coke. They have some nice goodies in
their musettes! Need to make the mind healthy so the body can follow up the
mountains.
14:15 CEST
Moreau is behind right now, using
a couple of team-mates to get back up. He may have had a flat tyre right in
the feed zone.
14:17 CEST 105km/92km to go
Saunier is leading
the peloton through this really beautiful area right now, with the rolling hills
on the left and right that are littered with hiking trails. The field is winding
its way through Campagne sur Aude - yes, we are in the French campagne (countryside)
alright!
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14:19 CEST
The break is still looking good and
cohesive. Everybody is pulling through, including Iván Gutiérrez, who has a
big bandage on his left arm. Ouch.
14:20 CEST
It is confirmed that Moreau had a
flat, right in the feed zone. Must have been something really spicy in those
food bags! He's back in the field alright, but is still smarting from the time
trial yesterday.
Current situation
- Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Rubén Pérez and Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), Antonio Colom (Astana) and Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
- Peloton at 10.14
14:25 CEST
The scenery is stunning. The peloton
passes through a rock -the road simply was cut through this large gorge. It's
a narrow valley and the rocks go straight up vertically on the side of the roads.
It'd be nice to do a bike tour here, without the stress of a race.
14:27 CEST
Many people of course make the Pyrénées
their vacation destination, be it to ride their bikes or hike through this stunningly
scenic area.
14:29 CEST
The Spaniards can smell the nearby
border. five of the six in the front are from the south side of the Pyrénées.
It'll be madness again in the mountains and expect a few incidents with crazy
spectators that don't realize those guys are riding at speeds that most spectators
are only able to reach in the flats.
14:31 CEST 113km/84km to go
Under the work of
Saunier Duval and the Rabobank team, which is sitting right behind the yellow
Spanish team in the front, the lead has decreased to 9'39". Saunier as a Spanish
team missed the move, which explains why the ride on the front.
14:33 CEST
Rasmussen in yellow blends in very
well with the Saunier riders, who all wear yellow. For a while, the Tour made
teams wear a different outfit, such as the pink that Onze chose in the 90's,
but the pressure of the sponsors was too high and today the teams can ride in
any colour.
14:35 CEST
The break rides with great urgency
through the valley, along the Aude river. The field is a little behind, by like
nine minutes, and just now passes Axat.
14:37 CEST 117km/80km to go
The field has the
pleasure to ride under a rail road bridge. The tourist train has stopped right
over the street, allowing the passengers in the open, roofless car to have a
peek on the storming peloton. The bridge is pretty, with several arches, about
15 metres high..
14:39 CEST
Cyclingnews’ Gregor Brown spoke to
stage winner Filippo Pozzato this morning before the start. The Liquigas Italian
rider said that he had “three more days of survival ahead, in which I hope save
something for the final 3 stages.” He’d very much like to take a second victory
before – or in – Paris.
Monsieur Brown also talked to Simon Gerrans
(Ag2r Prévoyance), who was in great spirits. Gerrans said that Christophe Moreau
crashed during the TT. The Frenchman didn’t ease off in the test; he was pushing
it all the way to the finish, but still lost a lot of time. Clearly just a bad
day.
Levi Leipheimer can sympathise with that. Last year he dominated
the Dauphine, then arrived at the Tour with much-reduced form. It's better to
be good in June and better in July, rather than the other way round.
14:39 CEST
We are now in the Gorge de Saint
Georges. From the blimp the view is incredible. The road is almost not visible
between the majestic rocks and the sunny day adds to the beauty of this part
of the country.
14:41 CEST 120km/77km to go
Of course the riders
are now heading the wrong way in the valley, so it's uphill. Ouch. The break
is still labouring hard, but after the feed zone the pace has picked up and
the lead has decreased to under ten minutes.
14:41 CEST
Gregor also talked about the weather
and the start. It is around about 22 degrees, and the forecast at the finish
is for about 16 degrees.
There were very big crowds at the start,
due in part to the fact that the start village is where the two Jalabert brothers
come from. Apart from that claim to fame, Mazamet is also known historically
as a major centre for wool and leather production.
14:43 CEST 121km/76km to go
The sprint after
the feed zone was taken by Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), in front of
Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas) and Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne)
14:44 CEST
Saunier is now really putting the
hammer down for their leader, Iban Mayo. The gap is down to just over 8 minutes.
14:48 CEST 123km/74km to go
Our blimp is hanging
low over the Gorge. We almost hit one of the sharp rocks! We really want to
be close to the action here in France. The road is in, well, let's call it French
condition. Good thing we don't have to deal with it, but the riders will curse
about the additional resistance offered.
14:50 CEST
The Saunier Duval Prodir team are
riding like men possessed for Mayo, who is fired up to do well today. His confidence
differs markedly from what happened the last time the race visited here, in
2004. Mayo’s form had collapsed after winning the Dauphiné (sound familiar?)
and he actually tried to pull out of the race on the road to Plateau de Beille.
He was persuaded to continue but finished almost 38 minutes down, dropping to
49th overall, 45'04" behind maillot jaune of Thomas Voeckler. He did not start
three days later.
At the time, Mayo said: "I already knew that I
couldn't give it my all today and I'm sad about that. I wanted to abandon but
my teammates told me I must continue...and then I realised that when you lose
you can learn more from this. But I'm mad because I'm not going good and I don't
know why! But it's not the worst day of my life today; I'm only 26 and I know
and there will be more Tours for me in the future."
He probably didn’t
expect that it would take him three years to get back to that level in the Tour.
But if he wins today, he will exorcise that bad memory.
14:52 CEST
We figured out the puzzle of the
previous appearance of the Pailhčres. It was Sastre who took the stage, but
Mercado who went first over the top. Totschnig on the other hand was first over
the top *and* won the stage in 2005.
14:53 CEST
The walls go up at maybe a 60 percent
angle on both sides of the road. Unlike the earlier gorge it is now completely
covered with trees. The Saunier riders are not looking left and right and are
missing out!
14:55 CEST 127km/70km to go
The road is winding
left and right and offers some variety to the breakaway. The breaks on the long
straight roads, that are typical in many parts of France, are terrible for the
mind. Here in the Pyrénées on the other hand, it is fun to be
ahead in a small group. Well, maybe a mountain or two less would fare better
on the rider's morale in the front.
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14:55 CEST
Another who will be licking his lips
at the thought of the tough mountain finish will be Alberto Contador, who is
shaping up as a strong contender for the overall. Cyclingnews’ Brecht Decaluwé
spoke to team manager Johan Bruyneel this morning. He said that if Contador
feels good at the bottom of the climb, that he would ‘certainly try something.’
14:57 CEST
The Basque fans may have mixed feelings
about the chase; while Saunier Duval is riding for Mayo and his bid for a stage
win, the driving behind is also harming the chances for this break to stay clear.
Two riders from that area's Euskaltel-Euskadi team are in the move, so the chase
greatly decreases their chances of success.
Current situation
- Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Rubén Pérez and Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic), Antonio Colom (Astana) and Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
- Peloton at 6.30
14:59 CEST
Mayo left the Euskaltel-Euskadi team
last year so things may be peculiar between them anyway.
15:00 CEST 131km/66km to go
And the break has
started the ascension of the Pailhčres. The Euskaltel riders are on the front,
setting the pace. No surprises here. The lead is down to 6'30"
15:01 CEST
Rabobank’s Erik Dekker said at the
start that the Rabobank and Predictor-Lotto teams would ride together to control
things for their GC contenders Michael Rasmussen and Cadel Evans, first and
second overall. . “There are no big, dangerous groups going because we have
15 guys to ride.”
15:02 CEST
The spectators have no choice and
are refined to the side of the road where the river runs by. On the other side,
a rock wall goes up vertically. Maybe a rock climber's delight, but too dangerous
to stand in the middle of the road with no ditch to jump into when the field
comes by.
15:05 CEST
The field passes a more open area
on the left. There are some ruins, the Château de Usson, which overlooks
the area. Boy, there is not much left in the interior of the ruins. Looks as
shredded as the field in a little bit.
15:06 CEST 133km/64km to go
There are already
many spectators out there on the climb. The field has now turned off the main
road, up onto the steeper part as well.
15:08 CEST
And the break is disintegrating temporarily,
but it's already back together. There is a split in the main field so, and two
groups are bit behind, including Hushovd
15:09 CEST
Christophe Moreau is also dropped.
Looks like his Tour is completely in shatters. Kuschynski is dropped off the
front group. 5 Spaniards in the front now.
15:10 CEST
Moreau is in the group with Tom Boonen.
Never a good sign in the mountains. Cancellara is also there.
15:11 CEST
A large gruppetto has formed already.
Better to arrive in a big group together!
15:15 CEST
Ten more kilometres to the top. The
Spaniards are still hammering n the front, with Euskaltel doing a loot of the
work. Well, they have two riders in the break. Ivanov (Astana) and Isasi are
dropped from the field. So are Righi, Dario Cioni, (Predictor-Lotto) and Sergio
Paulinho (Discovery Channel)
15:16 CEST 137km/60km to go
And Txurruka accelerates.
He rolls off the front. Not really an attack, but enough to distance the other
four.
15:18 CEST 138km/59km to go
Rubén Pérez catches
up with his team-mate, but the others are there as well. The peloton rides through
Mijanès, which is a very pretty town, set on the slopes and having a
terrace like look
15:21 CEST
The landscape has changed now from
the rugged rocks to a softer rolling hill area, with meadows close to the roadside
and the forest in the back. The road goes up now in switch backs and Saunier
is keeping to put the uphill hammer down.
15:23 CEST 139km/58km to go
And Pérez has a go
now in the front group. The Euskaltel have the numbers advantage for 1-2, but
also their resumes are littered with mountain experience. Maybe they can even
keep the red number in their team today.
15:24 CEST
Markus Fothen is shelled out the
back. For someone who wanted to improve on his 15th place last year and his
words before the Tour, saying that Gerdemann needs to prove that he can finish
a three-week race, he's not doing well.
15:25 CEST
Txurruka and Colom catch up with
Perez, but their lead is below 5 minutes.
15:27 CEST 140.5km/56.5km to go
Now it's Gerdemann
to get dropped. The German war of words may continue...
15:29 CEST
David Millar is making the pace in
the front, for his team-mate Mayo, who wants to win in the Pyrenees. Perez is
now dropped by Colom and Txurruka. Burt now Colom has to do all the work
15:30 CEST
Vino is close to the back of the
main field. Klöden is closer to the front - a better place to be. Astana just
lost Navarro. Perez has caught up again - Colom had to do all the work.
15:31 CEST 141.5km/55.5km to go
Vino is now dropped
too!!!! He is with Navarro.
15:31 CEST
He may be paying for his efforts
of yesterday. He has a hard time holding the wheel of Navarro. They are about
100 metres back.
15:32 CEST
Today's first intermediate sprint
was held in Carcassonne. It's a stunning walled city and a UNESCO world heritage
site. It's also a place with a very interesting (and, unfortunately, strife-filled
history). One of the stories dates back in the years between 1209 and 1229 when
the Albigensian Crusade/Cathar Crusade happened in the region. It was a two
decade campaign initiated by the Roman Catholic Church against the Cathars of
Languedoc.
The crusaders attacked the city of Béziers and killed
all those within, burning the city to the ground. They then marched on to Carcassonne
and arrived there on August 1, 1209. By August 7 they had cut the city's water
supply, and by August 15th it surrendered. The people were not killed, but were
thrown out of the town. One writer said they were ejected without clothes, another
said they were in their "shifts and breeches".
15:33 CEST
Frank Schleck (CSC) is reported to
be in difficulty. Popovych too..that will hurt his chances for the KOM jersey.
15:35 CEST
The Euskaltel's continue their right-left
combos against Colom, but the Astana is holding on. Vino is signalling that
he had enough. He also doesn't want the cameras around him. But he doesn't have
a choice. The main group is about 30 strong
15:35 CEST
That's unexpected about Vinokourov.
Millar is leading the field and Vinokourov would normally be expected to be
stronger than the big Scot. His climbing has been hit and miss this year, though
- in the Dauphine he was also in trouble on some of the mountains.
15:36 CEST 143km/54km to go
Evans, Leipheimer,
Klöden, Valverde, Rasmussen - all the favs are there, except for Vino. Millar
has done a lot of work and is gone now as well
15:37 CEST 144km/53km to go
Lots of small groups
are building. The trio in front has a truce now and are about 3 km from the
top. Vino is already almost 2 minutes down!!!
15:38 CEST
Valjavec (Lampre Fondital) has also
been dropped. He started the day 25th overall.
15:38 CEST
Rabobank hits the front, taking over
from Saunier. Could be a good day for the Dane Rasmussen.
15:39 CEST
Manuel Beltrán (Liquigas) and Jens
Voigt (CSC) are together off the back.
15:39 CEST
It's Dekker and Boogerd who are setting
the pace for the Dutch team. Vino is at the doc's car. Not a good sign.
15:39 CEST
Rasmussen is looking good in third
wheel.
15:40 CEST 144.5km/52.5km to go
Evans is setting
pretty as well. He is also one who could profit today.
15:41 CEST
Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel - Euskadi)
has been dropped as well... he was 8th overall this morning, 5'07 back.
15:41 CEST 145km/52km to go
Gutierrez has caught
up with the trio in front so four are together about two kilometres from the
top.
15:42 CEST
It looks like there are perhaps 20
- 25 riders in the Rasmussen group now. This pace is really hurting some people.
15:42 CEST
George Hincapie has also been dropped.
15:43 CEST
There are 24 riders in the front
group. Dekker leads for now, with Boogie Woogie (Boogerd) on his wheel.
15:44 CEST
Levi Leipheimer is still there and
looks quite comfortable. Juan Mauricio Soler is out of the saddle and seems
perhaps to be suffering.
15:44 CEST 145.4km/51.6km to go
There are a ton
of spectators on the top. The four are about 1km from the top.
15:45 CEST 145.5km/51.5km to go
Pérez, Txurruka
(Euskaltel-Euskadi), Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne) and Colom (Astana) continue
ahead. They are 3'19" clear.
15:45 CEST
It's getting a bit overcast and the
temperatures are around 15 degrees. It's a bit better for a riding a bike uphill
than if it were really hot.
15:46 CEST
Chris Horner (Predictor Lotto) is
there for Cadel Evans.
15:47 CEST
Kim Kirchen (T-Mobile) is also in
the group, along with riders such as Rasmussen, Evans, Mayo, Kloden - we will
have more names shortly.
15:47 CEST
Kuschynski, who was in the break,
is caught by the field. He'll be going out the back soon, but should be able
to hang to at least the bottom of the next climb.
15:48 CEST
Contador is there, too, wearing the
white jersey of best young rider.
Vinokourov waves goodbye to the
camera. We don't know if he is planning to stop, or if he just wants the TV
out of there.
The leaders go over the top of the climb.
15:49 CEST
Vino has the jersey wide open, his
under shirt showing. Over the top it is Perez who takes the maximum points,
in front of Txurruka and Colom. Guti is fourth
15:49 CEST
Soler attacks for the mountain climbs.
15:50 CEST
He goes over the top, adding to his
tally in that competition. Rasmussen is wrapped up in the fight for yellow so
the Colombian has a chance of taking it.
15:51 CEST 149.3km/47.7km to go
Mayo is hanging
off the back a bit. Not a good sign. But should be getting on at the downhill.
They aren't too far off the top.
15:51 CEST
Soler is going very well. He's racing
to the top and looks very strong. We have a real, live Colombian on our hands!
15:51 CEST
Rasmussen crosses just behind him,
making sure that he also takes points.
15:52 CEST
The campers that are parked near
the top look like a village. The four up front are screaming down the mountain,
with Colom leading.
15:53 CEST
Mayo really was in trouble on that
climb. Wow...that's a bit embarrasing after your team has been driving the pace.
He was quite a bit off the back but will hope to get back on and feel better
on the final climb. It doesn't bode well for his chances today, though...
15:53 CEST
Wegmann is coming over the top. He
is not one for the big mountain stages, but has a decent appearance today.
15:54 CEST
Vinokourov is way down now..he passes
the sign for 1km to the top of the climb. He's going to be a long way back this
evening.
15:54 CEST
A lot of riders have clearly not
recovered from yesterday's time trial, Vino included.
15:54 CEST
Wegmann was indeed still a kilometre
away from the top. He is in the Vino group.
15:54 CEST
The road for the front group is really
wide, and they are going all-out right now.
15:55 CEST
Mayo is chasing with Fofonov (Credit
Agricole).
|
15:55 CEST
This descent is 34 kilometres long.
It then hits the village of Les Cabannes, where the final climb begins.
15:56 CEST
Vinokourov is back with David Millar.
His team-mate hands him a jacket for the descent.
15:57 CEST
Mayo is hitting 90 km/h, desparetly
trying to get back to the group ahead.
15:57 CEST
Wow...Vinokourov crosses the summit
8'17 behind the leaders. They were in turn 2'54 up on the yellow jersey group,
so Vino has lost 5'23 to Rasmussen and the other contenders.
15:58 CEST
Rabobank continue to lead on this
flatter part of the descent.
15:59 CEST
Mayo's high-speed chase has paid
off, but it was also helped by the front runners sitting up. A group with Hincapie
and Voigt is also still chasing behind, hoping to make the downhill their saviour.
16:01 CEST 159km/38km to go
The front four are
going through Goulours, crossing a small stone bridge.
16:01 CEST
Wow...Pereiro has attacked on the
descent and is really moving... He is flying through the corners and has several
seconds on the others.
Current situation
- Rubén Pérez and Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne) and Antonio Colom (Astana)
- Carlos Barredo (Quickstep-Innergetic) at 0.50
- Peloton at 3.08
- Gruppetto at 6.45
16:03 CEST
A group is chasing behind, amongst
them George Hincapie. Popovych is here also. That means that Contador and Leipheimer
are almost certainly alone up front.
16:05 CEST 162km/35km to go
It looks like Pereiro
has been caught.
The gap is 2'53 to the leaders. The Hincapie/Popo
group rejoins the peloton.
16:07 CEST 165km/32km to go
It looks like our
riders with the SRM data have decided to stop breathing and pedalling. We apologize
for the inconvenience - but think about the inconvenience for the riders, too!
As soon as we have reanimated the bunch we'll let you know. Also possible that
the downhill was simply breathtaking. Or maybe it was the stunning views.
16:07 CEST
Rasmussen will try to underline his
control by taking time on the other contenders on the final climb. If he can
do this he will score a big psychological point, particularly after his TT performance
yesterday. However if he loses time to challengers such as Contador and Evans,
this will do the opposite.
16:07 CEST
Then again, it's not just about motivation
and confidence. Vinokourov won yesterday but his Tour has really fallen apart
today.
16:08 CEST
The front four are going through
Ax-les Thermes, a nice Pyrenean town near the foot of the Plateau de Beille.
16:10 CEST
Bradley Wiggins was asked about his
performance in the time trial. "I don't want to talk about yesterday. I am sick
of it," he said.
He had previously seemed satisfied with how he
rode, so perhaps he is just tired of hearing the same question. There are a
lot of media people at the race and so it's likely he's been asked for his reaction
approximately 342,578 times since yesterday evening. Give or take a few thousand.
16:11 CEST
Andreas Klöden is dropping back to
get some drinks from the team car. David Arroyo is also there. Cadel Evans said
before the start that he expects Astana to attack and expects also something
from Discovery. He mentioned that it'll be fun for the spectators, but hard
for the riders. He spoke in fluent French, by the way.
16:12 CEST
George Hincapie now hits the front
and pulls for his team GC rides Contador and Leipheimer.
16:12 CEST
Barredo is trying to make the most
amazing comeback, inching back to the front four. There are the two Euskaltel's,
Rubén Pérez and Amets Txurruka as well as Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne)
and Antonio Colom (Astana)
16:14 CEST
Guti is flagging his team car. One
bit of advice, some liquid and the odd rest next to the car. Always appreciated.
16:16 CEST 172km/25km to go
The lead group passes
the 25 kilometre mark. If only it weren't mostly uphill...
16:17 CEST
It is indeed the fourth time the
Tour finishes on the Plateau de Beille, after 1998, 2002 and 2004.
16:19 CEST
Hincapie leads the group under the
banner signifying 25km to go.
16:19 CEST 174km/23km to go
Barredo is back!!!!
A tremendous effort by the Quick.Step rider, who catches the leader about 23
kilometres from the finish.
|
16:20 CEST
Hincapie is followed by two Rabobank
riders, but for now they leave him to do all the work. He will sacrifice himself
for Levi and Bert, ie Leipheimer and Alberto Contador.
16:22 CEST
Hincapie has this group all lined
out. He's in a TT position, using a pair of invisible aero bars. They are of
course much safe than the old ones, banned on grounds that they were dangerous..
16:23 CEST
Perez is on the front of the lead
group, really hoofing it along. Gutierrez is on his wheel.
16:23 CEST
Menchov sits just ahead of Rasmussen
in the chasing group. There's perhaps 30 or 40 riders there now. No Vino, though.
16:25 CEST 180km/17km to go
Rubén Pérez is now
working for Amets Txurruka. They are at the start of the final climb.
16:27 CEST
It starts out with a really tough
section, going up at 9%
16:27 CEST 181.5km/15.5km to go
Perez has done
his work, so there are four in the front now.
16:27 CEST
Barredo also has to pay for his efforts
trying to get back to the front.
16:29 CEST
Well, Barredo is amazing. He comes
right back, just riding his own rhythm.
16:30 CEST
The peloton hits the bottom of the
climb. Immediately, Hincapie pulls over and Thomas Dekker hits the front. Rabobank
are going very hard, so this suggests that Rasmussen may attack from a long
way out. He must be feeling good.
16:30 CEST
Hincapie has blown, as you might
expect after all that work. Evans and Horner are on Rasmussen's wheel.
16:31 CEST
Rasmussen looks quite comfortable.
At the back of that group, many riders are slipping away.
16:32 CEST 183.1km/13.9km to go
The break is
2'15 ahead and looks likely to be caught on this climb.
16:32 CEST
Boogerd takes over at the front of
the Rasmussen group.
16:33 CEST
Contador and Leipheimer are in the
front as well. The big showdown can start, though Astana has lost one of its
favourites already. Vino is way back, but Klöden is in the group.
16:33 CEST
Txurruka drives the pace of the break,
with Colom and Gutierrez stuck to his wheel like super glue.
Savoldelli
has been dropped from the maillot jaune group.
16:34 CEST
Colom attacks the front group!
16:34 CEST
Wow...he looks strong.
16:34 CEST
He gets a gap on the other two, who
are slipping back.
16:35 CEST
Txurruka is fighting to get back
on terms (Gutierrez just sits on his wheel, because that's all he can do for
now) but Colom has an increasing gap now.
16:36 CEST
Cuesta (CSC) has been dropped, as
have Kirchen (T-Mobile), Karpets (Caisse d'Epargne), Mayo (Saunier Duval), Fothen
(Gerolsteiner) and others.
16:37 CEST
Popovych leads the Rasmussen group,
driving the pace. Mayo is, indeed, goooooonne...
16:38 CEST
Zubeldia has also been dropped, as
has Valverde, Astarloza, Pereiro...
16:38 CEST
Gutierrez is turning a huge gear.
Txurruka has a much higher cadence.
16:38 CEST
Evans is out of the saddle, as is
Contador. Rasmussen sits and looks focussed. This group is down to ten riders,
and will surely explode soon.
16:39 CEST
Klöden is at the back of the group
and looks to be in difficulty...
16:39 CEST
In contrast, Kashechkin looks strong...
Menchov has been dropped.
16:41 CEST
Soler gets water from a spectator
and offers some of it to Rasmussen. He doesn't take it.
Sastre is
at the back of the group now. Pereiro, Valverde and David Arroyo are all together,
the three Caisse d'Epargne riders losing time.
16:42 CEST
Colom continues to lead and nears
the 10km to go banner. He's still got 1'57 so might do it. However, an attack
from the yellow jersey group could eat up that time.
Boogerd continues
on the front, driving hard for his team-mate.
16:43 CEST
Contador is likely to be dangerous
to Rasmussen. So too Evans, if his legs are good.
16:43 CEST
Contador is second wheel, behind
Popo. Rasmussen sits just behind him, then Evans. Contador is looking frisky...
16:44 CEST 187km/10km to go
Colom goes under
the banner..
Boogerd is dropped. Rasmussen looks back at Evans,
who is all over the bike. Klöden is being dropped, inch by inch...
16:45 CEST
Popo continues to ride, having made
a big recovery since the last climb. Klöden is five metres off the back of the
group.
16:45 CEST
He's gooooone....
16:45 CEST
This Tour is full of surprises!
16:46 CEST 188km/9km to go
Evans is out of the
saddle and weaving left and right, trying to get every ounce of energy out of
his body.
16:46 CEST
The Popo-led chase group goes under
the banner. Mr Bungee Klöden somehow gets back to the group.
16:46 CEST
Valverde and Menchov are passing
the 10km to go sign.
16:46 CEST
Contador is out of the saddle, but
slips back...is he in trouble.
16:47 CEST
He's blown! So too Sastre!
16:47 CEST
Hang on..Contador is coming back
on quickly..what's going on? Popo continues to drive it. Maybe he just wanted
to be out of sight, out of mind. Rasmussen was marking him closely.
16:48 CEST
Klöden is about 3 seconds back..
.
Current situation
- Antonio Colom (Astana)
- Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne) at 0.55
- Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank), Andreas Klöden (Astana), Andrey Kashechkin (Astana), Mauricio Soler (Barloworld), Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel), Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel), Carlos Sastre (Team CSC), Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) at 1.55
- Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne), David Arroyo (Caisse d'Epargne) at 2.37
- Gruppetto at 7.04
16:49 CEST
Evans is out of the saddle a lot...he
doesn't look too comfortable. He's puffing and panting, while Rasmussen looks
composed.
16:50 CEST 189km/8km to go
With eight kilometres
to go, Colom has 1'40. He could do it...
16:50 CEST
Colom is still up front, riding steadily
but definitely labouring as he has had a long day in the front. Astana may at
least get a stage win.
16:50 CEST
Sastre also got back up that time,
but he doesn't seem as strong as the others.
16:51 CEST
Rasmussen leads the group, Popo has
blown. Rasmussen looks back to see what is happening. Leipheimer goes! He attacks,
Soler covers and then the others.
16:51 CEST
There goes Contador! He accelerates,
Sastre gets his wheel. Were they both bluffing?
16:51 CEST
Klöden passes a spectator with a
German flag. Some motivation for the German.
16:52 CEST
Kashechkin has also been dropped.
Astana are in trouble...
16:52 CEST
Rasmussen goes! Contador covers it,
Evans scrambles across.
16:52 CEST
Rasmussen leads, the others are on
his wheel...
16:52 CEST
Soler tries desperately to get back
and brings Leipheimer with him
16:53 CEST
Rasmussen continues to drive it.
Contador is right there, Evans hangs on but is suffering..
16:53 CEST
The others come back up to them.
Six now, Rasmussen, Contador, Evans, Sastre, Leipheimer and Soler..
16:54 CEST
Soler blows...five left... Rasmussen
continues to lead.
16:54 CEST
Soler gets back up again as the group
eases. Leipheimer goes to the front for now.
16:55 CEST
A fan dressed in the stars and stripes
runs alongside and gives a bottle to Leipheimer. Crash danger!
16:55 CEST
Wow...Soler attacks! He was in trouble
a few moments ago (or earning an Oscar), but now he goes..
16:55 CEST
Sastre and Leipheimer are dropped
after the latest attacks! fireworks are on
16:55 CEST
Rasmussen goes after him, with Contador
and Evans on his wheel. He catches him and then sits up. Sastre gets back up,
and so too Levi.
16:56 CEST
Soler looks to be really suffering.
He knows that there are double points on this climb.
16:56 CEST
He goes again! He wants the KOM jersey...
Rasmussen also wants it, but he may have to decide...
Contador attacks!
Leipheimer is gone..
16:56 CEST
Kash and Klöden are together and
try to ride themselves back into the race.
16:57 CEST
Rasmussen goes around Contador and
tears past Soler... Contador is with him, as is Evans. The Australian is very
determined..
16:57 CEST
Leipheimer is still not too far,
maybe he can come back
16:57 CEST
Contador goes again... Rasmussen
does not respond... There is a big stall behind.
16:58 CEST
Yes, Levi is back in the group.
16:58 CEST
Now he goes...but he looks to be
running out of gas..
16:58 CEST
He is chasing hard, with only Evans
on his wheel... Evans has blown...
16:58 CEST
So it looks to be Rasmussen vs Contador...
16:59 CEST
The latest accelerations have dropped
Leipheimer and Soler again, and it looks this time for good.
16:59 CEST
Evans has really slipped back...
Yellow against white...
17:00 CEST
Rasmussen leads Contador.
17:00 CEST 192km/5km to go
It is 5km to the finish.
Colom still has 30 seconds. That may not be enough with the Rasmussen-Contador
train.
17:00 CEST
Contador then takes his turn at the
front. They are really closing up on Colom. It looks like one of these two will
get the stage.
17:01 CEST
Evans is back with Leipheimer, Soler
and Sastre...he is really suffering here but pushes on..
17:01 CEST
Evans has been dropped....he's cracked...
17:02 CEST
Klöden and Kash pass the 5 kilometre
sign. Can they limit their losses?
17:03 CEST
The accelerations of Rasmussen and
Contador really hurt the Australian, who is in all sorts of discomfort now.
Ahead, Contador and Rasmussen remain together.
Sastre leads the
chase. He is pulling all sorts of faces but climbing well.
17:03 CEST 193km/4km to go
Colom is just ten
seconds clear... He's toast, methinks..
17:03 CEST
Contador and Rasmussen are taking
equal turns at the front. They know that they are taking serious time out of
the others.
17:05 CEST 194km/3km to go
A fan is running beside
with the Basque flag. Maybe there will be a Spanish victory today. It's either
Rasmussen or Contador. Not sure if Colom has the power now.
17:05 CEST
Rasmussen started the day 2'31 ahead
of Contador. The Spaniard beat him in the TT, but only by 37". So Contador needs
to drop him at some point before the final time trial if he is to win the Tour.
17:06 CEST 194km/3km to go
The two leaders caught
and dropped Colom a few hundred metres ago. They will be fighting it out for
the stage win..
17:07 CEST
Contador has a nice climbing style...very
fluid.
17:07 CEST
Cadel Evans passes the 3km sign and
is about a minute behind.
17:08 CEST
It's a mad house on the top. Evans
is trying hard, but he is struggling.
17:09 CEST
Klöden and Colom are with Evans now.
17:09 CEST
Chicken is followed by a look-alike.
A person in a chicken costume - maybe they are related? The fake chicken gets
almost taken out by a motorbike.
17:10 CEST
Soler has attacked the others, chasing
some KOM points. However Rasmussen is up the road with Contador, so the Colombian
will be losing out today. He will try to limit his losses for now.
17:11 CEST 196km/1km to go
Rasmussen and Contador
are really moving. They go under the kite...
17:12 CEST
Soler is 24" back, with Evans 1'24"
down and Valverde 3'03" in arrears.
17:13 CEST
There are bonuses at the top of the
climb; 20" for first and 12" for second. So the two leaders will really go for
it in the sprint.
17:13 CEST
Sastre chases alone..
Rasmussen leads out the sprint..
17:13 CEST
Contador comes past...
17:14 CEST
Contador takes the first stage win
of his career! He also gets the maximum bonus..
17:14 CEST
Soler comes home, approximately 36
seconds back. Leipheimer is another couple of seconds back, then Sastre comes
in 52" down.
17:16 CEST
Klöden and Evans are next. They finish
1'52" behind Contador and Rasmussen. Colom is waiting for Kashechkin, and the
two come in together 2'23" down.
17:17 CEST
Popovych, Boogerd and, we think,
Astarloza are next in.
17:18 CEST
John Gadret finishes now as first
Frenchman, 4'47 back.
17:20 CEST
So Rasmussen and Contador have marked
themselves out as the big riders for the GC; the Astana challenge appears to
have dissolved today. Vinokourov is certainly gone, and it will be hard for
Klöden and Kashechkin to come back.
17:22 CEST
Contador is 2'23 back while Evans
is 3'04 down. He needs to improve tomorrow if he is to challenge for the final
yellow jersey. He should fare better than the other two in the final time trial,
but has to get time back before then. Otherwise he's looking at a podium place
at best.
17:23 CEST
What an eventful stage! Many dreams
died today - some big names really blew up. Moreau, Vinokourov and Valverde
stand out, but others also suffered and fell back.
17:36 CEST
Contador gets his flowers as stage
victor. The Paris-Nice winner showed excellent form today. So too Michael Rasmussen,
who is looking more and more like a possible winner of this race. He gets another
yellow jersey, plus a Crédit Lyonnais lion. And a polka dot jersey too.
He was pleased with today's showing. "We tried to distance the others, Evans,
Sastre and the rest. We didn't speak about the stage win, I think everyone could
see that we were both going for it. We went all the way to the line.
"It is the Tour de France, we don't give presents here. It is a well-deserved
victory for Contador, he was very strong."
Rasmussen was asked if
this helps his bid to win the Tour. "First of all we will see how tomorrow goes,"
he answered.
That completes our coverage for today's first Pyrenean
stage of the Tour de France. Come back later for more from stage 14... Thanks
for reading!
Provisional standings at Finish
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel 2 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 3 Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld 0.36 4 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel 0.38 5 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 0.52 6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 1.52 7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto 8 Antonio Colom (Spa) Astana 2.23 9 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana 10 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel 3.06General classification
1 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 2 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel 2.23 3 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto 3.04 4 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel 4.25 5 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 4.38 6 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 5.50 7 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana 6.58 8 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 8.25 9 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 9.45 10 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel 10.55
