Posted on 07/02/2010 11:30:15 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
Stage 11 - Sisteron > > > Bourg-lès-Valence - 184.5 km
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Km 56.5 - Col de Cabre - 5.0 km climb to 5.9 % - Category 3
Click the 'To' option to go to the start of the Stage 11 posts.
The Stage started at 12:44 local time CEST (6 hrs ahead of US EDT).
velonews.com - "The Tour exits the Alps in stage 11, cruising through the foothills of the Drôme region. With only one Cat. 3 climb 56km into the stage, followed by a gradual downhill and flat finale in Bourg-Lès-Valence, a big sprint finish is highly likely. This is the last good chance for the sprinters’ teams to organize a bunch finish for more than a week, so it is hard to imagine any other scenario."
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12:37 - Prize Classifications: Part 01 – Yellow Jersey
There were no changes to the top 12 of the general classification after the 10th stage but a clever move by Nicolas Roche in the final kilometers of what had been a slow day for the peloton, netted the Irishman a gain of one minute, 21 seconds. He jumped up from 18th overall to 13th for his efforts. Otherwise, it’s status quo in the race for the yellow jersey: Andy Schleck (SAX) leads Alberto Contador (AST) by 41”, while the runner-up in stage eight Samuel Sanchez (EUS) is third at 2’45”.
12:37 - Prize Classifications: Part 02 – Green Jersey
Although the escape of stage 10 finished over 14 minutes ahead of the peloton, there were still points on offer for the green jersey. Mark Cavendish (THR) beat three of the four riders who are ahead of him in the points classification – Alessandro Petacchi (LAM), Thor Hushovd (CTT) and Robbie McEwen (KAT). Hushovd still wears the green jersey, with 138 points, while the winner of stages one and four Petacchi has 131pts. McEwen has 116pts while Rojas (GCE) has 98. Cavendish’s tally is up to 97…
12:41 - Prize Classifications: Part 03 – Polka-Dot Jersey
Three French riders are at the top of the climbing classification after 10 stages of the 2010 Tour. Jérôme Pineau has work the polka-dot jersey for all but one day since it was first awarded at the end of stage three. Anthony Charteau spent a day in the lead of this category after being the first rider to crest the col de la Madeleine in stage nine but he was beaten to the line by Pineau in the sprint for seventh on yesterday’s cote de Laffrey… so Pineau is back in the dotted top.
12:43 - Prize Classifications: Part 04 – White Jersey
The youth classification is a rather one-sided affair with the leader of the general classification also the best young rider in the 2010 Tour de France. Andy Schleck cannot wear the white jersey and the yellow one, so Robert Gesink (RAB) – who is 7th overall and 2nd in the youth category – will wear the special shirt sponsored by Skoda for a second successive day. Gesink is 4’22” behind Schleck, while Kreuziger (LIQ) is third at 5’11”. Cyril Gautier is ranked fourth, 30’18” behind Schleck.
13:00 - Comments From Garmin
Matt White told LeTour.fr this morning that Robbie Hunter dearly wanted to try and start the stage but he had to consider his injuries. “Robbie [Hunter] has a fracture of the radial head of his right arm – up near the where the elbow. He wants to see if he can start today. That’s the plan. He’s got a bit of trouble with his tendons around the elbow so it’s quite tricking to use the brakes and change gears but he wants to see how he goes at the start.”
13:02 - White: Tyler is coping...
The situation for Garmin-Transitions isn’t ideal: two sprinters and two broken arms... but Matt White remains optimistic about the rest of the Tour. Here are a few more comments from the Australian directeur sportif of the American team. “Robbie’s injury is a lot worse than Tyler’s. I know that Robbie wants to started today but, really, I don’t think he’s going to last. I can’t see him getting through. “Tyler’s injury is painful, certain movements hurt him but he’s coping.”
They should let him wear the white one on his head, Sikh-style or something. He earned both jerseys fair & square.
The ‘extra’ jersey is presented to the winner in Paris.
There have been a few double winners of the yellow and green / polka-dot, but only one yellow / white combo that I’m aware of (Laurent Fignon, 1983??).
There has been only one winner of yellow / green / polka-dot, of course - Eddie Merckx in his Tour debut. He would have won the white as well had they been awarding that jersey then (started in 1975).
THOR!
Thanks for the clarification. Also, thanks for doing such an unbelievably outstanding job on getting the stage guides up every day. Always on time, too. That must be worth a moose jersey, at least!
LOL on the ‘yoot’, btw.
Can you imagine if a rider from Joisy won the white? The discussion between him and the French would rival Vinnie and Judge Haller!
I was kinda late this AM, so I skipped the preview and Towns posts.
Speaking of language barriers, Lance Armstrong’s bike shop is called Mellow Johnny’s which is a play on the Texas pronounciation of the “Maillot Jaune” (da yelluh joisey).
I noticed that was listed as one of his nicknames on his wiki page.
First thought was ‘he certainly wasn’t mellow’, at least at first.
I stand corrected - Contador won the yellow / white combo in 2007 with his 1st GC win.
Speaking of the white jersey, an impressive bunch of winners over the last few years. Andy has a good chance of duplicating Jan’s hat trick. And look at that former-Commie run in the mid-aughts:
1994 Marco Pantani (Ita)
1995 Marco Pantani (Ita)
1996 Jan Ullrich (Ger)
1997 Jan Ullrich (Ger)
1998 Jan Ullrich (Ger)
1999 Benoit Salmon (Fra)
2000 Francesco Mancebo (Spa)
2001 Oscar Sevilla (Spa)
2002 Ivan Basso (Ita)
2003 Denis Menchov (Rus)
2004 Vladimir Karpets (Rus)
2005 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)
2006 Damiano Cunego (Ita)
2007 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa)
2008 Andy Schleck (Lux)
2009 Andy Schleck (Lux)
16:08 - First & Second Have Chat
Alberto Contador has come up to the right of Andy Schleck to have a little chat. Andy follows the wheel of former race leader Cancellara who is having a chat with Flecha...
16:04 - Watch The Wattage Of Rogers, Martin & Sivtsov...
There is a collaboration with SRM, Google and the HTC-Columbia team in the 2010. On the homepage of the team is a link taking you to a ’Velostream’ page which gives a read-out of the wattage and speed of riders from the US squad. Today, the riders providing readings are Michael Robers, Tony Martin and Kanstantsin Sivtsov... worth remember when it comes time for the lead-out. The numbers are too impressive at the moment but wait until the train is put on the rails for Cavendish.
15:57 - Garmin, Lampre, Liquigas... Leading
You couldn’t exactly call what the bunch is doing “chasing” today. Zabriskie (GRM) is at the front but he’s just tickling his pedals in what looks more liike a Sunday cyclo-tourist ride. The bunch is just 1’35” behind the three escapees but if they’re not careful they’ll ride past them soon...
They really have. I was kidding w/ leilani after she said that no one could win the Tour on their own (in re: Contador, mostly) and suggested some possibles (OK, I suggested da Bearsss, but only if Ditka was driving :). I forgot to mention Eddy Merckx, who probably DID win it on his own given that they didn't use teamwork like they do now.
Lance may not have invented it, but his teams from 1999 on raised the teamwork factor to a fine art if not a science. Technology probably had a lot to do with that.
The stage wins could be approached by someone like Cav
At first I thought 'no way', MB, but he may well have a good chance. 10 stage wins in 2 completed Tours, and 2 more thus far in 2010. He's young, strong, and quick.
I haven't been able to find a full list of riders by stage wins, but this is what Cav is looking at. Cav's disadvantage is that he'll only win flat sprint stages - Merckx' and Armstrong's stage wins included a number of mountain & TT stages. Still, if he keeps up his pace, he could pass LA in 3-4 years, and Merckx in a coupla more.
Six riders have won 20 or more stages:
Eddy Merckx (BEL) – 34
Bernard Hinault (FRA) – 28
André Leducq (FRA) – 25 (including half-stages)
Nicolas Frantz (LUX) – 25
Lance Armstrong (USA) – 25
André Darrigade (FRA) – 22
Ack! Thor lost the green?
Cavendish again!!
Renshaw is doing great work as his lead-out man. Herculean.
Pettachi’s 30 pts in the first sprint sealed Thor’s fate today. Thor got 19 there.
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