Posted on 07/17/2006 7:53:12 PM PDT by nutmeg
Stage 15: Gap to L'Alpe d'Huez - 187km
Course: There's no more spectacular finish than the 21-turn, 14km climb to L'Alpe d'Huez. This year it comes at the end of an already demanding 187km stage that climbs the hors-cat Col d'Izoard (14km at 7 percent) at 86km and Cat. 2 Col du Lautaret (12km at 4.4 percent) at 134km.
Then comes more than 30km of mainly descending roads, which will likely see the race come back together before the assault on the Alpe (14km at almost 8 percent).
History: This is the 25th time a Tour stage has finished at L'Alpe d'Huez since it was inaugurated - while still a dirt road - by Fausto Coppi winning a 266km stage from Lausanne in 1952. Coppi propagated the yellow-on-the-Alpe, yellow-in-Paris myth, which held true for Van Impe (1976), Thévenet (1977), Hinault (1979, 1981, 1982), Fignon (1983, 1984), LeMond (1986), Delgado (1988), Induráin (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995), Ullrich (1997) and Armstrong (1999, 2003, 2004). In fact, there were only five times it wasn't so: 1978, 1987, 1989, 1990 and 2001.
Favorites: L'Alpe d'Huez is a mountain with a spectacular quality that has created (and broken) reputations. With twice Alpe stage winner Lance Armstrong retired, who will be the star to emerge? Almost certainly, the fight for this prestigious victory will be between the five riders who dominated the Pla-de-Beret summit finish in the Pyrénées: Cadel Evans, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov and Carlos Sastre. That climb did not particularly suit Evans or Leipheimer, so expect these two to fight it out on the Alpe, probably with Landis just behind.
Graphics by CyclingNews.com
I hope they were girls. And if they were... I want pictures!
Heheheheh, freench bikinis at that... heheheh...
I was thinking of 3+ hours to the finish from the time I made the post.
ie. a finish between 4.30 and 5.00 local time. I guess that would requre an average speed of slighly more than 30 kph.
The 1st chase group caught Garzelli, and it is now the lead group.
It consists of: Hincapie, Schleck, Voigt, Zabriskie, Mazzoleni, Arrieta, Flecha, Wegmann, Merckx, Cunego, Vila, Arroyo, Charteau, Landaluze, Chavanel, De la Fuente, Lobato, and Garzelli.
Knees is 2:20 behind.
Calzati, Bruseghin, Rujano, Marchante, Vaugrenard, Albasini, Pineau and Mercado are 3:03 behind.
The peloton is 4:39 behind.
There is a sprinter's group behind the peloton, containing Boonen, McEwen, Friere, and Voeckler, amongst others.
Phonak has come to the front of the peloton.
IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG
The leaders today aren't your 1hr+ behind breakaway-hoping-for-some-points-guys, they're the top domestiques of the teams, set to monitor & control any breaks for their leader. Other teammates w/ the teamleaders in the peloton stand ready to lead their man to the front, & up the climbs, when the time is right. Really quite a ballet...
Interesting that both Landis and the Yellow jersey both have riders in the break
To answer your mail question Freddy, I am looking at the Gap function on letour.fr as well. I am just typing pretty fast, which is amazing when you consider I am pretty much a three finger typist. (two on my right hand, one on my left)
Ah, OK. The schedule shows a finish between 4-5:30 local today
Hincapie's group (my label) are 4:17 ahead of the peloton.
The chase group's gap on the peloton is decreasing, down to 0:55. Phonak is picking it up.
Holy shiite!!! That is some typing, BaBa!! LOL Really miffed me, in the early stages I could select & copy the entire window, now it's 1 name/time at a time. Sux largely!
14:54 - Results Of 2nd Sprint
The points at the sprint in Le Monetier-les-Bains (at 121.0km) were won by:
1. Zabriskie (CSC) 6pts
2. Lobato (SDV) 4pts
3. Hincapie (DSC) 2pts
Another 2 seconds for Hincapie. Only 24:26 to go now
I'm thinking... a mustache or a Mennonite hat for him! LOL
This may be a Cat. 2 climb, but it is by no means a Cat. 2 descent. They are going to be descending 1323m over the course of 38.5km all the way down to Bourg-d'Oisans, which is the town that lies at the bottom of the climb up l'Alpe D'Huez.
Good point, BaBa. Tho it doesn't appear as steep as the 1st descent, it's certainly much longer.
Is that a double chin on Lance?
You tell me.
I think it is mostly shadow.
The peloton has caught the chase group.
De la Fuente (looking to add to his KOTM lead) and Vila of Lampre have attacked the lead group, and have a 0:10 lead.
The peloton is 4:09 behind De la Fuente.
Flecha, Wegmann, and Charteau just squirted out of the lead group.
Boonen has caught the peloton.
LOL I was thinking the same thing. He needs to get back on the bike, that boy.
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