One of the race favourites, Christian Vande Velde of the USA, finished nearly 10 minutes adrift of the stage winner after crashing on stage two
Posted on 07/02/2010 11:30:15 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy
Posted by James Raia on 7/5/2010
SPA, Belgium - For the second straight day, crashes dominated the Tour de France as the peloton endured rain, slick surfaces, and tight roads. Sylvain Chavanel avoided all of the trouble.
With seven others, Chavanel, 31, the Versus rider of the day in stage 2, emerged in a breakaway about 22 kilometers in the stage from Brussels and rode at the front of the field for about 180 kilometers and for about 4 1/2 hours.
By the end of the day, and following several crashes in the main field, only Chavanel (Quick Step) of France and Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) remained at the front.
But soon it was only the Frenchman, who began the day in 89th place, 59 seconds behind, who rode alone. He took the win by nearly four minutes and assumed the 95th Tour de France race lead.
Chavanel, who first rode rode the Tour at age 22 in 2001 and finished 65th overall, claimed his only other Tour de France triumph when he took the 19th stage in 2008. In April, Chavanel fractured his skull in a crash in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Thank you luvvy! Got links?
That is a real shame about Tyler!
DAILY LANCE: Rain-slicked descents caused havoc—and a protest from top riders—behind a stirring breakaway.
http://bicycling.com/tour-de-france/expert-analysis/armstrong-crashes-stage-2
Stage 2, from Brussels to Spa, lived up to its Belgium expectations, climbing three tough hills in the last 39 kilometers and, on the rain-soaked descents, leading to absolute chaos as riders crashed. Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel (riding for the Belgian team Quick Step, on the Belgian bike brand Merckx) was the sole survivor of a breakaway that had begun nearly from the gun, avoided the melee in the pack and took over the yellow jersey. Behind him, the pack reformed as the front eased the pace to allow favorites such as Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso (who were all riding together in a chase group) and Andy Schleck (who crashed the hardest of the contenders and was far behind) to catch back on. Then, in protest, the main pack cruised sedately across the line instead of sprinting for placings.
The protest was led in large part by the yellow jersey wearer and Schleck teammate Fabian Cancellera, who could be seen talking to race officials in a car as the finish approached then rejoined the front and motioned for the riders to slow and stay together. The gesture was reminiscent of a protest Armstrong helped lead during his comeback in 2009. The protest needs the agreement of many riders, but only one known as what’s called a patron—a king of the pack—can organize it and put it into effect. In Tour de Lance I described the criticism Armstrong took. He’d been having a poor Tour of Italy to that point:
“After giving away nearly a minute more than he’d already planned on losing in Stage 5,” the book’s breakdown of the protest begins, “Armstrong had lost another 39 seconds the next day when, after making it over the stage’s two climbs with the pack, he’d gotten inattentive or fatigued or both, and slipped back out of a huge group of more than 60 riders screaming together toward the finish. He lost 18 more seconds the next day, and by Stage 8 was more than 4-and-a-half minutes behind the pink jersey of [Danilo] DiLuca.
Stage 9 was supposed to be one of the premier events of the centenary celebration, a 10-lap race around Milan that started from the Piazza Duomo, but after previewing the course some of the racers thought it was too dangerous to ride—there were train tracks running lengthwise in some roads, cobblestones, tight corners, high curbs and other hazards. Some of the team leaders met and decided the pack would ride at a neutralized, processional speed—around 15- to 18-mph—until the last lap. The confused crowd jeered the riders, lost interest, dispersed until attendance dropped to tens of thousands from hundreds of thousands. During one lap the entire peloton stopped at the finish and DiLuca took the announcer’s microphone and apologized to the fans. Armstrong was just one of the riders who made the decision to shut down the racing, but he took the most criticism.
The Giro’s director, [Angelo] Zomegnan, had, without naming names—or, really, needing to—said, “This circuit was explosive, full of bursts, and required you to get your ass off the seat. But it seems like certain riders who aren’t so young anymore didn’t want to do that. Today, the riders’ legs were shorter and their tongues grew.”
It’s hard to say yet how active Armstrong (who was involved in one of the crashes, damaging his bike and, as he reported in his Twitter feed, cracking one of his shoe cleats completely in half) was in leading today’s protest. But he almost certainly didn’t campaign against it. Once, he would have—or simply drilled the pace to take advantage of the chaos. His first Tour win, in 1999, relied on such aggressiveness (coincidentally also in Stage 2). On a 2.5-mile stretch across a causeway called the Passage du Gois (which is covered by Atlantic Ocean tides most of the day), a rider crashed on the still-muddy pavement, brought down about 10 more immediately and they all clogged the road, bottling up about 100 riders who’d been caught behind. Armstrong and his team had been in front of the crash. His main rival that year, Alex Zulle, was stuck behind.
Armstrong’s group accelerated immediately and gained about six minutes on the stalled pack. Zulle ended up finishing second by more than seven minutes.
Armstrong’s decision to go along with the easy pace today and not put more time on Schleck can’t necessarily be read as a weakening of his pugnacious spirit. A decade after his attack on the Passage du Gois, the manners and mores of the pack have changed, and it now seems the standard response is usually to let the pack regroup. However, Armstrong has the gravitas to go against the prevailing mood and launch an attack amid misfortune if he chooses. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens if Contador finds himself behind a similar split.
2010 ARMSTRONG-CONTADOR RIVALY REPORT
Time Advantage after Stage 2
Armstrong (5 seconds ahead)
Tactical Advantage in Stage 2
Contador, who further ended speculation about his team’s ability when he found himself protected by his team amid crashes, rain and uncertain conditions
Skirmish Victories
Armstrong: 3
(5-second gap in prologue; stays out of trouble in Stage 1 & Stage 2 crashes)
Contador: 2
(stays out of trouble in Stage 1 & Stage 2 crashes)
Overall
Armstrong
...
Among the victims who fell - some even slipping over after they crashed and got back up on their feet were Evans, Alberto Contador (Astana), Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin Transitions), Andreas Kloden (RadioShack), Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and the Schleck brothers - Andy (Saxo Bank) and Frank (Saxo Bank).
The chaos began when one of the early breakaway members, Italian Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre) was about to be caught by the peloton. Gavazzi came a cropper, as did the television motor bike that was following him. It is believed the oil on the road came from the motor bike that crashed.
With the peloton close behind the mayhem was inevitable.
...
And the riders didn’t bother to sprint to the end in protest. Tomorrow’s route contains cobblestone roads so this could get ugly.
Thor is not happy with the slowdown/protest:
“I feel frustrated by what happened today. Our team was working hard and we would have had a good chance for victory. I feel like they have taken something away from us today. There were a few sprinters who did not make it to the front group, but there was no reason to not contest the sprint today,” Hushovd said. “Everyone made a gentleman’s agreement not to sprint, but I lost an important opportunity to try to win the stage and gain points.”
...Race organizers decided not to award finish-line points, with the lone exception of Chavanel, who also claimed the green jersey. Hushovd slotted into fifth with 26 points to Chavanel’s 44 points. “If the crash wasn’t there, I am 100 percent sure that there would have been a sprint and Thor would have been a big favorite. What the other teams decide to do, that’s their problem. It doesn’t matter what they want or not want, our guys are really motivated,” said Cervélo sport director Jean-Paul van Poppel. “The group decided not to sprint for the points, and Thor was really upset about that.
We should take up a collection to buy him an earring. ;-0
One of the race favourites, Christian Vande Velde of the USA, finished nearly 10 minutes adrift of the stage winner after crashing on stage two
Jérôme Pineau – “The misfortune of some makes the happiness of others”
The QuickStep team has plenty to celebrate after stage two: a stage win and yellow jersey but also a perfectly executed plan that put polka-dots on Jérôme Pineau…
“This could not be more beautiful. This morning we had planned, Sylvain and I – each, in turn, would attack. And we managed to find us both in the same breakaway, which is already great. Then, pretty soon, we’ve agreed to help me get some points for the climbing classification and I support him then on the final. But he did not even need me! “It’s magic. A day like this, it happens maybe once in a career. I feel the team we went on the same dynamics as what we had at the Giro d’Italia.
“With regard to the falls that have disrupted the peloton… well, often the misfortune of some makes the happiness of others. This allowed Sylvain to win the stage and take the yellow jersey, but I do not think he will win the Tour de France! Anyway, all the favorites were able to regroup in the peloton and finish together.”
Sylvain Chavanel – “It was my day.”
He has a limited amount of energy but that doesn’t stop Sylvain Chavanel from taking his chances. If at first he doesn’t succeed, he doesn’t care… he’ll just try again. On the road to Spa, he demonstrated the value of perseverance.
“It was a big show today! I said I would start this Tour in a good state of preservation, and that I would not be far from my best form. Finally, I took my chances on this stage and I managed to win. This is the happiest day of my sporting life. When I think about it, I realize that this season started with a plague of problems, and yet I never gave up... finally I do not regret having suffered as much, if only to feel such great emotion now. I savor this moment is what I want: it was my day.
“I made a mark next to this stage in my mind a long time, and I succeeded. This proves that cycling’s wheel does indeed turn!
“Now I have almost three minutes ahead overall! So I think I can go far.”
Tony Martin -
The best young rider after three days of racing in the 2010 Tour, was asked about the ‘protest’ by riders at the end of a dramatic stage: “It’s your job to fight the circumstances, isn’t it?” suggested one journalist: “Yes, but sometimes the circumstances aren’t so good for the riders and it’s too dangerous so we have to decide what we do…”He was near the front of the peloton that arrived en masse, in solidarity, in Spa. Here’s how he saw the crash-scared stage…
“I was happy that I didn’t crash but if I did, I’d be pleased if the bunch waited.
“Tomorrow is another race and if there’s a really big crash we’ll have to decide what to do. I don’t think it will be like it was today; I hope that everything will go well and we’ll have a normal final.
“It was no protest today. It was an act of solidarity because the Schleck brothers needed a lot of time to come back after a big crash – and also some other big favorites – so I think the peloton decided that all riders would finish together. It was our decision to go to the finish together. We knew that Chavanel was three minutes in front, so why would we take the risk for second place? We also had to consider the dangerous descent. The win was going to Chavanel and we decided to take it easy.
“I think we had some bad luck. There was some oil on the corner [on the descent of the Stockeu]… also one motorbike crashed so it was an abnormal race.
“As we rode to the finish I told Cancellara that I’m sorry for him, to lose the yellow jersey because of such a bad situation. It’s a bit of a shame.”
This was a sad day in bike racing. Perhaps there’s nothing the race organizers could have done to mitigate the oil spill on the road but it’s not right that the riders had to descend on it. How can they be expected to stay upright on an oil slicked, narrow and steep road?
I feel so badly for the riders who are out. They had trained hard and were anticipating a terrific Tour. Now, not only are they out of the Tour, they are injured so there’s the uncertainty of return thrown in with the frustration.
It’s just the pits.
Posted by Brian Pinelli on 7/5/2010
Prior to the start of stage two venturing from Brussels to Spa, German veteran Jens Voigt of Saxo Bank predicted that it would be a dangerous day in Belgium, one that he wasn't looking forward to.
Voigt explained that with six climbs and descents, narrow roads, potential hazardous weather, and team sport directors urging nearly 200 riders to stay at the front with room for just 10 or 20, there would be problems.
With about 60 of the 201 kilometers remaining, ominous clouds moved overhead and persistent rainfall began. You could almost sense fear in the peleton as they worked to catch a breakaway group of eight, which escaped early in the stage.
On a fast and dangerous downhill descent of the Cote de Stockeau with about 30 kilometers to the finish and approaching the town of Stavelot, crashes began to come fast and furiously.
Victims of the slick roads included the Schleck brothers (Saxo Bank), Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), Alberto Contador (Astana), green jersey bearer Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre), Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions), Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions), and George Hincapie (BMC Racing) among countless others.
Apparently, a motorcycle had crashed on the already slick roads spilling fuel just minutes before the riders navigated the descent.
"It was a rough day. I have a couple of good abrasions, one on the hip, one on the elbow," said Armstrong after the turbulent stage. "Coming down the descent of the Stockeau, it was as if someone had put something on the roads. There was no way to stay on your bike, there were just people everywhere."
The seven-time Tour de France champion was paced by Levi Leipheimer and his armada of RadioShack teammates to find their way back to the main bunch, which included Fabian Cancellara in the yellow jersey, who was one of the few to avoid the carnage.
"As we got back on our bikes and started to re-descend, we just kept running into more and more crashes, bikes, motorbikes, TV cameras," continued Armstrong. "It was bad luck."
Shock was apparent on the face of Andy Schleck, who finished second at the 2009 Tour. Without a quick and sufficient recovery he would potentially see his any hopes of attaining a podium fade away. Clutching his left elbow in pain, he struggled to regain his composure. Brother Frank suffered a similar fate and evidence was a severely torn jersey.
Andy who found himself isolated from most others, managed to borrow teammate Matti Breschel's bike and persevered on the downhill in the rain. Substantial time was lost in the process.
Riders were scattered along the road with the Schleck brothers more than one minute behind the Armstrong group and another 30 seconds back of Cancellara and the main pack. Fortunately for those involved in the crash, Cancellara motivated his group to slow the pace and allow his Saxo Bank teammates, the Schleck brothers, to regain contact and avoid loss of significant time.
Ironically it was Voigt--who had forecasted the trouble earlier in the day--who rode like a man possessed helping the Schlecks to reconnect with the main field.
Andy Schleck later tweeted, "Ouch, crash 2 times in 200 meters and had no more bike. Thanks to everybody for the gr8 support today we really saw some fair play." v "On the downhill of the Stockeau it was something I've never seen," said RadioShack directeur sportif, Johan Bruyneel. "It was like ice skating or as if something was on the road, like oil."
Taking advantage of the spills and significant slowdown of everyone behind, France's Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) sped away from Belgium's Juergen Roelandts (Omega-Pharma Lotto)--both of whom were the last remnants of the early break--and continued to increase his lead.
Cresting the top of the final climb--the category three Col du Rosier--the 31-year-old Chavanel had a 2:50 lead over Cancellara and the main group which had morphed back together and were riding extremely cautiously. The veteran Frenchman, who has been with his Belgian Quick Step team since July of 2008, continued to put time on the field over the closing kilometers.
The three-time French National Time-Trialing champion, crossed the finish line in Spa with a time of 4:40:48. For Chavanel, who crashed hard and fractured his skull on similar roads during May's Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic, it was an emotional victory.
Chavanel finished 3:56 ahead of Cancellara and the peleton, which included all of the main contenders who had found their way back despite the crashfest, and claimed the yellow jersey.
In the closing kilometer, Cancellara dropped back for a chat with the race jury car and then led the peleton in a "gentleman's agreement," where they decided to forego contesting the final sprint as a result of the hectic, crash-filled stage.
A few hours after the race, Frank Schleck reported that while both he and his brother Andy left lots of skin on the road and were quite banged up, nothing was broken and they will continue tomorrow.
Resulting from his crash, Contador suffered abrasions on his right hip, knee, and elbow. Initial impressions by team doctors were that the defending Tour champion would start tomorrow without further complications. "On this road, it was impossible not to fall," said Contador. "I fell on a straight part at about 60 kilometers-per-hour and I thought about what could have happened. Around every turn I saw people on the ground." The Spaniard is in seventh overall, 3:24 back.
In addition to Farrar and Vande Velde, Garmin-Transitions riders Julian Dean, David Millar, and Robbie Hunter also suffered crashes. All five riders finished the race, but Dean, Farrar and Vande Velde were taken to a local hospital to be evaluated further by team medical staff.
Australia's Cadel Evans tweeted following the madness, "Whoa, that was sketchy. I think the entire group went down...oil or something on the descent to Stavelot. We're all licking our wounds now."
Riding in his first Tour, American Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) tweeted, "What was that? Somehow I managed to escape the mass carnage 2day. Maybe the most guys I've ever seen on the ground. All bmc's ok I think."
Tomorrow the nerves will remain high as the countless wounded riders of the 2010 Tour will be supremely tested by 13 kilometers of narrow and potentially treacherous cobblestone streets. Bad weather could once again make racing a dangerous affair.
Roberto Bettini
A Cajun two step in Belgium
Lionel Bonaventure
What could go wrong on such a beautiful day?
Spencer Platt
Juan Jose Oroz Of Euskaltel-Euskadi is down for the count.
Spencer Platt
American cyclist Christian VandeVelde, of team Garmin-Transitions.
Spencer Platt
American cyclist Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Transition 
Spencer Platt
Hi Mom, I'm okay!
Joel Saget
Lance Armstrong
Joel Saget
Luxembourg's Andy and Frank Schleck of SaxoBank back in the saddle.
Joel Saget
France's Sylvain Chavanel of team Quick Step realizes that no one will catch him.
Pascal Pavani
Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara, Mark Cavendish of Manx, and Thor Hushovd in the Norwegian champion's jersey approach the finish line in neutral.
Bryn Lennon
Another chapter of "The Women of Le Tour."
Spencer Platt
The Tour is always a family affair.
Spencer Platt
Nice to see the Franks and Normans getting along so well.
Lionel Bonaventure
Even the inmates love the Tour.
Stage 3 - Wanze > > > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut - 213 km
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Wanze ---> Arenberg Porte du Hainaut - 213 km
•Km 48.0 - Côte de Bothey - 1.4 km climb to 3.4 % - Category 4
Stage 3 - Wanze > > > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut - 213 km
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Plain - A sporting perspective
A frightening stage
We have decided that on the day when we return to the Nord department, cobbles will be on the menu. However, unlike in 2004, there will be four big sections over the last thirty kilometres, to avoid huge gaps opening up and also to provide a more exciting finish. In total, there will be 13.2 kilometres of cobbles. Some riders have difficulty negotiating them and there is always the possibility of punctures or falls... This stage will frighten everyone and the race favourites may lose precious minutes. This “genuine classic” may be favourable to riders like Armstrong or Evans. And let’s not forget that there are some teams who will, on the face of it, not have a role to play in the general standings, such as Quick Step, and who will have a stake in creating all sorts of chaos…
(letour.com)
June 27 post:
On this the third day of the Tour, we'll have the first KOMs of the race.
It's not typical to have a very early flat stage that could have a big impact on the general classification.
Stage 3 will feature seven sections of pavé (4 of them over 2 km long) totaling 13 km in the final 30 km of the stage normally reserved for the cobbled classic, Paris-Roubaix. As most people know by now, the hopes of several GC contenders were dashed on the cobbles during a similar stage back in 2004. To help avoid an Iban Mayo like catastrophe, Alberto Contador spent time this spring with Belgian Peter Van Petegem to help him hone his technique on riding over "the stones."
There are some differences to 2004. This year's pavé is closer to the finish so the impact on the GC is more limited, but the sections are harder. Not as hard as the Arenberg Trench used in Paris-Roubaix which this stage nicely avoids, but harder than 2004. — Steve
Paris-Roubaix winner Fabian Cancellara will use the cobbles of stage 3 to either help grab the overall race lead or to strengthen his hold on the Yellow Jersey.
(steephill.tv)
Stage 3 - Wanze > > > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut - 213 km
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
WANZE
• Stage town for the first time
• Population: 13,000
• Town in the Province of Liège (Belgium)
Tour supporters may not be familiar with the name of Wanze, but it will ring a bell with all Flèche Wallonne fans. Indeed, Wanze is located close to Huy and its famous Mur, where the finish of the Ardennes Classic is held each year. Wanze also hosts an international flea market for cycling collectors and enthusiasts.
Situated in the Meuse valley, between Liege and Namur, the municipality of Wanze consists of six villages and a hamlet. Its shopping, housing and business areas are experiencing rapid growth. The landscape is a combination of modern and industrial, with limestone quarries and a well-known sugar refinery. 2009 saw the arrival of BioWanze, which produces bioethanol at its site close to the Pont Père Pire, a cable-stayed bridge across the River Meuse. Concerned with reconciling business development with quality of life, Wanze aims to remain a pleasant place to live. Part of the Natural Park of the Valleys of the Burdinale and Mehaigne, the appeal of its rural areas has contributed to the development of eco-tourism. Walking trails guide visitors around the main sights of the region. Including the ruins of the feudal castle of Moha and the Cycle Museum, featuring an impressive collection of 180 bicycles designed between 1830 and today.
ARENBERG PORTE DU HAINAUT
• Stage site for the first time
• Population: 144,000 for the 39 towns of the urban community including 5,600 for Wallers-Arenberg
• City and Urban Community in Nord (59)
After the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour pays homage to Paris-Roubaix with a finish in Arenberg, where the world famous cobbled sector, the “Drève des Boules d’Hérin” is located. Now more familiarly known as the “trouée” (the trench), it is here that the Queen of the Classics has so often selected its winners and its losers. It was Jean Stablinski, a pit face miner in Wallers, who first recommended the site to the race organisers.
Situated in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, Porte du Hainaut is a “Communauté d’Agglomération" (urban district community) of some 150,000 inhabitants. This vibrant area has been boosted by renewed economic growth and its strong tourist appeal. Its 39 towns and villages offer a wide range of attractions: architecture inherited from the industrial era, waters with beneficial properties used in thermal baths, gastronomy based on local produce and colourful festivities celebrating the Giants. Not forgetting the region’s wide range of leisure pursuits: walking, mountain biking and pony trekking trails through the national forest or along the River Escaut or Scarpe. The finishing point of the third stage of the Tour de France, the mining site of Arenberg has been proposed by France as a UNESCO world heritage site. Part of the regional Centre of Excellence for Images (Pôle d’Excellence Image), a project has been launched to convert the site to a filming location. The aim is to develop a technological platform to promote research, transfers and professional development in audiovisual and digital services.
The Stage starts at 12:41 pm local time (Warze is 6 hrs ahead of US EDT).
FReepmail me to get on or off the 2010 TdF Ping List.
Posted by Versus.com on 7/5/2010 at 10:23AM
There are no hills to contend with in Tuesday's third stage of the 2010 Tour de France, but the journey that stretches from southern Belgium to northern France is lined with cobblestone roads that cut through farmland. These roads can be most treacherous even in ideal conditions. With that in mind, will Stage 3 prove to be as chaotic as Monday's rain-slicked second stage?
Sore Riders Have to Endure Cobbles of Stage 3
Posted by Phil Liggett on 7/5/2010 at 9:42AM |
The fourth day -- and third stage -- takes the riders from Belgium to France with a journey of 213 kilometers. There are no hills at all, but the roads will provide the biggest challenge of the race thus far. In the north of France and the south of Belgium, the roads that link the farms are often made from old cobbled setts, and on this stage seven sectors of "pavé" will occupy the minds of the riders.
The first sector will be encountered at kilometer 128 and then two more follow before the race enters France at Rongy, leaving only 37km to go. In all, just over 13km of bad roads could effect the overall race in a big way before the finish in Arenberg, in the shadow of the forest made famous by the classic race, Paris-Roubaix.
Frenchman, Sylvain Chavanel now wears the yellow jersey for the first time in his 10 attempts at the Tour and he will fight to keep it, but the favourites of the Tour, after their Ardennes experience, will try to keep together near the front.
Lance Armstrong during his seven victorious years, loved riding the cobblestones, but how will he feel now after gashing his arm in a crash on the Stockeu? Others seriously injured were Americans Tyler Farrar and Christian Van de Velde. Their Tour, when you read this, may already be over -- but we hope not.
The dangerous moments of this year's race will continue for sure as the Tour now begins its next phase towards the mountains of the Alps.
versus.com
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