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[cyclist]

July 22 Stage 19: Modane to L’Alpe d’Huez, 109.5km (68 miles)
 Don’t be fooled by the brevity of this final mountain stage. It’s less than 110km (just 68 miles) but there’s barely a kilometer of flat roads between Modane and the spectacular summit finish in L’Alpe d’Huez. After a short downhill from the start, the peloton will tackle the more difficult side of the Galibier via the Col du Télégraphe, a total ascent of 28.6km with an average 7-percent grade. Don’t expect heroics on this reverse crossing of the Galibier because the race still has to negotiate a mostly downhill run of 43km (via the Col du Lautaret) before starting the 13.8km hors-cat climb to the finish.
 

The road to Alpe d’Huez.
 
THE SCOOP: The only rider in this race to have won a Tour stage at L’Alpe d’Huez is Fränk Schleck, five years ago, while the last time the race came here, in 2008, the best finishers of the current field were Samuel Sanchez, Andy and Fränk Schleck, Cadel Evans and Christian Vande Velde.
 OVERALL RATING: ****

[cyclist]

July 23 Stage 20: Grenoble time trial, 42.5km (26.4 miles)
 
The three demanding alpine stages should settle the destiny of the yellow jersey. If not, then this only individual time trial of the 2011 Tour should do the job. When this same hilly 42.5km circuit at Grenoble was raced in the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this month, Germany’s Tony Martin won the stage in 55:28 (an average speed of 45.973 kph) by just 11 seconds from Britain’s Brad Wiggins. Another 1:09 back, in sixth place, came Cadel Evans, while climbers Jurgen Van den Broeck and Robert Gesink lost 2:29 and 2:38 respectively to Wiggins.
 
THE SCOOP: Though Martin or world TT champ Fabian Cancellara may win this stage, the true battle could happen behind the two specialists. The most recent closing TT at the Tour to come close to upsetting the podium was in 2007; before that TT, Contador led Evans by 1:50 and Leipheimer by 2:49. The Spaniard did hang on to win the Tour, but with only a 23-second margin on Evans and 31 seconds on Leipheimer.
 OVERALL RATING: ****
 

[cyclist]

July 24 Stage 21: Créteil to Paris (Champs-Élysées), 95km (59 miles)
 

2010 Tour de France stage 20, Champs-Elysees
 
For the first time, rather than traveling by high-speed train, the riders will take a chartered jetliner on the final morning (from Grenoble to Orly Airport) to reach the start of stage 21 in Créteil. The early kilometers of the ultra-short stage will see the usual slow procession as photographers get shots of the yellow jersey sipping champagne at his team car before the speed picks up for the eight laps and 50km of racing around the traditional circuit up and down the Champs-Élysées and around the Tuileries Gardens.

 THE SCOOP: No time bonuses are awarded at this Tour, so there are unlikely to be any changes in the final classification, but look for fireworks in the sprinters’ green-jersey competition. There’ll be a big intermediate sprint on the fourth lap as well as the final dash to the line, 35km later.
 OVERALL RATING: *

[cyclist]

Ok, the Leopard-Trek team is well stocked with veteran riders, both GC men and domestiques.  This team will give Contador a run for his money. 

Check out this article from VeloNews:

Andy Schleck: I have no excuses now
 By Brian Holcombe
Published Jun 29th 2011 11:25 AM UTC
 

Andy Schleck returns to the Tour de France this week with the weight of being the twice-consecutive runner-up. With brother Fränk Schleck and a custom built Leopard-Trek squad around him, Andy told VeloNews that he hoped to put to work a specific offseason training regimen, work on the TT bike and the hard weather in Brittany in winning his first grand tour.
 

2010 Tour de France, stage 15. Andy Schleck's infamous chain drop. AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET
 
“I have no excuses now. Everything around me is 100 percent. It’s now up to me. I have to play the cards in the Tour. It’s Frank and me,” he said. “I know it’s a heavy weight, but I’m 100 percent professional. I know how I have to train, what I have to eat and the lifestyle I need. I think that when I do that, I’m 100 percent and I do my best, and there’s no more I can do.”
 
The 2011 Tour parcours is climbing heavy, with just one individual time trial, which comes on the penultimate stage. Fränk said the route may suit Andy and he better than ever, but both brothers looked to the first week of the race, when the unpredictable weather in France’s western Brittany region could provide the first differences in the general classification.
 
“You shouldn’t focus so much just on the mountains,” said Andy Schleck. “I believe the first week is going to be nasty. I know that area of France and I know there’s no day that there’s no wind. There’s going to be a nervous peloton, tons of people. If bad weather comes to Brittany, it can change from sunshine to 10 minutes later storm and rain.”
 
Defending Tour champion Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) was caught out when he missed a split in the wind during the third stage of the 2009 Tour in the Rhône region near the Mediterranean coast. The time loss forced Contador into a surprise attack, into a headwind, four days later on the climb to Andorra Arcalis to take back time on teammate and rival Lance Armstrong. Schleck would go on to finish between the two on the final podium, with Armstrong third.
 
With Fabian Cancellara, Jens Voigt and Stuart O’Grady among his supporting cast, the younger Schleck said he hoped the opening week would see splits again.
 
“I’m not scared of the wind. I’m not scared of the team time trial,” said Andy Schleck. “I have the best guys around me… I hope we’re not going through the first week with everything in same time. The team time trial will make a difference, but I hope we see cross winds and bulges.”
 
With his new, Luxembourg-based squad Andy Schleck approached 2011 differently than previous seasons. He spent more time than ever doing focused power workouts in the gym, running and Nordic skiing. The time trial has been his weak point and Schleck also spent more time on the TT bike, in the wind tunnel and the velodrome, and working on elasticity with his soigneur in hopes of finding a more powerful – and aerodynamic – position on the bike.
 
“I believe I can do it. I believe I can do a good time trial,” he said. “There’s no big secrets. I learn a lot from Fabian. He goes out and rides five, six hours with his TT bike. If I train three days, I’ll do one on the TT bike.”
 
The new training approach earned Schleck top form for the Ardennes classics, where he couldn’t overcome Philippe Gilbert, who Fränk called “unbeatable.” He did, however, show his strength in a long solo move late at the Amstel Gold Race and the Schlecks were the only riders able to run free with Gilbert at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But Andy has fallen under scrutiny lately, as some called his results at the Amgen Tour of California and Tour de Suisse underwhelming. When compared to 2010, Schleck’s pre-Tour results were similar, even in face of the tragic loss of his teammate Wouter Weylandt in May.
 
“I know what it takes to get there, to be 100 percent,” he said. “There are so many things that come together. You can have a crash. You can get sick and it’s all gone. That’s cycling and I know that. Even if I’m 100 percent, there are 20 other guys with the same dream and they are working hard… I don’t take it easily on my shoulders.”
 
One of those 20 guys is Contador. Schleck infamously ceded the yellow jersey to the Spaniard last year after dropping his chain high on the hors categorie Port de Balès climb. He said he’s finished looking back at that day.
 
“I would lie if I said I wasn’t happy to go second at the Tour, but it’s been two times so I want to make that final step to be on the top and the national anthem of Luxembourg is playing on the Champs Elysées,” he said. “You have to learn out of your mistakes, but I don’t look so much back on that. It was just a bad day; I was unlucky that day.”
 
His Leopard team has struggled at times this year, but with the right pieces around him in France next month, Schleck will have all the right cards at his disposal. How he plays them – and a little luck – will determine whether he makes that final step before the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

[cyclist]

Past Tour de France Winners from VeloNews:

Past winners of the Tour de France
 By VeloNews.com
Published Jun 30th 2011 6:24 AM UTC — Updated Jun 30th 2011 3:16 PM UTC
 


The 98th edition of the Tour de France begins on Saturday. Although riders from the host country have not won an edition of the Tour since 1985, France continues to hold the record for the number of wins by a two-to-one margin.
 


Maurice Garin, the first winner of the Tour de France

 France – 36
 Belgium – 18
 Spain – 13
 USA – 10
 Italy – 9
 Luxembourg – 4
 Switzerland – 2
 Netherlands – 2
 Germany – 1
 Ireland – 1
 Denmark – 1
 
Past winners of the Tour de France
 
1903: Maurice Garin (F)
 1904: Henri Cornet (F) *
 1905: Louis Trousselier (F)
 1906: Rene Pottier (F)
 1907: Lucien Petit-Breton (F)
 1908: Lucien Petit-Breton (F)
 1909: Francois Faber (Lux)
 1910: Octave Lapize (F)
 1911: Gustave Garrigou (F)
 1912: Odile Defraye (B)
 1913: Philippe Thys (B)
 1914: Philippe Thys (B)
 
Race suspended due to WWI


Fausto Coppi

1919: Firmin Lambot (B)
 1920: Philippe Thys (B)
 1921: Leon Scieur (B)
 1922: Firmin Lambot (B)
 1923: Henri Pelissier (F)
 1924: Ottavio Bottechia (I)
 1925: Ottavio Bottechia (I)
 1926: Lucien Buysse (B)
 1927: Nicolas Frantz (Lux)
 1928: Nicolas Frantz (Lux)
 1929: Maurice De Waele (B)
 1930: Andre Leducq (F)
 1931: Antonin Magne (F)
 1932: Andre Leducq (F)
 1933: Georges Speicher (F)
 1934: Antonin Magne (F)
 1935: Romain Maes (B)
 1936: Sylvere Maes (B)
 1937: Roger Lapebie (F)
 1938: Gino Bartali (I)
 1939: Sylvere Maes (B)
 
Race suspended due to WWII


Eddy Merckx in his first Tour.

1947: Jean Robic (F)
 1948: Gino Bartali (I)
 1949: Fausto Coppi (I)
 1950: Ferdi Kubler (Swi)
 1951: Hugo Koblet (Swi)
 1952: Fausto Coppi (I)
 1953: Louison Bobet (F)
 1954: Louison Bobet (F)
 1955: Louison Bobet (F)
 1956: Roger Walkowiak (F)
 1957: Jacques Anquetil (F)
 1958: Charly Gaul (Lux)
 1959: Federico Bahamontes (Sp)
 1960: Gastone Nencini (I)
 1961: Jacques Anquetil (F)
 1962: Jacques Anquetil (F)
 1963: Jacques Anquetil (F)
 1964: Jacques Anquetil (F)
 1965: Felice Gimondi (I)
 1966: Lucien Aimar (F)
 1967: Roger Pingeon (F)
 1968: Jan Janssen (Nl)
 1969: Eddy Merckx (B)
 1970: Eddy Merckx (B)
 1971: Eddy Merckx (B)
 1972: Eddy Merckx (B)
 1973: Luis Ocana (Sp)
 1974: Eddy Merckx (B)
 1975: Bernard Thevenet (F)
 1976: Lucien Van Impe (B)
 1977: Bernard Thevenet (F)
 1978: Bernard Hinault (F)
 1979: Bernard Hinault (F)
 1980: Joop Zoetemelk (Nl)
 1981: Bernard Hinault (F)
 1982: Bernard Hinault (F)


Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond in 1989

 1983: Laurent Fignon (F)
 1984: Laurent Fignon (F)
 1985: Bernard Hinault (F)
 1986: Greg LeMond (USA)
 1987: Stephen Roche (Irl)
 1988: Pedro Delgado (Sp)
 1989: Greg LeMond (USA)
 1990: Greg LeMond (USA)
 1991: Miguel Indurain (Sp)
 1992: Miguel Indurain (Sp)
 1993: Miguel Indurain (Sp)
 1994: Miguel Indurain (Sp)
 1995: Miguel Indurain (Sp)
 1996: Bjarne Riis (Dk) **
 1997: Jan Ullrich (G)
 1998: Marco Pantani (I)
 1999: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2000: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2001: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2002: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2003: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2004: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2005: Lance Armstrong (USA)
 2006: Oscar Pereiro (Sp) ***
 2007: Alberto Contador (Sp)
 2008: Carlos Sastre (Sp)
 2009: Alberto Contador (Sp)
 2010: Alberto Contador (Sp) ****
 
* Henri Cornet adeclared champion after apparent winner Maurice Garin and three others were disqualified for cheating.
 ** Riis in admitted in 2007 that he had used EPO to secure his 1996 victory, althoughthe win has not been officially erased.
 *** Pereiro declared champion after disqualification of Floyd Landis for doping.
 **** Contador’s 2010 victory is still subject to review by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport.
 

[cyclist]

More from VeloNews:

Dark horses: Horner and Leipheimer ready for the Tour de France
 By John Wilcockson
Published Jun 30th 2011 11:37 AM UTC — Updated Jun 30th 2011 3:16 PM UTC
 

LES HERBIERS, France — In a survey of 94 Tour de France team managers and riders conducted by L’Équipe on Tuesday, only three mentioned Levi Leipheimer as a potential podium pick. The three men to choose the 37-year-old American as a potential third-place finisher were two former teammates, Tom Boonen of Quick Step and Vladimir Gusev of Katusha, and his current Team RadioShack cohort Chris Horner. Incidentally, no one picked 39-year-old Horner to finish on the podium.
 

Leipheimer and Horner at the Tour of California.
 
That’s not surprising. The experts say that the two Americans are too old to figure highly in a three-week grand tour, especially this 98th edition of the world’s greatest race that is filled with mountaintop finishes, hilltop finishes, too many back-to-back climbing stages and a pack of aspiring contenders eager to battle the outright favorites, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck.
 
None of this bothers Team RadioShack’s Horner and Leipheimer, who have prepared for this Tour as never before. They are no longer going into the race as helpers for a single team leader — both men rode for Lance Armstrong and Contador the past few years, while Horner was previously a hired hand for Cadel Evans.
 
Now, as co-team leaders on RadioShack with German Andreas Klöden and Slovenian Jan Brajkovic, neither man has the pressure of being a top favorite. They are the true dark horses of the 2011 Tour.
 
Liberated by team manager Johan Bruyneel from needing to gain selection for the Tour (he was passed over in 2009 for internal political reasons at Team Astana), Horner has raced less than any other Tour rider this year and focused on building toward specific goals.
 
Horner’s first race this year was the March 21-27 Volta a Catalunya, where he finished fourth overall, 35 seconds behind winner Contador. The following week, he helped Klöden win the Tour of the Basque Country, where defending champ Horner still came in second, only 47 seconds back. And then, after five weeks of training back home, he won the Amgen Tour of California, 38 seconds ahead of Leipheimer.
 
It was after his stunning solo mountaintop stage win on San Jose’s Sierra Road that Horner famously told the media at the California race: “With the exception of Alberto Contador I think there isn’t anybody who can drop me!”
 
Over the coming three weeks, Horner will get the chance to prove the veracity of those words. And he’ll start this Tour fresher than any other contender. He has had just 20 days of racing in 2011, compared with 43 days for Contador and 42 for Schleck.
 
With no racing in June, Horner first recovered from his California win and then spent five weeks preparing for the Tour at his San Diego home, focusing on eating healthy to keep his weight down to a skinny 140 pounds, gradually building up his power with motor-paced rides and working on his stamina with long training runs into the mountains of Southern California.
 
On his last big day of training last week, his SRM told him he covered 205.3km in just over six hours, climbed 9,315 vertical feet (2,840 meters) and averaged 246.6 watts of power (with a maximum of just over 400 watts on the last hill 20 minutes from home).
 
Asked how he felt going into the Tour, Horner told VeloNews, “I feel very good. Certainly, (my form at) California was exceptional. I took a good rest after Cali … and I’m trying to find that form again. I hope it reappears somewhere during the Tour. At the moment it’s close. I think I need a day or two of racing before we get in the power zone.”
 
Despite having not raced for almost seven weeks, Horner said he was not concerned about reacquainting himself with a fast-moving peloton.
 
“No. I normally fly into any European race on Thursday and race Saturday. And that means I’ve normally been out three weeks or so beforehand,” he said. “Some guys like to do a small race before starting a big one, but I prefer the hit-and-run approach.”
 
But what about this Sunday’s team time trial, when he’ll have to be racing at the highest intensity of the Tour? Horner admitted he hadn’t ridden one since the start of the 2009 Giro — when with Armstrong, Brajkovic, Leipheimer and Yaroslav Popovych his Astana team took third in a 20.5km TTT, just 13 seconds behind the winner.
 
“No trouble riding with the guys again,” a confident Horner said, “I just need to see the course and know where the corners are, so nobody’s crashing each other. We will race the day before and that will open up the lungs for sure.”
 Horner’s ready. And after coming in 10th at the 2010 Tour, when he was still a team worker, he’s shooting much higher this year.
 
Leipheimer says he’s better than in ’07
 
Like Horner, Leipheimer said he has done so many Tours by now that (unlike most other contenders) he didn’t go and scout this year’s mountain stages. “I think I pretty much know everything,” Leipheimer said. “That’s an advantage of doing the Tour so many times.”
 
He didn’t do his first Tour until age 28, in 2002, and he has since finished eighth, ninth, sixth, 13th, third (in 2007) and 13th. He didn’t start in 2008 and crashed out in ’03 and ’09. He knows that the only “new” climb on this year’s course is the very first one in the Pyrénées on stage 12, the Cat. 1 Hourquette d’Ancizan, which he said, “We’ll just ride over (being) the second to last one (before Luz-Ardiden).” No problem.
 
Asked to compare his current form (after coming off a stunning overall victory in the Tour of Switzerland) with his pre-Tour condition four years ago, Leipheimer said, “Right now I’m better than I was in ’07. I actually did the Dauphiné that year and I wasn’t great at the Dauphiné. [He finished 24th]. And when I started the Tour I was pretty fresh but a little out of shape.”
 
Leipheimer was riding on the Discovery Channel team that year as a co-leader with Contador. The American ended up riding support for the Spaniard and yet still came in third overall, only 31 seconds behind Contador (and eight seconds behind runner-up Cadel Evans), after he brilliantly won the final time trial. The following year, when their Astana team was barred from the Tour, Leipheimer rode support for Contador at the Vuelta a España — and managed to place second to his teammate, only 46 seconds back.
 
This year, the Team RadioShack rider will be challenging Contador, who (subject to his pending doping verdict) is coming off an unbeaten run of six grand tour wins, starting with that Tour victory in ’07. So how well can Leipheimer perform against the world’s best current Tour rider?
 
While Contador is well rested from his winning Giro d’Italia and last weekend placed second in the Spanish national road championships, Leipheimer has been relaxing after winning the Swiss tour. He won that race by moving from fourth to first on the final day with one of his strongest-ever time-trial performances, taking more than two minutes out of race leader Damiano Cunego in 32.1km to earn his spectacularly slim winning margin of four seconds.
 
Leipheimer’s task would have been somewhat simpler if he hadn’t lost 38 seconds to the other GC contenders coming down the spectacular hors-cat Grosse Scheidegg mountain on stage 3. It was reported that he “didn’t want to take risks just prior to the Tour de France,” but in talking to VeloNews about that tricky descent, Leipheimer revealed, “I came close to crashing a couple of times. I kept locking up my rear wheel. It was really slippery. That road’s normally closed to traffic and they only opened it that day.
 
“One time I was braking too late into the corner, and braking too hard. and I locked up the wheel. Another time my rear end swung around and I almost high-sided … so then I lost the group I was with. I was pretty bummed about that.
 
“I’m not a good enough descender to catch back up, so I ended up losing time. But that motivated me because if I was to lose the race by the amount of time I lost I would have been pretty upset with myself.”
 
Fortunately, nearly all of the mountain stages at this Tour de France have uphill finishes. The only one that ends at the foot of a downhill is the one to Pinarello, Italy, on stage 17 — and Leipheimer already raced that in the 2009 Giro. And then, when the climbing stages are over, he has a hilly 42.5km time trial at Grenoble to help finish things off.
 
Leipheimer hasn’t seen the TT course, but on his return to his Spanish base in Girona after his Swiss victory, he learned about it and its two climbs from U.S. teammate Jason McCartney — who isn’t riding the Tour but did the Dauphiné, where he raced the identical Grenoble TT. “Jason said the first hill is a big-ring climb. That’s good, I like those type of climbs.”
 
Leipheimer hesitated for a moment and then added, “That Tour time trial is a long way away, and there’s a lot of climbing and hard efforts between now and then.”
 
But one gets the feeling both he and Horner are relishing that thought. They may be the underdogs, but that’s the way they like it.

[cyclist]

From VeloNews:

Andy Schleck: ‘The switch is turned on’
 By Andrew Hood
Published Jul 1st 2011 10:11 AM UTC — Updated Jul 1st 2011 12:00 PM UTC
 


LES HERBIERS, France (VN) — Andy Schleck says he’s locked and loaded to take on the challenge of winning the Tour de France.
 
A two-time runner-up, Schleck says overall victory in this year’s Tour is what he’s aiming for. A new team with a lot of familiar faces will make the challenge of taking on Alberto Contador perhaps a little easier.
 

Andy Schleck leads his team onto the stage. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com
 
“Everything is just perfect for this year’s Tour,” Schleck said. “Last year, I was still the young guy and I could aim for the white jersey. This year is different. I have no more excuses. I am too old for that white jersey. Being on a Luxembourg team has been a big adventure. Everything is set and I will be aiming 100 percent for the win.”
 
Schleck enters 2011 as the most dangerous rival to Contador. Backed by the loaded Leopard-Trek team — which includes seven riders from last year’s Saxo Bank team — Schleck knows it’s time for him to step up.
 
Whether or not he can knock Contador off his Tour throne remains to be seen, but Schleck insists that he’s up to the challenge.
 
A mountainous course, with four summit finishes and only one individual time trial, will give Schleck his best chance ever.
 
“I am calmer than last year. I know in the mountains I will be up there, playing for the victory,” he said. “This year’s course doesn’t have too much time trials, and that’s an advantage for me.”
 
Schleck says he’s worked to improve his time trailing abilities, long viewed as his Achilles’ heel, but he said if he’s going to win the Tour, it will never be won against the clock.
 
“We’ve worked on the time trial quite a bit since last year’s Tour and the goal is to lose less time,” he said. “I need to train on my strengths. I am not going to win the Tour on my weaknesses. Already last year, I showed that I am improving in the time trial and in the last time trial last year, that I could do well. The climbs is where this Tour will be won. I hope the Tour will be decided long before the final TT this year.”
 
Behind Andy is older brother Frank, who also starts with ambitions of doing well on the GC front. Frank crashed out of last year’s Tour on the cobblestones of stage 3, something that would later have a huge impact on the duel between Andy and Contador. The team hopes that having both Schleck brothers at the front of the battle will give them a one-two punch against the Spaniard.
 
“We’re not here to beat Contador. We’re here to win the Tour,” Frank said. “We like this Tour route. We’ve seen the stages in the Pyrenees and the Alps and we’re happy there’s only one time trial. We have a strong team for the team time trial as well.”
 
Andy Schleck said he’s put last year’s Tour out of his head and rolls into this year’s edition motivated to win.
 
“The past is over and last year’s Tour is in the history books,” he said. “I am ready for the Tour and of course we want to win.”
 
Frank also defended his brother against such criticism that he doesn’t have the mental toughness to challenge Contador.
 
“He has a very big engine. He has the talent and he recovers well because he has a very big engine,” Frank said. “He has never missed a big (race). He always trains and he is always there for the season’s top goals. … He just told me, ‘the switch is turned on.’”
 
Backed by such stalwarts as Stuart O’Grady, Fabian Cancellara and Jens Voigt, Leopard-Trek starts with perhaps the deepest and most experienced team in the peloton. Everyone is lining up to help Schleck.
 
“We are all going to be working hard for one of the Schlecks to win in Paris,” said Cancellara. “This year’s Tour is different. There is no prologue, there’s not a time trial until the end. We have the team time trial, and we have big ambitions there. I am looking forward to a different kind of Tour. Before it was one week in the yellow jersey. Now I can have a little more fun. We want to win it with Andy or Frank. I am ready to give everything for the team. Maybe I will (get) some space to move at some point and take something personally out of this Tour, but that’s not the top goal.”
 
The top goal is a Schleck in the yellow jersey in Paris. Contador and the other rivals might have something to say about that.

[cyclist]

From Pezcyclingnews (and Ronan Pensec):

TDF ’11: Pensec Picks the Key Stages
Friday, July 01, 2011  4:41:22 AM PT
 
by Richard Pestes




Even after 8 years of covering the world’s biggest bike race, we continue to learn more about the subtleties of the French roads and regions. So we asked a guy with 24 years experience at le Tour – as a rider and former maillot jaune, tv producer, and also leader of touring groups, here’s Ronan Pensec’s take on the 2011 parcours.
 


Monsieur Pensec, or “Elvis” as Lance Armstrong used to call him – was a pro from 1985 – 1994, and rode it like a real man – ‘Cross in the winter, the Classics, the Grand Tours. It was a time before ‘specialization’, and Ronan scored a share of glory that included leading the 1990 Tour de France for 2 days, plus gc placings of 6th in 1986 and 7th in 1988. His impressive palmares (listed below) are testament that he was a rider always in the hunt.
 

Along with his travel business, Ronan works for France Television to produce their TDF coverage.
 

Ronan now works behind the scenes on the TDF coverage at France Television advising the producers which parts of the race to film. These images are fed to all the other media covering the event. He works live and decisions have to be made instantaneously so it’s a high pressure job. His knowledge of the race and race tactics are critical to presenting compelling images that best show the action.
 
In recent years Ronan also started his own cycling tour company (RonanPensecTravel.coml), making good use of his intimate knowledge of cycling and France to share the best of his country with guests who are interested in a cycling vacation that only a former top pro could offer. Let’s face it – for most of us from North America, (and likely anyone who not from France) – France is just not like any place else on the planet – so a guy like Ronan showing you around is an asset worth having.
 

I asked Ronan for his take on the key stages of the 2011 Tour.
 


Stage 1: Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts - Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers 191km The opening stage ends with a short climb – enough to make a difference?

Ronan: The Mont des Alouettes has been a part of races such as the Chrono des Nations. For GC contenders it is a fairly typical early stage, meaning they will have to be vigilant about protecting their position in the peloton, but a day like this will be fairly easy for the top teams, it is teams going for stage wins that will be working hard. The climb itself is not a determining factor although it could eliminate pure sprinters.
 


Stage 4: Lorient - Mur de Bretagne, 178 km The finish here features a climb of the Mûr-de-Bretagne - did you ever race up it and how will it affect the stage?
 
Ronan: I have been up the Mur de Bretagne quite a few times, in regional races and also during my Tour career. It is a short climb, but has a steep grade much like the climbs found on the Fleche Wallone and others. It is not a finish that will make a huge difference for the race although a GC contender may try to use the Mur to win the stage. It is more likely that someone who is a puncher like Philippe Gilbert and others will use the Mur to their advantage.
 

Stage 6 - Dinan Lisieux 226km The climb of Basilica of Lisieux - what can you tell us about it and it's impact on the stage?
 
Ronan: This is the longest stage of the Tour so the climb of the Basilica, only 1.5 km from the finish, will have an impact. Again the climb is much like the climbs found on the Spring classics, short and steep. On this climb, more than on the Mur de Bretagne, the strategy for the GC contenders will be to stay near the front to avoid losing time due to accidents. This stage will be fairly strategic. The wind normally found on the coast could play a factor if the peloton breaks into echelons. Team managers could be very nervous and riders will have to be very careful about losing time if the wind causes big breaks.
 

Stage 8 - Aigurande Super-Besse Sancy 190km The first real summit finish rears up with the climb to Super Besse – featured in the 1996 and 2008 Tours.
 
Ronan: This is the second time the Tour has arrived at Super Besse. The last time was in 2008. I have never raced on this climb, but it’s the first summit finish and it comes after a week of relative flat stages. It is a tough enough stage with increasing elevation that it will test some riders, but it will not have an impact on GC and is more as an appetizer for the following day.
 

Stage 9 - Issoire Saint-Flour- Pas de Peyrol (Puy Mary) 208km and for the first time the Col du Perthus - what about these climbs and how tough is this day?
 
Ronan: This whole day is very tough. The roads are small, narrow and sinuous with terrain that is non-stop changes in elevation. The stage also contains three categorized climbs, none of which is close enough to the finish to make a difference, but the cumulative effect will make it very hard on the riders. If it is a hot day, the riders will suffer, it will be a fast stage, and my prediction is that the peloton will work very hard to stay together and this will mean tired riders and the potential for accidents. GC riders will again have to stay near the front to avoid time gaps.
 
THE PYRENEES
 Stage 12 - Cugnaux Luz-Ardiden 209km The first of three climbing days in the Pyrenees takes riders over the Hourquette d’Ancizan, the Tourmalet, and the summit finish at Luz-Ardiden.
 


Ronan: I have no unique memories of Luz Ardiden or Tourmalet. They are both tough climbs when the pace is high. This will be especially so this year with the mountain top finish at Luz Ardiden. GC riders and teams will certainly be pushing the pace and a rider going for GC will want to make a statement here.
 

Stage 13 - Pau Lourdes 156km The main obstacle here is the 1790 m Col d’Aubisque, some 49km before the finish.
 


Ronan: It is not a very interesting stage for the overall. The Col d'Aubisque is too far away from the finish line. Some riders will be going for king of the mountain points. GC riders will be preserving themselves for the next day which offers 5 climbs and a mountain top finish.
 

Stage 14 - Saint-Gaudens - Plateau de Beille 168km - throws down 6 summits enroute to the finale atop Plateau de Baille.



Ronan: This is a huge day. It has five categorized climbs and the finish on Plateau de Beille. With 168 km total it is a relatively short stage so attacks will come all day long especially as the following day is a relatively flat stage and then a rest day.
 
The cols on this stage are very hard, there are no breaks, no flats between climbs. This stage will cause some damage, and surprisingly, even if it is early in the Tour, at the end of the stage we may have a good idea of who will be on the podium in Paris. We may not know the order, but we'll know who has the legs to make it this year. This will be one of two or three defining stages.
 

THE ALPS
 Stage 17 - Gap - Pinerolo 179km I’ve called this stage as all about the final 20km and the 10km climb over Pramartino, where small gaps could be opened. What do you think?
 



Ronan: There will be no changes on GC after this stage, there won't be any huge breaks and there will be no chance for a GC contender to put time on rivals, unless one is having a particularly bad day. Most riders will be trying to preserve their force for the next three days.
 

Stage 18 - Pinerolo - Galibier Serre-Chevalier 189km The classic big Alpine day - 3 high passes – all above 2300m, a summit finish – a day for GC.



Ronan: This is a huge stage, very difficult. This and the next are determinant for the final podium. The Col d'Izoard and the Col du Galibier are well known. Less well known is Col d'Agnel which is also very hard. It is a long and the last 7 km are at 10%. The Izoard is next, followed by Galibier. For each one of these the GC contenders will be trying to put time on rivals and test each other. Other riders will also be trying to put their name in the history books even if they don't have a chance for GC.
 


Actual PEZ-Pic of Ronan climbing Alpe d'Huez at the 1990 Tour.
 

Stage 19 - Modane Alpe-d’Huez 109km - I saw Ronan pass by on the Alpe in the 1990 Tour – wearing yellow. This stage is much shorter and really about two big climbs.
 


Ronan: This stage is not typical as it is very short, the shortest of all the stages with the exception of the time trials. It will be brutally fast as it has the three big climbs with technical descents in between, and with the exception of the entry to Bourg d'Oisans before Alpe d'Huez, there are no flats on which to recover before the next climb. There are only 15 km before the first climb, almost no time to warm up and the attacks will be immediate. This is a stage where teams will have almost no role to play and it will literally be every man for himself. It will be a nonstop battle. If there is a chance to win or lose a position on the podium, it will be here as the time gaps could be decisive. If you don't have the legs today, it will be over.

 
Stage 20 - Grenoble Grenoble TT 41km - The penultimate stage – a semi-long time trial with some twists…
 
Ronan: With 2 climbs, Stage 20 is suited for strong climbers. Along with Stage 19, it is the only other stage in which a podium position could change. This TT is not made for a typical TT rider. Without a doubt the winner will be the strongest rider of this year’s tour. This TT favors a climber who is a strong time trialist.
 

Special thanks to Ronan for his time and insights - !
 

[cyclist]

We begin today !

2011 Tour de France stage 1 results

STAGE 1 - Passage du Gois  Mont des Alouettes 191.5 km

Omega Pharma-Lotto's Philippe Gilbert wins a crash-filled Stage 1 of the 2011 Tour de France, while defending champ Alberto Contador finished well off the pace.

Stage 1 Results:

1. Philippe Gilbert, Omega Pharma – Lotto, in 4h 41′ 31″
2. Cadel Evans, BMC Racing Team, at 00:03
3. Thor Hushovd, Team Garmin – Cervelo, at 00:06
4. Joaquin Rojas Jose, Movistar Team, at 00:06
5. Broeck Jurgen Van Den, Omega Pharma – Lotto, at 00:06
7. Andréas KlÖden, Team Radioshack, at 00:06
9. Christopher Horner, Team Radioshack, at 00:06
12. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:06
14. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, at 00:06
15. Damiano Cunego, Lampre – Isd, at 00:06
16. David Millar, Team Garmin – Cervelo, at 00:06
17. Alexandre Vinokourov, Pro Team Astana, at 00:06
18. Fabian Cancellara, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:06
33. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:06
38. Levi Leipheimer, Team Radioshack, at 00:06
44. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 00:06
50. Bradley Wiggins, Sky Procycling, at 00:06
51. Stuart O’grady, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:06
55. Yaroslav Popovych, Team Radioshack, at 00:06
60. George Hincapie, BMC Racing Team, at 00:06
69. Mark Cavendish, HTC – Highroad, at 00:06
82. Alberto Contador, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 01:20
146. Jens Voigt, Team Leopard-Trek, at 02:33
165. David Zabriskie, Team Garmin – Cervelo, at 03:05
181. Tyler Farrar, Team Garmin – Cervelo, at 04:37
198. Vincent Jerome, Team Europcar, at 12:02

GC Standings:

Same…


Next Stage: July 3: STAGE 2 - Les Essarts  Les Essarts TTT 23 km


Jerseys:

Yellow:      Phillippe Gilbert Omega Pharma-Lotto

Green:   Phillippe Gilbert Omega Pharma-Lotto 45 points
               Cadel Evans BMC Racing Team 35 points
                   Thor Hushovd  Team Garmin-Cervelo 30 points

 Polka Dot: Phillippe Gilbert Omega Pharma-Lotto 1 point

White:           Geraint Thomas Sky Pro Cycling in 4h 41′ 37″
                      Rein Taarame Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne at s.t.
                      Egor Silin Katusha Team at s.t.


Teams:       Omega Pharma-Lotto  in 14h 04′ 45″
                    BMC Racing Team at 00’ 03”
                    Team Leopard-Trek at 00’ 06”

 Lanterne Rouge:   Vincent Jerome

Withdrawals:

All Riders in the race.

Stage 1  Review:

Philippe Gilbert wins stage 1 of 2011 Tour de France
By VeloNews.com

Published Jul 2nd 2011 11:52 AM UTC — Updated Jul 2nd 2011 4:27 PM UTC


Philippe Gilbert celebrates as he wins the first stage of the 2011 Tour de France.

LES HERBIERS, France (VN) — Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) won a crash-filled kickoff to the 2011 Tour de France on Saturday, while defending champion Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) found himself nearly a minute and a half in the hole after getting caught behind a massive pileup with 8km to race.

It was the first Tour stage win for the Belgian national champion, who easily countered a late attack by Swiss champ Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) in the final kilometers to take the victory.

BMC’s Cadel Evans popped out of the lead group for second with Garmin-Cervélo’s Thor Hushovd third.

“It was a magical last 100 meters,” said Gilbert, who had prepared for this day by dying his hair blonde and bringing along a yellow wristwatch (he started the day wearing a timepiece in his Belgian national championship colors).

“I had a yellow watch in my finish bag that my soigneur brought along, just in case.”

Evans didn’t get a jersey, or even a watch, but he was pleased with his first day’s work.

“First place is always better, but second is not too bad,” he said. “It’s a good start, a pleasant surprise.”
World champion Hushovd, meanwhile, said he didn’t have good legs in the finale.

“It was a hell of a hard day,” he said. “Our team was working hard to chase down the breakaway with Omega Pharma and in the end I think there was a lot of teams who wanted to make it hard for riders like me. I was dead for the sprint.”

“But when Gilbert goes like that,” he added, “no one can hold onto him.”

A gentle beginning

The 191.5km race from the famous Passage du Gois to Mont des Alouettes gave riders a gentle introduction to this year’s Tour. The course was mostly flat until the 120km mark, when the road began a gradual rise up some small rolling hills. There was just one rated climb, the Category 4 ascent to the finish in Les Herbiers.

The Tour hasn’t included the Passage du Gois since 1999, when the peloton hit it mid-stage, and it proved to be quite decisive. The road, which is submerged by high tides twice a day, is pretty rough and obviously slick in spots. There was a huge crash out there and several of that Tour’s top contenders, including Alex Zülle, lost more than six minutes to the man who would eventually win that Tour, Lance Armstrong.

This year’s crossing of the Passage was less decisive. It came as part of a long neutral section, and thus provided little more than a photo opportunity.

The break du jour

Once across, Jérémy Roy (FDJ), Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) and Europcar’s Perrig Quemeneur gave it the gas and quickly took time on a relaxed peloton, which was clearly enjoying the warm, sunny start to the Tour. The trio built a lead of more than six minutes in 20km.

The peloton then woke up and took some time back, closing the gap to just under five minutes with 150km to go.

Jurgen Van De Walle (Omega Pharma-Lotto) hit the deck, catching out a few other riders, HTC-Highroad’s Matt Goss among them. Both men remounted and rejoined the bunch, with Van De Walle looking somewhat the worse for wear.

Roy took the 20 points awarded the winner of the intermediate sprint at 87km, followed by Wiestra and Quemeneur. Behind, HTC tried to deliver Mark Cavendish to the fourth-place points, but Garmin-Cervélo’s Tyler Farrar outfoxed him, grabbing the 13 points on offer. Cav’ could only manage 11th for five points.

The leaders’ advantage was down to 3:30, but once the bunch settled down it went back out again, to 4:30. The bunch was in no hurry to bring them back; Omega Pharma took the front and the gap gradually grew from three minutes to five with 70km remaining.

Garmin subsequently came forward to lend a hand, and with 55km to race the leaders had once again been pulled back to within three and a half minutes. Another mishap saw Pierre Rolland (Europcar) and Linus Gerdemann (Leopard Trek) roll off the road. No harm, no foul, and both were soon back in the bunch.

Ten kilometers later the chase had taken back another 45 seconds on the rolling roads leading toward Mont des Alouettes. And with 40km to go Roy and his mates were just two minutes and change up the road, with the battered Van De Walle still on the sharp end of the peloton.

The catch … and the crashes

Twenty-five kilometers from the line the gap was down to a half-minute and the peloton was closing in fast, the leaders in their sights. Five kilometers later it was all over — the three leaders congratulated each other for a job well done, and then Omega Pharma set about organizing itself on behalf of Gilbert.
Europcar was next to move forward, showing the flag for Thomas Voeckler (and perhaps for its nearby company headquarters, too).

Then a huge crash at midfield — caused by an Astana rider’s collision with a stray spectator — shattered the peloton with 8km to race, leaving perhaps 50 riders off the front — none of them Contador.

RadioShack and BMC promptly put the hammer down, though Johan Bruyneel said afterward that the team did not know Contador had been caught out.

A second crash at 2km from the line trimmed the lead group yet again, to perhaps a couple dozen riders, and in the final kilometer, Cancellara tried to catch the others by surprise with a strong acceleration. But Gilbert easily followed his move and it was no contest — the Belgian champ left the big Swiss behind and rode to the stage win, while behind Evans shot out of the chasing pack to take second with Hushovd third. RadioShack’s Chris Horner was the top American, finishing ninth at six seconds back.

“I dream of winning big races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Amstel or Flèche Wallonne, but to win here on the Tour de France is also something very special,” said Gilbert.

“In the final I knew that Cancellara was going to attack, and I knew he’d attack where he did. With the big engine he has, he is capable of coming from the back and taking everyone by surprise.

“And when I saw that he was up the road on his own, that’s when I knew I could go.”

Big names lose time

But the big story was behind. Contador lost nearly a minute and a half on the opening day of the 2011 Tour, as Gilbert grabbed the yellow, green and polka-dot jerseys.

Saxo Bank’s Bjarne Riis was disappointed yet realistic about the unfortunate start for his team captain.

“It’s one of these unfortunate accidents that often occur in the beginning of the Tour de France,” he said. “Alberto is simply unlucky now to be behind some of his opponents to the overall victory.
“But the Tour has just begun, and luckily there’s a long way to Paris from here.”

BMC’s Jim Ochowicz, meanwhile, was pleased with the way his team leader Evans rode.

“He was always attentive, and always near the front,” he said. “On the last day in Paris we may be saying the race was won or lost on stage 1.”

Race note

The results from stage 1 took a bit of figuring out, for riders, officials and the press alike. Originally it appeared that a large number of heavy hitters had joined Contador in the 80-seconds-behind club, as riders who either crashed or were delayed at 8km rode in with others delayed or downed in the crash at 2km. Once officials determined who was entitled to benefit from the 3km rule — which gives riders who crash inside that distance from the finish the same time as the front group — they generated a fresh list of results that, frankly, look pretty odd. For example, Rigoberto Uran finished 49th at 1:20, and Vladimir Karpets finished 50th at 0:06. This is because Uran was in the 7km crash, and Karpets in the 2km crash. For simplicity’s sake, we suggest you just look at the GC results for the big picture.

Nick Legan, Ben Delaney, Patrick O’Grady and Agence France Presse contributed to this report. Stay tuned for more coverage of stage 1 of the 2011 Tour de France.

Stage 2 team time trial could be crucial for contenders in 2011 Tour de France

By Ben Delaney
Published Jul 2nd 2011 3:45 PM UTC
 

Cadel Evans, sitting second on GC, is hoping for a strong team time trial on Sunday. Photo: Graham Watson | grahamwatson.com

LES HERBIERS, France (VN) — Inside the sprawling 3,430km Tour de France, stage 2 is a mere 23km; however, the team time trial could well be decisive for the overall.

The fastest teams will likely put at least two minutes on the slowest on Sunday in Les Essarts. The question is, how will the GC hopefuls fare? RadioShack, HTC-Highroad, Garmin-Cervélo and Sky should smash out good times, but Cadel Evans’ BMC and yellow jersey Philippe Gilbert’s Omega Pharma-Lotto squads will have really to step it up to keep their men atop the overall standings. With Fabian Cancellara in the mix, Leopard-Trek should keep Andy Schleck adequately positioned at day’s end.

Although 30kph winds are expected, the 23km oval course is largely protected from the breezes. All riders have recon’ed the stage. On the day before the Tour de France, Bjarne Riis had his Saxo Bank squad ride out to the course from their hotel, complete three laps, then switch bikes and ride over to and up stage 1’s finish.

Sitting second overall, Evans said the team time trial presents an important challenge for BMC. The Aussie knows how important the TTT can be. In 2009, while riding with Silence-Lotto, Evans lost 2:35 to Astana, ground that he would never be able to make up against Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador.
“We can have a great team time trial, which is not only good for the GC, but for us as a team, it would be a big morale-booster,” Evans said. “We will see where it puts us on Sunday. It’s important to try to take time on Contador if you want to beat him, and the team time trial could be a good opportunity.”
Although relatively short at 23km, the team time trial requires careful strategy and good communication from teams, said HTC-Highroad director Allan Peiper.

“The most important part is maximizing riders seven, eight and nine,” the ex-pro said of each team’s weakest riders. “It’s not about burning them as such, but maximizing the utilization of everyone’s energy.

“To do that, you’ve really got to have riders one, two and three in tow, so that they know that they’re not pulling through too hard, not lifting the pace too fast. Then you can drag riders seven, eight and nine out.

“The more you can utilize their energy in the initial phase of the race, the more you can save the big motors at the end when everybody is getting tired. You don’t want to really use the big motors at the start, because then you’re putting everyone else under pressure, and then at the finish they don’t have any lift left. If you can ride with a complete group of nine, everyone gets enough recovery time, and then the big motors will have enough left to really make a difference at the end.”

When Peiper was a pro in the 1980s, team time trials were regularly in the 100km range.
“Just before I turned pro, there was one that was 150km,” he said. “Then you have time to make some mistakes and make up for them. But in 23km you have no time to make mistakes. Even in the first kilometer going out of Les Essarts there is an acute corner and it drags up to the first roundabout. If you don’t start fast enough there you lost five seconds. That could be what you lose with.”

After the crashes in stage 1, more than half the riders are already well behind on time. Only 77 guys made the front group on stage 1, with the others at least 1:20 back.

Like most other squads, Garmin-Cervélo did a full dress rehearsal on the course.

“We did a couple of laps as a team,” said Garmin’s David Millar. “We know it well. We couldn’t have done much more. It’s a nice course.”

Although Evans is hoping for the best, BMC team boss Jim Ochowicz said that they didn’t plan to take the jersey in the TTT — “and if we did, we would give it away!”

After essentially riding a team time trial to set up Gilbert for the stage 1 win, Omega Pharma-Lotto will come into the TTT tired, and the squad wasn’t likely to dominate the event anyway. So Gilbert seems likely to concede the jersey.

HTC-Highroad has won the last two grand-tour team time trials — at the 2011 Giro d’Italia in a 19.3km event over RadioShack and Liquigas-Cannondale, and at the 2010 Vuelta a España over Liquigas and Saxo Bank (a 13km event).

All of the GC contenders can either ride strong time trials, or they have teammates who can ride solo events well against the clock. But Sunday’s event is a team event.

“A lot of team time trials have been lost by the strongest guys making mistakes,” Peiper said. “Not by the weakest guys being weak, but the strongest guys being too strong. It’s delicate.”

[cyclist]

From VeloNews:

Inside the Tour with John Wilcockson: Contador could be in for the fight of his life
 By John Wilcockson
Published Jul 2nd 2011 4:35 PM UTC — Updated Jul 2nd 2011 4:48 PM UTC
 
Perhaps it was a bad omen for Alberto Contador that the opening stage of the 2011 Tour de France started on the Passage du Gois. This is the ancient causeway across a tidal estuary that’s flooded twice a day and had big consequences when the Tour crossed it midway through stage 2 of the 1999 Tour, costing several pre-race favorites a six-minute time loss.
 
Pileups on early stages of the Tour de France usually don’t have that much influence on the race’s final outcome. And we don’t yet know how damaging Contador’s stage 1 loss of 1:17 on Cadel Evans (and 1:14 on the Schleck brothers) will be in the long term — or whether it will be an even bigger gap by the end of Sunday’s stage 2 team time trial.
 

Virtual GC after stage 1
 
1. Cadel Evans, 4:41:34
 2. Jurgen Van den Broeck, at 0:03
 3. Andreas Klöden, s.t.
 4. Chris Horner, s.t.
 5. Fränk Schleck, s.t.
 6. Alexander Vinokourov, s.t.
 7. Nicolas Roche, s.t.
 8. Tejay Van Garderen, s.t.
 9. Andy Schleck, s.t.
 10. Levi Leipheimer, s.t.
 11. Jani Brajkovic, s.t.
 12. Ivan Basso, s.t.
 13. Brad Wiggins, s.t.
 14. Robert Gesink, s.t.
 15. Samuel Sanchez, at 1:17
 16. Alberto Contador, s.t.
 17. Ryder Hesjedal, at 1:52
 18. Roman Kreuziger, s.t.
 19. Jérôme Coppel, s.t.
 20. Christian Vande Velde, at 3:38
 
But we do know that it has put the defending champion in a big hole (see the “Virtual GC” that shows the overall positions of men expected to finish top 20 this year).
 
On any early stage of any Tour, the smart riders and teams know it’s imperative to be near the front of the peloton — because crashes or pileups or splits due to echelons forming in crosswinds can happen at any time.
 
There were no echelons Saturday because when the pace picked up in the final 50km the wind was in the riders’ faces, not from the side. But there were frequent falls, some caused by the bunch being squeezed at traffic islands or riders overlapping on narrow roads and falling into ditches, and a speed bump caused another crash.
 
The biggest problems were expected to come on one of the nine roundabouts that peppered the final 6km of stage 1, but the day’s major pileup happened 3km before that on a straight stretch of wide highway after an Astana rider ricocheted off a roadside spectator into the right side of the peloton. Dozens of riders fell as a result and blocked those behind.
 
The 78 riders ahead of the pileup sped away from the other 120 riders — who besides Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Contador included fellow Spanish contender Samuel Sanchez of Euskaltel-Euskadi and Garmin-Cervélo’s North American leaders Tom Danielson, Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Vande Velde. Their big time loss can be put down to bad luck, but men who have aspirations of the yellow jersey should have been up front, especially in the last 10km of a flat stage.
 
Lessons from the past
 
The folly of sitting too far back in the peloton is a lesson that several candidates for victory were taught in that Passage du Gois incident 12 years ago. Before reaching the narrow 4km-long causeway, George Hincapie made a full-out surge in fierce crosswinds on behalf of his U.S. Postal Service leader, Lance Armstrong. The American’s acceleration split the pack into five groups before they even reached the Gois. And with everyone racing at over 50 kph across the causeway’s slick pavement, the inevitable pileup took place 1km into the crossing.
 
There were 75 riders ahead of the crash (three fewer than in Saturday’s pileup), and they emerged on the other side of the Gois with a half-minute lead on 50 chasers that included some race favorites, notably the Swiss Alex Zülle.
 
A fierce battle between the two groups ensued over the final two hours of that 176km stage, and the half-minute gap became 6:03 by the stage finish. Amazingly, Zülle’s huge time loss that day didn’t prevent him from climbing up the GC ladder to finish second overall in the 1999 Tour; as it was, he still wouldn’t have won because his final deficit on Armstrong was 7:37.
 
Besides the Passage du Gois and its major pileup, this year’s opener also had in common Hincapie playing a major role for a race favorite. Now riding his record-tying 16th Tour, the genial American was prominent in guiding his BMC Racing team leader Cadel Evans through the potential mayhem on Saturday.
 
“It was really key to have guys like George and Burgi (Marcel Burghardt) around me on a day like today,” Evans said after he placed second atop the Mont des Alouettes, three seconds behind stage winner Philippe Gilbert. “George positioned me real well going into the bottom of the climb (and it was) great work by these boys for delivering me here.”
 
Evans will be relying on his veteran lieutenants to help him increase his 1:17 gap over Contador in Sunday’s 23km stage 2 team time trial. They’ll know exactly what they have to do because BMC starts in a favored slot, next to last, more than two hours after Contador’s Saxo Bank team — which starts first due to being ranked last on Saturday’s stage.
 
This conjures up memories of another defending Tour champion from Spain having a disastrous opening two days: Pedro Delgado in 1989. The Spanish climber didn’t crash or get caught up in a pileup, but he showed up late for his prologue time trial and conceded 2:48 to eventual winner Greg LeMond. And in the next day’s 46km TTT (twice the length of this year’s), Delgado’s Reynolds team finished dead last, conceding another 3:41 to LeMond.
 
Delgado fought back in the mountain stages (as Contador will have to do), but came up short, finishing third overall in Paris, 3:34 behind LeMond. The situation is nowhere near as dire for Contador, but should he concede, say, a half-minute in Sunday’s TTT and drop close to two minutes behind Evans and Leopard-Trek’s Schleck brothers, he is going to have the fight of his life to defend his title.