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Stage 3: Ajaccio to Calvi, 90m/146km
Jul. 1st, 2013 11:36 pmStage 3: Ajaccio to Calvi, 90m/146km
You almost never get to see the depart, but today was a short day, so hey, why not film it, too? The red official’s car cruises out of the narrow streets of town, surrounded by-- surprisingly! all 198 riders. Crashes be damned, we haven’t lost any riders. Yet. After 5km of the neutral zone, the official, who is standing up out of the sunroof with a little flag and a microphone, starts waving the flag boldly back and forth over his head. The neutral zone is over, the race is on.
Lieuwe Westra from Vacansoleil takes off immediately. He’s over 17 minutes back in the GC, so he’s not a serious threat, but despite this, he’s soon joined by four more riders. These five will lead for HOURS on the road, as the race goes through some truly jaw-dropping scenery. While the race does go into the mountains, the more definitive aspect of today’s stage is how curvy it is. We’re following the coast, for the most part, before we turn inland. I am just stunned. Gorgeous, gorgeous. I’m paying attention to the race, I swear, but...wow. It’s hard!
We’re about halfway through the stage at this point, and there’s a crash. Not too bad, but Dutch rider Nicky Terpstra, Mark Cavendish’s Quickstep teammate, is the last to get up. He’s shaking out his hand as if he’s hurt it, but he waves off the medic’s car, we’re told.
Onwards, onwards, and now the peloton is 1.22 behind the leading five riders. The incomparable Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett, possibly the best commentators in sport, are giving us a rundown of who’s injured in the race. It turns out we’ve had our first two abandonments today, and I’m amazed that we got this far before it happened. Moreover, they mention that Geraint Thomas is riding with a suspected fracture of the pelvis. Another rider is riding with a fractured rib. I can’t walk p the stairs wen my knee’s twinging without whining, and these guys are the riding wounded. I’m such a wimp.
RadioShack is leading the peloton, keeping Maillot Jaune Jan Bakelants safe as they can. Arthur Vichot, champion of France (and how’s that for a title?) has gone down on a curve. He gets up, fairly unfazed, and remains calm as his team car arrives to help get his bike back together and give him a push start. Shortly thereafter, we see him holding onto his team car as his mechanic leans out the window to work on his bike on the fly-- an inspiring and nerve-wracking sight. And not enough, apparently: not long after, he just gets a new bike altogether.
One last climb on the way to the finish in Calvi. The peloton has closed to 40/50 seconds, but the five breakaway riders aren’t giving up. And as if that wasn’t enough to look at, there’s a beautiful helicopter shot of the peloton, now turned inland and racing through gently rolling land, with fields on either side. On the far side, a pickup truck with a guy in the bed waving the Corsican flag. On the near side, two people on horses, also carrying the Corsican flag. The first horse is going hell for leather, and barely keeping up with the cyclists. Wow.
Back at the front, there’s been a battle with the breakaway, and it’s split. Two riders are now up ahead: Simon Clarke of Orica GreenEdge and Sebastien Minard of AG2R. They refuse to give up, and are now battling each other as, far behind now, two of the other three are caught. Minard is dropped by Clarke, and as he drops back, Cyril Gaultier of Europcar breaks from the peloton to attempt to pass him. The two begin to cooperate, but it’s doubtful they can catch Clarke.
Not long after, Pierre Roland, the Polka-Dot Jersey, crosses the gap with a Europcar teammate to Clarke, and they pass him. They’re joined by a Euskatel rider, and the three try to fend off the encroaching peloton. And not long after THAT, as the climb closes in on the summit line, Roland is out front alone, easily taking the points that will double his number of points in the King of the Mountain competition. But he doesn’t slow down-- now he’s going for the stage win, taking the descent in dizzying speed. But Sylvain Chavanel, former Time Trial Champion of France, is not giving up, either. He shoots across to Roland, and soon enough, two more riders join them. It’s only 5.5km to the end, and this group of four is a mere nine seconds ahead.
Back in the pack, RadioShack is pushing the pace, and Orica GreenEdge. They loom behind the four, and the catch is inevitable. And now, less than 4km from the end, the entire field is back together. No more hills, just flat, but there’s a turn a few hundred meters from the finish line. It could be a great sprint finish, or a pileup. An Argus rider, Tom Doumoulin, tries to break away, but the main field isn’t going to let him go. Peter Sagan’s team starts to line him up for what promises to be a proper good sprint.
Tight turn, but everyone is safe. Sprint starts, and both Australian Simon Gerrans and Slovakian Peter Sagan are both firing on all cylinders, but as we cross the line, it’s impossible to see who’s managed it-- neither rider celebrates. They cross the line and look at each other, not knowing who was first. At last, the photo comes out, and it’s Gerrans by, quite literally, a fifth of a wheel. Inches.
It’s an exciting win, especially for Gerrans’ team, Orica GreenEdge. You remember them from two days ago, right? The bus? I think it was a team goal to leave Corsica with something a little more positive by which to remember them. They’ve definitely done that.
Tonight, all the riders climb aboard two special jets to cross to the mainland, where tomorrow they face the team time trial in Nice. Their entourages will follow by boat with all the equipment and vehicles. TTTs are always exciting, and tomorrow should be no different.
You almost never get to see the depart, but today was a short day, so hey, why not film it, too? The red official’s car cruises out of the narrow streets of town, surrounded by-- surprisingly! all 198 riders. Crashes be damned, we haven’t lost any riders. Yet. After 5km of the neutral zone, the official, who is standing up out of the sunroof with a little flag and a microphone, starts waving the flag boldly back and forth over his head. The neutral zone is over, the race is on.
Lieuwe Westra from Vacansoleil takes off immediately. He’s over 17 minutes back in the GC, so he’s not a serious threat, but despite this, he’s soon joined by four more riders. These five will lead for HOURS on the road, as the race goes through some truly jaw-dropping scenery. While the race does go into the mountains, the more definitive aspect of today’s stage is how curvy it is. We’re following the coast, for the most part, before we turn inland. I am just stunned. Gorgeous, gorgeous. I’m paying attention to the race, I swear, but...wow. It’s hard!
We’re about halfway through the stage at this point, and there’s a crash. Not too bad, but Dutch rider Nicky Terpstra, Mark Cavendish’s Quickstep teammate, is the last to get up. He’s shaking out his hand as if he’s hurt it, but he waves off the medic’s car, we’re told.
Onwards, onwards, and now the peloton is 1.22 behind the leading five riders. The incomparable Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett, possibly the best commentators in sport, are giving us a rundown of who’s injured in the race. It turns out we’ve had our first two abandonments today, and I’m amazed that we got this far before it happened. Moreover, they mention that Geraint Thomas is riding with a suspected fracture of the pelvis. Another rider is riding with a fractured rib. I can’t walk p the stairs wen my knee’s twinging without whining, and these guys are the riding wounded. I’m such a wimp.
RadioShack is leading the peloton, keeping Maillot Jaune Jan Bakelants safe as they can. Arthur Vichot, champion of France (and how’s that for a title?) has gone down on a curve. He gets up, fairly unfazed, and remains calm as his team car arrives to help get his bike back together and give him a push start. Shortly thereafter, we see him holding onto his team car as his mechanic leans out the window to work on his bike on the fly-- an inspiring and nerve-wracking sight. And not enough, apparently: not long after, he just gets a new bike altogether.
One last climb on the way to the finish in Calvi. The peloton has closed to 40/50 seconds, but the five breakaway riders aren’t giving up. And as if that wasn’t enough to look at, there’s a beautiful helicopter shot of the peloton, now turned inland and racing through gently rolling land, with fields on either side. On the far side, a pickup truck with a guy in the bed waving the Corsican flag. On the near side, two people on horses, also carrying the Corsican flag. The first horse is going hell for leather, and barely keeping up with the cyclists. Wow.
Back at the front, there’s been a battle with the breakaway, and it’s split. Two riders are now up ahead: Simon Clarke of Orica GreenEdge and Sebastien Minard of AG2R. They refuse to give up, and are now battling each other as, far behind now, two of the other three are caught. Minard is dropped by Clarke, and as he drops back, Cyril Gaultier of Europcar breaks from the peloton to attempt to pass him. The two begin to cooperate, but it’s doubtful they can catch Clarke.
Not long after, Pierre Roland, the Polka-Dot Jersey, crosses the gap with a Europcar teammate to Clarke, and they pass him. They’re joined by a Euskatel rider, and the three try to fend off the encroaching peloton. And not long after THAT, as the climb closes in on the summit line, Roland is out front alone, easily taking the points that will double his number of points in the King of the Mountain competition. But he doesn’t slow down-- now he’s going for the stage win, taking the descent in dizzying speed. But Sylvain Chavanel, former Time Trial Champion of France, is not giving up, either. He shoots across to Roland, and soon enough, two more riders join them. It’s only 5.5km to the end, and this group of four is a mere nine seconds ahead.
Back in the pack, RadioShack is pushing the pace, and Orica GreenEdge. They loom behind the four, and the catch is inevitable. And now, less than 4km from the end, the entire field is back together. No more hills, just flat, but there’s a turn a few hundred meters from the finish line. It could be a great sprint finish, or a pileup. An Argus rider, Tom Doumoulin, tries to break away, but the main field isn’t going to let him go. Peter Sagan’s team starts to line him up for what promises to be a proper good sprint.
Tight turn, but everyone is safe. Sprint starts, and both Australian Simon Gerrans and Slovakian Peter Sagan are both firing on all cylinders, but as we cross the line, it’s impossible to see who’s managed it-- neither rider celebrates. They cross the line and look at each other, not knowing who was first. At last, the photo comes out, and it’s Gerrans by, quite literally, a fifth of a wheel. Inches.
It’s an exciting win, especially for Gerrans’ team, Orica GreenEdge. You remember them from two days ago, right? The bus? I think it was a team goal to leave Corsica with something a little more positive by which to remember them. They’ve definitely done that.
Tonight, all the riders climb aboard two special jets to cross to the mainland, where tomorrow they face the team time trial in Nice. Their entourages will follow by boat with all the equipment and vehicles. TTTs are always exciting, and tomorrow should be no different.