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Stage 8: Castres to Ax Trois Domaines, 121m/195km
Okay, yes, I’ve missed a few days. Stage 4, Team Time Trial: Orica GreenEdge continued to try to wipe out the memory of BusGate. That left their rider Simon Gerrans wearing yellow for Stage 5. And then in Stage 6, his teammate Darryl took over the Maillot Jaune, becoming the first South African ever to wear it. He still wears it on today’s stage. I missed something in there. Yes, I know.
Anyway. Got all that? Okay. Good. Cos now it doesn’t matter any more. Cos now we’re in the mountains. We’re in the Pyrenees as of today, and everything changes.
There’s a breakaway, as usual, and in it is Johnny Hoogerland. I don’t know if you remember the 2010 Tour, but there was a horrifying incident where he and another rider were clipped hard by a French TV car that swerved to avoid nicking a tree. Both riders went head over heels-- Johnny flipped wildly straight into a barbed wire fence. He managed to get back up and onto his bike, and the bike medic treated his fast-bleeding wounds (these guys’ hearts are going hard, remember) on the fly, and Hoogerland cried through the presentation to him of the King of the Mountains Jersey at stage’s end. His bravery and toughness not only won him that jersey, but the hearts of pretty much every race fan everywhere. Tough way to win that, but man, what a competitor. Today, he’s one of four riders six minutes in front of the peloton. We’re on a very gentle climb so far, but we’re more than halfway to the highest climb of the Tour: the Col de Pailheres. There is no mercy in the mountains, and it’s where the race really begins-- and is won or lost. Today is the highest climb in this year’s race, and it’s going to absolutely break the field apart.
26 miles to go. The climb has begun, and French rider Christophe Riblon of AG2r has taken off by himself. He’s 35 seconds ahead, but his lead is shrinking. It’s hot and the road is steep, and all the riders are starting to look sautéed. I love cycling at the best of times and the worst of times, but I’ll be the first to admit, it does take an element of sadism to enjoy watching these guys suffer like the damned for three weeks. Oh, well. The scenery’s always pretty. Look, a castle!
Thomas Voeckler of Europcar tries for a breakaway of his own off the front of the breakaway. He’s worn the Yellow Jersey many times, and won many races, but he’s too far down the GC this year to be a challenge. Still, he wants face time for his team and his country, so off he goes. No one follows to help or challenge him.
4.8 miles from Riblon to the top. The whole race is broken up all the way back down the mountain. Riders are coming off the back all over the place, and even Maillot Jaune Darryl Impey looks like he’s about to become unhitched.
Hey! Colombian rider Nairo Quintana of Movistar has broken from the main pack and wham! He’s right there with Voeckler, who never saw him coming, but is likely insanely relieved to have someone share the work. It doesn’t last, though. Soon enough, Voeckler is sliding backwards into the peloton (and soon cracks and falls off the back), while Quintana is moving forward. He passes Robert Gesink of Belkin, and not much later, 5km from the summit, he catches Riblon!
I’m imagining Riblon must be hysterically glad to have someone to share the work, but I’m wondering if Quintana is going to drop him, too. Being from Colombia, these altitudes are home to him. As Phil Liggett points out, he’s at 3,000 feet above sea level before he gets out of bed in the morning. And sure enough, minutes later, Quintna is whipping around the mountain switchbacks alone, Riblon fading in the distance.
Back in the peloton, Sky is doing its utmost to move Chris Froome along. They’re pushing the pace-- as much as anyone can on this damned rock-- and soon enough, are pushing past a rapidly sinking Riblon. Word comes that Tejay VanGarderen has cracked. Gah. I hope he can recover tonight.
The road is one car width up here. There are cars and RVs and people everywhere, screaming their heads off. It’s not the massed crowds we’ll see later, but they’re loud. For once, very, very few of them are dumb enough to try running up the road alongside these cyclist. I mean, there are always the fratboys of the mountains, shirtless and bellowing as they very nearly collide with the men they’re cheering on to win. But for the mot part, this crowd is comparatively well-behaved.
Finally, Quintana has reached the summit, the road kept clear by metal barriers, with only soigneurs holding their team’s water bottles in the road. Quintana grabs one as he begins the descent.
And thus begins some of the most terrifying footage of any race: professional cyclist aiming themselves down a mountain, doing everything in their power to go the human-powered equivalent of Ludicrous Speed. Gravity and an excellent bike aren’t enough: they’ll fold themselves into an aerodynamic tuck down on the frame, behind their handlebars, sometimes completely off the saddle, and FLY. And sometimes, terrain permitting, they’ll pedal to go even faster. They can reach speeds of up to 60mph. Around curves. Besides fear-of-G-d-inducing drops with no guard rails. Insane.
There’s another comparatively small climb before the end, yeah, but I’m really thinking Quintana could take this. He is an incredible climber. And he’s only 23. If he wins, and does it by seventeen seconds or more, he’ll also take yellow.
To my surprise, there’s a group coming up behind Quintana. And one of those men is Team Sky’s Chris Froome. And Froome pushes forward until HE is alone, 14 seconds ahead. And soon, 29 seconds. Quintana is back in the pack now, and it remains to be seen if Froome can win the stage. But remember Quintana. You’re going to be hearing a LOT about him in the coming years.
Froome has 1000 meters left to go. He’s alone. He’s far enough ahead that he could take both the stage and yellow. In fact, he’d have to fall to lose it now. But he needs to get as much time on everyone else as possible. And what’s also great: his teammate Richie Porte comes in half a minute later-- they’re now one and two in the race and there will be EUPHORIA on the Sky bus tonight. Alejandro Valverde is third. And at 1.48, a small group containing Quintana arrives, still ahead of the peloton. Nothing in the standings will the same tonight. Welcome to crazy.
Okay, yes, I’ve missed a few days. Stage 4, Team Time Trial: Orica GreenEdge continued to try to wipe out the memory of BusGate. That left their rider Simon Gerrans wearing yellow for Stage 5. And then in Stage 6, his teammate Darryl took over the Maillot Jaune, becoming the first South African ever to wear it. He still wears it on today’s stage. I missed something in there. Yes, I know.
Anyway. Got all that? Okay. Good. Cos now it doesn’t matter any more. Cos now we’re in the mountains. We’re in the Pyrenees as of today, and everything changes.
There’s a breakaway, as usual, and in it is Johnny Hoogerland. I don’t know if you remember the 2010 Tour, but there was a horrifying incident where he and another rider were clipped hard by a French TV car that swerved to avoid nicking a tree. Both riders went head over heels-- Johnny flipped wildly straight into a barbed wire fence. He managed to get back up and onto his bike, and the bike medic treated his fast-bleeding wounds (these guys’ hearts are going hard, remember) on the fly, and Hoogerland cried through the presentation to him of the King of the Mountains Jersey at stage’s end. His bravery and toughness not only won him that jersey, but the hearts of pretty much every race fan everywhere. Tough way to win that, but man, what a competitor. Today, he’s one of four riders six minutes in front of the peloton. We’re on a very gentle climb so far, but we’re more than halfway to the highest climb of the Tour: the Col de Pailheres. There is no mercy in the mountains, and it’s where the race really begins-- and is won or lost. Today is the highest climb in this year’s race, and it’s going to absolutely break the field apart.
26 miles to go. The climb has begun, and French rider Christophe Riblon of AG2r has taken off by himself. He’s 35 seconds ahead, but his lead is shrinking. It’s hot and the road is steep, and all the riders are starting to look sautéed. I love cycling at the best of times and the worst of times, but I’ll be the first to admit, it does take an element of sadism to enjoy watching these guys suffer like the damned for three weeks. Oh, well. The scenery’s always pretty. Look, a castle!
Thomas Voeckler of Europcar tries for a breakaway of his own off the front of the breakaway. He’s worn the Yellow Jersey many times, and won many races, but he’s too far down the GC this year to be a challenge. Still, he wants face time for his team and his country, so off he goes. No one follows to help or challenge him.
4.8 miles from Riblon to the top. The whole race is broken up all the way back down the mountain. Riders are coming off the back all over the place, and even Maillot Jaune Darryl Impey looks like he’s about to become unhitched.
Hey! Colombian rider Nairo Quintana of Movistar has broken from the main pack and wham! He’s right there with Voeckler, who never saw him coming, but is likely insanely relieved to have someone share the work. It doesn’t last, though. Soon enough, Voeckler is sliding backwards into the peloton (and soon cracks and falls off the back), while Quintana is moving forward. He passes Robert Gesink of Belkin, and not much later, 5km from the summit, he catches Riblon!
I’m imagining Riblon must be hysterically glad to have someone to share the work, but I’m wondering if Quintana is going to drop him, too. Being from Colombia, these altitudes are home to him. As Phil Liggett points out, he’s at 3,000 feet above sea level before he gets out of bed in the morning. And sure enough, minutes later, Quintna is whipping around the mountain switchbacks alone, Riblon fading in the distance.
Back in the peloton, Sky is doing its utmost to move Chris Froome along. They’re pushing the pace-- as much as anyone can on this damned rock-- and soon enough, are pushing past a rapidly sinking Riblon. Word comes that Tejay VanGarderen has cracked. Gah. I hope he can recover tonight.
The road is one car width up here. There are cars and RVs and people everywhere, screaming their heads off. It’s not the massed crowds we’ll see later, but they’re loud. For once, very, very few of them are dumb enough to try running up the road alongside these cyclist. I mean, there are always the fratboys of the mountains, shirtless and bellowing as they very nearly collide with the men they’re cheering on to win. But for the mot part, this crowd is comparatively well-behaved.
Finally, Quintana has reached the summit, the road kept clear by metal barriers, with only soigneurs holding their team’s water bottles in the road. Quintana grabs one as he begins the descent.
And thus begins some of the most terrifying footage of any race: professional cyclist aiming themselves down a mountain, doing everything in their power to go the human-powered equivalent of Ludicrous Speed. Gravity and an excellent bike aren’t enough: they’ll fold themselves into an aerodynamic tuck down on the frame, behind their handlebars, sometimes completely off the saddle, and FLY. And sometimes, terrain permitting, they’ll pedal to go even faster. They can reach speeds of up to 60mph. Around curves. Besides fear-of-G-d-inducing drops with no guard rails. Insane.
There’s another comparatively small climb before the end, yeah, but I’m really thinking Quintana could take this. He is an incredible climber. And he’s only 23. If he wins, and does it by seventeen seconds or more, he’ll also take yellow.
To my surprise, there’s a group coming up behind Quintana. And one of those men is Team Sky’s Chris Froome. And Froome pushes forward until HE is alone, 14 seconds ahead. And soon, 29 seconds. Quintana is back in the pack now, and it remains to be seen if Froome can win the stage. But remember Quintana. You’re going to be hearing a LOT about him in the coming years.
Froome has 1000 meters left to go. He’s alone. He’s far enough ahead that he could take both the stage and yellow. In fact, he’d have to fall to lose it now. But he needs to get as much time on everyone else as possible. And what’s also great: his teammate Richie Porte comes in half a minute later-- they’re now one and two in the race and there will be EUPHORIA on the Sky bus tonight. Alejandro Valverde is third. And at 1.48, a small group containing Quintana arrives, still ahead of the peloton. Nothing in the standings will the same tonight. Welcome to crazy.