Stage 15, Samatan to Pau, 158.5 km
Jul. 18th, 2012 06:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysobelleSo here we are at the relatively flat Stage 15. We've lost 41 riders, which is pretty steep for le Tour. Five of those riders have gone today alone, including Sylvain Chavanel. There are, oh, five teams left with their full complement. Garmin alone has been utterly decimated.
But those left aren't giving up. Today, a mid-stage breakaway of six is fighting for every second-- they're over eight minutes ahead, with 30-plus km to Pau, our finishing line. Up the gap goes-- eight and a half, 8.55, 9 minutes. It's the hottest day in the Tour, but they're hotter still. 9.5 minutes, and the only question now is which one of them will win the stage.
The peloton isn't overly worried. There was a very fast start today, and on the whole, it's a fast day. But Thomas Voeckler is the highest-placed rider in the breakaway, and he's 56th. Christian Vandevelde of this year's ill-fated Garmin team is in there, but while he's an excellent rider, he's also not a contender for this year's GC. So the peloton isn't pursuing.
There's still fallout from yesterday's act of what's been dubbed "Cycling Hooliganism." The director of the race went to every single team and documented how many flats they'd suffered. Grand total? 48. They were carpet tacks, scattered in the road. Photos shown on TV are enraging: over ten thousand dollars' worth of cycling equipment, ruined. And what's far worse: Astana’s Robert Kiserlovski, in the confusion and danger of the incident, crashed and broke his collarbone, bringing his Tour to a nasty and premature end.
6km from the end for the lead group, and there's a flurry of attacks. These riders are testing each other, pulling at the adhesion that's held them together all this time. The first attack fails, but then there's another. And another. 11.30 back to the peloton. The six of them have abandoned aerodynamics and are scattered across the road. Vande Velde and Pierrick Fedrigo of FDJ take off, and soon enough, they have a 20-second lead. Closer and closer to the line, and the tension builds-- will there be a sprint? Fedrigo is riding with Vande Velde on his wheel, and he's constantly looking over his shoulder, over and over, his head snapping round again and again, waiting, waiting waiting-- they get closer to the line. Who's going to break first? There's some unspoken signal, and they take off-- but there's no time for Vande Velde to come round, and soon enough, it's Pierrick Fedrigo crossing the line to win in Pau, as he did two years ago.
The peloton knows the stage is already won, but they haven't finished their own work today quite yet. Mark Cavendish is in the front, but being there now means he's not saving himself, so perhaps he's probably not going to contest the final sprint. But Peter Sagan doesn't feel that way, nor Andre Greipel, nor Tyler Farrar. There's a finally flurry-- and the points go to Greipel-- nice 30th birthday present for him.
Back into the mountains again tomorrow-- they Pyrenees this time. The "Circle of Death," as they're called. No, that's not ominous at all. This should be good.
But those left aren't giving up. Today, a mid-stage breakaway of six is fighting for every second-- they're over eight minutes ahead, with 30-plus km to Pau, our finishing line. Up the gap goes-- eight and a half, 8.55, 9 minutes. It's the hottest day in the Tour, but they're hotter still. 9.5 minutes, and the only question now is which one of them will win the stage.
The peloton isn't overly worried. There was a very fast start today, and on the whole, it's a fast day. But Thomas Voeckler is the highest-placed rider in the breakaway, and he's 56th. Christian Vandevelde of this year's ill-fated Garmin team is in there, but while he's an excellent rider, he's also not a contender for this year's GC. So the peloton isn't pursuing.
There's still fallout from yesterday's act of what's been dubbed "Cycling Hooliganism." The director of the race went to every single team and documented how many flats they'd suffered. Grand total? 48. They were carpet tacks, scattered in the road. Photos shown on TV are enraging: over ten thousand dollars' worth of cycling equipment, ruined. And what's far worse: Astana’s Robert Kiserlovski, in the confusion and danger of the incident, crashed and broke his collarbone, bringing his Tour to a nasty and premature end.
6km from the end for the lead group, and there's a flurry of attacks. These riders are testing each other, pulling at the adhesion that's held them together all this time. The first attack fails, but then there's another. And another. 11.30 back to the peloton. The six of them have abandoned aerodynamics and are scattered across the road. Vande Velde and Pierrick Fedrigo of FDJ take off, and soon enough, they have a 20-second lead. Closer and closer to the line, and the tension builds-- will there be a sprint? Fedrigo is riding with Vande Velde on his wheel, and he's constantly looking over his shoulder, over and over, his head snapping round again and again, waiting, waiting waiting-- they get closer to the line. Who's going to break first? There's some unspoken signal, and they take off-- but there's no time for Vande Velde to come round, and soon enough, it's Pierrick Fedrigo crossing the line to win in Pau, as he did two years ago.
The peloton knows the stage is already won, but they haven't finished their own work today quite yet. Mark Cavendish is in the front, but being there now means he's not saving himself, so perhaps he's probably not going to contest the final sprint. But Peter Sagan doesn't feel that way, nor Andre Greipel, nor Tyler Farrar. There's a finally flurry-- and the points go to Greipel-- nice 30th birthday present for him.
Back into the mountains again tomorrow-- they Pyrenees this time. The "Circle of Death," as they're called. No, that's not ominous at all. This should be good.