Le Tour 2010 - Stage 9 - There's only so much pain you can bear. Evans cracks in more ways than one

It was a hell of a stage. 2 cat 1 climbs and an HC to boot. And to attempt that ride plus a yellow jersey defence with a fractured elbow takes some doing. But in the end he just couldn't muster enough pain management to get over that last mountain with the leaders. Cadel's GC hopes have effectively ended, although like Lance Armstrong he wants to ride on.

I must admit I wasn't so surprised to see him crack, but the magnitude was way out of proportion. That blue tape on his left arm was a bit of a clue but otherwise it just looked like he'd absolutely had enough. The fact that Sastre and Wiggins were also in trouble made it more believable, but clearly there was more at play here - like a fractured elbow. Hopefully he can claw back some pride with a stage win from here.

Otherwise a nice show on the road with a great win by Casar. And Vino attacking, clearing the way for Contador; and Voigt doing everything to pace Schleck up to the summit. And Schleck himself doing almost everything possible to drop Alberto, to no avail. But what a chase by Samuel Sanchez. To be so close for so long, but so far...

So now it's the Schleck and Contador show with perhaps Sami Sanchez, Menchov - maybe even Leipheimer - the most likely intruders into the party. If they can keep up. Falls aside, Contador is looking good for the overall.

Fractured Elbow Shatters Tour Hopes For Evans | Cyclingnews.com

"The team was just fantastic but I'm the one who had the crash two days ago. I'm the one that is wearing the jersey and I'm the one that is vulnerable. I'm not my normal self if I get dropped by a group like that. Normally today was a chance for the stage win and it wouldn't have an effect on the GC. Now I'm pretty sure it's all over for this year."

Evans apologized to his teammates and team owner.

"This year there's been two health problems: the Giro and now here things aren't at my normal level. I put in a lot of work and I suffer on my bike everyday and I do it with pleasure. For the guys who have supported me and been so good, the team and Andy Rihs, the owner of the team and everyone who has believed in this project, I'm just so sorry to let them all down."

Ochowicz explained that the fracture to Evans' elbow was discovered during the rest day on Monday, but the team did not want to reveal the problem before the stage today.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

Evans was involved in a crash just six kilometers into Stage 8, where he apparently suffered the fracture. He nevertheless managed to stay with the leading group of yellow jersey contenders and moved into the overall lead after Sylvain Chavanel was dropped. According to the team, they kept Evans’ injury a secret during the rest day in order to see how Evans would fare today, and he did pretty well over the first few climbs of Stage 9. But the Madeleine is a brutal mountain and the pace set by Astana and Saxo Bank at the front of the yellow jersey group pushed Evans – and pretty much everyone else – over the limit. It’s a very unfortunate turn of events for Evans, as he appeared to have better overall form this year than he had at the Tour de France last year.

Cadel's Diary | Cadel Evans 2009-2010 - The Official Site of Cadel Evans - World Champion 2009, Tour de France runner-up in 2007,2008.

A HUGE thank you to all the BMC boys who showed what they're made of today. The staff here at the Tour, they didn't know their leader was starting with broken arm - I didn't want to demoralize them.

Tour De France: Stage 9, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

Shortly after the catch of Vinokourov, the inevitable happened and Andy Schleck hit out with about 40km to go, the attack followed only by Contador although soon the two were joined by Samuel Sanchez, who impressively rode past the pair and with a constant grimace continued on in an attempt to put time into the group behind.

But no sooner had Sanchez rode past and BOOM, it was time for Schleck to go again and again in an attempt to break the elastic between himself and his closest rival, who was content to follow the Luxembourger's wheel as Sanchez was quickly relegated. Ahead of them the leading quartet had opened the gap to 6:20 over the maillot jaune of Evans and 3:37 over the battling duo of Contador and Schleck.

The young pair, which is expected to fill the top places on the general classification, carried on its merry way as those behind, the other overall contenders such as Van Den Broeck, Menchov, Ivan Basso and Leipheimer - assisted ably by Lance Armstrong - maintained a steady rhythm and held the gap between themselves and the Saxo Bank-Astana alliance to 1:30 with about 35km to go.

And Robbie McEwen updates us all on his back injury....
Robbie McEwen (mcewenrobbie) on Twitter

http://twitpic.com/24zpg3 Btw, this is how my lower back is looking thanks to the tool at finish a few days ago. Hip & leg look similar

Full-carbon, aluminium + carbon fork and aluminium + carbon fork and rear end. And steel. I've tried 'em all. And the difference is?

I'm tempted to say 'not worth arguing over', but my last steel bike was a beauty: custom higher bottom bracket height for crits, Campag all over it, fast wheels. Bought it in 1989, resprayed it in 1995 (to fend off the rust). Replaced the groupset with Mavic gear off my 1990 Look KG76 Carbon Kevlar (which took on 105 instead). Retired it for good in 1999 (rust again). Frankly, steel is a pain to maintain.

I sweat a lot, and I don't mind riding in the rain. I always clean, lube and rust-protect my steel bikes (including my Saronni-Colnago track bike, which almost never sees rain and has survived with scars and 2 re-sprays) but inevitably they rust. And I don't see (or feel) any advantage over other materials. So steel is just off the shopping list, at least for me. However my kids have cheap and cheerful steel bikes, and training wheels!

I should however say that my '85 Colnago Mexico was a great steel road bike. Smooth, effortless and hardly rusted at all. It was a great road bike but not handy at all in crits, so I got rid of it before I scratched it. As far as I know it's still intact (a friend bought it off me) and perhaps it proves that the initial treatment and care in manufacture of a steel frame makes the difference. But I can't be bothered with further experimentation given that I've already had, umm, 2 steel track bikes and 6 steel road bikes. And seriously - be they a custom frame, a Colnago or a Gitane, or even an Apollo or a Shogun - they weren't any more comfy or faster for being made of a rusty metal.

Which brings me to carbon. My Look KG76 (skinny carbon/kevlar tubes bonded to aluminium lugs) distinguished itself almost immediately by being the first bike in my experience to make 200km feel like a doddle. Seriously, it was a revelation and even put my comfy steel-framed Colnago into perspective. Whilst I can't say it was the carbon alone that made the difference, I can say that over 20 years later it's still rideable. In fact I'd race it without hesitation. What I would say is that the laid-back French frame angles matched with light but less-than-stiff wheels was the real differentiator in the comfort stakes.

One thing I have learnt from my 35 odd years of bike riding is that things break. My brother broke the steel forks on our old steel road bike. But the frame was getting close to 50 years old by that stage and the forks may have been original! Anyway, they broke catastrophically and without warning, much like my lightweight aluminium seatpost did years later...

Which brings me to aluminium frames. I have just 2 of those, both by Felt. They are ridden almost every day in all kinds of weather and raced on fine summer days. The F50, an aluminium frame with carbon fork is 6 years old (and counting) and has just broken its first spoke. The F75 is just 4 months old and has a carbon rear-end to go with a carbon fork. It's a size smaller than the F50 which fits me better but is noticeably more lively. Given the extra carbon some readers may think it would be more comfy but it's not, it's stiffer and harsher - as well as faster. I put that down to the smaller sized frame and the newer, slightly stiffer wheels rather than frame materials.

Now it gets complicated. I use 3 road bikes regularly but each is a different size with different angles, and a different mix of frame materials and wheelsets. I have Mavic vs Velocity clinchers and a variety of tyres, too. So how could I definitively "prove" what I feel? I can swap wheelsets around a bit and standardise on tyres, I guess. And I can run some tests using my power meter. But frankly, whilst I will almost certainly run some comparisons just for the heck of it, I don't think it matters too much. I can simply summarise my feelings and you can pick and choose what you want to believe. I'll even link to some further opinion afterwards ;-)   

In summary I believe that :

• Frame materials do NOT inherently "feel" different. If the angles are the same and the material stiffness is the same then they will "feel" the same - to me at least. Which debunks the 'steel or carbon fibre is more comfy' theory
• However my Look KG76 Carbon Kevlar is the most comfortable road bike I've ever owned - but I put that extra comfort down to the wheelset and frame angles rather than the carbon
  
• Wheels really matter - stiffer wheels degrade comfort but add speed; lighter wheels add speed (or acceleration) but may be softer, especially when cornering (depends on stiffness, again)
  
• Carbon frames (at least those made by Look) can be stiff or soft by design and can last 20 years or more, even when raced and trained on, without any noticeable change in "feel", either
  
• Aluminium fails suddenly and catastrophically and like all frames should be keenly examined for damage, but after 6 years of training and racing my aluminium Felt F50 remains failure-free (touch wood!) and just as nice to ride as on day one
  
• Steel rusts. It can be stiff or soft by design. It also doesn't "age" and become somehow less "springy". At least not in my experience! 

  
Some other people think differently, at least in part....

Is Carbon Fiber really worth the cost of a new bike? | Ask MetaFilter

I have been convinced that carbon fiber ages significantly every time it flexes, as does aluminum to a much lesser degree. Steel on the other hand, can flex a million times with very little measurable change in springiness. Just imagine how well a coil spring made of carbon fiber or aluminum would last.

Bicycle Frame Materials - Steel, Aluminum, Titanium and Carbon Fiber, by Sheldon Brown

Did you know that:
* Aluminum frames have a harsh ride?
* Titanium frames are soft and whippy?
* Steel frames go soft with age, but they have a nicer ride quality?
* England's Queen Elizabeth is a kingpin of the international drug trade?
All of the above statements are equally false. There is an amazing amount of folkloric "conventional wisdom" about bicycle frames and materials that is widely disseminated, but has no basis in fact.

The reality is that you can make a good bike frame out of any of these metals, with any desired riding qualities, by selecting appropriate tubing diamters, wall thicknesses and frame geometry.

Lifespan of Carbon Fiber Frame - Topic Powered by Social Strata

I have over 15000 miles on a 2004 Trek 5200 and I personally cannot tell any difference in the ride from the firt day to today. The frame has its share of scratches dings and such but its as supple as the day I bought it. My feeling on CF bikes is when there is a major malfunction it will just break and thats the time to replce it. I rode Steel in the 80'2 and could definitely tell age on the ride and performance after many miles. Same for an aluminum bike in the 90's. Probably not the most scientific answer you could get but its just my $.02 worth. 300 miles on a frame isnt much if you feel the bike has been cared for.

STEEL, ALUMINUM, TITANIUM, CARBON, or Some Combo!

But let us not deceive ourselves. The slight weight disadvantage that comes with a steel frame makes it unusable for racing at the highest levels. A steel frame can be made that weighs in the mid to low 3-pound range. Over a non-compact aluminum frame, this is a penalty of about one pound. This is just too heavy to chase Tyler Hamilton up a category-one climb. That is why the professional peloton uses aluminum or carbon. But for the rider who does not compete at the elite level, that one-pound penalty as part of a whole rider/bike package that approaches 200 pounds (or may generously exceed it) is insignificant. And for that pound, the rider gets a bike that can take advantage of the high-tensile strength and springy elasticity of modern steel and ride a bike that is an absolute dream. No bike rides as well as a steel bike built by a skilled builder. People who disagree with this conclusion usually have either a commercial interest in other materials, or have not ridden modern steel bikes.

STEEL, ALUMINUM, TITANIUM, CARBON, or Some Combo!

I believe that the feel of the road is a large part of the feedback I am looking for as I ride my bike. I am not looking to isolate myself from my cycling environment. I want to be part of it. For me, then, carbon works against my cycling goals. I have never ridden a carbon frame or fork that gives the fine, pleasant, comfortable ride under the widest set of condition that steel gives.

My Felt F75: 4 months later (updated!)

Well I paid good money for it, so I expect a solid ride with good, fast sensations that lifts my performance to a new level. Well actually I just expect a decent, hard-working bike. If it's faster than my Felt F50 or the old Look KG76 then that's a bonus.

The good news first. Nice build quality and very slightly lighter than my old F50 (talking sub 8kg fully built with pedals on my scales). The red, black and white paintwork is also very cool. Just stepping on the pedals for the very first time I thought "whoa, this is quick" - but that could just be gearing, eh?

Not being one to use first impressions as a definitive guide, I made some subtle adjustments mid-ride until the saddle was just so in terms of post height and rails, and measured everything as best I could to get my position to where a true comparison would be possible. And it still felt faster, if less so. The trouble with first impressions is that mere change - just being different - can fool you into thinking it's "better". And laying out a couple of grand psychologically puts you into a defensive 'of course it's better' frame of mind anyway. Even so, first impressions weren't bad, so that's good.

The not so good news. Nothing to blame Felt for, the fit and finish is excellent for the sub-$A2,300 I paid for it. That's around $200 cheaper than the 6 year old F50 was when new and half the 1990 buy price of the all-carbon Look. However a bike is only as good as its assemblers can make it and the LBS that put it together wasn't 100% on the money. (I still like 'em though!) Trouble is I bought it from an LBS that really specialises in mountain and kids bikes. So I had to remove the plastic protective bits, the bell and the streamers. OK, I'm joking about the streamers.

I also had to adjust the headset and reroute a brake cable to make for better free movement. And tighten a few bolts that were looser than I expected.    

The empirical data. So is it really faster? Well that's a harder one to answer as at age 52 with a few kids to distract me from real riding my fitness is up and down. So I have to remove the outliers in the data and "normalise" a few things. All things considered, my 'standard' rides were immediately faster - an astounding 2km/h over 30km and amost 3km/h better over 50km. I was stunned. It not only felt (ha ha) faster, it was faster. Sadly - call it 'new bike fever' - after a month the gains had almost completely disappeared. I think I just got used to it. After averaging it all out and taking into account fitness and weather variations the F75 is still up on the old F50 by 0.5kmh average overall and I'm prepared to say it has an advantage, but it's a small and diminishing one.

In terms of power I really don't expect much if any variation. I'm the same person with the same potential, and the bikes are set up pretty close to "the same". So the power I can put out should be about the same, if I have set it up right! And I haven't been able to do really fair tests as my ibike got drenched in some wet weather and has started to really eat batteries. However the few measurements I have got out of it actually do show gains in power on the flat and on "power" hills of around 20-30W average (5-10% grade). Maybe. It gets murky when comparing steeper climbs as the new bike has a compact 34/50 crankset whereas I have 39/50 on the older bike. It ain't apples to apples but I do prefer the 34 over the 39 for most hill efforts (talking 15-20% folks). Maybe the weather has been more conducive to me pumping out the Watts on the fresh new bike, or this is just normal variation in daily average wattage. I'll try to do more scientific testing as soon as I can. For now I feel faster on the new bike and it's showing in slightly higher speeds and power outputs. But I'm wondering if I should actually be getting faster speeds and lower average Wattage... hmmm.      


What else can I say? Well it's standard box-section Mavic clincher rims on both bikes but the new bike has a stiffer single-cross front wheel lacing pattern. If anything the stiffer front wheel explains the 'faster' feeling, and probably translates into better overall performance - at the expense of comfort. As I really only do crits these days I'm not concerned, and the odd 50km road race isn't a problem. 150-200km road races may be different. It can be a bit jarring over rough roads.

Finally I have to say that the Dura-Ace components on my 6-year old 9-speed F50 have a better feel to them than the new 10-speed 105 groupset. Especially the gearshifting. In fact if anything I prefer the 9-speed 105 gears on the Look, circa 1998! Perhaps it all has to just wear in?

Verdict: Would I buy another one? I sure would! I'd be careful where I bought it and make sure it was set up perfectly, but it's definitely a killer bike for the money.

Schleck thought the peleton should've waited for Lance. And more reports on Stage 8, if you have time and motivation ;-)

Some varied views on what happened...

First up is Bob Roll commenting on Lance in particular - and it's a fair and balanced view overall. A reporter (Frankie Andreu, apparently) and the co-host put a pro-Lance spin on it though, the reporting theme being "bad luck x 3" for Lance. But when you clip a pedal in a corner that's miss-applied skill, timing and judgement as much as "luck", isn't it? (And I say that as someone who has come off the bike whilst leading a race... by clipping a pedal. You should know better but sometimes it just happens. It hurts, too.)

Interesting that Andy Schleck thought the peleton should have waited for Armstrong - which admittedly sometimes happens and perhaps should always happen when the GC leaders are affected by such incidents - but as the bunch was so large with so many teams in with a chance it wasn't really an enforceable option. Perhaps he could have gone to the front and called a truce, a la Fabian on the stage into Spa? Not that team Astana was likely to agree - they were keen to gain time on the 'old man'.

Interesting also that Lance rolled a tyre in the pedal-clipping incident. You'd get a fine and a few weeks 'rest' for that sin in these parts.

Lance Update - Stage 8 - Versus

From the 2010 Tour de France - Stage 8

Interview with Cadel Evans - Post Stage 8 - Versus

From the 2010 Tour de France - Post Stage 8

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Evans bounces back to take yellow

"I don't know if everyone saw my fall after 6 km. I thought then that the Tour might be over," said Evans, who had to ride most of the 2008 edition hampered by injuries after a crash early in the race.

"I had to get treatment from the doctor."

As Chavanel is not a specialist climber the Frenchman knew he would give up the race lead, but it was not until late on the 14km climb to Avoriaz that Evans was assured of the yellow jersey.

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Evans bounces back to take yellow

Despite Evans' scrapes from his crash, seven-time champion Lance Armstrong came off far worse, the American crashing before the climb to Ramaz and losing nearly 12 minutes to finish more than 13 minutes behind Evans.

While Schleck suggested the peloton owed it to the American to wait, Evans was less generous in his assessment.

He remembers only too well the times rivals did not wait for him: "To have a crash in a mountain stage of a Tour can be really difficult.

"Today I crashed but two years ago when I crashed in the Tour I had one of hardest days of my career on the stage to Hautacam, with all the bruising and pain.

"That day, I got dropped with (sprinter) Julian Dean on the first climb and was fighting for yellow at the end of day.

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Sastre happy to move up

While another challenger, Andy Schleck, attacked in the final kilometre to win the stage, and Evans took the yellow jersey, Sastre moved up 14 places to 12th overall at 2min 40sec behind the Australian.

"I am satisfied with today's stage. I was with the leaders of the race and I didn't lose time to any important riders in this Tour de France," said the Spaniard.

"It was a very hard stage. The first nine days of the Tour were not easy for anyone. I am happy that all the problems we had at the beginning of the race are behind us.

"Now everything is good. I am feeling better every day and can be optimistic for the coming days. I am very satisfied.

Evans secures yellow jersey - TourDeFrance - Sportal Australia

Evans (BMC Racing) finished in a group 10 seconds behind to become the first world champion to take the Tour race leader's yellow jersey since Greg LeMond in 1990 but Armstrong saw his dreams of winning another title fall into oblivion.

"My Tour's finished," said seven-time champion Armstrong, who finished third in his comeback year in 2009.

"But I'll hang in there and enjoy my final Tour."

"I'm not going to complain. This is just a bad day."

"It went from bad to worse."

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 8 - Surprises abound! Armstrong hits the ground, doesn't bounce. Evans bounces, Schleck pounces.

What would you say about Paris in 2 weeks time, all things being equal from here? Schleck 1st, followed by Contador and Evans? Too early to be sure about Contador? Thinking that Evans will bleed time on key stages but gain it back on the long TT? Concerned about someone else falling, or a joker in the GC pack, perhaps 1 or even 2 minutes back, biding their time?

It feels more like the '80s again. At least in the warm, fuzzy glow of hindsight, anyway. I mean before it got a bit too predictable, with the strongest TT rider (usually someone called Indurain or, later, Armstrong) claiming the overall win in Paris. Again. And again. Usually achieved more by 'best average performance' than by bold and exciting moves, too. Yes, OK, there were some classic attacking performances in the past 25 years or so, but how many tours were won more by grinding obsessives rather than mercurial pirates? (Let's leave the pharmaceuticals out of it for the moment and just consider the drama.)

Whether the peleton has become "cleaner" or not is debatable, but we are - arguably - seeing more variation and a greater degree of suspense over the whole 3 weeks. (Yes, it is just week one but you know what I mean.) Whilst we may recognise Contador as king we also harbour doubts - we see a chink in the armour. And can Schleck keep it up? Is Sastre planning a big attack later in the tour? Will Evans keep close enough in the mountains to win it back in the TT? What of Menchov, Rogers and Basso? We can see a competition every day.

And there are so many possibilities. Whilst we can write Armstrong off overall he may well turn super-domestique for Leipheimer. Sastre and Menchov may save it all up for week 3. Evans and Basso may limit their losses. Wiggins may strike back. Even more likely, though, is that Contador may have just had his 'one bad day' and will come back fighting.

It's all possible, rather than predictable.

Tour De France: Stage 8, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

"I've got to get my head around the position that I'm in now," said Schleck, with a rest day ahead of him tomorrow. "There are still a lot of very hard days, but I am pretty relaxed for the moment. I've done my thing, and I hope I can do a great race and I hope I don't have a bad day."

Ten seconds behind, the group was led in by another of the day's aggressors, Robert Gesink (Rabobank), with Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) fourth and Contador fifth. Sixth, though, was the day's other big winner, Cadel Evans (BMC), who survived an early fall to claim the yellow jersey.

Evans now leads the general classification ahead of Schleck by 20 seconds, with Contador up to third, 1:01 behind the Australian.

Many will expect the overall winner to come from this trio, meaning, inevitably, that one of the day's big stories was the end of Armstrong's challenge - indeed, the definitive end of the Armstrong era.

Schleck Gives Warning Of Things To Come | Cyclingnews.com

“I really felt good. My legs were turning well, and the team was great. On the last climb I had no problem. I thought about attacking earlier but I have a plan for this Tour and I’m going to stick to it. Pressure motivates me. I’m here for a goal, to win in Paris, but if I can win a stage, I’ll take it,” he said at the finish.

Vinokourov Fills Domestique's Shoes | Cyclingnews.com

Vinokourov didn't expect Armstrong to disappear so quickly from the top positions of the classification. "I think he suffered in the heat," said the Astana star. "He also crashed quite a bit as well. Now he's out of contention for sure. We'll see - day after day - how we can get rid of our other adversaries."

Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck, who won the day's stage, isn't a major concern for Vinokourov. "He hasn't taken much time on Alberto, I'm not worried," he said.

Evans Gives BMC Its First Yellow Jersey | Cyclingnews.com

Evans played a somewhat cagey game, aware that his team will shoulder the responsibility of controlling the race before the Pyrenees start. "We'll wait for stages after tomorrow, but I'm happy it's a rest day. We'll think about it and come up with plan but the Pyrenees are very hard, Andy (Schleck) is going well, (Alberto) Contador and Astana (are) really strong, so we'll have to see and decide how to approach the mountains."

Wiggins Limits Damage In Tour De France Test | Cyclingnews.com

"I felt pretty good most of the day, especially on the second climb. It was just on the last one that I was overcooked and there came a point when I had to back off so I wouldn't completely blow. It was a damage limitation exercise,” he said at the finish.

Armstrong's Tour Challenge Collapses | Cyclingnews.com

"I clipped a pedal [in the roundabout -ed.] and next thing I knew I was rolling on the ground at 65 kilometres per hour," Armstrong explained after the stage. "I didn't make it back on until la Ramaz and I was pegged."

His jersey torn, Armstrong was slow to remount but made contact before the critical climb of Col de la Ramaz. However Sky and Saxo Bank set a strong pace, and it proved too much as the American slipped back from the leaders. At first he was assisted by Chris Horner but later Janez Brajkovic took over, as Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Klöden stayed with the leaders.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

Back in 1996, the cycling world wondered whether Miguel Indurain could become the first cyclist to win the Tour de France six times. He had dominated the race for five consecutive years by steamrolling the competition in the time trials and riding steadily in the mountains. But 1996 he struggled, and on Stage 7 he was suddenly unhitched from the lead group in the mountains. The calm demeanor and steady pedaling action were gone and Big Mig was in trouble. He lost more than 4 minutes that day, and by the time the race reached Paris, Indurain finished what would be his final Tour de France in 11th place, more than 14 minutes behind winner Bjarne Riis.

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 7 - Redemption, confirmation. Whatever. Chavanel proves something, anyway

No so surprisingly Sylvain Chavanel had something to prove after that slightly hollow win a few days ago. And equally fittingly the main agitator for that earlier non-race - Cancellara - was spat out he back.

For the rest it was a bit of a sorting out, a prelude for tougher days ahead, but told us nothing really. We expected Cancellara and Saxo Bank to rest up, there was no need to defend the yellow on Stage 7 - but every reason to prepare to launch Andy Schleck in the mountains to come. Evans equally didn't want yellow just yet. And the domestiques of the GC leaders had a quiet day in expectation of the real battle to come in Stage 8.

A small surprise was Kloden's failure to match the GC leaders, but he hasn't lived up to expectations for some years, has he? He will be back - rehydrated - and up to the task of helping launch Armstrong's attack. It's just up to the others to match Armstrong, to keep him in check and leverage any opportunity that subsequently comes along. Basso and Sastre will also want to join in, even if it's too early in the tour to commit everything they, like Armstrong, will be keen to reduce the gap to everyone else. 

Contador will also look to gain time on Schleck and Evans if that chance comes up. He may well launch Vino as a distraction... with Vino up the road Contador and Astana will hope to draw out the real GC favorites. It will put Menchov, Rogers and Wiggins to the test as well. 

And then there could be the odd surprise... Hesjedal? Roche? Van Den Broeck?


Tour De France: Stage 7, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) won his second stage of this year's Tour de France at Station des Rousses on Saturday, and completed another double, taking over the yellow jersey, just as he also did in Spa at the end of stage 2.

Unlike in Spa, however, the history books will show no asterisk against Chavanel's name after this victory - which, again, he achieved alone.

Tour De France: Stage 7, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

But while the Croix de la Serra acted as the launchpad to Chavanel's victory, and effectively ended Fabian Cancellara's (Saxo Bank) spell in yellow, it told us very little about the climbing form of Alberto Contador (Astana), Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) or Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), with last year's top four all present, correct and looking comfortable.

Armstrong Keeps His Cool Despite Heat, Saddle Sore | Cyclingnews.com

"I suffered," said Armstrong. "I think about everybody did. It was so incredibly hard. It was just the heat. Everybody really paid. Everybody would say it was much harder than we'd think because of the temperature. If you get a little behind on hydration and nutrition - that's what happened to Klödi (Andreas Klöden) - the man with the hammer comes and you're done."

Leipheimer Keeps An Eye On Vinokourov | Cyclingnews.com

Levi Leipheimer's task during stage 7 of the Tour de France was to mark Alexander Vinokourov (Astana). The RadioShack rider, who finished alongside Vinokourov in the lead group of GC contenders, said that the Astana rider was too dangerous to escape without company from someone on Lance Armstrong's Radioshack squad.

Van Den Broeck Ready For Battle In The Alps | Cyclingnews.com

"Today went well," he told Cyclingnews as he warmed down on the team bus. "It was an easy day with no problems but tomorrow will be all out war."

Van Den Broeck Ready For Battle In The Alps | Cyclingnews.com

In Matthew Lloyd, Van Den Broeck has a strong mountain domestique and the Australian is sure that his teammate can make a serious impression on the race over the coming two weeks. "Today we made sure Jurgen was fresh all day, especially when the speed was relatively high."

Roche Passes First Mountain Test | Cyclingnews.com

"I passed the test but I'm exhausted," Roche told Cyclingnews as he ground to a halt after the finish line.

After downing a bottle of water, the 26-year-old looked up and gave his impression on day that saw all the yellow jersey contenders finish together.

"I was feeling good but I guess there was a big group at the finish. It just proves that it's going to be pretty tough to stay with these guys," Roche told Cyclingnews.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

when BBox Telecom missed the breakaway today, their team manager sent them to the front to chase. That brought the breakaway close enough to the peloton for French National Champion Thomas Voeckler to attack for a possible stage win.


- By Chris Carmichael -

Not to be outdone by his countryman, Sylvain Chavanel (winner of Stage 2) set off in pursuit. Chavanel had a great ride and won the stage, and took the yellow jersey for the second time in this year’s race, but the Battle of the Frenchmen – along with the heat - also made the stage much more difficult than many riders had anticipated.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

If the lead group of yellow jersey contenders is all together at the bottom of the final climb, I fully expect Alberto Contador to attack on the final climb of Stage 8. Right now there are too many riders who are close to him on the overall classification and he’ll take the opportunity to ‘thin the herd’. The big question is how well the others will respond. Cadel Evans is better than he was in 2009, and so is Lance Armstrong. Andy Schleck was the only man capable of accelerating with Contador last year, but his pre-Tour preparation wasn’t as perfect as in 2009. And what of the dark horse in the periphery, Ivan Basso. He’s looking to make up some serious time in the overall race for yellow, and the mountains are where he overcame a big deficit to win the Giro d’Italia earlier this year.

Robbie McEwen (mcewenrobbie) on Twitter

@bdlancaster i was swearing at you for going so quick but thanks mate. expected bigger time cut. was too delerious to work it out

really had to battle thru tday, world of hurt as they say, but made it. v sorry 4 my team+roommate StijnVdb, outside time limit.

Cadel's Diary | Cadel Evans 2009-2010 - The Official Site of Cadel Evans - World Champion 2009, Tour de France runner-up in 2007,2008.

Why is it the roads always melt in Europe? More hot-mix less blue-metal?...feels like riding on underinflated tyres. So much so, that the GC teams did not want to lay it on the line today. Allowing break away specialist Chavanel to win the stage and reclaim the yellow jersey. It's been a great start to the Tour for Quick-Step so far, they were not in the greatest moods with the omission if Tom Boonen. Carlos Barredo gave them all a moral boost yesterday, you have all seen the post stage 'fight' on YouTube? Our dinner table was entertained.... How he got away with only 400CHF in fines mystifies me.

Le Tour and riding the cobbles... LeMond and Anderson. And Cancellara called a bully

Both Greg LeMond and Phil Anderson have said it - the Tours of the 80's regularly included cobbled sections; indeed it was a great and exciting part of the race. A painful one, though, and one to be avoided if at all possible. But if it's part of the race, so be it. Like the mountain stages and the flat stages, the slippery roads and the crosswinds: it's what makes up a Tour de France. Yes, it adds risk - but surely no more so than racing down a mountain pass or taking on a twisty, narrow sprint finish. Phil (on SBS TV) called modern riders a bit "precious" about this year's re-inclusion of cobbles whilst admitting it makes a great spectacle for the viewer rather than an easier, safer ride for the pro bike racer.

Phil was also asked about Cancellara's 'control' of the "risk" on the stage won by Chavenal, at the expense of those who had suffered and clawed their way back to the front in search of points (like McEwen and Hushovd). Rightly, Phil pointed out the obvious conflict of interest in a rider seemingly annulling a stage (his teammate Andy Shleck had been gapped for example) and pointedly called Cancellara a "bully". Well Fabian may actually be a very nice guy (Scott Sunderland said so earlier this week so it's probably true) but he certainly displayed a degree of self-assured "Tour Patron" aura not seen since Lance was the Boss. Or maybe not since Hinault last pulled on the yellow jersey and gave the peleton a piece of his mind.

Cobblestones, Crashes, And Potential Winners Of The Tour | Cyclingnews.com

Anyway, the inclusion of cobbles was a controversial move in this year’s race, and led to a lot of complaints. What people forget is that up until the mid '80s, the Tour regularly featured a Paris-Roubaix-like stage. By the time I raced in the Tour I had already competed in three Paris-Roubaix races.

One difference between then and now is the fact that many of the current Tour riders have no experience on the cobbles. But when I started racing, the fascination with cycling wasn't just the Tour de France. It was the photos of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix which hit my imagination. That was a big part of the romance of the sport. And that’s why, just after the first Junior Worlds I rode, I jumped at the chance to go race in Europe with Kent Gordis. We were competitors in my first year of racing, but by this time we were friends.

addicted2wheels: On conflicts of interest and cycling - or how vested interests can pervert an event

there's money on the line here and decisions were made on the road by individuals with a vested interest in the final result. Now if the riders were not connected by radio to team directors I'd be less inclined to question their motivations, but in any event it was obvious that neutralising the stage was in the best interests of several teams - and perhaps the majority. And the minority who were coerced into following what the Saxo Bank team wanted could do nothing. Oh sure, they could've attacked when the main field regrouped but they would also have been chased down by the man with the yellow jersey on his back and given at least some sort of tongue-lashing, or worse.

McEwen's post-race fall caused by a cameraman.

SBS: Tour de France 2010: McEwen in doubt for rest of Tour

After looking at video footage of the incident Tour de France officials later said that a cameraman, working for international broadcasters, had been at fault.

They handed him a sanction by excluding him from Saturday's seventh stage from Tournus to Les Rousses ski station.

SBS: Tour de France 2010: McEwen in doubt for rest of Tour

"We will assess with our team doctor how bad Robbie is on Saturday morning before the stage before making any decision.

McEwen said: "I just saw the guy jump in front of me to go behind Cavendish. I was still riding quite fast so I couldn't avoid him."

McEwen was reported to have been helped up by someone working for Vittel, one of the many sponsors on the race.

The Australian and his team originally believed the Vittel employee had caused him to crash.

Robbie McEwen (mcewenrobbie) on Twitter

so it seems the idiot who knocked me off is a tv journo. only banned for one day. check out what he did here http://tinyurl.com/365uw79

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 6 - Cav find his legs and is suddenly 'untouchable'? Renshaw did the hard work. McEwen down after the finish line

Untouchable is overdoing it. Actually a lot of HTC Columbia riders worked hard to get the bunch together, and then Lampre and Garmin did their best to make it interesting. But they lacked the killer punch in the final kilometer. They got gaps but also gapped their own guys, allowing other teams to bridge up. Whilst it looked promising, it was HTC's Renshaw who picked his way along the stepping stones, finally sprinting at full pace to bridge the last gap, not letting up until he had got Cavendish into a clear launch position. No-one else got a leadout like that, and they were left in the dust.

Call it good timing or just great teamwork, it was like watching Geert Steegmans launching McEwen four years ago - when it went right it went spectacularly right. Of course the flip side was when Geert went too early and Robbie got caught before the line. And of course Steegmans harboured ambitions to win sprints of his own, so the partnership was shortlived. Arguably neither rider has prospered to the same degree since, despite briefly reuniting at team Katusha.

Cav will be hoping that HTC can keep the bottle on Renshaw's own ambitions for a while, ensuring that a successful combo is kept alive. Although plenty of others will be seeing Renshaw as hot property in his own right.    

Tour De France: Stage 6, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

Untouchable. Just 24 hours after taking his first win of this year's Tour de France, Mark Cavendish equalled the record of his sprinting mentor, Erik Zabel, and with a superb sprint in Gueugnon indicated that yesterday was no fluke for the Isle of Man's greatest cycling export, who now has 12 Tour de France stage victories to his name.

Gert Steegmans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although Steegmans was already known in Belgium, he gained more popularity outside Belgium as he piloted Robbie McEwen to two stage wins during the 2006 Tour de France.

During the second stage of the 2007 Tour de France, a Liquigas rider fell sideways in the last 3 kilometres causing others to fall. Around 20 riders fell blocking the entire road and leaving approximately 30 riders to sprint for the victory, eventually taken by Steegmans in his home country ahead of his compatriot and team-mate Tom Boonen, who took over the green jersey by coming second in the stage.

On July 6, 2008, it was announced Steegmans signed a two-year contract with Tinkoff Credit Systems.[1] In the Tour de France, he won the prestigious stage at Champs-Élysées. Team Tinkoff later folded under that name, and the management and ridership re-emerged as Team Katusha.

Fight Breaks Out After Tour Stage 6 | Cyclingnews.com

Robbie McEwen had his own reasons to be upset after stage 6 after another incident. The Katusha rider's bad luck at the Tour de France continued when he collided with someone from the race organization at the end of the same stage. The Australian was taken to a hospital after the incident, but no fractures were found.

"[I] got taken out at 60kph by a podium chaperone 75m after the finish," tweeted an irate McEwen. "He literally jumped in front of me and ran into me. Nothing broken."

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

Under 1km and Garmin swooped to the front and took control. A right hander and then a quick left, with Julian Dean leading out Robbie Hunter at the very front, with the elbowing going on behind. Mark Renshaw came out of nowhere at 500m to go with Cav on his wheel and Farrar back in the mix glued to Cav.

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 5 - Elbows, emotion, new tactics, better timing and more luck brings Cav the win

It didn't look like a great plan but it worked. Early commitment to the chase, commitment to position and better timing opened up the gap. Once he got a sniff he didn't back off, unlike Stage 4's "switch-off". He just went.

Throwing Elbows Part Of The Job For Renshaw | Cyclingnews.com

"And if Thor thinks I’m going to give him the wheel with 500m to go, come on - that’s my job [to hold the wheel in front]. Thor knows that - I’ve been on a team with him.

"There’ll be no hard feelings later," added Renshaw. "We’re good mates, we train together every second day in Monaco. He might be a bit angry now, but that’s sport."

Renshaw admitted that the team had had to compromise its efforts in the finale, after committing men to the earlier pursuit of the break. "A few teams didn’t want to help chase, so we had to use Tony Martin early, which was a pity," he said.

"We shouldn’t have had to commit Tony Martin with 6k to go, or Michael Rogers, but as I said yesterday, we’re a few guys short. We had to compromise, to use different tactics. It shows how bad we wanted this win."

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

I don’t know the specifics of how Mark Cavendish deals with pressure, but on the way to becoming a successful champion, all top athletes develop a method that works best for them. Some simply don’t read the papers and stay away from the internet. Others decided how much of that information they want to see – and from what sources – and then tune out the rest. There are others who read everything and talk to everyone because they feed off it and channel it into incredible performances. How important is it to develop an ironclad method for dealing with pressure? There may be nothing that’s more important. I would say that the ability to cope with or thrive under the pressure that comes with success is one of the limiting factors that determines whether an athlete who is physiologically capable of being a champion, actually becomes one.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

Renshaw took Cavendish through to the front and set the sprint for his man. All happy in the HTC camp today, there won’t be any tantrums at the team bus tonight, but a tearful Cavendish on the podium.

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 4 - The old guard prove to be more experienced at this game. What a surprise.

Cavendish had some spectacular leadouts in last year's Tour. The final stage into Paris being the extreme example - a perfect leadout that took advantage of the correct line through the last bend, something almost everyone else failed to do, followed by immediate acceleration to top speed. No hesitation, just the perfect launch. Cavo had no problem taking advantage and capitalising. But this year - so far - he has failed to get a good lead out. Either he has lost contact with his lead out man, Renshaw, or failed to jump out of his slipstream at the right time. It's still early days and everyone is shocked and stunned after 3 brutal road stages, but stage 4 really highlighted the problem. In contrast Petacchi and his leadout team have weathered the storm better and are showing more skill in jumping at the right time. They are also disrupting the HTC train, something no-one could do last year on a regular basis. Indeed last year HTC looked and worked more like the Petacchi or Cipollini trains from last decade, and it worked. This year HTC are trying to get it together but missing a link somewhere, with a resultant lower launch speed. It's that failure to launch from top speed that's allowing other teams to get in there and jump first.  McEwen almost capitalised on Petacchi's initiative, too. So there is life in those old, experienced legs after all.

Cavendish and team will no doubt come back, but it must be disappointing to the HTC team to see him just switch off like he did, though. It sends a surprising message: I'm not serious about the green jersey, guys. Bring on Stage 5!

Tour De France: Stage 4, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

The champagne would be flowing for Petacchi following his second stage win in this year's Tour. Amongst those other experienced hands animating the finish of stage four were Danilo Hondo, Julian Dean and Robbie McEwen, the latter jumping out of the pack with Petacchi at the 200m mark to ambush Mark Cavendish, who was swamped when lead-out man Mark Renshaw swung off in the finale.

The 'Manx Missile' lacked the speed to which fans became accustomed during last year's Tour and while his HTC-Columbia teammates pulled together well - as they usually do - in the closing kilometres of today's stage, the myriad crashes and unsettled nature of this opening week may have taken their toll on Cavendish.

Evans distinguishes between pave and cobbles, Menchov discounts Paris-Roubaix as a career option and Frank Schleck blames an unnamed HTC rider

Another mixed bag (or musette) of interesting quotes and notes....

Evans’ MTB Background Gives Him New Advantage In Grand Tours | Cyclingnews.com

Evans: “Even in my most pretentious plans, I couldn’t have imagined that I could gain so much time over adversaries like Contador and Armstrong”, Evans told L’Equipe after stage three to Arenberg. “I had put a mark on that day because I knew it could be chaotic. We prepared it well with the right material. We discussed a lot about technical details, choice of tyres and gears. We didn't make any mistakes.”

Fränk Schleck Talks About His Crash On The Cobbles | Cyclingnews.com

Schleck: "(After what happened on Monday) we told them we owed them a lot and that we're going to do everything we can to win this Tour de France. Today (Tues) we had perfecting position, a perfect job from everybody and the team stuck together. Then it happened. I was going on the pave and was in fourth position but a guy from Highroad crashed in front and just took me down. But that's sport. Now I've got a broken collarbone that is broken three times and I'm heading back to Luxembourg to get surgery and see how long it takes (to recover)."

(My comment: I've watched the video over and over and whilst a Highroad rider may also have gone down they looked to be to the right and behind Schleck and caught up in Frank's fall, not the other way around. There appeared to be no-one in front of Schleck or close enough to actually cause the fall. But there may have been someone else out of shot - perhaps.)

Menchov Escapes Pavé Unscathed | Cyclingnews.com

"I'm very satisfied," Menchov said. "I have felt very good from the first day in Rotterdam and if you're good, then a high finish in this stage is possible.  I did not fall and did not puncture, but I still missed the group of Cancellara because Fränk Schleck was in front of me when he crashed. All day I felt unafraid on the cobblestones. It was very nice," said Menchov. "I got a lot of good help from the other guys. Too bad there was a gap [to the group with Andy Schleck - ed.], but the result is acceptable and I am satisfied with my performance today."

Now that he has gone successfully over the pavé and emerged unscathed, does Menchov plan to race in Paris-Roubaix some day? The answer from the 32-year-old was unequivocal: "Not on my life."

Déjà Vu For Basso After Tour Pavé | Cyclingnews.com

"It's been an extremely demanding day," Basso said. "But we expected it. I can't see it as a positive day, but it's also not too negative. I've had worse times in my career, for example in this year's Giro d'Italia. I'm smiling now for coming home physically safe, but I'm not so happy with losing a bit of time."

Basso's ride was delayed because of a crash that put an end to Fränk Schleck's 2010 Tour de France. The Italian started a new race trying to catch up with groups ahead.

Cadel's Diary | Cadel Evans 2009-2010 - The Official Site of Cadel Evans - World Champion 2009, Tour de France runner-up in 2007,2008.

Whoa... Cobbles, NOT pave - let's get this clear. There is a distinct difference! Seriously, we always knew this was going to be an important stage, and we prepared for it accordingly. Obviously being sponsored by a bike company that targets Paris-Roubaix is an advantage. I rode a different bike, the 'SLR' with normal Easton low profile carbon wheels, and specially prepared Continental tyres. Along with a careful course reconnaissance with my good friend and team mate Steve Morabito under John (Lelangue's) watchful eye.

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 3 - Cavendish finally gets a point; McEwen gains time on GC, leaps over Leipheimer

Finally we can see the hidden intent behind this year's tour. It's not about Boonen's absence, Hushovd's fine victory after Stage 2's debacle or even Cadel's rise up the GC. It's not even about team collusion to thwart racing. It's about surprise.

Today Mark Cavendish surprised us all with a fine ride in the points classification, gaining his first point in the race for the green jersey. Defending champ Thor Hushovd disappointed in comparison with a gain of just 35 points, leaving him with a precarious lead overall of just 62 points on the best road sprinter in the world. If you remove the non-sprinters from that classification we have Thor ('God of the Pebbles' according to Mike Tomalaris) leading old man McEwen (38 points) at this early stage. Mind you, those non-sprinters include Evans on 28 points with a track record for picking up points along the way, so I'd expect more surprises as the race progresses.

Robbie McEwen has also staked a claim on GC in a stealthy move on the cobbles. By winning the 3rd-bunch-in kick to the line (leaving aside Alberto Contador's surprising bunch of just himself) McEwen has gained time on just about everyone (except the riders ahead of him, of course). Importantly Robbie has leapt over leaping Levi Leipheimer, leading the Californian by 1 second at 2m 52 seconds overall. Expect more suprises from the veteran sprinter as the race nears the Alps. 
 
Meanwhile Sastre and Basso (at 3m 19s and 3m 20s respectively) have their work cut out to make up ground on just about everyone (except, of course, those behind them). No surprises there, really. 

Tour De France: Stage 3, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com

137 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team HTC - Columbia 1point

Spilled oil from a motorbike that crashed ahead of the peloton is being blamed - and other interesting quotes

Ouch. I've fallen a few times - crossed wheels at Heffron in a crit, mucking about at Camperdown velodrome, hitting a traffic island at Warriewood circuit in a race... it hurts but you get back on, feel OK but stiffen up later. By the 2nd day you feel really sore and the pain lingers until the wounds finally heal-over just enough. You expect that sort of stuff. But oil slicks are the pits. I was once riding from Marrickville to wherever and had to ride over the Lewisham railway bridge. It's a hard right at the lights, accelerate on a short rise up to the bridge and then a nice drop left past the (very handy) hospital. Except the crest of the rise was coated with an invisible grease slick. Had I been in the saddle I may have stayed upright, but I wasn't. The bike just went... away. After hitting the road and sliding clear I watched 4-wheeled vehicles going through without drama and just shrugged. Whilst picking the bike up and cleaning myself off a motorbike and rider took the same line as me, hit the grease and hit the deck. He was less philosophical about it, shaking a fist angrily at passing cars. How dare they have better traction! How dare they not stop and clean up this mess! It happens. It hurts.

VeloNews.com - Garmin's Christian Vande Velde leaves Tour de France with broken ribs

Spilled oil from a motorbike that crashed ahead of the peloton is being blamed for the high number of accidents with seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, reigning champion Alberto Contador and last year’s runner-up Andy Schleck all escaping unhurt despite hitting the tarmac.

VeloNews.com - Garmin's Christian Vande Velde leaves Tour de France with broken ribs

Christian Vande Velde has been forced out of this year’s Tour de France after breaking two ribs in the crash-marred second stage, his Garmin-Transitions team’s sporting director Matt White told AFP on Monday.

VeloNews.com - The Stockeau Massacre: Damage assessment after the Tour de France's second stage

It all started when Lampre rider Francesco Gavazzi crashed out of the breakaway on the Stockeu. A TV motorcycle then crashed while avoiding hitting Gavazzi, and the bike spilled oil on the road. The oil had time to run down the hill by the time the peloton came through a few minutes later, setting off a dangerous domino effect that saw over 60 riders sliding across the road.

VeloNews.com - The Stockeau Massacre: Damage assessment after the Tour de France's second stage

“The first thing on my mind after the crash was Andy and Fränk. They are our captains, and of course, I want to show solidarity, respect and loyalty to them and to the race by waiting, even though I lost the jersey,” Cancellara said. “It was the right thing to do, to wait, so everybody comes together to the finish line together. When you have everybody on the ground and people five minutes behind because they can’t find their bike then it’s only normal.”

VeloNews.com - The Stockeau Massacre: Damage assessment after the Tour de France's second stage

“But you must also see the other side. The fans, who stand along the road to see cycling, and for the sponsors and the race organizers, who invest so much in the Tour de France — they also deserve respect.”

VeloNews.com - The Stockeau Massacre: Damage assessment after the Tour de France's second stage

“I feel frustrated by what happened today,” said Thor Hushovd. “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 not to contest the sprint. Everyone made a gentleman’s agreement not to sprint, but I lost an important opportunity to try to win the stage and gain points.”

On conflicts of interest and cycling - or how vested interests can pervert an event

Le Tour Stage 2 was really interesting on several levels. On one level it was simply too dangerous and unfair to continue racing when so many top riders had been delayed by forces largely out of their control (ie a wet road/oil slick combo that claimed nearly everyone). It's hard to blame them for wanting to annul the stage on that basis.

OTOH there's money on the line here and decisions were made on the road by individuals with a vested interest in the final result. Now if the riders were not connected by radio to team directors I'd be less inclined to question their motivations, but in any event it was obvious that neutralising the stage was in the best interests of several teams - and perhaps the majority. And the minority who were coerced into following what the Saxo Bank team wanted could do nothing. Oh sure, they could've attacked when the main field regrouped but they would also have been chased down by the man with the yellow jersey on his back and given at least some sort of tongue-lashing, or worse.

Of course if they always behaved so nicely and cooperatively no-one would ever have to chase after a fall - they'd wait for 'em to catch up. And sometimes, like on Stage 2, that's what happens. Maybe that's all there is to it.

So to summarise it was interesting to see...

• Cancellara taking "control" and coordinating what 'seemed' to be a uniform group decision to neutralise the stage
• The race referee - let's call him chief commissaire - negotiating and shaking hands with Cancellara, effectively confirming Cancellara's status as spokesperson on the road (the 'yellow jersey effect'?)
  
• Most riders - barring those who vented afterwards or who moved out of line right at the finish - complying with Cancellara's "directions"
• The post-race decision to annul all points except Chavanel's (after all he was the only one actually racing the last 15km or more)
  
• And the hidden element - the race radios. What was going on in those rider-director conversations? Was it just 'wait for Andy' or something more? Was there collusion between teams?   
  

addicted2wheels

Whilst the riders make the race and must ride to the conditions - free will reigns over contracted obligations - they are also a part of a large, well financed enterprise. The biggest part, to be sure. But when other organisations and individuals make important decisions like this that have huge flow-on effects they are governed independently to monitor and control for conflicts of interest. Is professional sport any different? Apparently, yes.

Cadel's Diary | Cadel Evans 2009-2010 - The Official Site of Cadel Evans - World Champion 2009, Tour de France runner-up in 2007,2008.

Today, because of the number of guys who went down, the group agreed not to sprint. Considering the number of guys injured, the danger of the last 10km, I'm sorry for the spectators, but it was the right thing to do. Sorry, we are human as well. Don't fear, for the masochists amongst you, there will be plenty of suffering/crashes/damage to come...probably most of it tomorrow...

Robbie Hunter (RobbieHunter) on Twitter

See how much you guys like hitting the deck at 60km/h .....

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 2 - "Why should Cancellara decide?" Indeed. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

I guess yesterday's - or last night's - debacle at Le Tour can be blamed on too many riders on too-narrow roads. Add some rain and maybe a sprinkle of oil and bingo, they all fall down. Well, some had better luck than others. Chavanal made his own luck and kept well clear, making his win a deserved one - but the points and time gap were not a "real" result and I'm sure even he feels a bit cheated that the remaining riders - and not just Cancellara, although he spontaneously took up the 'lead coordinator' role - turned off the chase. Yes, it was the right thing to do when big names were splattered all over the road - it's meant to be an athletic contest, not a smash-em-up derby after all. But many of us have been in bike races where conditions were bad - rain, hail, dirt roads, crashes - and still the race went on. So why last night was different I'm not sure. It was bad and riders were confused, but did it need to be neutralised all the way to the end...? What if Cancellara and others were not just seeking to be "fair" to the fallen but also hoping that their teammates made it back, too?

Whilst the riders make the race and must ride to the conditions - free will reigns over contracted obligations - they are also a part of a large, well financed enterprise. The biggest part, to be sure. But when other organisations and individuals make important decisions like this that have huge flow-on effects they are governed independently to monitor and control for conflicts of interest. Is professional sport any different? Apparently, yes.  

OTOH no one wants to see anyone hurt. Let's hope Stage 3 is allowed to go all the way to the end. 

Hushovd Furious As Points Neutralised In Spa | Cyclingnews.com

"What happened is not normal," Hushovd said on the phone. "I'm very sorry for the riders who crashed. It was a big mess. But yet, this is still a bike race. Crashes happen all the time. It's been a really big mistake from ASO and the UCI commissaires to agree to neutralise the end of the stage. The Tour de France is a big, big race. Things like that shouldn't happen."

"Why should Cancellara decide?," the Norwegian questioned. "He's a rider like us." Hushovd and the Cervélo team were one of the few to not accept the decision of the yellow jersey to wait for some injured riders and then to prevent the sprint for second place from being contested. Jeremy Hunt chased behind Chavanel for a while.

"I've been riding all day for the stage win and the green jersey and I end up with nothing," Hushovd continued. "This is not fair. Will the same thing happen tomorrow? Will the times for GC be taken before the pavés sections? If Alberto Contador or another big rider crashes tomorrow on the cobblestones, he's entitled to ask for the race to be neutralised too! So when will we race, really?"

Hushovd Furious As Points Neutralised In Spa | Cyclingnews.com

That decision pushed Chavanel into the lead of the points classification, taking away a prime opportunity from sprinters like Thor Hushovd and Robbie McEwen to gain an advantage over foes like Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar who had been dropped from the main peloton.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

The logic and correctness of what happened next is likely to be debated, at least in some circles, for a long while.

After the mass crash on the Stockeu descent, yellow jersey Cancellara called a truce on the day’s racing.

For me there’s no debate. The peloton acted responsibly, and under the leadership of yellow-jersey wearer Fabian Cancellara, the front group rode a steady tempo to allow those who could rejoin the group to do so. They didn’t slow to a crawl or stop and wait, and the groups that rejoined – including Cancellara’s teammates and pre-Tour favorites Andy and Frank Schleck – had to work to get back into the pack. But no one responded to the news of a crash by launching an attack or putting their men on the front to make sure fallen riders didn’t make it back to the main group.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

Criticize them from the comfort of your couch or from behind a laptop in your climate-controlled office if you want, but having raced through the Ardennes region in the rain as a professional cyclist myself, you won’t hear me begrudge them their decision today. I’m a fan of hardman racing just like anyone else, but if you expect racers to accept the risks inherent in professional road cycling, you also have to respect their right to occasionally draw the line.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

Cancellara had put the word out that all should wait and they did, the bunch regrouped, but we would have to wait to see the damage the big crash caused, the shit had hit the fan big time and it looked very much like it was form a herd of cows!

Leipheimer Describes Ardennes Stage As Pure Survival | Cyclingnews.com

American Levi Leipheimer pointed to Monday's crash on the descent of the Col du Stockeu as a prime example of why communication between the team cars and the riders is important. The RadioShack rider said the new rules banning television monitors from the front seats of team cars prevented them from knowing what was happening in the ensuing chaos.

The lack of information was one of the reasons behind the strike that led the riders to wait for Andy Schleck and negotiate with the race director the cancellation of the points from second to twentieth place.

L eTour 2010 - blogs and other sites worth a look

A mixed bag (or musette?) today...

The Smith Report: Tour de France

--Today's stage passes through Meise, the hometown of Eddy Merckx. In most sports, describing an athlete as the greatest of all time can create a spirited argument. Not in cycling. You'll find few who don't consider The Cannibal, so called because he devoured competitors, the greatest of all time, including his protege Lance Armstrong. When Armstrong was recovering from cancer, he was asked to be an honorary starter for a charity ride in Austin, TX. He told the organizers fine and that he would ride as well. But could he bring a friend? He showed up with Merckx.

Carmichael Training Systems: PezCycling News Prologue Update

What we do know is that Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong are in great shape because they raced in identical conditions, both finished within the top 5 on the stage, and they were only separated by 5 seconds. Lance scored a nice psychological victory by finishing ahead of Contador, and it’s always better to be ahead rather than behind, but in the bigger picture all it means is that they are both fit and ready to ride compete for the next three weeks. However, I’d hesitate to say today’s result means they – or Cadel Evans, who also scored a very good ride - are head-and-shoulders above any other pre-Tour favorites. They will benefit from times that were about 25-45 seconds faster than some rivals today, but it would be premature to draw conclusions about the form or fitness of Andy Schleck, Ivan Basso, Bradley Wiggins, or Christian Vande Velde.

Cadel's Diary | Cadel Evans 2009-2010 - The Official Site of Cadel Evans - World Champion 2009, Tour de France runner-up in 2007,2008.

Onto the road stages here at Le Tour, and the Tour's first week nerves lived up to their name. A few big crashes, particularly in the last 2km. It was only a small group that was left to contest the sprint. Most others were lying on the ground...Petacchi won the opening road stage ahead of my countryman Mark Renshaw. It's nice to see Mark back at the interesting end of the results sheet after all the problems he has had to overcome this year.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

"I'm extremely disappointed. I was really looking forward to this tour and I'm upset now that they have to continue with only eight riders. It was one of those freak crashes. I briefly saw something on the road before I hit it and my bike skid across the field. Most riders managed to avoid me but at the last second I hit the back wheel of another rider and went down."

Le Tour 2010 - Stage 1 - Falls take out many, Farrar walks in complaining how hard to ride w/o derailleur

Perhaps a walking tour of France would be safer?

Hansen is already out with a collarbone break, several stars have cuts and bruises and we haven't heard how the dog feels (if it survived). And all of the riders will either wake up with aches and pains or the expectation of the pain to come as roads narrow and steepen on stage 2. Petacchi once again showed how to win through chaos, but most would be pleased just to have made it through the day.

Tomorrow (or tonight, if you prefer) will probably see an early break lasting for two thirds of the stage before the heat is applied. The gap will close as the classics riders and high GC hopefuls look to either capitalise on the tougher course or simply try to minimise losses. The sprinters will try to hang on over the tougher climbs and fight it out for the win, but the peloton will shatter - leaving many  desperate chasers trying to bridge back to the lead. It's probably not tough enough to get rid of sprinters like Freire or even McEwen but it will be fascinating to watch it played out. A solo or small group attack by the likes of Evans, Cunego or Flecha may well succeed. 

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Farrar hits out at Mondory

...in the final 200 metres the Garmin-Transitions fast man was shunted by AG2R rider Mondory, the blow breaking Farrar's gear changer on his bike.

The American was quick to hit out at AG2R after the stage, won by Italian veteran Alessandro Petacchi of Lampre.

"Everything was going great, I felt good and the team was riding perfectly. Then, in the last 200 meters an AG2R rider hit my rear wheel and snapped my derailleur," said Farrar.

"I literally couldn't ride after that and had to walk through the finish and to the bus.

"It's a shame because everything had gone so well and the team worked so hard for me."

Mondory was later identified as the rider who clashed with Farrar in untimely fashion, but the Frenchman was quick to absolve himself of any blame.

He said Belgian Jurgen Roelandts came crashing into him from behind, pushing him uncontrollably towards the American.

"A rider (Roelandts) hit me from behind. I'm sorry for Farrar, but I couldn't do anything about it," he said.

SBS: Tour de France 2010: Taste of classics in tour's second stage

...for some, the undulating 201 kilometre ride from Brussels to Spa is perhaps not tough enough to totally rule out the possibility of a bunch sprint.

It features a total of six punchy climbs, most of which are in the latter half of the course, meaning the 'punchers' like Damiano Cunego and Cadel Evans, and purer climbers like Andy Schleck, could harbour personal ambitions.

Two of those climbs, the Stockeu and the Rosier, are regulars on Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the oldest one-day classic in the world, with the summit of the latter climb around 12 kms from the finish.

The final descent towards the line means that attacks on the last two climbs could go all the way, significantly reducing the chances of the stage ending in a bunch sprint.

PezCycling News - What's Cool In Pro Cycling

With the nervousness of Stage 1 out of the way, the peloton would normally settle down a bit for Stage 2, but the nature of tomorrow’s course means that’s not likely to happen. Instead, the final hour of tomorrow’s stage could be more chaotic than today’s. The short, steep, narrow climbs that punctuate the final 40 kilometers of Stage 2 are more commonly featured in the Spring Classics, including Leige-Bastogne-Liege.

Le Tour 2010 Prologue: Why am I disappointed Martin didn't get up over Cancellara? I don't know. Personality?

Cancellara has matured into someone I really don't like - and I haven't even met him. Curious, I know. I just get the impression he's a bit, umm, too confident and tends to boast about his abilities. Of course he's a brilliant athlete but - to my mind at least - he lacks the humility that riders like Boonen, Evans, McEwen and even Wiggins seem to have. Cavendish is similar but worse of course, so Fabian's in good (or bad) company. Again, I've never met any of these guys and they may be completely different in "real" life. OTOH I have met other pro riders, at least one one of which has taken a Tour de France prologue victory and "nice, humble yet confident" would be a fitting description. Mind you, he was 15 at the time I briefly met him so maybe he became arrogant later. Somehow I doubt it. OTOOH perhaps using "English as second language" distorts reality and disguises the real person. Which at least gives Cancellara an excuse, if not Cavo.

So much for the winners, what of the also-rans on day 1? Well Andy Schleck would be rueing his ride, wouldn't he? I suspect he will be following wheels desperately for the next few days and hoping not to add to his sudden handicap. Best of luck, Andy, I think you'll need it on the cobbles... just follow Fabian's wheel if you can. But I'm not sure that'll be easy, either.

Andy Schleck Furious Over Tour Prologue Ride | Cyclingnews.com

On Twitter, besides his congratulations to his winning teammate Fabian Cancellara, Andy Schleck said, "I had a real shit day!" Schleck's result of 122nd position, 1:09 down on Cancellara, doesn't match his status of number one challenger to Alberto Contador and the two general classification rivals are actually separated by exactly the same gap as one year ago: in the 15.5km long Monaco time trial, Schleck (17th on the day) also finished 42 seconds down on Contador (2nd place).

It was inevitable - iPhone + iBike = iBike Dash

If I could stomach paying through the nose for an iPhone this would be a convincing combination. The iPhone has the hardware needed, just add the iBike software for the most complete GPS and power 'bike computer' you could imagine. Allowing for the fact that it still back-calculates power from measured variables of course. Still brilliant. Oh yeah, I own an iBike, but no I won't be buying an iPhone just because it's funky.   

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