Alexander Vinokourov wins the gold medal race and announces his retirement. Vino now has a silver medal from Sydney 2000 and gold from London in Olympic road races. He can also add two bronze medals from the 2004 and 2006 worlds in the ITT to his Olympic medals. After his positive doping test at the 2007 Tour de France, Vinos reputation has been tainted by this indiscretion and as well as being accused of buying his 2010 Liège–Bastogne–Liège win , Vino's win was not to everyone’s flavour.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Starting List for 2012 London Olympics Road Race-Men
1 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spain)
2 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spain)
3 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spain)
4 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain)
5 Francisco Jose Ventoso Alberdi (Spain)
6 Sacha Modolo (Italy)
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)
8 Luca Paolini (Italy)
9 Marco Pinotti (Italy)
10 Elia Viviani (Italy)
2 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spain)
3 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spain)
4 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain)
5 Francisco Jose Ventoso Alberdi (Spain)
6 Sacha Modolo (Italy)
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)
8 Luca Paolini (Italy)
9 Marco Pinotti (Italy)
10 Elia Viviani (Italy)
Friday, 27 July 2012
Gold Medallists in the Olympic Individual Time Trial-Women
1996: Zulfiya Zabirova (Russia)
2000: Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands)
2004: Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands)
2008: Kristin Armstrong (USA)
2012: Kristin Armstrong (USA)
2000: Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands)
2004: Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands)
2008: Kristin Armstrong (USA)
2012: Kristin Armstrong (USA)
Gold Medallists in the Olympic Road Race-Women
1984: Connie Carpenter (USA)
1988: Monique Knol (Netherlands)
1992: Kathy Watt (Australia)
1996: Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France)
2000: Leontien Zijlaard (Netherlands)
2004: Sara Carrigan (Australia)
2008: Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
2012: Marianne Vos (Netherlands
1988: Monique Knol (Netherlands)
1992: Kathy Watt (Australia)
1996: Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France)
2000: Leontien Zijlaard (Netherlands)
2004: Sara Carrigan (Australia)
2008: Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
2012: Marianne Vos (Netherlands
Gold Medallists in the Olympic Individual Time Trial
1996: Miguel Indurain (Spain) 5x Tour winner, 2x Giro winner, ITT World Champion
2000: Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov (Russia)
2004:Tyler Hamilton (USA)
2008: Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 4x ITT World Champion
2012: Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)
2000: Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov (Russia)
2004:
2008: Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 4x ITT World Champion
2012: Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)
Gold Medallists in the Olympic Road Race
1896: Aristidis Konstantinidis (Greece)
1912: Rudolph "Okey" Lewis (South Africa)
1920: Erik Harry Stenqvist (Sweden)
1924: Armand Blanchonnet (France)
1928: Henry Hansen (Denmark)
1932: Attilio Pavesi (Italy)
1936: Robert Charpentier (France)
1948: José Beyaert (France)
1952: André Noelle (Belgium)
1956: Ercole Baldini (Italy) Giro GC winner, World Champion
1960: Viktor Arsenevich Kapitonov (USSR)
1964: Mario Zanin (Italy)
1968: Pierfranco Vianelli (Italy)
1972: Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands) World Champion
1976: Bernt Harry Johansson (Sweden)
1980: Sergei Nikolaevich Sukhoruchenkov (USSR)
1984: Alexi Singh Grewal (USA)
1988: Olaf Ludwig (Germany)
1992: Fabio Casartelli (Italy)
1996: Pascal Richard (Switzerland)
2000: Jan Ulrich (Germany) Tour and Vuelta GC winner
2004: Paolo Bettini (Italy) 2x World Champion
2008: Samuel Sánchez González (Spain)
1912: Rudolph "Okey" Lewis (South Africa)
1920: Erik Harry Stenqvist (Sweden)
1924: Armand Blanchonnet (France)
1928: Henry Hansen (Denmark)
1932: Attilio Pavesi (Italy)
1936: Robert Charpentier (France)
1948: José Beyaert (France)
1952: André Noelle (Belgium)
1956: Ercole Baldini (Italy) Giro GC winner, World Champion
1960: Viktor Arsenevich Kapitonov (USSR)
1964: Mario Zanin (Italy)
1968: Pierfranco Vianelli (Italy)
1972: Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands) World Champion
1976: Bernt Harry Johansson (Sweden)
1980: Sergei Nikolaevich Sukhoruchenkov (USSR)
1984: Alexi Singh Grewal (USA)
1988: Olaf Ludwig (Germany)
1992: Fabio Casartelli (Italy)
1996: Pascal Richard (Switzerland)
2000: Jan Ulrich (Germany) Tour and Vuelta GC winner
2004: Paolo Bettini (Italy) 2x World Champion
2008: Samuel Sánchez González (Spain)
2012: Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Final Classifications Winners at the 2012 Tour de France
General Classification: Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky)87:34:47
Points Classification: Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 421 points
King of the Mountains: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 134 points
Young Riders Classification: Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 87:45:46
Team Classification: RadioShack-Nissan 263:12:01
Combativity Award: Chris Anker Sørenson
Points Classification: Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 421 points
King of the Mountains: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 134 points
Young Riders Classification: Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 87:45:46
Team Classification: RadioShack-Nissan 263:12:01
Combativity Award: Chris Anker Sørenson
TDF: Standings after Stage 18
The 2012 Tour de France has been won by Bradley Wiggins who becomes the first British rider to have won the overall classification. The ceremonial jaunt into Paris will be a celebration of Sky’s achievement in 2012. The team has won five stages, which could become six on the Champs-Élysées and has proven itself as the strongest team in the peloton. Sky haven’t won the team classification but proved on the roads this year that they controlled proceedings and wore down any GC rivals to Wiggins. Chris Froome is the only rider who finished within five minutes of Wiggins which is an amazing achievement for Sky. Vincenzo Nibali and Cadel Evans were touted as potential winners or at least podium finishers but both finished off the pace. Nibali will finish in third and make it a Grand Tour podium treble after his Vuelta de España GC win as well as two podium finishes at the Giro d’Italia. However this has been a British tour de force and Sky have shown that there is a new approach to winning Grand Tours which is sport science. 2012 may go down as one of the most boring Tour de France’s but it will be a watermark for how teams approach the GC and follow and approve the Sky model.
Friday, 20 July 2012
TDF: Standings after Stage 17
Overall Classification
1st Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 78:28:02 2nd Chris Froome (Team Sky) +2:05”
3rd Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) +2:41”
4th Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +5:53”
5th Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +8:30”
6th Cadel Evans (BMC) +9:57”
7th Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) +10:11”
8th Pierre Rolland (Europcar) +10:17”
9th Janez Brajkovic (Astana) +11:00”
10th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +11:46”
Thursday, 19 July 2012
TDF: Standings after Stage 16
With one final mountain to come the GC classification looks like it will be won by a British rider for the first time. Bradley Wiggins has shown his superiority in the ITT over his rivals who will need to attack in Stage 17 for one final shot at yellow in Paris. For Cadel Evans the Tour defence is over and he may be given a chance to join a breakaway and gain a stage win but at only eight minutes he may still be seen as a threat. Chris Froome will be kept on a leash and will only protect Wiggins and he should be rewarded by a podium finish in Paris for doing so. Vincenzo Nibali will need to gain at least three minutes on Wiggins before the ITT and to do so in one stage looks unlikely considering he hasn’t been able to take significant time off Wiggins so far.
There may be a minor shake up of the GC but it seems the top ten is to be settled in the Stage 19 ITT to Chartes. Wiggins looks like he’ll hold onto yellow after first pulling it on after Stage 7. There may be a final attack by the mountain climbers to shore up a top ten position before the ITT but it appears that there may be too much to lose by doing so and so instead they will look to limit their losses against the clock in Stage 19.
With the final big climbing classification points on offer tonight Thomas Voeckler and Fredrik Kessiakoff who are only separated by four points will be chasing all 52 points that are on offer. There are 6 points on offer during the stage 19 ITT but these two would be keen to wrap up the classification in the Pyrenees. The first of these riders to summit Port de Balés could wrap up the classification with the points on offer at this HC climb. Otherwise the other four categorised climbs with points on offer could witness a strategic battle between these two for the maillot pois.
In the points classification it is looking likely that Peter Sagan will win the green jersey in his debut Tour. There are still two flat stages on offer but as Sagan as been either winning or contending the sprints it appears unlikely that he will pass that jersey onto either André Greipel or Matt Goss who both sit over 100 points in arrears to the Slovakian in the classification.
The white jersey is now a battle between Tejay van Garderen and Thibaut Pinot. Van Garderen holds a healthy 3:48” lead over the French rider and van Garderen should be riding into Paris in white. Van Garderen and Pinot are the two stand out young riders in 2012 as the closet rider to these two sits over 45 minutes behind the BMC rider is Steven Kruijswijk.
The most combative rider classification now has two riders who have both won the award on two occasions in 2012. A combative ride in Stage 17 by either Thomas Voeckler or Michael Mørkøv could settle the classification by Paris.
RadioShack-Nissan holds a commanding 17:15” lead in the team classification over Sky and are all but assured of a podium appearance in Paris. Only Team Sky can really threaten their chances but unless a calamitous final four stages awaits the leaders they should roll into Paris with yellow numbers on their backs.
There are still minor alterations that await in each of the classifications but it appears that the current leaders in the classifications will be the winners. The final ITT looks like it will settle any last gaps in these classifications besides the mountains classification. The points classification should be settled by Stage 19 or if not it will be settled in the final sprint along the Champs-Élysées.
2nd Chris Froome (Team Sky) +2:05”
3rd Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) +2:23”
4th Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +5:46”
5th Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) +7:13”
6th Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +7:55”
7th Cadel Evans (BMC) +8:06”
8th Janez Brajkovic (Astana) +9:09”
9th Pierre Rolland (Europcar) +10:10”
10th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +11:43”
2nd André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 254 points
3rd Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 203 points
4th Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) 130 points
5th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) 127 points
6th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 109 points
7th Cadel Evans (BMC) 100 points
8th Chris Froome (Sky) 91 points
9th Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 88 points
10th Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) 84 points
There may be a minor shake up of the GC but it seems the top ten is to be settled in the Stage 19 ITT to Chartes. Wiggins looks like he’ll hold onto yellow after first pulling it on after Stage 7. There may be a final attack by the mountain climbers to shore up a top ten position before the ITT but it appears that there may be too much to lose by doing so and so instead they will look to limit their losses against the clock in Stage 19.
With the final big climbing classification points on offer tonight Thomas Voeckler and Fredrik Kessiakoff who are only separated by four points will be chasing all 52 points that are on offer. There are 6 points on offer during the stage 19 ITT but these two would be keen to wrap up the classification in the Pyrenees. The first of these riders to summit Port de Balés could wrap up the classification with the points on offer at this HC climb. Otherwise the other four categorised climbs with points on offer could witness a strategic battle between these two for the maillot pois.
In the points classification it is looking likely that Peter Sagan will win the green jersey in his debut Tour. There are still two flat stages on offer but as Sagan as been either winning or contending the sprints it appears unlikely that he will pass that jersey onto either André Greipel or Matt Goss who both sit over 100 points in arrears to the Slovakian in the classification.
The white jersey is now a battle between Tejay van Garderen and Thibaut Pinot. Van Garderen holds a healthy 3:48” lead over the French rider and van Garderen should be riding into Paris in white. Van Garderen and Pinot are the two stand out young riders in 2012 as the closet rider to these two sits over 45 minutes behind the BMC rider is Steven Kruijswijk.
The most combative rider classification now has two riders who have both won the award on two occasions in 2012. A combative ride in Stage 17 by either Thomas Voeckler or Michael Mørkøv could settle the classification by Paris.
RadioShack-Nissan holds a commanding 17:15” lead in the team classification over Sky and are all but assured of a podium appearance in Paris. Only Team Sky can really threaten their chances but unless a calamitous final four stages awaits the leaders they should roll into Paris with yellow numbers on their backs.
There are still minor alterations that await in each of the classifications but it appears that the current leaders in the classifications will be the winners. The final ITT looks like it will settle any last gaps in these classifications besides the mountains classification. The points classification should be settled by Stage 19 or if not it will be settled in the final sprint along the Champs-Élysées.
Overall Classification
1st Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 74:15:322nd Chris Froome (Team Sky) +2:05”
3rd Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) +2:23”
4th Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +5:46”
5th Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) +7:13”
6th Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +7:55”
7th Cadel Evans (BMC) +8:06”
8th Janez Brajkovic (Astana) +9:09”
9th Pierre Rolland (Europcar) +10:10”
10th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +11:43”
Points Classification
1st Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 356 points2nd André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 254 points
3rd Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 203 points
4th Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) 130 points
5th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) 127 points
6th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 109 points
7th Cadel Evans (BMC) 100 points
8th Chris Froome (Sky) 91 points
9th Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 88 points
10th Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) 84 points
Mountains Classification
1st Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 107 points
2nd Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) 103 points
3rd Chris Anker Sørenson 77 points
4th Pierre Rolland (Europcar) 55 points
5th Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun) 38 points
6th Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) 34 points
7th Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) 33 points
8th Chris Froome (Team Sky) 32 points
9th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) 32 points
10th Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) 31 points
2nd Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +3:48”
3rd Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) +45:26”
4th Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) +52:39”
5th Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) +54:43”
6th Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) +1:01:56”
7th Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil-DCM) +1:01:32”
8th David Malacarne (Europcar) +1:18:57”
9th Dominik Nerz (Liquigas-Cannondale) +1:19:10”
10th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) +1:26:02”
2nd Team Sky +17:18”
3rd Astana +28:53”
4th BMC +29:13”
5th Europcar +50:03”
6th Liquigas-Cannondale +56:34”
7th Movistar +59:56”
8th FDJ-BigMat +1:01:22”
9th Katusha +1:01:31”
10th Omega Pharma-Quick Step + 1:20:04”
Stage Two: Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Three: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage Four: Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar)
Stage Five: Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Six: David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp)
Stage Seven: Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank)
Stage Eight: Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana)
Stage Nine: Not Awarded
Stage Ten: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
Stage 11: Pierre Rolland (Europcar)
Stage 12: Robert Kiserlovski (Astana)
Stage 13: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage 14: Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale)
Stage 15: Nicki Sørenson (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage 16: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
3rd Chris Anker Sørenson 77 points
4th Pierre Rolland (Europcar) 55 points
5th Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun) 38 points
6th Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) 34 points
7th Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) 33 points
8th Chris Froome (Team Sky) 32 points
9th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) 32 points
10th Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) 31 points
Young Riders Classification
1st Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 74:23:27” 2nd Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +3:48”
3rd Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) +45:26”
4th Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) +52:39”
5th Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) +54:43”
6th Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) +1:01:56”
7th Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil-DCM) +1:01:32”
8th David Malacarne (Europcar) +1:18:57”
9th Dominik Nerz (Liquigas-Cannondale) +1:19:10”
10th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) +1:26:02”
Team Classification
1st RadioShack-Nissan 222:58:15 2nd Team Sky +17:18”
3rd Astana +28:53”
4th BMC +29:13”
5th Europcar +50:03”
6th Liquigas-Cannondale +56:34”
7th Movistar +59:56”
8th FDJ-BigMat +1:01:22”
9th Katusha +1:01:31”
10th Omega Pharma-Quick Step + 1:20:04”
Combativity Award
Stage One: Nicolas Edet (Cofidis)Stage Two: Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Three: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage Four: Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar)
Stage Five: Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Six: David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp)
Stage Seven: Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank)
Stage Eight: Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana)
Stage Nine: Not Awarded
Stage Ten: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
Stage 11: Pierre Rolland (Europcar)
Stage 12: Robert Kiserlovski (Astana)
Stage 13: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage 14: Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale)
Stage 15: Nicki Sørenson (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage 16: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
Tour Stage Winners by Nationality since 2002
With three individual stage wins so far, Great Britain is enjoying the 2012 Tour. In recent years some countries have dominated in terms of individual stage wins for one country. In particular that has been Spain and France who have had numerous stage winners in one tour. Looking back over the last ten years at stage winners by nationality to gauge which nations have been dominate in the last 10 years of the Tour Spain and France lead Great Britain and the USA of nations to have won the most stages since 2002. Below is a breakdown of which nations won stages and had multiple individual stage winners at the Tour since the 2002 edition.
Tour de France Stage Wins by Nation Between 2002 & 2011
Spain-28
France-26
Great Britian-23
USA-20
Australia-18
Italy-17
Norway-13
Belgium-10
Germany-8
Switzerland-8
Luxembourg-7
Denmark-6
Kazakstan-4
Netherlands-4
Columbia-3
Russia-3
Ukraine-3
Estonia-2
Portugal-2
Austria-1
South Africa-1
France-26
Great Britian-23
USA-20
Australia-18
Italy-17
Norway-13
Belgium-10
Germany-8
Switzerland-8
Luxembourg-7
Denmark-6
Kazakstan-4
Netherlands-4
Columbia-3
Russia-3
Ukraine-3
Estonia-2
Portugal-2
Austria-1
South Africa-1
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Withdrawals From the 2012 Tour de France
Stage 3
Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Team Sky) fractured tibia
Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) fractured left collarbone
Stage 4
Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) fractured left collarbone
Stage 4
Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank) fractured left hip
Stage 5
Stage 5
Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) gastroenteritis/ knee
Stage 6
Stage 6
Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM) internal organ injuries/broken ribs
Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) shoulder
Davide Vagano (Lampre-ISD) fractured clavicle
Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) fractured right elbow
Stage 7
Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) shoulder
Davide Vagano (Lampre-ISD) fractured clavicle
Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) fractured right elbow
Stage 7
Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Movistar) left elbow/right knee
Imanol Erviti (Movistar) serious wounds in his right side/knee
Maarten Wynants (Rabobank) broken ribs/punctured lung
Oscar Freire (Katusha) fractured rib
Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) fractures to left radius and scaphoid
Hubert Dupont (Ag2r-La Mondiale) fractured radius/fractured vertebrae/sprained left ankle
Robert Hunter (Garmin-Sharp) stress fractures in vertebrae
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) leg-hip injuries
Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) broken collarbone
Stage 8
Imanol Erviti (Movistar) serious wounds in his right side/knee
Maarten Wynants (Rabobank) broken ribs/punctured lung
Oscar Freire (Katusha) fractured rib
Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) fractures to left radius and scaphoid
Hubert Dupont (Ag2r-La Mondiale) fractured radius/fractured vertebrae/sprained left ankle
Robert Hunter (Garmin-Sharp) stress fractures in vertebrae
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) leg-hip injuries
Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) broken collarbone
Stage 8
Johannes Fröhlinger (Argos-Shimano) broken finger
Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) injured hip
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) broken finger/bruised back and shoulder
Stage 10
Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) injured hip
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) broken finger/bruised back and shoulder
Stage 10
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) left scaphoid broken
Rémy di Gregorio (Cofidis) Pulled from race under suspicion of doping
Matthew Lloyd (Lampre-ISD) fractured radius
Stage 11
Rémy di Gregorio (Cofidis) Pulled from race under suspicion of doping
Matthew Lloyd (Lampre-ISD) fractured radius
Stage 11
Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) accumulated crash injuries
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) accumulated crash injuries
Rob Ruijgh (Vacansoleil-DCM) knee
Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM) back problems
Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) hip injury
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) ribs
Yuriy Kristov (Lampre-ISD) fatigue
Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) left race for birth of daughter
Stage 12
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) accumulated crash injuries
Rob Ruijgh (Vacansoleil-DCM) knee
Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM) back problems
Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) hip injury
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) ribs
Yuriy Kristov (Lampre-ISD) fatigue
Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) left race for birth of daughter
Stage 12
Tom Veelers (Argos Shimano) fatigue
Robert Gesink (Rabobank) Rib Injury
David Moncoutié (Cofidis) abrasions to left side of body
Stage 13
Robert Gesink (Rabobank) Rib Injury
David Moncoutié (Cofidis) abrasions to left side of body
Stage 13
Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) illness
Stage 14
Stage 14
Robert Kiserlovski (Astana) fractured his right clavicle
Stage 15
Stage 15
Brett Lancaster (Orica-GreenEdge) injuries
Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) chest infection
Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat) fatigue
Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM) back injury/stomach ailment
Jerome Vincent (Europcar) fatigue
Giovanni Bernaudeau (Europcar) fatigue
Stage 16
Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) chest infection
Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat) fatigue
Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM) back injury/stomach ailment
Jerome Vincent (Europcar) fatigue
Giovanni Bernaudeau (Europcar) fatigue
Stage 16
Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) positive doping test
Grega Bole (Lampre-ISD) neuralgia of sciatic nerve
Grega Bole (Lampre-ISD) neuralgia of sciatic nerve
Vladimir Gusev (Katusha) broken collarbone
Snippets from Le Tour
With the Tour deep into its last week and the second rest day now concluded, it is time to cast an eye back over the race. Team Sky look like they will deliver upon their promise to have a British rider win the Tour de France GC within five years of their existence. With this Tour shaping up to be the most successful in the history of British cycling, success has come in stage wins and being awarded classification jerseys.
Fränk Schleck Tests Positive on Rest Day Two
RadioShack-Nissan would be feeling that after being plagued by endless rumours in 2012, the season could hardly have gotten any worse. Now Fränk Schleck has tested positive and will await a B Sample before any charges are laid upon a rider who last year finished the tour on the podium with his brother Andy. The rumours surrounding the team looked to be dissipating following the lead they hold over Sky in the team classification. A positive B Sample will tip the scales to disaster for the team which is also been caught up in the current Lance Armstrong WADA case. Nothing is certain until the B Sample is announced, although it is a somewhat surpising positive which is another positive test that has been conveniently announced on a rest day.
Both the UCI and Schleck’s team have put out press releases which can be read below. After Rémy Di Gregorio was hauled off the Tour on the first rest day this year a second rest day has been a day of intrigue and surprise. There have been mixed reactions to the initial positive test as in 2008 Schleck was cleared after being linked to the Operacion Puerto scandal and declaring that he had made a payment to the bank account of Dr Eufemiamo Fuentes. Since then there have been suggestions that Schleck has been eluding testers and a positive test was only a matter of time. Hopefully for the sport the B Sample will be negative, similar to Alexandr Kolobnev whose B Sample returned a negative following his A Sample positive last year.
"Our team attaches great value to transparency. Because of these values, we can announce the following as a response to the adverse analytical finding of xipamide in Fränk Schleck's urine sample of July 14 during the Tour de France.
After being informed by the UCI about the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Fränk Schleck on July 14, the team has decided to immediately withdraw Fränk Schleck from the Tour de France.
Even though an abnormal A sample does not require these measures, Mr. Schleck and the team believe this is the right thing to do, to ensure the Tour de France can go on in calm and that Fränk Schleck can prepare his defense in accordance with the legal timing to do so.
On the subject of xipamide the team can declare the following: it is not a product that is present in any of the medicine that the team uses and the reason for the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Mr. Schleck is unclear to the team. Therefore, the team is not able to explain the adverse findings at this point.
However, the team is fully determined to collaborate with the anti-doping agencies in order to resolve the matter."
More can be found here from the RadioShack-Nissan website.
The UCI press release outlining the approach it will take regarding this case can be read in full here.
Both the UCI and Schleck’s team have put out press releases which can be read below. After Rémy Di Gregorio was hauled off the Tour on the first rest day this year a second rest day has been a day of intrigue and surprise. There have been mixed reactions to the initial positive test as in 2008 Schleck was cleared after being linked to the Operacion Puerto scandal and declaring that he had made a payment to the bank account of Dr Eufemiamo Fuentes. Since then there have been suggestions that Schleck has been eluding testers and a positive test was only a matter of time. Hopefully for the sport the B Sample will be negative, similar to Alexandr Kolobnev whose B Sample returned a negative following his A Sample positive last year.
RadioShack-Nissan Team Statement
"Our team attaches great value to transparency. Because of these values, we can announce the following as a response to the adverse analytical finding of xipamide in Fränk Schleck's urine sample of July 14 during the Tour de France.
After being informed by the UCI about the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Fränk Schleck on July 14, the team has decided to immediately withdraw Fränk Schleck from the Tour de France.
Even though an abnormal A sample does not require these measures, Mr. Schleck and the team believe this is the right thing to do, to ensure the Tour de France can go on in calm and that Fränk Schleck can prepare his defense in accordance with the legal timing to do so.
On the subject of xipamide the team can declare the following: it is not a product that is present in any of the medicine that the team uses and the reason for the presence of xipamide in the urine sample of Mr. Schleck is unclear to the team. Therefore, the team is not able to explain the adverse findings at this point.
However, the team is fully determined to collaborate with the anti-doping agencies in order to resolve the matter."
More can be found here from the RadioShack-Nissan website.
The UCI press release outlining the approach it will take regarding this case can be read in full here.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Why Support Wiggo?
Bradley Wiggins is on the cusp of an unprecedented achievement in the world of cycling. Wiggins is a proven multiple Olympic and world champion gold medal winning cyclist but in the last year has proven himself to be a Grand Tour GC contender. His third placing at the 2011 Vuelta de España was a sign of what Wiggins is capable of as well as a validation of fourth place in the 2009 Tour. After crashing out during Stage Seven of last year’s Tour with a broken collarbone, Wiggins has been working hard on returning to the Tour and taking home yellow. 2012 appears to to be year of the self confessed mod whose Tour it is to lose.
Saturday, 14 July 2012
The British Dominance in 2012
Parlez-vous Anglais?
British riders are having their most successful Tour de France in 2012 with the likelihood of a British rider wearing yellow in Paris no longer appearing to be fantasy. David Millar won the 226km stage yesterday beating Frenchman Jean-Christophe Péraud across the line for his fifth stage win at Le Tour. Millar’s stage win was the fourth by a British rider in 2012 and only adds to the success the Brits are having this year. British cycling seems to be coming of age at the Tour and several more stage wins could still be on the cards. Bradley Wiggins looks assured of collecting his seventh yellow jersey after tomorrow’s relatively flat stage and in the process will become the British rider to have spent the most time in yellow. The efforts of Wiggins and his Team Sky are unprecedented by British cyclists.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Stage 12 Mountains
Stage 12 is a 226km race from Saint Jean-De-Maurienne to Annonay-Davézieux which has two Cat 1 climbs. Saint Jean-De-Maurienne will be known to the peloton after the ride through the valley of the River Arc during Stage 11. The town had been part of Piedmont under the House of Savoy but now has been French since 1859 and seen its share of cycling. From the town the peloton will head north-west to the Col du Grand Cucheron which will be ascended for a fourth time in the Tour. First included in the 1972 Tour it has appeared again in 1983 and 1998 and has the honour of Eddy Merckx being the first to summit the mountain. The 12.5kms climb in 2012 will come after just 20kms of the race and its average gradient is 6.5%. The steepest average part of the climb is 9.8% during the ninth km of the climb. The riders will quickly descend from the Cucheron down to Pontcharra before heading up the Col du Granier. Will a long flat finish to the stage attacks look more likely to eventuate and succeed on the Granier.
The Col du Granier made its first appearance at the 1947 Tour and has been included 16 times throughout the Tour’s history. Last seen in the 1998 edition it is a shorter climb than the Col du Grand Cucheron but is still a Cat 1 climb due to its steep second half. In 2012 the Granier will be 9.7kms long at an average of 8.6% making it one of the steepest climbs in the Tour this year. In the last two kilometres the average gradient in over 10% and will be a test of the entire peloton. This will be a tough climb as the second climb of the day and coming after Stage 11 which includes two HC climbs and a Cat 1 climb. The Granier is being attacked from the east this year and has not hosted such an approach since 1972 when Lucien Van Impe was the first rider over the summit. Van Impe was the king of the mountains that year and also took out Stage 12 just two days before. Once again the Granier will not host a summit finish as it has not done so previously but has been included alongside other bigger summits in the Alps.
An attack looks likely on the Col du Granier as from the summit at 1134m’s the rest of the stage is mostly flat until a 336m Cat 3 climb with 18.5kms left to race the only real obstacle. There is an intermediate sprint point at 153kms but its seems unlikely to be contested by the sprinters who would be struggling behind the GC men up the Col du Granier. Therefore if Evans or Nibali really want to take time off Wiggins and possibly move into yellow, a long breakaway may be necessary. That would include a long flat escape before a 200m climb in elevation in the final 20kms.The race will past just north of Grenoble on the mostly downhill ride into Annonay-Davézieux and sees the Tour take another trip south as it heads to the Mediterranean and gives the sprinters a chance at a stage win. This will be the last chance that GC riders can look to make up time in the Alps before they are said goodbye to once again. The GC men and mountain goats have a chance again at glory on Stage 14 as the Tour turns north and into the Pyrenees where Cat 1 climbs are again the order of the day. Once the peloton reaches the Pyrenees expect some serious fireworks as the GC men look to move up the overall before the Stage 19 ITT when they know they could lose minutes to Wiggins, Evans and Froome.
The Col du Granier made its first appearance at the 1947 Tour and has been included 16 times throughout the Tour’s history. Last seen in the 1998 edition it is a shorter climb than the Col du Grand Cucheron but is still a Cat 1 climb due to its steep second half. In 2012 the Granier will be 9.7kms long at an average of 8.6% making it one of the steepest climbs in the Tour this year. In the last two kilometres the average gradient in over 10% and will be a test of the entire peloton. This will be a tough climb as the second climb of the day and coming after Stage 11 which includes two HC climbs and a Cat 1 climb. The Granier is being attacked from the east this year and has not hosted such an approach since 1972 when Lucien Van Impe was the first rider over the summit. Van Impe was the king of the mountains that year and also took out Stage 12 just two days before. Once again the Granier will not host a summit finish as it has not done so previously but has been included alongside other bigger summits in the Alps.
An attack looks likely on the Col du Granier as from the summit at 1134m’s the rest of the stage is mostly flat until a 336m Cat 3 climb with 18.5kms left to race the only real obstacle. There is an intermediate sprint point at 153kms but its seems unlikely to be contested by the sprinters who would be struggling behind the GC men up the Col du Granier. Therefore if Evans or Nibali really want to take time off Wiggins and possibly move into yellow, a long breakaway may be necessary. That would include a long flat escape before a 200m climb in elevation in the final 20kms.The race will past just north of Grenoble on the mostly downhill ride into Annonay-Davézieux and sees the Tour take another trip south as it heads to the Mediterranean and gives the sprinters a chance at a stage win. This will be the last chance that GC riders can look to make up time in the Alps before they are said goodbye to once again. The GC men and mountain goats have a chance again at glory on Stage 14 as the Tour turns north and into the Pyrenees where Cat 1 climbs are again the order of the day. Once the peloton reaches the Pyrenees expect some serious fireworks as the GC men look to move up the overall before the Stage 19 ITT when they know they could lose minutes to Wiggins, Evans and Froome.
Stage Profile and Cat 1 Profiles
Saint Jean-De-Maurienne to Annonay-Davézieux 226km
©ASO
Col du Grand Cucheron (12.5km @ 6.5%)
©ASO
Col du Granier (9.7km @8.6%)
©ASO
Profiles courtesy of ASO @ letour.fr
Stage 11: Albertville to La Toussuire-Les-Sybelles 148km
During Stage 11 the Tour will ascend four categorised climbs of which two are hors catergorie or HC. The first of the HC climbs is the imposing Col de la Madeleine which is a 25.3km climb that reaches to 2000 meters and has an average gradient of 6.2% when approached from the north. On several sections that climb averages up to 9.5% gradient and will surely test the GC men early on. While for the sprinters it will be the beginning of a day that will they will dread but keep Paris in mind to get through the pain. The climb up the Madeleine begins after only 14.5kms on what looks certain to be a day on which Vincenzo Nibali and Cadel Evans really test the strength of Team Sky and the resolve of Wiggins.
The last time the Col de la Madeleine featured at the Tour was in 2010 when the French rider Anthony Charteau was the first over the summit on Stage Nine. Charteau went onto win the climbers classification that year and his teammate Thomas Voeckler, who will be wearing the maillot pois in today’s stage, may just emulate his countryman and try to increase his lead in that classification. In the 2010 Tour, Evans was wearing yellow on the Madeleine suffering the effects of a crash on the previous stage in which he fractured his left elbow. Evans was dropped and his Tour was over. Once again the Madeleine will be crucial to the overall hopes of Evans but with three more climbs in the stage alone, it won't be the last roll of the dice for the BMC rider.
The next climb the peloton will encounter comes after 70kms of racing with the Madeleine said ‘au revoir‘to once again. With Madeleine gone, the race flattens out all too quickly for some with the days sprints points on offer. There is an intermediate sprint point at the base of the Col de la Croix de Fer at 70kms into the stage. From there the sprinters will suffer until the finish at La Toussuire. This HC Mountain is only 22.4kms in length but has an average gradient of 6.9% and its summit is 2,067 meters. The first rider to crest the Col de la Croix de Fer will be awarded the Souvenir Henri Desgrange as the Croix de Fer is the highest point of the 2012 Tour. The award is a tribute to the founder of the race and is awarded to the rider who is first over the highest point of the Tour as well as €5000. The last time this HC climb was included in the Tour was during Stage 17 of the 2008 Tour which finished at Alpe d’Huez. The winner of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange that year was Peter Velits. Once the riders crest the second HC climb of the stage they will descend to Les Chambons and from there, they will begin to climb again.
The Cat 2 climb Col du Mollard will seem to be a minor blemish after the first two climbs and is a little bump on the descent from the Croix de Fer to Saint Jean-De-Maurienne which is 604m above sea level and hosts the depart of Stage 12. The final climb of the day is the 18km climb up the Cat 1 La Toussuire and will be the first alpine summit of the 2012 Tour. The climb is just 67m higher than the Col du Mollard but its average gradient of 6.1% is actually lesser than the 6.8% of the Mollard. This will be the second appearance of La Toussuire in the Tour after it debuted in the 2006 Tour. Michael Rasmussen won that day over Carlos Sastre on a stage that also rode over the Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Mollard. Floyd Landis looked to have thrown away any attempt at the overall as he finished 23rd on the stage and dropped out of the top ten. Óscar Pereiro rode himself into yellow after finishing third in the stage, just two seconds ahead of Cadel Evans and all but secured yellow. The Climb has appeared in the Critérium de Dauphiné twice since then and the last time the Dauphiné went up La Toussuire, Bradley Wiggins was also in yellow, as he will be today.
Wiggins may concede yellow today knowing he has the superior the ITT among the top ten which would also see him skip the yellow jersey press conferences. Wiggins is growing into the role of wearing the yellow jersey along with the pressure and responsibilities that come with it. However he has broken the record for most consecutive days spent in yellow by a British rider and is second in British riders to have worn yellow and equal 113th overall with four days in the jersey. It is still a long way to Paris and handing the jersey over to Froome may just help Wiggins recharge mid-Tour and enable him to come out and attack his rivals In the Pyrenees to ensure that heading into the Stage 19 ITT he is holding a substantial time gap over them. This way, Sky is still in charge of yellow and Froome gets a chance to audition himself for a future, or alternative, GC winner for Sky.
At only 148kms the stage looks likely to be explosive. The Tour director Christian Prudhomme has begun to favour the shorter alpine stages in which the GC men are forced to come out an attack with such stages no longer characterised by 200kms of rolling terrain before one final massive climb. Of the 148kms, the four categorised climbs together will equate to 71.4km which will certainly test the legs of the peloton. After the ascent of the Mollard there could be a new virtual leader on the road who will go on to put real time into Wiggins up La Toussuire. This may end up being Froome if Sky allows him to make his own attacks which could also alleviate any pressure from Wiggins. Either way there will be attacks or breakaway attempts in a stage that promises fireworks and GC shakeup that the 2012 Tour is yet to really experience.
Stage and mountain profiles all courtesy of ASO at letour.fr
The last time the Col de la Madeleine featured at the Tour was in 2010 when the French rider Anthony Charteau was the first over the summit on Stage Nine. Charteau went onto win the climbers classification that year and his teammate Thomas Voeckler, who will be wearing the maillot pois in today’s stage, may just emulate his countryman and try to increase his lead in that classification. In the 2010 Tour, Evans was wearing yellow on the Madeleine suffering the effects of a crash on the previous stage in which he fractured his left elbow. Evans was dropped and his Tour was over. Once again the Madeleine will be crucial to the overall hopes of Evans but with three more climbs in the stage alone, it won't be the last roll of the dice for the BMC rider.
Col de la Madeleine 2000m - (25.3km @ 6.2%)
©ASO
The next climb the peloton will encounter comes after 70kms of racing with the Madeleine said ‘au revoir‘to once again. With Madeleine gone, the race flattens out all too quickly for some with the days sprints points on offer. There is an intermediate sprint point at the base of the Col de la Croix de Fer at 70kms into the stage. From there the sprinters will suffer until the finish at La Toussuire. This HC Mountain is only 22.4kms in length but has an average gradient of 6.9% and its summit is 2,067 meters. The first rider to crest the Col de la Croix de Fer will be awarded the Souvenir Henri Desgrange as the Croix de Fer is the highest point of the 2012 Tour. The award is a tribute to the founder of the race and is awarded to the rider who is first over the highest point of the Tour as well as €5000. The last time this HC climb was included in the Tour was during Stage 17 of the 2008 Tour which finished at Alpe d’Huez. The winner of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange that year was Peter Velits. Once the riders crest the second HC climb of the stage they will descend to Les Chambons and from there, they will begin to climb again.
Col de la Croix Fer 2067m (22.4km @ 6.9%)
©ASO
Col du Mollard 1638m (5.7km @ 6.8%)
©ASO
La Toussuire 1705m (18km @ 6.1%)
©ASO
Wiggins may concede yellow today knowing he has the superior the ITT among the top ten which would also see him skip the yellow jersey press conferences. Wiggins is growing into the role of wearing the yellow jersey along with the pressure and responsibilities that come with it. However he has broken the record for most consecutive days spent in yellow by a British rider and is second in British riders to have worn yellow and equal 113th overall with four days in the jersey. It is still a long way to Paris and handing the jersey over to Froome may just help Wiggins recharge mid-Tour and enable him to come out and attack his rivals In the Pyrenees to ensure that heading into the Stage 19 ITT he is holding a substantial time gap over them. This way, Sky is still in charge of yellow and Froome gets a chance to audition himself for a future, or alternative, GC winner for Sky.
At only 148kms the stage looks likely to be explosive. The Tour director Christian Prudhomme has begun to favour the shorter alpine stages in which the GC men are forced to come out an attack with such stages no longer characterised by 200kms of rolling terrain before one final massive climb. Of the 148kms, the four categorised climbs together will equate to 71.4km which will certainly test the legs of the peloton. After the ascent of the Mollard there could be a new virtual leader on the road who will go on to put real time into Wiggins up La Toussuire. This may end up being Froome if Sky allows him to make his own attacks which could also alleviate any pressure from Wiggins. Either way there will be attacks or breakaway attempts in a stage that promises fireworks and GC shakeup that the 2012 Tour is yet to really experience.
Stage Profile
Stage and mountain profiles all courtesy of ASO at letour.fr
TDF: Standings after Stage Ten
Overall classification
1st Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 43:59:02 2nd Cadel Evans (BMC) +1:53”
3rd Chris Froome (Team Sky) +2:07”
4th Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) +2:23”
5th Dennis Menchov (Katusha) +3:02”
6th Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) +3:19”
7th Maxime Monfort (RadioShack-Nissan) +4:23”
8th Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +4:48”
9th Nicolas Roche (AG2R-La Mondiale) +5:29”
10th Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +5:31”
Points Classification
1st Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 232 points 2nd Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 205 points
3rd André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 172 points
4th Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) 129 points
5th Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) 109 points
6th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) 95 points
7th Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) 89 points
8th Cadel Evans (BMC) 86 points
9th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 81 points
10th Tom Veelers (Argos-Shimano) 76 points
Mountains Classification
1st Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 28 points 2nd Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) 21 points
3rd Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) 21 points
4th Chris Froome (Team Sky) 20 points
5th Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) 18 points
6th Cadel Evans (BMC) 18 points
7th Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank) 18 points
8th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) 16 points
9th Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) 14 points
10th Dries Devenyns (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 14 points
Young Riders Classification
1st Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 44:04:33” 2nd Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) +25”
3rd Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +3:22”
4th Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil-DCM) +19:01”
5th Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) +27:07”
6th Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) +28:42”
7th Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) +29:07”
8th David Malacarne (Europcar) +29:27”
9th Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) +33:33”
10th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) +34:39”
Team Classification
2nd Team Sky +4:58”
3rd BMC +22:06”
4th Astana +25:56”
5th Omega Pharma-Quick Step +26:00”
6th Liquigas-Cannondale +28:48”
7th Katusha +31:14”
8th Movistar +34:13”
9th FDJ-BigMat +35:20”
10th Europcar +44:13”
Combativity Award
Stage Two: Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Three: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage Four: Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar)
Stage Five: Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Six: David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp)
Stage Seven: Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank)
Stage Eight: Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana)
Stage Nine: Not Awarded
Stage Ten: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
TDF: Standings after Stage Nine ITT
The first rest day of the 2012 Tour de France is upon us and wearing yellow is the Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins will be the centre of attention on a day that is usually for the benefit of the press. The story of the day continues to be the blistering ITT stage win by Wiggins in which he put some serious distance between himself and his rivals. He is now in a position in which he can afford to ride defensively and simply follow the wheels of his rivals and till the Tour.
Leading the other classifications is three time stage winner Peter Sagan in green, American Tejay van Garderen in white and Fredrik Kessiakoff in the maillot pois. In the team classification, RadioShack-Nissan leads Sky by over a minute and will be wearing yellow helmets on Stage 10 as leaders of that classification.
Overall classification
1st Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 39:09:20
2nd Cadel Evans (BMC) +1:53”
3rd Chris Froome (Team Sky) +2:07”
4th Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) +2:23”
5th Dennis Menchov (Katusha) +3:02”
6th Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) +3:19”
7th Maxime Monfort (RadioShack-Nissan) +4:23”
8th Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +5:14”
9th Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +5:20”
10th Nicolas Roche (AG2R-La Mondiale) +5:29”
1st Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) 217 points
2nd Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 185 points
3rd André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 172 points
4th Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) 129 points
5th Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) 109 points
6th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) 95 points
7th Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) 89 points
8th Cadel Evans (BMC) 82 points
9th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 78 points
10th Tom Veelers (Argos-Shimano) 76 points
Leading the other classifications is three time stage winner Peter Sagan in green, American Tejay van Garderen in white and Fredrik Kessiakoff in the maillot pois. In the team classification, RadioShack-Nissan leads Sky by over a minute and will be wearing yellow helmets on Stage 10 as leaders of that classification.
Overall classification
1st Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 39:09:20
2nd Cadel Evans (BMC) +1:53”
3rd Chris Froome (Team Sky) +2:07”
4th Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) +2:23”
5th Dennis Menchov (Katusha) +3:02”
6th Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) +3:19”
7th Maxime Monfort (RadioShack-Nissan) +4:23”
8th Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +5:14”
9th Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +5:20”
10th Nicolas Roche (AG2R-La Mondiale) +5:29”
Points Classification
2nd Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) 185 points
3rd André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 172 points
4th Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) 129 points
5th Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) 109 points
6th Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) 95 points
7th Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) 89 points
8th Cadel Evans (BMC) 82 points
9th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 78 points
10th Tom Veelers (Argos-Shimano) 76 points
Mountains Classification
1st Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) 21 points
2nd Chris Froome (Team Sky) 20 points
3rd Cadel Evans (BMC) 18 points
4th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) 16 points
5th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 12 points
6th Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) 9 points
7th Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) 9 points
8th Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) 9 points
9th Chris Anker Sørenson (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) 4 points
10th Jérémy Roy (FDJ-BigMat) 5 points
1st Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 39:14:34”
2nd Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) +42”
3rd Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) +45”
4th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +3:39”
5th Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) +5:11”
6th David Malacarne (Europcar) +13:55”
7th Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) +18:15”
8th Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil-DCM) +18:54”
9th Arthur Vichot (FDJ-BigMat) +19:33”
10th Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) +20:34”
2nd Team Sky +1:25”
3rd Omega Pharma-Quick Step +13:25”
4th Liquigas-Cannondale +16:06”
5th Katusha +16:23”
6th BMC +17:32”
7th Movistar +22:39”
8th Astana +22:47”
9th AG2R-La Mondiale +24:28”
10th FDJ-BigMat +26:52”
Stage Two: Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Three: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage Four: Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar)
Stage Five: Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Six: David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp)
Stage Seven: Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank)
Stage Eight: Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana)
Stage Nine: Not Awarded
3rd Cadel Evans (BMC) 18 points
4th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) 16 points
5th Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 12 points
6th Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) 9 points
7th Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) 9 points
8th Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) 9 points
9th Chris Anker Sørenson (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) 4 points
10th Jérémy Roy (FDJ-BigMat) 5 points
Young Riders Classification
1st Tejay van Garderen (BMC) 39:14:34”
2nd Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) +42”
3rd Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) +45”
4th Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) +3:39”
5th Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) +5:11”
6th David Malacarne (Europcar) +13:55”
7th Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) +18:15”
8th Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil-DCM) +18:54”
9th Arthur Vichot (FDJ-BigMat) +19:33”
10th Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) +20:34”
Team Classification
1st RadioShack-Nissan 117:36:25 2nd Team Sky +1:25”
3rd Omega Pharma-Quick Step +13:25”
4th Liquigas-Cannondale +16:06”
5th Katusha +16:23”
6th BMC +17:32”
7th Movistar +22:39”
8th Astana +22:47”
9th AG2R-La Mondiale +24:28”
10th FDJ-BigMat +26:52”
Combativity Award
Stage One: Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) Stage Two: Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Three: Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage Four: Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar)
Stage Five: Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Six: David Zabriskie (Garmin-Sharp)
Stage Seven: Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank)
Stage Eight: Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana)
Stage Nine: Not Awarded
Monday, 9 July 2012
Recent Grand Tour ITT Results
With an increased number of time trial kilometres in the 2012 Tour de France compared to recent editions the GC candidates will need to have two good ITTs to stand atop the podium in Paris. The tables below are the finishing positions of the current top four riders on the GC at Grand Tours since 2007. These four riders appear to the fighting to the podium but after the 41.5km stage to Besançon the GC will be shuffled. This time the picture of who the overall candidates are will look a little clearer.
In 2011 Cadel Evans won the Tour following his Stage 20 heroics in the 42.5km ITT around Grenoble. On that day Evans finished second to Tony Martin who would go onto to claim his maiden world champion ITT and after two second places at the Tour won his maiden yellow jersey. What was more important than his finishing position on Stage 20 was that Evans had began the day 57 seconds in arrears to Andy Schleck but finished the stage 1:34 ahead of him and won the Tour by doing so. Evans won an ITT stage at the 2007 Tour after initially finishing second behind Alexander Vinokourov who won the Stage 13 time trial around Albi but later testing positive for doping. Bradley Wiggins finished one minute behind Evans in that stage but admittedly he was not as focused on the road as he is now. Evans will be looking to ride the last ITT of the 2012 in yellow and take the jersey on his shoulders all the way to Paris.
Wiggins has already won four ITT stages this season and will begin the Stage Nine time trial a slight favourite ahead of his GC rivals. Wiggins has shown that he the legs to go with the best climbers after his stage race wins this year but the ITT is where Wiggins will want to put serious time into his rivals. If Wiggins has to only follow his rivals in the mountains the Tour is most certainly his. However if he needs to make up time and attack his rivals in the mountains his tilt at the overall looks less likely. Wiggins and Evans are the two favourites for the overall in 2012 partly due to the high number of ITT kms. Evans is no slouch in the ITT and his time trial win at the Critérium International earlier this season will be a mental boost for the Australian. Depending on the results on the ITT Wiggins may intentionally lose yellow and want to stay out of the leader’s jersey until Stage 19.Wiggins appears at unease having to front the media for every day he is yellow and surrendering the jersey may actually be beneficial to his chances for the win. Without the pressure of yellow, Wiggins may be more relaxed and able to launch attacks without the full attention of the peloton.
At the 2008 Tour de France Carlos Sastre was in yellow heading into the final ITT which was a 53km race from Cérilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond but seemed destined to concede yellow to Evans. Evans had begun the Tour as a favourite and was wearing the number one bib on his back after Alberto Contador and his team Astana were not invited to the race following Vinokourov‘s positive test for blood doping. Without the Spaniard to whom Evans had lost the Tour by only 23 seconds to the previous year, the Silence-Lotto rider was a clear favourite for the overall and the Tour would be his to lose. Evans did lose the 2008 and his failure to catch Sastre on the final ITT was his undoing. Now with a one-one record in terms of final ITTs and the maillot jaune, Evans will be confident of making that record two-one in terms of Tour wins. Evans spent several days in yellow with a slender one lead over Franck Schleck in 2008 and as the outright favourite appeared to be seriously affected by this attention. Evans lost the yellow jersey after Stage 15 into Prato Nevoso to Schleck and slipped to third overall. Team CSC held onto yellow after this with the jersey changing hands to Sastre following his win at Alpe d’Huez on Stage 17 and Evans remained on the back foot watching his Tour dreams ride away. Sastre rode the ITT of his life to finish 12th on the stage to lose only 29 seconds to Evans. Evans managed to take back some time on Sastre on the final stage but it was not enough and for the second year running lost the Tour by under a minute. The demons of the 2008 ITT were exorcised in 2011 and Evans may be hoping to have the GC all but sown up by Stage 19.
Evans will be hoping that he will be in yellow during the Stage 20 ITT to Chartres and will have done enough throughout the race to hold a substantial lead over Wiggins. Evans showed during yesterday’s stage that he will attack where ever possible and claw back his current 10 second deficient to the Team Sky rider. Evans will have allies in the GC men who are not so strong in the ITT’s and will be looking to take time off Wiggins in the Alps and Pyrenees. Nibali and Menchov are both reasonable time trials but cannot count on taking time off Wiggins or Evans in them. They will need to attack in the mountains and at any opportunity that arises.
As the tables below show the current top four on the GC have all had impressive ITT results across the three weeks of the three Grand Tours. All have won an ITT stage at a Grand Tour and it appears quite possible that one of the four will win either tomorrow’s stage or Stage 19. The biggest threat from non-GC candidates looks like it will come from Fabian Cancellara as current ITT world champion Tony Martin is nursing several injuries. David Millar from Garmin-Sharp could be considered a dark horse for the stage win as could Rabobank’s Spanish national time trial champion Luis León Sanchez. However with the ITT looking to be decisive in the configuration of the overall, these riders may be pushed down the order by the GC men really wanting to gain some time over their rivals. There are several national ITT champions in the 2012 peloton but with the possibility of yellow after the conclusion of Stage 10, that may prove to be a bigger motivating factor than a stage win would be for the national champions.
Note: Only ITT stages are considered, no Prologue results have been listed. None of these riders competed in the 2012 Giro d’Italia, therefore the 2012 Tour de France will be their first Grand Tour for the year.
In 2011 Cadel Evans won the Tour following his Stage 20 heroics in the 42.5km ITT around Grenoble. On that day Evans finished second to Tony Martin who would go onto to claim his maiden world champion ITT and after two second places at the Tour won his maiden yellow jersey. What was more important than his finishing position on Stage 20 was that Evans had began the day 57 seconds in arrears to Andy Schleck but finished the stage 1:34 ahead of him and won the Tour by doing so. Evans won an ITT stage at the 2007 Tour after initially finishing second behind Alexander Vinokourov who won the Stage 13 time trial around Albi but later testing positive for doping. Bradley Wiggins finished one minute behind Evans in that stage but admittedly he was not as focused on the road as he is now. Evans will be looking to ride the last ITT of the 2012 in yellow and take the jersey on his shoulders all the way to Paris.
Wiggins has already won four ITT stages this season and will begin the Stage Nine time trial a slight favourite ahead of his GC rivals. Wiggins has shown that he the legs to go with the best climbers after his stage race wins this year but the ITT is where Wiggins will want to put serious time into his rivals. If Wiggins has to only follow his rivals in the mountains the Tour is most certainly his. However if he needs to make up time and attack his rivals in the mountains his tilt at the overall looks less likely. Wiggins and Evans are the two favourites for the overall in 2012 partly due to the high number of ITT kms. Evans is no slouch in the ITT and his time trial win at the Critérium International earlier this season will be a mental boost for the Australian. Depending on the results on the ITT Wiggins may intentionally lose yellow and want to stay out of the leader’s jersey until Stage 19.Wiggins appears at unease having to front the media for every day he is yellow and surrendering the jersey may actually be beneficial to his chances for the win. Without the pressure of yellow, Wiggins may be more relaxed and able to launch attacks without the full attention of the peloton.
At the 2008 Tour de France Carlos Sastre was in yellow heading into the final ITT which was a 53km race from Cérilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond but seemed destined to concede yellow to Evans. Evans had begun the Tour as a favourite and was wearing the number one bib on his back after Alberto Contador and his team Astana were not invited to the race following Vinokourov‘s positive test for blood doping. Without the Spaniard to whom Evans had lost the Tour by only 23 seconds to the previous year, the Silence-Lotto rider was a clear favourite for the overall and the Tour would be his to lose. Evans did lose the 2008 and his failure to catch Sastre on the final ITT was his undoing. Now with a one-one record in terms of final ITTs and the maillot jaune, Evans will be confident of making that record two-one in terms of Tour wins. Evans spent several days in yellow with a slender one lead over Franck Schleck in 2008 and as the outright favourite appeared to be seriously affected by this attention. Evans lost the yellow jersey after Stage 15 into Prato Nevoso to Schleck and slipped to third overall. Team CSC held onto yellow after this with the jersey changing hands to Sastre following his win at Alpe d’Huez on Stage 17 and Evans remained on the back foot watching his Tour dreams ride away. Sastre rode the ITT of his life to finish 12th on the stage to lose only 29 seconds to Evans. Evans managed to take back some time on Sastre on the final stage but it was not enough and for the second year running lost the Tour by under a minute. The demons of the 2008 ITT were exorcised in 2011 and Evans may be hoping to have the GC all but sown up by Stage 19.
Evans will be hoping that he will be in yellow during the Stage 20 ITT to Chartres and will have done enough throughout the race to hold a substantial lead over Wiggins. Evans showed during yesterday’s stage that he will attack where ever possible and claw back his current 10 second deficient to the Team Sky rider. Evans will have allies in the GC men who are not so strong in the ITT’s and will be looking to take time off Wiggins in the Alps and Pyrenees. Nibali and Menchov are both reasonable time trials but cannot count on taking time off Wiggins or Evans in them. They will need to attack in the mountains and at any opportunity that arises.
As the tables below show the current top four on the GC have all had impressive ITT results across the three weeks of the three Grand Tours. All have won an ITT stage at a Grand Tour and it appears quite possible that one of the four will win either tomorrow’s stage or Stage 19. The biggest threat from non-GC candidates looks like it will come from Fabian Cancellara as current ITT world champion Tony Martin is nursing several injuries. David Millar from Garmin-Sharp could be considered a dark horse for the stage win as could Rabobank’s Spanish national time trial champion Luis León Sanchez. However with the ITT looking to be decisive in the configuration of the overall, these riders may be pushed down the order by the GC men really wanting to gain some time over their rivals. There are several national ITT champions in the 2012 peloton but with the possibility of yellow after the conclusion of Stage 10, that may prove to be a bigger motivating factor than a stage win would be for the national champions.
Evans, Menchov, Nibali and Wiggins ITT performances at Grand Tours 2007-2012
Evans
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
Giro
d’Italia
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3rd (Stage 1), 2nd (Stage
16), 4th (Stage 21)
|
-
|
Tour
de France
|
1st (Stage 13), 2nd (Stage
19)
|
4th (Stage 4), 7th (Stage 20), 50th (Stage 20)
|
5th (Stage 1), 12th (Stage 18)
|
166th (Stage 19)
|
2nd (Stage 20)
|
Vuelta
de España
|
11th (Stage 8)
|
-
|
10th (Stage 4), 3rd (Stage
20)
|
-
|
-
|
Wiggins
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
Giro
d’Italia
|
-
|
157th (Stage 10), 4th (Stage
21)
|
7th, (Stage 12), 2nd (Stage
21)
|
1st (Stage 1), 67th 2nd
(Stage 16), 7th (Stage 21)
|
-
|
Tour
de France
|
4th (Stage 13), (Stage 19)
|
-
|
3rd (Stage 1), 6th (Stage
18)
|
9th (Stage 19)
|
WD
|
Vuelta
de España
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3rd (Stage 10)
|
Nibali
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
Giro
d’Italia
|
24th (Stage 13), 7th (Stage
20)
|
7th (Stage 10), 44th (Stage
21)
|
-
|
11th (Stage 1), 4th 2nd
(Stage 16), 5th (Stage 21)
|
1st (Stage 16)
|
Tour
de France
|
10th (Stage 4), 6th (Stage
20)
|
9th (Stage 1), 26th (Stage 18)
|
-
|
-
|
|
Vuelta
de España
|
-
|
-
|
15nd (Stage 17)
|
15th (Stage 10)
|
Menchov
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
Giro
d’Italia
|
-
|
6th (Stage 10), 25th (Stage
21)
|
1st (Stage 12), 10th (Stage 21)
|
-
|
6th (Stage 16)
|
Tour
de France
|
21st (Stage 13)
|
6th (Stage Four)
|
53rd (Stage 1), 17th (Stage
18)
|
11th (Stage 19)
|
-
|
Vuelta
de España
|
4th (Stage 8)
|
-
|
-
|
2nd (Stage 17)
|
13th (Stage 10)
|
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