Tours
256 km
Sunday 14 October
Top five results in Paris-Tours:
1. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy, Milram)
2. Francesco Chicchi (Italy, Liquigas)
3. Oscar Freirer (Spain, Rabobank)
4. Steven de Jongh (Netherlands, Quick Step)
5. Allan Davis (Australia, Discovery Channel)
Launched by team-mate Erik Zabel, Alessandro Petacchi wins the 101st Paris-Tours.
The three have been caught after the red flame.
The three are under the red flame with the peloton on their heels.
The peloton catch Cancellara, Flecha and Guttierez with two kilometres to go.
Gilbert, Kroon and Pozzato tackle the long avenue de Grammont. Cancellara, Flecha and Guttierez are 15 seconds behind and the pack 20 seconds behind.
Gilbert, Pozzato and Kroon are together again, chased by Kroon’s CSC team leader Cancellara.
Another attack by Gilbert has dropped Kroon but Pozzato resists (km 253)
Cancellara and Flecha are chasing behind the leading three.
Having counter-attacked behind his team-mate Quinziato, Pozzato is trying to drop Gilbert and Kroon with five kilometre to go.
Gilbert tries his luck with 8 kms to go. He is joined by Karsten Kroon (CSC) and Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas).
Philippe Gilbert (FDJ) attacked as the main field caught Quinziato.
Manuel Quinziato has 10 kilometres left before the finish. The bunch are just 30 seconds behind.
Quinziato is 15 kms from the finish line and his lead is down to a minute.
The main bunch was 1:20 behind Quinziato at kilometre 240.
The Bouygues Telecom have taken the reins of the main pack. Quinziato’s lead at the 20-kms mark was down to 1:45.
Quinziato is 20 kms from the finish line. Boucher has been caught by the main bunch.
France’s Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), winner of the Grand Prix de Plouay, is leading the main pack, 2:10 behind leader Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas)
Km 232 - Quinziato’s lead over David Boucher was 45 seconds with the main field 2:20 adrift.
The average speed in the 5th hour of the race was 43.3 kph. The overall average speed is 46.3 kph.
Quinziato punctured 25 kms from the finish line. But he was quickly back on his bike. He keeps a 45 seconds lead on Boucher and 2:50 over the peloton launched at full speed.
Quinziato dropped David Boucher and broke away on his own (km 236).
Serge Pauwels was dropped by his two companions with 34 kms to go. Two men in the lead.
Km 215.5 - The gap between the three escapees and the peloton is down to 3:30.
David Boucher, Serge Pauwels and Manuel Quinziato now lead the chasing peloton by 3:40 with 42 kms to go. Credit Agricole riders still lead the chase.
The gap between the three leaders and the peloton was under four minutes at kilometre 210.
At kilometre 200, the gap had gone under five minutes.
Teams Credit Agricole and Quick Step-Innergetic, working for their leaders Thor Hushovd and Gert Steegmans, lead the chase behind the three escapees.
The gap between David Boucher, Serge Pauwels and Manuel Quinziato and the main bunch is down to 5:20 (km 190).
The average speed in the 4th hour of the race was 41.5 kph. The overall average speed was 47.07 kph.
Last year’s winner Frederic Guesdon is celebrating his 36th birthday today. Among other famous riders born on October 14 features American Floyd Landis.
David Boucher, Serge Pauwels and Manuel Quinziato now lead the peloton by 7:40 (km 171)
The lead keeps going up: 7:20 at km 157.
David Boucher, Manuel Quinziato and Serge Pauwels lead by 6:50 as the peloton slow down to eat.
The gap reached 5:30 in the feeding zone (kilometre 149)
The average speed in the third hour of the race was 47.4 kph and the overall average speed 48.9 kph.
As the peloton finally relaxes a bit, the lead of the three reaches 2:50 at kilometre 140.
David Boucher, Manuel Quinziato and Serge Pauwels are now alone in the front with a 20-second lead over the peloton, who caught their former companions (km 135)
Boucher, Quinziato and Pauwels broke from the leading group and lead their former companions by 10 seconds with the peloton 35 seconds adrift.
Kilometre 130 - The gap between the leading group of 35 and the bunch was 35 seconds.
Voeckler and Rosseler try to part company with the leading group (km 130)
The gap between the 36 breakaways and the chasing peloton is now down to 30 seconds at km 128.
The 36 escapees are : Gilbert (FDJ), Cancellara, Bak, Goss, Breschel and Kroon (CSC), Hinault, Hivert, Kern (CA), Dion, Krivtsov and Riblon (AG2R), Gatto, Krauss, Stamsnijder (Gerolsteiner), Napolitano and Bono (Lampre-Fondital), Van Avermaet (Predictor-Lotto), Rosseler, Vasseur (QSI), Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), De Maar (Rabobank), Boucher (Landbouwkrediet), Duclos-Lassalle and Minard (Cofidis), Van Hummel and Vierhouten (Skil-Shimano), Fischer, Kuschynski, Quinziato (Liquigas), Lastras and Losada Alguacil (CE), Anton, Isasi (Euskaltel) Pauwels (Chocolade Jacques)
Thirty six riders have parted company with the main bunch. They include some favourites like Philippe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, Danilo Napolitano or Thomas Voeckler. Their lead at kilometre 117 was one minute.
The peloton again split shortly after the junction with the second part of the bunch 30 seconds behind the first at kilometre 110.
While the sun shines on the finish line in Tours, the weather is still cool, damp and misty on the race with the temperature at 12 degrees.
Predictor-Lotto were among the teams who worked to bridge the gap and their team director Hendrik Redant, winner in 1992, said it was crucial to work for Robbie McEwen: "For sure it’s a big day for Robbie, especially after his win in Paris-Brussels. It was important to bridge the gap quickly for a group of 22 can always be dangerous, especially with the type of riders who were in the break. We were fortunate to keep the gap under the minute but we had to ride at more than 50 kph."
The 22 escapees were caught at kilometre 93.
The lead was down to 10 seconds at kilometre 92.
Km 75.5 - At Danjeau, the gap between the 22 leaders and the main peloton was 45 seconds.
The lead reached 52 seconds at kilometre 65 in Bonneval.
Here is a reminder of the list of 22 escapees : Breschel (CSC), Engoulvent (CA), Rousseau (A2R), Fothen (GST), Longo (LAM), Hulsmans (QST), Vaitkus and Vandborg (DSC), Pütsep and Geslin (BTL), Hayman and Posthuma (RAB), Duclos-Lassalle (COF), Tjallingii, Goesinnen and Rooijakers (SKS), Terpstra (MRM), Kuschynski (LIQ), Coenen (JAC), Sinner (AGR), Belohvosciks and Musiol (WIE)
The average speed in the first hour of the race was 48.2 kph.
The gap was stable at 40 seconds at kilometre 52.
Marc Madiot, whose riders Philippe Gilbert and Carlos Da Cruz were trapped in the bottom part of the bunch told www.letour.fr: "After the break, the peloton was very tense but did not break up. There are a few guys at the back, but they’re the guys who’re not well. Philippe (Gilbert) was at first caught off guard but he’s back in the main bunch. Today we were going for the win but it’s not a great start."
Madiot’s Francaise des Jeux pinned hopes on last year’s winner Frederic Guesdon, on Gilbert and young sprinter Sebastien Chavanel while Carlos Da Cruz is taking part in his very last race.
The gap between the leading group and the first part of the bunch reached 50 seconds at kilometre 36.
The lead of the 22 breakaways reaches 40 seconds over the first part of the peloton, comprising some 80 riders. The second part of the bunch is a further 10 seconds adrift.
Belgium’s Kevin Neyrinck (Landbouwkrediet) crashed and gave up.
The bunch is split in several little groups. Several favourites like Philippe Gilbert (FDJ) or Romain Feillu (Agritubel) are in the third part of the peloton.
Lead down to 18 seconds at kilometre 28. The peloton is split in two groups and the second bunch is 40 seconds adrift.
The gap between the leading group and the peloton reached 39 seconds at kilometre 19, and is now back to 20 seconds (km 22)
The 22 escapees, who broke clear at kilometre 7 are : Breschel, Engoulvent, Rousseau, Fothen, Longo, Hulsmans Vaitkus, Vandborg Putsep, Geslin, Hayman, Posthuma, Duclos-Lassalle, Tjallingii, Goesinnen, Rooijakkers,Terpstra, Kuschynski, Coenen,Sinner, Belohvosciks and Musiol.
Twenty two riders broke clear after 7 kms. Their lead rose rapidly and is 25 seconds at present.
Thirty five riders were tested before the start. the teams involved were Wiesenhof, Landbouwkrediet, Chocolade Jacques, Skil Chimano.
Sweden’s Magnus Backstedt (Liquigas) did not start.
The start of the 101th edition of Paris Tours was given to 175 riders.
