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Plumelec
197.5 km
Saturday 5 July
The first stage of the 2008 Tour de France has been won by one of the favorites for the title. The top five is:
1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) GCE
2. Philippe Gilbert (BEL) FDJ
3. Jerome Pineau (FRA) BTL
4. Kim Kirchen (LUX) THR
5. Riccardo Ricco (ITA) SDV
Alejandro Valverde has won his second stage of the Tour de France and earned the right to wear the yellow jersey for the first time. His average speed was 42.92km/h. He beat Philippe Gilbert to take the victory.
Alejandro Valverde has won the stage after catching Kirchen in the final 200m.
Can Schumacher maintain the tempo all the way to the line? He has a lead of about 100m on the peloton which has Valverde and Kirchen near the front.
Feillu of the Agritubel team has attacked but he’s been passed by Schumacher.
The peloton is about to hit the final ascent. Eisel and his Columbia team-mates continue to lead the pack and now it’s time for the crucial selection to be made. Who will earn the win and the first yellow jersey of the 2008 Tour...?
Adam Hansen is the first of five Columbia riders which are leading the peloton. Directeur sportif Allan Peiper said earlier today that it’s a stage that suits Kim Kirchen. Can the Fleche Wallonne winner take the yellow jersey in the Tour 50 years after his compatriot Charly Gaul won the title?
The Columbia team is now at the front with Adam Hansen setting the pace less than 5km from the line. Tucked in behind is a smattering Silence-Lotto, Quickstep and Liquigas riders.
Soler is still trying to catch up with the second part of the peloton. He almost crashed again after nearly missing a left turn about 7km from the line.
De La Fuente and Jegou have shaken hands and thanked each other for the collaboration that is now over. The peloton is less than 7km from the finish and Silence-Lotto continue to lead along with a few Quickstep riders.
The two escapees are about to be caught by the peloton that is being led by the Silence-Lotto team.
It doesn’t look good for the winner of last year’s climbing classification. Soler (BAR) spent a long time standing still before remounting the bike after a crash.
A crash in the peloton, including Soler Hernandez, has caused a big split in the peloton with less than 10km to go.
The capture looks likely to come about 10km from the finish. A Quickstep rider is at the head of the bunch, followed by most of the Silence-Lotto team. They are just 15" behind De La Fuente and Jegou.
Florencio has just returned to the rear of the peloton after crashing about 25 minutes ago. The bunch is now less than 15km from the finish with a deficit of 35" to De La Fuente and Jegou.
The peloton is 45" behind the two escapees with 15km to go in the stage. The pace of the pack isn’t such that it’s stringing the riders out; in fact, they’re grouped at the front... perhaps only because everyone is trying hard to try and stay out of trouble.
Quickstep is another team that’s decided to put some riders at the head of the peloton. They join the likes of Columbia, Gerolsteiner and Caisse d’Epargne. The bunch is now less than a minute behind De La Fuente and Jegou.
As it passes under the 20km to go banner, the peloton is 1’30" behind De La Fuente and Jegou who continue to chat to each other in the lead of the stage.
The two leaders are less than 20km from the finish. They are 1’35" ahead of the peloton that is now being led by Marcus Burghardt of the Columbia team. The pace of the chase is fast but there appears to be an acceptance that they two escapees can be caught before the end.
De La Fuente and Jegou have increased their advantage. After a brief discussion they both nodded their heads to suggest that an accord has been reached to push on with their effort for as long as they can. They are currently 1’40" ahead of the peloton. They have 21km to race.
Goubert and Florencio have crashed at the back of the peloton.
France Television has monitored the two stage leaders for the past 10 minutes and declared that Jegou has spent 56 per cent of that time in the lead, with De La Fuente shirking a little...
The peloton is now being led by riders from Gerolsteiner, Columbia, Credit Agricole, Caisse d’Epargne and even a few Agritubel men are moving forward. They are less than 25km from the finish with a deficit of 1’30" to De La Fuente and Jegou.
Arrieta, Voeckler, Schroder, Perez, Auge and Lequatre have been caught by the peloton. There are now just two men ahead of the peloton.
De La Fuente and Jegou are pushing on with their effort. They are 1’05" ahead of the six other escapees and 1’25" ahead of the peloton with 26km to go.
De La Fuente and Jegou are pushing on with their move. They are 20" ahead of the six other escapees and 1’30" ahead of the peloton.
A Gerolsteiner rider is now near the head of the peloton. The jostling for position has begun. The pace is high and the bunch is 1’45" behind De La Fuente and Jegou.
Barloworld is putting riders up front, and the Caisse d’Epargne squad dominates the left of the road.
Jegou and De La Fuente are now about 100m ahead of the six other escapees. They are 34km from the end of the stage.
De La Fuente has now launched a bid to drop his former companion. He is being pursued by Jegou and Auge is towing the rest of the escapees forward.
Auge has attacked the lead group with 36km to go. There has been a reaction but the eight men who joined forces at the 3km mark are beginning to split up. The first real victim of the increase in pace is Schroder.
At the site of the 3rd intermediate sprint, the peloton was 2’05" behind the eight escapees.
The points for the third intermediate sprint were won by:
1. Lequatre (AGR) pts
2. Perez (EUS) 4pts
3. Jegou (FDJ) 2pts
There are a couple of Garmin-Chipolte riders now moving up near the front of the peloton which is now less than 5km from the site of the third intermediate sprint, Remungol (at the 157km mark).
The eight leaders are now 2’55" ahead of the peloton which is at the 151km mark.
Both Thomas Voeckler and Bjorn Schroder have eight points in the climbing classification. The polka-dot jersey will be presented to the rider who is best placed in the stage.
Popovych and the other riders who were caught up in the crash are now back in the peloton.
The points at the final categorized climb of the stage were won by:
1. David De La Fuente (SDV) 3pts
2. Bjorn Schroder (MRM) 2pts
3. Thomas Voeckler (BTL) 1pt
Arrieta is attacking the lead group on the approach to the final summit. He is being marked closely by Schroder and Voeckler.
Fabian Wegmann, Jimmy Casper, Yaroslav Popovych, Frank Schleck and Sylvain Chavanel were all involved in the recent fall. They are all back on their bikes and racing to rejoin the peloton.
There are a number of riders caught up in a crash in the peloton. One of the men involved is Popovych.
The Cofidis rider who is currently part of the escape group, Stephane Auge, is a regular attacker in the first week of the Tour. He was involved in the main move in the stage from London to Canturbury in the first stage of last year’s race.
Together with David Millar, Aleksandr Kuschynski, Freddy Bichot and Andrey Grivko he worked up a lead of six minutes. The reward was a few points in the climbing classification. Millar would wear the polka-dot jersey the following two days... but Auge did earn a day in the lead of the climbing classification.
The escapees are closing in on the final categorized climb of the first stage. They are 3’15" ahead of the peloton which continues to be led by Credit Agricole, Liquigas, Rabobank and Caisse d’Epargne riders.
The winner of the GP Plumelec at the end of May was Thomas Voeckler of the Bouygues Telecom team. He is currently in the virtual lead of the climbing classification with one more categorized ascent to come. He has seven points, one more then Milram’s Bjorn Schroder.
“We’re going to see what happens but at the moment, it’s important to stay calm and see what the other teams do," said Scott Sunderland of the CSC team when contacted by LeTour.fr recently. "We have to be up there and make sure we stay out of trouble in the closing kilometers because it can get a bit hectic. If the guys are in a good position, we’ll see how it pans out and perhaps either Andy or Frank can have a go on the climb. We have options but we need to see how the other teams are going to play the finale."
And what about the escape... when does Sunderland expect that to get caught? “I’d say it’ll come back in the last 15 or 20km," he said. "The conditions are quite good after a few cold days before the start. The wind is not too bad; it’s mainly from the side or behind so the chill isn’t affecting anyone too much. It’s 20 degrees here now. As long as stays dry it should be a fairly hassle free day."
The average for the third hour was 42.5km/h. The average for the first three hours of stage one is 42.0km/h.
The escape of the stage was instigated by Lilian Jegou at the 3km mark. Here is a reminder of the men who are currently 4’00" ahead of the peloton (which is at the 117km mark).
Lilian Jegou (FRA) Francaise des Jeux
Ruben Perez (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi
Stephane Auge (FRA) Cofidis
Geoffroy Lequatre (FRA) Agritubel
Bjorn Schroeder (GER) Team Milram
Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Bouygues Telecom
David De La Fuente (ESP) Saunier Duval
Jose-Luis Arrieta (ESP) AG2R La Mondiale
The peloton continues to be controlled by riders from Caisse d’Epargne, Credit Agricole and Rabobank. With about 80km to go in the stage, the advantage is down to 4’05".
"It’s a fracture of his left wrist," confirmed the directeur sport of the Cofidis team about Herve Duclos-Lassalle, who crashed in the feedzone. "He’s on his way to hospital.
"He missed a muset and it got caught up in his bike and caused him to fall. It’s his first Tour and he had been in great form. He had a really good race in the Tour de Suisse and it’s a shame to see him crash out with such a silly incident. It’s a sad day for him."
The eight escapees continue to collaborate up front. They are at the 107km mark and have a lead of 4’20".
Johan Vansummeren has somehow injured his right leg. He has blood flowing from a wound that is being treated by the race doctor behind the peloton.
Duclos-Lassalle is being treated for what appears to be a fractured left wrist. He is the first to retire from the race.
It looks like Duclos-Lassalle’s first Tour is over on day one. He appears to have issues with his left hand or wrist... and a return to the race is not an option.
Herve Duclos-Lassalle has crashed in the feedzone. He is making his Tour debut today but is now consulting the race doctor.
Team Columbia would normally ride the early stages for their key sprinter Mark Cavendish but the climb at the end of the stage to Plumelec has altered that approach. "I hope Kim Kirchen can get away on the climb," said Allan Peiper. "He knows he won’t be able to beat Valverde in a sprint. But Freire’s got to be the real favorite because he’s so quick and can handle ascents like the one in Plumelec.
"Kim is good; he had a bit of a lapse in the time trial in the Tour of Switzerland but his form is where he needs it to be and today is a good stage for him. He has a bit of a punch on the climb but he doesn’t want to leave it too late or he’ll miss out on an ideal opportunity."
LeTour.fr recently contacted Allan Peiper, a directeur sportif for the Columbia team, and asked for his opinion how today’s stage is unfolding and who he believes the main protagonists at the finish will be. "Once the eight riders got to over eight minutes ahead, Credit Agricole started riding which is obviously the right tactic for them because they have Hushovd who is the big man for the green jersey this year," said Peiper. "The other favorites today should be Valverde and Freire which is why we’re also seen some work from their team-mates.
"Everything is under control with 100km to go. There are three or four teams controlling."
The peloton is now in the Morbihan department after leaving Finistere which hosted the start of the 2008 Tour. It is 4’40" behind Voeckler’s group at the 90.5km mark.
The points for the intermediate sprint in Gourin (90.5km) were won by:
1. Geoffroy Lequatre (AGR) 6pts
2. Auge (COF) 4pts
3. Jegou (FDJ) 2pts
The peloton has reached the third summit, 4’55" behind the leaders who are now shaping up to contest the 2nd intermediate sprint.
After splitting briefly, the eight escapees are now all back together again.
Jegou, Arrieta, Voeckler and Schroeder are now 15" ahead of the remnants of the escape group and 4’15" ahead of the peloton.
The average speed for the second hour was 40.4km/h. The average for the first two hours is 41.7km/h.
The points for the Toullaeron climb were won by:
1. Jegou (FDJ) 3pts
2. Voeckler (BTL) 2pts
3. Schroeder (MRM) 1pt
Lilian Jegou (FDJ) has attacked on the third climb. He is on a mission to claim 1st place points at the top and it appears that he’ll do so with ease...
The eight escapees are about to contest the sprint for points at the Toullaeron climb that peaks at the 85.5km mark.
The escapees are in Spezet at the 79km mark. They have an advantage of 4’30" on the peloton which is being led by Joost Posthuma of the Rabobank team.
Today is the 40th birthday of the runner-up in the 1999 Tour, Alex Zulle. The Swiss rider was in the peloton when the race last came to Plumelec but he was racing with titanium bolts holding his collarbone together. He crashed only days before the start of the Tour and still insisted on racing... he finished 73rd in the third stage of the 1997 race.
The maximum gain of the eight escapees was 8’15" at the 29.5km mark (at the first climb). Voeckler’s group is now 5’20" ahead of the peloton which continues to be led by riders from Rabobank and Liquigas.
The two riders in the peloton with the most Tour stage wins are the winner in Plumelec in 1997 Erik Zabel and the winner of stage one last year Robbie McEwen. They have 12 victories each... so far.
When asked about the opening stage of the 2008 Tour, Robbie McEwen recalled the day that the race finished in Plumelec in 1997. "It was in the first week and in the lead-up to the last few kilometers there was a big crash. I was right behind it and Michele Bartoli went down; I remember seeing him on the road with his knicks ripped open."
The winner of 12 stages of the Tour de France - including the first stage last year - doesn’t expect today to finish with a bunch sprint. "Everyone’s going to be nervous," he said. "Of course, with the hard finish nobody is going to want to lose time. The first week is always pretty dodgy but without a time trial to settle things down a little, I reckon it’s going to be even more hectic than ever."
The last time a stage of the Tour de France concluded in Plumelec was in 1997. It was a 224km race and the top 10 included the defending champion, soon-to-be race winner and the points classification winner that year.
Here’s a reminder of that third stage 11 years ago:
1. Erik Zabel (All) 224km in 4h54’33" (45.628km/h)
2. Frank Vandenbroucke (BEL)
3. Bjarne Riis (DEN)
4. Laurent Jalabert (FRA)
5. Davide Rebellin (ITA)
6. Abraham Olano (ESP)
7. Jean-Cyril Robin (FRA)
8. Jan Ullrich (GER)
9. Laurent Dufaux (SUI)
10. Pascal Chanteur (FRA)
The points at the intermediate sprint were won by:
1. Geoffroy Lequatre (AGR) 6pts
2. Lilian Jegou (FDJ) 4pts
3. Ruben Perez (EUS) 2pts
(Once again: there are no time bonuses on offer this year.)
The escapees are about to contest the intermediate sprint in Plonevez-du-Faou (at the 62km mark which is 4km away). The last time check had De La Fuente, Perez, Lequatre, Voeckler, Jegou, Schroder, Auge and Arrieta 5’50" ahead of the peloton.
The rider who finished third in the 2007 edition of the GP Plumelec-Morbihan was David Lelay. The 28-year-old who was born in St-Brieuc was a member of the local Bretagne Amor Lux team until the 30th of June; then he joined the Agritubel team and he makes his debut with the squad today.
He currently leads the French Cup, with 106 points, 17 more than the rider who was fourth in this year’s GP Plumelec, Jerome Pineau (BTL). Lelay’s new team-mate Jimmy Casper – the winner of stage one of the 2006 Tour de France – is ranked third in the French Cup, with 74 points.
Of the eight riders (from eight teams) in the lead of stage one, none have ever won a stage of the Tour before. David De La Fuente did stand on the podium in Paris two years ago as the Most Aggressive rider of the 2006 Tour; Thomas Voeckler has worn the yellow jersey, and Stephane Auge has worn the polka-dot jersey.
A rider from the Caisse d’Epargne team had been setting the pace for the peloton but he has been advised to cease his effort by a team-mate. Now Credit Agricole are in charge of the bunch which reached the second summit 6’55" behind the eight escapees.
1. Thomas Voeckler (BTL) 3pts
2. Bjorn Schroeder (MRM) 2pts
3. Geoffroy Lequatre (AGR) 1pt
The first hour of racing in the 2005 Tour covered 43.1km.
Auge blew in the final meters of the second climb. He was the last of the eight to read the top of the cote de Kerivarc’h. We await confirmation of the results.
Auge has launched an attack in a bid for climbing points. He is being pursued by all other escapees with Voeckler leading the charge behind the Cofidis rider.
The escape began at the 3km mark. The eight are now 1km from the second summit of the stage, which also means they are 150km from the finish. They are 7’10" ahead.
The chasing duties have been done by Liquigas riders of late. They have been joined by Joost Posthuma of the Rabobank squad, and several men from the Caisse d’Epargne team are also starting to move forward. The latest check has the bunch 7’40" behind the escapees.
The peloton was 8’15" behind at the 29.5km mark. This was the maximum gain of the eight escapees which are now 7’55" of the peloton which is at the 36km mark.
The winner of the points classification in 2003, Baden Cooke, has made his return to the Tour de France today. He’s part of the Barloworld team and is keen to try to be part of the action at the finish today. "I’ve asked my mechanics to put a 52-tooth chainring on my bike.
"Everyone is talking about the climb at the finish and how it’s going to break things up a little and that a bunch sprint isn’t the likely outcome. It’ll still be quick and I want to make sure that my gear selection is right: I don’t want to have to drop it to the small chainring so I’m opting to race the stage with a 52 instead of the usual 53."
One of the riders in the lead group has just suffered a flat tire. He has a new wheel and is back on his bike and chasing his former escape companions.
The 180 riders in the 95th Tour represent 28 countries. The count per nation is listed below.
40: France
30: Spain
21: Italy
16: Germany
12: Belgium
10: The Netherlands
9: Australia
4: USA, Russia and Switzerland
3: Colombia, Great Britain and Luxembourg
2: South Africa, Austria, Belarus, Noway, Sweden and Ukraine
1: Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia
The third place point at the col de Ty-Jopic (29.5km) were won by David De La Fuente of the Saunier Duval team. The peloton has just reached the top 8’15" behind the eight escapees.
"It’s a good thing that Thomas knows the finish," said the directeur sportif of the Bouygues Telecom team. "In the briefing this morning we all agreed that one of our riders should be in an escape today. It was Voeckler who found his place there. During the GP Plumelec in May, it was Sprick who was in the escape but Thomas attacked in the finish to win the race.
"This time we’ve chosen another strategy but it’s also a different approach because this is not a circuit race like the race on the last day of May."
Two teams have taken charge of the peloton which is now at the 26km mark and 7’55" behind the eight escapees. Credit Agricole and Liquigas have decided to limit the gains of Voeckler’s group.
The points at the cote de Ty-Jopic (29.5km) were won by:
1. Bjorn Schroeder (MRM) 3pts
2. Thomas Voeckler (BTL) 2pts
...we await confirmation of the rider who was third.
On the approach to the first categorized summit of the 2005 race, Voeckler has attacked the lead group. He missed out on first place on the cat-four climb as he was outsprinted by Bjorn Schroeder.
One of the riders favored for a good result in this first stage is Philippe Gilbert of the Francaise des Jeux team. He has an added incentive to perform: it’s his 26th birthday.
The advantage of the eight escapees is over six minutes (6’30") as they leave Le Fadu at the 24km mark. The first climb of the stage is at the 29.5km mark. Expect to see a tussle between De La Fuente and the French riders in the move; at least this is what happened early in the Tour two years ago when the Spaniard earned a few days in the polka-dot jersey.
As there was no time trial to establish the order of the team cars that follow the peloton, the method used was a random draw. The winner of this pole position lottery for the opening day was the US-registered wildcard team, Garmin-Chipotle.
"It’s not a bad way for us to start our first Tour de France," was directeur sportif, Matt White’s appraisal.
Jegou (FDJ), Perez (EUS), Voeckler (BTL), Schroder (MRM), De La Fuente (SDV), Arrieta (ALM), Lequatre (AGR), and Auge (COF) are now 4’45" ahead of the peloton.
The peloton is content to allow the escapees to build their lead. The last official time check at the eight men 2’20" ahead of the peloton but that is growing rapidly.
One of the tallest riders in the Tour, Johan Vansummeren (SIL) is currently sharing the pace setting duties at the head of the peloton with Jens Voigt (CSC). At the 13.5km mark, they are 2’20" behind the eight escapees.
On 31 May this year the GP Plumelec-Morbihan was contested with the finish situated at the same place at where stage one ends today. The top five in this race was:
1. Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Bouygues Telecom
2. Cyril Gautier (FRA) Bretagne Armor Lux
3. Gianni Meersman (BEL) Française Des Jeux
4. Jérôme Pineau (FRA) Bouygues Telecom
5. Matthieu Sprick (FRA) Bouygues Telecom
The three Bouygues Telecom riders who finished in the top five are part of the 95th Tour, one - Voeckler - is involved in the eight-man escape which is now over two minutes ahead of the peloton.
Jegou (FDJ), Voeckler (BTL), Auge (COF), De La Fuente (SDV), Perez (EUS), Arrieta (ALM), Lequatre (AGR), Schroeder (MRM) are 1’35" ahead of the peloton after 10km of racing.
The winner of the Most Aggressive Rider classification two years ago, David De La Fuente (SDV) has been pushing the pace of the escape group. The French riders, Auge and Voeckler have responded and a small split in the lead has been rendered void.
The itinerary for the opening day includes four category-four climbs: the cote de Ty-Jopic (at 29.5km), cote de Kerivarc’h (at 48.5km), the col de Toullaeron (at 85.5km) and the cote de Guenerve (at 146.5km).
Points for the polka-dot jersey classification will be awarded. The allocation is: 3, 2 and 1 for the first three riders at each summit.
At the seven kilometer mark, the eight escapees have a lead on the peloton of 1’05".
The eight in the lead are: Lilian Jegou (FDJ), Thomas Voeckler (BTL), Stephane Auge (COF), David De La Fuente (SDV), Ruben Perez (EUS), Arrieta (ALM), Lequatre (AGR), Bjorn Schroeder (MRM).
The escape group involves eight riders from eight teams. They are 35" ahead at the 5km mark.
There are now eight riders on the attack. They include Thomas Voeckler and the man who instigated the move, Lilian Jegou (FDJ). We await confirmation of the others involved. The move began at the 4km mark.
A Francaise des Jeux rider, Lilian Jegou, has attacked the peloton. He has been joined by four others including riders from Cofidis, Saunier Duval, and Milram.
Contrary to recent editions of the Tour de France, there are no time bonuses on offer in 2008. In the past, riders could decrease their cumulative time at the intermediate sprints and stage finishes, but the organizers have opted to eliminate this rule for the 9th edition.
The three intermediate sprints for the first stage are in: Plonevez-du-Fauo (at 68.5km), Gourin (at 90.5km) and Remungol (157km).
The official start of the first stage was 12.29pm. There are 180 riders in the peloton.
Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme has dropped the flag to signal the start of the 95th edition. The neutral zone is behind the peloton and 197.5km lie ahead in the opening stage.
The rider who finished second overall in the 2007 Tour de France, Cadel Evans (SIL), will wear the number-one ‘dossard’ in this year’s race. “It’s an honor to have this opportunity,†said the 31-year-old Australian. “Of course, I want to do it justice; the best way to do that is to finish the Tour in first place.â€
Many believe that he’s the favorite for the title this year, but he insists that he’s calm and confident. “There’s no point in getting stressed before the race. Actually, this is the most relaxed I’ve ever been going into the Tour. I’m just looking forward to the race starting so I can get on with doing my job.â€
The veteran French entertainer Line Renaud was given the honor of starting the 95th Tour de France. She did the same thing 50 years ago when the Tour de France began in Brussels. She joined yachtsman Olivier de Kersauson to farewell the peloton from Brest. (It was a ceremonial moment as the peloton is yet to reach the site of the official start.)
The conditions are cool but the roads are dry for the start of stage one. The bunch is currently riding through the city of Brest with the sun shining brightly and no sign of any clouds.
The peloton has left the site of the ’Depart Fictif’. Currently the bunch is being led by riders in their national champion’s jerseys including Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway), Fabian Wegmann (Germany), Nicolas Vogondy (France), Nicki Sorensen (Denmark) and Julian Dean (New Zealand).
The 2008 Tour de France is due to start at 12.10pm. There are 180 riders in the race which begins, for the first time since 1967, without a time trial. Today’s stage, from Brest to Plumelec, is 197.5km. Conditions are cool and overcast. There has been plenty of rain in Brittany in the lead up to the Grand Depart of the 95th Tour but the morning has been relatively free of precipitation.
There is an 8.5km neutral zone before riders reach the site of the official start. This is expected to be at about 12.30pm. Live coverage of the stage will commence shortly.
