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Prato Nevoso
183 km
Sunday 20 July
1. Frank Schleck (CSC)
2. Bernhard Kohl (GST) at 7"
3. Cadel Evans (SIL) at 8"
4. Denis Menchov (RAB) at 38"
5. Christian Vande Velde (TSL) at 39"
6. Carlos Sastre (CSC) 49"
7. Kim Kirchen (THR) 2’48"
8. Vladimir Efimkin (ALM) 3’36"
9. Alejandro Valverde (GCE) 4’11"
10. Samuel Sanchez (EUS) at 4’34"
The top 10 in the 15th stage from Embrum to Prato Nevoso is:
1. Simon Gerrans (C.A)
2. Egoi Martinez (EUS) at 3"
3. Danny Pate (USA) at 10"
4. Jose Luis Arrieta (ALM) at 55"
5. Bernhard Kohl (GST) at 4’03"
6. Carlos Sastre (CSC) at 4’03"
7. Alejandro Valverde (GCE) at 4’12"
8. Denis Menchov (RAB) at 4’23"
9. Frank Schleck (CSC) at 4’41"
10. Christian Vande Velde (TSL) at 4’43"
Evans was 13th at 4’50".
Frank Schleck will wear the yellow jersey in stage 16. He is 7" ahead of Kohl and 8" ahead of Evans after 15 stages.
He counter-attacked and joined the early escapees at the 16km mark and Simon Gerrans outwitted his escape companions at the finish to win his first stage of the Tour de France. The top 10 will follow shortly.
We await confirmation of the final result but can report that there’ll be a new race leader after stage 15.
Frank has raced ahead of Evans in the finale.
Kohl is leading Sastre to the finish line. He needs to gain 46" on Evans. We can report that Evans has dropped Frank Schleck.
Kohl has to finish 46 seconds ahead of Evans to take the yellow jersey. With 1km to go, he was 35" ahead of Evans.
It looks like we’ll have a new race leader at the end of the day. Kohl is riding with Sastre, Menchov and Valverde but we don’t have a time check to the group of Evans.
Simon Gerrans is going to give Australia it’s first stage win this year. He has beaten Martinez for stage honors.
While the battle for yellow rages, the three in the lead of the stage are virtually at a standstill as they play games with each other to see who will win the stage.
Menchov has caught the attack by Sastre and is now in the lead. Evans has been dropped by Kohl, Sastre and Menchov.
Sastre has attacked the yellow jersey. Now Valverde and Schleck respond.
Martinez, Gerrans and Pate are less than 1,000m from the finish.
Evans, Frank and Andy, Sastre, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valverde, Kohl and Kreuziger are 6’14" behind Martinez, Gerrans and Pate with 3km to go.
Sanchez has been dropped by the yellow jersey pack that - despite all the attacks - now includes: Evans, Frank and Andy, Sastre, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valverde, Kohl and Kreuziger
Everyone is having a go now: Kohl is the latest to surge. Evans has responded. Now Frank Schleck is going ahead after following Evans most of the way up the climb.
Menchov has surged and it’s prompted Andy Schleck to lose contact with the yellow jersey group.
Martinez, Gerrans and Pate are less than 2km from the finish. They are going to contest the stage win.
Andy Schleck is leading the Evans group. He did an acceleration but he’s not been able to rid his group of any of the others... Whatever! He’s going to try again!
Cunego is over a minute behind the yellow jersey’s group.
Menchov slipped on the wet tarmac 5.5km from the finish. His front wheel simply slid out from under him. He remounted quickly and is now part of the 10 in Evans’ group.
Menchov is back in the yellow jersey’s group: Evans, Frank and Andy, Sastre, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valverde, Kohl, Samuel Sanchez and Kreuziger. They are 7’00" behind with 5km to go.
Menchov is back on his bike. Andy is leading the Evans group and looking behind. It looks like there’s an agreement to wait for the fallen Russian.
Menchov has attacked the Evans group but he’s crashed!
Evans, Frank and Andy, Sastre, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valverde, Kohl, Samuel Sanchez and Kreuziger are the riders in the yellow jersey’s group. Rain is falling at Prato Nevoso and the stage still looks like being won by one of the escapees: Martinez, Gerrans or Pate.
The yellow jersey’s peloton is 6.5km from the finish. They are 7’20" behind Gerrans, Martinez and Pate who are 4km from the top.
Andy Schleck has accelerated ahead of the yellow jersey’s peloton. He hasn’t been able to gain any ground on Evans et al but it’s confirmation of the CSC tactic: attack, wait, attack, wait... etc.
Gerrans, Pate and Martinez have a lead of 33" on Arrieta with 5km to climb.
Of the nine riders in the yellow jersey’s group, three are from CSC - the Schlecks and Sastre - also present are: Evans, Menchov, Vande Velde, Valverde, Kohl and Kreuziger.
Gerrans has just caught Martinez and Pate in the lead of the stage. They have a lead of over seven and a half minutes on the yellow jersey’s peloton.
With his team-mate Martinez leading the stage with Pate, Samuel Sanchez has attack the yellow jersey’s peloton and prompted NO reaction.
Andy Schleck has been able to fight his way back into Cadel’s group which is 7’40" behind Martinez.
Evans, Sastre, Frank Schleck, Vande Velde, Valverde, Menchov, Kreuziger and Kohl are the riders in the yellow jersey’s peloton. Samuel Sanchez has just been able to reel them in...
The only team with numbers in the yellow jersey’s group is CSC but Andy has just been dropped.
Sastre and Kohl have attacked the yellow jersey but Evans has been able to reel them back in.
There are 10 riders in the yellow jersey’s group: Evans, Sastre, Schleck, Schleck, Valverde, Menchov, Kohl, Vandevelde...
Cunego has been dropped from the yellow jersey peloton.
The yellow jersey’s peloton is thinning out quickly. Siutsou, Fothen, Lefevre, are some of the riders to recently lose contact. The pace is being set by Andy Schleck. Sastre is behind him, followed by Evans.
There are 12 in the yellow jersey group. We’ll post their names shortly. They are 8’30" behind Martinez.
The peloton is now on the final climb. It is 9’16" behind at the base of the 11.4km long ascent that rises from 700m to 1,440m.
Martinez is the first from the lead group to attack. He made his move with 8km to climb. He has dropped all others although Pate was initially able to hold his wheel. The first to lose contact was Arrieta.
The polka-dot jersey is destined to a new set of shoulders tonight. Lang has been dropped and is cruising to the finish.
Luis Sanchez, Schumacher, Freire, Cancellara, Tossato, Lovkvist are some of the riders who have been dropped early on the final ascent.
There are four CSC riders - Voigt, Gustov, Andy Schleck and Sastre - ahead of the yellow jersey as they approach the final climb. Behind Cadel Evans is Popovych.
The peloton has passed under the 15km to climb sign about 30 seconds after the leading four reached the 10km to go mark. CSC is still in control of the pack that’s now 10’30" behind the escapees.
The leaders are less than 10km from the finish. This part of the climb is relatively tame with a gradient of 4.4 percent but it almost doubles that at the 6km to climb mark.
Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate have arrived at the base of the climb to Prato Nevoso. They have 11km to climb and currently have a lead of 11’15". That’s going to be a lot smaller by the time the bunch reaches the foot of the 1,440m category-one ascent if the faces of pain that the CSC riders at the front of the bunch is any sign of how fast they’re pushing the pace.
With 20km to go, the peloton is 11’40" behind Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate.
The CSC team is dominating the head of the peloton. O’Grady and Sorensen may have blown after their effort in the valley but they have been replaced by Cancellara, Voigt, and the rest of the CSC team. Tucked in behind are riders from the Silence-Lotto squad.
The leading quartet are now less than 15km from the finish. They’ll begin the final ascent in a little less than 3km. They have been in the front of the 15th stage since the 16km mark. They are now 12’35" ahead.
At the top of the Colle del Morte, the peloton is 12’45" behind Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate.
The CSC team is in charge at the head of the peloton but there are two Gerolsteiner riders coming up the right of the road, including the virtual leader of the climbing classification, Bernhard Kohl. There are no more points on offer at the top of the cat-3 climb but they are setting themselves up for the finale of the 15th stage.
As the peloton ascends the second categorized climb of stage 15, O’Grady, Sorensen, Eisel and several others are being spat out the back. Arvesen is now setting the pace at the front of the main bunch which is 13 minutes behind Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate.
This is the first stage of the Tour to be contested at Prato Nevoso. The last time a stage of the Tour finished in Italy was in 1999 when Lance Armstrong won the stage to Sestrieres in stage eight, a day after winning the first long time trial.
The final climb today has been used for a stage of the Giro d’Italia in the past; in 2000 Francesco Casagrande was outsprinted by Stefano Garzelli and Gilberto Simoni.
Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate are 20km from the finish. The final climb of the 15th stage is 11.4km long with an average gradient of 6.9 percent.
Simon Gerrans led the escape group under the 25km to go sign. They are 14’20" ahead of the peloton that continues to be led by O’Grady and Sorensen of the CSC-Saxo Bank team.
The points at the top of the 2nd climb were won by:
1. Jose Luis Arrieta (ALM) 4pts
2. Egoi Martinez (EUS) 3pts
3. Simon Gerrans (C.A) 2pts
4. Danny Pate (GAR) 1pt
Arrieta is leading the escape group as it passes the 1km to climb sign on the colle del Morte. They are 14’25" ahead of the CSC-Saxo Bank led peloton.
Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate are on the 1.7km long ascent of the colle del Morte. The roads are dry and the sun is shining at the moment.
The escapees are closing in on the second climb, the colle del Morte - a category-three ascent that rises to 710m and peaks at the 157km mark. The points at the summit are 4, 3, 2 and 1 for the first four over the line.
Stuart O’Grady continues to set a fast tempo for the peloton. Tucked in behind him as the bunch rides through Cuneo is Yaroslav Popovych from the Silence-Lotto team. The deficit of the main pack to the four escapees is still over 14 minutes: 14’20" with the leading quartet 32km from the finish.
Cadel Evans has just been seen near the head of the peloton getting some food from a team-mate. With his yellow jersey unzipped, you can see his specially made undershirt which has a motif with the flag of Tibet and a message stating: "Free Tibet".
He wore the same thing earlier this year in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and wondered if it would get cool enough for him to don it while wearing the ’maillot jaune’.
There are riders from CSC and Columbia at the front of the peloton. Stuart O’Grady and Nicki Sorensen are currently swapping off at the front of the yellow jersey’s pack that’s 14’30" behind Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate.
The rider in the polka-dot jersey was also caught up in the recent crash. Sebastian Lang has torn his knicks but is back on his bike just like all others involved in two separate falls on both the right and left of one roundabout.
Nibali is one of the riders who crashed a short while ago. He is waiting at the rear of the peloton so that he can consult the race doctor.
Despite early diagnosis of a possible broken femur for Pereiro, the race director Christian Prudhomme has just confirmed that the 2006 Tour champion has sustained a broken shoulder; nothing else. He is on his way to hospital in Cuneo.
After the fall, the peloton has eased its pace and is waiting for the victims of the crash.
Of the fallen riders all are back on their bikes and riding again.
There has been a crash on two sides of a roundabout in the peloton. Nibali has been caught up to too Ten Dam, Millar, Dean... and Vande Velde.
Two of the riders in the lead group today have collaborated to claim victory in the past. Simon Gerrans is the only rider in 10 years to have led the Tour Down Under from start to finish. He won the opening stage of the first major stage race of the season in Tanunda, South Australia.
That was the first race that Jose Luis Arrieta contested in the AG2R colors and he was pivotal in directing the tactics of the team for the rest of the week.
The leaders are 50km from the finish. Their advantage over the peloton is 14’35".
Gerrans was a winner of Criterium International stage earlier this year. The Australian was the last rider to join today’s escape group. He is riding with Egoi Martinez, Jose Luis Arrieta and Danny Pate, 15’15" ahead of the peloton. In his this month with the Credit Agricole team, Gerrans was in an escape group with Jens Voigt, Mauro Santambrogio and Sandy Casar; he attacked with 300m to go in the 98.5km stage to Montherme and held off Voigt to take the win.
Stuart O’Grady and Nicki Sorensen of the CSC team are now also working at the front of the peloton. The yellow jersey is in about 10th position in the main bunch that’s now 15’25" behind the leading quartet.
In Rossana, the town which hosted the second intermediate sprint (at 114.5km), the peloton is 15’40" behind Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate.
Now that three Lampre riders are swapping off at the front of the peloton, the advantage of the four escapees has dropped to 16’15".
Frank Schleck is at the rear of the peloton with a musette clenched in his mouth. He has just made his way back in the bunch after dropping behind briefly following the feedzone.
The Lampre team has decided to lift the tempo after reaching a maximum deficit of 17’10" to the four leaders. The acceleration caused a brief split in the main pack but it’s all coming back together again.
At the start of the feedzone (102km), the peloton is 17’10" behind Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate. This is the maximum gain so far today. Silence-Lotto and Lampre riders lead the peloton.
1. Simon Gerrans (C.A) 6pts
2. Danny Pate (GAR) 4pts
3. Jose Luis Arrieta (ALM) 2pts
The crash of the 2006 Tour champion happened at the 80km mark. He is now on his way to hospital. He was conscious all along.
Gerrans, Arrieta, Pate and Martinez are less than 5,000m from the site of the second sprint.
Riders from the Lampre team have now come to the front of the peloton and are starting to lift the tempo again.
After a surreal period as riders in the peloton waited for news on Pereiro, the bunch is pedalling again and the tempo being set by Silence-Lotto riders.
It is 16’30" behind the four escapees which are in Venasca at the 108km mark.
The peloton is 12km from the feedzone with a deficit of 16’10" behind Arrieta, Gerrans, Pate and Martinez.
Although he suffered a terrible crash, Oscar Pereiro (GCE) was conscious after the fall that appears to have caused him to fracture a shoulder and femur. He is out of the Tour de France and on his way to hospital.
The race doctor has reported to Radio Tour that the status of Pereiro is severe but he’s okay. He is being taken to hospital with a suspected fractured shoulder and femur.
The peloton is still rolling along in a dazed state. The consensus is to find out the status of Oscar Pereiro who crashed over a guard rail on right side of the road and appeared to fall onto the road that looped around after a right-hand hairpin turn. LeTour.fr has no news on the status of the fallen rider.
Numerous riders have seen Pereiro as he lay on the road and the pace of the peloton has eased a lot in recent minutes. The gain for the four leaders has grown to 14’38" and the bunch appears to be awaiting news of the 2006 Tour champion.
Early reports from the road are that Pereiro is moving despite suffering a nasty crash. The peloton is showing respect for the crashed rider and is not attacking on the descent. Actually the pace is passive as we await a report on the status of the 2006 Tour champion.
The medical car is now making its way to Pereiro who has hit the guardrail on the right side of the road.
Pereiro has crashed on the descent. We have no more information on the status of the winner of the 2006 Tour but he is now needing medical assistance.
Oscar Freire and a number of other riders who were dropped on the Agnel climb have rejoined the peloton on the descent.
One advantage of being in the escape today is that rain has started to fall as the main pack - rougly 12 minutes behind - makes its way down the early slopes of the Agnel pass. The escapees had mainly dry roads.
The road is wet again as the peloton makes its way down the Agnel pass. The leaders are 100km from the finish with an advantage of 11’20". Voeckler is still insisting with his escape that began just at the summit of the first climb. He is 20" ahead of the main pack.
The Tour de France has arrived in Italy. The leading four - Gerrans, Martinez, Arrieta and Pate - have a lead of 11’20" and have 110km to go in the 15th stage.
1. Egoi Martinez (EUS) 20pts
2. Jose Luis Arrieta (ALM) 18pts
3. Simon Gerrans (C.A) 16pts
4. Danny Pate (GAR) 14pts
5. Thomas Voeckler (BTL) 12pts - 11’50"
6. Bernhard Kohl (GST) 10pts
7. Remy Di Gregorio (FDJ) - 12’05"
8. Yaroslav Popovych (SIL) 7pts
9. John-Lee Augustyn (BAR) 6pts
10. Jens Voigt (CSC) 5pts
Thomas Voeckler has launched a Virenque-esque sortie off the front of the peloton near the top of the Agnels climb.
The rider in fourth overall, Christian Vande Velde has just 10 points in the climbing classification but he has moved forward near the summit. For a moment it looked like he was shaping up to surge forward for climbing points but he’s now back behind the lead of Popovych and Vansummeren.
The bunch is now 1km from the top of the Agnel climb. It is about 12’25" behind the riders who escaped at the 12km mark. The speed is phenomenally fast on the downhill but all four escapees - Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate - are all within sight of each other as they speed towards each hairpin turn.
Yaroslav Popovych has been leading the peloton in recent kilometers. It’s not putting pressure on others at the top order of the general classification but there are numerous riders now being spat out the back of the main pack.
There’s going to be a big regrouping on the long descent from the Agnel climb but for the moment here are the names of some dropped riders: Dumoulin, Maaskant, Casper, Voigt, Frischkorn, Brard, Freire, Sorensen, Florencio...
Martinez almost overshot a left-hand hairpin then, at the next turn Danny Pate had to unclip a pedal as he too almost went off the road. The descent is long and technical but the road surface is smooth tarmac.
Botcharov (C.A) and Gilbert (FDJ) are two men to recently lose contact with the yellow jersey’s peloton.
The first riders have reached the top of the Col Agnel. The order over the top is:
1. Egoi Martinez (EUS) 20pts
2. Jose Luis Arrieta (ALM) 18pts
3. Simon Gerrans (C.A) 16pts
4. Danny Pate (GAR) 14pts
Stijn Devolder has just stepped off his bike and quit the Tour de France. There are now 155 men still in the race.
The climbing points go to the first 10 riders at the top of the Agnel climb. The breakdown is: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5.
The Euskaltel rider who instigated the escape at the 12km mark, Egoi Martinez, has just gone to the front and put on a vest in preparation for the long descent that awaits him. Pate has just had a chat with Matt White in the Garmin-Chipotle team car.
Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate are less than 1km from the summit of the Agnel climb. Their advantage over the peloton is 13’20".
Robbie McEwen and the leader of the Quickstep team, Stijn Devolder have also been dropped near the top of the Col Agnel.
O’Grady (CSC) had to stop to tend to something with his bike recently. He is riding again and will soon rejoin the peloton. Christophe Brandt (SIL), however isn’t having such a good time. He is the first to be dropped by the peloton and he did so at the 51km mark.
Arrieta, Pate, Martinez and Gerrans are now within the final four kilometers of the Col Agnel. They have a lead of 13’40". The 20.5km long ascent has been ridden without any attacks (so far).
Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate are now 5km from the summit of the first climb. They have a lead of 13’45" on the peloton that continues to be led by riders from the Lampre team.
Today is the first stage of the 2008 Tour de France that the wife of Cadel Evans, Chiara Passerini is attending the race. A special request from the race leader was that she bring along their dog, Molly.
On his yellow helmet are three handwritten words: ’Manneke’ (a Flemish term for ’Little Man’), ’Chiara’ and ’Molly’.
Also part of the entourage are Chiara’s parents Luisa and Aldo and nieces and nephew: Monica, Virginia and Sebastiano. The six-year-old nephew is clad in a miniture yellow jersey as he attends his first stage of the Tour de France.
There are now just seven Australian riders left in the Tour. Mark Renshaw has retired from his first Tour de France.
His team-mate Simon Gerrans is currently in the lead of the stage with three others and another compatriot, Cadel Evans, is in the yellow jersey’s peloton that is now 13 minutes behind Gerrans’ group.
The escapees managed a lead of 13’10" but now that the Lampre team is showing some interest in reeling in the move by Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate, the advantage has dropped to 12’50".
There are two riders from the Lampre team at the front of the peloton as they make their way up the Col Agnel, 13’00" behind the escapees at the 41km mark.
The first ascent of the 15th stage is the Col Agnel. The sun is shining as Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate make their way up the 2,744m high pass that peaks at the 58km mark. The climb is 20.5km long with an average gradient of 6.6 percent. The steepest sections are the 16th, 17th and 19th kilometers which are nine percent.
Simon Gerrans was a team-mate of Jose Luis Arrieta until this year when he moved from AG2R to Credit Agricole. The Australian began cycling after injuring his knee in a motocross accident and it was just meant to be therapy for the teenager. The 28-year-old is from a town called Jamieson and one of his neighbours when he was growing up was Phil Anderson, the first Aussie to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
This is Gerrans’ fourth Tour de France. He has been a pro since 2003 when he was part of the Norwegian registered Ringerike squad after spending a stint with the Nantes 44 club in France. He has won the two biggest stage races in Australia, the Herald Sun Tour and the Tour Down Under.
At the town of Vielle-Ville (37km), the peloton is 11’20" behind Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate.
The Col Agnel takes the peloton to 2,744m above sea level. The temperature at the top of this ’HC’ ascent is just nine degrees Celsius.
The roads are still wet but, for the time being, the rain of earlier today has stopped falling and most riders in the peloton have opted to discard their jackets and are riding in their standard jerseys, many with arm warmers on.
One of the riders in the lead of the stage is contesting his eighth Tour de France after 16 years as a professional. Jose Luis Arrieta turned pro for Banesto in 1993 and rode under the guidance of the same management until joining AG2R at the start of the 2006 season. He won stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana that same year.
He and his three escape companions are now 10’15" ahead of the peloton.
At the 30km mark, the peloton is 9’10" behind Gerrans, Arrieta, Martinez and Pate.
Each day the official site of the Tour de France – LeTour.fr (or LeTour.com) conducts a poll with readers able to vote on situations arising from the race. With a climb at the end of today’s stage, a reshuffle of the general classification is expected. And so the question today relates to the yellow jersey. We want to know your thoughts on the following question:
At the end of the 15th stage at Prato Nevoso will Cadel Evans...
- Increase his advantage in the general classification?
- Maintain the one-second advantage over Frank Schleck?
- Lose the yellow jersey to Frank Schleck?
- Lose the yellow jersey to another rider?
With 150km to go in the 15th stage, the four leaders have built a lead of 8’15" on the peloton that is led by the Silence-Lotto team.
The intitial intention for the 15th stage was to send the peloton over the col de Larche but this was changed for technical reasons. "Due to the risk of rockfalls on four kilometers of the original route over the col de Larche, the start of stage 15 was moved north," explained the Tour’s director of competitioin, Jean-Francois Pescheux. "This shortened the stage and gave it a much tougher beginning than initially intended.
"After 25km, the course climbs out of Guillestre, enters a narrow canyon, and gradually climbs to the village of Chataeu-Oueyras and the early slopes of the might Col Agnel."
The peloton is taking it easy early today. At the 26km mark, it is six minutes behind the quartet that began their escape after 12km of racing in stage 15.
Gerrans, Arrieta, Pate and Martinez have increased their advantage on the peloton that has just passed the 25km mark, 5’00" behind.
After the yellow jersey’s recent stop to answer that persistent call of nature, he is being led back to the front of the peloton by Mario Aerts. The latest check has the four leaders 4’35" ahead of the bunch at the 24km mark.
With the lead growing to almost four minutes for the four escapees, riders from the Silence-Lotto team have come to the front of the peloton. It seems they are content to allow Martinez’s group to gain some time. Robbie McEwen has discarded his rain jacket and is now at the frontline of the main bunch along with Christophe Brandt and the ’Lanterne Rouge’ Wim Vansevenant.
The peloton initially reacted to every move but the four escapees have been allowed a little bit of room to move. The latest check has Gerrans (C.A), Pate (GAR), Arrieta (ALM) and Martinez (EUS) ahead by 3’15".
Attacks began as soon as the flag fell at the wet start but the first escape to gain any time on the peloton was instigated by Egoi Martinez (EUS). He was followed by Pate (GAR) and Arrieta at the 12km mark. They claimed the points at the first sprint and were joined by Gerrans (C.A) at the 16km mark.
Their advantage on the peloton (at the 18km mark) is 2’10".
Of the four riders who have a lead of 1’45" on the peloton at the 16km mark, the best ranked in the general classification after 14 stages is Euskaltel’s Egoi Martinez. He’s the rider who began the attack at the 12km mark. He was 64th overall after the stage to Digne-les-Bains with a deficit to Cadel Evans of 53 minutes 16 seconds.
As the peloton passes the 15km mark, it is 1’25" behind Gerrans, Arrieta, Pate and Martinez.
Arrieta, Martinez and Pate have been caught by Simon Gerrans (C.A). They have a lead that’s grown to over one minute.
Lang has halted at the right side of the road to have his bike tended to by Gerolsteiner team mechanics. He’s back riding again.
The points for the intermediate sprint at Guillestre (14.5km) were won by:
1. Egoi Martinez (ESP) EUS - 6pts
2. Jose Luis Arrieta (ESP) ALM - 4pts
3. Danny Pate (USA) GAR - 2pts
Pate, Arrieta and Martinez are now 35" ahead of the peloton. There’s one rider in a counter-attack but we don’t yet have his name. (Stay tuned.)
At the 12km mark, Egoi Martinez (EUS), Jose Luis Arrieta (ALM) and Danny Pate (GAR) are the first riders to gain any real advantage on the bunch.
Le Mevel and Barredo are two riders trying to establish an escape. They are leading the peloton that’s now at the 9.5km mark, five kilometers from the site of the first intermediate sprint.
“This stage was in theory a good one for trying to go to the finish with a breakaway and the riders knew that,” said one of the four escapees from stage 14, Jose Ivan Gutierrez. He was the last to be caught after a solo bid for victory in the closing kilometers before the peloton swallowed him up just before the summit of the final climb.
“The stage was supposed to be a very difficult one and the hot weather was also very important. Several riders tried to attack from the very beginning. I went with a 21-man breakaway together with my team-mate ‘Txente’ (García Acosta) because we had to be very careful if we wished to go for another stage win.
“When the teams of the sprinters began to really force the pace and I saw that the others riders were not riding at hundred percent anymore, I decided to attack alone at 26 kilometers from the finish. I knew that I had a possibility to win the stage if I was still 40 seconds ahead in the hill but the gap was only 20 seconds was not sufficient… but I had to try it!”
Adam Hansen is the latest rider to go to the front of the peloton. He has prompted a reaction from about five riders but still their advantage on the peloton is scant.
The rider in the polka-dot jersey has positioned himself near the head of the peloton. He is trying to follow an attack from yesterday’s aggressor, Jose Ivan Gutierrez.
Vincenzo Nibali is the highest ranked Italian in the general classification, in 10th position after 14 stages 4’18” behind Cadel Evans. The Liquigas rider is also the leader of the youth classification with a 2’49” advantage over Maxime Monfort and 2’53” lead on Roman Kreuziger who was the first rider over the final climb in the stage to Digne-les-Bains. Andy Schleck wore the white jersey for just one day but surrendered it during the stage to Hautacam. He’s now fifth, 4’27” behind Nibali.
The bunch has just reached the 3.5km mark. No one has been able to break free of the peloton early today although several continue to try. The latest surge has come Velits of the Milram team.
The latest rider to attempt to escape the peloton is Gianpaolo Chuela of the Barloworld team. He has been followed by so many riders that the lead group actually trails back to the peloton. No escapes have succeeded yet but there are plenty of riders willing to try their luck in atrociously wet conditions.
There are 156 riders in the race. The overnight retiree is Mark Cavendish of the Columbia team.
The official start of the 15th stage of the 2008 Tour de France was at 12.59pm. Immediately there has been an attack from Yann Le Boulanger of the FDJ team.
Sebastian Lang collected another polka-dot jersey after stage 14 but the German who gained most of his points in the climbers’ classification appeared fatigued at the podium in Digne-les-Bains. “I don’t know,” was his answer to how he’ll fare in the stage to Prato Nevoso yesterday. Does he think his team-mate Bernhard Kohl – currently ranked second, one point behind Lang – will inherit the lead? “I don’t know.”
Getting words from the German proved a difficult task after the hot, fast 14th stage. He seemed a little dazed and he was unconvincing with his appraisal of how his form is. “I don’t know.” Okay then. Let’s move on.
Frank Schleck (CSC) is ranked third in the race for the polka-dotted prize with 46 points while Luis Sanchez (GCE) is fourth with 31 points. The overall leader is fifth best with 30 points but Cadel Evans (SIL) is not interested in adding to his tally, rather he’s focused on monitoring his rivals in the race for the yellow jersey.
The French weather bureau has just been in contact with LeTour.fr to explain what the forecast is for the 15th stage. The temperature at the start is 18 degrees Celsius, rain is falling, and the jackets are out. It’s likely that much of the stage will be contested in wet conditions.
The winner of stage 14 has a commanding lead in the points classification. Oscar Freire will wear the green jersey again today and his tally is up to 219 points. The Spaniard is the only rider with more than 200 points while the 2005 green jersey winner Thor Hushovd (C.A) is ranked second with 172pts. Erik Zabel (MRM) pushed ahead of Mark Cavendish by finishing third in the stage to Digne-les-Bains. The German has 167pts while the rider from the Isle of Man – and the winner of four stages so far – has 156pts.
The 23-year-old was keen to get to Paris in his second Tour but he’s been honest about his chances of finishing the race in the last couple of days. Even after winning his fourth stage, Cavendish said that he was thinking of withdrawing before the tough days in the Alps.
The yellow jersey has stopped in the neutral zone after having problems with his bike. Bart Leysen, the Silence-Lotto team’s mechanic has just given Cadel Evans a new rear wheel and he’s riding again.
There has been just one second between Cadel Evans and Frank Schleck since the end of stage 10. In fact, the first five riders in the general classification are separated by less than one minute after 2,451km of racing in the 2008 Tour de France. “I know the climb to the finish in Prato Nevoso,” said the Australian who wears the yellow jersey for the fifth successive day. “It’s hard, but a little bit like the stage to Pla de Beret in Spain two years ago: difficult and sufficient to make a selection but I think we’ll see a group of riders arrive at the finish together.”
The winner of the stage Evans referred to from the 2006 Tour, was Denis Menchov. The Rabobank team leader is ranked fifth overall, 57 seconds behind the Silence-Lotto leader.
Christian Vande Velde from the Garmin-Chipotle team is third, at 38 seconds and Bernhard Kohl of Gerolsteiner is fourth overall after 14 stages, 46 seconds behind Evans.
“It’s a day when tactics will be decided on the road,” said Vande Velde’s directeur sportif, Matt White yesterday. “Of course I’d like to say that Christian will improve his position but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
The conditions are wet for the start of the 15th stage. Rain continues to fall in Embrum as the peloton makes its way through the 5.6km neutral zone.
There are two intermediate sprints in the stage from Embrum to Prato Nevoso. They are in Guillestre (at 14.5km) and in Rossana (114.5km). Both offer six, four and two points for the first three riders across the line.
After the scorching conditions of stage 14, it was a bit of a surprise to see rain falling at the site of the start today. Conditions are the finish in Prato Nevoso, Italy are overcast and the 1,440m high finish is currently covered in mist. The beginning of the 183km stage from Embrum is due at 12.45pm.
There are three climbs on the itinerary including the ‘hors categorie’ Col Agnel, a 20.5km ascent rising to 2,744m at 58km which is also the point of the border crossing from France to Italy. Then comes the category-three Colle del Morte (at 157km) and the final climb to the 1,440m high ski station at the end of the stage.
There is a 5.6km neutral zone before riders arrive at the site of the official start. Live coverage of the 15th stage will commence shortly.
