|
|
|
|
Jausiers
157 km
Tuesday 22 July
Cadel Evans and Frank Schleck finished 11th and 12th in the stage. The yellow jersey will stay with the CSC rider from Luxembourg after 16 stages.
The top 10 in the 16th stage is:
1. Cyril Dessel (FRA) ALM - 157km in 4h31’27" (34.702km/h)
2. Sandy Casar (FRA) FDJ at same time
3. David Arroyo (ESP) GCE at same time
4. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR) SIL at 3"
5. George Hincapie (USA) THR at 24"
6. Nicolas Portal (FRA) GCE at 24"
7. Tadej Valjavec (SLO) ALM at 24"
8. Stefan Schumacher (GER) GST at 1’03"
9. Andy Schleck (LUX) at 1’28"
10. Bernhard Kohl (AUT) GST at 1’28"
The yellow jersey has arrived in Jausier safely, about 1’28" behind the stage winner Cyril Dessel of the AG2R La Mondial team.
Menchov lost 30" to the yellow jersey.
He’s worn the yellow jersey before but now Dessel also has a stage win to his name! He has beaten Casar for to claim the 16th stage!
Arroyo has attacked and now Dessel comes to the front.
Just before the 1km to go mark, Popovych attacked the lead group. He has been reeled in and the four are together again.
Popovych?
Dessel?
Casar?
Arroyo?
These four are 30" ahead of the next best at the end of this very rapid descent. Who will the winner be? Take you pick.
Casar was losing a bit of ground in the final kilometers but he has worked his way back into the leading quartet which is now 3km from the finish and has a lead of 1’30".
Menchov and Cunego are at 2’05".
The four leaders are 5km from the finish. One of this group is likely to win the stage. Who’s your pick? Popovych, Arroyo, Dessel or Casar? Their advantage over Valjavec, Portal and Hincapie is 35".
Popovych, Dessel, Casar and Arroyo are 1’50" ahead of the yellow jersey’s group with 10km to go.
Samuel Sanchez has attack the yellow jersey’s group and has an advantage of 10" on Schleck, Evans, et al who are 10" ahead of Menchov.
Dessel is leading the four at the front of the stage with 10km to go.
Evans’ group has an advantage of eight seconds on Menchov.
Popovych’s group - Yaroslav, Dessel, Casar and Arroyo - are 1’15" ahead of the yellow jersey with 15km to go.
Evans is leading the yellow jersey group but behind are Menchov, Cunego and Kirchen who have lost considerable ground on the downhill.
Samuel Sanchez has attacked the yellow jersey’s group. And Menchov has been dropped.
Popovych, Dessel, Arroyo and Casar are in the lead with 17km to go. Augustyn had to wait for a new bike after his original one went tumbling down the mountain. The yellow jersey is 1’42" behind the stage leaders.
At the top of the 2nd climb, the points were won by:
1. John-Lee Augustyn (BAR) 40pts
2. Dessel (ALM) 36pts - 12"
3. Arroyo (GCE) 32pts
4. Popovych (SIL) 28pts
5. Casar (FDJ) 24pts
6. Hincapie (COL) 20pts
7. Valjavec (ALM) 16pts
8. Siutsou (COL) 14pts
9. Portal (GCE) 12pts
10. Schumacher (GST) 10pts
Kirchen and Valverde have been dropped on the descent of the Bonette-Restefond.
Augustyn has no bike but he’s back on the road. The bike is well down the mountain but the rider was helped back up by a spectator.
The leader at the top has tumbled down the left side of the road on the descent.
At the top of the 2nd climb, the points were won by:
1. John-Lee Augustyn (BAR) 40pts
2. Dessel (ALM) 36pts - 12"
...
We await confirmation of the other results... but can report that Kohl will retain his lead in the climbing classification.
John-Lee Augustyn is chasing the 5,000 Euros for first place at the highest point of the Tour de France, also known as the ’Souvenir Henri Desgrange’.
Augustyn has attacked the lead group in the final kilometer of the climb.
Dessel, Valjavec, Popovych, Augustyn, Casar, Hincapie, Suitsou, Portal and Arroyo are less than 1km from the top of the Bonette-Restefond climb. They are 2’05" ahead of the yellow jersey’s elite selection.
Schumacher has just been voted the most aggressive rider of the 16th stage.
Schumacher has been dropped by the lead group which is now less than 2km from the summit. The pace of the front group is being set by Dessel and Valjavec. In the front are: Popovych, Augustyn, Casar, Hincapie, Suitsou, Portal and Arroyo and the two AG2R riders.
Chavanel is unable to match the pace of Voigt et al. The Cofidis leader has been dropped and his team-mate, Monfort, is waiting to help get him home.
Voigt is now tapping out the tempo for the yellow jersey group which has just caught Chavanel and Monfort.
Kirchen has been able to ride back into the yellow jersey’s group after the surge by Valverde. This group has just caught up with Jens Voigt who was part of the early escape group. They are 2’50" behind with 5km to climb.
Popovych, Arroyo, Portal, Hincapie, Siutsou, Augustyn, Valjavec, Schumacher and Casar are the riders in the lead of the stage. They are less than 5km from the summit.
Valverde has attacked the yellow jersey peloton. The net effect is to drop Kirchen from this lot. Everyone else has been able to respond.
Frank and Andy Schleck, Sastre, Evans, Menchov, Valverde, Samuel Sanchez. Voeckler was there for a brief period but it’s game over for early escapee...
He has been on his own since the 55km mark, but Stefan Schumacher is about to be caught by the Popovych group that includes: Portal, Siutsou, Hincapie, Dessel, Valjavec, Casar...
Arvesen’s bout of leading the yellow jersey’s fight club is over. The Norwegian who escaped early in the stage has run out of puff and he’s now going to limp to the finish after having set the pace for the last three or four minutes.
The group with Popovych in it is 25" behind the stage leader, Schumacher. Cunego’s group is a minute further back.
Astarloza has just been caught by the yellow jersey’s peloton that also includes Samuel Sanchez.
We have no clue on the whereabouts of Vande Velde. Of course, he’s filled in his forms but what we mean now is: how much time has he lost to the yellow jersey’s peloton? Sorry we cannot answer that question.
The yellow jersey’s peloton has just caught Moncoutie. The riders with Frank Schleck’s group now are: Evans, Sastre, Andy Schleck, Arvesen, Kohl, Menchov, Valverde, Kirchen and ’Moncouts’. They are 4’35" behind Schumacher.
Popovych, Portal, Hincapie, Siutsou, Augustyn, Valjavec are the riders who are now second on the road. They are 1’00" ahead of Cunego.
Arvesen has come back from the escape group to join Frank Schleck.
There are now just eight riders in the yellow jersey’s peloton. They have just caught Carrara (QST). The riders are: Andy and Frank, Sastre, Evans, Menchov, Kirchen, Kohl, Valverde.
Kohl is still in the yellow jersey’s peloton. Vande Velde is, however, now there. And now Efimkin too has been dropped.
There are now 14 riders in yellow jersey’s peloton. They are: Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck, Sastre, Menchov, Vande Velde, Evans, Kreuziger, Samuel Sanchez, Valverde, Kirchen and Efimkin.
The best young rider after 15 stages has been dropped by the yellow jersey’s peloton.
Andy Schleck is now in charge of the yellow jersey’s peloton. The pace has cause some damage but the riders ranked in the top 10 overall remain.
Gustov has been leading the yellow jersey’s peloton but he’s finished his effort and has been dropped. Now it’s time for Andy Schleck to take over...
The bunch we’ve been calling The Cunego Group has recently dropped its namesake but he has returned with the help of Lampre team-mate Szmyd.
At the 13km to climb sign, Cunego’s group is 2’00" behind Schumacher.
At the 119km mark, the yellow jersey’s peloton is 8’00" behind Schumacher.
Schumacher is 13km from the top of the Bonette-Restefond climb. The chase has splintered into many groups but Cunego and his main cohorts are 2’30" behind. At 5’20" are Carrara (QST), Astarloza, Txurruka (EUS) and Flecha (RAB).
The peloton is at 8’00".
Cunego’s group is 2’25" behind the stage leader with about 38km to go in the stage.
Pate has been reeled in by the yellow jersey’s peloton which is being led by Gustov and Fothen.
The stage leader has an advantage of 9’10" on the yellow jersey’s peloton. Di Gregorio, Clement and Dumoulin are the latest to be dropped by the group of favorites.
Gilbert and Zubeldia have been dropped by the yellow jersey’s peloton.
Schumacher’s advantage over the Cunego group is down to 2’33". The pace of the chase group is being set by Sylvain Chavanel.
There are about 40 riders in the yellow jersey’s peloton that is now 10’00" behind Schumacher. All those in the top 10 overall are still present. Luis Sanchez is the latest rider to lose contact...
Cancellara is no longer at the front of the yellow jersey’s peloton. He had been setting the pace but is now losing contact. The leading four CSC riders are: Gustov, Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck and Carlos Sastre.
The five CSC riders lead the peloton with Fothen and Kohl following their lead at the head of the yellow jersey’s pack that is now 10’35" behind Schumacher.
There are five CSC riders in front of the peloton. Cadel Evans is tucked in behind Frank Schleck near the front of this pack.
The peloton is being led by Pozzato, then four CSC riders: Cancellara, Sastre, Andy and Frank Schleck. Sorensen has been dropped by the yellow jersey’s group.
There are numerous riders including Vansummeren and Freire being dropped by the peloton.
Cunego’s group is 5’00" behind Schumacher and Flecha has also been dropped from the chase group.
At the base of the Bonette-Restefond the CSC team is accelerating at the head of the peloton that is 11’45" behind Schumacher. Pozzato is also trying to attack.
Schumacher has 20km to climb. He is at the 113km mark while the peloton is at 107km.
Popovych, Arvesen, Voigt, Txurrka, Arroyo, Gutierrez, Portal, Hincapie, Siutsou, Augustyn, Cheula, Fischer, Cunego, Szmyd , Tiralongo, Pauriol, Dessel, Valjavec, Lequatre, Flecha, Tschopp, Voeckler, Knees, Casar, Chavanel, Moncoutie, Monfort and Hesjedal have caught Le Mevel early on the slopes of the second climb.
At the 105km mark, the peloton is 12’00" behind Schumacher.
At the base of the Bonette-Restefond climb, Le Mevel is 3’40" behind Schumacher.
Astarloza, Gilbert and Carrara are 7’00" behind Schumacher.
Zubeldia and Rosseler are at 7’10".
The second climb of the day is 25.5km long with an average gradient of 6.5 percent. It rises to an elevation of 2,802m making it the highest pass in Europe. The steepest sections are kilometers 12, 16 and 25 where it reaches eight percent. The summit is 23.5km from the finish of stage 16.
Pate and Dumoulin have dropped out of the Cunego group that is now 4’40" behind Schumacher who is about to climb the Cime de la Bonnete-Restefond.
Le Mevel is 3’45" behind Schumacher and a few minutes ahead of Popovych, Arvesen, Voigt, Txurrka, Arroyo, Gutierrez, Portal, Hincapie, Siutsou, Augustyn, Cheula, Fischer, Cunego, Szmyd, Tiralongo, Pauriol, Dessel, Valjavec, Lequatre,
Flecha, Tschopp, Voeckler, Knees, Casar, Chavanel, Dumoulin, Moncoutie, Monfort, Hesjedal and Pate.
The 31 riders in the second group at the moment are:
Popovych (SIL)
Arvesen and Voigt (CSC)
Txurrka (EUS)
Arroyo, Gutierrez and Portal (GCE)
Hincapie and Siutsou (COL)
Augustyn and Cheula (BAR)
Fischer (LIQ)
Cunego, Szmyd and Tiralongo (LAM)
Pauriol (C.A)
Dessel and Valjavec (ALM)
Lequatre (AGR)
Flecha (RAB)
Tschopp and Voeckler (BTL)
Knees (MRM)
Casar (FDJ)
Chavanel, Dumoulin, Moncoutie and Monfort (COF)
Hesjedal and Pate (GAR)
The yellow jersey and his cohorts have just reached the feedzone (at 93.5km) 10’50" behind Schumacher.
The riders in Cunego’s group include: Voeckler, Casar, Popovych, Szmyd, Valjevec, Pate, Gutierrez, Hesjedal, Arroyo, Txurruka... we await confirmation of the full list of 31 riders in this peloton that is now 5’10" behind Schumacher at the feedzone.
After his dramatic fall, Coyot (GCE) is back on a bike and racing again.
There has been a crash in the peloton. Arnaud Coyot has rolled a tire off his front rim. He smashed into the ground and slid along in gravel but is standing again although clearly in pain.
The 28 riders in Cunego’s group are 5’05" behind Schumacher at the feedzone (93.5km).
At the 88km mark, the yellow jersey’s peloton is 10 minutes behind Schumacher.
The third rider to wear the yellow jersey in 2008, Stefan Schumacher has built an advantage over the current yellow jersey’s group of almost 10 minutes. (Frank Schleck is the sixth rider to lead the 95th Tour de France.)
The CSC riders at the head of the peloton have lost the support of Cancellara who had to stop to get a new front wheel.
There are reports that Popovych has crashed on the descent but apparently he remounted his bike quickly and didn’t appear to sustain any injuries. We can confirm that Cunego’s group is 5’10" behind Schumacher.
Le Mevel is Schumacher’s nearest challenger. The Frenchman is 2’55" behind the German.
There are 26 riders in the Cunego group at the moment. We await confirmation of those in that pack.
The Dessel group has caught up with Cunego on the descent which is 21km long, falling from 2,351m high to 868m at the site of the feed station in Isola (at 93.5km). The CSC team is still in control of the yellow jersey’s bunch with Cancellara currently setting the pace of the group that is 9’35" behind Schumacher.
1. Stefan Schumacher (GST) 20pts
2. Le Mevel (C.A) 18pts – at 2’10â€
3. Voeckler (BTL) 16pts – at 3’15â€
4. Popovch (SIL) 14pts – at 4’35â€
5. Siutsou (COL) 12pts
6. Voigt (CSC) 10pts
7. Dessel (ALM) 8pts
8. Augustyn (BAR) 7pts
9. Rosseler (QST) 6pts
10. Gutierrez (GCE) 5pts
The peloton has just crested the summit of the Col de la Lombarde 9’25" behind Schumacher.
Cunego’s group reached the summit 5’05" behind Schumacher.
The points at the top of the Col de la Lombarde (72.5km) were won by:
1. Stefan Schumacher (GST) 20pts
2. Le Mevel (C.A) 18pts – at 2’10â€
3. Voeckler (BTL) 16pts – at 3’15â€
4. Popovch (SIL) 14pts – at 4’35â€
5. Siutsou (COL) 12pts
6. Voigt (CSC) 10pts
7. Dessel (ALM) 8pts
We’re waiting on confirmation of the final three points winners. (Stay tuned.)
The third rider over the summit is Thomas Voeckler who is 3’15" behind Schumacher.
At the top (72.5km mark of the 157km stage), Le Mevel is 2’10" behind Schumacher.
There are about 50 riders in he yellow jersey’s peloton and five from the CSC team are currently setting the pace.
Schumacher has crested the Col de la Lombarde. We’ll post the full results after the top 10 reach the summit but can report that Rosseler has been reeled in by Popovych’s group.
Schumacher is now 1km from the top of the first climb.
Stefan Schumacher is still storming on ahead of the front of the stage. He is going to take the 20 points for first at the top of the Col de la Lombarde.
His advantage over the yellow jersey’s peloton is up to 8’15".
With five kilometers to climb... in between the groups already mentioned (in previous flashes) and the peloton are:
6’40" - Freire, Weening and Martinez
7’05" - Astarloza and Burghardt
At the 5km to climb sign, Schumacher’s advantage was:
4’15" to Chavanel, Dessel et al
4’45" to Dumoulin (COF)
5’15" to Cunego, Szmynd, Valjavec, Monfort et al...
At the 5km to climb sign, Schumacher’s advantage was:
1’30 to Le Mevel (C.A)
2’30" to Voeckler (BTL)
3’15" to Rosseler (QST)
The points allocation for a HC climb is: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5 for the first 10 at the summit.
Schumacher is less than 5,000 from the top of the Col de la Lombarde. He has a lead on the yellow jersey’s peloton of 7’41". He began the day in 29th place overall, 22’30" behind Frank Schleck.
The rider ranked 11th overall, Mikel Astarloza is the latest to attack the peloton. It is a move that has prompted no reaction from CSC.
Freire has been caught by Cunego’s group of about 10 riders.
The group of Damiano Cunego is 5’05" behind at the 62km mark. At the same point, the peloton is at 6’45" to Schumacher.
There are 152 riders in the Tour de France. Sebastien Chavanel was the last ranked rider in the general classification but he has just stepped off and is quit the race. This means that Wim Vansevenant is, once again, the ’Lanterne Rouge’.
The green jersey is 4’30" behind Schumacher.
Dumoulin is 2’45" behind Schumacher...
The group of Chavanel, Gilbert, Zubeldia and Dessel is at 3’10"...
Schumacher’s advantage over Le Mevel is 40"; Voeckler is at 1’20"; Rosseler is at 1’25"...
Schumacher is 5’00" ahead of Cunego’s group that includes: Szmynd, Casar, Pauriol, Weening, Valjavec, Carrara, Moncoutie and Monfort.
The group of 24 has shed Freire and Burghardt on the first climb. There are groups of riders littered all over the road. Schumacher, however, is still the stage leader. He has an advantage of over five minutes on the peloton.
At the 58km mark, Schumacher led the group of 24 by 2’00". In between were: Voeckler, Le Mevel, Rosseler and Dumoulin.
The Cunego quintet was at 4’25".
A group of five including Moncoutie was at 4’55".
Tschopp was on his own at 5’15"
The peloton was at 5’30".
Schumacher has gone on alone at the front of the stage. He doesn’t want Voeckler to steal first place points at the top of the HC col.
Popovych (SIL), Arvesen and Voigt (CSC), Zubeldia and Txurruka (EUS), Arroyo, Gutierrez and Portal (GCE), Burghardt, Hincapie and Siutsou (COL), Augustyn and Cheula (BAR), Fischer (LIQ), Tiralongo (LAM), Dessel (ALM), Lequatre (C.A), Flecha and Freire (RAB), Knees (MRM), Gilbert (FDJ), Chavanel (COF), Pate and Hesjedal (GAR) are now 2’00" behind Voeckler and Schumacher.
There are several groups forming just ahead of the peloton and numerous riders being dropped.
Schumacher is setting a rapid tempo at the front. His effort is too much for Le Mevel to follow. Only Voecker and the former race leader are together at the front of the stage now.
There are now three riders in the lead: Voeckler, Le Mevel and Schumacher. Rosseler has recently been dropped. They are 1’55" ahead of the 24 riders including Freire.
Cunego, Szmyd and Casar attacked the peloton recently. They have been joined by Monfort (COF) and Valjavec (ALM). They have a lead of 30" on the peloton that’s led by CSC.
There are two Lampre riders and an FDJ recruit on the attack at the front of the peloton.
Schumacher, Le Mevel, Voeckler and Rosseler are 20" ahead of Dumoulin, 1’45" ahead of Popovych (SIL), Arvesen and Voigt (CSC), Zubeldia and Txurruka (EUS), Arroyo, Gutierrez and Portal (GCE), Burghardt, Hincapie and Siutsou (COL), Augustyn and Cheula (BAR), Fischer (LIQ), Tiralongo (LAM), Dessel (ALM), Lequatre (C.A), Flecha and Freire (RAB), Knees (MRM), Gilbert (FDJ), Chavanel (COF), Pate and Hesjedal (GAR) and 4’40" ahead of the CSC-led peloton.
The 24 riders between the stage leaders and the peloton is 1’40" behind Voeckler’s quintet.
Dumoulin has been dropped from the front group. The riders now in the lead of stage 16 are: Stefan Schumacher (GST), Christophe Le Mevel (C.A), Sebastian Rosseler (QST) and Thomas Voeckler (BTL).
The peloton is being led by CSC on the climb and is 4’10" behind the quintet that escaped at the 42km mark.
In addition to the riders mentioned in a previous flash, Christian Knees (MRM), Ryder Hesjedal (GAR) are also in the counter-attack group.
As it reached the site of the 2nd intermediate sprint (50km), the peloton was 4’25" behind Voeckler’s quintet.
The five stage leaders have begun the ascent of the Col de la Lombarde. This is a 21.5km long climb with an average gradient of 6.9 percent. The five lead the 24 by 40" at the foot of this ’HC’ pass.
The 24 counter-attackers are closing in on the five stage leaders. The current deficit is 40".
1. Samuel Dumoulin (COF) 6pts
2. Stefan Schumacher (GST) 4pts
3. Christophe Le Mevel (C.A) 2pts
The escapees covered 49.2km in the first hour.
The peloton has just reached the 48km mark. It is 4’00" behind the five stage leaders.
There are 24 riders who are now in pursuit of the five stage leaders and are 35" behind with 5km to go to the second intermediate sprint. The composition of the chase group is:
Popovych (SIL)
Arvesen and Voigt (CSC)
Zubeldia and Txurruka (EUS)
Arroyo, Gutierrez and Portal (GCE)
Burghardt, Hincapie and Siutsou (COL)
Augustyn and Cheula (BAR)
Fischer (LIQ)
Tiralongo (LAM)
Dessel (ALM)
Lequatre (C.A)
Flecha and Freire (RAB)
Gilbert (FDJ)
Chavanel (COF)
Pate (GAR)
Popovych, Arvesen, Voigt, Zubeldia, Txurruka, Arroyo, Gutierrez, Portal, Burghardt, Hincapie, Siutsou, Augustyn, Cheulo, Fischer, Tirralongo, Dessel, Flecha, Freire, Gilbert, Chavanel and Pate are the men now in pursuit of the five stage leaders.
Samuel Dumoulin (COF) started the move at the 42km mark. He was chased down by Stefan Schumacher (GST), Christophe Le Mevel (C.A), Sebastian Rosseler (QST) and Thomas Voeckler (BTL). They are 25" ahead of a group of 24 and the composition of this pack is yet to be identified.
The yellow jersey has just pulled over to the side of the road to answer the call of nature. The attackers are insisting. Five lead 24 by 25" and the bunch by 1’00".
There is a counter-attacking group of 24 riders including Oscar Freire that is now in pursuit of the five leaders.
The five escapees are: Dumoulin, Voeckler, Le Mevel, Schumacher and Rosseler. They have a lead of 45" at the 42km mark.
Dumoulin, Le Mevel, Schumacher, Voeckler and a Quickstep rider are the men who are looking likely to establish an escape at the 41km mark.
Dumoulin is the latest Cofidis rider to try and establish an escape. He has Schumacher and three others with him.
Cheula of the Barloworld team has done a strong turn at the front. It has prompted a chase of about 10 riders. Feeding has just opened and we can expect a truce to be called soon after a long, fast bout of action early in stage 16.
Moncoutie has found a bit more energy now that he has Barredo and a Garmin-Chipotle rider with him... but the peloton is within spitting distance at the 35km mark.
Moncoutie didn’t want to spend the day in the lead by himself. He’s been caught by Barredo but the bunch is right behind this pair.
The chasing Bouygues Telecom rider has given up his effort at the 32km mark. Moncoutie is still in the lead of the stage and now a Quickstep rider, Carlos Barredo, is in pursuit.
Moncoutie is starting to look around to see who it is who’s after him. The Cofidis rider is about 75m ahead of a Bouygues Telecom rider who is being pursued by several other counter-attackers.
One rider from the Bouygues Telecom team is trying to bridge the gap to Moncoutie who has a lead of about 200m.
Sebastien Chavanel is working on improving his standing in the race for the ’Lanterne Rouge’. He is the first rider to be dropped in stage 16.
Moncoutie has opened up the biggest lead on the peloton so far today. He is at the 26km mark and daylight is between him and the bunch yet we have not yet been given a time check.
Chavanel and his cohorts have been caught by the peloton. Now there’s a move coming from David Moncoutie (COF).
Chavanel has been caught by Lelay and a Quickstep rider at the 25km mark.
Chavanel is not waiting around for Lelay. The Cofidis leader has been intent on being in the escape today and now that it appears they’ll be given some leeway by the bunch, he is pushing the tempo up front. Lelay has been joined by one counter-attacking rider.
After the sprint, two riders have been able to gain time on the peloton. Sylvain Chavanel (COF) and David Lelay (AGR) have a lead of about 150 meters at the 22km mark.
Trent Lowe has been named again on Radio Tour only this time it’s because of a flat tire instead of an attack.
The points for the first sprint of the 16th stage - in Vignolo (at 20.5km) were won by:
1. Sylvain Chavanel (COF) 6pts
2. George Hincapie (COL) 4pts
3. Bram Tankink (RAB) 2pts
One of the domestiques on the Silence-Lotto team, Wim Vansevenant has twice "won" the title of ’Lanterne Rouge’ - the rider ranked last in the general classification at the end of the Tour. He has held down last place since the third stage this year but after the stage to Prato Nevoso he was "beaten" to his traditional place by Sebastien Chavanel.
The Belgian is now second-last, 2h37’42" behind Frank Schleck while the Frenchman is at 2h42’15"... stay tuned to find out who will win this curious contest.
The itinerary for stage 16 features two ‘Hors Categorie’ mountains, the Col de la Lambarde – a 2,351m high pass that peaks at the 72.5km mark – and the highest road in Europe, the 2,802m Cime de la Bonette-Restefond with the summit at 133.5km. While the final 23.5km is essentially all downhill, the finish was still at altitude of 1,210m.
The intermediate sprints are both in Italy: Vignolo (at 20.5km) and Vinadio (50km). The return to France is at the 73km mark.
The Brard/Lowe move didn’t happen. The peloton is still all together at the 14km mark.
The Cofidis team is one of the main aggressors early today. Brard is the latest rider to try and escape and he was shadowed by the former MTB junior world champion Trent Lowe (GAR). Once again, the move didn’t gain any advantage.
Jens Voigt suffered a flat tire at a difficult period. He was quickly given a new wheel and has just wrestled his way to the peloton.
Sylvain Chavanel is the latest rider to come through at the front of the peloton. The escape attempts continue but no one has broken free in the first 10km of stage 15. Hincapie is at the front and is most attentive for the Columbia squad which had lead the team classification but is now 11th, 58’02" behind CSC-Saxo Bank.
Each day we conduct a poll for readers of the Tour de France’s official site - LeTour.fr (or LeTour.com). Today the question relates to the Austrian Gerolsteiner recruit who is seven seconds behind Frank Schleck in the general classification and one point ahead of his team-mate Sebastian Lang in the climbing classification.
Bernhard Kohl currently leads the mountains classification and is second overall. In Paris will he...
Win the yellow jersey?
Win the polka-dot jersey?
Win both the yellow and polka-dot?
Finish on the podium?
None of the above
Let us know your thoughts by clicking on the link that corresponds with what you believe.
The most aggressive rider of the 2007 Tour is part of a group of five riders that is currently trying to gain an advantage on the peloton at the 7km mark. No escape has yet been able to suceed in a very fast start to the stage.
There are several riders trying to break free of the bunch but none have succeeded yet. The peloton is at the 3.5km mark.
Sylvain Chavanel has eased his effort briefly and is now back in the bunch. The start is fast early today and a group of four hover just ahead of the peloton.
The Lampre rider who was shadowing Chavanel after his attack at the 0km mark, has returned to the peloton but the Frenchman is insisting with his escape attempt.
Before Christian Prudhomme even got the chance to announce the official start, Sylvain Chavanel jumped ahead of the peloton. He has been joined by a rider from Lampre. The official start was at 12.32pm. There are 153 riders still in the race.
The Giro d’Italia has started and finished in Cuneo on numerous occasions but this is the first time that the Tour de France has began in the city in the Piedmonte region. The recent winners of Giro stages in Cuneo are: Luca Gelfi (1990), Glenn Magnusson (1997) and Mario Piccoli (1998). This is also he region where the ‘Gran Fondo’ event named after Fausto Coppi is held each July. It was actually in the stage to Cuneo that Coppi earned his famous nickname, ‘Il Campionissimo’ after winning a Giro stage with a 200km escape.
In the neutral zone, Bart Leysen the mechanic from the Silence-Lotto team, has had to change a rear wheel for Leif Hoste. It was the same scene at the start of the previous stage only two days ago it was Cadel Evans that needed a new wheel before the official start.
Vincenzo Nibali still has a strong lead in the youth classification. He is ranked 12th overall but leads the category that’s open to riders born after the 1st of January 1983. The Italian from Liquigas has worn the white jersey since the eviction of Riccardo Ricco and his advantage over second place after 15 stages is 1’53â€, almost a minute less than what it was after stage 14. His team-mate Roman Kreuziger finished 11th at Prato Nevoso and overtook Maxime Montfort in the youth rankings. The Belgian is now 3’12†behind Nibali.
Former leader of the Best Young Rider category, Andy Schleck is now fourth, 3’39†behind Nibali.
The rider ranked second in the general classification is realistic about his chance of being able to chase points in the climbers’ category today. “I’ll be closely marked by the GC guys but I’m going to try and add some more points for the polka-dot jersey,†said Bernhard Kohl after claiming the climber’s prize at Prato Nevoso. The Austrian Gerolsteiner recruit has 85 points, 15 more than his German team-mate Sebastian Lang and 25 more than one of the escapees in stage 15, Egoi Martinez (EUS). The winner of the stage to Italy, Simon Gerrans pushed his way up the rankings, moving from 55th to fourth thanks to his acquisition of points on the road from Embrum to Prato Nevoso.
Today is not one in which sprinters are expected to feature but we can report that Oscar Freire (RAB) holds a commanding lead in the points classification. He has a tally of 219 points while his nearest rival, Thor Hushovd (C.A) has 172 and another former green jersey winner Erik Zabel (MRM) is ranked third with 167 points. Former race leader Kim Kirchen (COL) has 145 points while the Columbian sprinter from Cofidis is ranked fifth with 137 points.
Vincenzo Nibabli is the highest ranked Italian after 15 stages of the 95th Tour de France. He is currently at the head of the bunch riding just behing the new race leader, Frank Schleck as the bunch makes its way through the neutral zone in Cuneo, Italy.
Frank Schleck will wear the yellow jersey for the first time in his career today. The 28-year-old from the CSC team gave his brother, Andy, with the prize jersey he was presented in Prato Nevoso after finishing ninth in the stage. It’s the first time that the CSC team has held the yellow jersey in the final week of the Tour de France and the elder Schleck sibling holds a seven-second advantage over the leader of the mountains classification, Bernhard Kohl (GST). The former race leader, Cadel Evans (SIL) is ranked third, eight seconds behind Frank.
Although he suffered a crash on the final ascent of stage 15, Denis Menchov (RAB) quickly remounted his bike and finished the day in eighth. He is ranked fourth overall with a deficit of 38 seconds while Christian Vande Velde (GAR) is fifth, one second shy of the Menchov.
A second CSC rider holds down sixth place overall after 15 days of racing. Carlos Sastre is 49 seconds behind his team-mate in the general classification.
The four riders in the prize jerseys are lined up at the front of the peloton in Cuneo, Italy, ready to start the 16th stage. As they roll through the 5km neutral zone, we’ll review who is wearing what jersey of distinction. The official start of the stage from Cuneo to Jausiers is expected to be at around 12.30pm.
The 16th stage of the 95th Tour de France is due to begin at 12.20pm. There is a 5km neutral zone before the official start of racing. The sun is shining in Italy after the second rest day and conditions are expected to be fine for the 157km journey back to France. The temperature is a mild 25 degrees Celsius at the start with the forecast for over 30 degrees at some points. With two ‘HC’ climbs on the itinerary – the 2,351m high Col de la Lombarde and the highest pass in Europe, the Cime de la Bonette-Restefond – riders will experience a vast range of temperatures despite the bright sunshine on the final Tuesday of the 2008 edition.
Live coverage of the stage will commence shortly.
