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Col de l’Ospedale
175.5 km
Saturday 27 March
Contador finishes 1:12 behind Fedrigo.
Pierrick Fedrigo (BBOx) won the 177-kms fist stage. Tiago Machado (RadioShack) was second, 10 seconds behind, and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) was third, a further two seconds adrift.
Contador is 30 seconds behind Fedrigo.
Fedrigo attaks under the red flame.
Fedrigo and Machado lead the Evans group by 17 seconds.
Contador is no longer in contention... he has been dropped from the leading group.
... and Moncoutie is caught while Tiego Machado (RadioShack) attacks, followed by Pierrick Fedrigo (BBox).
David Moncoutie (Cofidis) attacks, followed by Ben Hermans (RadioSchack).
... and Lagutin is caught by Vinokourov and the peloton.
As a result of Vinokourov’s acceleration, Lagutin’s lead is cut down to 10 seconds. The Contador group also includes Cadel Evans, David Millar, Daniel Martin, Samuel Sanchez, among others...
Contador’s team-mate Alexandre Vinokourov has increased the pace at the front of the peloton.
With five kilometres to go, Lance Armstrong has been dropped by the peloton, which included 46 riders.
Lagutin now leads the peloton by 32 seconds.
Lance Arsmtrong is now at the back of the peloton, who climbs at a steady pace towards the finale.
Armstrong made his way up to the front of the peloton with Yaroslav Popovych in his wheel.
Lagutin leads the peloton by 20 seconds with 9 kms to go.
Uzbek champion Lagutin is alone in the lead with 10 kms to go.
Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil) attacked and caught Kadri.
Ducthman Frederik Wilmann (Skil Shimano) is chasing behind Kadri.
Blel Kadri (AG2R) attacks.
The BMC team of Cadel Evans also moves towards the front of the peloton.
Dmitry Fofonov, Daniel Navarro and Alexandre Vinokourov are opening the way for Alberto Contador as the race tackles the final climb to L’Ospedale.
Km 160 - Champion and Feillu have been caught juste before the final climb to L’Ospedale.
Like in the first sprint of the day, Alberto Contador grabbed one bonification second by finishing third in the intermediate sprint in Porto Vecchio.
Results of the final sprint in Porto-Vecchio (Km 158):
1. Champion 3 points, 3 secs
2. Feillu 2 pts, 2 secs
3. Contador 1 pt 1 sec
Peloton 40 secs behind.
Astana riders have taken the baton from Euskaltel in the chase.
...and the latest gap between Brice Feillu, Dimitri Champion and the peloton is 45 seconds.
... and Champion and Feillu lead the peloton by 50 seconds.
Rolland is back in the peloton.
The chase behind Champion and Feillu is still led by Nieve, Inautxi and Txurruka, three Euskaltel riders. Rolland is now 20 seconds behind his former companions.
Pierre Rolland has been dropped by Champion and Feillu in the descent.
Results on the Col de Bacinu (km 134.5)
1. Rolland 6 pts
2. Champion 4 pts
3. Feillu 2
Peloton 50 secs behind
The average speed in the 4th hour was 34.2 kph for an overall speed of 32.6 kph.
Km 129 - Five kms from the penultimate climb to Bacinu, the lead of the three escapees reaches 50 seconds.
The gap between the three escapees and the peloton is stable at 40 seconds.
Geschke has been caught by the peloton led by the Euskaltel.
Feillu, Rolland and Champion lead Geschke by 35 seconds and the peloton by 45 seconds.
Results on the Col de Mela (km 134.5):
1. Rolland 6 pts
2. Champion 4
3. Feillu 2
4. Simon Geschke (Skil Shimano) 30 secs behind
The peloton 37 secs behind.
A trio of French riders - Brice Feillu (Vacansoleil), Dimitri Champion (AG2R) and Pierre Rolland (BBOx) - have parted company with the main pack. Their lead is 20 seconds on the climb to Mela.
Euskaltel are taking the lion’s share of the job in front of the peloton. Samuel Sanchez has obvious ambitions today.
In the climb towards the Col de Mela, Moncoutie was caught.
Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Caisse d’Epargne) has given up.
France’s David Moncoutie (Cofidis) attacked at the foot of the climb to the Col de Mela in Ste Lucie de Tallano.
Km 110 - Cedric Pineau and Albert Timmer, who had broken at kilometre 10, have just been caught by the chasing pack.
BMC deputy team director Jacques Michaux told www.letour.fr the decision could be made today not on l’Ospedale but on the previous climb: "A rider who feels well can make a difference on the Col de Bacinu and keep a big enough lead to resist in the last climb," he said.
Km 116 - The lead of the two escapees has gone down under a minute in the climb to the Col de Mela.
Garmin Transitions team director Lionel Marie told www.letour.fr that David Millar had serious ambitions not only in the stage but for the overall classification: "David’s goal is a top five finish. But beware of Dan Martin who can do well too. The profile of today’s stage suits David much better than a real mountain stage. He checked the last climb yesterday and he likes it."
Cedric Pineau slightly dropped Timmer in the descent.
The average speed is unusually low after three hours but the peloton have had to face headwind and crosswind since the start.
The average speed in the third hour of the race was 31 kph for an overall average speed of 31.1 kph.
Results Viggianello climb (km 92.5).
1. Timmer 6 pts
2 Pineau 4
3. Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel) 2 1:40 behind, with the peloton.
Timmer was first ay the top of the climb ahead of Pineau. The peloton is led by Euskaltel and Astana.
Km 91 -The gap goes down to 2:55.
In the Viggianello climb, the two escapees hold a 3:20 lead over the main pack, led by the Euskaltel team-mates of Samuel Sanchez.
Km 86 - The lead of Cedric Pineau and Albert Timmer over the main bunch is now 4:45.
Frenchman Mathieu Perget (Caisse d’Epargne) just called it quits.
Lance Armstrong took part twice in the Criterium International before and each time finished on the podium. He was second in 2002 and third in 2004. There always was a Spaniard ahead of him (Martinez in 2002 and Guttierez in 2004 with Voigt the winner).
Result of the second sprint in Sartene (km 76.5):
1. Pineau 3 pts 3 secs
2. Timmer 2 pts 2 secs
3. Michael Albasini ( Switzerland, HTC) 1 pt, 1 sec.
The peloton is 4 kms from the second sprint in Sartene. Will Alberto Contador sprint for another one-second bonus?
Km 70 - The lead of the two escapees is now four minutes.
The overall average speed after two hours in the stage is 32.7 kph.
Km 60 - Pineau and Timmer now lead the peloton by 4:15.
Results on the Cote de Roccapina (km 56):
1. Pineau 6 pts
2. Timmer 4 pts
3. Yukihiro Doi (Japan, Skil Shimano) 2 pts
and the peloton 4:00 behind
Km 50 - Timmer and Pineau lead the bunch by 5:50.
Contador made his plans clear by taking one of the bonification seconds up for grabs in the first sprint of the day. Perhaps the Spaniard remembers that Jens Voigt won the race by only two seconds last year.
Result of the first sprint Pianottoli-Caldarello (km 45):
1. Timmer 3 points and 3 seconds
2. Pineau 2 pts and 2 secs
3. Alberto Contador (Astana) 1 points and 1 second
The peloton 7:20 behind Pineau and Timmer.
The reduction of the gap owes a lot to teams BMC and Astana, who have seized the peloton’s reins.
In his pre-race press conference, Alberto Contador insisted there would only be small gaps on this Criterium and especially on the climb to l’Ospdedale: “It’s not very hard but it could become hard if there are attacks from the start. Then there might be a chance to attack,” he said.
“But in any case, there won’t be big gaps at the finish and there won’t be big gaps in the time trial either”, he added.
Km 41 - The lead goes down a bit and is now back to 9:50.
Km 35 - Pineau and Timmer now lead the peloton by 10 minutes.
Franck Pineau told www.letour.fr he had warned his son that it was his birthday today: "He won Paris-Troyes on his sister Lucie’s birthday so I told him he’d better try something for mine!"
Pineau Sr said his son was a rider who rode first of all to have fun but was also a fair climber: "He finisehd 4th overall in the Tour du Haut Var which goes to show he can climb," he said.
The gap as the bunch cross the picturesque town of Bonifacio is 8:25 for Pineau and Timmer.
Cedric Pineau is in great shape. He won Paris-Troyes two weeks ago. His father Franck is in the race as the team director of Francaise des Jeux.
Km 23 - Timmer and Pineau lead the bunch by 7:00.
Cedric Pineau is the son of Franck, a pro rider between 1986 and 1994, who celebrates his 47th birthday today. Franck Pineau took part in two Tours de France.
Km 17 - The pack have obviously decided to let the two steal the show for the beginning of the stage. Timmer and Pineau now lead by 4:25
Km 16 - The peloton slowed down a bit and the lead of Timmer and Pineau increases to reach 2:25.
Cofidis team chief Francis Van Londersele told www.letour.fr he was impressed by the current form of France’s David Moncoutie: “He was not so well two weeks ago but he’s now back in sparkling form. This guy is impressive and I see him do well on L’Ospedale,” he said.
Km 13 - Timmer and Pineau lead the peloton by 45 seconds. Lowe and Engoulvent have been reined in.
Km 11 - Timmer and Pineau are in front, chased by Trent Lowe (Garmin) and Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur Sojasun).
Km 10 - Two other riders, France’s Cedric Pineau (Roubaix Lille Metropole) and Dutchman Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano) try their luck. Their initial lead is 35 seconds.
Km 8 - The peloton catches the two escapees.
Team Vacansoleil are leading the chase behind Moreau and Huguet.
RadioShack team director Alain Gallopin told www.letour.fr that Lance Armstrong’s main goal on the Criterium International was more to improve his form than to go for victory. “He has chosen the Criterium International because it’s a great race but also because it’s the ideal mix to test his form and continue his preparation for the Tour. I don’t have anything to tell Lance, he knows himself better than anybody else.”
Asked what he thought of Alberto Contador’s claims that his main rival on this race was world champion Cadel Evans, Gallopin said: “He’s right if you judge by current form. And in any case, Lance is a rider for three-week races more than for two-day races.”
Km 4 - The first attack of the day involves two French riders, Christophe Moreau (Caisse d’Epargne) and Yann Huguet (Skil Shimano). Their lead over the peloton is 12 seconds.
Local daily Corse-Matin tried to approach Lance Armstrong at his team hotel after the American checked the climb to L’Ospedale: “Armstrong is his usual self, evasive, hardly looking up with the iron stare that has always been part of his legend. ‘How are you, Lance?” ‘I’m OK, thank you’ The boss’s only concern now is massage and relaxing.”
In sports daily l’Equipe, Dominique Pozzi, the only former pro from Corsica, now technical adviser for Corsican cycling, said the return of pro cycling on the island, 28 years after the last Tour of Corsica, was the chance of a lifetime: “This Criterium is a great chance for Corisca. To me, making cycling more popular in Corsica is not a job, it’s a mission. If only the Criterium could make me save ten years...”
The start was given at 11:30 to 128 riders. Dutchman Ricardo Van der Velde (Garmin Transitions) did not start.
Km 56 – Cote de Roccapina
Km 92.5 – Viggianello
Km 115 – Col de Mela
Km 134.5 – Col de Bacinu
Km 175.5 – Col de l’Ospedale.
Km 45 – Pianottoli-Caladrello
Km 76.5 – Sartene
Km 158 – Porto Vecchio
The peloton are now riding towards the actual start point.
Welcome on the 177-kms first stage of the Criterium International. The start, scheduled for 11:10, has been delayed by 10 minutes.
