Sandwiched between yesterday’s surprise “gone with the wind” action and tomorrow’s Bastille Day Mont Ventoux bonanza, today’s stage might struggle. But it’s got all the ingredients of a good stage with a varied route, some late hills and even crosswinds too as it makes its way to Lyon.
As well as the preview of all the action, there’s also a short film below that shows the reality for many an ex-pro once they retire from the sport.
Stage 13 Review
Never has being wrong been so enjoyable. When writing the race overview a month ago I said “If you had to skip a stage this would be it… but the race could always bring a surprise” and only yesterday morning the weather forecast suggested a breeze but no more. But if the stage took you by surprise, imagine being Alejandro Valverde who slide down the overall classification like a workman falling off a ladder.
It’s said crosswinds split a race but we saw it was the riders doing the work. The bunch split and at first the only loser was Marcel Kittel, caught out in part thanks to a mechanical. There were others, for example Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Mikkel Nieve and Igor Anton plus Ag2r’s Romain Bardet. But the scenario when Alejandro Valverde needed to change his rear wheel. Did Belkin accelerate or where they already on the front? Either way .
Better still it was a bloodless gain for Team Sky and Saxo-Tinkoff. Valverde was being ejected from the top-10 and they only had to sit on the wheels whilst Belkin and OPQS drove the pace. But this relative rest meant Saxo-Tinkoff had energy to spare and must have had Oleg Tinkov bouncing on his sofa. His team powered away in a team time trial mode with only a few able to follow. Bauke Mollema, Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish amongst them. Cavendish won the stage but others gained plenty of time and the race as a whole gained excitement.
Cavendish started the day with L’Equipe saying he was history but finished the stage by making history. With the win Cavendish moves up to third place in the list of Tour de France stage wins, his total of 25 equal to André Leducq who rode in the 1930s. Comparisons across history are hard and those black and white images of riders on single speed bikes make the past seem very far away. But history is not always about the past and we’re seeing Cavendish doing things that will earn him places in the history books and nostalgic features.
Stage 14 Preview
- Km 66.5 – Côte de Marcigny 1.9 kilometre-long climb at 4.9% – category 4
- Km 98.5 – Côte de la Croix Couverte 2.6 kilometre-long climb at 5.3% – category 4
- Km 113.0 – Côte de Thizy-les-Bourgs 1.7 kilometre-long climb at 8.2% – category 3
- Km 126.5 – Col du Pilon (727 m) 6.3 kilometre-long climb at 4.4% – category 3
- Km 161.0 – Côte de Lozanne 2.5 kilometre-long climb at 4% – category 4
- Km 176.0 – Côte de la Duchère 1.6 kilometre-long climb at 4.1% – category 4
- Km 181.5 – Côte de la Croix Rousse 1.8 kilometre-long climb at 4.5% – category 4
The race starts in a wine-making town and heads through the Beaujolais. Crossing a viticultural region is not just something for wine buffs or alcoholics, it normally means the terrain is hilly but not mountainous. So it is with the succession of climbs throughout the day with only the Côte de Thizy-les-Bourgs presenting a steep challenge. The other climbs are all tackled quickly and won’t advantage the climbers.
The Finish
A long finishing straight… but only after the Côte de la Duchère and the Côte de la Croix Rousse climbs. La Duchère is a gradual climb but the Croix Rousse has a series of hairpin bends. Wide but still a place to attack, to exploit the momentum.
The more fatigued riders might think they’re in Paris. The Croix Rousse has a small steel tower that resembles the Eiffel Tower. But it’s on a hill and the city has a different feel to the French capital.
The Scenario
Everyone is saying a breakaway will make it. I think this is the most likely scenario. However if the gap is small then the sprinters’ teams will chase hard because despite two hills in the final kilometres, the approach to the finish is fast and furious.
Yesterday was a hard stage and it’ll be interesting to see how Peter Sagan has recovered. On paper the hills should mean he can eliminate rival sprinters but he’s both tired and his Cannondale team might struggle to reel in any breakaways. If not then look to the baroudeurs, the breakaway specialists and classics contenders. I’m thinking Ramunas Navardauskas, Simon Gerrans or Sep Vanmarcke but there’s a good list of others, pick Pierrick Fédrigo or Jens Voigt for strongmen but remember a fast finish is needed for the finish line in case a group arrives. Also watch John Degenkolb as the last time a race went over the Croix Rousse, he won. It was a stage of the Dauphiné in 2011 and his first World Tour win.
Doubting Thomas: Normally Thomas Voeckler would be a candidate but despite good form in the Dauphiné and the Route du Sud he’s been hesitant and self-doubting in the Tour so far, his attacks in the Pyrenees were designed to see how he was going rather than to get going.
Weather: warm and sunny with a crosswind for much of the day until a tailwind in the finish. The wind is expected to reach 45km/h which could split things up again but the terrain is more sheltered and varied.
TV: Live coverage starts at 2.20pm Euro time but depends on your local channel too. It’s the possibility of a breakaway sticking that makes this an enticing stage so tune in early to see how this evolves. If nothing is happening then you’ll get the scenery as consolation. The final two climbs are expected from 4.45pm onwards with the finish predicted for 5.10pm.
Calzati, Contract Cleaner
Sylvain Calzati was a pro for several years with most of his career spent with Ag2r but he was a member of Team Sky when the team started. He’s from Lyon and is now working as an industrial cleaner – “we’re specialized in staircases, we do all sorts of cleaning and taking out the trash” – living the life of a small businessman in France. The video below is in French and by Nicolas Loth and the LaBordure website. He speaks of his time as a pro, the idea of a team comprised of ex-pros given a second chance as well as the prosecution of Lance Armstrong. Whilst the Tour oozes glory, money and dreams, this clip shows the reality for many an ex-pro.
Calzati, nettoyages services par Velovideo
Thomas De Gednt could definitely do some damage of this parcours…
i think De Gent and Flecha are trying to win the award for most km cycling on their own as they always out front of the race
They’re often in the action but statistically Vacansoleil just don’t win races. Plenty of effort but few rewards. Maybe today their luck changes?
If there only was a competition for using up your energy the wrong way, Flecha would be leading it by miles… Comparing his engine to career wins, it’s not very efficient. Like Tafi and Dierckxsens.
I wonder if the exciting racing this year is down to team sky. Last year at le tour they were so dominant with ‘boring’ tactics that other teams couldn’t deal with. This year teams have had to come up with other ways to beat them.
Having said that, team sky seem a much weaker team this year.
There must be several factors, for example last year’s route was designed to give time triallists a chance, this year it’s for the climbers. But Sky seem weaker and will be tested in the Alps.
Seems more like misfortune and the knock-on effects of such to me. Thomas and Stannard go down in the first stage and Kennaugh gets taken out on Stage 9, leading to the subsequent dropping of Kiryienka (unless illness played a part here, as I’m still amazed he got left behind to such an extent). Then, EBH gets injured, and this on top of Kiryienka’s loss and Thomas still recovering, meant Froome just lost out yesterday. Being stuck on Cavendish’s hamster wheel is probably the worst spot in an echelon too.
When was the last time team weakness/lack of numbers cost the strongest rider the Tour?
Excellent days racing with Cavendish showing his star quality. SKY are in serious trouble despite the teams PR. They appear extremely poor at positioning themselves around Fromme for a full day without losing concentration. In addition to having couple riders who are not capable of making any serious contribution at the pointy end when the action starts.. Their one advantage from now on is that the number of riders they have to watch is seriously reduced.
There are going to be some very fatigued bodies going into the Alps.
Calvati’s opinions about the Armstrong case were pretty interesting – not what I was expecting from a French rider.
Today I’d bet for Michal “Flowerman” Kwiatkowski. If not today, he might try on stage 16th.
Calzati with Sky? Hard to imagine a Frenchman with the team now.
He was signed along with Nico Portal, now the DS for the team.
Also I gather they are signing a Frenchman for 2014. The name will come out later.
Bardet?
I would love that!
Albasini or Gerrans will be up for this. As will Gilbert – I don’t think he really cares whether Cadel wants him to wait or not; BMC doesn’t seem a team in harmony. I agree Sagan is maybe a bit tired. He looked tired yesterday – he pretty much gave up in the sprint.
Gilbert is off the pace, and will need to turn things around sharply to make an impact today. I do agree about Albasini and Gerrans. Green edge have been resting up since their great start to the tour, and today would suit either as they can win from a breakaway or a reduced peloton.
Valverde’s puncture yesterday was karma for him not waiting for Evans in the Vuelta in 2009.
The thought crossed my mind too. Peloton etiquette dictates you wait but many times we see this convention dropped. It’s amazing how riders/teams suddenly accelerate when a rival is in difficulty but claim they didn’t know once they are interviewed after the finish 😉
Nice to see that Mollema didn’t pretend he didn’t know. He said it like it is.
Do you have a link to his quote? I understand he said something about Valverde not showing sportsmanship previously, I assume in reference to his doping?
In a post ride interview for dutch television mollema was asked: wasn’t it unsportsmanlike to continue riding when you heard valverde was dropped, he answered: I think Valverde has done enough unsportmanlike things in the last years, so he can’t complain.
The complete interview in Dutch can be viewed here:
http://nos.nl/video/528933-mollema-werk-betaalt-zich-uit.html
One of the Belkin riders said after the stage “Valverde doesn’t wait for us in the mountains; we don’t wait for him in the wind.”
I don’t think Valverde is very popular in the peloton.
Cool, thanks
IIRC Valverde lost time in last year’s Vuelta when he had problems and Sky hit the front. Had that not happened he would’ve been a lot closer to Contador. Karma must have it in for him!
Such a popular chap!
the Cycling Cap:
Congratulation to OPQS for bringing the cycling cap back onto the podium!
It is time other teams follow the example of OPQS and give the cycling cap the place it deserves.
No more baseball caps in cycling, please.
Inrng, maybe you should talk to your friends in the peloton or in the DS cars about that serious matter?
The Cycling cap is one of the little things that make cycling special. But in the last years it has disappeared. It is time to change that!
+1
+1
What was remarkable yesterday was how Saxo got exactly the right GC contenders and sprinters into the final break to leave Froome isolated. I guess after Sky dominated so much last year teams are happy to work together against them.
Also if Stage 12 was possibly the first time Cavendish was beaten when leading in a sprint, was yesterday the first time he won from a break.
Seems Team Sky is very week this year!
However, We hope for the best.
Is the Calzati video available with English subtitles anywhere or is there an English transcript?