“We were expecting him tomorrow, he attacked today. We expecting him to attack uphill, he went on the descent”
– Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme
Prudhomme summed up the events at the finish of today’s stage after Chris Froome’s late attack brought him the stage and the yellow jersey. It marked a moment of excitement in an otherwise steady stage and if Froome won this more symbolic than substantial with only seconds in it.
The first mountain stage of this year’s Tour but almost a route in reverse as the climbs get easier towards the finish. Expect a selection but don’t hope for a decisive verdict.
Another stage win for Dimension Data, this time with Stephen Cummings while behind biggest attack to the GC contenders came from the finishing arch. The first day in the Pyrenees delivered the kind of results we expected.
Even there was no Froome-Quintana duel there was more than enough in today’s stage to merit a separate review.
The Pyrenees are here with the Col d’Aspin climbed from its harder side. This is no summit finish but cross the top of the pass with 30 seconds and the stage is yours.
Yesterday’s Tour de France stage was in central France and the Cantal with its volcanic landscapes and lush green valleys. The race doesn’t visit this region very often, few do and all the more reason to enjoy cycling on these roads.
A likely sprint finish awaits as today is followed by three consecutive stages in the Pyrenees.
The first mountain stage is here and the racing is going to change. There should be a struggle to get in a breakaway at the start and battle for the stage win at the end as the race heads to the volcanic landscapes of the Cantal.
The Tour de France returns to Limoges today and the city has a small niche in the race’s history as the last place where a long distance solo breakaway triumphed, 16 years ago with the victory of Christophe Agnolutto.
Yesterday felt like the longest day but today’s stage is the longest when measured by distance. The race heads south, the weather gets warmer and there’s an uphill finish. A sprint finish is still likely but the tactics will vary.
Look at the image above and what do you see? André Greipel’s on his way to winning Stage 6 of the 2015 Giro d’Italia but look again through the gap of riders to the background and the pink jersey sat on the road. It’s Alberto Contador who has suffered a crash in the final hundred metres. What was he doing in the sprint you might ask and the answer is trying to stay out of trouble. The irony is that in a stage race those aiming for the overall classification have to be near the front even in the finish of a sprint stage to avoid losing time but this only raises the risks.
Is it time to rethink the 3km rule and reserve the finish of certain stages for the sprinters?