Tour de France 2012: Stage 20 Rambouillet to Champs Élysées, Paris

Is it really that time of year again that me and Nick Barlow (amongst others) give you our last look at what lies in the day ahead on the road of France (an any other country) as part of the Tour de France.

First up let's short out what happened yesterday.

The man the Dutch call the "Banana with sideburns" showed why he is the man who have spent 7 days in yellow in Paris-Nice, five in the Tour of Romandie, seven in the Critérium du Dauphiné and now 13 days in Le Tour. Let us not forget he was a rather unripe banana on the second day of this year's tour. He opened more time on everyone, even his own team mate who once again in the Time Trials came second. I suspect that these two now will go into the Olympics and after helping try and secure Mark Cavendish his gold will be going head to head with Fabian Cancellera and Tony Martin amongst others to try and lift the other men's road cycling gold on the course over many roads I have ridden a bike on around Hampton Court.

In the end Vincenzo Nibali lost more time to end up 6'19" behind Wiggo overall. Froome ended up with a Dusty Bin time of 3'21" behind his team mate. With Richie Porte coming fifth  yesterday Sky managed to half the gap between themselves and Radioshack-Nissan in the team race. But it was because they were using all their men to keep the pace high until just Froome was left with Wiggins that they despite domination of the race failed to secure the team prize, which if the aggregate of each teams best 3 riders each day.

Today's final stage is usually only a ceremonial roll into Paris until the race hits the most famous Boulevard in road race cycling. The only things for certain are that the four wearers of the jerseys will be toasted with champagne. Laterne Rouge Saur- Sojasun rider Jimmy Engoulvent who is 3 hours 57 minutes slower than Wiggins will be given a red lamp to carry for the press and Wiggins with the World Champion, Nowegian Champion and other 5 remaining team mates will lead the race briefly at the start of the circuits of the Champs Élysées.

Even though the tour organisers decided to try and spice things up with two Category 4 climbs. Just in case that competition were tight heading towards Paris. As it isn't maybe the race will let Thomas Voeckler take both of those in the Polka Dot King of the Mountain Jersey, or maybe he will share the honours with Fredrik Kessiakoff with him he had a tough battle in the Pyrénées. So maybe expect the peleton to give them a point each. With not much contest, the other riding as the escort on the Côte de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse and shortly afterward the Côte de Châteaufort.

As always on the last day the intermediate sprint will occur on the third crossing of the line of the Champs Élysées. Last year it was contested as Mark Cavendish's Green Jersey was still in play. This year the peleton may well have already let a few riders get a little up the road. So they will be working to stay away and there will probably be no sprint.


Tejay van Garderen is safe in the other Jersey for best Young Rider and I fully expect to see him as leader of the BMC team when the race starts next year, maybe with Cadel Evans helping him as a super domestique.


What everyone will want to know however is can Mark Cavendish do it again. Yesterday for Cav is all about being number 1, but not in stage winning, he finished the stage in 1 hr 11 mins 11 seconds. He wants to see just one number 1 next to his name today and that is a the front rather than afterwards. 

He has never lost on the last day of the Tour de France. He is already the only man to have won this famous stage three years in succession and the way he rode into Brive la Gaillarde on Friday it would be very rare to see anyone bet against him, especially as both the top two in the GC have already vowed to help lead him into prime position off the Place de la Concorde that last time into that straight that he owns. If he does it will be the seventh win by a Brit in this year's Tour from four different riders (or 1/3 of all the finishes) breaking the record of 2009 when all six were won by Cav.

Can André Greipel or Matt Goss spoil the party? Looking at the difference between the three of them on Friday and how Mark has won here in the past I'd say it looks unlikely, but you can never know.


Here is how he won in 2009, when a Brit for only the second time raced to 4th place, tomorrow that Brit should also be breaking records as he rides in for yellow.

In 2010 after Mark Renshow had been kicked off the Tour he did it himself. And rather like on Friday he left the rest of the sprinters for dead with an attack from a long way out.

Then last year when even despite having the luxury of two of his team in front of him off the last bend it has been the closest so far, because it was into a head wind.

Tour de France 2012: Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

Nibali being pulled back by the last two men from the peleton.

Hear ye, hear ye. The King is dead long live the new King.

Cadel Evans (BMC) was dropped once against yesterday and this time there was no truce and no limiting of losses, nor was Tejay van Garderen required to hang back with the rest of the team to help the team leader.

But who is the new King. It should be Bradley Wiggins. But if some misfortune overcomes the Maillot Jaune today Sky still have the fall back of Chris Froome. Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ) tried again yesterday to break the Sky one-two but if Froome wasn't pacing Brad back to his wheel, Wiggo was doing the same for Chris. The stage yesterday saw the three of the them locked together taking time out of all the other contenders. Jurgen van den Broeck (LOT), Haimar Zubeldia (RNT) and van Garderen were in the group 58 seconds down lead across the line by Nico Roche (AGM).

Early on there were 38 of the 152 riders still left in the Tour in a breakaway up the field. That is 25% of the race, just not any of the 10% that matter. In that Group was Thomas Voeckler (EUR) who ended up taking the top spot on both of the Hors Catégorie Climbs of the day and both the 1st Category Climbs. On the Col d'Aubisque second over the top were the Polka Dots on the back of Fredrik Kessiakoff, who was 4th over the Tourmalet but was outside the top 6 for the Col d'Aspin and the Col du Peyresourde, with only 34 points on the day Kessiakoff ended the day with 4 points less than Voeckler in the King of the Mountains.

Voeckler who attacked alone for the last climb and with only Brice Feillu for the one before that was not surprisingly the comabtive rider of the day as well as winning the stage by 1'40".

Today's stage in the final Mountain stage of the Tour. It is over 143km not all of them new to this years race as once the road circles around to Saint Aventin it is back up the Peyresourde in the reverse direction to yesterday before a short part of the descent before turning off the the left for the climb to Peyragudes.

After 17km of today's loop though the road starts to go up with the first category Col de Menté, the 15th time this has been a mountain in le Tour. In 1971 it was tackled in the direction we are going today on the way to Bagnères de Luchon during stage 14. Eddy Merckx was 7 minutes behind Luis Ocaña in yellow at the time and on the decent both men were taking risks, Merckx fell on a bend into a retaining wall, Ocaña following close behind could not avoid him and crashed himself. Although Merckx was up and off again quickly Ocaña's couldn't release his toe clips quickly and Joop Zoetemelk collided with the prostrate Ocaña. The Spaniard was helicoptered off the mountain his Tour over and the following day Merckx refused to wear the Maillot Jaune as a mark of respect.

Without that crash, which is marked by a memorial on the spot as they came down it is possible that Merckx may not have been one of the five time winners of Le Tour. But it is a constant reminder to all leaders that the race is not won until all the corners on all the descents are negotiated.

After the Col de Menté there is a relatively flat section of today's race. Although the category 2 Col de Ares and Category 3 Côte de Burs do intervene. Then at 95 km into the stage the climbing resumes again in earnest. 


First up is the 11.7km climb up the Port de Balès which is only in it's 3rd Tour having featured in 2007 and 2010 previously it is the day's only Hor Catégorie climb. The Average gradient is 7.7% but there is a three km section that averages over 9% 5km from the end. If Vincenzo Nibali still has any designs on winning this Tour it is likely to be at that point that he is going to have to attack. The descent is not likely to allow him to pull out a gap on Wiggins and it is doubtful that the gentler climb of the Peyresourde before taking the addition to Peyragude is going to going to offer him much opportunity to gain enough time.

After 16.5km of descending the Tour will find itself on familiar roads as for the next 12.5km they are going back the way they came yesterday. As they summit the Peyresourde and take part of the descent before turning off up to the Peyragudes ski station. The final climb itself is less than 3km, but along with the Peyresourde it is counting as a 1st category climb. There is a km of flt racing at the top and if Nibali reaches the plateau with Wiggins and/or Froome in close attendance his Tour is over and he will only have a podium position.

There are 62 King of the Mountains points on offer today, twenty of them for the mountain finish and I doubt that either Voeckler nor Kessiakoff will be there to pick up those. With Chris Anke Sorenson 40 points behind Voeckler and with only a maximum 7 more KoM points available between Peyragudes and Paris today should be the day that the Polka Dot Jersey finds it final recipient. if neither Voeckler nor Kessiakoff pick up any early points from a break away though it may come down to who if either can get into a break tomorrow. Voekler really only needs to secure 4 points more than Kessiakoff today to be sure. 9th on the Port de Balès or 4th on the Col de Menté or 10th on the Peyragudes if Kessiakoff fails to score.

If Peter Sagan (LIQ) gets through this final mountain stage his 102 point lead should be enough for him to be riding the green jersey into Paris and all the way to the line. Seeing as he has worn it since the start of Stage 2 and as of right since the start of Stage 3 his dominance in that competition has been almost absolute.

Yesterday Tejay van Garderen (BMC) was given the nod by Cadel Evans to race on for the White Jersey as best young rider and not come back to support the defending champion who said later that he was suffering from stomach pains. If he stays in contact or ahead of Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) who lost a little time to now be 3'48" back in that competition he should also be wearing that jersey all the way to Paris. However, Pinot along with Pierre Rolland (EUC) are both on track to be in the Top 10. If they do, after last year it will only be the second time since 2000 that more than one French cyclist has filled spots in the top 10, but with both in the early days of their careers rather than experienced men it holds the greatest hope for France to end the home Grand Tour drought since Bernhard Hinault.

And finally... today could be the day that means Bradley Wiggins takes the Maillot Jaune into the start box in last place for the Time Trial. With a Time Trailer like him that would be hard to make up by anyone, and with Fabian Cancellera nursing his new daughter and Tony Martin nursing his fractured wrist there isn't any obvious winner of the stage on Saturday so here is a good luck song from a fellow fan.

Tour de France 2012: Stage 14 Limoux to Foix

Yesterday's stage did see a break away, and then saw Michael Morkov trying to honour his father who had died five years before try to break away from that. But the 9% short climb of the Mont Saint Clair was what decided just how this race would turn out.

On that short climb three things happened, the escapees were all caught, many of the sprinters were dropped, plus the GC contenders were racing. It was Jurgen van den Broeck (LOT) who made a move on the slopes to be pursued by Cadel Evans (BMC). When the rest of his team didn't seem able to respond the Maillot Jaune did the pulling back of that duo himself. With the race split up with 23km to go the leading group were going to be racing flat out. Lotto Belisol took up the pace at the front, but Alexandre Vinokourov (AST) and Michael Albasini (OGE) managed to get ahead of the group with the cross winds.

Lotto kept up their pursuit because André Greipel was still there but was marked by the Green Jersey of Peter Sagan (LIQ). The pursuit was so intense that the main group developed a split in the winds. Although in the lead group were Sky's Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Edvald Boasson Hagen, the GC contenders Evans, van den Broeck and Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ), as well as Sagan and Greipel.

The Wiggins lead out

After over 12km in the front eventually Albasini and Vinokourov were captured 2.5km from the end. But then Leon Luis Sanchez (RAB) made a bid for the line he was joined by Matthieu Sprick (ARS) behind them now the yellow jersey was at the front of the race. Coming into the final bend 300m from the end it was the Maillot Jaune that brought them back together but was doing more than that he was leading out his team mate Boasson Hagen.

With less than 200m left Wiggins pulled over but had to keep pedaling to keep safe, he ended up finishing 12th. But Edvald couldn't hold off Greipel and Sagan. The two of them came past in the final metres and Griepel took the line from Sagan. In the process overtaking Goss in the contest for the Green Jersey, but Sagan looks almost set to win that providing he gets to Paris.

Today's stage takes us into the Pyrénées with two 1st Category climbs of the Port de Lers and Mur de Péguère. 


The Port de Lers is being taken from a different approach than in its three previous appearances since 1995. The approach from Vicdessos is harder though shorter than the approach from the other side. At 11.5km the climb of only 805m at 7% is shorter and sharper than the other slope. It has raised the category of this climb to a 1st Category.

But after a 16km descent we come upon the even tougher Mur de Péguère. It may be shorter than the Port de Lers at only 9.3km but the average gradient is 7.9% and the last 3.5km really ramps up including two ramps of 18% and 16%.


It was due to debut in 1973 from the Foix side but the riders protested that the descent, today's ascent was too dangerous. The road has since then been resurfaced and in 2008 the col was crossed as part of the descent from the Col de Portel but was not categorised.

Today with 38.5km descending to the Foix at the end might see an attack from someone who can descend well like Vincenzo Nibali or Cadel Evans. If they use an explosive turn of speed at the right point they might be able to break the elastic to the way Bradley Wiggins likes to climb. The question of course is how much do either of those two have in the tank. There has just been one real rest day for the mountain legs, stage 12's gentle roll after two peaks not withstanding. 

So Wiggins and his Sky Team will have to be alert I think towards the end of this stage as Nibali and Evans will try and gain back any time that they are capable of. Tomorrow's stage isn't that severe before Tuesday's final rest day in Pau before two more days in the Pyrénées. This may been seen as some as a chance to attack knowing there is time to recover.

Bradley today sets a new British record simply by turning up at the start line. He will surpass Chris Boardman's record for most days in the Maillot Jaune. The fact that Boardman did it over 3 Tours and Wiggins only took it off the departed Fabian Cancellera now the proud father of Elina born on Friday. Jean Christophe Peraud who came second to David Millar in that stage on Friday also became a father to a new daughter yesterday. Although he was on the road racing when Valentine was born.

Tour de France 2012 Stage 7: Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Filles

Carnage once again on the roads

So yesterday saw another flat stage and another that saw a crash that decimated the main field. Unlike the majority of them in recent days it did happen well outside the 3km point but close enough to the finish at about 25km that the peleton was in full pursuit of the breakaway that real time gaps opened out.

According to Tweets by Mark Cavendish bikes were flying around him during the crash. But probably because the support vehicles couldn't get around it a puncture just after it meant he had to cycle for 3km with a flat tyre, meaning that for a second time this week he was present for the sprint at the line. According to fellow Brit David Millar it is "the worse crash I've been involved in," leaving his Garmin-Sharp team leader the Giro d'Italia leader Ryder Hesjedal, who did manage to finish 13'24" down, so beaten up that he is a doubtful starter today. Also on that team Tom Danielson abandoned and Johann van Summeran couldn't hold on to the autobus and trailed in last in 16'12".

Other abandons on the road were Wouter Poels (VCD), who was a was he wasn't he on race radio, Davide Vigano (LAM) and Mikel Astarloza (EUS). Update it has been announced this morning that Hesjedal will not start. Also Robbie Hunter (Radioshack-Nissan), Hubert DuPong (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Maarten Wynants (Rabobank). Hunter had stress fractures to vertebrae and Wynants a punctured lung! Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojason) started today's stage but withdrew within the first 50km of today's racing.



At the line Peter Sagan did take the honours for the third time already this Tour, but André Greipel managed second after sufferering a dislocated shoulder in a crash earlier at 35km into the day, before crashing again at 50km. There was a time gap after the first 9 to the line which meant some of the GC contenders did lose 4 seconds on the day, but the gap for Cadel Evans (BMC), Bradley Wiggins (SKY), Denis Menchov (KAT) and Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ) was nothing compared to:

• Michele Scarponi (LAM) 2'09"
• Janez Brajkovic (AST) 2'09"
• Frank Schleck (RSN) 2'09"
• Jean-Christophe Pernaud (AGM) 2'09"
• Alejandro Valverde (MOV) 2'09"
• Robert Gesink (RAB) 3'31"
• Sandy Casar (FDJ) 5'11"
• Thomas Voeckler (EUR) 6'02"
• Lieuwe Westra (VCD) 13'24"

With so many walking wounded at the end of the day it will be interesting to see if there are any others who do not start today's stage, the field has already been reduced to 190 riders.

Today's stage may well see the polka dot jersey ripped off the shoulders of Michael Morkov (STB) because we are going up hill, and finish on a first category climb to the ski station of La Planche des Belles Filles. The climb is new to the Tour and here is a brief preview of what today holds.

With so many of the GC riders caught up in the crash yesterday the final climb may well be a true test for some of the knocks they may have received yesterday and those that have so far stayed on their bikes and merely been held up in crashes or Evans who has appeared immune thus far may well be able to press for some advantage this afternoon.

The intermediate sprint comes  Gérardmer 103.5km into today's stage which is before the going gets too tough for the sprinters, even though they have been climb. But immediately after that at 112km comes the first to today's two category 3 climbs the Col de Grosse Pierre which is 3.1km long with an average gradient of 6.4%. At 150.5km there is an identikit profile to Col du Mont de Fourche, only it has a lower altitude. 

Which leads into the first of the big mountains of Le Tour and with a kick at the end and 20 climbing points on offer the winner will pull on the Polka Dots at the end of the day. But the profile of 5.9km and an average gradient of 8.5 doesn't tell you everything. there are four parts in excess of 10% and even getting towards 22% in part. If will really be sorting out the climbers and serious GC contenders today. The yellow jersey should even change wearer, but who will be pulling it on. Wiggins can afford to sit and watch as others eek out a small advantage, or if he is ready to dominate he may well stay with them all to the end or even try and open a few seconds.  Cadel Evans is just 10 seconds back but there are other climbers who are further down the GC by a few seconds who are not long term threats who may be allowed to go while the leaders watch each other.


We shall have to see what today brings.

Tour de France 2012: Stage 6 Épernay to Metz

So yesterday there was another crash inside the 3km banner. This time is was Tyler Farrar (GAR) who brought down several other riders including the leader in the points classification Peter Sagan (LIQ). The peleton had yet to capture all of the 4 man breakaway at this point who had left something in reserve for the final km and had made the capture difficult.

Difficult though not impossible, especially with the Sky train working to keep Bradley Wiggins safe on one side of the road, the BMC train on the other working for the same purpose for Cadel Evans plus other chains such as Lampré, Argos and Orica-Greenedge all working to bring it back for their sprinters.

 The crash meant that Sagan missed out to all his main rivals André Greiple (GER) took his second stage in a row, Matt Goss (OGE)  took another second, Juan José Haedo (ARG) third and after his lead out train leaving him with just Edvald Boasson Hagen over 1km from the finish and in second Mark Cavendish did salvage 4th having returned back to the front after slipping back down. It was Cavenndish who had taken most points available at the intermediate once again, from Mr Second Goss, Mark Renshaw (RAB) and Sagan. Overall the Green Jersey contest (the only one to change yesterday looks like this:

• Peter Sagan 155pts
• Matt Goss 137
• André Greipel 132
• Mark Cavendish 119
• Allesandro Pettacchi LAM 91

With another supposed sprinters stage today at the end of 207.5km of racing and the 45 points on offer plus whatever they can salvage in intermediate expect the sprinter to be scrapping it out again.

First up for them is the intermediate sprint at Saint-Mihiel 135km into the stage. We've seen already that it seems hard to beat Cavendish to these, he may only pick up a signle point advantage over his nearest rivals but with Goss and Renshaw taking the two places behind him and possibly others it means that Sagan will lose a few points here once again.

We do have one climb today just 10km after the sprint at Côte de Buxières so the signle point will go to whichever member of the breakaway wants it. But it is only 2.2 km long with a gradient of 3.8% so it is only a category four. After resting a day will King of the Mountains Michael Morkov (STB) find himself out in front again? With just a single point on offer I would doubt it.

That leaves us with the final km and as we have seen already it isn't just on the corners that crashes can happen. With so many teams looking to get their man the win either to help in the green jersey of to take that illusive first stage win wheels may collide. One sprinter who will take no further part in this tour is Marcel Kittel of Argos who was was at or off the back for most of the Tour so far, so for whatever reason he was struggling. He withdrew yesterday bringing the number of riders left down to 194.

Tour de France: Stage 5 Rouen to Saint-Quentin

 When you are  hurtling along at 70km/h on a wide straight piece of road in the bunch of sprinters the last thing you need is come across a water bottle. Yet apparently this is what led to the domino affect that brought Robbie Hunter down in the South African champion's jersey and just behind him as circled the rainbow jersey of Mark Cavendish had nowhere to go. He hit the ground and emerged covered in dirt but with a shattered helmet and ripped left shoulder on this jersey and skin.

The ensuing chaos meant that a group of only 12 riders hit the line together with smaller pockets of riders coming along behind. Lotto-Belisol had the perfect lead out for their man André Greipel, ahead of Alessandro Petacchi (LAM), Tom Veelers (ARG), Matt Goss (OGE) and Peter Sagan (LIQ).

But because the crash happened at 2.6km from the finish everyone who was in the pack was thankful to be given the same time so there was no change in the Overall General Classification.

But it meant that all the hard work that Cavendish had put in down the road at Fécamp taking 4th place in the intermediate sprint behind the three riders in the break away was more than wiped out as his main rivals for the Green Jersey Griepel and Goss leapfrogged him in that competition on the line with Sagan increasing his lead.

Today's stage is 196km of flat racing from Rouen to Saint-Quentin. As usual the day after he crashes I expect Mark Cavendish to be bullish and up to make amends. The intermediate sprint at Breteuil is 109km into the stage. Cavendish has taken the last two of these. If he is up for racing this one we will know that he still has designs on green knowing that anything can happen to any of his opponents between here and Paris. If he doesn't contest it he may no longer be looking for Green but he'll know that one more win and he will equal Lance Armstong for stage wins in the Tour but more importantly for a sprinter it will equal André Darrigade, the French sprinter who between 1953 and 1964 won 22 stages in Le Tour. When Darrigade was World Champion in the 1960 Tour his only stage win was on stage 5 so maybe a little poetry of history will see his record equaled today.

Tour de France 2012: Stage 3 Orchies to Boulonge-sur-Mer

Today Le Tour finally enters France, but what f our last day in Belgium.

Had Mark Cavendish lost too much speed because of the weight lose to make him more able to get over hills? With his team concentrating on yellow would he be able to win sprints as there will be no train?

Well yesterday I was standing in front of my TV for the last 3 km , not following what Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin were telling me watch but keeping a track on the yellow helmet and rainbow jersey. For a change in a bunch sprint the combination made it easier to spot Cav. He was surfing off various wheels not one of which was his own team mates. At times he was following Mark Renshaw (RAB), habits are hard to break, then he got on the wheel of Oscar Freire (KAT) then when it mattered he found himself third wheel on the back of André Greipel (LOT) and his lead out man. Then he pounced just when it matter to take his 21st stage in the Tour de France and to move him into second in the Maillot Vert Green Jersey competition behind Peter Sagan (LIQ) who trailed in 6th. It was a 1-2-3 of former HTC riders though with Matt Goss (ORG) coming in behind Greipel.

Of course Cav was a top sprinter before he was given a lead out train, that was just a tool to help him win more and more easily. Yesterday he showed all the skills he learnt as a track scratch and Madison racer to get to the line just at the right time and in the right place leading for all of 1m of a 207500 metre race.

So the King is not dead, at least not yet. Though he is likely to be slumbering at least after Senlecques today. That at 119 km into the race is today's intermediate sprint but it comes before the tough last 67 km. Starting with the high point of the day at 193m above sea level Côte de L'Eperche (Cat 4) at 132 km, we then have the Côte de Mont Violette (Cat 3) at 163.5km. Then the last 16km of hell Côte de Herquelingue (Cat 4) at 181km, Côte de Quéhen (Cat 4) at 185km, Côte de Mont Lambert (Cat3) at 190.5km then the Category 4 climb to the finish at 197km to Boulogne-sur-Mer. One added element as we twist this way and that towards the sea will be the wind. This may well be a factor which breaks up any pack as much as the climbs and descents so contenders will have to be aware and stick near the front all the time.

So it is a tough stage today and not one for the mass sprint finish. We will see if Sagan can manage to keep up over the category 3 Côte de Mont Lambert before trying to repeat his stage win from Seraing. Also from that stage Phillippe Gilbert (BMC)  led the main group of 45 almost up to the bolting three riders. He may well want to launch his own attack this time to ensure he has his own win. But when he launched his attack to take his stage last year it was to counter his new team mate Fabian Cancellera so we shall see what those guys do in the finish today. We've seen that the legs of both Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggin have been able to keep with almost anything that has be put to them on the uphill finishes so far.