Call off the vultures. Mark Cavendish secured his first victory at the 2011 Tour de France with a heated sprint finish at Stage 5. His team’s lead-out cracked again, but the man from the Isle of Man fought his way to the top of the podium on a day marked by crashes, mechanical problems, and a nervous peloton and silenced his critics.
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| Voeckler in the headlines in 2004 |
Crashes and mechanical problems plagued riders throughout the day, most likely a result of nerves and narrow roads. The peloton was worried about wind splitting up the pack, and the first week of the Tour traditionally has riders on edge. Mark Cavendish, Levi Leipheimer, and Fabian Cancellara dealt with mechanical problems. Alberto Contador had a minor crash, which caused him to toss his bike off the road and wait for a replacement. The incident did not affect his time, but the crash added to the pile of annoyances already faced by the defending champion. Bradley Wiggins, Robert Gesink, Sylvain Chavanel, Nicki Sorensen, and others crashed today, as did Tom Boonen who was left behind by the peloton and struggled to finish within the time limits. The most serious crash was by Janez Brajkovic, the Slovenian riding for Team RadioShack. While conscious, he was bleeding and appeared to have hit his head. Brajkovic withdrew from the race.
The intermediate sprint featured the first hot contest of the stage. As the sprinters spread out across the road to fight for the points, Quick Step’s Boonen veered to the left, effectively blocking Cavendish who was coming up behind him. Romain Feillu came up on the right side to be first among the sprinters, but Boonen’s maneuver looks like a violation of the rules and should cause the judges to strip him of any points gained. The wide swing of Belgian Boonen gives the referees an opportunity to prove that they penalize sprinters fairly.
Of course, the big drama occurred in the final 10 kilometers. Cavendish’s team, HTC-Highroad, rode at the front led by Danny Pate, then Lars Bak, then Tejay Van Gardaren, Peter Velits, and Tony Martin. In the mix were Lampre for Alessandro Petacchi, Team Sky for Edvald Boasson Hagen, and others. In the last kilometer, Martin rode off the front and inadvertently created a gap to teammate Matt Goss who was ahead of Cavendish. Like on Stage 3, the HTC lead-out train cracked, a situation unthinkable two years ago when their powerful and precise teamwork literally could not be beaten.
Now on his own, Cavendish was caught in about tenth position, surrounded by the world’s best sprinters. Thor Hushovd in the yellow jersey pulled ahead and was stalked by Jose Joaquin Rojas in the green jersey, as well as Philippe Gilbert and others. From the depths of the stampede, Cavendish clawed his way past all of these rivals, tearing through the crowded field and still accelerating when he crossed the finish line in first place.
Cavendish again proved that he is one of the world’s finest, silencing critics who assail him for any missed win. “People want to write him off,” said commentator Paul Sherwin. Critics had pointed to his Stage 3 loss as well as lackluster performances in the intermediate sprints. Yet they were hounding him last year too, until he secured his first of a remarkable five stage wins in 2010. Today’s triumph is the 26-year-old’s 16th Tour de France stage win. The record of 22 sprint stage wins held by a Frenchman is certainly within his reach by next year.
An interesting twist to the sprints was the absence of Garmin’s Tyler Farrar. He was M.I.A. at the intermediate sprint as well as the finish. Where was he?
Tomorrow, Stage 6 will be characterized by medium hills through Normandy. Three mountains are categorized climbs, which mean they are long or steep enough to be rated by the race judges. The “easiest” type of climb is rated 4, though even those are difficult for riders such as the sprinters and certainly all of us amateurs. The next level of difficulty is rated 3, and tomorrow features two of those climbs. (Harder mountains are rated 2, then 1, and the most difficult are “hors categorie” meaning so difficult that they are “beyond category.”) Watch for riders best suited for a route of rolling hills and lower categorized climbs, such as Philippe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto and Sylvain Chavanel of Quick Step. Plus, Contador needs time back on his rivals, and if he has the chance, he will go for it. The whole stage will be a surprise.
View the Stage 5 finish: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43656548#43656548
Stage 5 top finishers:
1. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)
2. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)
4. Tony Gallopin (Cofidis)
5. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)
View complete Stage 5 results & overall standings: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/500/classement/index.html
Stage 6 map & profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/600/etape_par_etape.html
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