Stage 18: Luxembourg Legs

Long legs, long arms, long face, skinny. He’s built like Woody from “Toy Story,” but he’s got a deep manly voice. Today, this gangly cyclist from Luxembourg showed the world that he plans to the win the 2011 Tour de France. Andy Schleck put the hammer down on Stage 18 and eliminated three-time champion Alberto Contador. Now the race is down to Andy and Cadel Evans, with a good chance for Frank Schleck to finish on the podium with his little brother. The legs from Luxembourg delivered.

Stage 18 was the second of three brutal days of climbing in the Alps. Today, the course began in Italy and returned to France at the first summit at Col Agnel, where the altitude reached 2,744 meters (9,002 feet) and gradient surpassed 10% for nearly one third of the 23.7 kilometers of climbing. A breakaway of 19 riders included two men from Leopard-Trek, the Luxembourg team built around native sons Andy and Frank Schleck. The peloton struggled, as all three climbs were rated Hors Categorie, “beyond category.” Current race leader Thomas Voeckler threw his race radio to the roadside in frustration.

Leopard-Trek riders Jens Voigt and Stuart O’Grady drove a hard tempo up toward the second mountain at Col d’Izoard, and at 5K to the summit, Andy Schleck attacked. It was an outrageous move with nearly 70 kilometers of racing to go. If he could not sustain the solo effort and gain time on the other leaders, he would waste immense energy and likely lose the whole race. Commentator Phil Liggett called it “the biggest gamble of his professional career.” Schleck’s rivals did not expect such an early move and did not respond. Past the tree line, alongside the dusty brown landscape, he pulled ahead and starting building a time advantage.

While Contador eventually responded, Andy quickly gained 2 minutes on his rivals. He reached teammate Joost Posthuma who was in the breakaway and got a break riding in his slipstream. On the descent, he reached the other Leopard-Trek rider, Maxime Monfort, recruited to the team to help Schleck in the mountains, and got another break. Meanwhile, the other leaders rode without a concerted effort to catch Andy Schleck. Contador and Sammy Sanchez, Spaniards on different teams, talked on the descent, perhaps discussing how to work together to catch the Luxembourger. Yet the long-legged Schleck continued to gain time, nearly 4 minutes ahead of his rivals when he started the final climb alone.

An epic climb, the road to the Galibier was covered with snow just days ago. Today, Schleck powered ahead with Cadel Evans leading the rest to catch up. Lance Armstrong called Schleck’s strategy “gutsy and smart riding,” and regarding Evans he tweeted, “To say he’s doing all the work would be an understatement. He’s hammering.” Evans led all the top riders chasing Schleck, including Contador, Voeckler, Basso, and Cunego, and singlehandedly limited Schleck’s gains. Andy “Woody” Schleck crossed the line first, gratified by the success of the team strategy and his personal performance. He had successfully announced that he would fight for the win and he had the legs to make it happen.

Nearly 2K to the finish, Evans was the only one left racing to win the Tour de France. Contador was dropped, ending his chances to win the race and revealing weakness he has never previously shown in the mountains. Booed by the crowd at the race introductions due to his unresolved doping issues, he crashed four times in the first week and was said to be riding with “a sore bottom” in Week 2. The Spaniard did not recover from the setbacks, and only a major crash to the race leaders would allow him to finish in the top three this time around.

While Contador’s weakness was a surprise, so was the tenacity of Voeckler. The Frenchman held on enough to keep the yellow jersey for one more day, a remarkable accomplishment for a rider known as a middle-of-the-pack cyclist. He held Schleck off by 15 seconds.

The battle continues tomorrow at the ride to L’Alpe d’Huez. Thousands of spectators have camped out to see the competition and will line the route, shouting encouragement and waving flags at the riders like bullfighters taunting bulls. The ninth kilometer of the final 13.8 kilometer climb is at 11.5% grade, one of the last opportunities for an attack from Evans or Schleck. Evans will have the advantage in the individual time trial on Saturday, so Schleck must secure sufficient time before that.

After nearly three weeks, it is really down to those two riders—the Australian and the Luxembourger. The road up to L’Alpe d’Huez and the final race against the clock will give us the winner. Paris awaits.

Overall standings after Stage 18:

1. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)

2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 00’ 15”

3. Frank Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 01’ 08”

4. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) + 01’ 12”

5. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) + 03’ 46”

6. Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) + 03’ 46”

7. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) + 04’ 44”

8. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) + 05’ 20”

9. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) + 07’ 08”

10. Jean-Christophe Peraud (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 09’ 27”

Complete overall standings: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1800/classement/index.html

Stage 19 map & profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1900/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 14: Tour Plateau

The best efforts of Team Leopard-Trek could not shake their leading rivals at the Tour de France. The last day in the Pyrenees was expected to be a deciding stage, but all the pre-race favorites remain within striking distance of the yellow jersey after Stage 14. We will be kept in suspense until the Alps—or some bad luck—reveals the winner and losers next week.

The hilly course near the southern border of France featured six categorized climbs, and the Luxembourg team led by native sons Andy and Frank Schleck drove hard all day. Leopard-Trek teammates Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O’Grady dug deep to set a fast tempo, and 39-year-old Jens Voigt rode in the breakaway before crashing twice on the descent from Port de Lers. Voigt led a diminishing peloton at the base of the final climb, from the ski town of Les Cabannes up the Plateau de Beille.

Les Cabannes in 2004

With the hard pace, Leopard-Trek isolated the race leaders from their teammates and set the Schleck brothers up for a two-pronged attack. The contenders included Cadel Evans of BMC, Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank, Ivan Basso of Liquigas, and Damiano Cunego of Lampre. Also hanging in were Sammy Sanchez of Euskaltel-Euskadi, Jelle Vanendert of Omega Pharma-Lotto, and Thomas Voeckler of Europcar, among a few others. Voeckler is not considered strong enough to win the Tour, but he and his team again impressed by keeping pace with the best cyclists in the world on a brutal mountain stage and retaining the yellow jersey for one more day. The French are thrilled with the special performance by the Frenchman on the French team.

On the road to the summit, Andy Schleck attacked the elite group again and again, but Evans led the responses and matched him. Frank Schleck followed with another attack, as did Basso, but the riders kept pace. At 4K to the finish, Sanchez launched off the front group, gaining time but not enough to catch Vanendert for the win. Vanendert captured his first professional cycling victory on a mountain made famous by stage winners Marco Pantani (1998), Lance Armstrong (2002 and 2004), and Contador (2007). Andy Schleck made a push to the line to gain just a few symbolic seconds on his rivals, cold comfort on a day when so much team effort led to such a meager gain.

Plateau de Beille in 2004

Averaging 7.9% incline for 15.8 kilometers, the Plateau de Beille was expected to sort out the field of general classification contenders. The Schlecks clearly wanted to put their stamp on the race but failed to do so. They didn’t lose time, but their team expended significant energy for practically no gain. Contador, said to be suffering from “a sore bottom,” still needs to take back almost two minutes on the others, but he got away with laying low today. Perhaps the next few days will allow him to recover a bit before the required attack in the Alps.

The Australian Evans demonstrated his confidence again as he matched every attack and did not play the passive role he has assumed in previous Tours de France. While not favored to win, Basso and Cunego continued to keep pace with the other kings of the sport in the Pyrenees. Questions are arising whether Voeckler could win the race. Lance Armstrong tweeted, “He has 2:06 on Evans… He’s French. It’s the Tour de FRANCE.” Because the favorites could not shake him today, Armstrong believes it is possible for Voeckler to pull it off.

The previous winners at Plateau de Beille always went on to win the Tour. Not this year. So we will have to wait until the Alps for the victor to finally emerge. Stages 18 and 19 will be epic battles, though a crash or illness in the meantime could spell the end of a contender’s dreams.

Tomorrow, the race belongs to the sprinters, while the overall contenders enjoy a reprieve in the peloton. The 193 kilometer stage to Montepellier is the perfectly flat route that makes the fast men salivate. Mark Cavendish and his team HTC-Highroad will be tearing themselves inside out for the win, looking for the fourth victory this year. Rivals Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Cervelo, Jose Joaquin Rojas of Movistar, and Andre Greipel of Omega Pharma-Lotto will be hot on his trail, as will Philippe Gilbert, also of Omega and striving to strip Cavendish of the green jersey. Catch the intermediate sprint at Montagnac, about 47K to the finish. As with all sprint finishes, the last 5 to 10K are exciting, and the riders cover about 1K per minute. Watch the last half hour of coverage to see the lead-out train and sprint finish, plus the slow motion replay of the high-speed climax.

Overall standings after Stage 14:

1. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)

2. Frank Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 01’ 49”

3. Cadel Evans (BMC) + 02’ 06”

4. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 02’ 15”

5. Ivan Basso (Liquigas) + 03’ 16”

6. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) + 03’ 44”

7. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) + 04’ 00”

8. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) + 04’ 01”

9. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) + 05’ 46”

10. Kevin De Weert (Quick-Step) + 06’ 18”

Complete standings: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1400/classement/index.html

Stage 15 map & profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1500/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 9: Crashes Galore

Just when you think you know what’s coming, the Tour de France drops a big surprise. On Stage 9, the peloton allowed the breakaway not only to win, but to get so far ahead that Frenchman Thomas Voeckler took the yellow jersey. Plus dramatic crashes took out another set of top contenders, and a television car swerved to avoid a tree and hit one rider, sending another flying onto a barbed wire fence.

With seven categorized climbs, the course was suited for riders with good climbing legs and an aggressive style. About 35 kilometers to the finish, the six-man break was down to five, including Juan Antonio Flecha, John Hoogerland, Luis-Leon Sanchez, Thomas Voeckler, and Sandy Casar. On a narrow section of road, a car for French television was a few feet behind these riders. To avoid a large tree, the driver unexpectedly swerved into the cyclists and hit Flecha. The Spaniard crashed, causing Hoogerland to fly off his bike and fall on his back onto a barbed wire fence. The car driver was entirely at fault and should have given the cyclists the right of way. For his outrageous carelessness, the driver will surely be banned from the Tour.

Both Flecha and Hoogerland finished the stage and were awarded the title of most aggressive riders by the judges, also known as the most spirited performance. Hoogerland’s injuries are more severe, and blood poured from the cuts in his legs as he finished the stage. While he took over the lead in the king of the mountains competition by securing points over the course of the day, it is unclear whether he will be able to continue the race. Sanchez won the stage for Team Rabobank. The 27-year-old Spaniard gestured to the sky as he crossed the line, in honor of his older brother who died in a motorbike accident several years ago.

Voeckler in the headlines: 2004

The breakaway included a set of strong riders, while none of the teams in the peloton wanted to take responsibility for pulling them back. At one time, the break had a 7 minute advantage, but in the end, they finished just under 4 minutes ahead. Voeckler was driving hard throughout the day, especially when the gap had opened enough for him to take the yellow jersey. As Phil Liggett said, “Yellow to a Frenchman is like a red rag to a bull.” Voeckler rides for the French team Europcar and launched his career in 2004 when he surprised the world by wearing the yellow jersey for 10 days. He overtook race leader Thor Hushovd, who had also surprised by holding the jersey into the early climbs. Voeckler is likely to hold onto the overall lead until Stage 12 in the Pyrenees, when the race favorites will put the hammer down.

Earlier in the day, a devastating crash at the front of the peloton sent some of the best riders into a ditch and out of the race in an ambulance. At a slight curve on the descent, the road was wet from mist in the air, and because the crash started at the front of the pack, many riders were affected. Astana’s Alexander Vinokourov was carefully helped out of a roadside ditch by his teammates. The 37-year-old has a suspected broken pelvis, requiring him to withdraw from his last Tour de France. The Conan O’Brien look-alike is a feisty competitor, who gave Armstrong a run for his money back in the day and unapologetically returned to cycling after a doping ban.

Also hurt in the crash was Jurgen Van den Broeck, leader of Omega Pharma-Lotto. He was laid out on the road and may have a broken shoulder blade. The 28-year-old finished fifth at the 2010 Tour de France and was shooting for the podium. His departure leaves the Belgian team with only six of nine riders still in the race. Yet fellow Belgian Philippe Gilbert generated some good news, as he captured sprint points to lead the green jersey competition.

American Dave Zabriskie was another to abandon after the big crash. The time trial specialist has been working hard for Garmin-Cervelo, setting the tempo to win the team time trial, launch Tyler Farrar into a stage win, and keep Thor Hushovd in the yellow jersey from Stage 2 to Stage 9. The Los Angeles resident tweeted, “So be it…” He is reportedly already looking forward to the Tour of Colorado in August. Teammates Christian Vande Velde and David Millar crashed as well today, but their injuries were relatively minor.

Before the big crash, three-time champion Alberto Contador hit the ground for the fourth time. Apparently he made contact with Katusha rider Vladimir Karpets. Once again, Contador was not seriously hurt, but these little incidents are happening nearly every day. It raises the question of whether the Spaniard’s form is off or it is a just a string of bad luck. Contador and the other two pre-race favorites, Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans, kept pace with each other. The big three are still in play.

The rest of the best have been turned upside down. Van den Broeck and Vinokourov joined Wiggins, Horner, and Brajkovic at the exit. Leipheimer and Hesjedal have lost too much time. Who is left to compete for the top ten? The new sole team leader of RadioShack, Andreas Kloden, also crashed today but finished in good time. Robert Gesink of Rabobank is injured but hanging in. Ivan Basso and Frank Schleck are well placed, and HTC-Highroad teammates Tony Martin and Peter Velits may quietly bring home solid results.

Tomorrow is a rest day, though the cyclists will ride to keep their bodies in good form. Versus will air a recap of highlights from Week 1 and preview of Week 2. The competition resumes on Tuesday with Stage 10, a 158 kilometer contest from Aurillac to Carmaux featuring mild climbs. The timing and course favor a breakaway, so anything can happen. However, teams such as Hushovd’s Garmin and Gilbert’s Omega Pharma-Lotto may take charge to give their riders the shot at the win. In that case, the heat comes in the last 5K. Stay safe, boys.

Crash Cornucopia:

• Car hits breakaway riders: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43702680#43702680
• The big peloton crash: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43702039#43702039
• Contador’s latest crash: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43701774#43701774

Stage 9 top finishers:

1. Luis-Leon Sanchez (Rabobank)

2. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)

3. Sandy Casar (FDJ)

4. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto)

5. Peter Velits (HTC-Highroad)

Complete Stage 9 results: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/900/classement/index.html

Stage 10 map and profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1000/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 5: Clawing Through the Stampede

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.

Voeckler in the headlines in 2004

The 164.5 kilometer stage through Brittany began at Carhaix, and four men broke away at around 5K. Only France’s Thomas Voeckler survived in the break until being caught by the peloton just 1.8K to the finish. Known for valiant solo efforts, Voeckler of Team Europcar wore the yellow jersey for a week in 2004 to the delight of his countrymen.

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 16^th 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