Showing posts with label stage 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stage 2. Show all posts
Friday, 8 June 2012
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Energiewacht Stage 2 report and results
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| Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (now with Lululemon) (image credit: Gsl 2.0 CC BY-SA 3.0) |
Sofie Verdonck (Dura Vermeer-Zuidwesthoek) and Sandra van Veghal (Specialized-DPD-SRAM) had what looked to be a nasty crash, race organisers later noticing a wing mirror missing from a car parked at the side of the road which seems a likely cause. There's no information on their well-being as of yet, but it'll be added here as soon as possible.
With the 22 leaders off up the road, the field began to break apart as the race progressed and gradually formed into several distinct groups. The second pack arrived at the finish 3'44" behind the leaders, then the third 6'02" with various riders coming in either alone, in pairs or in groups afterwards
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| Rabobank's Marianne Vos now leads the General Classification |
Top Ten
1. Ina Yoko Teutenberg Specialized-Lululemon 02:35:50
2. Kirsten Wild AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST
3. Marianne Vos Rabobank ST
4. Adrie Visser Skil-Argos ST
5. Elizabeth Armitstead AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST
6. Laura Van Der Kamp Dolmans-Boels ST
7. Ellen Van Dijk Team Specialized- ululemon ST
8. Romy Kasper RusVelo ST
9. Annemiek Van Vleuten Rabobank ST
10. Trixi Worrack Specialized-Lululemon ST
(Full results when available)
Stage 2
Vos takes the GC leadership
Follow the official race Twitter @ewachttour for details during each stage and information on the race. Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). It's also available online here (Silverlight required).
Other interesting stuff: Rabobank race report / Margriet Kloppenburg's report
News Digest 05.04.12
Energiewacht Tour Stage 2
Stage results and report
Kristin Armstrong rode an excellent time trial to begin this years' edition of the Dutch race, completing the 15.1km in 19'42" and beating Clara Hughes and Marianne Vos into second and third place. Whether she can retain her lead on today's parcours remains to be seen - it's similarly flat, but with more corners and apparently more suited to Dutch champion Vos.
Held in Bad Nieuweschans (53°10'60.00"N 7°11'60.00"E), it takes us further out into the countryside andcovers 107.3km with four circuits of the route; making a sortie over the border into Germany. Once again, there are no hills, which makes this an ideal parcours for a breakaway - a group of fast riders who manage to get away early on and keep going might just succeed in escaping the peloton for the rest of the race, but with that 2.2km flat prior to the last set of corners before the finish they'll have their work cut out for them as the stage reaches its climax.
Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). Follow @ewachttour for regular updates before and during the race. Official site here.
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 4
The Tour of the Basque Country is already more than half completed with the riders today facing a selection of flat sections and peaks in Stage 4. They begin at Eibar - in the town, rather than from the mountain upon which Samual Sancez won yesterday - then enjoy 20km of flat riding before reaching Cat 3 Alto de Itziar. The earlier part of the stage runs partially along the beautiful Basque Country coastline, making this stage one of the highlights of the race.
At only 225m, Itziar isn't much of an obstacle and won't be likely to put too great a dent into the advantage of any breakaway that succeeds in escaping the peloton during the route there - and with around another 50 flat kilometres on the other side, a break might prove able to stay away for a good chunk of the stage. Chances are it'll meet its doom at 85km, though, because Alto de Aritxulegi is a much tougher climb; rated Cat 2 and topping out at 440m it's very capable of finishing off any rider who has expended too much energy earlier in the race. Alto di Agina lurks just beyond it, another Cat 2 and higher at 545m (though as the ascent begins at higher altitude, there's less climbing to be done) and then there's another Cat 2 in the shape of Alto de Ibardin just a short way off.
The final 26km features a couple of small hills, nothing likely to cause problems, and as such could prove encouragement for a late break in addition to plenty of scope for the peloton to work on bringing it back. However, the stage ends with another Cat 1 summit finish, this time into Bera-Ibardan - and it's a hard one, with a short stretch in the final couple of kilometres that's almost too steep for goats, never mind bikes. Yesterday, Sanchez showed us how good a climber he is. As he combines that ability with a skill most unusual among climbers, an ability to descend fast, he could well make use of the mountains along the parcours today to get himself into the right place for another unbeatable assault on the finish line. (Map from Steephill)
Rain is forecast throughout the stage with temperatures unlikely to rise much above 9C. Winds should be light, but it'll be chillier on the mountaintops.
Euskal Irrati Telebista provide a free and legal stream of the race each day from 14:15 (BST - add 1h for CEST).
Numerous injuries at Scheldeprijs
Several riders were hurt in yesterday's Scheldeprijs, the worst being SaxoBank's Jonathan Cantwell who was left with fractured ribs and a punctured lung after a pile-up caused when a rider lost control on the wet roads and careered into Taz Darling, a photographer working for Roleur magazine. Darling received even worse injuries and is now in hospital with fractures to her collar bone and eye socket and a ruptured spleen. Vacansoleil-DCM's Wouter Mol also sustained a broken collar bone after crashing 8km before the finish line. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all of them.
Tweets
Stage results and report
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| Stage 2 visits Germany - click to enlarge (image credit: Energiewacht Tour) |
Held in Bad Nieuweschans (53°10'60.00"N 7°11'60.00"E), it takes us further out into the countryside andcovers 107.3km with four circuits of the route; making a sortie over the border into Germany. Once again, there are no hills, which makes this an ideal parcours for a breakaway - a group of fast riders who manage to get away early on and keep going might just succeed in escaping the peloton for the rest of the race, but with that 2.2km flat prior to the last set of corners before the finish they'll have their work cut out for them as the stage reaches its climax.
Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). Follow @ewachttour for regular updates before and during the race. Official site here.
Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 4
The Tour of the Basque Country is already more than half completed with the riders today facing a selection of flat sections and peaks in Stage 4. They begin at Eibar - in the town, rather than from the mountain upon which Samual Sancez won yesterday - then enjoy 20km of flat riding before reaching Cat 3 Alto de Itziar. The earlier part of the stage runs partially along the beautiful Basque Country coastline, making this stage one of the highlights of the race.
 |
| Stage 4 (click to enlarge) (image credit: Diario Vasco) |
The final 26km features a couple of small hills, nothing likely to cause problems, and as such could prove encouragement for a late break in addition to plenty of scope for the peloton to work on bringing it back. However, the stage ends with another Cat 1 summit finish, this time into Bera-Ibardan - and it's a hard one, with a short stretch in the final couple of kilometres that's almost too steep for goats, never mind bikes. Yesterday, Sanchez showed us how good a climber he is. As he combines that ability with a skill most unusual among climbers, an ability to descend fast, he could well make use of the mountains along the parcours today to get himself into the right place for another unbeatable assault on the finish line. (Map from Steephill)
Rain is forecast throughout the stage with temperatures unlikely to rise much above 9C. Winds should be light, but it'll be chillier on the mountaintops.
Euskal Irrati Telebista provide a free and legal stream of the race each day from 14:15 (BST - add 1h for CEST).
Numerous injuries at Scheldeprijs
Several riders were hurt in yesterday's Scheldeprijs, the worst being SaxoBank's Jonathan Cantwell who was left with fractured ribs and a punctured lung after a pile-up caused when a rider lost control on the wet roads and careered into Taz Darling, a photographer working for Roleur magazine. Darling received even worse injuries and is now in hospital with fractures to her collar bone and eye socket and a ruptured spleen. Vacansoleil-DCM's Wouter Mol also sustained a broken collar bone after crashing 8km before the finish line. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all of them.
Rouleur @rouleurmagazine
Latest on Taz: she is out of surgery and doing well but in a lot of pain. So many kind messages, thank you all.
Tweets
Luuc Eisenga @EisengaLSteven Kruijswijk won't start today's stage, due to a viral infection. Couple of days rest, programm remains unchanged. @RaboCycling (Retweeted by Rabo Cycling)
Monday, 5 March 2012
Wiggins leads Paris-Nice GC
Having surprised the world with a stunning performance and second place at yesterday's rain-soaked opening time trial, British rider Bradley Wiggins has taken the yellow jersey of Paris-Nice after putting in a similarly impressive ride today.
Wiggo broke away from the peloton with a select group of twelve riders halfway through the stage, a brave move for any General Classification contender that shows enormous confidence and a supreme ability to tailor tactics to a specific parcours. A number of other riders bridged the gap, swelling numbers to around 30 before a crash took out several men, but the peloton found itself outclassed and unable to reabsorb the group. By the time they reached the 10km to go marker, Wiggins' gang had an advantage of over 2' and the result began to look inevitable.
The 31-year-old, who was born in Belgium to British parents (his father Gary was also a professional cyclist) but moved to London with his mother following her divorce, was 11th over the line behind Bernard Hinault's top tip Tom Boonen while Sky team mate Geraint Thomas was 10th. However, he recorded the same time as the first 20 riders - giving him a 6" advantage over Levi Leipheimer in the General Classification.
Becoming Britain's first Tour de France winner has been Bradley's main aim for some years now. Last year he showed up at the start line of cycling's greatest event looking as though he was made of nothing but bone and sinew, ready to take on the likes of Contador and Schleck on the tough climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps, but his prospects were shattered when he suffered a broken collar bone during a mass pile-up in Stage 7. The Tour is still some months away, but if he can maintain the form he's currently on and with this year's race featuring plenty of time trial kilometres and fewer mountains it seems that 2012 offers his best chance to realise the dream that he and all British cycling fans share.
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| (image credit: Haggisnl CC BY 2.0) |
The 31-year-old, who was born in Belgium to British parents (his father Gary was also a professional cyclist) but moved to London with his mother following her divorce, was 11th over the line behind Bernard Hinault's top tip Tom Boonen while Sky team mate Geraint Thomas was 10th. However, he recorded the same time as the first 20 riders - giving him a 6" advantage over Levi Leipheimer in the General Classification.
Becoming Britain's first Tour de France winner has been Bradley's main aim for some years now. Last year he showed up at the start line of cycling's greatest event looking as though he was made of nothing but bone and sinew, ready to take on the likes of Contador and Schleck on the tough climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps, but his prospects were shattered when he suffered a broken collar bone during a mass pile-up in Stage 7. The Tour is still some months away, but if he can maintain the form he's currently on and with this year's race featuring plenty of time trial kilometres and fewer mountains it seems that 2012 offers his best chance to realise the dream that he and all British cycling fans share.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Tour de France: Stage 2 debrief
The 2011 Tour is shaping up to be a vintage year already - not that any Tour is anything but - with the crashes of yesterday and today's incredibly close-run team trial. The racing took place over a short 23km course which seems to add to this sort of competition, encouraging hard riding and high speeds from the moment the bikes leave the starting ramp.
The first team out were Saxobank who managed 25'16", seemingly a respectable enough time, but it wasn't too long before Twitterers began to wonder if anyone was going to crack the 25' mark. They needed to do well today after lead man Alberto Contador finished so far down yesterday, but it quickly became apparent that they hadn't done enough - especially when Rabobank set out because it was immediately obvious that they were operating at an altogether higher level, the team easily and immediately falling into a rehearsed formation and rapidly building up to speed. They maintained their excellent form throughout, finishing on 25' dead which made them the fastest team of the day for a short while.
However good Rabobank looked, there was no doubt that Garmin looked even better. They'd arranged themselves almost before their rear wheels were off the ramp and were accelerating away within a split second. That they would do well was obvious, but just how well remained to be seen. Then the first time check proved beyond all doubt that they were literally flying and on course to easily smash Rabobank's time - which proved to be the case, because although they slowed noticeably in the second half the early effort was enough to see them cross the finish line in an incredible 24'48".
Astana looked wobbly, choosing a bad line into one bend and rapidly losing riders, but the first time check proved they were getting the speed aspect right when they passed by with the second fastest time after Garmin. In the end, they recorded a slower time than Saxobank at 25'20" - not brilliant, but enough to keep them in the top ten by the end. Quickstep also had problems - "Quickstep by name, slow pedallers by nature," as Twitterer bernietb described them.
There was one team that everyone wanted to see today, no matter what their nationality, and that was Team Sky. This is only their second Tour and their results last year were a long way from being as spectacular as many of us hoped but few teams have ever managed to build the same sense of presence as Sky and it's common knowledge that they've been spending a lot of time on TTT drills, honing their technique and working out the best possible tactics. Christian Knees had a bit of an unfortunate start, apparently finding the pace too high and it wasn't long at all before it became obvious he was going to get left behind. Meanwhile, the remaining riders were hitting the gas; by the first time check came around they recorded the fastest time yet, a second quicker than Garmin. But it all started to fall apart in the second half, especially once it became clear that Xabier Zandio was going to follow suit with Knees and drop off the back, leaving seven men to share the work. Luckily, two of those remaining happened to be Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas who not only excel at this sort of thing but work together exceptionally well. Nevertheless, even they couldn't quite equal Garmin and were 4" slower by the second time check, a disadvantage that remained right up until they blasted across the finish with a time of 24'52". It wasn't the win that they and their legions of fans hoped for, but it was a very impressive result indeed.
Confidis had the worst start of the day when 23-year-old Frenchman Tony Gallopin's bike developed a mechanical problem as soon as it left the ramp. With the cameras concentrating on the action it was difficult to see exactly what was going on but it looked rather as though the chain was slipping on the cassette - one of the things team mechanics would check before a bike goes out, so it's possible that a bit of rubbish had got caught up in the derailleur or that the chain had been dislodged and put out of line as the bike was lifted onto the ramp, both minor faults but the sort of thing that can very easily be overlooked in the heat of the moment. There were no such excuses for the rest of the team, however, who were unable to match the sorts of speeds already set and they finished in a disappointing 21st place out of 22. Last place was taken by Euskaltel-Euskadi, but the Basques are unlikely to care because for them racing is all about climbing and they'll be looking to exploit the sheer strength of their riders later on when the Tour reaches their home turf in the Pyrenees.
HTC-Highroad were always going to be a team to be reckoned with in this stage, but things were made difficult for them when 30-year-old Bernhard Eisel suffered a crash and the team members behind him only just avoided going down with him. This being a time trial, there was no way they could hang around and help him regain pace so the unlucky Austrian was forced to ride the rest of the way alone. Fifth place was a good result, all things considered.
LeopardTrek, an even newer team than Sky, were very much an unknown quantity today. Their leader is Andy Schleck, a definite contender and second favourite to win the overall General Classification this year, but Andy is a climber. He's a very good climber indeed, but climbers do not tend to perform well in such high-speed stages as time trials and it's always been his least favourite part of multistage events. Brother Frank is much the same. But LeopardTrek had two time trial weapons primed and ready in the shape of Jakob Fuglsang, Danish TT champion in 2010 and - even more lethal - Fabian Cancellara, commonly believed to be the greatest time trialler to have ever lived. Between them, they managed to drag the team to a far better time than perhaps even they hoped for, reaching the finish in a remarkable 24'53".
It looked like the results were as good as set in stone, but there was one last surprise for the day. BMC left the start line looking efficient and well-rehearsed, mimicking the smooth way that Garmin slipped into their positions which was an early indictor that they were going to shake things up somewhat, which is exactly what they set about doing. By the first time check they'd moved up to third place and appeared to be equaling Sky's effort. Perhaps they delivered just that little bit more or perhaps they made a better decision somewhere along the way, because in the end they finished just a fraction of a second quicker and gained second place.
The big question is, where does leave Tour favourite Alberto Contador? Not in a very good position at all is the answer - he's slipped right down to 75th place behind new race leader Thor Hushovd who will wear the yellow jersey tomorrow, a great honour as the peloton enters Brittany, the region that has produced a large percentage of the pantheon of cycling gods including the great Bernard Hinault. That puts him at a disadvantage of 1'42" behind the race leader and he's going to have to work hard over the coming days if that's not to increase - not good news for a man who specialises in efficiently defeating mountains and who would have been hoping to conserve his energy in preparation for the climbs still to come. Meanwhile, his arch-rival Andy Schleck, aided by Cancallara, moves right up to 10th place, a mere 4" behind Hushovd. If he can maintain that until the mountains, there might not be anyone capable of catching him. But it would be a very foolish rider who discounted Contador - he is, after all, a remarkable rider, and the weather is not the only thing that can change quickly in the mountains.
A great day for British cycling, with Scotsman David Millar holding the second position and Welshman Geraint Thomas in 4th. Bradley Wiggins is just outside the top ten at 12th, Mark Cavendish is 18th and Ben Swift 24th. That's all the British riders in the top 25! Thomas also keeps the white jersey for another day.
Results of Stage 2 (team time trial):
1. Garmin 24'48"
2. BMC +04"
3. Sky +04"
4. Leopard +05"
5. HTC-Highroad +05"
6. RadioShack +10"
7. Rabobank +12"
8. Saxo Bank +28"
9. Astana +32"
10. Omega Pharma +39"
11. FDJ +46"
12. Europcar +50"
13. AG2R La Mondiale +53"
14. Quick Step +56"
15. Liquigas +57"
16. Saur-Sojasun +1'02"
17. Lampre +1'04"
18. Katusha +1'04"
19. Movistar +1'09"
20. Vacansoleil +1'15"
21. Cofidis +1'20"
22. Euskaltel +1'22".
General Classification
1. Thor Hushovd (Norway) 5h06'25"
2. David Millar (UK) same time
3. Cadel Evans (Australia) +01"
4. Geraint Thomas (UK) +04"
5. Linus Gerdemann (Germany) 0:04.
6. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg)
7. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
8. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)
9. Manuel Quinziato (Italy)
10. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) 4-10 received same time
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| Garmin's David Millar is the highest- placed British rider in second place |
The first team out were Saxobank who managed 25'16", seemingly a respectable enough time, but it wasn't too long before Twitterers began to wonder if anyone was going to crack the 25' mark. They needed to do well today after lead man Alberto Contador finished so far down yesterday, but it quickly became apparent that they hadn't done enough - especially when Rabobank set out because it was immediately obvious that they were operating at an altogether higher level, the team easily and immediately falling into a rehearsed formation and rapidly building up to speed. They maintained their excellent form throughout, finishing on 25' dead which made them the fastest team of the day for a short while.
However good Rabobank looked, there was no doubt that Garmin looked even better. They'd arranged themselves almost before their rear wheels were off the ramp and were accelerating away within a split second. That they would do well was obvious, but just how well remained to be seen. Then the first time check proved beyond all doubt that they were literally flying and on course to easily smash Rabobank's time - which proved to be the case, because although they slowed noticeably in the second half the early effort was enough to see them cross the finish line in an incredible 24'48".
Astana looked wobbly, choosing a bad line into one bend and rapidly losing riders, but the first time check proved they were getting the speed aspect right when they passed by with the second fastest time after Garmin. In the end, they recorded a slower time than Saxobank at 25'20" - not brilliant, but enough to keep them in the top ten by the end. Quickstep also had problems - "Quickstep by name, slow pedallers by nature," as Twitterer bernietb described them.
 |
| A shaky start for Christian Knees could have made the race awkward for Sky, but the team's skill got them up to third place. |
There was one team that everyone wanted to see today, no matter what their nationality, and that was Team Sky. This is only their second Tour and their results last year were a long way from being as spectacular as many of us hoped but few teams have ever managed to build the same sense of presence as Sky and it's common knowledge that they've been spending a lot of time on TTT drills, honing their technique and working out the best possible tactics. Christian Knees had a bit of an unfortunate start, apparently finding the pace too high and it wasn't long at all before it became obvious he was going to get left behind. Meanwhile, the remaining riders were hitting the gas; by the first time check came around they recorded the fastest time yet, a second quicker than Garmin. But it all started to fall apart in the second half, especially once it became clear that Xabier Zandio was going to follow suit with Knees and drop off the back, leaving seven men to share the work. Luckily, two of those remaining happened to be Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas who not only excel at this sort of thing but work together exceptionally well. Nevertheless, even they couldn't quite equal Garmin and were 4" slower by the second time check, a disadvantage that remained right up until they blasted across the finish with a time of 24'52". It wasn't the win that they and their legions of fans hoped for, but it was a very impressive result indeed.
Confidis had the worst start of the day when 23-year-old Frenchman Tony Gallopin's bike developed a mechanical problem as soon as it left the ramp. With the cameras concentrating on the action it was difficult to see exactly what was going on but it looked rather as though the chain was slipping on the cassette - one of the things team mechanics would check before a bike goes out, so it's possible that a bit of rubbish had got caught up in the derailleur or that the chain had been dislodged and put out of line as the bike was lifted onto the ramp, both minor faults but the sort of thing that can very easily be overlooked in the heat of the moment. There were no such excuses for the rest of the team, however, who were unable to match the sorts of speeds already set and they finished in a disappointing 21st place out of 22. Last place was taken by Euskaltel-Euskadi, but the Basques are unlikely to care because for them racing is all about climbing and they'll be looking to exploit the sheer strength of their riders later on when the Tour reaches their home turf in the Pyrenees.
HTC-Highroad were always going to be a team to be reckoned with in this stage, but things were made difficult for them when 30-year-old Bernhard Eisel suffered a crash and the team members behind him only just avoided going down with him. This being a time trial, there was no way they could hang around and help him regain pace so the unlucky Austrian was forced to ride the rest of the way alone. Fifth place was a good result, all things considered.
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| On a good day - which is most of them for him - thereis no rider in the world who can take on Fabian Cancellara, who was instrumental in LeopardTreks' remarkable fourth place. |
LeopardTrek, an even newer team than Sky, were very much an unknown quantity today. Their leader is Andy Schleck, a definite contender and second favourite to win the overall General Classification this year, but Andy is a climber. He's a very good climber indeed, but climbers do not tend to perform well in such high-speed stages as time trials and it's always been his least favourite part of multistage events. Brother Frank is much the same. But LeopardTrek had two time trial weapons primed and ready in the shape of Jakob Fuglsang, Danish TT champion in 2010 and - even more lethal - Fabian Cancellara, commonly believed to be the greatest time trialler to have ever lived. Between them, they managed to drag the team to a far better time than perhaps even they hoped for, reaching the finish in a remarkable 24'53".
It looked like the results were as good as set in stone, but there was one last surprise for the day. BMC left the start line looking efficient and well-rehearsed, mimicking the smooth way that Garmin slipped into their positions which was an early indictor that they were going to shake things up somewhat, which is exactly what they set about doing. By the first time check they'd moved up to third place and appeared to be equaling Sky's effort. Perhaps they delivered just that little bit more or perhaps they made a better decision somewhere along the way, because in the end they finished just a fraction of a second quicker and gained second place.
The big question is, where does leave Tour favourite Alberto Contador? Not in a very good position at all is the answer - he's slipped right down to 75th place behind new race leader Thor Hushovd who will wear the yellow jersey tomorrow, a great honour as the peloton enters Brittany, the region that has produced a large percentage of the pantheon of cycling gods including the great Bernard Hinault. That puts him at a disadvantage of 1'42" behind the race leader and he's going to have to work hard over the coming days if that's not to increase - not good news for a man who specialises in efficiently defeating mountains and who would have been hoping to conserve his energy in preparation for the climbs still to come. Meanwhile, his arch-rival Andy Schleck, aided by Cancallara, moves right up to 10th place, a mere 4" behind Hushovd. If he can maintain that until the mountains, there might not be anyone capable of catching him. But it would be a very foolish rider who discounted Contador - he is, after all, a remarkable rider, and the weather is not the only thing that can change quickly in the mountains.
A great day for British cycling, with Scotsman David Millar holding the second position and Welshman Geraint Thomas in 4th. Bradley Wiggins is just outside the top ten at 12th, Mark Cavendish is 18th and Ben Swift 24th. That's all the British riders in the top 25! Thomas also keeps the white jersey for another day.
Results of Stage 2 (team time trial):
1. Garmin 24'48"
2. BMC +04"
3. Sky +04"
4. Leopard +05"
5. HTC-Highroad +05"
6. RadioShack +10"
7. Rabobank +12"
8. Saxo Bank +28"
9. Astana +32"
10. Omega Pharma +39"
11. FDJ +46"
12. Europcar +50"
13. AG2R La Mondiale +53"
14. Quick Step +56"
15. Liquigas +57"
16. Saur-Sojasun +1'02"
17. Lampre +1'04"
18. Katusha +1'04"
19. Movistar +1'09"
20. Vacansoleil +1'15"
21. Cofidis +1'20"
22. Euskaltel +1'22".
General Classification
1. Thor Hushovd (Norway) 5h06'25"
2. David Millar (UK) same time
3. Cadel Evans (Australia) +01"
4. Geraint Thomas (UK) +04"
5. Linus Gerdemann (Germany) 0:04.
6. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg)
7. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
8. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)
9. Manuel Quinziato (Italy)
10. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) 4-10 received same time
Tour de France: Stage 2 Preview
Yesterday's Stage 1 was a total crash-fest with rider after rider going down, which means the team masseurs will have been working hard all evening soothing aching muscles in preparation for the rigours of today's team time trial which, being almost entirely flat over its 23km course and not especially technical, is likely to encourage pedal-to-the-metal extreme high speed.
The race remains in the Vendee region with the start and finish in Les Essarts, a town noted for its 11th Century castle (there's some disagreement on the age - Vendee tourist info says 11th C., the Tour de France website says 12th C.) and St. Peter's Church which has every appearance of a cathedral picked up in a city and then set down again in this town of a little over 5000 people and which the Tour website insists is built on the site of a 12th C. Roman church, despite the fact that the Western Roman Empire had come to an end some seven centuries prior to the 12th C. That aside, Les Essarts is one of those quintessentially French towns, popular with British visitors seeking an authentic French experience, and residents have always provided a very warm and enthusiastic welcome for the Tour's numerous visits so they'll be really pushing the boat out in celebration today when their town serves as both start and finish.
From Les Essarts, the road is almost poker-straight to Boulogne, an attractive small town 8.5km from the starting line which, though claiming to have a "modest" economy on its website, has won a number of awards for its public flower beds. All French towns consider it a very great honour to be visited by le Tour, so a town known for its flowers in one of the most cycling-obsessed parts of the country is likely to be colourful to say the very least. Next comes a road that, but for one sweeping bend, is perfectly straight and made for helicopter footage as the teams build up to full speed, then a sharp left-hander taking them through the tiny Ste. Melanie des Gats as they turn back towards Les Essarts. Travelling along the D98 road, they'll pass patchwork fields and a small wooded section before coming to La Merlatière, a quiet country town with around 800 residents. The road then remains straight, passing La Maison Neuve des landes, site of a new village which when complete will feature 650 homes, until one final sweeping bend heads back into Les Essarts with several corners requiring concentration as the riders make their way at high speed through town to the finish line.
Team time trials have a habit of changing General Classification standings dramatically, because it's all about the team rather than the individual. In this instance, the time awarded to each team will be that recorded as the fifth rider crosses the line and so they must work together, swapping places and slipstreaming according to each rider's strength and specialities, in order to maintain maximum efficiency. Enormous amounts of time are spent and data examined in pursuit of this goal, but cycling is not an exact science - it only takes one rider to be having a slightly off day and the very best laid plans can begin to crumble, causing riders and team bosses to have to think fast and on the fly if the team is to perform as well as possible.
Team Sky have stated that doing well in the time trial is one of their main objectives in this Tour, and with Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas - both excellent time trialists - on the squad they can be expected to record an impressive time. HTC-Highroad, Garmin and RadioShack will also likely put on an impressive display as each team has some riders who excel int his sort of competition: TeJay van Garderen, David Millar and Dimitry Muravyev are all names that spring to mind. LeopardTrek are a team dominated by the big name mountain specialists Andy and Frank Schleck but it would be a serious mistake to underestimate them today because they have a fearsome weapon in the shape of Fabian Cancellara, considered by many to be the finest time trialist in the world today and who is more than capable of getting his team across the line with an impressive time.
When it gets down to it, we think today is going to be all about Sky and LeopardTrek, but while we're hoping for the British team to win we really wouldn't want to put a bet on it.
Local weather looks set to be very warm by the time the racing starts with maximum temperatures up to around 26 degrees celsius. Wind speed should vary with gusts between 19 and 30kmph - the parcours is described as largely sheltered, but crosswinds may cause problems in some sections.
Devil Watch: that wooded bit just before La Merlatière may prove a likely spot - in general, the Devil prefers a climb near the finish but with the total lack of hills today he could opt for tree cover instead. Look out for his trademark trident symbols painted on the road, an indicator that he's haunting the roadside somewhere nearby.
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| No signs of the climbs which will, ultimately, decide the 2011 Tour in today's team time trial stage. |
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| The 11th C. Old Chateau in Les Essarts. |
From Les Essarts, the road is almost poker-straight to Boulogne, an attractive small town 8.5km from the starting line which, though claiming to have a "modest" economy on its website, has won a number of awards for its public flower beds. All French towns consider it a very great honour to be visited by le Tour, so a town known for its flowers in one of the most cycling-obsessed parts of the country is likely to be colourful to say the very least. Next comes a road that, but for one sweeping bend, is perfectly straight and made for helicopter footage as the teams build up to full speed, then a sharp left-hander taking them through the tiny Ste. Melanie des Gats as they turn back towards Les Essarts. Travelling along the D98 road, they'll pass patchwork fields and a small wooded section before coming to La Merlatière, a quiet country town with around 800 residents. The road then remains straight, passing La Maison Neuve des landes, site of a new village which when complete will feature 650 homes, until one final sweeping bend heads back into Les Essarts with several corners requiring concentration as the riders make their way at high speed through town to the finish line.
Team time trials have a habit of changing General Classification standings dramatically, because it's all about the team rather than the individual. In this instance, the time awarded to each team will be that recorded as the fifth rider crosses the line and so they must work together, swapping places and slipstreaming according to each rider's strength and specialities, in order to maintain maximum efficiency. Enormous amounts of time are spent and data examined in pursuit of this goal, but cycling is not an exact science - it only takes one rider to be having a slightly off day and the very best laid plans can begin to crumble, causing riders and team bosses to have to think fast and on the fly if the team is to perform as well as possible.
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| With well-rehearsed tactics and highly specialised bikes, team time trials encourage high speeds. |
When it gets down to it, we think today is going to be all about Sky and LeopardTrek, but while we're hoping for the British team to win we really wouldn't want to put a bet on it.
Local weather looks set to be very warm by the time the racing starts with maximum temperatures up to around 26 degrees celsius. Wind speed should vary with gusts between 19 and 30kmph - the parcours is described as largely sheltered, but crosswinds may cause problems in some sections.
Devil Watch: that wooded bit just before La Merlatière may prove a likely spot - in general, the Devil prefers a climb near the finish but with the total lack of hills today he could opt for tree cover instead. Look out for his trademark trident symbols painted on the road, an indicator that he's haunting the roadside somewhere nearby.
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