Thursday, March 28, 2024

Le Tour de France 2010, Stage 14: Revel-Ax3 Domaines; Playing Poker

-

HomeDiariesLe Tour de France 2010, Stage 14: Revel-Ax3 Domaines; Playing Poker

We left Ax3 Domaines this morning, and are now in Lourdes – a strange place, like a religiously themed Blackpool; only it’s not little replicas of the tower they’re selling, rather all manner of tat plastered with religious images. The last time I was there was with Martin, we sat, stunned in a late night pizza place – yellow jerseyed Rasmussen had just been sent home from le Tour by Rabobank.

I’m hoping for no scandals this time.

Ax3 Domaines
It’s calm at the start.

Our digs are near Lourdes in Argeles-Gazost, a reciprocal deal with a bike tours company – EUROPEDS – we get digs, they get ads.

Ax3 Domaines
This climb marks the highest point in the race so far.

We were up on the Port de Pailhères today, baking in the sun, we’d expected a sort out, instead we got a gallus ride from a Frenchman – always good for the race.

Ax3 Domaines
Stage winner and good track rider, Christophe Riblon.

Christophe Riblon has made it a good Tour for AG2R and guaranteed himself a ride for next year along with a wage rise.

At the top of the Pailhères the ‘heads’ were together and we’d thought that maybe the sort out would come on the final climb to Ax-3 Domaines.

But no, apart from Sanchez and Menchov taking a few seconds back on the final climb, it’s status quo.

Bradley lost big today, four minutes, he was just off the back of the favourites group when we saw him, but he didn’t have it.

Ax3 Domaines
Bradley admits last year’s placing was ‘a fluke’.

He’s come clean about his lack of form in an interview that’s on the Daily Telegraph site.

To us it was apparent from the prologue; he’ll probably go better now that the play acting is finished.

A rider has to come in to le Tour at the absolute top of their form to have any chance of doing anything.

The competition among the riders on the French teams is especially fierce; every young rider dreams of le Tour.

Ax3 Domaines
Amael Moinard is another French rider showing well on several days.

Long term, Geraint Thomas looks a much better prospect, still only 24, he’s been a world and Olympic champion, world record holder, rode a solid Dauphine, won the British road race title and performed admirably in this Tour.

Provided he’s not placed under the ‘British Tour winner by 2015’ pressure and left to mature, we predict even better things for this very down to earth young man.

Ax3 Domaines
Geraint and some other fella.

The weather was fabulous yesterday, it matched the scenery, not just the rugged beauty of the mountains; the quiet flatlands running in to the foothills had us saying a lot; ‘it would be really nice to ride these roads on the bike.’

I wasn’t saying that on Pailhères, though; a brute of a climb, continually changing direction and gradient and impossible to find a rhythm on.

The crowds in the Pyrenees are never as big as in the Alps – that’s simple geography, the Alps are in the middle of Europe whilst the Pyrenees are on the fringe of the continent and sparsely populated.

But that’s not say that fans are scarce, far from it – the noise and excitement at the top of the Pailhères made it a very special place to be.

Ax3 Domaines
Getting the paper ready to stuff up the jersey.

Our digs are nice, by the time we’d edited and sent our pics it was past dinner time but the lady of the house made us a salad and the vin rouge was just braw.

Port de Balès tomorrow, 19.3 K @ 6.1% – ouch!

* * *

Ax3 Domaines – Gallery

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Copenhagen Six Day 2009 – Day 1

The crowd counts us down; the pistol cracks; I give Franco a hefty shove; 'Cara Mia' blasts from the PA and the 2009 Copenhagen 6 Dages Lob is well and truly under way. Two minutes ago I was wondering why I put myself through that nightmare journey from Portobello to Ballerup-the suburb of Copenhagen where the Super Arena and it's pine velodrome live-two buses, a plane, another bus, a long train journey then waiting in the freezing cold of a Copenhagen night for my lift to the track.

A Pictorial Look Back at the Berlin Six Day 2014

Watched by 75,000 spectators over the course of the event in the velodrome Landsberger Allee, Andreas Müller and Kenny de Ketele won the 103rd edition of the Berlin Six Day. On the last day and the last race they overtook the long-time leaders Leif Lampater and Jasper de Buyst with a race winning attack - exciting stuff. Third place went to Robert Bartko, which was his last time in Berlin at the Six with his young partner Theo Reinhardt.

La Vuelta a España 2014 – Stage 9; Carbonera de Guadaza – Valdelinares, 181 km. Winner Wins and Chad Chats

Stage Nine to Valdelinares; a horrible day after the baking heat of Andalucía - but joy at last for Lampre with Anacona after the Ulissi and Horner debacles. But where the hell is Pippo? Perfect tactics from Movistar; "we’ve got a man in the break, why would we chase?..." And they keep the jersey – and despite the best efforts of the Media to rustle up a feud, Quintana and Valverde seem to us to be working a perfect ‘one – two.’

Bremen Six Day 2012 – Day Four

Sunday afternoon at the Bremen Six Day, but no Sunday Post or relaxed breakfast on this watch. The Dernys drone, the speaker bellows himself hoarse, there's a wiff of vomit in the air - one of those wasted guys I saw last night must have been creative with where they threw up so the cleaners couldn't get to it.

At Random

Talking About The Green

Talking About The Green. We're into the final couple of days prior to the big show starting, and I reckon it's time to throw my two cents into the prediction ring. I'll start with the green (or points) jersey-a jersey that two of the boys from Garmin have worn in the past two seasons, but which neither actually held. Wiggo and Millar both rode in the green jersey the day after the Prologue, yet neither was leading the points competition, which was lead by Fabian Cancellara, who happened to also be holding the yellow jersey, and so of course wore that on the day.

Tour de Yorkshire 2018 – Stage 1 Wrap Up; Harry Tanfield’s Seated Acceleration!

Yorkshire has a new cycling hero – and Harry Tanfield can’t quite believe it. Never before had a local won a Tour de Yorkshire stage but with one superb breakaway and one big push to the line, this 23-year-old from Great Ayton had the Doncaster crowd rocking, to take stage 1 of the Tour de Yorkshire 2018.

Relativity of Time: TdF 2010 Stage 5 (bunchie)

Relativity of Time. I have a great mate who has a theory on the relative speed of time passing. He believes that time should be measured experientially, rather than chronologically (similar to Dunbar in Catch-22, who believes if he does nothing for long enough, time will drag out to the point that he will effectively live forever).

Pavel Sivakov – the hottest U23 property in the world

What’s the best thing an aspiring world class athlete can do? Pick their parents carefully, of course. The hottest U23 property in the world right now, Pavel Sivakov did that very thing; dad Alexei was a pro for 10 years with Roslotto, BigMat, CCC and Auber 93. As an amateur he won the Tour of Serbia and as a pro the Circuito Montanes; he rode the Vuelta and three Tours de France.