Sitting here in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, perhaps I’m going to revise my opinion that l’Equipe’s Tour coverage isn’t as good as the Gazzetta’s Giro coverage. The Gazzetta looks better, but the L’Equipe goes so deep.
Today, for example, as well as the usual stats, there’s a big analysis of how the stage might pan out, with four options; a table of how Contador has built his lead and – one that Viktor will love – the best and worst descenders.
In line with their “in depth” approach, they’ve canvassed a whole host of riders and DS’s.
Hushovd comes out as ‘meilleur descendeur’ with Cancellara and Samuel Sanchez joint second.
But not content with the best, they’ve sussed the ‘moin bons descendeurs’ – and here’s the part that will please Viktor – worst by a mile is David Moncoutie with Frank Schleck second and the disappeared Mauricio Soler in third spot.
Every day, you have to be thinking about doing things just a little differently – today is le pique-nique; we’ve got bread, cheese, salami, water, fruit – all we need now, is a little alcohol!
Well, 11:50 pm and the day is up on the site – no dinner tonight, didn’t have time.
A good day’s racing – the last climb was carnage, riders everywhere; and Brad’s still there, among the Heads.
He has to get through tomorrow – it’s a monster; four firsts and a second cat. then, on Thursday, it’s his “thing,” the time trial – but a time trial in the last week of a three week Tour isn’t the same as a prologue or test in a small stage race.
However, he’s been full of surprises, thus far.
Midnight – time for bed, au demain.
Tour 09 Stage 16 Map.
Tour 09 Stage 16 Profile.
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Al Hamilton
Contador: “Quiero ganar muchos Tours”.
That was the top of the front page of todays: AS, yeah “Bert” wants to win lots of Tours and looking at his present form and the competition I should think that would be quite possible. He is still thinks of his rivals that “Andy Schleck is very strong and Wiggins is dangerous in the time trial”.
The two climbs today were both monsters.
Inside the sports daily we have; the sunrise of a champion and the Tour following life, all good rest day fare as the race journalists struggle for anything to write!
French sports paper L’Equipe goes for the obvious “Contador is the matador of the Tour”.
In Italy, the Gazzetta dello Sport says; “climbs with an imperious (urgent) rhythm”
The New York Times gives “Contador a 2-0 win over Armstrong in the mountains”.
The Times of London think that Alberto “Is the boss of the Tour”. So nothing new from the worlds hacks.
Carlos can’t complain about us – we bigged him up after his two Giro stage wins!
Talking of journalists, Carlos Sastre is not impressed with the press corps, especially the ones from his home country of Spain. He feels he is not treated as the previous year’s Tour winner, and complains that 99% of the questions they ask him are about the troubles at Astana, mainly to fuel the fires between Contador and Armstrong, not about his Tour or team. He would like to win on Mont Ventoux, the podium is now not his ambition.
José Angel Gomez Marchante is in this Tour to help Carlos Saste in the mountain stages, but he says he will be the leader of the Cervelo team at La Vuelta a España, so we might actually see him in that race as he’s been a bit invisible in the Tour!
Last word to Contador, the new king: “I want to win the maximum of Tours”
El Tour segue vivo.
That’s the offerings from yesterdays rest day. We can only hope there is more to read this week?
Hasta Mañana. Al.
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Postscript – 31/07/09
A Press Release from the UCI today accounced that Stage 16 winner Mikel Astarloza has been provisionally suspended by the UCI for a positive test for EPO in an out-of-competition test, dating from June 26 this year.
He: also finished 11th overall in the Tour, and the decision to suspend Astarloza was made in light of a report from the WADA-accredited laboratory in Madrid that found traces of the drug in a urine sample.
The provisional suspension will remain in place until a hearing panel convened by the Spanish Cycling Federation determines whether Astarloza is guilty. The hearing panel will also make a decision on applicable sanctions, if necessary, and possible disqualification from the Tour de France.
Wonder if second-place Sandy Casar will be promoted to the Stage win?
Ed and Martin, our top team! They try to do the local Time Trials, the Grand Tours and the Classics together to get the great stories written, the quality photos taken, the driving done and the wifi wrestled with.
What a day; when we heard Millar was in the break, we knew he was definitely capable of beating three of his companions - Gautier was the only one we didn't know about.
But when we saw him, we knew he'd win - it was there in his eyes, if you knew what you were looking at.
It's here. Le Tour de France 2012 Prologue. The endless analysis is finally over, there's rubber on tarmac, folks hanging over barriers and commentators getting their facts wrong, already.
And now Le Tour de France 2009 is all over; it's Monday morning and we're in a cafe at Montmartre - lucky us, I'm taking care to savour the moment. Even though the coffees are four euros each.
From Carcassonne it COULD have been a ‘snooze-fest.’ It SHOULD have been a sprinters stage. Enter, stage left one superb Slovakian in green, Mr. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff). He attacks from the front in the cross winds inside 12 K to go with Polish TT champ team mate Bodnar aka ‘The Bison’ and spreads pure panic among the world’s best riders – but that skinny Sky man Froome is sharp again, as is team mate Thomas.
The sun is hot even at 07.15, the autoroute is quiet, straight and fast; we're headed for le Tour and Loudenvielle Le Louron; Millie Jackson is telling us that her man is a "fine man" - what more could you want from life? It's 10.00 am now and we're on the descent off the first climb of the day, the second cat, Col de Port or Portet, depending on which sign you look at. Martin got his first look at le Tour village this morning, as always, the scrambled eggs were great and the coffee strong.
It was a long day for VeloVeritas, yesterday. But it was a cracker – positioned 800 metres from the line on Mont Ventoux, we were there from when Froome spun past like a madman on rollers until Jonathan Hivert ground past us, oh so painfully, some 50 minutes later.
Three times the cross country mountain bike event has been in the Commonwealth Games (introduced in 2002, it didn't feature on the programme in Dehli four years ago) and three times Canada have topped the womens' podium. This time it was the turn of Catharine Pendrel, who took control of the race midway round the first of five laps and wasn't challenged again, soloing to a 70 second win over her teammate Emily Batty, with Australian rider Rebecca Henderson third a further 12 seconds back, after a race-long battle with Batty.
It's drizzling in Kirkcaldy at 06.15, mild, damp, depressing. The 07.50 train to Edinburgh and no one speaks, not a word. I'd sooner be in the old Transit, with Terry Wogan prattling-on about sausages. The carriage rocks past the Forth Bridge approach road at 08.10 and like Talking Heads would say, the tailback is "same as it ever was". We're on our way to say goodbye to Jason MacIntyre.
The splendidly named ‘Bugatti and Musker’ released a disco classic in 1976; ‘Ain’t no Smoke Without Fire,’ it’s about a guy who's worrying that his girl is straying. ‘Please don’t do nothin’ to make me ashamed of you . . . when I heard the news it broke me in two... But it could just as well have been written about cycling’s problems...
A phone call from Craig MacLean the other day;
"I'll be up in Edinburgh on Monday morning, to do some promo for the Edinburgh Nocturne races at the end of the month, fancy catching up?"
For sure mate. And so I pottered along to the press launch of the Nocturne event today, which centered around an exhibition of roller racing, with the wonderful backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
He’s one of the men to thank/blame for the current plethora of facial hair in the pro peloton; add to that a dazzling array of pained expressions and you have one of the most photographed professionals around – Dutchman, Laurens Ten Dam (Belkin). The 33 year-old from Zuidwolde in Groningen has been on the scene for a long time but it’s only in the last few years he’s emerged as a man whose name is mentioned in connection with the GC of Grand Tours.
Ah, the Girvan-and VeloVeritas are right there, with Evan Oliphant (Plowman Craven) and Gary Hand (Endura) keeping us abreast of what's going on in South West Scotland.
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