Category: General Page 14 of 17

Sorry I am late with the updates, everyone! I am traveling again on business and just can’t seem to get caught up.

Monday was a rest day at the Tour de France, with the riders getting ready for the ever-popular Alpe d’Huez. This time it is a 187 km stage from Gap to L’Alpe d’Huez. In the middle of the stage is a beyond category climb up Col d’Izoard, followed by a 2nd category climb at Col du Laurtaret, and then the beyond category climb of L’Alpe d’Huez itself, with the finish right at the summit.

This looks to be the pivotal stage of this year’s tour. So far, with the yellow jersey changing hands so often and no team or rider seeming to be willing to take over the role of race leader, this still is anyone’s race (although I still think that Floyd Landis [USA] can pull it out). Interesting to note that Discovery basically seems to have given up trying for a win as noted by the OLN commentators late last week.
Here are the standings in the general classification as we go into the final week of racing leading to the Champs Elysee:
1. Oscar Pereiro (EPS) Caisse d’Epargne/Illes Balears
2. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak at 1’29”
3. Cyril Dessel (FRA) AG2R at 1’37”
4. Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank at 2’30″
5. Cadel Evens (AUS) Davitamon-Lotto at 2’46″″
6. Carlos Sastre (ESP) CSC at 3’21″″
7. Andreas Kloden (GER) T-Mobile at 3’58″″
8. Michael Rogers (AUS) T-Mobile at 4’51″″
9. Juan Miguel Mercado (ESP) Agritubel at 5’02″″
10. Christophe Moreau (FRA) AG2R at 5’13”

Eleven was a lucky number for Floyd Landis (USA) of the Phonak team. After a gruelling 206.5 km stage that included a beyond category climb and then four (4!) first category climbs, Floyd took third place in the stage and did it in enough time (including his third place time bonus) to take the yellow jersey and the overall race lead in the 2006 Tour de France.

This really was an exciting day of racing with riders battling it out over the entire course, especially in the mountains. After losing a group of riders on the final climb, it was down to just three riders and a final sprint to see who would win the day’s stage. With Landis’ hip injury, he didn’t really try to go after the stage victory, allowing Denis Menchoc (RUS) to take the stage and newly-redeemed leaving Levi Leipheimer (USA) to take second.

At the end of the day’s racing, here is the all-new General Classification standings:

1. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak
2. Cyril Dessel (FRA) AG2R at 0’08”
3. Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank at 1’01”
4. Cadel Evens (AUS) Davitamon-Lotto at 1’17”
5. Carlos Sastre (ESP) CSC at 1’52”
6. Andreas Kloden (GER) T-Mobile at 2’29”
7. Michael Rogers (AUS) T-Mobile at 3’22”
8. Juan Miguel Mercado (ESP) Agritubel at 3’33”
9. Christophe Moreau (FRA) AG2R at 3’44”
10. Marcus Fothen (GER) Gerosteiner at 4’17”

Not a good day for the race leaders and current favorites. The Tour hit the mountains and the leaders were left in the dust by what was essentially a two-man break most of the day.

Juan Miguel Mercado (ESP) and Cyril Dessel (FRA) shared the work most of the day and the peloton never had a chance of catching them. At the finish, Dessel and Mercado sprinted to the line for yet another photo finish. Mercado took the stage, but Dessel took the yellow jersey and the polka-dot King of The Mountains jersey. Mercado, as second in the polka dot standings, will wear the KOM jersey in tomorrow’s 220.5 km stage from Tarbes to Val d’Aran.

Tomorrow will be an even tougher stage than today, with a beyond category climb and four (count ’em – 4!) first category climbs!

So at the end of today’s stage, here are the standings for the yellow jersey so far:

1. Cyril Dessel (FRA) AG2R
2. Juan Miguel Mercado (ESP) Agritubel at 2’34”
3. Sergei Gonchar (UKR) T-Mobile at 3’45”
4. Christian Moreni (ITA) Cofidis at 3’51”
5. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak at 4’45″
6. Michael Rogers (AUS) T-Mobile at 4’53″
7. Inigo Landaluze (ESP Euskatel at 5’22”
8. Patrik Sinkewitz (GER) T-Mobile at 5’30″
9. Andreas Kloden (GER) T-Mobile at 5’35″″
10. Vladimir Karpets (RUS) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears at 5’37“

The FredCast was listed on the front page of iTunes’ podcasting section today! CLICK HERE to see a screen capture of the page.

Just another day at the office for the Tour de France peloton as they pedaled their way through the wine-making region of Bordeaux and wound up the day in Dax, at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains. Today’s stage was mostly flat, so the only excitement was whether or not the three-man break (consisting of Walter Beneteau [FRA], Stephane Auge [FRA] and Christian Knees[GER]) would be able to hold-off the peloton. Despite Knees’ constant attempts to pull away from the other two (and the peloton), they were eventually caught just a few km from the finish.

Once the break was reeled-in, it was time for the sprinters to work on trying to win the stage. It was an exciting sprint that literally came down to a photo finish, with Oscar Freire (ESP) just barely edging out green jersey points leader Robbie McEwen (AUS) by inches. Third place went to Erik Zabel (GER) and fourth to Tom Boonen (BEL).

Looming up the road at the mountains of the Pyrenees and tomorrow’s beyond category climb up Col du Soudet. For now, the time sprinting is over. Here come the climbers!

At the end of today’s stage, here are the standings in the general classification:

1. Sergei Honchar (UKR) T-Mobile
2. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak at 1’00″
3. Michael Rogers (AUS) T-Mobile at 1’08″
4. Patrik Sinkewitz (GER) T-Mobile at 1’45″
5. Andreas Kloden (GER) T-Mobile at 1’50″
6. Vladimir Karpets (RUS) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears at 1’52″
7. Cadel Evans (AUS) Davitamon-Lotto at 1’52″
8. Marcus Fothen (GER) Gerosteiner at 1’50″
9. Dave Zabriskie (USA) CSC at 2’03”
10. Paolo Salvoldelli (ITA) Discovery at 2’10”

Phew! I don’t know about you, but I would be tired from all that riding and racing. And so is the peloton. So today is a day off for the riders as they travel down to Bordeaux for tomorrow’s 169.5 km Stage 9 from Bordeaux to Dax.

T-Mobile’s riders are still safe atop the General Classification in the 2006 Tour de France after today’s 181 km stage from St-Meen-le-Grand to Lorient on the Brittany coast. The stage was won by Frenchman Sylvain Calzati who broke away from the peloton along with five other riders after 47 km in the race. Most of the other riders (including CSC’s Dave Zabriskie) were unable to maintain the pace, but Calzati refused to get reeled-in by the main pack and went ahead to solo victory, more than 2 minutes ahead of the sprinters.

Robbie McEwen was the fourth place finisher in today’s race, but it was enough for him to maintain hold on the green jersey. As for the race for yellow jersey, the GC remains essentially unchanged.

At the end of today’s stage, here are the standings in the general classification:

1. Sergei Honchar (UKR) T-Mobile
2. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak at 1’00″
3. Michael Rogers (AUS) T-Mobile at 1’08″
4. Patrik Sinkewitz (GER) T-Mobile at 1’45″
5. Marcus Fothen (GER) Gerosteiner at 1’50″
6. Andreas Kloden (GER) T-Mobile at 1’50″
7. Vladimir Karpets (RUS) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears at 1’52″
8. Cadel Evans (AUS) Davitamon-Lotto at 1’52″
9. Dave Zabriskie (USA) CSC at 1’53”
10. Denix Menchov (RUS) Rabobank at 2’00”