There were no doping scandals in the Tour today, which was a bit of a relief, though Barloworld did announce that it was ending its sponsorship of the eponymous team thanks to Duque's positive test last week.
Oscar Freire padded his points lead by winning the long, hot stage to Digne-les-Bains, which ended in a bunch sprint despite the category-four climb with just 10 km to go. Notably absent from the field, however, was quadruple-stage-winner Mark Cavendish, who wasn't able to stay in the front group on the climb. He'll have to wait until after the Alps to try to overtake Freire for the green jersey.
There were no changes to the standings as the key players all bided their time until the Alpine climbs begin tomorrow. Nicolas Jalabert dropped out, though no word why.
Our resident sprinter, Jay "GC" Heins, won the Pool stage with a relatively low score of 38 points. Three points behind finished a gaggle of nine teams, including Remi Berube who further extended his overall lead over Grimpeur George. The Grimpeur must be missing Riccardo Ricco (who was kicked out of the country by the French police yesterday), because he finished a dismal 69th on the stage with just eight points. Former contender for the overall Jay "GC" Heins is in a similar bind, scoring just 14 points on the day in 57th place.
Berube's lead is now 66 points, and Tricia K (& RP) are just six points from taking over second from the Grimpeur. The remainder of the top 10 are all within striking distance of a podium spot, too, so one more positive or an abandon could swing the scales.
Meanwhile, K8 Scallion is gradually losing her grip on the red blinky light contest: a mere three points separate her from Ilennod.
Tomorrow's stage to Prato Nevoso, though shortened from 216 km to 183, will still come as a shock to the system after three flat days. The 2,744 m Col Agnel after 58 km will separate the wheat from the chaff, then the first-category climb to the finish should produce some fireworks and -- depending on how Cadel Evans fares -- could see a new man in yellow.
We have a new prize to add to the list, thanks to Tyler Lawlor of Level 6 Kayaks. The Pool entrant who makes the biggest improvement in the overall standings from stage 1 to the end of the Tour gets a Level 6 T-shirt. The most-improved entrant at the moment is Jay "GC" Heins, who has shot up 81st to his current 8th-place ranking.
Until tomorrow,
KW
Stage: 14
Description: Flat
Date: Saturday July 19
Start/finish: Nîmes/Digne-les-Bains
Distance 194.5 km
1st FREIRE Oscar
2nd DUQUE Leonardo
3rd ZABEL Erik
4th DEAN Julian
5th DE JONGH Steven
6th BALLAN Alessandro
7th PEREZ Ruben
8th PINEAU Jerome
9th TOSATTO Matteo
10th HUSHOVD Thor
Mountains GUTIERREZ Jose Ivan
Mountains KREUZIGER Roman
Young rider AUGUSTYN John-Lee
Aggressive GUTIERREZ Jose Ivan
Teams QUICK STEP
Abandon JALABERT Nicolas
Overall:
Yellow EVANS Cadel
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots LANG Sebastian
Young rider NIBALI Vincenzo
Pool stage results:
1 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 38
2 Tricia K (& RP) 35
2 Marc Boudreau 35
2 Bob Webber 35
2 Steve Proulx 35
2 Meylina Kandoy 35
2 Earl Wexler 35
2 Stephan Sander 35
2 Paul Crowley 35
2 Remi Berube 35
11 Josée Lamirande 34
11 Team Twink 34
11 Phelan 34
11 Les Boyz 34
11 Team Last Minute 34
11 Rob Grondin 34
17 TinaB 31
18 Ian Dalling 29
19 Sandy Fulton 28
19 Paul Gagnon 28
19 Chris Holzhauer 28
19 Vince Caceres 28
23 Jboys 27
23 Getafix 27
23 Fee 27
26 Paul McAneney Team 2 25
26 Peter Metuzals 25
28 Paul McAneney 24
28 Conor O'Brien 24
28 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 24
31 Kiwi Mike 22
32 David Markin 18
33 Julie Jay 17
33 Donneli 17
33 Team Willow 17
36 Gordon Dalling 16
37 Julian Hine 15
37 Hamburglars 15
37 VIPER 15
37 Devil's Island CC 15
37 Ian Dewar 15
37 Westboro Chiropractic 15
37 Oro Rocks! 15
37 Matthew Ellis A-Team 15
37 Are we there yet? 15
37 Team Kingsmere 15
37 Team mtbrkerz 15
37 Jeffrey Furry 15
37 Julie Deschenes-Furry 15
37 Grimpeur Kings 15
37 Alexandra Lai 15
37 Paul Skafel 15
37 Helena Deveer 15
37 Dr. Ed 15
37 Mike House 15
37 Blaine Penny 15
57 Superfan 14
57 Bill Richardson 14
57 Linda Gilligan 14
57 Barnet Cycling Club 14
57 Luc Mahler 14
57 Flip i Flap 14
57 Chris White 14
57 Jay "GC" Heins 14
57 Team Nestle 14
66 Erich Zappe 13
67 Deb Hine 10
67 Old Farts 10
69 Sheri Jay 8
69 Grimpeur George 8
69 natbikes.com 8
69 France in my Pants 8
69 Mhairi Gilmore 8
69 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 8
69 Tyler Lawlor 8
76 Richard Swandel 7
76 Richard And Catherine 7
76 Matthew Ellis B-Team 7
76 Lisa McMurray 7
76 Biggie Flave 7
76 Doug Corner 7
82 K8 Scallion 5
83 Kris Westwood 1
84 Ilennod -4
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 468
2 Grimpeur George 402
3 Tricia K (& RP) 396
4 Paul Crowley 393
5 Steve Proulx 389
6 Bob Webber 383
7 Paul McAneney 378
8 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 376
9 Luc Mahler 375
10 Les Boyz 358
11 Josée Lamirande 352
11 Ian Dalling 352
13 Vince Caceres 347
14 Peter Metuzals 346
15 Paul Skafel 343
16 Chris Holzhauer 341
16 Jay "GC" Heins 341
18 Jboys 338
19 Sandy Fulton 337
20 Lisa McMurray 333
21 Helena Deveer 332
22 Jeffrey Furry 327
23 Earl Wexler 326
24 Meylina Kandoy 325
25 Linda Gilligan 319
26 Grimpeur Kings 317
27 Stephan Sander 315
28 Sheri Jay 314
29 Matthew Ellis A-Team 312
29 Team Twink 312
31 Marc Boudreau 306
31 Donneli 306
31 Phelan 306
34 Flip i Flap 305
35 Hamburglars 304
35 Team Last Minute 304
37 TinaB 300
38 Westboro Chiropractic 297
39 Blaine Penny 294
40 Paul McAneney Team 2 293
41 Ian Dewar 291
42 Kiwi Mike 290
43 Oro Rocks! 285
44 Barnet Cycling Club 280
45 Doug Corner 279
46 Julie Deschenes-Furry 277
47 David Markin 275
48 natbikes.com 268
48 Conor O'Brien 268
50 Gordon Dalling 267
51 Devil's Island CC 264
51 Paul Gagnon 264
51 Richard And Catherine 264
54 Team Willow 263
55 France in my Pants 261
56 Deb Hine 257
57 VIPER 255
57 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 255
59 Team mtbrkerz 254
60 Julian Hine 252
61 Team Kingsmere 249
62 Alexandra Lai 248
63 Rob Grondin 240
64 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 237
65 Fee 235
66 Dr. Ed 234
67 Matthew Ellis B-Team 233
67 Are we there yet? 233
69 Getafix 232
70 Superfan 230
71 Team Nestle 227
72 Bill Richardson 219
73 Richard Swandel 218
74 Mike House 212
75 Chris White 204
76 Tyler Lawlor 198
77 Mhairi Gilmore 195
78 Biggie Flave 175
79 Kris Westwood 160
80 Julie Jay 133
81 Erich Zappe 132
82 Old Farts 70
83 Ilennod 36
84 K8 Scallion 33
Yet again Mark Cavendish showed his sprinting prowess today, taking his fourth stage of the Tour with a phenomenal turn of speed on the finishing straight in Nimes ahead of a who's-who of the sprinting world.
And yet again a doping scandal drew attention away from the racing. This time, it was Saunier Duval team management's announcement that Leonardo Piepoli was joining the bread line along with disgraced climber Riccardo Ricco due to "doping practices." Though he's saying the right things, team director Mauro Gianetti's professions of shock and disappointment beggar belief because the Swiss former pro was no blushing violet himself when it came to doping: he collapsed and almost died in the Tour de Romandie back in 1997, allegedly because he'd taken perfluorocarbon, which boosts the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity.
As a result of these hijinks, which likely mean the end of Saunier Duval's support of cycling, Piepoli has also been docked 25 points on the Tour Pool, and if his stage win in Hautacam is removed the entrants that picked him will rue the day ...
With no changes to the overall rankings, the sprinter-heavy entrants enjoyed the day and we had an unusual three-way tie for the stage win: Tricia K (& RP), Steve Proulx and Paul Crowley all scored a remarkable 58 points, with Jay "Green Jersey" Heins trailing in four points back.
The three entrants that picked Piepoli -- Fee, Old Farts and Vince Caceres -- suffered on the day, but none worse than the Old Farts who ended the day at -10 points.
Remi Berube continued to consolidate his lead on the overall standings: he now leads Grimpeur George by 39 points, while Tricia K (& RP) are now tied for third with Luc Mahler, a further 33 points back. The top 10 continues to change from day to day and it will be a while before things become clear. Once again, the points totals show that no two entrants have chosen the same nine riders and team, so there will be no need to use the tie-breaker system.
K8 Scallion continues to lose ground in the Lanterne Rouge competition to Ilennod: just 12 points separate them in the contest for the blinky red light. Who will come out on bottom?
Please note that in the results yesterday I put the wrong Chavanel in the top 10. I have fixed that for today's rankings and points totals.
Tomorrow's the final transitional stage before the Alps begin. The 195-km trek to Digne-les-bains will be another chance for Cavendish to show what he's got, though the category-four climb just 10 km from the finish will put a dent in his hopes. The Manx sprinter recently said he was planning to stay in the Tour until Paris even though he had previously planned to drop out after the first week to prepare for the Madison event at the Olympic Games. Since he's sitting second in the green jersey competition, it might not be a bad call.
Until tomorrow,
KW
Stage: 13
Description: Flat
Date: Friday July 18
Start/finish: Narbonne/Nîmes
Distance 182 km
1st CAVENDISH Mark
2nd MCEWEN Robbie
3rd FEILLU Romain
4th HAUSSLER Heinrich
5th FREIRE Oscar
6th HUSHOVD Thor
7th DUQUE Leonardo
8th ZABEL Erik
9th DEAN Julian
10th CHAVANEL Sebastien
Mountains BRARD Florent
Young rider CAVENDISH Mark
Aggressive TERPSTRA Niki
Teams AGRITUBEL
Positive test PIEPOLI Leonardo
Overall:
Yellow EVANS Cadel
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots LANG Sebastian
Young rider NIBALI Vincenzo
Pool Stage results:
1 Tricia K (& RP) 58
1 Steve Proulx 58
1 Paul Crowley 58
4 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 54
5 Josée Lamirande 53
6 Chris Holzhauer 51
7 Peter Metuzals 50
8 Hamburglars 47
8 Westboro Chiropractic 47
8 Matthew Ellis A-Team 47
8 Jeffrey Furry 47
8 Grimpeur Kings 47
13 Bob Webber 46
13 Remi Berube 46
15 Kiwi Mike 44
16 Bill Richardson 42
16 Gordon Dalling 42
16 Linda Gilligan 42
16 Barnet Cycling Club 42
16 Earl Wexler 42
16 Luc Mahler 42
22 Team Twink 37
22 Phelan 37
22 Les Boyz 37
22 Rob Grondin 37
26 Richard Swandel 35
26 VIPER 35
26 Richard And Catherine 35
26 Matthew Ellis B-Team 35
26 Paul Skafel 35
31 Paul McAneney Team 2 34
31 Ian Dalling 34
31 Jboys 34
31 Getafix 34
35 TinaB 31
35 Ian Dewar 31
35 Are we there yet? 31
35 Team Kingsmere 31
35 Team mtbrkerz 31
35 Alexandra Lai 31
35 Team Willow 31
35 Helena Deveer 31
35 Blaine Penny 31
44 Marc Boudreau 30
44 Meylina Kandoy 30
44 Stephan Sander 30
47 Paul McAneney 29
47 Conor O'Brien 29
49 Sheri Jay 28
49 Grimpeur George 28
49 natbikes.com 28
49 Deb Hine 28
53 David Markin 27
54 Superfan 26
54 Chris White 26
54 Team Nestle 26
54 Vince Caceres 26
58 Team Last Minute 25
59 France in my Pants 24
59 Lisa McMurray 24
59 Mhairi Gilmore 24
59 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 24
59 Tyler Lawlor 24
64 Sandy Fulton 23
64 Paul Gagnon 23
64 Doug Corner 23
67 Donneli 22
68 Julian Hine 19
68 Devil's Island CC 19
68 Oro Rocks! 19
68 Julie Deschenes-Furry 19
68 Dr. Ed 19
68 Mike House 19
68 Biggie Flave 19
75 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 17
76 Flip i Flap 14
76 Jay "GC" Heins 14
78 Erich Zappe 13
79 Julie Jay 10
80 K8 Scallion 8
81 Kris Westwood 5
81 Ilennod 5
83 Fee -3
84 Old Farts -10
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 433
2 Grimpeur George 394
3 Tricia K (& RP) 361
3 Luc Mahler 361
5 Paul Crowley 358
6 Paul McAneney 354
6 Steve Proulx 354
8 Bob Webber 348
9 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 338
10 Paul Skafel 328
11 Jay "GC" Heins 327
12 Lisa McMurray 326
13 Les Boyz 324
14 Ian Dalling 323
15 Peter Metuzals 321
16 Vince Caceres 319
17 Josée Lamirande 318
18 Helena Deveer 317
19 Chris Holzhauer 313
20 Jeffrey Furry 312
21 Jboys 311
22 Sandy Fulton 309
23 Sheri Jay 306
24 Linda Gilligan 305
25 Grimpeur Kings 302
26 Matthew Ellis A-Team 297
27 Earl Wexler 291
27 Flip i Flap 291
29 Meylina Kandoy 290
30 Hamburglars 289
30 Donneli 289
32 Westboro Chiropractic 282
33 Stephan Sander 280
34 Blaine Penny 279
35 Team Twink 278
36 Ian Dewar 276
37 Phelan 272
37 Doug Corner 272
39 Marc Boudreau 271
40 Oro Rocks! 270
40 Team Last Minute 270
42 TinaB 269
43 Paul McAneney Team 2 268
43 Kiwi Mike 268
45 Barnet Cycling Club 266
46 Julie Deschenes-Furry 262
47 natbikes.com 260
48 David Markin 257
48 Richard And Catherine 257
50 France in my Pants 253
51 Gordon Dalling 251
52 Devil's Island CC 249
53 Deb Hine 247
53 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 247
55 Team Willow 246
56 Conor O'Brien 244
57 VIPER 240
58 Team mtbrkerz 239
59 Julian Hine 237
60 Paul Gagnon 236
61 Team Kingsmere 234
62 Alexandra Lai 233
63 Matthew Ellis B-Team 226
64 Dr. Ed 219
65 Are we there yet? 218
66 Superfan 216
67 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 213
67 Team Nestle 213
69 Richard Swandel 211
70 Fee 208
71 Rob Grondin 206
72 Bill Richardson 205
72 Getafix 205
74 Mike House 197
75 Chris White 190
75 Tyler Lawlor 190
77 Mhairi Gilmore 187
78 Biggie Flave 168
79 Kris Westwood 159
80 Erich Zappe 119
81 Julie Jay 116
82 Old Farts 60
83 Ilennod 40
84 K8 Scallion 28
Wasn't it just a few stages ago I said I hoped Ricco hadn't adopted too many of his hero Marco Pantani's habits? Turns out he did his homework on Pantani's EPO use, and that caught up to him at the Tour. Ricco was escorted off the Saunier Duval team bus by police through booing crowds, and his whole team abandoned the race.
The sordid, stupid and pathetic affair dominated the news of the day, taking away from Mark Cavendish's beautiful third stage win of the Tour at the end of the first of three transition stages between the Pyrenees and the Alps.
Ricco's ejection wrought havoc with the Tour standings, because he was leading in two classifications: mountains and young rider. Sebastian Lang and Vincenzo Nibali now get to wear those jerseys, respectively.
But there was even greater havoc in the Tour Pool. Even as Jay "Green Jersey" Heins won the stage, Jay "GC" Heins was stopped in his tracks by the 25-point penalty for the positive test and finished the stage at -11 points -- in dead last. His main rival, Grimpeur George, also picked Ricco, and while the effect was mitigated by more points by her other riders, she still finished with just 2 points.
The big beneficiary was Remi Berube, who has vaulted into the lead by 21 points over the Grimpeur, with Paul McAneney in third, Luc Mahler in fourth and GC back down to fifth. There could be more to come, too: if Ricco's B sample is positive and he loses his results from all the stages since the time trial there will be even more wailing and gnashing of teeth among the 16 Pool entrants who chose him.
A nod to Team Twink, by the way, for finishing second on the stage.
Tomorrow takes the riders to the Roman city of Nimes near the Rhone estuary. Sharp-eyed readers will note that this is how I ended yesterday's report -- I jumped the gun by a stage. I should have written that Stage 12 would bring the riders to the old Roman city of Narbonne near the mouth of the Aude River. Since nobody called me on it I can only assume you either a) are all geographic ignorami or b) were shocked to realize that I was a geographic ignoramus and didn't want to embarass me by pointing it out.
Be that as it may, enjoy tomorrow's stage.
KW
Stage: 12
Description: Flat
Date: Thursday July 17
Start/finish: Lavelanet/Narbonne
Distance 168.5 km
1st CAVENDISH Mark
2nd CHAVANEL Sylvain
3rd STEEGMANS Gert
4th ZABEL Erik
5th FREIRE Oscar
6th CHICCHI Francesco
7th HUSHOVD Thor
8th DUQUE Leonardo
9th DEAN Julian
10th HAUSSLER Heinrich
Mountains DUMOULIN Samuel
Young rider CAVENDISH Mark
Aggressive GERARD Arnaud
Teams TEAM COLUMBIA
Abandon PIEPOLI Leonardo
Abandon JUFRE POU Josep
Abandon DEL NERO Jesus
Abandon DE LA FUENTE David
Abandon COBO ACEBO Juan Jose
Abandon BERTOGLIATI Rubens
Abandon COOKE Baden
Positive test RICCO Riccardo
Team rider caught SAUNIER DUVAL - SCOTT
Overall:
Yellow EVANS Cadel
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots LANG Sebastian
Young rider NIBALI Vincenzo
Pool stage results:
1 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 56
2 Team Twink 47
3 Remi Berube 45
3 Tricia K (& RP) 45
3 Bob Webber 45
3 Paul Crowley 45
3 Steve Proulx 45
8 Kiwi Mike 44
9 Peter Metuzals 42
10 Josée Lamirande 41
11 Chris Holzhauer 38
12 Jeffrey Furry 34
12 Grimpeur Kings 34
12 Matthew Ellis A-Team 34
12 Hamburglars 34
12 Westboro Chiropractic 34
12 VIPER 34
12 Getafix 34
19 Vince Caceres 33
20 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 32
21 Julie Deschenes-Furry 30
21 Barnet Cycling Club 30
21 Gordon Dalling 30
21 Bill Richardson 30
25 Meylina Kandoy 29
25 Stephan Sander 29
25 Earl Wexler 29
25 Marc Boudreau 29
25 Deb Hine 29
30 natbikes.com 27
31 Paul McAneney Team 2 26
32 Les Boyz 25
32 Team Last Minute 25
32 Phelan 25
32 Rob Grondin 25
36 TinaB 23
36 Richard And Catherine 23
36 Matthew Ellis B-Team 23
36 Richard Swandel 23
40 Paul McAneney 22
40 Paul Gagnon 22
42 Fee 21
43 David Markin 19
44 Helena Deveer 18
44 Devil's Island CC 18
44 Julian Hine 18
44 Team Willow 18
44 Team mtbrkerz 18
44 Team Kingsmere 18
44 Alexandra Lai 18
44 Dr. Ed 18
44 Are we there yet? 18
44 Mike House 18
54 Kris Westwood 16
55 Donneli 15
56 Flip i Flap 14
56 Superfan 14
56 Team Nestle 14
56 Chris White 14
60 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 11
60 Tyler Lawlor 11
60 Mhairi Gilmore 11
60 Erich Zappe 11
64 Julie Jay 10
65 Paul Skafel 9
65 Ian Dalling 9
65 Jboys 9
68 Biggie Flave 7
69 Luc Mahler 5
69 Linda Gilligan 5
69 K8 Scallion 5
72 Ilennod 4
73 Old Farts 3
74 Grimpeur George 2
74 Sheri Jay 2
76 Sandy Fulton 0
77 Lisa McMurray -2
78 Conor O'Brien -3
79 Doug Corner -4
79 France in my Pants -4
81 Oro Rocks! -7
81 Blaine Penny -7
81 Ian Dewar -7
84 Jay "GC" Heins -11
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 387
2 Grimpeur George 366
3 Paul McAneney 325
4 Luc Mahler 319
5 Jay "GC" Heins 313
6 Tricia K (& RP) 303
7 Bob Webber 302
7 Lisa McMurray 302
9 Paul Crowley 300
10 Steve Proulx 296
11 Paul Skafel 293
11 Vince Caceres 293
13 Ian Dalling 289
14 Les Boyz 287
15 Sandy Fulton 286
15 Helena Deveer 286
17 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 284
18 Sheri Jay 278
19 Jboys 277
19 Flip i Flap 277
21 Peter Metuzals 271
22 Donneli 267
23 Josée Lamirande 265
23 Jeffrey Furry 265
25 Linda Gilligan 263
26 Chris Holzhauer 262
27 Meylina Kandoy 260
28 Julie Deschenes-Furry 255
28 Grimpeur Kings 255
30 Team Twink 253
31 Oro Rocks! 251
32 Matthew Ellis A-Team 250
32 Stephan Sander 250
34 Earl Wexler 249
34 Doug Corner 249
36 Blaine Penny 248
37 Ian Dewar 245
37 Team Last Minute 245
39 Hamburglars 242
40 Marc Boudreau 241
41 TinaB 238
42 Kiwi Mike 236
43 Westboro Chiropractic 235
43 Phelan 235
45 Paul McAneney Team 2 234
46 natbikes.com 232
47 Deb Hine 231
48 Devil's Island CC 230
48 David Markin 230
50 France in my Pants 229
51 Barnet Cycling Club 224
52 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 223
53 Richard And Catherine 222
54 Julian Hine 218
55 Conor O'Brien 215
55 Team Willow 215
57 Paul Gagnon 213
58 Fee 211
59 Gordon Dalling 209
60 Team mtbrkerz 208
61 VIPER 205
62 Team Kingsmere 203
63 Alexandra Lai 202
64 Dr. Ed 200
65 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 196
66 Matthew Ellis B-Team 191
67 Superfan 190
68 Are we there yet? 187
68 Team Nestle 187
70 Mike House 178
71 Richard Swandel 176
72 Getafix 171
73 Rob Grondin 169
74 Kris Westwood 166
74 Tyler Lawlor 166
76 Chris White 164
77 Bill Richardson 163
77 Mhairi Gilmore 163
79 Biggie Flave 149
80 Julie Jay 106
80 Erich Zappe 106
82 Old Farts 70
83 Ilennod 35
84 K8 Scallion 20
A big ol' breakaway finally stayed away with a big ol' gap, and Kurt-Asle Arvesen played the finish perfectly to score his first-ever Tour stage win.
Despite the best efforts of Pereiro on the main climb, nothing much happened in the bunch and there was no significant change to the classifications. Evans looks solid for the time being, and CSC seems to be biding its time until the alps.
The talk of the day was Moises Nevado's positive test -- although it doesn't affect anyone in the Pool it's pathetic to see riders who can't see the writing on the wall.
No change to the top of the Pool. Grimpeur George continues to lead over Berube and Jay "GC" Heins, but the gaps continue to narrow. While JBoys won the stage with a relatively meagre 26 points, "GC" tied for second with seven other teams just two points behind. Remi Berube, meanwhile, finished tied for 12th at 19 points and Grimpeur George was 29th with 17. So "GC" continues to gradually creep up on the overall lead and sits 40 points back.
Lisa McMurray, meanwhile, has slipped back a spot to fifth, behind Luc Mahler.
No change at the back, with the three bottom teams -- Old Farts, Ilennod and K8 Scallion -- scoring all of 0 points.
Tomorrow is the first of three flat, transitional stages, this one taking the riders to the old Roman city of Nimes near the Rhone estuary. There are good opportunities for long-range breakaways, but the sprinters will be keen to renew their fight for the green jersey.
Until tomorrow,
-- KW
Stage: 11
Description: Rolling
Date: Wednesday July 16
Start/finish: Lannemezan/Foix
Distance 167.5 km
1st ARVESEN Kurt-Asle
2nd ELMIGER Martin
3rd BALLAN Alessandro
4th MOERENHOUT Koos
5th BOTCHAROV Alexandre
6th FEDRIGO Pierrick
7th POZZATO Filippo
8th VAUGRENARD Benoît
9th WEGMANN Fabian
10th VELO Marco
Mountains MOINARD Amael
Young rider GERARD Arnaud
Aggressive MOINARD Amael
Teams CREDIT AGRICOLE
Abandon CARDENAS Felix
Abandon LONGO BORGHINI Paolo
Positive test DUENAS NEVADO Moises
Team rider caught BARLOWORLD
Overall:
Yellow EVANS Cadel
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots RICCO Riccardo
Young rider RICCO Riccardo
Pool stage results
1 Jboys 26
2 Ian Dewar 24
2 Conor O'Brien 24
2 Linda Gilligan 24
2 Oro Rocks! 24
2 Luc Mahler 24
2 Jay "GC" Heins 24
2 Paul Skafel 24
2 Blaine Penny 24
10 Sandy Fulton 22
10 Ian Dalling 22
12 Tricia K (& RP) 19
12 Josée Lamirande 19
12 Marc Boudreau 19
12 Bob Webber 19
12 Steve Proulx 19
12 Meylina Kandoy 19
12 Earl Wexler 19
12 Team Twink 19
12 Stephan Sander 19
12 Paul Crowley 19
12 Phelan 19
12 Les Boyz 19
12 Team Last Minute 19
12 Remi Berube 19
12 Rob Grondin 19
27 Devil's Island CC 18
27 Mike House 18
29 Sheri Jay 17
29 Grimpeur George 17
29 Erich Zappe 17
29 France in my Pants 17
29 Doug Corner 17
34 Julian Hine 16
35 Superfan 14
35 Hamburglars 14
35 Paul McAneney 14
35 Bill Richardson 14
35 Paul McAneney Team 2 14
35 Gordon Dalling 14
35 VIPER 14
35 Barnet Cycling Club 14
35 Westboro Chiropractic 14
35 Peter Metuzals 14
35 Matthew Ellis A-Team 14
35 Are we there yet? 14
35 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 14
35 Team Kingsmere 14
35 Team mtbrkerz 14
35 Fee 14
35 Flip i Flap 14
35 Jeffrey Furry 14
35 Julie Deschenes-Furry 14
35 Chris White 14
35 Grimpeur Kings 14
35 Alexandra Lai 14
35 Team Nestle 14
35 Team Willow 14
35 Helena Deveer 14
35 Dr. Ed 14
35 Kiwi Mike 14
62 Paul Gagnon 12
62 Getafix 12
62 Chris Holzhauer 12
62 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 12
62 Vince Caceres 12
67 Kris Westwood 9
67 Mhairi Gilmore 9
69 natbikes.com 7
69 Richard Swandel 7
69 Julie Jay 7
69 David Markin 7
69 Richard And Catherine 7
69 Matthew Ellis B-Team 7
69 Donneli 7
69 Deb Hine 7
69 Lisa McMurray 7
69 Biggie Flave 7
69 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 7
69 Tyler Lawlor 7
81 TinaB 5
82 K8 Scallion 0
82 Ilennod 0
82 Old Farts 0
Pool overall
1 Grimpeur George 364
2 Remi Berube 342
3 Jay "GC" Heins 324
4 Luc Mahler 314
5 Lisa McMurray 304
6 Paul McAneney 303
7 Sandy Fulton 286
8 Paul Skafel 284
9 Ian Dalling 280
10 Sheri Jay 276
11 Jboys 268
11 Helena Deveer 268
13 Flip i Flap 263
14 Les Boyz 262
15 Vince Caceres 260
16 Tricia K (& RP) 258
16 Linda Gilligan 258
16 Oro Rocks! 258
19 Bob Webber 257
20 Paul Crowley 255
20 Blaine Penny 255
22 Doug Corner 253
23 Ian Dewar 252
23 Donneli 252
25 Steve Proulx 251
26 France in my Pants 233
27 Meylina Kandoy 231
27 Jeffrey Furry 231
29 Peter Metuzals 229
30 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 228
31 Julie Deschenes-Furry 225
32 Josée Lamirande 224
32 Chris Holzhauer 224
34 Stephan Sander 221
34 Grimpeur Kings 221
36 Earl Wexler 220
36 Team Last Minute 220
38 Conor O'Brien 218
39 Matthew Ellis A-Team 216
40 TinaB 215
41 Marc Boudreau 212
41 Devil's Island CC 212
41 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 212
44 David Markin 211
45 Phelan 210
46 Hamburglars 208
46 Paul McAneney Team 2 208
48 Team Twink 206
49 natbikes.com 205
50 Deb Hine 202
51 Westboro Chiropractic 201
52 Julian Hine 200
53 Richard And Catherine 199
54 Team Willow 197
55 Barnet Cycling Club 194
56 Kiwi Mike 192
57 Paul Gagnon 191
58 Team mtbrkerz 190
58 Fee 190
60 Team Kingsmere 185
61 Alexandra Lai 184
62 Dr. Ed 182
63 Gordon Dalling 179
64 Superfan 176
65 Team Nestle 173
66 VIPER 171
67 Are we there yet? 169
68 Matthew Ellis B-Team 168
69 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 164
70 Mike House 160
71 Tyler Lawlor 155
72 Richard Swandel 153
73 Mhairi Gilmore 152
74 Kris Westwood 150
74 Chris White 150
76 Rob Grondin 144
77 Biggie Flave 142
78 Getafix 137
79 Bill Richardson 133
80 Julie Jay 96
81 Erich Zappe 95
82 Old Farts 67
83 Ilennod 31
84 K8 Scallion 15
Cadel Evans finally got to pull on the yellow leader's jersey in the Tour de France today -- the first time for an Australian in four years, and the first time for a real Australian GC contender since Phil Anderson's heyday in the early '80s.
Mind you, Evans' lead is a single second over Frank Schleck, and he never looked dominant on the stage, but the important thing is he put time into everyone except Schleck (who had a remarkable ride), the ever-surprising Christian Vandevelde and the sleeper, Menchov. The big loser on the day was Valverde, who lost contact with the Evans group on the Tourmalet, lost 2:35 by the finish, and saw his aspirations for the overall win pretty much evaporate. Cunego also lost time, but he was already written off as a GC contender.
There were some other important changes to the overall standings: Ricco took over the polka dot jersey from de la Fuente; CSC lost the team lead to Saunier Duval; Freire got the points lead back (he already had the jersey ...) and of course the inevitable happened and Kirchen lost yellow to Evans.
There was a new name atop the Pool stage results: the cryptically named "Fee" scored a big win with 45 points. What kind of fee, one asks oneself. Doug Corner and Conor O'Brien rounded out the podium, but the real action was further back. Jay "GC" Heins took six more points from Grimpeur George and 17 from Remi Berube and moved into the third spot overall.
Are Grimpeur George's days in the lead numbered? Berube lost ground again, and "GC" has a 47-point deficit to make up, and there are still a lot of stages to go. We may have a change at the other end of the scale, too, as K8 Scallion's lead in the Lanterne Rouge contest continues to erode.
Kudos today, on Bastille Day, to France in My Pants -- just reading the team name makes me laugh. They're also performing well: 13th on the stage and 27th overall.
Tomorrow is the Tour's first rest day -- time to relax and reflect on your choices and maybe make a few discreet phone calls to the team doctors ...
Until Wednesday,
KW
Stage: 10
Description: Mountains
Date: Monday July 14
Start/finish: Pau/Hautacam
Distance 156 km
1st PIEPOLI Leonardo
2nd COBO ACEBO Juan Jose
3rd SCHLECK Frank
4th KOHL Bernhard
5th EFIMKIN Vladimir
6th RICCO Riccardo
7th SASTRE Carlos
8th EVANS Cadel
9th MENCHOV Denis
10th VANDEVELDE Christian
Mountains PIEPOLI Leonardo
Young rider RICCO Riccardo
Aggressive DI GREGORIO Remy (double points for Bastille Day)
Teams SAUNIER DUVAL - SCOTT
Abandon TROFIMOV Yury
Overall:
Yellow EVANS Cadel
Team SAUNIER DUVAL - SCOTT
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots RICCO Riccardo
Young rider RICCO Riccardo
Pool stage results:
1 Fee 45
2 Doug Corner 38
3 Conor O'Brien 36
3 Luc Mahler 36
5 Linda Gilligan 32
5 Oro Rocks! 32
5 Jay "GC" Heins 32
5 Paul Skafel 32
9 Sandy Fulton 31
9 Ian Dalling 31
11 Sheri Jay 28
11 Blaine Penny 28
13 France in my Pants 27
13 Les Boyz 27
13 Vince Caceres 27
16 Grimpeur George 26
16 Paul McAneney 26
16 Ian Dewar 26
16 Flip i Flap 26
16 Lisa McMurray 26
21 Helena Deveer 24
22 Jboys 23
23 Devil's Island CC 22
23 Jeffrey Furry 22
23 Old Farts 22
23 Team Last Minute 22
27 Josée Lamirande 21
27 Meylina Kandoy 21
27 Paul Gagnon 21
27 Getafix 21
27 Stephan Sander 21
32 Team Nestle 20
32 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 20
34 Marc Boudreau 19
34 Chris Holzhauer 19
36 Rob Grondin 18
37 Paul Crowley 17
38 Superfan 16
38 Richard Swandel 16
38 Bill Richardson 16
38 Matthew Ellis A-Team 16
38 Team Kingsmere 16
38 Team mtbrkerz 16
38 Chris White 16
38 Alexandra Lai 16
38 Dr. Ed 16
38 Tyler Lawlor 16
48 Tricia K (& RP) 15
48 Bob Webber 15
48 Steve Proulx 15
48 Earl Wexler 15
48 Team Twink 15
48 Phelan 15
48 Remi Berube 15
55 Julie Jay 14
55 Paul McAneney Team 2 14
55 VIPER 14
55 David Markin 14
55 Barnet Cycling Club 14
55 Peter Metuzals 14
55 Donneli 14
55 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 14
55 Mike House 14
55 Kiwi Mike 14
65 Julian Hine 12
65 Gordon Dalling 12
65 Team Willow 12
65 Mhairi Gilmore 12
69 Julie Deschenes-Furry 11
70 natbikes.com 10
70 Hamburglars 10
70 Westboro Chiropractic 10
70 Richard And Catherine 10
70 Matthew Ellis B-Team 10
70 Are we there yet? 10
76 K8 Scallion 6
77 TinaB 5
77 Grimpeur Kings 5
77 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 5
80 Deb Hine 4
81 Biggie Flave 2
82 Kris Westwood 1
83 Erich Zappe 0
83 Ilennod 0
Pool overall:
1 Grimpeur George 347
2 Remi Berube 323
3 Jay "GC" Heins 300
4 Lisa McMurray 297
5 Luc Mahler 290
6 Paul McAneney 289
7 Sandy Fulton 264
8 Paul Skafel 260
9 Sheri Jay 259
10 Ian Dalling 258
11 Helena Deveer 254
12 Flip i Flap 249
13 Vince Caceres 248
14 Donneli 245
15 Les Boyz 243
16 Jboys 242
17 Tricia K (& RP) 239
18 Bob Webber 238
19 Paul Crowley 236
19 Doug Corner 236
21 Linda Gilligan 234
21 Oro Rocks! 234
23 Steve Proulx 232
24 Blaine Penny 231
25 Ian Dewar 228
26 Jeffrey Furry 217
27 France in my Pants 216
27 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 216
29 Peter Metuzals 215
30 Meylina Kandoy 212
30 Chris Holzhauer 212
32 Julie Deschenes-Furry 211
33 TinaB 210
34 Grimpeur Kings 207
35 Josée Lamirande 205
35 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 205
37 David Markin 204
38 Matthew Ellis A-Team 202
38 Stephan Sander 202
40 Earl Wexler 201
40 Team Last Minute 201
42 natbikes.com 198
43 Deb Hine 195
44 Hamburglars 194
44 Paul McAneney Team 2 194
44 Devil's Island CC 194
44 Conor O'Brien 194
48 Marc Boudreau 193
49 Richard And Catherine 192
50 Phelan 191
51 Westboro Chiropractic 187
51 Team Twink 187
53 Julian Hine 184
54 Team Willow 183
55 Barnet Cycling Club 180
56 Paul Gagnon 179
57 Kiwi Mike 178
58 Team mtbrkerz 176
58 Fee 176
60 Team Kingsmere 171
61 Alexandra Lai 170
62 Dr. Ed 168
63 Gordon Dalling 165
64 Superfan 162
65 Matthew Ellis B-Team 161
66 Team Nestle 159
67 VIPER 157
68 Are we there yet? 155
69 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 150
70 Tyler Lawlor 148
71 Richard Swandel 146
72 Mhairi Gilmore 143
73 Mike House 142
74 Kris Westwood 141
75 Chris White 136
76 Biggie Flave 135
77 Getafix 125
78 Rob Grondin 124
79 Bill Richardson 119
80 Julie Jay 89
81 Erich Zappe 78
82 Old Farts 67
83 Ilennod 31
84 K8 Scallion 15
As promised, thanks to Vince Caceres at the Cyclery we have compiled the 2008 Tour Pool prize list.
If anyone else is keen on donating prizes please make yourselves known to me.
Meanwhile, enjoy the Tour.
- KW
Prizes:
1st - Shimano RS20 wheelset
2nd - Shimano RS10 wheelset
3rd - Giro Ionos helmet (white)
4th - Cyclery team jersey and shorts
5th - A pair of Continental GP4000 tires
6th - Rudy Project Canadian Edition Rydon sunglasses
7th - Giro Havik sunglasses (as worn in the Tour!)
8th - Stevens accessory kit (shoe covers, cap, saddle bag)
9th - Hammer Sport Pack (a jug of HEED energy drink and a bottle of gel)
10th - 2007 Tour de France DVD
Lanterne Rouge: Cateye red blinky light
An epic ride for the first epic mountain stage: Riccardo Ricco won in Bagneres-de-Bigorre after a fine attack over the legendary Col d'Aspin.
Ricco's style and climbing speed are reminiscent of the late, lamented Marco Pantani. Turns out Pantani was Ricco's idol, and Ricco even uses the same soigneur as Pantani did. Let's just hope he doesn't share some of Pantani's other habits ...
Despite the huge mountains, the stage had remarkably little effect on the overall standings, with the exception of Lovkvist, who lost six-and-a-half minutes and the white jersey, and Schumacher, who lost 40 seconds on the favourites and dropped to fourth overall.
Jay "GC" Heins showed he's eyeing the Tour Pool lead with a strong showing, followed by a couple new faces on the podium: Luc Mahler and a trio who finished third: Jboys, Ian Dewar and Oro Rocks! Grimpeur George lost 10 points on Heins, and is starting to gnaw on his left hind leg in worry.
The Grimpeur managed to extend his lead over Remi Berube to 13 points, and Lisa McMurray is still third overall, but what's got the Grimpeur in a tizzy is Jay "GC" Heins who is now in fourth. His progress has been erratic -- 5th after stage 1, 24th after stage 5 but back up to 4th now -- but he's determined.
Shock horror! K8 Scallion didn't finish last on the stage! She finished 54th! With 12 points! But all is not lost -- she's still dead last in the Pool, though with a "lead" of just 22 points now.
Tomorrow's another mountainous day, with a finish at altitude at the Hautacam ski station. Evans could be struggling after crashing today, but he'll only have two climbs to deal with: the Tourmalet and the one to the finish. Whatever happens, the riders will be happy for the rest day on Tuesday.
Until tomorrow,
KW
Stage: 9
Description: Mountains
Date: Sunday July 13
Start/finish: Toulouse/Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Distance 224 km
1st RICCO Riccardo
2nd EFIMKIN Vladimir
3rd DESSEL Cyril
4th FOFONOV Dmitriy
5th KNEES Christian
6th MONFORT Maxime
7th VALVERDE Alejandro
8th KREUZIGER Roman
9th CUNEGO Damiano
10th POPOVYCH Yaroslav
Mountains LANG Sebastian
Young rider RICCO Riccardo
Aggressive LANG Sebastian
Teams SAUNIER DUVAL - SCOTT
Overall:
Yellow KIRCHEN Kim
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green KIRCHEN Kim
Polka dots DE LA FUENTE David
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Pool stage results:
1 Jay "GC" Heins 42
2 Luc Mahler 35
3 Jboys 34
3 Ian Dewar 34
3 Oro Rocks! 34
6 Grimpeur George 32
6 Lisa McMurray 32
8 Blaine Penny 29
9 Conor O'Brien 28
10 Sheri Jay 27
10 Linda Gilligan 27
10 France in my Pants 27
10 Paul Skafel 27
14 Grimpeur Kings 26
15 Sandy Fulton 25
15 Paul McAneney 25
15 Flip i Flap 25
15 Remi Berube 25
19 Ian Dalling 23
20 Fee 22
21 Deb Hine 21
22 Doug Corner 20
23 Julie Deschenes-Furry 19
23 Les Boyz 19
25 Hamburglars 18
25 Tricia K (& RP) 18
25 Marc Boudreau 18
25 Earl Wexler 18
25 Team Twink 18
25 Stephan Sander 18
25 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 18
25 Team Kingsmere 18
25 Dr. Ed 18
25 Biggie Flave 18
35 Richard And Catherine 17
35 Alexandra Lai 17
37 Bob Webber 16
37 Devil's Island CC 16
37 Steve Proulx 16
37 Matthew Ellis A-Team 16
37 Donneli 16
37 Phelan 16
37 Team Nestle 16
37 Team Willow 16
37 Team Last Minute 16
46 Gordon Dalling 14
47 Julian Hine 13
47 Josée Lamirande 13
47 Peter Metuzals 13
47 Paul Crowley 13
47 Are we there yet? 13
47 Chris White 13
47 Kiwi Mike 13
54 Superfan 12
54 K8 Scallion 12
54 Barnet Cycling Club 12
54 Helena Deveer 12
54 Rob Grondin 12
59 natbikes.com 11
59 Paul McAneney Team 2 11
59 TinaB 11
59 Meylina Kandoy 11
59 Westboro Chiropractic 11
59 Team mtbrkerz 11
59 Jeffrey Furry 11
66 Kris Westwood 10
67 Bill Richardson 9
67 David Markin 9
67 Matthew Ellis B-Team 9
67 Chris Holzhauer 9
67 Vince Caceres 9
72 Julie Jay 7
72 VIPER 7
72 Erich Zappe 7
72 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 7
72 Mike House 7
77 Richard Swandel 6
77 Mhairi Gilmore 6
77 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 6
80 Paul Gagnon 4
80 Tyler Lawlor 4
82 Getafix 2
83 Ilennod 1
84 Old Farts 0
Pool overall:
1 Grimpeur George 321
2 Remi Berube 308
3 Lisa McMurray 271
4 Jay "GC" Heins 268
5 Paul McAneney 263
6 Luc Mahler 254
7 Sandy Fulton 233
8 Sheri Jay 231
8 Donneli 231
10 Helena Deveer 230
11 Paul Skafel 228
12 Ian Dalling 227
13 Tricia K (& RP) 224
14 Bob Webber 223
14 Flip i Flap 223
16 Vince Caceres 221
17 Jboys 219
17 Paul Crowley 219
19 Steve Proulx 217
20 Les Boyz 216
21 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 211
22 TinaB 205
23 Blaine Penny 203
24 Ian Dewar 202
24 Linda Gilligan 202
24 Oro Rocks! 202
24 Grimpeur Kings 202
28 Peter Metuzals 201
29 Julie Deschenes-Furry 200
30 Doug Corner 198
31 Jeffrey Furry 195
32 Chris Holzhauer 193
33 Meylina Kandoy 191
33 Deb Hine 191
35 David Markin 190
36 France in my Pants 189
37 natbikes.com 188
38 Earl Wexler 186
38 Matthew Ellis A-Team 186
40 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 185
41 Hamburglars 184
41 Josée Lamirande 184
43 Richard And Catherine 182
44 Stephan Sander 181
45 Paul McAneney Team 2 180
46 Team Last Minute 179
47 Westboro Chiropractic 177
48 Phelan 176
49 Marc Boudreau 174
50 Julian Hine 172
50 Devil's Island CC 172
50 Team Twink 172
53 Team Willow 171
54 Barnet Cycling Club 166
55 Kiwi Mike 164
56 Team mtbrkerz 160
57 Conor O'Brien 158
57 Paul Gagnon 158
59 Team Kingsmere 155
60 Alexandra Lai 154
61 Gordon Dalling 153
62 Dr. Ed 152
63 Matthew Ellis B-Team 151
64 Superfan 146
65 Are we there yet? 145
66 VIPER 143
67 Kris Westwood 140
68 Team Nestle 139
69 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 136
70 Biggie Flave 133
71 Tyler Lawlor 132
72 Fee 131
72 Mhairi Gilmore 131
74 Richard Swandel 130
75 Mike House 128
76 Chris White 120
77 Rob Grondin 106
78 Getafix 104
79 Bill Richardson 103
80 Erich Zappe 78
81 Julie Jay 75
82 Old Farts 45
83 Ilennod 31
84 K8 Scallion 9