It seems the mantra of this year's Tour is "expect the unexpected," and we got that again today as Carlos Sastre rode magnificently to easily defend his yellow jersey. It's all over bar the sprinting, as traditionally nobody attacks the yellow jersey on the stage to the Champs-Elysees and a breakaway almost never makes it to the line intact.
Evans simply didn't have enough in the tank to claw back his 1:34 deficit on the Spaniard, but he did move up into second overall. Kohl did a great ride to slot into the third GC spot, followed by Menchov, Vandevelde and poor Frank Schleck, who had a dismal day, even being passed by Sastre, who started three minutes behind him.
So it looks like we'll be suppressing any lingering thoughts about doping to applaud Sastre's first Tour win tomorrow.
Before we look at today's Pool result, I received a panicked, pleading email from Steve Proulx this morning. It seems he is being held responsible for the fact that Josee Lamirande's name was on the Wall of Shame. It was I, Josee, who unjustly included your name. It has been removed. Steve is an innocent bystander. Don't make him suffer more than he already has.
Les Boyz picked them right for the time trial, taking the stage over Team Last Minute and Dr. Ed. Ominously for those hoping to win the Tour Pool overall, Remi Berube was fifth on the stage, extending his lead to 31 points over Paul McAneney and 42 over Tricia K (& RP).
It's all going to come down to who sprints best on the Champs Elysees, and who will reap the most rewards on the final overall. That's when the riders who may never have won a stage, but rode consistently to finish well, come into play.
Until then,
KW
Stage: 20
Description: ITT
Date: Saturday July 26
Start/finish: Cérilly/Saint-Amand-Montrond
Distance 53 km
1st SCHUMACHER Stefan
2nd CANCELLARA Fabian
3rd KIRCHEN Kim
4th VANDEVELDE Christian
5th MILLAR David
6th MENCHOV Denis
7th EVANS Cadel
8th LANG Sebastian
9th KOHL Bernhard
10th HINCAPIE George
Young rider LOVKVIST Thomas
Teams GEROLSTEINER
Overall:
Yellow SASTRE Carlos
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots KOHL Bernhard
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Pool stage results:
1 Les Boyz 43
2 Team Last Minute 41
3 Dr. Ed 40
4 Bob Webber 39
5 Remi Berube 38
5 Rob Grondin 38
7 Helena Deveer 37
8 Team mtbrkerz 36
9 Superfan 35
9 Bill Richardson 35
9 Paul Skafel 35
12 Phelan 34
13 Paul McAneney 33
13 Tricia K (& RP) 33
13 Devil's Island CC 33
13 Steve Proulx 33
13 Paul Gagnon 33
13 Earl Wexler 33
13 Stephan Sander 33
13 Luc Mahler 33
13 Flip i Flap 33
13 Jay "GC" Heins 33
23 VIPER 30
23 Mike House 30
25 Julie Deschenes-Furry 29
25 Biggie Flave 29
27 Hamburglars 28
27 Josée Lamirande 28
27 Marc Boudreau 28
27 Gordon Dalling 28
27 Ian Dewar 28
27 Conor O'Brien 28
27 Meylina Kandoy 28
27 Oro Rocks! 28
27 Matthew Ellis A-Team 28
27 Team Kingsmere 28
27 Jeffrey Furry 28
27 Grimpeur Kings 28
27 Alexandra Lai 28
27 Team Nestle 28
27 Team Willow 28
27 Blaine Penny 28
43 Donneli 27
44 Grimpeur George 26
44 Sandy Fulton 26
44 Lisa McMurray 26
47 Fee 25
48 Paul McAneney Team 2 24
49 Kris Westwood 23
49 Linda Gilligan 23
49 Westboro Chiropractic 23
49 Are we there yet? 23
49 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 23
49 Chris White 23
55 Jboys 22
56 natbikes.com 21
56 Ian Dalling 21
56 Getafix 21
56 Matthew Ellis B-Team 21
56 Team Twink 21
56 Paul Crowley 21
56 Chris Holzhauer 21
56 Mhairi Gilmore 21
56 Doug Corner 21
65 Erich Zappe 20
66 Barnet Cycling Club 19
66 Richard And Catherine 19
68 Peter Metuzals 18
68 Kiwi Mike 18
70 Richard Swandel 17
70 France in my Pants 17
72 Julian Hine 16
72 Julie Jay 16
72 David Markin 16
72 Old Farts 16
72 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 16
72 Tyler Lawlor 16
78 Sheri Jay 14
78 Deb Hine 14
78 Vince Caceres 14
81 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 12
82 TinaB 10
83 Ilennod 1
84 K8 Scallion 0
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 591
2 Paul McAneney 560
3 Tricia K (& RP) 549
4 Steve Proulx 546
5 Bob Webber 541
6 Team Last Minute 534
7 Stephan Sander 526
8 Les Boyz 522
9 Josée Lamirande 513
10 Meylina Kandoy 511
11 Paul Crowley 506
12 Marc Boudreau 498
13 Matthew Ellis A-Team 492
13 Chris Holzhauer 492
15 Earl Wexler 484
15 Team Twink 484
17 Flip i Flap 479
18 Peter Metuzals 474
19 Grimpeur Kings 465
20 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 462
21 Phelan 461
22 Jeffrey Furry 452
23 Alexandra Lai 442
24 Devil's Island CC 440
25 Paul McAneney Team 2 436
26 Helena Deveer 434
27 Team Kingsmere 430
28 Hamburglars 427
28 Dr. Ed 427
30 Kiwi Mike 424
31 Team mtbrkerz 416
32 Donneli 413
33 David Markin 412
33 Vince Caceres 412
35 Barnet Cycling Club 411
36 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 409
37 Jay "GC" Heins 408
37 Paul Skafel 408
37 Rob Grondin 408
40 Paul Gagnon 404
41 Deb Hine 398
42 TinaB 397
42 Jboys 397
44 Fee 388
45 Luc Mahler 387
46 Superfan 386
47 Team Nestle 383
48 Linda Gilligan 382
48 Westboro Chiropractic 382
50 Oro Rocks! 381
51 Julie Deschenes-Furry 378
52 VIPER 373
53 Sandy Fulton 372
54 Gordon Dalling 370
55 Grimpeur George 367
56 Team Willow 365
57 natbikes.com 349
57 Mike House 349
59 Bill Richardson 344
59 Ian Dalling 344
61 Chris White 340
62 Julian Hine 335
63 Ian Dewar 334
64 Richard And Catherine 325
64 Getafix 325
64 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 325
67 Conor O'Brien 323
68 Richard Swandel 314
68 Are we there yet? 314
70 Sheri Jay 312
71 Blaine Penny 309
72 Matthew Ellis B-Team 307
73 Biggie Flave 302
74 Tyler Lawlor 295
75 Lisa McMurray 292
76 Doug Corner 274
77 France in my Pants 260
78 Kris Westwood 250
79 Mhairi Gilmore 245
80 Julie Jay 242
81 Erich Zappe 194
82 Old Farts 111
83 Ilennod 74
84 K8 Scallion 49
How do you solve a problem like Ricco?
I've been waiting for word from the Tour about whether Ricco's results after his positive doping test would be annulled, but Christian Prudhomme isn't returning my calls. So I've decided we can't let it slide and, in the Pool, all of Ricco's points-scoring results from the time trial stage (in which he tested positive) onwards will be removed. That means Valverde will be scored as the winner in Super-Besse, and Efimkin in Bagneres-de-Bigorre.
I have also decided to do the same to Piepoli, who hasn't tested positive but is going to face the consequences of being caught with doping products. That means Juan Jose Cobo is the new winner of the Hautacam stage.
I have adjusted the other results and jerseys accordingly. I also noticed that I had scored Ricco -25 points for his positive test when he should have been given -50 for being arrested. That has been fixed too.
In practical terms, this doesn't have a major effect on the Pool. The same entries still make up the top 10, though thre are a couple small shuffles: Paul McAneney jumps into second ahead of Trisha K (& RP), and Josee Lamirande is tied with Paul Crowley instead of being three points behind him. It has also tightened up the gaps a little bit. But I preferred to do it now rather than when the final rankings are determined ...
Meanwhile, in the real world, Sylvain Chavanel finally got his win today after the sprinter teams miscalculated and let him and Jeremy Roy stay away. A slightly lacklustre sprint behind seems to indicate nobody's trying terribly hard to dislodge Freire from the green jersey. There was a surprising number of abandons -- big names, too: Cunego didn't even start, and Flecha, Feillu and Wegmann all missed the time cut after being dropped early on.
In the Pool it was another low-scoring affair, with Team Last Minute just sqeaking by Jay "Green Jersey" Heins for the win and Fee rounding out the podium.
Remi Berube continues to lead, but as noted above the gap is closing: Paul McAneney is just 26 points back in the hunt for the win.
How will this shake out in the time trial tomorrow? A quick analysis of stage four shows that Berube and McAneney were almost dead even -- 31 and 30 points respectively -- and Tricia and Proulx were both well back, with just 14. All the riders who placed top 10 that day are still in the Tour, so all things being equal Remi's lead could be safe until we throw in the final rankings.
Until tomorrow,
KW
Stage: 19
Description: Flat
Date: Friday July 25
Start/finish: Roanne/Montluçon
Distance 165.5 km
1st CHAVANEL Sylvain
2nd ROY Jeremy
3rd CIOLEK Gerald
4th ZABEL Erik
5th HAUSSLER Heinrich
6th DUQUE Leonardo
7th POZZATO Filippo
8th HUSHOVD Thor
9th FORSTER Robert
10th DEAN Julian
Mountains SCHUMACHER Stefan
Young rider ROY Jeremy
Aggressive CHAVANEL Sylvain
Teams COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE
Abandon CUNEGO Damiano
Abandon BRANDT Christophe
Abandon FLECHA Juan Antonio
Abandon FEILLU Romain
Abandon WEGMANN Fabian
Overall:
Yellow SASTRE Carlos
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots KOHL Bernhard
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Pool stage results:
1 Team Last Minute 34
2 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 33
3 Fee 30
4 Team Twink 28
4 Deb Hine 28
6 Julie Deschenes-Furry 26
6 Kiwi Mike 26
8 Paul McAneney Team 2 25
8 Kris Westwood 25
10 David Markin 23
11 Marc Boudreau 22
11 Meylina Kandoy 22
11 Matthew Ellis A-Team 22
11 Stephan Sander 22
11 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 22
11 Alexandra Lai 22
17 Mike House 21
18 Bob Webber 20
18 Steve Proulx 20
18 Peter Metuzals 20
18 Chris Holzhauer 20
22 Devil's Island CC 19
23 Paul McAneney 17
23 VIPER 17
23 Oro Rocks! 17
23 Team Kingsmere 17
23 Team mtbrkerz 17
23 Phelan 17
23 Paul Skafel 17
23 Dr. Ed 17
23 Rob Grondin 17
32 TinaB 16
32 Jboys 16
34 Julie Jay 15
34 Tricia K (& RP) 15
34 Conor O'Brien 15
34 Paul Gagnon 15
34 Earl Wexler 15
34 Donneli 15
34 Grimpeur Kings 15
34 Old Farts 15
42 Superfan 14
42 Josée Lamirande 14
42 Linda Gilligan 14
42 Barnet Cycling Club 14
46 Sandy Fulton 13
46 Vince Caceres 13
48 Les Boyz 12
48 Team Nestle 12
50 Hamburglars 10
50 Ian Dewar 10
50 Westboro Chiropractic 10
50 Paul Crowley 10
50 Jeffrey Furry 10
50 Helena Deveer 10
50 Tyler Lawlor 10
50 Remi Berube 10
58 Bill Richardson 9
58 Flip i Flap 9
58 Chris White 9
58 Jay "GC" Heins 9
62 Gordon Dalling 7
62 Getafix 7
62 Biggie Flave 7
65 Ian Dalling 5
65 Erich Zappe 5
65 Richard And Catherine 5
65 Matthew Ellis B-Team 5
65 Team Willow 5
65 Blaine Penny 5
71 Sheri Jay 3
71 Grimpeur George 3
71 natbikes.com 3
71 France in my Pants 3
71 Ilennod 3
76 Richard Swandel 2
76 Luc Mahler 2
78 Julian Hine 0
78 K8 Scallion 0
78 Are we there yet? 0
78 Lisa McMurray 0
78 Doug Corner 0
83 Bat of Alpe d'Huez -2
84 Mhairi Gilmore -7
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 553
2 Paul McAneney 527
3 Tricia K (& RP) 516
4 Steve Proulx 513
5 Bob Webber 502
6 Stephan Sander 493
6 Team Last Minute 493
8 Josée Lamirande 485
8 Paul Crowley 485
10 Meylina Kandoy 483
11 Les Boyz 479
12 Chris Holzhauer 471
13 Marc Boudreau 470
14 Matthew Ellis A-Team 464
15 Team Twink 463
16 Peter Metuzals 456
17 Earl Wexler 451
18 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 450
19 Flip i Flap 446
20 Grimpeur Kings 437
21 Phelan 427
22 Jeffrey Furry 424
23 Alexandra Lai 414
24 Paul McAneney Team 2 412
25 Devil's Island CC 407
26 Kiwi Mike 406
27 Team Kingsmere 402
28 Hamburglars 399
29 Vince Caceres 398
30 Helena Deveer 397
31 David Markin 396
32 Barnet Cycling Club 392
33 TinaB 387
33 Dr. Ed 387
35 Donneli 386
35 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 386
37 Deb Hine 384
38 Team mtbrkerz 380
39 Jboys 375
39 Jay "GC" Heins 375
41 Paul Skafel 373
42 Paul Gagnon 371
43 Rob Grondin 370
44 Fee 363
45 Linda Gilligan 359
45 Westboro Chiropractic 359
47 Team Nestle 355
48 Luc Mahler 354
49 Oro Rocks! 353
50 Superfan 351
51 Julie Deschenes-Furry 349
52 Sandy Fulton 346
53 VIPER 343
54 Gordon Dalling 342
55 Grimpeur George 341
56 Team Willow 337
57 natbikes.com 328
58 Ian Dalling 323
59 Julian Hine 319
59 Mike House 319
61 Chris White 317
62 Bill Richardson 309
62 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 309
64 Ian Dewar 306
64 Richard And Catherine 306
66 Getafix 304
67 Sheri Jay 298
68 Richard Swandel 297
69 Conor O'Brien 295
70 Are we there yet? 291
71 Matthew Ellis B-Team 286
72 Blaine Penny 281
73 Tyler Lawlor 279
74 Biggie Flave 273
75 Lisa McMurray 266
76 Doug Corner 253
77 France in my Pants 243
78 Kris Westwood 227
79 Julie Jay 226
80 Mhairi Gilmore 224
81 Erich Zappe 174
82 Old Farts 95
83 Ilennod 73
84 K8 Scallion 49
It looks like a few names ended up on the Wall of Shame due to me missing some Paypal payments -- my apologies to those who were thus slighted. The good news is the list is much shorter. The bad news is there are still quite a few non-payments, below.
Thanks in advance for settling up.
KW
France in my Pants Adam Eikenberry
Alexandra Lai Alexandra Lai
Conor O'Brien Conor O'Brien
Westboro Chiropractic Duane Smith
Helena Deveer Helena Ho
Ian Dalling Ian Dalling
Josée Lamirande Josée Lamirande
Julie Jay Julie Jay
K8 Scallion Kate Scallion
Luc Mahler Luc Mahler
Bat of Alpe d'Huez Marco Penna
Mhairi Gilmore Mhairi Gilmore
Kiwi Mike Mike Leach
VIPER Nick Vipond
Paul Skafel Paul Skafel
Peter Metuzals Peter Metuzals
Remi Berube Remi Berube
Rob Grondin Rob Grondin
Sandy Fulton Sandy Fulton
Sheri Jay Sheri Jay
Superfan Sheri Jay
Team Last Minute Wilby McKnight
I was all excited that, with 84 entrants, we would have $840 to put towards the Seenite Sports Espoir Bursary this year. But when I tallied up who paid, my excitement faded because there are many, many entries that haven't fulfilled their financial obligations in the Tour Pool.
The wall of shame is below. If your name is there in error, let me know. If not, please either drop your money off at the Cyclery or send it via Paypal as follows:
1. Log into www.paypal.com
2. Make a payment of $11CAN to this address: tdf2008@magma.ca
3. In the comments box please tell me your name! If we get an email from, say, lancecheats@hotmail.com we have no idea who this is. Please include your entry with the payment email.
That’s it, you’re done. Time to sit back and enjoy the tour.
If you have any questions email Richard Thomas at that address.
Thanks. Anyone who hasn't paid or at least contacted me will be removed from the final ranking on Sunday. If they then pay by Wednesday they will be reinstated.
Also note I have one double payment: Tyler Lawlor has paid both in cash and via Paypal ...
Thanks for your cooperation and remember, it all goes to a worthy cause.
Kris W.
Entry name: Entrant:
France in my Pants Adam Eikenberry
Flip i Flap Alex Kolodziej
Alexandra Lai Alexandra Lai
Blaine Penny Blaine Penny
Bob Webber Bob Webber
Conor O'Brien Conor O'Brien
Hamburglars Craig Hawkes
Westboro Chiropractic Duane Smith
Helena Deveer Helena Ho
Ian Dalling Ian Dalling
Jay "GC" Heins Jay Heins
Jay "Green Jersey" Heins Jay Heins
Jeffrey Furry Jeffrey Furry
Josée Lamirande Josée Lamirande
Julie Deschenes-Furry Julie Deschenes-Furry
Julie Jay Julie Jay
K8 Scallion Kate Scallion
Lisa McMurray Lisa McMurray
Luc Mahler Luc Mahler
Bat of Alpe d'Huez Marco Penna
Mhairi Gilmore Mhairi Gilmore
Kiwi Mike Mike Leach
VIPER Nick Vipond
Paul Crowley Paul Crowley
Paul Skafel Paul Skafel
Peter Metuzals Peter Metuzals
Remi Berube Remi Berube
Rob Grondin Rob Grondin
Team mtbrkerz Rob Kerr
Sandy Fulton Sandy Fulton
Sheri Jay Sheri Jay
Superfan Sheri Jay
Team Last Minute Wilby McKnight
Young Marcus Burghardt scored a win for the next generation of cycling professionals today by outsprinting Carlos Barredo in St-Etienne.
In the process, he won Team Columbia's fifth stage of the Tour, though the team still languishes in eighth place in the team classification, for lack of GC contenders.
The main players in the Tour all finished in the pack, content to wait until Saturday's time trial to determine the final finishing order. The biggest incident of note was Damiano Cunego's Tour going from bad to worse when he crashed on his face in the first half of the stage.
It was a low-scoring day in the Pool as three teams finished tied for the win on just 25 points: Marc Boudreau, Stephan Sander and Team Last Minute, with Fee and perennial top-fives Oro Rocks! just behind.
Significantly, Remi Berube's overall lead continues to shrink. Tricia K (& RP) is just 40 points behind in second, demoting Paul McAneney to third another two points back (note that I misstated Berube's lead as 35 points yesterday -- I should have said 45). Steve Proulx is inching up, too, so the final ranking is far from being determined.
No change at the opposite end, as K8 Scallion continues to jealously guard her Lanterne Rouge position.
Tomorrow's 165-km stage to Montlucon isn't hilly enough to bother the main contenders and should favour another long-range breakaway, though if the sprinter teams smell a chance they'll bring it back for the fast twitch boys.
Until then,
KW
Stage: 18
Description: Rolling
Date: Thursday July 24
Start/finish: Bourg-d'Oisans/Saint-Étienne
Distance 196.5 km
1st BURGHARDT Marcus
2nd BARREDO Carlos
3rd FEILLU Romain
4th LE MEVEL Christophe
5th ASTARLOZA Mikel
6th DUMOULIN Samuel
7th DESSEL Cyril
8th KREUZIGER Roman
9th HOSTE Leif
10th SCHLECK Andy
Mountains BARREDO Carlos
Young rider BURGHARDT Marcus
Aggressive BURGHARDT Marcus
Teams TEAM COLUMBIA
Overall:
Yellow SASTRE Carlos
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots KOHL Bernhard
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Pool stage results:
1 Marc Boudreau 25
1 Stephan Sander 25
1 Team Last Minute 25
4 Fee 22
5 Oro Rocks! 20
5 Matthew Ellis A-Team 20
5 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 20
5 Team Kingsmere 20
5 Alexandra Lai 20
5 Dr. Ed 20
11 Josée Lamirande 19
11 Meylina Kandoy 19
11 Team Nestle 19
14 Tricia K (& RP) 18
14 Bob Webber 18
14 Jboys 18
14 Steve Proulx 18
14 Earl Wexler 18
14 Team Twink 18
14 Phelan 18
14 Chris Holzhauer 18
14 Rob Grondin 18
23 Deb Hine 17
23 Grimpeur Kings 17
25 Superfan 14
25 Sandy Fulton 14
25 Paul McAneney 14
25 Bill Richardson 14
25 Paul McAneney Team 2 14
25 VIPER 14
25 Linda Gilligan 14
25 Barnet Cycling Club 14
25 Peter Metuzals 14
25 Team mtbrkerz 14
25 Flip i Flap 14
25 Chris White 14
25 Jay "GC" Heins 14
25 Paul Skafel 14
25 Mike House 14
25 Kiwi Mike 14
41 Hamburglars 13
41 Julie Jay 13
41 Devil's Island CC 13
41 Ian Dewar 13
41 David Markin 13
41 Conor O'Brien 13
41 Biggie Flave 13
48 Paul Gagnon 12
48 Getafix 12
48 Paul Crowley 12
48 Les Boyz 12
48 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 12
48 Remi Berube 12
54 TinaB 11
54 Vince Caceres 11
56 Gordon Dalling 10
56 Team Willow 10
58 Ian Dalling 8
59 Julian Hine 7
59 Richard Swandel 7
59 Erich Zappe 7
59 Westboro Chiropractic 7
59 Donneli 7
59 Are we there yet? 7
59 Luc Mahler 7
59 Jeffrey Furry 7
59 Julie Deschenes-Furry 7
59 Old Farts 7
59 Helena Deveer 7
59 Blaine Penny 7
59 Tyler Lawlor 7
72 Sheri Jay 6
72 natbikes.com 6
72 Richard And Catherine 6
72 France in my Pants 6
72 Matthew Ellis B-Team 6
72 Ilennod 6
78 Kris Westwood 4
79 Doug Corner 3
80 Grimpeur George 0
80 K8 Scallion 0
80 Lisa McMurray 0
80 Mhairi Gilmore 0
80 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 0
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 530
2 Tricia K (& RP) 490
3 Paul McAneney 487
4 Steve Proulx 483
5 Bob Webber 472
6 Paul Crowley 461
7 Josée Lamirande 454
7 Stephan Sander 454
9 Les Boyz 453
10 Meylina Kandoy 444
11 Team Last Minute 441
12 Chris Holzhauer 438
13 Marc Boudreau 434
13 Jboys 434
15 Jay "GC" Heins 431
16 Luc Mahler 427
17 Matthew Ellis A-Team 426
18 Earl Wexler 425
18 Paul Skafel 425
20 Team Twink 423
21 Peter Metuzals 422
22 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 417
23 Flip i Flap 414
24 Linda Gilligan 413
24 Vince Caceres 413
26 Grimpeur George 411
27 Grimpeur Kings 410
28 Sandy Fulton 408
29 Oro Rocks! 404
30 Phelan 400
31 Jeffrey Furry 397
32 Ian Dalling 390
33 Hamburglars 378
34 Alexandra Lai 375
35 Paul McAneney Team 2 374
35 Helena Deveer 374
37 Devil's Island CC 371
38 Ian Dewar 370
39 Team Kingsmere 368
40 Sheri Jay 366
40 Kiwi Mike 366
42 TinaB 364
42 Barnet Cycling Club 364
44 David Markin 360
45 Conor O'Brien 357
46 Donneli 356
47 Fee 353
47 Dr. Ed 353
49 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 350
50 Team mtbrkerz 347
50 Blaine Penny 347
52 Rob Grondin 345
53 Paul Gagnon 340
54 Westboro Chiropractic 339
54 Lisa McMurray 339
56 Deb Hine 333
57 Team Nestle 329
58 Doug Corner 321
59 Superfan 320
60 Gordon Dalling 319
60 VIPER 319
62 Julie Deschenes-Furry 315
62 Team Willow 315
64 natbikes.com 314
65 France in my Pants 312
66 Julian Hine 305
67 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 296
68 Richard And Catherine 295
69 Chris White 291
69 Mike House 291
71 Bill Richardson 289
72 Getafix 286
73 Are we there yet? 280
74 Richard Swandel 278
75 Matthew Ellis B-Team 271
76 Biggie Flave 256
77 Tyler Lawlor 253
78 Mhairi Gilmore 217
79 Julie Jay 203
80 Kris Westwood 198
81 Erich Zappe 169
82 Old Farts 113
83 Ilennod 69
84 K8 Scallion 33
Yet another leader for the Tour as Carlos Sastre finally fulfills on the promise he's held for so long by winning both the stage and the yellow jersey on the convoluted road to l'Alpe d'Huez.
In the process, he put more than two minutes into his principal rivals and now holds a 1:24 lead over Frank Schleck, 1:33 on Kohl and 1:34 on Evans. But will it be enough?
All eyes now turn to stage 20 on Saturday, a 53-km time trial from Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond. Based on past form -- in other words, the first time trial of the Tour -- it doesn't look like Sastre's lead is enough. On that day, Evans gained 1:22 on Sastre in just under 30 km, while both Schleck and Kohl lost time to the Spaniard. So on paper it still looks like Evans' Tour, but wearing the yellow jersey can do strange things to some riders' time trialling abilities ...
Some odd results in the Pool today, with the unheralded Team Last Minute taking the stage with an astonishing 72 points over Stephan Sander and Marc Boudreau. Meanwhile, overall leader Remi Berube languished in 63rd with just 12 points, while his main rivals Tricia K (& RP) and Paul McAneney were 27th and 15th respectively.
As a result, Berube's lead has been effectively halved, to just 35 points. McAneney is now second, with Tricia one point behind and Steve Proulx lurking a little further back.
Just to prove that fame can be fleeting, after winning yesterday I almost managed to finish dead last on the stage. That honour went to Ilennod, who "gained" five points on K8 Scallion in the Lanterne Rouge competition.
Tomorrow will be a welcome relief for the riders as the Tour leaves the monstrous climbs, though the stage isn't easy by any stretch. It could be an active stage and the last chance for Sastre to gain time on Evans. Or could CSC play their other card and try to get Frank Schleck up the road?
Until tomorrow.
KW
Stage: 17
Description: Mountains
Date: Wednesday July 23
Start/finish: Embrun/L'Alpe-d'Huez
Distance 210.5 km
1st SASTRE Carlos
2nd SANCHEZ Samuel
3rd SCHLECK Andy
4th VALVERDE Alejandro
5th SCHLECK Frank
6th EFIMKIN Vladimir
7th EVANS Cadel
8th MENCHOV Denis
9th VANDEVELDE Christian
10th KOHL Bernhard
Mountains SCHLECK Andy
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Aggressive VELITS Peter
Teams TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Abandon CASPER Jimmy
Overall:
Yellow SASTRE Carlos
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots KOHL Bernhard
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Pool stage results:
1 Team Last Minute 72
2 Stephan Sander 70
3 Marc Boudreau 67
4 Oro Rocks! 65
4 Matthew Ellis A-Team 65
4 Team Kingsmere 65
4 Alexandra Lai 65
4 Dr. Ed 65
9 Meylina Kandoy 64
10 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 62
11 Linda Gilligan 59
11 Fee 59
13 Team Twink 57
13 Chris Holzhauer 57
15 Paul McAneney 53
15 Flip i Flap 53
17 Josée Lamirande 52
17 David Markin 52
17 Rob Grondin 52
20 Devil's Island CC 49
21 Superfan 47
21 Team mtbrkerz 47
21 Chris White 47
21 Jay "GC" Heins 47
21 Paul Skafel 47
26 Team Nestle 46
27 Tricia K (& RP) 45
27 Bob Webber 45
27 Steve Proulx 45
27 Earl Wexler 45
27 Phelan 45
32 Julie Jay 44
32 Paul McAneney Team 2 44
32 Jboys 44
32 Barnet Cycling Club 44
32 Peter Metuzals 44
32 Kiwi Mike 44
38 Paul Gagnon 42
39 Hamburglars 40
39 Ian Dewar 40
39 Deb Hine 40
39 Les Boyz 40
39 Grimpeur Kings 40
44 Bill Richardson 39
44 Biggie Flave 39
46 Conor O'Brien 38
47 Richard Swandel 37
47 Tyler Lawlor 37
49 VIPER 36
49 Mike House 36
51 Sandy Fulton 35
51 Vince Caceres 35
53 Getafix 34
53 Donneli 34
55 Sheri Jay 33
56 France in my Pants 32
57 TinaB 31
57 Jeffrey Furry 31
59 natbikes.com 30
59 Matthew Ellis B-Team 30
59 Paul Crowley 30
59 Helena Deveer 30
63 Remi Berube 27
64 Julian Hine 25
64 Gordon Dalling 25
64 Team Willow 25
64 Blaine Penny 25
68 Old Farts 24
69 Westboro Chiropractic 22
69 Richard And Catherine 22
69 Are we there yet? 22
72 Doug Corner 21
73 Luc Mahler 20
74 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 18
75 Ian Dalling 17
76 Julie Deschenes-Furry 16
77 Mhairi Gilmore 15
78 Grimpeur George 12
78 Lisa McMurray 12
80 Erich Zappe 10
80 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 10
82 K8 Scallion 5
83 Kris Westwood 2
84 Ilennod 0
Tour overall:
1 Remi Berube 518
2 Paul McAneney 473
3 Tricia K (& RP) 472
4 Steve Proulx 465
5 Bob Webber 454
6 Paul Crowley 449
7 Les Boyz 441
8 Josée Lamirande 435
9 Stephan Sander 429
10 Meylina Kandoy 425
11 Luc Mahler 420
11 Chris Holzhauer 420
13 Jay "GC" Heins 417
14 Jboys 416
14 Team Last Minute 416
16 Grimpeur George 411
16 Paul Skafel 411
18 Marc Boudreau 409
19 Peter Metuzals 408
20 Earl Wexler 407
21 Matthew Ellis A-Team 406
22 Team Twink 405
22 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 405
24 Vince Caceres 402
25 Flip i Flap 400
26 Linda Gilligan 399
27 Sandy Fulton 394
28 Grimpeur Kings 393
29 Jeffrey Furry 390
30 Oro Rocks! 384
31 Ian Dalling 382
31 Phelan 382
33 Helena Deveer 367
34 Hamburglars 365
35 Sheri Jay 360
35 Paul McAneney Team 2 360
37 Devil's Island CC 358
38 Ian Dewar 357
39 Alexandra Lai 355
40 TinaB 353
41 Kiwi Mike 352
42 Barnet Cycling Club 350
43 Donneli 349
44 Team Kingsmere 348
45 David Markin 347
46 Conor O'Brien 344
47 Blaine Penny 340
48 Lisa McMurray 339
49 Team mtbrkerz 333
49 Dr. Ed 333
51 Westboro Chiropractic 332
52 Fee 331
53 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 330
54 Paul Gagnon 328
55 Rob Grondin 327
56 Doug Corner 318
57 Deb Hine 316
58 Team Nestle 310
59 Gordon Dalling 309
60 natbikes.com 308
60 Julie Deschenes-Furry 308
62 Superfan 306
62 France in my Pants 306
64 VIPER 305
64 Team Willow 305
66 Julian Hine 298
67 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 296
68 Richard And Catherine 289
69 Chris White 277
69 Mike House 277
71 Bill Richardson 275
72 Getafix 274
73 Are we there yet? 273
74 Richard Swandel 271
75 Matthew Ellis B-Team 265
76 Tyler Lawlor 246
77 Biggie Flave 243
78 Mhairi Gilmore 217
79 Kris Westwood 194
80 Julie Jay 190
81 Erich Zappe 162
82 Old Farts 106
83 Ilennod 63
84 K8 Scallion 33
The French had a rare day to celebrate on the Tour as Cyril Dessel won a very, very tough stage to Jausiers.
Dessel benefited from being part of a big break that took off early in the stage and quickly built a lead. Stefan Schumacher attacked the break and built a five-minute lead, but the remainder of the break caught him on the final climb and a group of 10 riders started the descent together to contest the win. John-Lee Augustyn attacked first but put paid to his own chances by overshooting a curve and almost gaining an intimate knowledge of the valley below. Dessel outstprinted the survivors at the finish 24 km later.
More importantly, two riders may have seen their overall chances evaporate: Christian Vandevelde lost time on the climb and crashed on the descent, losing two-and-a-half minutes, and Denis Menchov simply wasn't able to stay with the yellow jersey group on the descent and lost half a minute. Otherwise, it's status quo for Schleck, Kohl, Evans and Sastre, who finished with the same time. The only jersey to change hands was the young rider one, which went to Andy Schleck after Vincenzo Nibali had a rough day.
In the Pool, there was a very rare name at the top of the stage standings: after seven years I have finally won a stage. I'm still 79th overall so it's probably a little too early to talk about comebacks ... Grimpeur Kings were a close second and Ilennod ruined their own chances for the Lanterne Rouge by finishing third. K8 Scallion can breathe easy, for now ...
Overall, Berube continues to dominate despite a poor showing on the stage, with Tricia K (& RP) closing the gap slightly to 64 points and, another seven points back, Paul McAneney and Steve Proulx tied for third. All is not over and we may very well see some more changes during the next few days.
Tomorrow is the stage everybody's been waiting for, finishing at l'Alpe d'Huez. Evans will be trying to limit his losses so he can win the Tour in the time trial; the others will throw everything they have at him to gain as much time as possible. Expect big crowds, big action and big ... er ... results.
Until then,
KW
Stage: 16
Description: Mountains
Date: Tuesday July 22
Start/finish: Cuneo/Jausiers
Distance 157 km
1st DESSEL Cyril
2nd CASAR Sandy
3rd ARROYO David
4th POPOVYCH Yaroslav
5th HINCAPIE George
6th PORTAL Nicolas
7th VALJAVEC Tadej
8th SCHUMACHER Stefan
9th SCHLECK Andy
10th KOHL Bernhard
Mountains AUGUSTYN John-Lee
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Aggressive SCHUMACHER Stefan
Teams CAISSE D'EPARGNE
Abandon CHICCHI Francesco
Abandon CHAVANEL Sebastien
Overall:
Yellow SCHLECK Frank
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots KOHL Bernhard
Young rider SCHLECK Andy
Pool stage results:
1 Kris Westwood 31
2 Grimpeur Kings 30
3 Ilennod 24
4 Alexandra Lai 23
5 Devil's Island CC 22
5 Conor O'Brien 22
5 Team Nestle 22
8 Tricia K (& RP) 20
8 Marc Boudreau 20
8 Bob Webber 20
8 Jboys 20
8 Steve Proulx 20
8 Earl Wexler 20
8 Team Twink 20
8 Stephan Sander 20
8 Phelan 20
8 Team Last Minute 20
8 Rob Grondin 20
19 Les Boyz 19
20 Mike House 17
21 Vince Caceres 16
22 Superfan 15
22 Hamburglars 15
22 Ian Dewar 15
22 Barnet Cycling Club 15
22 Oro Rocks! 15
22 Matthew Ellis A-Team 15
22 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 15
22 Team Kingsmere 15
22 Jay "GC" Heins 15
22 Dr. Ed 15
22 Biggie Flave 15
33 Paul McAneney 14
33 Luc Mahler 14
33 Flip i Flap 14
33 Jeffrey Furry 14
37 Sandy Fulton 13
37 TinaB 13
37 Erich Zappe 13
37 Team mtbrkerz 13
37 Fee 13
37 Chris Holzhauer 13
43 Josée Lamirande 12
43 Meylina Kandoy 12
43 Paul Crowley 12
43 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 12
43 Remi Berube 12
48 Sheri Jay 11
48 natbikes.com 11
48 David Markin 11
51 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 10
52 Julie Jay 8
52 Ian Dalling 8
52 Richard And Catherine 8
52 France in my Pants 8
52 Matthew Ellis B-Team 8
57 Julian Hine 7
57 Bill Richardson 7
57 Paul McAneney Team 2 7
57 Gordon Dalling 7
57 VIPER 7
57 Linda Gilligan 7
57 Westboro Chiropractic 7
57 Peter Metuzals 7
57 Deb Hine 7
57 Are we there yet? 7
57 Julie Deschenes-Furry 7
57 Chris White 7
57 Team Willow 7
57 Paul Skafel 7
57 Doug Corner 7
57 Blaine Penny 7
57 Kiwi Mike 7
74 Richard Swandel 6
74 Old Farts 6
76 Paul Gagnon 5
76 Getafix 5
78 Tyler Lawlor 4
79 Grimpeur George 3
80 K8 Scallion 0
80 Donneli 0
80 Lisa McMurray 0
80 Helena Deveer 0
80 Mhairi Gilmore 0
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 491
2 Tricia K (& RP) 427
3 Paul McAneney 420
3 Steve Proulx 420
5 Paul Crowley 419
6 Bob Webber 409
7 Les Boyz 401
8 Luc Mahler 400
9 Grimpeur George 399
10 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 395
11 Josée Lamirande 383
12 Jboys 372
13 Jay "GC" Heins 370
14 Vince Caceres 367
15 Ian Dalling 365
16 Peter Metuzals 364
16 Paul Skafel 364
18 Chris Holzhauer 363
19 Earl Wexler 362
20 Meylina Kandoy 361
21 Sandy Fulton 359
21 Stephan Sander 359
21 Jeffrey Furry 359
24 Grimpeur Kings 353
25 Team Twink 348
26 Flip i Flap 347
27 Team Last Minute 344
28 Marc Boudreau 342
29 Matthew Ellis A-Team 341
30 Linda Gilligan 340
31 Phelan 337
31 Helena Deveer 337
33 Sheri Jay 327
33 Lisa McMurray 327
35 Hamburglars 325
36 TinaB 322
37 Oro Rocks! 319
38 Ian Dewar 317
39 Paul McAneney Team 2 316
40 Donneli 315
40 Blaine Penny 315
42 Westboro Chiropractic 310
43 Devil's Island CC 309
44 Kiwi Mike 308
45 Conor O'Brien 306
45 Barnet Cycling Club 306
47 Doug Corner 297
48 David Markin 295
49 Julie Deschenes-Furry 292
50 Alexandra Lai 290
51 Paul Gagnon 286
51 Team mtbrkerz 286
53 Gordon Dalling 284
54 Team Kingsmere 283
55 Team Willow 280
56 natbikes.com 278
56 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 278
58 Deb Hine 276
59 Rob Grondin 275
60 France in my Pants 274
61 Julian Hine 273
62 Fee 272
63 VIPER 269
64 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 268
64 Dr. Ed 268
66 Richard And Catherine 267
67 Team Nestle 264
68 Superfan 259
69 Are we there yet? 251
70 Mike House 241
71 Getafix 240
72 Bill Richardson 236
73 Matthew Ellis B-Team 235
74 Richard Swandel 234
75 Chris White 230
76 Tyler Lawlor 209
77 Biggie Flave 204
78 Mhairi Gilmore 202
79 Kris Westwood 192
80 Erich Zappe 152
81 Julie Jay 146
82 Old Farts 82
83 Ilennod 63
84 K8 Scallion 28
What a difference a day makes.
A day ago, Cadel Evans was wearing the yellow jersey. A day ago, Oscar Pereiro still hoped to salvage a good GC result from this Tour. A day ago, Mark Cavendish was still in with a hope for the green jersey. A day ago, Simon Gerrans was having an unremarkable Tour. And a day ago, Grimpeur George was still a contender.
Today, Cadel Evans has slipped to third and Frank Schleck now wears yellow. Oscar Pereiro is lying in a hospital bed with a broken femur. Mark Cavendish, exhausted, is on his way home, while Simon Gerrans will forever savour his stage victory at Prato Nevoso. And Grimpeur George? He now sits an anonymous sixth overall, 83 points behind the leader of the Pool.
The crash-marred 15th stage certainly threw up its share of surprises, the scariest of which was Pereiro's crash over a guardrail onto the road below. But the drama was all reserved for the yellow jersey group on the final climb. While Gerrans scored his first Tour stage win, it was a full-on battle for the overall lead in the yellow jersey group, and Evans cracked ever so slightly in the last kilometre to cede 47 seconds to Bernhard Kohl and nine seconds to Schleck.
Evans now sits third overall, eight seconds behind Schleck and one second behind the new polka-dot jersey wearer, Kohl. The top six on GC are now separated by just 49 seconds and nobody looks like an obvious choice for the overall win. All is not lost for Evans, who can look forward to CSC carrying the burden of controlling the race, and if he can limit his losses until the time trial then he stands a good chance. But there are plenty of mountains between now and then.
Meanwhile, in the Pool, Remi Berube continues to dominate. His massive lead over a gaggle of chasers looks unassailable for the time being, but there have been plenty of surprises in the Tour so far and, no doubt, more to come.
It was a strange stage result in the Pool, with Paul McAneney and Flip i Flap tied for the win and Meylina Kandoy, Stephan Sander, Fee and Les Boys all tied for third. More remarkable was how poorly the top entrants did: Berube was 39th, and Grimpeur George was 82nd. Interestingly, Paul McAneney may be manoeuvering himself into contention in the mountain stages ...
The riders will enjoy a welcome rest day tomorrow, followed by two more tough days in the mountains. By the time they struggle into the mountain top finish at l'Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday things should be a lot clearer ...
Until then,
KW
Stage: 15
Description: Mountains
Date: Sunday July 20
Start/finish: Embrun/Prato Nevoso
Distance 183 km
1st GERRANS Simon
2nd MARTINEZ Egoi
3rd PATE Danny
4th ARRIETA Jose Luis
5th KOHL Bernhard
6th SASTRE Carlos
7th VALVERDE Alejandro
8th MENCHOV Denis
9th SCHLECK Frank
10th VANDEVELDE Christian
Mountains MARTINEZ Egoi
Young rider KREUZIGER Roman
Aggressive MARTINEZ Egoi
Teams EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
Abandon DEVOLDER Stijn
Abandon RENSHAW Mark
Abandon PEREIRO SIO Oscar
Abandon CAVENDISH Mark
Overall:
Yellow SCHLECK Frank
Team TEAM CSC SAXO BANK
Green FREIRE Oscar
Polka dots KOHL Bernhard
Young rider NIBALI Vincenzo
Pool stage results:
1 Paul McAneney 28
1 Flip i Flap 28
3 Meylina Kandoy 24
3 Stephan Sander 24
3 Fee 24
3 Les Boyz 24
7 Devil's Island CC 23
8 Team Last Minute 20
9 Josée Lamirande 19
9 Oro Rocks! 19
9 Team Kingsmere 19
9 Team mtbrkerz 19
9 Chris White 19
9 Alexandra Lai 19
9 Dr. Ed 19
16 Jeffrey Furry 18
17 Paul Gagnon 17
18 Paul McAneney Team 2 16
18 Marc Boudreau 16
18 Conor O'Brien 16
18 Earl Wexler 16
18 Team Twink 16
18 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 16
24 Team Nestle 15
24 Rob Grondin 15
26 Superfan 14
26 Julian Hine 14
26 Jboys 14
26 Linda Gilligan 14
26 Matthew Ellis A-Team 14
26 Paul Crowley 14
26 Jay "GC" Heins 14
26 Paul Skafel 14
26 Biggie Flave 14
26 Blaine Penny 14
36 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 13
37 Deb Hine 12
37 Mike House 12
39 Tricia K (& RP) 11
39 Ian Dewar 11
39 Steve Proulx 11
39 Barnet Cycling Club 11
39 Peter Metuzals 11
39 Are we there yet? 11
39 Phelan 11
39 Luc Mahler 11
39 Doug Corner 11
39 Kiwi Mike 11
39 Remi Berube 11
50 Richard Swandel 10
50 Bill Richardson 10
50 Gordon Dalling 10
50 Team Willow 10
54 Sandy Fulton 9
54 TinaB 9
54 David Markin 9
54 Donneli 9
54 Chris Holzhauer 9
59 Julie Deschenes-Furry 8
60 VIPER 7
60 Erich Zappe 7
60 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 7
60 Mhairi Gilmore 7
60 Tyler Lawlor 7
65 Hamburglars 6
65 Bob Webber 6
65 Westboro Chiropractic 6
65 Grimpeur Kings 6
65 Old Farts 6
70 Julie Jay 5
70 Ian Dalling 5
70 France in my Pants 5
70 Helena Deveer 5
74 Vince Caceres 4
75 Getafix 3
75 Ilennod 3
77 Sheri Jay 2
78 Kris Westwood 1
79 natbikes.com -1
80 K8 Scallion -5
80 Richard And Catherine -5
82 Grimpeur George -6
82 Matthew Ellis B-Team -6
82 Lisa McMurray -6
Pool overall:
1 Remi Berube 479
2 Tricia K (& RP) 407
2 Paul Crowley 407
4 Paul McAneney 406
5 Steve Proulx 400
6 Grimpeur George 396
7 Bob Webber 389
8 Luc Mahler 386
9 Jay "Green Jersey" Heins 383
10 Les Boyz 382
11 Josée Lamirande 371
12 Ian Dalling 357
12 Peter Metuzals 357
12 Paul Skafel 357
15 Jay "GC" Heins 355
16 Jboys 352
17 Vince Caceres 351
18 Chris Holzhauer 350
19 Meylina Kandoy 349
20 Sandy Fulton 346
21 Jeffrey Furry 345
22 Earl Wexler 342
23 Stephan Sander 339
24 Helena Deveer 337
25 Linda Gilligan 333
25 Flip i Flap 333
27 Team Twink 328
28 Lisa McMurray 327
29 Matthew Ellis A-Team 326
30 Team Last Minute 324
31 Grimpeur Kings 323
32 Marc Boudreau 322
33 Phelan 317
34 Sheri Jay 316
35 Donneli 315
36 Hamburglars 310
37 Paul McAneney Team 2 309
37 TinaB 309
39 Blaine Penny 308
40 Oro Rocks! 304
41 Westboro Chiropractic 303
42 Ian Dewar 302
43 Kiwi Mike 301
44 Barnet Cycling Club 291
45 Doug Corner 290
46 Devil's Island CC 287
47 Julie Deschenes-Furry 285
48 David Markin 284
48 Conor O'Brien 284
50 Paul Gagnon 281
51 Gordon Dalling 277
52 Team mtbrkerz 273
52 Team Willow 273
54 Deb Hine 269
55 Team Kingsmere 268
55 Bat of Alpe d'Huez 268
57 natbikes.com 267
57 Alexandra Lai 267
59 Julian Hine 266
59 France in my Pants 266
61 VIPER 262
62 Richard And Catherine 259
62 Fee 259
64 Rob Grondin 255
65 Sebastian Robillard-Cardinal 253
65 Dr. Ed 253
67 Superfan 244
67 Are we there yet? 244
69 Team Nestle 242
70 Getafix 235
71 Bill Richardson 229
72 Richard Swandel 228
73 Matthew Ellis B-Team 227
74 Mike House 224
75 Chris White 223
76 Tyler Lawlor 205
77 Mhairi Gilmore 202
78 Biggie Flave 189
79 Kris Westwood 161
80 Erich Zappe 139
81 Julie Jay 138
82 Old Farts 76
83 Ilennod 39
84 K8 Scallion 28