Chris Froome takes the stage and climbers’ jersey after a masterful ride today
Nicolas Roche has fared very well in the first big climbing test of this year’s Tour de France, only being tailed by a small select group close to the top of today’s summit finish before battling to 11th. He now finds himself inside the top ten overall, occupying eight place.
His compatriot Dan Martin found things a little tougher today on the road up to the finish at the top of the cat 1 La Planche des Belles Filles at the end of a very tough 199km stage. Like Roche however, Martin remained composed and pounded up the final sections of the very steep finishing slopes to take 17th on the stage, 1:39 behind winner Chris Froome of Team Sky.
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The most interesting aspect of today’s stage for Vuelta stage winner and Tour debutant Martin was the fact that his team rode for him; with his Garmin-Sharp’s two big hopes for GC out of the race. Tom Danielson abandoned on the road yesterday after a day of crash carnage while Giro winner Ryder Hesjedal did not start today. The big Canadian came down hard yesterday and while he limped to the finish, his Tour is now over.
Roche climbed extremely well today and towards the end was in the lead group as it whittled down on the final ascent to just 10 or 12 riders, including GC big guns such as defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC), Bradley Wiggins and Froome (both Team Sky) and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas Cannondale).
It was only some Trojan pulling by Team Sky on the front – first by Tasmanian talent Richie Porte and then by eventual stage winner Froome – that put Roche in the red and forced him to slip off the back of the lead group.
When he did finally get distanced, it looked as if he may have cracked completely, with his head slumping a little as the riders in front of him rode away. However, to his immense credit he showed some trademark grit by giving it everything in the final couple of kilometres. In doing so he limited his losses really well and was not passed by any of his GC rivals who had been dropped before him.
His reward on the day, 11th place, was a modest one. However, much more significant is his elevation into the top ten on GC. It follows what was a good prologue for him last Saturday, then a week where he did very well to avoid some significant crashes and a first mountain stage today in which he answered the onslaught thrown at him by everybody but a handful of the race’s biggest names.
He said afterwards he was “satisfied” with the result.
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Martin would have liked to have gone up the final ascent more fluidly today. His team chased down the early breakaway heading into that final climb, clearly intent on setting up the young Irishman as best they could for a stage result. And while he looked comfortable at first, he was found wanting when the fireworks really began to go off on the final climb.
However, with two weeks of racing remaining and now relieved of team duties – as well as finding himself well down on GC – Martin is now very well placed to do something in this Tour when he finds his top climbing legs, as seems inevitable.
The GC battle now sees Wiggins in yellow, with Evans second and Nibali third; the likely podium in Paris in two weeks, although not necessarily in that order. Froome looked the strongest today, riding on the front for Wiggins up the final part of the climb. And then when Evans attacked on the last really steep section inside 500 metres to go, Froome simply increased his effort and blew them away, with Evans and Wiggins clearly straining behind his power, although both just four seconds back on the line.
Evans, like the new yellow jersey Wiggins, looked good today. But Froome seemed to have an extra level and cannot be completely discounted for yellow, despite his time loss of well over a minute after a puncture during the first week.
Stage Result
1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 4:58:35
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:02
3 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:07
5 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:19
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:44
7 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:00:46
8 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
9 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:50
10 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:56
11 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:06
12 Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:09
13 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:01:14
14 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:01:24
15 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
16 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:01:31
17 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp 0:01:39
18 Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
19 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:44
20 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:52
General Classification
1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 34:21:20
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:10
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:16
4 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:32
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:54
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:59
7 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:09
8 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:22
9 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:01:32
10 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:01:40
11 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:43
12 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:02:02
13 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:02:11
14 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:02:22
15 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:02:25
16 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 0:02:29
17 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team 0:03:04
18 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:03:09
19 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan 0:03:13
20 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
86 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp 0:20:18
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