CyclingRevealed's First Impressions '08
Stage 6 - (Thursday) July 10th, Aigurande to Super Besse, 195.5 km Rolling Stage
Bring Out the Climbing Legs
The chunky roads of Brittany are now replaced by the more challenging ascents of the unforgiving Massif Central region of France. Two Category 4's and two Category 2's are not at the Pyrenean or Alpine levels but they were enough to shed the non-climbers and split the peloton asunder. The finish at the Super-Bessse ski station raises 11kms with 12 percent pitches towards the top. This one has Valverde written all over it.
The final climb to Super-Besse: tough or not tough? [ Image ©:
www.cestsuperbesse.fr
]
Stage 6 talk in the media indicated the climb to Super-Besse was not that tough. In 1996 sprinter Djamolidine Abdoujaparov finished in the lead group. So how hard can it be? The first 7.4 km averages 5.7%, the final 1.5km has a max of 12% at 10% average gradient. With the Yellow Jersey on the line the speed will be higher than 12 years ago and sprinters will be put into difficultly.
Images Courtesy of www.letour.fr
Medical Report
The pace of the peloton was extremely fast once the starter's flag dropped for stage 6. Riding at the back of the peloton was Alessandro Valverde showing the bandages from wounds suffered in his stage 5 crash. His injuries are minor but it may take 2 or 3 days to fully recover.
Saunier Duval rider Aurilien Passeron, who collided with a woman spectator on stage 5, has succumbed to his injuries and abandoned the Tour.
Timely Attack
Climbing leader Thomas Voeckler tried to escape from kilometer -0-, the peloton closed him down quickly. The fast paced attacks and counter-attacks led to the ‘ Breakaway du Jour '. Original counter-attacker Sylvain Chavanel used his timely escape to form a three rider (all French… again) breakaway.
The early breakaway (L to R) Chavanel, Bichot, and Vaugrenard [ Image ©: www.gazzetta.it/AFP ]
Chavanel, second in the Polka Dot Jersey classification, put the pressure on Thomas Voeckler's climbing lead. On the first two climbs, the Cote de L'Armelle and the Côte de Crocq Chavanel took both first places and added the 6 points. He now trailed Voeckler by 2 points.
The lead of the breakaway reached a max of 5'10”, but began to fall as the breakaway cleared the Côte de Crocq with 106 km remaining. The tempo setting of Gerolsteiner was followed closely by Silence-Lotto team.
Chasing Back to the Pack
Under the rain of a dark cloud Cadel Evans went to the team car with a mechanical problem. During his chase back to the pack the vehicles impeded his progress and made the re-connection more difficult. Feeling the stresses of the day Evans angrily gestured to a gendarme on his motorcycle.
KoM Challenge
The category 2 Col de la Croix-Morand is t he third climb of stage 6 and comes 38.5 km from the finish. It is eight kilometers long and has an average gradient of 5.2 percent. The points awarded at the summit are 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5 for the first six riders across the line.
The breakaway maintained a 1'53” lead at the bottom of the Croix-Morand. Chavanel need a good effort to win the climb and take the lead in the Polka Dot Jersey classification. An acceleration in the pack caused stage 5 winner Mark Cavendish to join the ‘ auto-bus ' early.
Chavanel took top points over the summit, achieving his goal, but from the chasing peloton Voeckler shot off the front to finish third on the climb. Voeckler and Chavanel were now tied on points. The final climb to Super-Besse took on additional meaning.
All 4 Jersey's Up for Grabs
The anticipated battle for the Yellow Jersey will take place, but all the jersey classifications are so close the drama of the stage has heightened.
Approaching the final climb Caisse d'Epargne set a brutal pace in the elite lead group. At the bottom of the climb with 11 km to go the chase group caught the final breakaway rider Agritubel's Freddy Bichot.
The fireworks were started by AG2R's Vladimir Efimkin. The move was quickly answer by David Moncoutie as the contenders watched each other. The first contender to attack was Christian Vander Velde. He was joined by Leonardo Piepoli and the Caisse d'Epargne led chase didn't react.
Under the 2 km banner Caisse d'Epargne brought back the breakaway. The elites of the race drove the pace under the 1 km to go flag. As the climb steepened Oscar Periero led out Valverde with Riccardo Ricco and Evans on his wheel. Trying to answer the move Stefan Schumacher hit the rear wheel of Kim Kirchen and crashed.
Yellow Jersey crash in the final 350 meters [ Image ©: www.gazzetta.it/AFP ]
Ricco jumped past Valverde to take the stage win. For the young Saunier Duval rider it was his first Tour stage win.
Stage winner Riccardo Ricco [ Image ©: www.gazzetta.it/AFP ]
With no ‘3 km rule' for the mountain top finish Schumacher lost 32 seconds and surrendered the Yellow Jersey to Kim Kirchen.
The tie breaker for the Polka Dot Jersey went to Sylvain Chavanel.
Thomas Lovkvist dug deep and was the only jersey leader to hold his lead.
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