- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Standings After Stage 13
General Classification:
1. Damiano Cunego
2. Rory Sutherland +9"
3. Alberto Contador +20”
4. Bradley Wiggins +53"
5. Cadel Evans +1'13”
6. Robert Gesink +1’14"
7. Denis Menchov +1'20”
8. Andreas Kloden +1'49”
9. Kevin De Weert +1'57"
10. Samuel Sanchez +2'01”
11. Tony Martin +2'25”
12. Tom Danielson +2’25”
13. Andy Schleck +2’28”
14. Alexander Vinokourov +2'31”
15. Vincenzo Nibali +2'36"
16. Dries Devynyns +2'42"
17. Jurgen Van den Broeck +2’42"
18. Rigoberto Uran +2'46"
20. Chris Horner +2'57"
21. Ryder Hesjedal +2'57"
23. Peter Velits +3'05"
24. Levi Leipheimer +3’09”
25. Carlos Sastre +3'12"
27. Jakob Fuglsang +3'15"
28. Igor Anton +3’18”
30. Tejay Van Garderen +3’22"
32. Jose Rujano +3'27"
33. Alejandro Valverde +3’29”
34. Thomas De Gendt +3'32"
40. Frank Schleck +3’44”
42. Janez Brajkovic +3'50”
45. Ivan Basso +4’04”
50. Michele Scarponi +4'30"
52. Rein Taaramae +4'37"
53. Nicolas Roche +4'52"
80. Joaquim Rodriguez +7’37"
Top 15 Points Classification:
1. Mark Cavendish 277 pts
2. Peter Sagan 231
3. Daniele Bennati 213
4. Tom Boonen 191
5. Tyler Farrar 128
6. Jose Joaquin Rojas 109
7. Fabian Cancellara 107
8. Alessandro Petacchi 96
9. Allan Davis 90
10. Philippe Gilbert 88
11. Andre Greipel 84
12. Oscar Friere 78
13. Robbie McEwen 73
14. Damiano Cunego 61
15. Alberto Contador 51
Top 15 KOM:
1. Alberto Contador 22 pts
2. Thomas De Gendt 20
3. Igor Anton 20
4. David Moncoutie 18
5. Andy Schleck 12
6. Samuel Sanchez 8
7. Kevin De Weert 8
8. Fabio Duarte 6
9. Xabier Zandio 6
10. Matteo Bono 6
11. Rui Costa 5
12. Damiano Cunego 4
13. Robert Gesink 4
14. Richie Porte 4
15. Geraint Thomas 3
Young Riders:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Rigoberto Uran +1'32"
3. Tejay Van Garderen +2'08"
General Classification:
1. Damiano Cunego
2. Rory Sutherland +9"
3. Alberto Contador +20”
4. Bradley Wiggins +53"
5. Cadel Evans +1'13”
6. Robert Gesink +1’14"
7. Denis Menchov +1'20”
8. Andreas Kloden +1'49”
9. Kevin De Weert +1'57"
10. Samuel Sanchez +2'01”
11. Tony Martin +2'25”
12. Tom Danielson +2’25”
13. Andy Schleck +2’28”
14. Alexander Vinokourov +2'31”
15. Vincenzo Nibali +2'36"
16. Dries Devynyns +2'42"
17. Jurgen Van den Broeck +2’42"
18. Rigoberto Uran +2'46"
20. Chris Horner +2'57"
21. Ryder Hesjedal +2'57"
23. Peter Velits +3'05"
24. Levi Leipheimer +3’09”
25. Carlos Sastre +3'12"
27. Jakob Fuglsang +3'15"
28. Igor Anton +3’18”
30. Tejay Van Garderen +3’22"
32. Jose Rujano +3'27"
33. Alejandro Valverde +3’29”
34. Thomas De Gendt +3'32"
40. Frank Schleck +3’44”
42. Janez Brajkovic +3'50”
45. Ivan Basso +4’04”
50. Michele Scarponi +4'30"
52. Rein Taaramae +4'37"
53. Nicolas Roche +4'52"
80. Joaquim Rodriguez +7’37"
Top 15 Points Classification:
1. Mark Cavendish 277 pts
2. Peter Sagan 231
3. Daniele Bennati 213
4. Tom Boonen 191
5. Tyler Farrar 128
6. Jose Joaquin Rojas 109
7. Fabian Cancellara 107
8. Alessandro Petacchi 96
9. Allan Davis 90
10. Philippe Gilbert 88
11. Andre Greipel 84
12. Oscar Friere 78
13. Robbie McEwen 73
14. Damiano Cunego 61
15. Alberto Contador 51
Top 15 KOM:
1. Alberto Contador 22 pts
2. Thomas De Gendt 20
3. Igor Anton 20
4. David Moncoutie 18
5. Andy Schleck 12
6. Samuel Sanchez 8
7. Kevin De Weert 8
8. Fabio Duarte 6
9. Xabier Zandio 6
10. Matteo Bono 6
11. Rui Costa 5
12. Damiano Cunego 4
13. Robert Gesink 4
14. Richie Porte 4
15. Geraint Thomas 3
Young Riders:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Rigoberto Uran +1'32"
3. Tejay Van Garderen +2'08"
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Stage 14 Preview
Once again, The Tour of America is taking a cue from another professional race in the U.S., and this time we're taking an actual stage as well!! The U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge is one of the best races in the United States, so good in fact that one of the stage routes was almost directly copied for the Tour of America!!
(This is essentially Stage 2 of Colorado; the route I originally had went over some ridiculous MTB roads!)
Stage 14 goes up into the high mountains, over two really tough passes at HIGH elevation. The riders will start from Almont, Colorado and will head east towards the first climb of the day, Cottonwood Pass. Cottonwood is a real beautiful climb, with lots of switchbacks and great scenery. The gradients aren't too severe, averaging around 5-6%, but put it at elevation, and it'll really hurt. One special aspect of Cottonwood is that the road isn't paved!! It's a dirt road, which, although in very good condition, will provide an extra test for the riders.
Once the riders descend down the east side of Cottonwood, they'll make their way towards the 2nd climb of the day, Independence Pass. Independence Pass is another tough climb up at high elevations, but the riders might be a little fortunate, as they are probably climbing the easier side. That said, they will still feel the pain, as you can add 5-6% to the real gradients, and that is what the riders will feel as they go, due to the elevations. The summit of the climb is after a few switchbacks, and is completely above the treeline, and if there are winds, they might batter the riders.
Once the riders reach the summit, it's a descent down to ski city of Aspen. The descent MIGHT help a few riders catch back up after the climb, but we fully expect some large time gaps. And if the riders CAN survive this day, they'll be thrilled to know that 3 more dastardly mountain stages await them.
Damiano Cunego has defended his Yellow Jersey well, but with just a 20 second gap to Alberto Contador, can he hold on for another day. Cadel Evans, Robert Gesink, Samuel Sanchez, Denis Menchov, and Andy Schleck are all lurking just behind. Can they use this stage to gain time on Contador and Cunego? It should be a great day of racing.
(I once again apologize for stealing the Colorado route, but if you saw what I originally had for this stage, you'd see why!)
Cottonwood Pass:
Independence Pass:
Once again, The Tour of America is taking a cue from another professional race in the U.S., and this time we're taking an actual stage as well!! The U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge is one of the best races in the United States, so good in fact that one of the stage routes was almost directly copied for the Tour of America!!
(This is essentially Stage 2 of Colorado; the route I originally had went over some ridiculous MTB roads!)
Stage 14 goes up into the high mountains, over two really tough passes at HIGH elevation. The riders will start from Almont, Colorado and will head east towards the first climb of the day, Cottonwood Pass. Cottonwood is a real beautiful climb, with lots of switchbacks and great scenery. The gradients aren't too severe, averaging around 5-6%, but put it at elevation, and it'll really hurt. One special aspect of Cottonwood is that the road isn't paved!! It's a dirt road, which, although in very good condition, will provide an extra test for the riders.
Once the riders descend down the east side of Cottonwood, they'll make their way towards the 2nd climb of the day, Independence Pass. Independence Pass is another tough climb up at high elevations, but the riders might be a little fortunate, as they are probably climbing the easier side. That said, they will still feel the pain, as you can add 5-6% to the real gradients, and that is what the riders will feel as they go, due to the elevations. The summit of the climb is after a few switchbacks, and is completely above the treeline, and if there are winds, they might batter the riders.
Once the riders reach the summit, it's a descent down to ski city of Aspen. The descent MIGHT help a few riders catch back up after the climb, but we fully expect some large time gaps. And if the riders CAN survive this day, they'll be thrilled to know that 3 more dastardly mountain stages await them.
Damiano Cunego has defended his Yellow Jersey well, but with just a 20 second gap to Alberto Contador, can he hold on for another day. Cadel Evans, Robert Gesink, Samuel Sanchez, Denis Menchov, and Andy Schleck are all lurking just behind. Can they use this stage to gain time on Contador and Cunego? It should be a great day of racing.
(I once again apologize for stealing the Colorado route, but if you saw what I originally had for this stage, you'd see why!)
Cottonwood Pass:
Independence Pass:
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Stage 14 Report
July 14th, Stage 14: Almont - Aspen, 194.27 kms
Sanchez Solos to Stage Victory
Contador Races into Yellow After Wild Descent
After Stage 13's breakaway win, the top climbers came out to play on Stage 14, and Samuel Sanchez emerged victorious. The Olympic Champion stayed with the furious attacks made by Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, and jumped away from the pair on the descent to claim a brilliant stage win. Schleck and Contador would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively, 29 seconds ahead of the next group containingTom Danielson, Denis Menchov, and Vincenzo Nibali. This time, however, Contador was rewarded with the race lead, as Damiano Cunego could not close Contador down on the descent. Contador now leads over Cunego by 34 seconds after the bonus seconds he gained, with Sanchez in 3rd.
The attacks up Independence Pass started early, as Frank Schleck jumped to gauge the abilities of his fellow climbers. He was quickly brought back by Ivan Basso, who seemed to be working for his teammate Vincenzo Nibali. Next Robert Gesink went, and as he had a high position in the standings, Michele Scarponi shut him down for his teammate Cunego. With 7 kilometers left on the climb, Stage 8 winner Igor Anton went to the front, working for his teammate Sanchez. Anton's pace, coupled with the high elevations, became a little too much for Cunego, as the race leader was forced to the back of the favorites group with 5 kilometers left to climb. Contador, seeing this, launched his big attack, intent on getting himself onto the podium at the end of the stage. As always, Andy Schleck was right on his wheel, seeing his opportunity to climb up the overall standings again. Contador and Schleck were only joined by Sanchez, and the three worked together all the way up the climb, Contador taking the points at the top to extend his lead in the KOM classification. Gesink, Menchov, Danielson, and Cadel Evans quickly formed a small chasing group, and by the summit were only 30 seconds behind Contador's group.
Cunego, however, was struggling on the climb. He, Nibali, and 3rd overall Bradley Wiggins were caught out by Contador's acceleration. Nibali and Wiggins worked with Andreas Kloden and Jurgen Van Den Broeck, but Cunego struggled to muster enough energy to help in the pace making. Still, the group, which also contained Peter Velits and Chris Horner reached the summit just 20 seconds behind Gesink's group, and 50 seconds behind Contador's group. That was enough to be the 6 time grand tour champion in the virtual race lead, so Cunego's only hope to keep yellow was a fast descent.
There had been much debate on who was the fastest descender in the professional peloton, and among the top climbers, two names stood out - Samuel Sanchez and Vincenzo Nibali. As it happens, these two were matched up on Stage 14 - Sanchez leading Contador and Schleck down towards Aspen, and Nibali leading Cunego's group down the climb. Sanchez looked to have the slight upper hand, as with 10 kilometers to go the gap between the groups was 1:10, with Gesink's group in between. At this point however, Sanchez created a gap on Andy Schleck, and he got away from Schleck and Contador. With Sanchez no longer with Contador and Schleck, Nibali began to eat into the time of the two, bringing Cunego back within 1:00 of Contador. However, Nibali was going so fast, that he got away from Cunego's group and by the finish, he had caught up with the group of Gesink and Menchov. Sanchez went ahead alone to claim a fine stage win, and by the end of the stage, Sanchez had beaten Nibali by a mere 6 seconds. The real battle, however, was between Contador and Cunego, though once Sanchez and Nibali left their respective groups, the 1:00 gap between them held steady, Cunego eventually losing 56 seconds to Contador at the finish. It was enough, however, to slide the Yellow Jersey off of Cunego, ending the reign of Cunego after a week and a half in yellow.
The build up to the final climb was good as well. Christian Vande Velde and David Moncoutie led a 7 man breakaway up the first climb of the Cottonwood Pass, with Moncoutie taking the points at the top in his hunt for the KOM jersey. Vande Velde (GAR), Moncoutie (COF), Jelle Vanendert (OLO), Marcel Wyss (GEO), Pavel Brutt (KAT), Charles Wegelius (UHC), and Yaroslav Popovych (RSH) got away from the peloton on the dirt road of the Cottonwood Pass, and maintained a healthy lead over the main pack. However, Leopard Trek and Saxo Bank Sungard were in hot pursuit in between the two climbs, and the last survivorsVande Velde and Wyss were caught fairly early up the climb. Vande Velde did stay with his teammates Danielson and Ryder Hesjedal, helping them, and Danielson rewarded his efforts with a 4th place finish on the stage.
With the intermediate sprint point after the Cottonwood Pass, the majority of the sprinters were unable to contest the sprint. Peter Sagan, however, was able to stay with the peloton, and he easily took 8th place behind the breakaway to creep close to Mark Cavendish. Cavendish still maintains a decent lead in the Green Jersey competition, and he and his fellow sprinters spent the rest of the day chasing the time cut, and the autobus was able to finish easily inside the time cut of 45 minutes, although tomorrow's stage might pose a tougher challenge.
Alberto Contador was happy to gain the race lead, and after the stage he spoke about it. "I have been attacking throughout the race, trying to gain seconds wherever I can. My team did well to isolate Cunego, and then when Anton went to work for Sanchez, I saw Cunego go to the back, and so I attacked. It was no surprise to see Andy and Sammy with me, as they have consistently been strong, and we worked very well together on the climb and didn't attack each other. Sanchez eventually got away towards the end, but I was unconcerned about the stage win. All I wanted was yellow, and now I have to work hard to defend it in the coming days, and tomorrow will be a tough test, as I hear the climb is very tough."
Top 30 on Stage 14:
1. Samuel Sanchez (20 Bonus Seconds)
2. Andy Schleck +17" (12 Bonus Seconds)
3. Alberto Contador (8 Bonus Seconds)
4. Tom Danielson +56"
5. Denis Menchov
6. Vincenzo Nibali
7. Robert Gesink
8. Cadel Evans
9. Damiano Cunego +1'13"
10. Andreas Kloden
11. Peter Velits
12. Bradley Wiggins
13. Jurgen Van Den Broeck
14. Chris Horner
15. Alexander Vinokourov +1'34"
16. Frank Schleck
17. Joaquim Rodriguez +1'37"
18. Ryder Hesjedal
19. Levi Leipheimer
20. Rigoberto Uran
20. Rory Sutherland +1'58"
21. Alejandro Valverde
22. Dries Devynyns
23. Janez Brajkovic +2'06"
24. Christian Vande Velde
25. Tony Martin
26. Ivan Basso +2'16"
27. Carlos Sastre
28. Rein Taaramae
29. Igor Anton
30. Tejay Van Garderen +2'58"
Points Earned at Finish:
1. Samuel Sanchez 20 pts
2. Andy Schleck 17
3. Alberto Contador 15
4. Tom Danielson 13
5. Denis Menchov 11
6. Vincenzo Nibali 10
7. Robert Gesink 9
8. Cadel Evans 8
9. Damiano Cunego 7
10. Andreas Kloden 6
11. Peter Velits 5
12. Bradley Wiggins 4
13. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 3
14. Chris Horner 2
15. Alexander Vinokourov 1
Top 15 Intermediate Sprint:
1. Pavel Brutt 20 pts
2. Marcel Wyss 17
3. Charles Wegelius 15
4. Christian Vande Velde 13
5. Yaroslav Popovych 11
6. David Moncoutie 10
7. Jelle Vanendert 9
8. Peter Sagan 8
9. Philippe Gilbert 7
10. Francisco Jose Ventoso 6
11. Peter Velits 5
12. Thomas De Gendt 4
13. Cadel Evans 3
14. Damiano Cunego 2
15. Bernhard Eisel 1
Cottonwood Pass, HC Climb:
1. David Moncoutie 20 pts
2. Christian Vande Velde 16
3. Jelle Vanendert 12
4. Marcel Wyss 8
5. Charles Wegelius 4
6. Pavel Brutt 2
Independence Pass, HC Climb:
1. Alberto Contador 20 pts
2. Samuel Sanchez 16
3. Andy Schleck 12
4. Robert Gesink 8
5. Denis Menchov 4
6. Tom Danielson 2
Most Aggressive Rider:
Christian Vande Velde
Top 5 GC:
1. Alberto Contador
2. Damiano Cunego +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +1'02”
4. Bradley Wiggins +1'27"
5. Rory Sutherland +1'28"
July 14th, Stage 14: Almont - Aspen, 194.27 kms
Sanchez Solos to Stage Victory
Contador Races into Yellow After Wild Descent
After Stage 13's breakaway win, the top climbers came out to play on Stage 14, and Samuel Sanchez emerged victorious. The Olympic Champion stayed with the furious attacks made by Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck, and jumped away from the pair on the descent to claim a brilliant stage win. Schleck and Contador would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively, 29 seconds ahead of the next group containingTom Danielson, Denis Menchov, and Vincenzo Nibali. This time, however, Contador was rewarded with the race lead, as Damiano Cunego could not close Contador down on the descent. Contador now leads over Cunego by 34 seconds after the bonus seconds he gained, with Sanchez in 3rd.
The attacks up Independence Pass started early, as Frank Schleck jumped to gauge the abilities of his fellow climbers. He was quickly brought back by Ivan Basso, who seemed to be working for his teammate Vincenzo Nibali. Next Robert Gesink went, and as he had a high position in the standings, Michele Scarponi shut him down for his teammate Cunego. With 7 kilometers left on the climb, Stage 8 winner Igor Anton went to the front, working for his teammate Sanchez. Anton's pace, coupled with the high elevations, became a little too much for Cunego, as the race leader was forced to the back of the favorites group with 5 kilometers left to climb. Contador, seeing this, launched his big attack, intent on getting himself onto the podium at the end of the stage. As always, Andy Schleck was right on his wheel, seeing his opportunity to climb up the overall standings again. Contador and Schleck were only joined by Sanchez, and the three worked together all the way up the climb, Contador taking the points at the top to extend his lead in the KOM classification. Gesink, Menchov, Danielson, and Cadel Evans quickly formed a small chasing group, and by the summit were only 30 seconds behind Contador's group.
Cunego, however, was struggling on the climb. He, Nibali, and 3rd overall Bradley Wiggins were caught out by Contador's acceleration. Nibali and Wiggins worked with Andreas Kloden and Jurgen Van Den Broeck, but Cunego struggled to muster enough energy to help in the pace making. Still, the group, which also contained Peter Velits and Chris Horner reached the summit just 20 seconds behind Gesink's group, and 50 seconds behind Contador's group. That was enough to be the 6 time grand tour champion in the virtual race lead, so Cunego's only hope to keep yellow was a fast descent.
There had been much debate on who was the fastest descender in the professional peloton, and among the top climbers, two names stood out - Samuel Sanchez and Vincenzo Nibali. As it happens, these two were matched up on Stage 14 - Sanchez leading Contador and Schleck down towards Aspen, and Nibali leading Cunego's group down the climb. Sanchez looked to have the slight upper hand, as with 10 kilometers to go the gap between the groups was 1:10, with Gesink's group in between. At this point however, Sanchez created a gap on Andy Schleck, and he got away from Schleck and Contador. With Sanchez no longer with Contador and Schleck, Nibali began to eat into the time of the two, bringing Cunego back within 1:00 of Contador. However, Nibali was going so fast, that he got away from Cunego's group and by the finish, he had caught up with the group of Gesink and Menchov. Sanchez went ahead alone to claim a fine stage win, and by the end of the stage, Sanchez had beaten Nibali by a mere 6 seconds. The real battle, however, was between Contador and Cunego, though once Sanchez and Nibali left their respective groups, the 1:00 gap between them held steady, Cunego eventually losing 56 seconds to Contador at the finish. It was enough, however, to slide the Yellow Jersey off of Cunego, ending the reign of Cunego after a week and a half in yellow.
The build up to the final climb was good as well. Christian Vande Velde and David Moncoutie led a 7 man breakaway up the first climb of the Cottonwood Pass, with Moncoutie taking the points at the top in his hunt for the KOM jersey. Vande Velde (GAR), Moncoutie (COF), Jelle Vanendert (OLO), Marcel Wyss (GEO), Pavel Brutt (KAT), Charles Wegelius (UHC), and Yaroslav Popovych (RSH) got away from the peloton on the dirt road of the Cottonwood Pass, and maintained a healthy lead over the main pack. However, Leopard Trek and Saxo Bank Sungard were in hot pursuit in between the two climbs, and the last survivorsVande Velde and Wyss were caught fairly early up the climb. Vande Velde did stay with his teammates Danielson and Ryder Hesjedal, helping them, and Danielson rewarded his efforts with a 4th place finish on the stage.
With the intermediate sprint point after the Cottonwood Pass, the majority of the sprinters were unable to contest the sprint. Peter Sagan, however, was able to stay with the peloton, and he easily took 8th place behind the breakaway to creep close to Mark Cavendish. Cavendish still maintains a decent lead in the Green Jersey competition, and he and his fellow sprinters spent the rest of the day chasing the time cut, and the autobus was able to finish easily inside the time cut of 45 minutes, although tomorrow's stage might pose a tougher challenge.
Alberto Contador was happy to gain the race lead, and after the stage he spoke about it. "I have been attacking throughout the race, trying to gain seconds wherever I can. My team did well to isolate Cunego, and then when Anton went to work for Sanchez, I saw Cunego go to the back, and so I attacked. It was no surprise to see Andy and Sammy with me, as they have consistently been strong, and we worked very well together on the climb and didn't attack each other. Sanchez eventually got away towards the end, but I was unconcerned about the stage win. All I wanted was yellow, and now I have to work hard to defend it in the coming days, and tomorrow will be a tough test, as I hear the climb is very tough."
Top 30 on Stage 14:
1. Samuel Sanchez (20 Bonus Seconds)
2. Andy Schleck +17" (12 Bonus Seconds)
3. Alberto Contador (8 Bonus Seconds)
4. Tom Danielson +56"
5. Denis Menchov
6. Vincenzo Nibali
7. Robert Gesink
8. Cadel Evans
9. Damiano Cunego +1'13"
10. Andreas Kloden
11. Peter Velits
12. Bradley Wiggins
13. Jurgen Van Den Broeck
14. Chris Horner
15. Alexander Vinokourov +1'34"
16. Frank Schleck
17. Joaquim Rodriguez +1'37"
18. Ryder Hesjedal
19. Levi Leipheimer
20. Rigoberto Uran
20. Rory Sutherland +1'58"
21. Alejandro Valverde
22. Dries Devynyns
23. Janez Brajkovic +2'06"
24. Christian Vande Velde
25. Tony Martin
26. Ivan Basso +2'16"
27. Carlos Sastre
28. Rein Taaramae
29. Igor Anton
30. Tejay Van Garderen +2'58"
Points Earned at Finish:
1. Samuel Sanchez 20 pts
2. Andy Schleck 17
3. Alberto Contador 15
4. Tom Danielson 13
5. Denis Menchov 11
6. Vincenzo Nibali 10
7. Robert Gesink 9
8. Cadel Evans 8
9. Damiano Cunego 7
10. Andreas Kloden 6
11. Peter Velits 5
12. Bradley Wiggins 4
13. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 3
14. Chris Horner 2
15. Alexander Vinokourov 1
Top 15 Intermediate Sprint:
1. Pavel Brutt 20 pts
2. Marcel Wyss 17
3. Charles Wegelius 15
4. Christian Vande Velde 13
5. Yaroslav Popovych 11
6. David Moncoutie 10
7. Jelle Vanendert 9
8. Peter Sagan 8
9. Philippe Gilbert 7
10. Francisco Jose Ventoso 6
11. Peter Velits 5
12. Thomas De Gendt 4
13. Cadel Evans 3
14. Damiano Cunego 2
15. Bernhard Eisel 1
Cottonwood Pass, HC Climb:
1. David Moncoutie 20 pts
2. Christian Vande Velde 16
3. Jelle Vanendert 12
4. Marcel Wyss 8
5. Charles Wegelius 4
6. Pavel Brutt 2
Independence Pass, HC Climb:
1. Alberto Contador 20 pts
2. Samuel Sanchez 16
3. Andy Schleck 12
4. Robert Gesink 8
5. Denis Menchov 4
6. Tom Danielson 2
Most Aggressive Rider:
Christian Vande Velde
Top 5 GC:
1. Alberto Contador
2. Damiano Cunego +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +1'02”
4. Bradley Wiggins +1'27"
5. Rory Sutherland +1'28"
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Standings After Stage 14
General Classification:
1. Alberto Contador
2. Damiano Cunego +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +1'02”
4. Bradley Wiggins +1'27"
5. Rory Sutherland +1'28"
6. Cadel Evans +1'30”
7. Robert Gesink +1'31"
8. Denis Menchov +1'37”
9. Andy Schleck +2’04”
10. Andreas Kloden +2'23”
11. Tom Danielson +2’42”
12. Vincenzo Nibali +2'53"
13. Jurgen Van den Broeck +3’16"
14. Alexander Vinokourov +3'25”
15. Chris Horner +3'31"
16. Peter Velits +3'39"
17. Rigoberto Uran +3'44"
18. Tony Martin +3'52”
19. Ryder Hesjedal +3'55"
20. Dries Devynyns +4'01"
22. Levi Leipheimer +4’09”
28. Frank Schleck +4’39”
30. Alejandro Valverde +4’48”
31. Carlos Sastre +4'49"
32. Igor Anton +4’55"
35. Kevin De Weert +5'00"
36. Janez Brajkovic +5'02”
43. Tejay Van Garderen +5’41"
44. Ivan Basso +5’41”
45. Jose Rujano +5'46"
53. Rein Taaramae +6'12"
67. Nicolas Roche +7'31"
79. Michele Scarponi +8'34"
80. Joaquim Rodriguez +8’35"
Top 15 Points Classification:
1. Mark Cavendish 277 pts
2. Peter Sagan 239
3. Daniele Bennati 213
4. Tom Boonen 191
5. Tyler Farrar 128
6. Jose Joaquin Rojas 109
7. Fabian Cancellara 107
8. Alessandro Petacchi 96
9. Philippe Gilbert 95
10. Allan Davis 90
11. Andre Greipel 84
12. Oscar Friere 78
13. Robbie McEwen 73
14. Damiano Cunego 68
15. Alberto Contador 66
Top 15 KOM:
1. Alberto Contador 42 pts
2. David Moncoutie 38
3. Samuel Sanchez 32
4. Andy Schleck 24
5. Thomas De Gendt 20
6. Igor Anton 20
7. Christian Vande Velde 16
8. Robert Gesink 12
9. Jelle Vanendert 12
10. Kevin De Weert 8
11. Fabio Duarte 6
12. Xabier Zandio 6
13. Matteo Bono 6
14. Denis Menchov 6
15. Marcel Wyss 6
Young Riders:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Rigoberto Uran +2'13"
3. Tejay Van Garderen +4'10"
4. Rein Taaramae +4'41"
General Classification:
1. Alberto Contador
2. Damiano Cunego +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +1'02”
4. Bradley Wiggins +1'27"
5. Rory Sutherland +1'28"
6. Cadel Evans +1'30”
7. Robert Gesink +1'31"
8. Denis Menchov +1'37”
9. Andy Schleck +2’04”
10. Andreas Kloden +2'23”
11. Tom Danielson +2’42”
12. Vincenzo Nibali +2'53"
13. Jurgen Van den Broeck +3’16"
14. Alexander Vinokourov +3'25”
15. Chris Horner +3'31"
16. Peter Velits +3'39"
17. Rigoberto Uran +3'44"
18. Tony Martin +3'52”
19. Ryder Hesjedal +3'55"
20. Dries Devynyns +4'01"
22. Levi Leipheimer +4’09”
28. Frank Schleck +4’39”
30. Alejandro Valverde +4’48”
31. Carlos Sastre +4'49"
32. Igor Anton +4’55"
35. Kevin De Weert +5'00"
36. Janez Brajkovic +5'02”
43. Tejay Van Garderen +5’41"
44. Ivan Basso +5’41”
45. Jose Rujano +5'46"
53. Rein Taaramae +6'12"
67. Nicolas Roche +7'31"
79. Michele Scarponi +8'34"
80. Joaquim Rodriguez +8’35"
Top 15 Points Classification:
1. Mark Cavendish 277 pts
2. Peter Sagan 239
3. Daniele Bennati 213
4. Tom Boonen 191
5. Tyler Farrar 128
6. Jose Joaquin Rojas 109
7. Fabian Cancellara 107
8. Alessandro Petacchi 96
9. Philippe Gilbert 95
10. Allan Davis 90
11. Andre Greipel 84
12. Oscar Friere 78
13. Robbie McEwen 73
14. Damiano Cunego 68
15. Alberto Contador 66
Top 15 KOM:
1. Alberto Contador 42 pts
2. David Moncoutie 38
3. Samuel Sanchez 32
4. Andy Schleck 24
5. Thomas De Gendt 20
6. Igor Anton 20
7. Christian Vande Velde 16
8. Robert Gesink 12
9. Jelle Vanendert 12
10. Kevin De Weert 8
11. Fabio Duarte 6
12. Xabier Zandio 6
13. Matteo Bono 6
14. Denis Menchov 6
15. Marcel Wyss 6
Young Riders:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Rigoberto Uran +2'13"
3. Tejay Van Garderen +4'10"
4. Rein Taaramae +4'41"
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Stage 15 Preview
After Stage 14's tough day in Colorado, the riders just have one more day before the 2nd rest day. But, if they want a rest, they will have to earn it. The riders will be faced with one of the toughest climbs in the United States - the long, LONG road up to the summit of Mount Evans.
Starting from the city of Denver, Colorado, the riders will take a scenic tour including Coors Field and other famous landmarks in Denver. Then the riders head west towards Idaho Springs, passing over a Category 2 climb before arriving in the city. It is here, with 40 KILOMETERS STILL TO GO, that the climb up to Mount Evans begins. It will be a finish unlike any other.
(Preview will be continued in a later post, to give more info on Mount Evans)
After Stage 14's tough day in Colorado, the riders just have one more day before the 2nd rest day. But, if they want a rest, they will have to earn it. The riders will be faced with one of the toughest climbs in the United States - the long, LONG road up to the summit of Mount Evans.
Starting from the city of Denver, Colorado, the riders will take a scenic tour including Coors Field and other famous landmarks in Denver. Then the riders head west towards Idaho Springs, passing over a Category 2 climb before arriving in the city. It is here, with 40 KILOMETERS STILL TO GO, that the climb up to Mount Evans begins. It will be a finish unlike any other.
(Preview will be continued in a later post, to give more info on Mount Evans)
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Stage 15 Preview - Mount Evans
Of all the roads in the United States, the Mount Evans Scenic Byway is the closest to touching the sky. At a final elevation of 14130 feet (4310 meters), it is the highest road in North America. Getting your CAR to the top is a challenge, but some crazy thought it would be a good idea to race your BIKE up to the top!
The Mount Evans Hill Climb is an annual climb up to the summit of Mount Evans. First held in 1962, the race has been held ever since (except for 3 different years). Riders grind their way to the top of the climb, and even the most talented riders struggle in the Rocky Mountain air. The fastest time ever was set by Garmin pro Tom Danielson in 2004. It took him, no joke, 1:41:20!! That's right - 1 hour, 41 minutes, and 20 seconds! The riders in the Tour of America are crying in their sleep.
The gradients actually aren't that bad, but when you combine them with high elevations, the switchbacks near the top are going to make the legs feel like Jello. At the end of this 46.6 kilometer climb, the riders who finish will have earned their day of rest! The Yellow Jersey will be EARNED after today.
Alberto Contador charged into Yellow on Stage 14, and he will look to tighten his grip on the jersey. Can Damiano Cunego muster any more strength, as he just lies 34 seconds behind. Andy Schleck has climbed with Contador every step of the way, but if he wants to win this Tour, he will have to outclimb the 6 time grand tour champion, a task easier said than done. And what of Tom Danielson, the American has climbed his way into the leadership position of Garmin-Cervelo; can he use his experience on this climb and claim a fantastic win?
It's called Summit Lake, but there's still 8 kilometers left!!
The road near the top - MWA HA HA!
The barren summit of Mount Evans lies at 14130 feet.
Mount Evans
Mount Evans Hill Climb
Of all the roads in the United States, the Mount Evans Scenic Byway is the closest to touching the sky. At a final elevation of 14130 feet (4310 meters), it is the highest road in North America. Getting your CAR to the top is a challenge, but some crazy thought it would be a good idea to race your BIKE up to the top!
The Mount Evans Hill Climb is an annual climb up to the summit of Mount Evans. First held in 1962, the race has been held ever since (except for 3 different years). Riders grind their way to the top of the climb, and even the most talented riders struggle in the Rocky Mountain air. The fastest time ever was set by Garmin pro Tom Danielson in 2004. It took him, no joke, 1:41:20!! That's right - 1 hour, 41 minutes, and 20 seconds! The riders in the Tour of America are crying in their sleep.
The gradients actually aren't that bad, but when you combine them with high elevations, the switchbacks near the top are going to make the legs feel like Jello. At the end of this 46.6 kilometer climb, the riders who finish will have earned their day of rest! The Yellow Jersey will be EARNED after today.
Alberto Contador charged into Yellow on Stage 14, and he will look to tighten his grip on the jersey. Can Damiano Cunego muster any more strength, as he just lies 34 seconds behind. Andy Schleck has climbed with Contador every step of the way, but if he wants to win this Tour, he will have to outclimb the 6 time grand tour champion, a task easier said than done. And what of Tom Danielson, the American has climbed his way into the leadership position of Garmin-Cervelo; can he use his experience on this climb and claim a fantastic win?
It's called Summit Lake, but there's still 8 kilometers left!!
The road near the top - MWA HA HA!
The barren summit of Mount Evans lies at 14130 feet.
Mount Evans
Mount Evans Hill Climb
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
July 15th, Stage 15: Denver - Mount Evans, 127.29 kms
Tommy D. Turns the Tour Upside Down
Gesink Climbs with Danielson, Takes Yellow as Contador and Schleck Struggle
The road up to the summit of Mount Evans wasn't extremely steep like the roads in the Dolomites or the Alps. The road wasn't poorly kept like some of the classic climbs of Europe. But you wouldn't know it by looking at the results. The 46 kilometers up Mount Evans took the previously close General Classification of the Tour of America and threw it in the blender, and what came out was something that no one could have predicted. Everyone knew that there would be riders who lost significant time at the summit, but no one thought Alberto Contador would be one of them. The previously infallible leader of the Tour had stamped his authority on each and every climb in the Tour of America, seemingly wrapping up the GC before the 2nd week was even over. But a combination of fierce attacks, furious chases and severe elevation proved too much for the six time grand tour champion. Instead, Tom Danielson, the Colorado resident took the biggest win of his life, and Robert Gesink accompanied him every step of the way to take the Yellow Jersey away from the six time grand tour champion.
On the first 15 kilometers of the climb, the work had been left to the domestiques, and as such, all the heavy hitters remained in the peloton. But with 30 kilometers still to go, Andy Schleck put in a huge acceleration. Jose Rujano, Samuel Sanchez, Robert Gesink, Igor Anton, Tom Danielson, and Cadel Evans were quick to respond. Contador, however, was caught out by Schleck's acceleration, and as the race leader was forced to lead the chase back. Frank Schleck, Ryder Hesjedal, Bradley Wiggins, Denis Menchov and Vincenzo Nibali got a free ride from Contador and after 2 hard kilometers were back with Andy Schleck's group. The elder Schleck then immediately attacked out of the group, and Danielson and Gesink went along for the ride. Contador was initially hesitant to lead Andy back to his brother, but Gesink's presence was threatening to his race lead, so he once again led the group back up to brother Frank.
With 25 kilometers to go, and the pack all back together, the elder Schleck along with Hesjedal and Anton began to set a furious pace, hoping to set up their leaders for another large attack. By 20 kilometers to go, and the riders already at 3500 meters above sea level, the pace of Schleck and Hesjedal had distanced Wiggins and Nibali, and surprisingly Contador was near the rear of the group. Seeing this as an opportunity to go, Danielson launched out of the pack, accompanied by Gesink and Rujano, and quickly got a 20 second gap. The three were surprisingly not followed by Andy Schleck, who also looked to be uncomfortable at the extreme elevations of Colorado. Contador, once again disliking Gesink's presence in the attack, went back to the front of the chase group, and got the gap back to 10 seconds with 15 kilometers to go. Andy Schleck then found the strength to attack Contador, and he got halfway across the gap before Contador could respond.
Rujano, seeing Schleck coming behind, attacked the lead group. Danielson and Gesink were able to follow, however, but the attack seemed to demoralize the young Schleck, who could not get across the gap. Contador then fought back to the wheel of the Luxembourger, with Sanchez and Menchov on his wheel. The four chasers had a 30 second deficit to Gesink's group with 10 kilometers still to go, and looked to be increasing the gap as Schleck and Contador were locked in a chess match on the road. Menchov then surprised by putting in a big acceleration, but Contador led the chase back to his wheel. Menchov then put in another big attack looking to drop Contador, and in the crucial moment of the stage - IT WORKED. Contador had been chasing too many attacks, and with 7 kilometers still to go on Mount Evans, he couldn't mount a chase.
Sanchez immediately jumped in search of Menchov, and quickly caught him. Schleck, desperately looking to take time on Contador, tried to respond to Sanchez' move, but then HE found it too much to handle. Schleck was forced to return to Contador, and the two riders began to work together to limit their losses. At this point, with six kilometers to go, the Gesink/Danielson/Rujano group was in the lead, with 30 seconds to Menchov/Sanchez, and 50 seconds to Contador/Schleck. Gesink then saw a golden opportunity to claim the race lead, and put in his largest effort of the day. Danielson, the Colorado native and previous champion of the Mount Evans hill climb, responded quickly, while Rujano was forced to throw in the towel. Gesink and Danielson then began to work together, and with 3 kilometers to go, Gesink became the virtual leader of the Tour of America. Menchov and Sanchez then caught Rujano, who stayed with them and formed a 3 man chasing group, though the deficit to Gesink and Danielson was now 45 seconds. Contador and Schleck were a further 40 seconds behind.
As the two leaders rode the switchbacks in the final kilometer, Gesink put in one more attack in an attempt to get the stage win, but Danielson saw the move coming, and with 150 meters to go, Danielson caught and passed the Dutchman to once again conquer Mount Evans. The race against the clock then started, as 52 seconds later, Rujano crossed the line, having leaped away from Menchov and Sanchez in the last stretch. Menchov crossed the line with Sanchez right behind, 56 seconds behind the time of Danielson. A full minute then passed until the Yellow Jersey finished, as Contador crossed the line 1:55 behind Danielson, with Schleck 7 seconds further back. Gesink then celebrated, as he knew he had taken the Yellow Jersey after one of the toughest climbs the world had ever seen.
The climb had taken Danielson 1 hour, 38 minutes, and 43 seconds, beating his own record up the climb by almost 3 minutes. 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 32 seconds after Danielson, the group of the sprinters came in, having missed the time cut by almost 20 minutes. However, the Tour's rules state that riders are allowed one missed time cut, so Mark Cavendish and the rest of the sprinters can rest easy. Now, though, Cavendish will have to work extremely hard in the two remaining mountain stages, as another missed time cut will boot him from the race. Today, however, he claimed another Green Jersey after winning the early intermediate sprint over Daniele Bennati and Peter Sagan. The stage was so frightening, no breakaway even got away. David Moncoutie jumped out of the pack to take the temporary KOM lead on the Category 2 climb preceding Mount Evans, but with the summit finishes remaining in the Tour, he will be hard pressed to contend, as he picked up no points on Mount Evans.
In the end, the day belonged to two men: Gesink and Danielson. Danielson was exuberant after the stage, "This was the one I wanted. I knew it would be tough, but I know this climb - where to attack, where to save energy. Gesink really impressed me, as it's obvious he had reconned the climb. He's got the deserved lead now, but whatever you do, don't count out Contador. He's won 6 grand tours, I think, and there's two more big mountains left (one's a MTT) and the long time trial in Los Angeles. He's still a big player, but for now, I'm going to go enjoy this win!"
Top 30 on Stage 15:
1. Tom Danielson (20 bonus seconds)
2. Robert Gesink +2" (12 bonus seconds)
3. Jose Rujano +52 (8 bonus seconds)
4. Denis Menchov +56"
5. Samuel Sanchez
6. Alberto Contador +1'55"
7. Andy Schleck +2'02"
8. Cadel Evans +2'10"
9. Chris Horner
10. Frank Schleck +2'33"
11. Joaquin Rodriguez +3'01"
12. Damiano Cunego +3'23"
13. Andreas Kloden
14. Vincenzo Nibali +3'46"
15. Jurgen Van Den Broeck +4'03"
16. Bradley Wiggins +4'28"
17. Ryder Hesjedal
18. Peter Velits
19. Igor Anton
20. Rigoberto Uran
21. Levi Leipheimer
22. Daniel Martin +4'59"
23. Janez Brajkovic
24. Alejandro Valverde
25. Rory Sutherland
26. Alexander Vinokourov
27. Tony Martin +5'12"
28. Rein Taaramae +5'40"
29. Michele Scarponi +5'55"
30. Dries Devynyns
Points Earned at Finish:
1. Tom Danielson 20 pts
2. Robert Gesink 17
3. Jose Rujano 15
4. Denis Menchov 13
5. Samuel Sanchez 11
6. Alberto Contador 10
7. Andy Schleck 9
8. Cadel Evans 8
9. Chris Horner 7
10. Frank Schleck 6
11. Joaquin Rodriguez 5
12. Damiano Cunego 4
13. Andreas Kloden 3
14. Vincenzo Nibali 2
15. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 1
Intermediate Sprint:
1. Mark Cavendish 20 pts
2. Daniele Bennati 17
3. Peter Sagan 15
4. Philippe Gilbert 13
5. Mark Renshaw 11
6. Oscar Freire 10
7. Allan Davis 9
8. Fabian Cancellara 8
9. Damiano Cunego 7
10. Tyler Farrar 6
11. Matthew Goss 5
12. Jose Joaquin Rojas 4
13. Tom Boonen 3
14. Alberto Contador 2
15. Bernhard Eisel 1
Central City Parkway, Cat 2 Climb:
1. David Moncoutie 5 pts
2. Thomas De Gendt 3
3. David Zabriskie 2
4. Lars Bak 1
Mount Evans, HC Climb (Points Doubled for Summit Finish):
1. Tom Danielson 40 pts
2. Robert Gesink 32
3. Jose Rujano 24
4. Denis Menchov 16
5. Samuel Sanchez 8
6. Alberto Contador 4
Most Aggressive Rider:
Tom Danielson
Top 5 GC:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Alberto Contador +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +37"
4. Tom Danielson +1'01"
5. Denis Menchov +1'12"
Tommy D. Turns the Tour Upside Down
Gesink Climbs with Danielson, Takes Yellow as Contador and Schleck Struggle
The road up to the summit of Mount Evans wasn't extremely steep like the roads in the Dolomites or the Alps. The road wasn't poorly kept like some of the classic climbs of Europe. But you wouldn't know it by looking at the results. The 46 kilometers up Mount Evans took the previously close General Classification of the Tour of America and threw it in the blender, and what came out was something that no one could have predicted. Everyone knew that there would be riders who lost significant time at the summit, but no one thought Alberto Contador would be one of them. The previously infallible leader of the Tour had stamped his authority on each and every climb in the Tour of America, seemingly wrapping up the GC before the 2nd week was even over. But a combination of fierce attacks, furious chases and severe elevation proved too much for the six time grand tour champion. Instead, Tom Danielson, the Colorado resident took the biggest win of his life, and Robert Gesink accompanied him every step of the way to take the Yellow Jersey away from the six time grand tour champion.
On the first 15 kilometers of the climb, the work had been left to the domestiques, and as such, all the heavy hitters remained in the peloton. But with 30 kilometers still to go, Andy Schleck put in a huge acceleration. Jose Rujano, Samuel Sanchez, Robert Gesink, Igor Anton, Tom Danielson, and Cadel Evans were quick to respond. Contador, however, was caught out by Schleck's acceleration, and as the race leader was forced to lead the chase back. Frank Schleck, Ryder Hesjedal, Bradley Wiggins, Denis Menchov and Vincenzo Nibali got a free ride from Contador and after 2 hard kilometers were back with Andy Schleck's group. The elder Schleck then immediately attacked out of the group, and Danielson and Gesink went along for the ride. Contador was initially hesitant to lead Andy back to his brother, but Gesink's presence was threatening to his race lead, so he once again led the group back up to brother Frank.
With 25 kilometers to go, and the pack all back together, the elder Schleck along with Hesjedal and Anton began to set a furious pace, hoping to set up their leaders for another large attack. By 20 kilometers to go, and the riders already at 3500 meters above sea level, the pace of Schleck and Hesjedal had distanced Wiggins and Nibali, and surprisingly Contador was near the rear of the group. Seeing this as an opportunity to go, Danielson launched out of the pack, accompanied by Gesink and Rujano, and quickly got a 20 second gap. The three were surprisingly not followed by Andy Schleck, who also looked to be uncomfortable at the extreme elevations of Colorado. Contador, once again disliking Gesink's presence in the attack, went back to the front of the chase group, and got the gap back to 10 seconds with 15 kilometers to go. Andy Schleck then found the strength to attack Contador, and he got halfway across the gap before Contador could respond.
Rujano, seeing Schleck coming behind, attacked the lead group. Danielson and Gesink were able to follow, however, but the attack seemed to demoralize the young Schleck, who could not get across the gap. Contador then fought back to the wheel of the Luxembourger, with Sanchez and Menchov on his wheel. The four chasers had a 30 second deficit to Gesink's group with 10 kilometers still to go, and looked to be increasing the gap as Schleck and Contador were locked in a chess match on the road. Menchov then surprised by putting in a big acceleration, but Contador led the chase back to his wheel. Menchov then put in another big attack looking to drop Contador, and in the crucial moment of the stage - IT WORKED. Contador had been chasing too many attacks, and with 7 kilometers still to go on Mount Evans, he couldn't mount a chase.
Sanchez immediately jumped in search of Menchov, and quickly caught him. Schleck, desperately looking to take time on Contador, tried to respond to Sanchez' move, but then HE found it too much to handle. Schleck was forced to return to Contador, and the two riders began to work together to limit their losses. At this point, with six kilometers to go, the Gesink/Danielson/Rujano group was in the lead, with 30 seconds to Menchov/Sanchez, and 50 seconds to Contador/Schleck. Gesink then saw a golden opportunity to claim the race lead, and put in his largest effort of the day. Danielson, the Colorado native and previous champion of the Mount Evans hill climb, responded quickly, while Rujano was forced to throw in the towel. Gesink and Danielson then began to work together, and with 3 kilometers to go, Gesink became the virtual leader of the Tour of America. Menchov and Sanchez then caught Rujano, who stayed with them and formed a 3 man chasing group, though the deficit to Gesink and Danielson was now 45 seconds. Contador and Schleck were a further 40 seconds behind.
As the two leaders rode the switchbacks in the final kilometer, Gesink put in one more attack in an attempt to get the stage win, but Danielson saw the move coming, and with 150 meters to go, Danielson caught and passed the Dutchman to once again conquer Mount Evans. The race against the clock then started, as 52 seconds later, Rujano crossed the line, having leaped away from Menchov and Sanchez in the last stretch. Menchov crossed the line with Sanchez right behind, 56 seconds behind the time of Danielson. A full minute then passed until the Yellow Jersey finished, as Contador crossed the line 1:55 behind Danielson, with Schleck 7 seconds further back. Gesink then celebrated, as he knew he had taken the Yellow Jersey after one of the toughest climbs the world had ever seen.
The climb had taken Danielson 1 hour, 38 minutes, and 43 seconds, beating his own record up the climb by almost 3 minutes. 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 32 seconds after Danielson, the group of the sprinters came in, having missed the time cut by almost 20 minutes. However, the Tour's rules state that riders are allowed one missed time cut, so Mark Cavendish and the rest of the sprinters can rest easy. Now, though, Cavendish will have to work extremely hard in the two remaining mountain stages, as another missed time cut will boot him from the race. Today, however, he claimed another Green Jersey after winning the early intermediate sprint over Daniele Bennati and Peter Sagan. The stage was so frightening, no breakaway even got away. David Moncoutie jumped out of the pack to take the temporary KOM lead on the Category 2 climb preceding Mount Evans, but with the summit finishes remaining in the Tour, he will be hard pressed to contend, as he picked up no points on Mount Evans.
In the end, the day belonged to two men: Gesink and Danielson. Danielson was exuberant after the stage, "This was the one I wanted. I knew it would be tough, but I know this climb - where to attack, where to save energy. Gesink really impressed me, as it's obvious he had reconned the climb. He's got the deserved lead now, but whatever you do, don't count out Contador. He's won 6 grand tours, I think, and there's two more big mountains left (one's a MTT) and the long time trial in Los Angeles. He's still a big player, but for now, I'm going to go enjoy this win!"
Top 30 on Stage 15:
1. Tom Danielson (20 bonus seconds)
2. Robert Gesink +2" (12 bonus seconds)
3. Jose Rujano +52 (8 bonus seconds)
4. Denis Menchov +56"
5. Samuel Sanchez
6. Alberto Contador +1'55"
7. Andy Schleck +2'02"
8. Cadel Evans +2'10"
9. Chris Horner
10. Frank Schleck +2'33"
11. Joaquin Rodriguez +3'01"
12. Damiano Cunego +3'23"
13. Andreas Kloden
14. Vincenzo Nibali +3'46"
15. Jurgen Van Den Broeck +4'03"
16. Bradley Wiggins +4'28"
17. Ryder Hesjedal
18. Peter Velits
19. Igor Anton
20. Rigoberto Uran
21. Levi Leipheimer
22. Daniel Martin +4'59"
23. Janez Brajkovic
24. Alejandro Valverde
25. Rory Sutherland
26. Alexander Vinokourov
27. Tony Martin +5'12"
28. Rein Taaramae +5'40"
29. Michele Scarponi +5'55"
30. Dries Devynyns
Points Earned at Finish:
1. Tom Danielson 20 pts
2. Robert Gesink 17
3. Jose Rujano 15
4. Denis Menchov 13
5. Samuel Sanchez 11
6. Alberto Contador 10
7. Andy Schleck 9
8. Cadel Evans 8
9. Chris Horner 7
10. Frank Schleck 6
11. Joaquin Rodriguez 5
12. Damiano Cunego 4
13. Andreas Kloden 3
14. Vincenzo Nibali 2
15. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 1
Intermediate Sprint:
1. Mark Cavendish 20 pts
2. Daniele Bennati 17
3. Peter Sagan 15
4. Philippe Gilbert 13
5. Mark Renshaw 11
6. Oscar Freire 10
7. Allan Davis 9
8. Fabian Cancellara 8
9. Damiano Cunego 7
10. Tyler Farrar 6
11. Matthew Goss 5
12. Jose Joaquin Rojas 4
13. Tom Boonen 3
14. Alberto Contador 2
15. Bernhard Eisel 1
Central City Parkway, Cat 2 Climb:
1. David Moncoutie 5 pts
2. Thomas De Gendt 3
3. David Zabriskie 2
4. Lars Bak 1
Mount Evans, HC Climb (Points Doubled for Summit Finish):
1. Tom Danielson 40 pts
2. Robert Gesink 32
3. Jose Rujano 24
4. Denis Menchov 16
5. Samuel Sanchez 8
6. Alberto Contador 4
Most Aggressive Rider:
Tom Danielson
Top 5 GC:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Alberto Contador +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +37"
4. Tom Danielson +1'01"
5. Denis Menchov +1'12"
- Jul 28, 2010
- 2,274
- 0
- 0
Standings After Stage 15
General Classification:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Alberto Contador +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +37”
4. Tom Danielson +1'01”
5. Denis Menchov +1'12”
6. Cadel Evans +2'19”
7. Damiano Cunego +2'36"
8. Andy Schleck +2’45”
9. Chris Horner +4'20"
10. Andreas Kloden +4'25”
11. Bradley Wiggins +4'34"
12. Rory Sutherland +5'06"
13. Vincenzo Nibali +5'18"
14. Jose Rujano +5'19"
15. Frank Schleck +5’51”
16. Jurgen Van den Broeck +5’58"
17. Peter Velits +6'46"
18. Rigoberto Uran +6'51"
19. Ryder Hesjedal +7'02"
20. Alexander Vinokourov +7'03”
21. Levi Leipheimer +7’26”
22. Tony Martin +7'43”
23. Igor Anton +8’02"
24. Alejandro Valverde +8’26”
25. Dries Devynyns +8'35"
26. Janez Brajkovic +8'41”
29. Carlos Sastre +9'28"
34. Joaquim Rodriguez +10’15"
38. Rein Taaramae +10'31"
43. Tejay Van Garderen +11’15"
44. Ivan Basso +11’15”
57. Nicolas Roche +13'05"
58. Michele Scarponi +13'08"
Top 15 Points Classification:
1. Mark Cavendish 299 pts
2. Peter Sagan 254
3. Daniele Bennati 230
4. Tom Boonen 194
5. Tyler Farrar 134
6. Fabian Cancellara 115
7. Jose Joaquin Rojas 113
8. Philippe Gilbert 108
9. Allan Davis 99
10. Alessandro Petacchi 96
11. Oscar Friere 88
12. Andre Greipel 84
13. Damiano Cunego 79
14. Alberto Contador 78
15. Robbie McEwen 73
Top 15 KOM:
1. Alberto Contador 46 pts
2. David Moncoutie 43
3. Robert Gesink 42
4. Tom Danielson 40
5. Samuel Sanchez 40
6. Andy Schleck 24
7. Jose Rujano 24
8. Thomas De Gendt 23
10. Denis Menchov 22
11. Igor Anton 20
12. Christian Vande Velde 16
13. Jelle Vanendert 12
14. Kevin De Weert 8
15. Fabio Duarte 6
Young Riders:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Rigoberto Uran +6'17"
3. Rein Taaramae +9'57"
4. Tejay Van Garderen +10'41"
General Classification:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Alberto Contador +34"
3. Samuel Sanchez +37”
4. Tom Danielson +1'01”
5. Denis Menchov +1'12”
6. Cadel Evans +2'19”
7. Damiano Cunego +2'36"
8. Andy Schleck +2’45”
9. Chris Horner +4'20"
10. Andreas Kloden +4'25”
11. Bradley Wiggins +4'34"
12. Rory Sutherland +5'06"
13. Vincenzo Nibali +5'18"
14. Jose Rujano +5'19"
15. Frank Schleck +5’51”
16. Jurgen Van den Broeck +5’58"
17. Peter Velits +6'46"
18. Rigoberto Uran +6'51"
19. Ryder Hesjedal +7'02"
20. Alexander Vinokourov +7'03”
21. Levi Leipheimer +7’26”
22. Tony Martin +7'43”
23. Igor Anton +8’02"
24. Alejandro Valverde +8’26”
25. Dries Devynyns +8'35"
26. Janez Brajkovic +8'41”
29. Carlos Sastre +9'28"
34. Joaquim Rodriguez +10’15"
38. Rein Taaramae +10'31"
43. Tejay Van Garderen +11’15"
44. Ivan Basso +11’15”
57. Nicolas Roche +13'05"
58. Michele Scarponi +13'08"
Top 15 Points Classification:
1. Mark Cavendish 299 pts
2. Peter Sagan 254
3. Daniele Bennati 230
4. Tom Boonen 194
5. Tyler Farrar 134
6. Fabian Cancellara 115
7. Jose Joaquin Rojas 113
8. Philippe Gilbert 108
9. Allan Davis 99
10. Alessandro Petacchi 96
11. Oscar Friere 88
12. Andre Greipel 84
13. Damiano Cunego 79
14. Alberto Contador 78
15. Robbie McEwen 73
Top 15 KOM:
1. Alberto Contador 46 pts
2. David Moncoutie 43
3. Robert Gesink 42
4. Tom Danielson 40
5. Samuel Sanchez 40
6. Andy Schleck 24
7. Jose Rujano 24
8. Thomas De Gendt 23
10. Denis Menchov 22
11. Igor Anton 20
12. Christian Vande Velde 16
13. Jelle Vanendert 12
14. Kevin De Weert 8
15. Fabio Duarte 6
Young Riders:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Rigoberto Uran +6'17"
3. Rein Taaramae +9'57"
4. Tejay Van Garderen +10'41"
- Jul 28, 2010
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- 0
Tommy D's looking good! I'd say about 8 guys still have a chance for a podium spot:Eric8-A said:
Andy in 8th is just 2:45 back. Cadel in 6th is looking good with that time trial at the end. Cunego's struggling a little bit after all the energy he used in the first 2 weeks. Menchov's got the time trial left. Sanchez is REALLY close. Tommy D, depends on whether he's got strength left.
Gesink needs more time though, 34 seconds over Contador really is nothing for Alberto!!
I'll post a 2nd week recap shortly!
- Jul 28, 2010
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Second Week Recap
After a fast and furious first week, the Tour of America ramped it up a notch in the second week, with unpredictable flat stages, opportunities for the breakaway, and the all important high mountains. As in the first week, there have been multiple lead changes in the General Classification, and that battle looks to be wide open heading into the third week.
First Week Recap
Here's a short recap of the stages in the second week (with links to the full reports):
Stage 10, Winner: Fuglsang, Leader: Cunego
The first stage after the rest day was one for the breakaway. Traveling through the lumpy Ozarks, the opportunists got their chance at a stage win, and Jakob Fuglsang delivered his Leopard Trek team their second stage win with multiple attacks in the late going.
Stage 11, Winner: Cavendish, Leader: Cunego
Remarkably, the leader of the points competition had not yet won a stage! The fastest man in the world, Mark Cavendish, had come close on several occasions but had not yet crossed the line first. That streak came to an end on Stage 11, as Cav's HTC squad delivered him to the final meters where he launched a vicious acceleration to claim his first win.
Stage 12, Winner: Vinokourov, Leader: Cunego
This stage looked set to be another day for the sprinters, as the teams of the fast men wanted to capitalize on the last flat day before the mountains. The sprinters teams were fooled, however, as Alexander Vinokourov attacked during a lull in the peloton, and barely stayed away to claim one of his classic wins.
Stage 13, Winner: Sutherland, Leader: Cunego
The Tour of America resumed its journey into the high mountains, but with the mountain of the day far from the finish, a breakaway was likely to win. Still, the excitement was still high, as Rory Sutherland, of the wild card United Healthcare squad, outfoxed his breakaway companions to claim the biggest win of his career. He also threatened the race lead of Damiano Cunego, who had to expend a lot of energy to keep his lead for another day.
Stage 14, Winner: Sanchez, Leader: Contador
The high elevations of the Rockies and the furious descent to the finish produced a grand amount of excitement on this stage. Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck proved to once again be two of the top climbers in the peloton, but the stage win went to perhaps the best descender in the pack. Samuel Sanchez stayed with Contador and Schleck and got away on the descent to claim a fine win. Contador was rewarded for his efforts, however, as he snatched the leader's jersey away from Damiano Cunego, who finally suffered from the energy used in the early parts of the Tour.
Stage 15, Winner: Danielson, Leader: Gesink
Never before had riders endured the dizzying heights of Mount Evans in a professional race. Mount Evans proved to be a friend to those prepared for it, and an enemy of those who weren't. Tom Danielson used his experience from the famous Mount Evans Hill Climb to attack the leaders at all the right places and sprinted away from the impressive Robert Gesink to claim the biggest win of his career. Behind, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck suffered from the excessive attacks on the climb, and Contador lost his Yellow Jersey to the young Dutchman Gesink, who now holds a 34 second lead over Contador heading in to the rest day and the third week.
Brief Third Week Preview:
After the final rest day, the riders will be right back on the high mountains, but this time the race pays tribute to the Tour of Utah, and the riders will be on their own, with a Mountain Time Trial up the classic climb to Snowbird Resort. An intermediate stage around Lake Tahoe separates Snowbird from the last daunting climb of Onion Valley Road, where the steep gradients will punish the riders one last time.
The race then returns to the flat lands for the last three stages. A sprinter's stage to Los Angeles awaits before the final test for the GC riders. A long 60 kilometer time trial through the famous roads of Los Angeles will once and for all decide the winner of the first Tour of America. Whoever holds Yellow after the time trial simply must take his victory ride around the San Francisco Bay, although the teams of the sprinters will want to claim the last victory!
Some Pictures from the 2nd week:
Alexander Vinokourov was able to hold off the charging peloton to win Stage 12
Samuel Sanchez would eventually get away from Contador and Schleck on the descent of Independence Pass
Robert Gesink received a White Jersey after Stage 14, but the next day he'd get Yellow
Andy Schleck had looked strong early on, but the high elevation of Mount Evans was too much
After a fast and furious first week, the Tour of America ramped it up a notch in the second week, with unpredictable flat stages, opportunities for the breakaway, and the all important high mountains. As in the first week, there have been multiple lead changes in the General Classification, and that battle looks to be wide open heading into the third week.
First Week Recap
Here's a short recap of the stages in the second week (with links to the full reports):
Stage 10, Winner: Fuglsang, Leader: Cunego
The first stage after the rest day was one for the breakaway. Traveling through the lumpy Ozarks, the opportunists got their chance at a stage win, and Jakob Fuglsang delivered his Leopard Trek team their second stage win with multiple attacks in the late going.
Stage 11, Winner: Cavendish, Leader: Cunego
Remarkably, the leader of the points competition had not yet won a stage! The fastest man in the world, Mark Cavendish, had come close on several occasions but had not yet crossed the line first. That streak came to an end on Stage 11, as Cav's HTC squad delivered him to the final meters where he launched a vicious acceleration to claim his first win.
Stage 12, Winner: Vinokourov, Leader: Cunego
This stage looked set to be another day for the sprinters, as the teams of the fast men wanted to capitalize on the last flat day before the mountains. The sprinters teams were fooled, however, as Alexander Vinokourov attacked during a lull in the peloton, and barely stayed away to claim one of his classic wins.
Stage 13, Winner: Sutherland, Leader: Cunego
The Tour of America resumed its journey into the high mountains, but with the mountain of the day far from the finish, a breakaway was likely to win. Still, the excitement was still high, as Rory Sutherland, of the wild card United Healthcare squad, outfoxed his breakaway companions to claim the biggest win of his career. He also threatened the race lead of Damiano Cunego, who had to expend a lot of energy to keep his lead for another day.
Stage 14, Winner: Sanchez, Leader: Contador
The high elevations of the Rockies and the furious descent to the finish produced a grand amount of excitement on this stage. Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck proved to once again be two of the top climbers in the peloton, but the stage win went to perhaps the best descender in the pack. Samuel Sanchez stayed with Contador and Schleck and got away on the descent to claim a fine win. Contador was rewarded for his efforts, however, as he snatched the leader's jersey away from Damiano Cunego, who finally suffered from the energy used in the early parts of the Tour.
Stage 15, Winner: Danielson, Leader: Gesink
Never before had riders endured the dizzying heights of Mount Evans in a professional race. Mount Evans proved to be a friend to those prepared for it, and an enemy of those who weren't. Tom Danielson used his experience from the famous Mount Evans Hill Climb to attack the leaders at all the right places and sprinted away from the impressive Robert Gesink to claim the biggest win of his career. Behind, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck suffered from the excessive attacks on the climb, and Contador lost his Yellow Jersey to the young Dutchman Gesink, who now holds a 34 second lead over Contador heading in to the rest day and the third week.
Brief Third Week Preview:
After the final rest day, the riders will be right back on the high mountains, but this time the race pays tribute to the Tour of Utah, and the riders will be on their own, with a Mountain Time Trial up the classic climb to Snowbird Resort. An intermediate stage around Lake Tahoe separates Snowbird from the last daunting climb of Onion Valley Road, where the steep gradients will punish the riders one last time.
The race then returns to the flat lands for the last three stages. A sprinter's stage to Los Angeles awaits before the final test for the GC riders. A long 60 kilometer time trial through the famous roads of Los Angeles will once and for all decide the winner of the first Tour of America. Whoever holds Yellow after the time trial simply must take his victory ride around the San Francisco Bay, although the teams of the sprinters will want to claim the last victory!
Some Pictures from the 2nd week:
Alexander Vinokourov was able to hold off the charging peloton to win Stage 12
Samuel Sanchez would eventually get away from Contador and Schleck on the descent of Independence Pass
Robert Gesink received a White Jersey after Stage 14, but the next day he'd get Yellow
Andy Schleck had looked strong early on, but the high elevation of Mount Evans was too much
- Jul 28, 2010
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- 0
Stage 16 Preview
Hopefully the riders got their rest, because they're starting the final week with a bang. Once again, the Tour of America pays tribute to a classic American race, and this time it's the Tour of Utah. A mountain time trial on one of the Utah's classic climbs will provide another daunting test for the favorites.
Little Cottonwood Canyon has featured many a time in the Tour of Utah, and it's easy to see why! 12 kilometers at an average of 7.5 percent, with stretches of up to 13 percent! The unique thing about this stage is that the riders are completely on their own. No teammates to pace them, no other climbers to work with or measure their efforts off of. They will have to make their own pace up this climb. The rider who measures his effort the best will win the day.
The climb does not start for about 5 kilometers, as the riders must first leave the outskirts of Salt Lake City before arriving at the climb. The climbers who are more skilled at the time trial could gain a marginal advantage before the climb begins, but the real test WILL be the climb. The riders will climb and climb until they reach Snowbird Resort, where the race for the final win will become even clearer.
Robert Gesink climbed beyond expectations to take the race lead on Mount Evans. Can he maintain his margin over Alberto Contador, who sits just 34 seconds back? Samuel Sanchez has kept moving closer to the lead, and he now lies just 3 seconds behind Contador, with a climb that very well might suit him! And what of Tom Danielson? Does he have enough energy to follow up his winning effort on Mount Evans? Stay tuned to find out!!
Hopefully the riders got their rest, because they're starting the final week with a bang. Once again, the Tour of America pays tribute to a classic American race, and this time it's the Tour of Utah. A mountain time trial on one of the Utah's classic climbs will provide another daunting test for the favorites.
Little Cottonwood Canyon has featured many a time in the Tour of Utah, and it's easy to see why! 12 kilometers at an average of 7.5 percent, with stretches of up to 13 percent! The unique thing about this stage is that the riders are completely on their own. No teammates to pace them, no other climbers to work with or measure their efforts off of. They will have to make their own pace up this climb. The rider who measures his effort the best will win the day.
The climb does not start for about 5 kilometers, as the riders must first leave the outskirts of Salt Lake City before arriving at the climb. The climbers who are more skilled at the time trial could gain a marginal advantage before the climb begins, but the real test WILL be the climb. The riders will climb and climb until they reach Snowbird Resort, where the race for the final win will become even clearer.
Robert Gesink climbed beyond expectations to take the race lead on Mount Evans. Can he maintain his margin over Alberto Contador, who sits just 34 seconds back? Samuel Sanchez has kept moving closer to the lead, and he now lies just 3 seconds behind Contador, with a climb that very well might suit him! And what of Tom Danielson? Does he have enough energy to follow up his winning effort on Mount Evans? Stay tuned to find out!!
- Jul 28, 2010
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Stage 16 Report
July 17th, Stage 16: Salt Lake City - Snowbird ITT, 18.04 kms
Contador: King of the Mountain
Gesink Holds on to Yellow Jersey, Barely
Somehow, the race for yellow got even closer. The mountain time trial up to Snowbird Resort saw a thrilling battle between Alberto Contador and Robert Gesink for the stage and more importantly, the leader's Yellow Jersey. The entire length of the climb, Contador was slowly getting precious seconds back on the Dutch race leader, and while doing so was setting the best time on the climb, eventually claiming the stage. Gesink held strong, however, and was able to finish 3rd on the stage and keep his Yellow Jersey. Cadel Evans finished in between the two for second on the day, 23 seconds behind Contador.
The atmosphere on the climb of Little Cottonwood Canyon was awe-inspiring. Thousands upon thousands of spectators lined the climb to witness this important stage. The top 10 riders went out of the starting gate 3 minutes apart, and nearly all of the riders seemed intent on topping the times of the riders in front of them. 9th place Chris Horner toppled the early best time of Igor Anton, only to be beaten by the very next rider, Andy Schleck. Schleck's time held for only 2 riders, as Evans came through to set the new best time by a fairly large margin. Denis Menchov then came in with a time between Evans and Schleck, while Tom Danielson's time would place him just behind Schleck on the day.
Then the top 3 riders in the Tour of America were set to go, 1st and 3rd separated by just 37 seconds. Samuel Sanchez has arguably been the most consistent climber throughout the race, and he continued that run today, finishing just 25 seconds behind the time of Cadel Evans, and just in front of Menchov. No time would stand up to Alberto Contador, however, as before the climb even started, Contador set the best intermediate time. Once Contador got on the climb, he climbed with his patented style, always looking comfortable yet graceful on the bike. Behind, Gesink was getting all the times of Contador in his earpiece and he set out on the climb. His style was nowhere near as enjoyable as Contador's, but Gesink nevertheless grinded his way up the climb and was holding on to the Yellow Jersey.
With two kilometers to go and the summit of the climb just ahead, Contador had a 27 second lead on Gesink. There were no time bonuses on this stage, so Contador needed a 35 second lead by the end of the day to claim the Yellow Jersey. He crossed the line 23 seconds ahead of the very impressive Evans, and simply had to wait to see whether he would be rewarded with Yellow. Gesink then came into view of the finish line, and he powered through the line with a time 31 seconds behind Contador! After 16 stages, the 1st and 2nd in the overall were just 3 seconds apart!! Gesink nearly collapsed after crossing the line, but he recovered enough to celebrate his keeping of the Yellow Jersey. However, with the last ridiculous climb of Onion Valley Road and the 60 kilometer time trial on the penultimate day, one has to believe that Contador is in the best position to claim a 7th grand tour victory.
After the stage, Contador was extra confident. "I put in a very good time all the way up the climb and I won the stage. Gesink deserved to keep Yellow today after his enormous efforts, but I think I am in a good position for the final climb and the time trial. I am feeling good for this final week! This Tour has been extra fun, and I hope to win in the end!"
Top 30 on Stage 16:
1. Alberto Contador
2. Cadel Evans +23"
3. Robert Gesink +31"
4. Samuel Sanchez +48"
5. Denis Menchov +56"
6. Andy Schleck +1'16"
7. Tom Danielson +1'24"
8. Chris Horner +1'27"
9. Igor Anton +1'35"
10. Vincenzo Nibali +1'35"
11. Jurgen Van Den Broeck +1'42"
12. Bauke Mollema +1'43"
13. Peter Velits +1'53"
14. Bradley Wiggins +1'54"
15. Andreas Kloden +1'55"
16. Joaquim Rodriguez +2'02"
17. John Gadret +2'06"
18. Damiano Cunego +2'17"
19. Jose Rujano +2'19"
20. Frank Schleck +2'22"
21. Rory Sutherland +2'34"
22. Daniel Martin +2'45"
23. Dries Devynyns +2'46"
24. Alejandro Valverde +2'54"
25. Ryder Hesjedal +3'03"
26. Alexander Vinokourov +3'10"
27. Emanuele Sella +3'15"
28. Roman Kreuziger +3'16"
29. Rigoberto Uran +3'20"
30. Nicolas Roche +3'24"
Points Earned at Finish:
1. Alberto Contador 20 pts
2. Cadel Evans 17
3. Robert Gesink 15
4. Samuel Sanchez 13
5. Denis Menchov 11
6. Andy Schleck 10
7. Tom Danielson 9
8. Chris Horner 8
9. Igor Anton 7
10. Vincenzo Nibali 6
11. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 5
12. Bauke Mollema 4
13. Peter Velits 3
14. Bradley Wiggins 2
15. Andreas Kloden 1
Snowbird Resort, HC Climb (Points Doubled for Summit Finish):
1. Alberto Contador 40 pts
2. Cadel Evans 32
3. Robert Gesink 24
4. Samuel Sanchez 16
5. Denis Menchov 8
6. Andy Schleck 4
Top 7 GC:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Alberto Contador +3"
3. Samuel Sanchez +51”
4. Denis Menchov +1'37”
5. Tom Danielson +1'54”
6. Cadel Evans +2'11”
7. Andy Schleck +3’30”
July 17th, Stage 16: Salt Lake City - Snowbird ITT, 18.04 kms
Contador: King of the Mountain
Gesink Holds on to Yellow Jersey, Barely
Somehow, the race for yellow got even closer. The mountain time trial up to Snowbird Resort saw a thrilling battle between Alberto Contador and Robert Gesink for the stage and more importantly, the leader's Yellow Jersey. The entire length of the climb, Contador was slowly getting precious seconds back on the Dutch race leader, and while doing so was setting the best time on the climb, eventually claiming the stage. Gesink held strong, however, and was able to finish 3rd on the stage and keep his Yellow Jersey. Cadel Evans finished in between the two for second on the day, 23 seconds behind Contador.
The atmosphere on the climb of Little Cottonwood Canyon was awe-inspiring. Thousands upon thousands of spectators lined the climb to witness this important stage. The top 10 riders went out of the starting gate 3 minutes apart, and nearly all of the riders seemed intent on topping the times of the riders in front of them. 9th place Chris Horner toppled the early best time of Igor Anton, only to be beaten by the very next rider, Andy Schleck. Schleck's time held for only 2 riders, as Evans came through to set the new best time by a fairly large margin. Denis Menchov then came in with a time between Evans and Schleck, while Tom Danielson's time would place him just behind Schleck on the day.
Then the top 3 riders in the Tour of America were set to go, 1st and 3rd separated by just 37 seconds. Samuel Sanchez has arguably been the most consistent climber throughout the race, and he continued that run today, finishing just 25 seconds behind the time of Cadel Evans, and just in front of Menchov. No time would stand up to Alberto Contador, however, as before the climb even started, Contador set the best intermediate time. Once Contador got on the climb, he climbed with his patented style, always looking comfortable yet graceful on the bike. Behind, Gesink was getting all the times of Contador in his earpiece and he set out on the climb. His style was nowhere near as enjoyable as Contador's, but Gesink nevertheless grinded his way up the climb and was holding on to the Yellow Jersey.
With two kilometers to go and the summit of the climb just ahead, Contador had a 27 second lead on Gesink. There were no time bonuses on this stage, so Contador needed a 35 second lead by the end of the day to claim the Yellow Jersey. He crossed the line 23 seconds ahead of the very impressive Evans, and simply had to wait to see whether he would be rewarded with Yellow. Gesink then came into view of the finish line, and he powered through the line with a time 31 seconds behind Contador! After 16 stages, the 1st and 2nd in the overall were just 3 seconds apart!! Gesink nearly collapsed after crossing the line, but he recovered enough to celebrate his keeping of the Yellow Jersey. However, with the last ridiculous climb of Onion Valley Road and the 60 kilometer time trial on the penultimate day, one has to believe that Contador is in the best position to claim a 7th grand tour victory.
After the stage, Contador was extra confident. "I put in a very good time all the way up the climb and I won the stage. Gesink deserved to keep Yellow today after his enormous efforts, but I think I am in a good position for the final climb and the time trial. I am feeling good for this final week! This Tour has been extra fun, and I hope to win in the end!"
Top 30 on Stage 16:
1. Alberto Contador
2. Cadel Evans +23"
3. Robert Gesink +31"
4. Samuel Sanchez +48"
5. Denis Menchov +56"
6. Andy Schleck +1'16"
7. Tom Danielson +1'24"
8. Chris Horner +1'27"
9. Igor Anton +1'35"
10. Vincenzo Nibali +1'35"
11. Jurgen Van Den Broeck +1'42"
12. Bauke Mollema +1'43"
13. Peter Velits +1'53"
14. Bradley Wiggins +1'54"
15. Andreas Kloden +1'55"
16. Joaquim Rodriguez +2'02"
17. John Gadret +2'06"
18. Damiano Cunego +2'17"
19. Jose Rujano +2'19"
20. Frank Schleck +2'22"
21. Rory Sutherland +2'34"
22. Daniel Martin +2'45"
23. Dries Devynyns +2'46"
24. Alejandro Valverde +2'54"
25. Ryder Hesjedal +3'03"
26. Alexander Vinokourov +3'10"
27. Emanuele Sella +3'15"
28. Roman Kreuziger +3'16"
29. Rigoberto Uran +3'20"
30. Nicolas Roche +3'24"
Points Earned at Finish:
1. Alberto Contador 20 pts
2. Cadel Evans 17
3. Robert Gesink 15
4. Samuel Sanchez 13
5. Denis Menchov 11
6. Andy Schleck 10
7. Tom Danielson 9
8. Chris Horner 8
9. Igor Anton 7
10. Vincenzo Nibali 6
11. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 5
12. Bauke Mollema 4
13. Peter Velits 3
14. Bradley Wiggins 2
15. Andreas Kloden 1
Snowbird Resort, HC Climb (Points Doubled for Summit Finish):
1. Alberto Contador 40 pts
2. Cadel Evans 32
3. Robert Gesink 24
4. Samuel Sanchez 16
5. Denis Menchov 8
6. Andy Schleck 4
Top 7 GC:
1. Robert Gesink
2. Alberto Contador +3"
3. Samuel Sanchez +51”
4. Denis Menchov +1'37”
5. Tom Danielson +1'54”
6. Cadel Evans +2'11”
7. Andy Schleck +3’30”
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