Tour De France 2012 Stage 8+9 Review

Stage 8

Stage 8 of the Tour de France was tipped for being a stage for breakaway riders to succeed and get a stage win. This was undoubtedly seen by the big number of attacks early that morning; with many riders who were chasing the King of the mountains jersey knowing they have to attack today. The first break contained 19 riders but none from Astana so they quickly brought everyone back except Jens Voigt who attacked and took the opening points of the day on the 4th category climb. Voigt led the escape over the next climb but was then quickly brought back into the bunch. The breakaway finally got away after 20km and the break included 20 riders: Moinard, Gallopin, Kern, Marzano, Nerz, Peraud, Cherel, Kadri, Moncoutie, Jeandesboz, Hoogerland, Valls Ferri, Caruso, Pinot, Kruiswijk, Mollema, Ten Dam, Kiriyenka, Sorensen, Kisierlovski, De Weert and Weening. Jeremy Roy caught the group and rode straight through them. Back in the peloton, Valverde and Sanchez crashed, with the Olympic champion pulling out fo the race with a suspected broken collarbone.

Kessiakoff attacked the group on the third to last climb of the day catching and riding past Roy. This lead was sustained until the final category one climb of the day when Pinot rode up to and straight past Kessiakoff ( after leaving Gallopin behind). Tony Gallopin stayed in the group  : led by Vanendert and Van Den Broeck who were trying to get Van Den Broeck some time back after the bad luck on Le Planche des Belles Filles. A group of 9 riders:  Wiggins, Froome, Evans, Menchov, Nibali, Zubeldia, Schleck, van den Broeck and Horner could stick with this pace: with Gallopin and Kessiakoff being caught and finishing in the group. Evans and van Den Broeck tried to attack Wiggins on the run-in but could not get away. Up the road, Thibaut Pinot took the stage win: the youngest rider beating the established favourites in the run in.

Stage Results

1. Thibaut Pinot
2. Cadel Evans +26s
3. Tony Gallopin
4. Bradley Wiggins
5. Vincnenzo Nibali
6. Jurgen Van Den Broeck
7. Chris Froome
8. Denis Menchov
9. Haimar Zubeldia
10. Frank Schleck +30

General Classification 

1. Bradley Wiggins 38:17:56
2. Cadel Evans +10
3. Vincenzo Nibali +16
4. Denis Menchov +54
5. Haimar Zubeldia +59
6. Chris Froome +1:32
7. Maxime Monfort +2:08
8. Jurgen Van Den Broeck +2:11
9. Nicholas Roche +2:21
10. Rein Taarame +2:27

I will not be reviewing the TT due to time constraints but will post the results and GC results here. 

Time Trial Results

1. Bradley Wiggins
2. Chris Froome +35
3. Fabian Cancellara +57
4. Tejay Van Garderen +1:06
5. Sylvain Chavanel +1:24
6. Cadel Evans +1:43
7. Peter Velits +1:59
8. Vincenzo Nibali +2:07
9. Denis Menchov +2:08
10. Andreas Kloden +2:09

General Classification

1. Bradley Wiggins 
2. Cadel Evans 1:53
3. Chris Froome 2:07
4. Vincenzo Nibali 2:23
5. Denis Menchov 3:02
6. Haimar Zubeldia 3:19
7. Maxime Monfort 4:23
8. Tejay Van Garderen 5:14
9. Jurgen Van Den Broeck 5:20
10. Nicholas Roche 5:29

Tour De France 2012 Team Rosters: Omega Pharma-Quickstep

 Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Omega Pharma-Quickstep had a disappointing Tour De France last year with no challenger for a stage win at all- no real great focus with the only highlight being Kevin De Weert finishing 12th. This year their team is so much stronger and will contend for stage wins and the GC with their team leader.

Levi Leipheimer

Leipheimer shrugged off any rumours that his injury was hindering him in the Tour De Suisse by coming 3rd overall. This came after a 6th in the Tour of California and a win in the Tour De San Luis. He could be a big threat to Wiggins and Evans due to his pute time-trialling speed and his top climbing ability. His TT ability will challenge Evans but  probably won’t beat Wiggins. Leipheimer could be a real dark horse.

Sylvain Chavanel

Chavanel is the current French Time Trial champion and also a good climber on the short punchy ascents. He will really challenge Gilbert on stages such as stage 1 and stage 3 and also contend for a top 10 in the time trials. He will be a big threat here and undoubtedly  ride to his best.

Kevin De Weert

The shining light of Quickstep’s Tour last season- the only rider to get an average result. However, this year he has really struggled to get results and will need a real upturn in form to repeat his 12th of last year. Furthermore, he will likely be a domestique in the mountains to Leipheimer and give him all he has got.

Dries Devenyns

Devenyns is a rider who can climb the hills well but also rides well on the cobbles. However, he can also climb up the big mountains and will be a big help to Leipheimer in the mountains. He may even attack on a stage (like the stage from Pau) where there is a lot of climbing but no summit finish. He may be a shock threat.

Bert Grabsch

Grabsch has been one of the best time-triallist in the world for 10 years. He won the world TT championship in 2008 and has consistently threatened Cancellara since then. He has recently had his German TT championship title taken away from him by Tony Martin (his team mate). He will be a key man on the flat as he can ride at a pace for km after km. A top 20 threat in the time trials and a key man for the sprints and crosswind affected stages.

Tony Martin

Martin took his first World TT championship last season in addition to winning the time trials in the Tour de France and the Vuelta. He has not been as unbeatable this season but has still been a force to be reckoned with- coming 2nd in the Dauphine TT behind Wiggins.  A few years ago he was tipped as a GC threat but this has become a distant past as he just could not last 3 weeks at the front- a one week specialist. Martin will be here to win both time trials and threaten in the prologue. Expect a stage win.

Jerome Pineau

Pineau has not reached the heights of 2008 and has not really threatened in stages he used to. He really needs to find his form (hints of his best in the 4 jours de Dunquerqe). He will definetly attack but I don’t expect much from this Frenchman.

Martin Velits

Martin Velits is a rider who predominately specialises on the flat. He will be a great addition to Martin and Grabsch in the cross-wind stages. This team will excel then. Martin Velits can also time trial but not to the standard of his team-mate. He will  be a good team player.

Peter Velits

After the highs of the 2010 Vuelta where he came second behind Nibali, he struggled at last years Tour- finishing only 18th but getting stronger as it went on. this year, I feel that he will be a join leader with Leipheimer as he has shown he had the ability to threaten the best. He can climb well and his form seems good- winning the Tour of Oman. He did however help Leipheimer in the Tour De Suisse that implies he will be a climbing domestique for Levi.

Omega Pharma Quickstep have an incredibly strong team this Tour and will almost certainly challenge for stage wins and a top 5 GC position.

Tour De France 2012 Team Rosters: Radioshack-Nissan

Radioshack-Nissan

Radioshack-Nissan formed at the start of 2012 with a merger between 2 of cycling’s super teams- Radioshack and Leopard-Trek. This team managed by Johan Bruyneel is a team that focuses on GC success rather than individual honours. However, for the 2012 Tour De France, the team will be without Andy Schleck through injury and his brother, Frank Schleck, states that he is not going for the GC either- making the team selection even more interesting.

Fabian Cancellara: Fabian Cancellara is one of the most successful cyclists of the modern generation winning many classics, stages in Grand Tours and even the odd week long tour. Cancellara will be going for stage victories in the time trials and act as a domestique to the rest of the team on the flatlands.

Tony Gallopin

Tony Gallopin is a surprise addition into the Radioshack Tour De France team- as Bruyneel tends to avoid taking sprinters to these events. However, he impressed last year finishing 4th on stage 5 and is a big prospect for the future. Expect to see him mixing it up on the later stages when the quality of sprinters may be slightly thinner.

Chris Horner

In the twilight years of his career Chris Horner, still consistently puts in top draw performances. This has been seen in his 2011 victory in the Tour of California and coming 8th there in 2012. However, the Tour of California is not a Grand Tour- with Chris Horner’s only respectable GC position in a Grand Tour being the 9th in the 2010 Tour De France. If Horner is near his best he could contend for a top 10 position. However, I believe him either going for a stage victory and him assisting Andreas Kloden and Frank Schleck is more likely. Saying this, Horner will be happy to be going to the Tour at all, after being left off the long list and been put in at the last minute for, perhaps, his last Tour.

Andreas Kloden

Kloden is undoubtedly a top draw GC rider. He has a proven track record in week long tours and in Grand Tours- with 2 second positions in the Tour de France previously. However, his form this season has been far from outstanding. But, if he performs the way everyone knows he can- it is impossible to rule out a top 10 finish.

Maxime Monfort

With Andy Schleck not at the Tour and Frank ruling himself out of contention for leader- a rider who is usually relegated to helping the Schleck’s will have to step up. The obvious candidates for this will be Chris Horner and Andreas Kloden. However, I would tip Maxime Monfort to be a dark horse to challenge for a top 10 position- if he is given the right support. He is a Wigginsesque rider- meaning he is a very good time triallist who holds his own in the mountains. If he is at anywhere near his best in this time trial heavy Tour- he could be a potential leader of this team.

Yaroslav Popovych

Popovych has never fulfilled the promise of his early career- with his highlights being 3rd in the 2003 Giro D’Italia. He gained 5th the following year and 8th in the 2007 Tour De France; winning the white jersey but has struggled to be a real threat to the leaders since. When Popovych signed for the Discovery Channel Team it saw him pick up the job of a climbing domestique for Contador. He has held this role in each team he has ridden for since- with no real chance for him to shine. I don’t see this changing here but with the Schleck’s not in contention maybe it is time for Popovych to have a resurgence?

Frank Schleck

After brother Andy’s withdrawal from the Tour, everyone expected Frank to become the sole leader of the Radioshack team- due to his pure ability as a climber. However, he has officially ruled himself out of the GC race- focusing on a stage victory and perhaps a different jersey. Schleck has 5 top 10’s in Grand Tours (4 being at the Tour and 2 being podium finishes) meaning he has previous experience of doing well here. Even though he has ruled himself out of the overall- if he finds himself anywhere near the front with a week to go, you can bet your life he will have a go for a podium.

Jens Voigt

Jens Voigt is widely regarded as the best rouleur in the peloton and is also inclined to go it alone on days where the peloton might take a ‘day off’. Like many riders in the Radioshack team, Voigt has got even better with age; getting top individual performances in lesser one week tours and then putting everything on the line to help the Schleck’s. In this years Tour you can expect to see more of the same from this strong man.

 

Haimar Zubeldia

Zubeldia is another member of Radioshack’s ‘old guard’ and one with sufficient Grand Tour pedigree- finishing in the top 10 of the Tour De France 3 times and in the Vuelta once. Even though he has high positions in past Tours, this was a long time ago and it would take a lot to see him compete for team leader. However, he will work for whoever they decide their leader is and maybe get a stage win if he sniffs his chance.

Overall, Radioshack do have a very strong squad for this Tour despite the loss of Andy Schleck and the non-selection of the Dane Jakob Fuglsang. However, they need to work out who their leader is going to be early in the race if they want any chance of a victory.