Vasseur Wins Stage 10 After All Day Breakaway July 18, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Aleksandre Kuschynski, Andriy Grivko, Cédric Vasseur, Cofidis, Crédit Agricole, CSC, Francaise des Jeux, Jens Voigt, Juan Antonio Flecha, Lampre, Liquigas, Marcus Burghardt, Michal Albasini, Milram, Paolo Bossoni, Patrice Halgand, Quickstep, Rabobank, Sandy Casar, Staf Scheirlinckx, Stage 10, T-Mobile, Team Cofidis, Team Crédit Agricole, Team CSC, Team Francaise des Jeux, Team Lampre-Fondital, Team Liquigas, Team Milram, Team Quickstep, Team Rabobank, Team T-Mobile, Tour de France.add a comment
A long, uncontested breakaway set the stage for a hot finish on this very hot day in southern France. The breakaway consisted of Jens Voigt (CSC), Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Paolo Bossoni (Lampre), Patrice Halgand (Credit Agricole), Staf Scheirlinckx (Cofidis), Michal Albasini (Liquigas), Aleksandre Kuschynski (Liquigas), Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux), Cedric Vasseur (Quick Step), Andriy Grivko (Milram), and Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile). With 25km to go, the breakaway split into two pieces with Halgand attacking and pulling Casar, Vasseur, Voight and Albasini with him. After a quick descent into Marseille, the lead 5 played cat and mouse games for the final 4km before a slow sprint over the final 300m, with Vasseur edging out Casar for the win… the first French stage win of the tour.
Top Finishers Today:
1. VASSEUR Cédric 179 QUICK STEP – INNERGETIC 5h 20′ 24″
2. CASAR Sandy 161 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 5h 20′ 24″
3. ALBASINI Michael 152 LIQUIGAS 5h 20′ 24″
4. HALGAND Patrice 107 CREDIT AGRICOLE 5h 20′ 24″
5. VOIGT Jens 38 TEAM CSC 5h 20′ 24″
6. SCHEIRLINCKX Staf 147 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 5h 21′ 00″ + 00′ 36″
7. BOSSONI Paolo 83 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 5h 21′ 00″ + 00′ 36″
8. BURGHARDT Marcus 22 T-MOBILE TEAM 5h 21′ 25″ + 01′ 01″
9. KUSCHYNSKI Aleksandr 156 LIQUIGAS 5h 22′ 58″ + 02′ 34″
10. FLECHA Juan Antonio 55 RABOBANK 5h 22′ 58″ + 02′ 34″
11. GRIVKO Andriy 184 TEAM MILRAM 5h 24′ 06″ + 03′ 42″
12. CHAVANEL Sébastien 162 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 5h 31′ 00″ + 10′ 36″
13. BOONEN Tom 171 QUICK STEP – INNERGETIC 5h 31′ 00″ + 10′ 36″
14. VENTOSO Francisco 209 SAUNIER DUVAL – PRODIR 5h 31′ 00″ + 10′ 36″
15. HUNTER Robert 216 BARLOWORLD 5h 31′ 00″ + 10′ 36″
The Field Thins July 15, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Cedric Hervé, Cofidis, Danilo Napolitano, Ivan Parra, Mark Cavendish, Michael Rogers, Robbie McEwen, Romain Feillu, Stage 8, Stuart O'Grady, T-Mobile, Team Agritubel, Team Cofidis, Team CSC, Team Lampre-Fondital, Team Predictor-Lotto, Tour de France.add a comment
Well the carnage begins in the the Alps, a total of 8 riders were eliminated today. The O’Grady crash was the most scary event…other riders departed quietly off the back of the pack. T-Mobile appears to have gotten the worst of it losing both Rogers (as reported earlier) and Cavendish. Linus Gerdemann is now defending T-Mobile’s GC hopes, clinging to 2nd. Agritubel also lost 2 riders, though neither Feillu nor Herve had as high expectations as Rogers.
The complete list of withdrawals today: Ivan Parra (Cofidis, Abandon) , Cedric Herve (Agritubel, Time), Romain Feillu (Agritubel, Abandon), Danilo Napolitano (Lampre-Fondital, Time), Robbie McEwen (Predicor-Lotto, Time), Stuart O’Grady (CSC, Crash, Injuries), Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile, Abandon) and Michael Rogers (T-Mobile, Crash, Injuries)
Boonen at Last! July 13, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Barloworld, Daniele Bennati, Erik Zabel, Fabian Cancellara, Gerolsteiner, Lampre-Fondital, Liquigas, Milram, Murilo Fischer, Oscar Freire, Quickstep, Rabobank, Robert Forster, Robert Hunter, Romain Feillu, Stage 6, Sylvain Chavanel, Team Agritubel, Team Barloworld, Team Cofidis, Team Crédit Agricole, Team Francaise des Jeux, Team Gerolsteiner, Team Lampre-Fondital, Team Liquigas, Team Milram, Team Quickstep, Team Rabobank, Thor Hushovd, Tom Boonen, Tour de France.add a comment
Tom Boonen (Quickstep) finally got the stage win that he has been eluding him in a tough sprint finish that put him a bikelength ahead of Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Erik Zabel.
Boonen finished 2nd to his teamate Gert Steegmans in Stage 2, and there was some question whether he still had the power to win a tough sprint, but he proved that he still has it today. Oscar Freire meanwhile keeps knocking on the door, having finished 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in the last three stages. Of course Zabel has been 3rd, 2nd, 1st and 3rd over the past four stages….
Fabian Cancellara in yellow for one more day, Boonen takes over the Green and Sylvain Chavanel’s 40 pts. in the KOM will be safe until at least tomorrow.
Top Finishers:
1. BOONEN Tom 171 QUICK STEP – INNERGETIC 05:20:59
2. FREIRE Oscar 56 RABOBANK 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
3. ZABEL Erik 181 TEAM MILRAM 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
4. CHAVANEL Sebastien 162 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
5. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
6. BENNATI Daniele 82 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
7. FORSTER Robert 92 GEROLSTEINER 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
8. HUNTER Robert 216 BARLOWORLD 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
9. FEILLU Romain 134 AGRITUBEL 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
10. FISCHER Murilo Antoniobil 155 LIQUIGAS 05:20:59 + 00:00:00
British Tribute July 13, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Bradley Wiggins, Cofidis, Cycling, Team Cofidis, Tom Simpson, Tour de France.add a comment
British Cofidis rider Bradley Wiggins has ridden a solo breakaway of 190km (almost the entire stage) on this the 40th anniversary of British rider Tom Simpson’s death on Ventoux in the 13th stage of the 1967 Tour de France.
He will be overtaken by the peloton in the final kilometers, but it’s been a brave and impressive ride by Wiggins and a fitting tribute to Simpson.
Cofidis Loses LeQuatre After Yesterday’s Crash July 13, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Cofidis, Geoffroy LeQuatre, Team Cofidis, Tour de France.add a comment
Geoffroy LeQuatre did not make the start today after bravely fighting across the finish line yesterday nearly 45 minutes after the leaders. He was injured in a crash and left behind, but struggled through the remainder of the course.
The jury allowed him to continue despite missing the cutoff, but his injuries were too severe, and he did not make the start.
Stage 5 Goes to Pozzato July 12, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Bouygues Telecom, Bram Tankink, Christian Moreni, Cofidis, Daniele Bennati, Discovery Channel, Erik Zabel, Fabian Cancellara, Filippo Pozzato, George Hincapie, Jérôme Pineau, Kim Kerchen, Lampre-Fondital, Liquigas, Milram, Oscar Freire, Quickstep, Quickstep-Innergetic, Rabobank, Stage 5, Stefan Schumacher, Sylvain Chavanel, Team Bouygues Telecom, Team Cofidis, Team Discovery Channel, Team Gerolsteiner, Team Lampre-Fondital, Team Liquigas, Team Milram, Team Quickstep, Team Rabobank, Team T-Mobile.add a comment
Filippo Pozzato of Liquigas won a long and winding sprint to take Stage 5. Fabian Cancellara stayed with the peloton despite some challenging climbs, finished 12th, and holds on to the Jersey for another day (2 actually). Sylvain Chavanel’s persistence in long breakaways brough him the Polka Dot Jersey as his won 30 of the days 34 available 1st place points by taking the first 6 of 7 climbs as part of the breakaway.
Tom Boonen lost the peloton in the hils, and finished the day 1:20 behind the Pozzato, which opened the door for Erik Zabel to take the Green Jersey with his 16 point 5th place finish.
Top Finishers:
1. POZZATO Filippo 151 LIQUIGAS 04:39:01
2. FREIRE Oscar 56 RABOBANK 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
3. BENNATI Daniele 82 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
4. KIRCHEN Kim 27 T-MOBILE TEAM 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
5. ZABEL Erik 181 TEAM MILRAM 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
6. HINCAPIE George 114 DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
7. MORENI Cristian 144 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
8. SCHUMACHER Stefan 91 GEROLSTEINER 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
9. TANKINK Bram 177 QUICK STEP – INNERGETIC 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
10. PINEAU Jérôme 126 BOUYGUES TELECOM 04:39:01 + 00:00:00
Cancellara Shines July 7, 2007
Posted by dperry1ma in Bradley Wiggins, Cofidis, CSC, Discovery Channel, Fabian Cancellara, George Hincapie, Oscar Friere, Team Cofidis, Team CSC, Team Discovery Channel, UCI Time Trial World Champion.add a comment
World champion in the time trial, Fabian Cancellara showed that the result in Salzburg was no fluke with a dominating prolog, 13 seconds ahead of Andreas Kloden, whose 9:03 time was considered nearly unbeatable by some observers until Cancellara’s run. Wearing the rainbow jersey, awarded to the UCI time trial champion to be worn in individual time trial events for the following year, Cancellara was 8 seconds ahead of Kloden pace at the split and pulled a further 5 seconds ahead by the finish.
Bradley Wiggins, the top British finisher in this first ever British prolog, finished 4th, 23 seconds behind Cancellara, and just a fraction of a second behind George Hicapie who narrowly missed winning the prolog last year.
Meanwhile Oscar Friere, himself 3 time UCI Road World Champion (’99, ’01 and ’04) wins the tough guy award for finishing 88th, 55 seconds off the lead despite riding with a pilonidal cyst on his tailbone, a very painful problem that is a recurrence of a cyst he had three years ago that forced him to have surgery and sit out part of the ’04 season.
Top Finishers, (Complete Results are available here and at The Tour website):
1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), CSC 00:08:50
2. Andréas Klöden (G), Astana , at 00:00:13
3. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel , at 00:00:23
4. Bradley Wiggins (GB), Cofidis Credit Par Telephone , at 00:00:23
5. Vladimir Gusev (Rus), Discovery Channel , at 00:00:25
6. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Caisse D’epargne , at 00:00:26
7. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kz), Astana , at 00:00:30
8. Thomas Dekker (Nl), Rabobank , at 00:00:31
9. Manuel Quinziato (I), Liquigas , at 00:00:32
10. Benoît Vaugrenard (F), Francaise Des Jeux , at 00:00:32
I support research and treatment for childhood cancer by riding in the Pan Mass Challenge. The PMC contributes funds for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. Together, PMC cyclists have raised more than $171 million, crucial funds that have improved the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones around the globe. This year we aim to raise more than $27 million more for cancer research. Please join me in supporting the Pan Mass Challenge and the fight against cancer. If you would like to support my ride with a donation, please 
Tour de France 2007 