Cavandish strikes again in Bordeaux
23 July 2010
photo: AP photo
Today a relatively flat stage. If you have the Pyrenees behind you, everything after that is just a little hill. This stage brings us from Salies de Béarn to Bordeaux a 198km ride.
This Tour there is no relaxed moment. Not a moment in the race where the riders can take it a bit easy. Today it´s no different. From the start there is a break away with 7 riders. Matti Breschel, Remy Di Gregorio, Yarsoslav Popovych, Marcus Burghardt, Carlos Barredo, Linus Gerdemann and Mathieu Perget. But they couldn´t stay away.
Matti Breschel is the active man and tries it again. He is joined by Daniel Oss, Benoit Vaugrenard and Jerome Pineau and the four get a gap.
In the peloton there is another battle. The battle for the green jersey. Lampre , Cervelo and HTC Colombia want to have a mass sprint, because of the fact the gaps in the green jersey classification are very small. So in front of the peloton Lampre is taking the lead, they want to have the green jersey back on Patacchi shoulders. They are joined by HTC Colombia because Cavandish also has a change.
The sprinters teams have the control over the leading group. The gap stays reachable for the sprint teams. They don´t go that fast.
In the final, the last 34 km there is a lot of side wind, but the four in the front keep the gap steady. The peloton is riding with three teams in the front, each with three riders.
Getting closer to the finish the gap gets smaller and smaller, and is it a flat stage in the Tour scenario.
In the peloton the speed is about 75kph and the gap is now 31 seconds and Pineau is attacking in the leading group. The next one to attack is the Liquigas rider Oss and he gets a gap. The others get overtaken by the peloton just 12k before the finish.
The trains are formed. HTC Colombia has a good train, Lampre is in position, Milram is still there, Rabobank ready and Oss keeps on going. the road is wide , with now and then traffic islands. BMC is riding, are they riding for Ballan?
Just a bit more than 3 k Oss go overtaken and the sprinters teams can do their thing. Sky is the train that is leading for Boasson Hagen. Within that train, Wiggens and Flecha.
A long sprint, Patacchi opens the sprint and takes Cavendish with him in his wheel and he jumps over and wins. Dean is second and in third place is old man Patacchi. Hushovd was to far behind and isn´t in the top 10. The green jersey goes to Patacchi again.
As Cavandish tells in an interview, he didn't even know if he was going to start today because of sickness. Well if he wins like this being sick how does he win when is healthy?
And Andy, he is meeting the girl he had poster of on his wall, just after the finish, he meets Cameron Diaz. Oh I don't know if he saw it but Tom Cruise was also there!
Stage Results:
1. Cavandish
2. Dean
3. Patacchi
General Classification:
1. Contador
2. Andy Schleck
3. Sanchez
Polka dot:
1. Charteau
2. Pineau
3. Andy Schleck
White Jersey:
1. Andy Schleck
2. Gesink
3. Kreuziger
Grey Jersey:
(this is a jersey we are dedicating to Jens Voigt, who said once in a interview that he would like to add the grey jersey for rider older than 35, they have to work harder then the younger riders, it doesn't go that easy andy more when you are old, he said)
1. Horner
2. Leipheimer
3. Klöden
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