Thomas Voeckler’s yellow jersey under pressure on another technical descent
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) continued the Norwegian dominance of the 2011 Tour de France, taking his second, and his country’s fourth stage of the race so far into Pinerolo, Italy. After losing out to compatriot Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) on the previous stage, the 24-year-old was part of the main fourteen-man break of the day once again. He attacked the remains of the break inside the last three kilometres of the final climb of the day to the Côte de Pramartino, then stayed away on the very technical descent to the finish.
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) pursued the Norwegian over the top of the climb, but was unable to make any progress on the descent, and finished 40 seconds behind.
Sandy Casar (FDJ) won a three-Frenchman sprint for third place, over Julien El Fares (Cofidis) and Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), 1’10” behind Boasson Hagen.
With the fourteen men off the front of the race for the majority of the stage, the majority of the action between the overall contenders was confined to the final climb and descent.
“I was close yesterday and today I really wanted to win and to arrive at the finish alone,” said Boasson Hagen afterwards. “It’s a really great moment. I was thinking about this stage when I was training a few weeks ago and now that I’ve won it, it’s really great.
“It was a very technical downhill near the finish but I knew it quite well,” he explained. “I saw it on a video before we left the bus this morning and I felt like I knew almost every corner and that helped a lot. I wanted to hold my own pace going up the climb and after doing that, I could go alone down and it’s really great to win that way.”
This victory is Boasson Hagen’s second of the race and, with the Hushovd being his only compatriot in the Tour, the Norwegian’s now have four between them; as well as the World champion spending a week in yellow.
“It’s been an amazing Tour for Norway,” said Boasson Hagen. “There might only be the two of us but we have four stage wins and that’s really great.
“I’m having a good Tour I think.”
Another tough, but transitional stage
The 179km from Gap, over the Alps to Pinerolo in Italy should have been another transitional stage that allowed the overall contenders to rest in the peloton ahead of the tough stages to come. Although it crossed several climbs, including the 2035 metre high ski resort of Sestrières, the long descent to the finish should prevent any major activity in the overall classification.
Only the 6.7km climb of the Côte de Pramartino, which topped out at 8km to go, followed by a steep, technical descent to the finish line would be likely to lead to any activity from the favourites. After the hesitation shown by many riders, particularly Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) on the wet descent into gap on the previous day though, there was bound to be an attack from someone.
Thankfully, the heavy rain that fell on stage sixteen had moved on, and the day began with bright sunny skies.
The break gets away on the second attempt
A group of ten riders got clear in the first ten kilometres, including previous stage winners Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank), Rui Costa (Movistar) and Boasson Hagen. They managed to get 40 seconds clear of the peloton by the 20km mark, but were gradually pulled back, and were pulled back after 41km by the fast moving peloton.
After 54km another ten riders managed to get clear as the peloton slowed, and they managed to get properly clear. The ten riders were: Boasson Hagen again, Ruben Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank), Dmitriy Fofonov (Astana), Dmitriy Muravyev (RadioShack), Andrey Amador (Movistar), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Julien El Fares (Cofidis), Björn Leukemans (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Jonathan Hivert (Saur-Sojasun).
After a few kilometres there was a counterattack from Bauke Mollema (Rabobank), Maciej Paterski (Liquigas-Cannondale), Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) and Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil-DCM), and the four of them managed to join the leading ten by the 58km point. There was now a group of fourteen ahead of the race and they were allowed to start opening up a lead by Voeckler’s Europcar team.
Casar was the best placed in the group, 14’36” behind the yellow jersey.
At the foot of the 3rd category Côte de Sainte-Marguerite the group’s lead was up to 5’15”; as Chavanel led over the top, it had reduced a little to 4’55”, but began to rise again as the race headed towards the intermediate sprint.
Casar was first across the line in Villar-Saint-Pancrace, after 81.5km, ahead of Boasson Hagen and, since there were fourteen riders in the group there was just a single point left for the peloton. Nevertheless, green jersey wearer Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) rolled over the line to take fifteenth place, some 5’55” behind.
The gap opens up as the climbing really starts
Chavanel led over the 3rd category La Chaussée (montée de Briançon), after 85.5km; the lead over the peloton had now gone up to 7’10”, with Europcar still leading.
As the leaders neared the top of the 2nd category Col de Montgenèvre, the peloton was 7’20” behind and Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) attacked from the peloton. The Irishman was chased by Kevin De Weert (Quick Step) and Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM) and, despite the position of De Weert overall – who was in twelfth place, exactly nine minutes behind – there was no reaction from the peloton.
As Chavanel took the points over the top of Montgenevre once more, as the race crossed the border into Italy. Roche, De Weert and Hoogerland were now 5’15” behind, with the peloton a further 1’20” back.
After a short descent the leaders took on the 1st category climb to the ski resort of Sestrières. With the good road surface and steady gradients the fourteen riders stayed together on the way up but, with 2km to climb, Perez attacked and the others let him go.
The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider was 1’06” ahead of the others as he rode over the top of the climb, with the three pursuers at 2’05”. The relaxed pace set by Europcar meant that the peloton was now 7’51” back as the race entered the long descent to the base of the Côte de Pramartino.
With everybody travelling at full speed on the descent the gaps remained largely static and, with 50km to go, Perez was 7’57” ahead. Hoogerland though, possibly a little nervous of crashing after his horrific crash into the barbed wire fence on stage nine, was dropped by Roche and De Weert.
The peloton gives chase at last as the breakaway threatens on several fronts
Inside the final 40km, with the gap up as far as 8’05”, Garmin-Cervélo sent Tyler Farrar and Ramunas Navardauskus forward to assist in the chase, as De Weert was threatening the ninth place of Tom Danielson. Roche’s presence up the road was also posing a threat to the American team’s lead in the team competition. At almost six minutes clear of the peloton, De Weert was actually threatening riders as high as Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) in fourth place.
As he passed under the 25km to go banner Perez still led his previous companions by 1’05”, with Roche and De Weert drifting out slightly at 2’35”. Lampre-ISD had also moved to the front to protect Damiano Cunego’s place in the classification, and the gap had dropped to 7’13”; with 20km to go it was 57 seconds to the thirteen-man group.
With 15km to go Perez’ lead was down to 35 seconds as he approached the base of the final climb. Fofonov attacked in pursuit as soon as the pursuers hit the climb, with El Fares chasing followed by Mollema. The peloton less than six minutes behind at the base of the climb as a Vacansoleil-DCM rider crashed on the first corner.
Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard), who lost so much time on the first stage due to a crash in front of him, didn’t go down but was forced to stop and put his foot down before he started climbing; up at the front of the peloton, BMC Racing was forcing the pace.
The final climb sees the attacks begin
As the lead group began to re-form once more, Chavanel attacked over the top of Perez with 4km to go to the top. Boasson Hagen led the chase of the French champion, leaving the rest behind him.
BMC Racing’s George Hincapie was now leading the peloton with team leader Cadel Evans on his wheel, but Fränk and Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) were just behind him, with Voeckler, Contador and all the favourites just behind.
Boasson Hagen was steadily gaining on Chavanel as they made their way up, and caught him with 3km to go to the top; they were now 16 seconds ahead of the rest; the Norwegian dropped the French champion as Paterski led the rest up.
Hivert was the next to attacked again to try to catch Boasson Hagen, and the group was thinning as Chavanel led the chase. Paterski was driving the chase as only Casar, Chavanel and Mollema were able to follow; with 10km to go though, Boasson Hagen led them by 25 seconds.
With the peloton at just over five minutes behind the leaders, Contador put in his first attack. Andy Schleck was straight on the Spaniard’s wheel but Voeckler managed to stay with them and the others joined shortly afterwards.
Boasson Hagen crossed the top of the climb alone, clear of Hivert, who was pursued by Mollema. Behind them Contador attacked again, but Andy Schleck and the others followed him once again. Fränk Schleck went next, but it was more of an acceleration than an attack and the rest of the thinning peloton simply strung out behind him.
Another tricky descent means more incidents on the way down than on the way up
Hivert was taking a lot of risks in his attempts to catch Boasson Hagen and the Frenchman crashed on the outside of a right hand corner as he took the wrong line. Luckily he landed on the soft forest floor and was unhurt, but he lost his place on the road to Mollema, who was descending more steadily.
Basso took over the front of the peloton as it entered the final kilometre of the climb, only to be overtaken by Andy Schleck, while up ahead Boasson Hagen entered the final five kilometres. Then Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) took over to put pressure on Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky) in the white jersey standings, as the peloton caught and passed Hoogerland.
Voeckler came to the front again as they passed over the top, 4’44” behind Boasson Hagen.
Still struggling to get up to the front of the race, Hivert went off the road again; the Frenchman was lucky for a second time, as he managed to stop in the drive in front of someone’s house.
As the roads flattened with 3km to go Boasson Hagen had more than 30 seconds over Mollema, and as time trialling to his second stage of the race. Behind him it was Voeckler’s turn to misjudge a corner and have to stop as he was leading the peloton down the descent.
Voeckler’s misfortune left Contador and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) with a clear gap over the others and they began to open it up as they once again put their fearless descending skills to good use.
More misfortune for the yellow jersey as Norway wins yet again
Chasing with the rest, Voeckler was forced into same driveway as Hivert had stopped in, causing him to lose touch with the main group. As Contador and Sanchez hit the flat roads in the run to the finish, they began to work together as they had the day before; instead of chasing Evans though, this time they were running away from him.
“I tried to attack at the top of the last climb and to make the downhill but three times I went wide on a corner and the third time I was very, very lucky because I had to jump down a step that was about a meter high,” Voeckler explained at the finish.
As he entered the finishing straight, Boasson Hagen had plenty of time to sit up and straighten his Team Sky jersey, and celebrate his second stage victory. Mollema crossed the line 40 seconds behind the Norwegian, with the three Frenchmen sprinting just ten seconds further back.
Voeckler was chasing alone behind a group containing Evans and both of the Schlecks, but he sat up a little and waited for a four-man group that included Danielson, Uran and Basso.
The Schleck/Evans group was seven riders strong, with Cunego, Taaramäe, Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Jean Christophe Péraud (AG2R La Mondiale) also present. The weight of numbers was proving decisive as they were gradually reeling in Contador and Sanchez; the two Spaniards were just five seconds clear with one kilometre to go, and they were finally caught as they entered the finishing straight.
The group crossed the line 4’26” behind Boasson Hagen, with Voeckler and Basso, Uran Danielson and Haimar Zubledia (RadioShack) coming in after 4’53”, losing 27 seconds to the others.
“I lost time and if I’d been more calm, I could have finished with the favourites but I was a little bit too ambitious,” said Voeckler. “Maybe I wanted too much today…”
Because of those lost seconds, Voeckler now leads Evans by just 1’18”, and Fränk Schleck by 1’22” as the race heads into the high Alps for stage finishes on the Col du Galibier and Alpe d’Huez. After predicting his own demise before each of the summit finishes in the Pyrénées, the Frenchman once again expects to lose the yellow jersey.
“My climbing has been good but I don’t think it’s good enough for tomorrow,” he conceded. “A six kilometre climb is a lot different to a 35 kilometre one.”
Result stage 17
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky
2. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank @ 40s
3. Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ @ 50s
4. Julien El Fares (Fra) Cofidis
5. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step
6. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Astana @ 1’10”
7. Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale
8. Dmitriy Murayev (Kaz) RadioShack
9. Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Saur-Sojasun @ 1’15”
10. Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil-DCM @ 2’20”
Standings after stage 17
1. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Europcar
2. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team @ 1’18”
3. Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek @ 1’22”
4. Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek @ 2’36”
5. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi @ 2’59”