History repeats itself as Thomas Voeckler holds on to yellow on the Pyrénéen summit
After being denied a stage victory two days before on the climb to Luz-Ardiden, Jelle Vanandert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) won the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France on the Plateau de Beille. The Belgian attacked a select group of race favourites some 7km from the top of the climb to the finish and, with his lowly place in the overall classification, was allowed to get away.
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), the man that had denied Vanendert on Luz-Ardiden, set off in pursuit of the Belgian with 4km to go, but was unable to close the gap and finished 21 seconds behind him.
Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek), in a show of defiance, attacked the rest of the overall favourites in the closing few hundred metres to take third place 36 seconds back. The Luxemburger crossed the line just two seconds ahead of Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), who led the big group of favourites home.
“It’s like a dream come true,” said Vanendert at the finish. “After last year, when I didn’t race for seven or eight months because of two knee injuries, I think my career has now started.
“Winning at Plateau de Beille… it’s not bad, huh?” he added. “Two mountain top finishes: one time second, one time first… I’ve tried two times and luckily now I have two things: a prize jersey and a stage win, so I’m very glad.”
Day three in the Pyrénées would be the toughest day so far
After a relatively easy day on stage thirteen, the 168.5km between Saint-Gaudens and the Plateau de Beille was expected to be one of the toughest days of the Tour. With one 3rd, two 2nd and two 1st category climbs on the way to finish on the hors category Plateau the favourites were expected to do battle once again.
Thomas Voeckler was expected to lose his yellow jersey, but the Frenchman had history on his side. The last time he wore yellow, back in the 2004 race, he managed to cling on to the jersey by 22 seconds, despite losing 4’42” to stage winner Lance Armstrong, who was on his way to his record breaking sixth overall victory.
Although the Plateau has only featured in the Tour on four previous occasions, the winner at the top (Marco Pantani 1998, Lance Armstrong 2002 & 2004, and Alberto Contador 2007) has been the winner of the race in Paris.
It was Omega Pharma-Lotto’s stage 10 winner André Greipel’s 29th birthday, a date he shares with five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain, but you’d get very long odds on the big German Gorilla taking today’s stage.
Attacks from the gun as usual and the French champion drags a huge group away
There was an immediate attack as soon as the flag was dropped from AG2R and FDJ, but the first rider to get clear of the peloton was Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step).
He was soon joined by nineteen other riders, who were: Linus Gerdemann and Jens Voigt (both Leopard Trek), Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Bauke Mollema and Luis León Sanchez (both Rabobank), David Millar (Garmin-Cervélo), Rémy Di Gregorio (Astana), Kristjan Koren (Liquigas-Cannondale), Maxime Bouet, Christophe Riblon (both AG2R La Mondiale), Xabier Zandio (Team Sky), Sandy Casar, Mickaël Delage and Arthur Vichot (all FDJ), Manuel Quinziato (BMC Racing), Julien El Fares (Cofidis), Anthony Charteau (Europcar), Egor Silin (Katusha), and Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil-DCM).
Europcar took up its usual place on the front of the peloton, setting its usual steady tempo, and the group was able to get itself clear without too much trouble. Casar was thee best placed in the overall classification, 8’47” behind Voeckler.
Missing from the group were any of the top men in the race for either the green or polka dot jerseys. This particularly suited green jersey incumbent Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad), as none of his rivals would be able to make any ground on his lead at the intermediate sprint, which would come after 36.5km, after the 2nd category climb of the Col de Portet d’Aspet.
As Delage led the twenty men in the lead over the top of the Portet d’Aspet, which was climbed in the direction that the race had descended on the day when 1992 Olympic champion Fabio Casartelli was killed in 1995, they had 1’02” over the chasers and 4’45” over the Europcar led peloton.
A massive lead for the break as Europcar tries to take it easy again
FDJ used its numerical advantage to deliver Delage across the intermediate sprint line in Orgibet, although he had to see off a challenge from Millar. The peloton behind them would simply roll over the line for the first time in the race, since all the points had been taken by the riders up the road.
Rui Costa (Movistar), Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) and Ruben Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) managed to catch the lead group after 43km. At the base of the 1st category Col de la Core the group’s lead had grown to 6’05”; this had extended to 6’55” as Delage led over the top.
Casar attacked on the descent, accompanied by El Fares. A few moments later Millar chased across, and the three of them were 35 seconds clear of the other 21 breakaway riders as they passed through the feedzone in Seix after 76.5km. They continued to open up their lead as the chase group struggled to reorganise, and after 83km it had increased to 1’45”; the peloton was now 7’20” behind.
At the base of the 2nd category Col de Latrape, which would top out after 94km, the three leaders were 8’45” clear of the peloton; a few minutes later it went over nine minutes, putting Casar in the virtual race lead. As the chasers hit the bottom Riblon attacked the rest and tried to bridge across.
Leopard Trek takes over again to thin out its rivals’ teams
The peloton accelerated a little as it hit the climb, as Leopard Trek came forward to set the pace, causing some riders to begin slipping off the back. Casar led the leaders over the top of the climb, with Riblon at 1’35”, a long way ahead of the rest of the chase group, but he caught them on the descent. The peloton had cut the gap to 7’45”, stripping Casar of his virtual yellow jersey, at the base of the 1st category Col d’Agnes Riblon.
As the climb began in earnest Millar was dropped by the three Frenchmen.
Silin managed to chase and to join the leaders with 5km to go to the top, with Charteau, Voigt, Di Gregorio, Zandio and Izagirre just behind him. There were now nine at the frot, which grew to eleven as Chavanel and Gerdemann made it back up.
The peloton was steadily closing the gap, as Leopard Trek was riding in a similar fashion to stage twelve: wearing down the teams of the other favourites before the big climb to the finish. As Chavanel outsprinted Charteau over the summit with 59.5km to go, it had been slashed to 5’07”, pulling back many of the dropped breakaway riders as it went.
A lone attack from the break and some rotten luck for Jens
Izagirre attacked on the descent, pulling a few seconds clear of the other ten leaders. As the peloton made its way down though, Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) crashed, but the Tour’s medical staff were with him quickly and he was soon back up and chasing the peloton with a bandage over his bleeding nose.
Over the top of the 3rd category Port de Lers, with just 50.5km to go, Izagirre was 56 seconds ahead of the chasers, with the peloton at 5’14”. All that remained was the long descent to the Ariège valley, before the 15.8km climb to the finish.
On the technical descent Voigt went straight on at a left hand corner and crashed into some bushes. A few kilometres later the German came down again as his front wheel slid from under him on the slippery melted tar. He soon got up and was on his radio straight away to warn his teammates to take care.
The breakaway group came together as the descent began to flatten out, but began to break up again as the riders began to attack one another. The peloton was just 3’14” behind as they passed under the 20km to go banner.
The final climb begins and Leopard Trek really starts to turn the screw
Perez attacked just before the climb to the Plateau began and, as he hit the bottom, he led by a slim five-second margin. The peloton trailed by just 2’02” as Maxime Monfort led the Leopard Trek train onto the climb, as Casar took the lead on the road.
Voigt was the next Leopard Trek man to take over; the group was thinning out but most of the favourites, including Voeckler, still looked comfortable. Contador was sitting on the wheel of Andy Schleck, as he had done on stage twelve, with Fränk Schleck sitting on his.
Carlos Barredo (Rabobank) attacked with 13km to go, quickly overtaking teammate Sanchez, who was on his way back from the break. Casar was 1’43” with 12km to go, as Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervélo) took over on the front with Tom Danielson on his wheel.
Andy Schleck makes the first move again
With 11km to go Andy Schleck made the first move, but was quickly marked by Contador. Evans, Voeckler with Europcar teammate Pierre Rolland, Fränk Schleck, Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD), Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale), Jean-Christophe Péraud (AG2R La Mondiale) and Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky) were the only ones who could follow.
With 10km to go Casar still had 1’22”, but Andy Schleck attacked again, followed by Vanendert, and Evans closed the gap for the rest again. Basso took over the pace on the front, only for Andy Schleck to go for a third time; this time it was Voeckler that closed him down with Evans dragging the others over once more.
Basso took his place on the front again, as Fränk Schleck made his move but, once again, it was Evans that closed him down. As the pace slackened slightly Rolland came to the front to set the pace for Voeckler. The group was slowly drawing in Casar, but the pace had slacked enough for Danielson to rejoin.
The favourites cancel each other out as Vanendert gets away
Andy Schleck went again though, with Contador right on him, followed by the rest, and the American was out the back once more. With 7km to go Casar’s lead was now just 28 seconds, as Vanendert attacked; as he was 12’54” down on the overall classification the Belgian was allowed to go.
With 6.4km to go Vanendert passed Casar as the Frenchman seemed almost stationary. Basso was driving the pace once more but, with 5km to go, the Belgian had opened up a gap of 34 seconds. The increases in pace finally dropped Cunego, who had been struggling for a few kilometres.
With 4km to go Sanchez made his first move, which was marked by Fränk Schleck, and the others were brought up by Voeckler. The Olympic champion went a second time though, and this time they just watched him go.
Andy Schleck led the chase, but with 3km to go Vanendert was 40 seconds clear, with Sanchez 12 seconds ahead of the rest. Basso attacked with 2.5km, and was followed by Péraud. They were chased down by Voeckler, only for Evans to jump clear through the encroaching crowds on the mountain.
Into the final kilometre Vanendert had 24 seconds over Sanchez, with the rest at almost a minute, and he managed to hold his advantage right to the line. As he approached the finish, he sat up to celebrate the biggest victory of his career, with Sanchez, the man that had denied him two days before, following him 21 seconds later.
Into the final few hundred metres Andy Schleck attacked one last time and succeeded in getting a small gap over the rest. He finished 36 seconds behind Vanendert, two seconds clear of the rest.
Finishing with the race favourites once more, Voeckler has done what even he thought impossible, and held on to the yellow jersey on the same climb as he did back in 2004. The Frenchman’s lead has now survived the Pyrénées, and he will now almost certainly take it all the way to the Alps at the latter half of next week.
“I would lie if I said that I expected to keep the jersey but I was more optimistic than I was two days before the Luz Ardiden stage,’ said the two-time French champion. “On the last climb today, I was really surprise that I was with all the favourites at the end and it was very hard for me but I understand that it was the same for them. I tried to give my all and it was okay.”
Unless Vanendert can make up some serious time in the Alps though, the hex of the Plateau de Beille has been broken. The winner here will not be the eventual winner in Paris.