2013 Tour de France Stage 9

Stage 9:

We all knew that the Yellow Jersey was going to be tested on this mountain stage. The other teams and CG Contenders wanted to break Froome and Team Sky. The question was would Froome be beat?

Garmin-Sharp, and in particular Dan Martin, along with some help from Movistar, shook Froome and Team Sky pretty much from the beginning of the stage, and with about 140 km still left to race, it was just Froome and Porte left. Then Porte was dropped on the second climb, leaving Froome solo. However, for most of the rest of the stage, Froome was able to answer and attack that his rivals threw at him.

The last climb of the day was where the action took place. Just under 5 km from the top, Dan Martin attacked and Jakob Fuglsang bridged to him. They hit the summit just under a minute before the Yellow Jersey. And then it was a descent to the finish line where Martin and Fuglsang battled it out for the finish. Martin took the last turn better than his rival, and pulled away with the win!

Froome was not to be beat though, he crossed the line 20" behind Martin, allowing him to stay in Yellow. Porte, however, was not so lucky; he lost over 18' on the Yellow Jersey.

Picture made by @aslanscubs

Although no panda showed up this time to motivate Dan Martin, it wasn't for lack of trying. Even Jonathan Vaughters, manager of Garmin-Sharp, asked for some panda help via Twitter:

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about with Dan Martin and a panda then check this out!

2013 Tour de France Stage 8

This is late because I admit that I had no motivation last night. I'm going to warn you now that I may not do every stage recaps. I used to force myself to write and then it wasn't fun. I don't want this to feel like a job, so I will post when I can.

Stage 8:

This stage offered the first real taste of the mountains. This year the peloton is hitting the Pyrenees first with Ax 3 Domaines as a summit finish, not to mention the HC climb that came just before the last category 1 climb. I knew the sprinters would be distanced, and I hoped they could make the time cut. I didn't want another Ted King situation on the UCI's already bloody hands.

Just as the peloton left the neutral zone, Johnny Hoogerland attacked. I know his crash was two years ago, but it still makes me smile everytime I see his name in a break. He was then join by Jean-Marc Marino, Christophe Riblon, and Rudy Molard. They hit their max time of 9', taking the top four spots on the intermediate sprint, before being reeled back in by the peloton. Greipel lead the peloton over the sprint line, ahead of Sagan and Cavendish. By the time the base of the HC climb hit, the four riders were only down to 1'.

Hoogerland tried to attack the break, but it didn't work, as the peloton was closing in. Then Riblon attacked,  Marino and Hoogerland countered, but to no avail. Riblon went solo.

Robert Gesink attacked the peloton and Thomas Voeckler tried to bridge to him. The back of the peloton fell apart as the pace increased. Damiano Cunego was dropped with the sprinters, as was Daryl Impey, the Yellow Jersey. I have to give Impey credit for trying to hold on for as long as he could, but he started slowing down.

Nairo Quintana attacked next, passed Voeckler, and bridged to Gesink. He passed Gesink before passing Riblon! However, with only 34km left of the stage, the chase was on! Thirty riders, CG contendors, climbers, and teammates to help, began chasing Quintana. All wanting the Yellow Jersey on their shoulders, or for their team. Included in this chase were some big names: Christopher Froome, Richie Porte, Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Dan Martin, Andrew Talansky, Joaquim Rodriguez, Pierre Rolland, and Alejandro Valverde. Missing however was Tejay van Garderen, who was dropped. This surprised me since he was the White Jersey winner last year, and overall had a much better 2012 Tour de France than team leader Evans.

At the top of the climb, Riblon was 27" behind Quintana, and the chase group was at 55". Rolland attacked out of the chase group, wanting extra KOM points. His effort paid off, as he earned back the Polka-Dot Jersey for the time being, but we'd have to see how the final climb would play out. Rolland finally caught Quintana at the very end of the descent, but the chasers were only 22" behind as the category 1 climb started right away.

After battling the HC climb first, Evans, Schleck, D. Martin, Talansky, Fuglsang, Rodriguez and some others were dropped through the descent and the beginning of this next climb, leaving only 10 riders chasing Quintana.

Then more began to fall, leaving only the big names: Froome, Valverde, Contador, Porte, and Kreuzinger. And even they began to shake. It was only Froome and Porte left when Quintana was caught, and Froome attacked solo with about 4km left. The big names who had given up chase were being distanced quite well by Froome, while some, like Evans, was being passed over and over again by other riders.

Froome took the stage with a 51" lead over teammate Porte, and in doing so, earned the Yellow Jersey and tied with Rolland for the KOM jersey. Although he didn't win the stage, Quintana still walked away with the White Jersey.

If this is a hint to what the next two weeks will be like, it looks like Sky might have another 1-2 victory this year.

Even with Andy Schleck on the team, I was surprised that Haimar Zubeldia is actually the highest placed RadioShack Leopard trek rider, broken hand and all.

And, if memory serves me correctly, through 8 stages, we have had 8 separate stage winners.

Wiggins Against His Team

I know I missed the beginning of this feud, but it seems as if Bradley Wiggins is against being a part of a team. He won the Tour de France last year, and his goal was to win the Giro d'Italia this year. Chris Froome was going to the Tour de France this year as the main GC contender for Team Sky. Simple, right? Nope...

A couple weeks ago, Wiggins said he was going to the Giro and then will go to the Tour with the goal of repeating his performance last year. Wiggins was not going to help Froome win and the team would be there to help Wiggins again, not Froome. Of course Team Sky comes out and says that the focus has not changed, and Froome will be the main contender. We shall see, I guess...

Today, Wiggins and Team Sky proved yet again that there is only room on the team for one GC contender. This morning started with three Sky riders in the Top 8: 2. Uran +17", 6. Wiggins +34", and 8. Henao, +37". With 6 kilometers left to race, Wiggins went down on the wet road, and Uran and Henao were told to wait for their team leader. All three of them came across the finish line over 2 and a half minutes down: Wiggins +2'31", Henao +2'40", and Uran +2'43". If Uran had been allowed to go off on his own, he would have finished in the Pink Jersey, but because of having to wait for Wiggins, the new GC leader is Intxausti, from Movistar.

Now Uran is 22nd, +1'27" down, while Wiggins is 23rd at +1'32" and Henao is 25th at +1'44". Once again Team Sky proves that only one GC contender can be on the team.

And while I don't cheer on anyone when they crash, no matter the rider, I do kind of hope that this is the margin that Team Sky finishes the Giro. Maybe that will make them see that there is more than one rider on the team.

Wiggins slides down the pecking order at Giro d’Italia

Control was the byword for Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France last year but on the evidence of stage 7 to Pescara, it seems that the Giro d’Italia will not bend as readily to the will of the Englishman and his Sky team.

After the heavens opened in the closing kilometres, Wiggins crashed on the rain-soaked descent of San Silvestro with 6km to race and conceded 1:24 to his principal rivals for final overall victory and dropped to 23rd overall, 1:32 off the maglia rosa of Benat Intxausti (Movistar).

The breathless finale in Abruzzo was eons removed from the methodical calm with which Sky stage-managed affairs at the Tour last July, with no one team able to control the race and with attacks flying in all directions.

Already sluggish in reacting to the first major move on the penultimate climb of Santa Maria de Criptis, Wiggins was unable to follow Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) when he zipped clear on a sharp descent before the final ascent, the San Silvestro. On the 14 per cent slopes of the climb itself, Wiggins was even distanced from the pink jersey group as it strained to shut down Nibali’s move.

Worse was to follow as Wiggins tried to fight back on the descent. In conditions reminiscent of the famously slippery plunge off the Zovo into Schio at the 1998 Giro, Wiggins seemed to channel Alex Zülle’s performance from that day, sliding off his bike with 6 kilometres from the finish and then proceeding at a snail’s pace the rest of the way down, before being shepherded by teammates Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao towards Pescara.

On crossing the finish line, Wiggins rode impassively towards his team bus and clambered up the steps eager to put a disappointing afternoon behind him. After a lengthy conference on board, it was yet again Sky manager Dave Brailsford, rather than Wiggins, who eventually emerged to share Sky’s thoughts on the day with the reporters waiting outside.

“It was very, very slippery and once you fall, it takes you a bit of time to regain your composure,” Brailsford said of Wiggins’ decision to soft-pedal the remainder of the descent after his crash. “It was a setback but not disastrous I don’t think. It could have been a lot worse. There’s a lot of racing still to come and you’ve got to take your good days and your bad days and add it all up at the end and see where you’re at. It’s a long way from being over.”

Brailsford confirmed that Wiggins had not sustained any injuries in the crash, beyond the cut to his right elbow and he said that his leader was looking to keep his disappointment in perspective. “He didn’t say too much to be honest, but I think he’s fine. He recognises that you get your ups and downs in cycling and we’ll see where we are after tomorrow’s stage,” Brailsford said. “Physically he’s strong, very, very strong but having crashed he had to limit his losses and regain his composure, which I think he did.”

Although Wiggins’ difficulties in following the moves even before his crash must be a cause for concern, Brailsford insisted, too, that his rider was “in better shape than he was last year at the Tour. Obviously it’s been a bit sketchy in some areas but we’ll deal with that and welcome the time trial tomorrow and as soon as the road goes uphill we’ll welcome that too.”

Time trial

The frenetic finale on the approach to Pescara has torn up the “script” of this Giro d’Italia, in which Wiggins was expected by many to hold a commanding lead after Saturday’s 55 kilometre time trial from Gabicce Mare to Saltara. Instead, Wiggins begins the test 1:27 behind Nibali, 1:24 behind Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and 1:16 behind Cadel Evans (BMC).

Brailsford was coy about the prospects of his leader overhauling all of his rivals in one fell swoop in the Marche on Saturday afternoon. “I think it will be difficult, given that it’s a minute and half, but there’s more than tomorrow’s time trial,” Brailsford said. “There’s a whole race left but obviously there are some brilliant riders in there and it will be difficult to claw that time back.”

It would be foolish to draw conclusions before seeing the nature of Wiggins’ response on the road to Saltara on Saturday afternoon, but the Sky machine could now find itself in the unusual position of looking to recoup ground rather than constricting the race.

“It’s opened it up for the rivals. I also think that in order to win stage races you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth and it’s all about how much balls he’s got really,” Brailsford said. “We’ve got to take it on, haven’t we? Claw it back and take it on – let’s race. Let’s chase some other people down for a change rather than have them chasing us.”

My favorite picture of Team Sky showing that it only rides for one rider is this Mark Cavendish, the World Champion. In the photo, Cavendish has taken on the role of Domestique and is in charge of going to get water bottles for his team mates.

Now I do understand that Cavendish went to the Tour de France last year knowing that he was going to have to help Wiggins and Team Sky win. However, it's not everyday that you see the Rainbow Jersey acting as a Domestique.

Stage 4 & Final - Volta ao Algarve / No Tour for Wiggins?

The 2013 edition of the Volta Ao Algarve came to a end today with an individual time trial. Four Radioshack Leopard Trek riders, Jesse Sergent, Tiago Machado, Andreas Kloden and Jan Bakelants, were in the top 10, but it was hard to compete when World Champion Time Trialist Tony Martin blew everyone away by over a minute! Radioshack won best team, and rider Giacomo Nizzolo won the sprint jersey. I'd say this was a great race for Radioshack!

February 17, Stage 4: Castro Marim - Tavira (ITT) 34.8km

Martin wins time trial, overall at Volta ao Algarve

Reigning time trial world champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) stamped his authority on the Volta ao Algarve's final stage as the 27-year-old German scorched the 34.8km race of truth in 45:09 to win both the stage and the overall general classification. Such was the dominance of Martin's performance that his closest competitor, teammate Michal Kwiatkowski, ceded 1:07 to the flying German while Jesse Sergent (RadioShack-Leopard) notched the third best time at 1:15 down.

 
"I am really happy," Martin said. "I was really looking to have a good day, and I had a good feeling immediately this morning during the reconnaissance. The parcours was really hard, with a lot of technical parts and little climbs where it was necessary to relaunch the action every time. Fortunately, it didn't rain during the TT. It rained a little bit before, but it stopped before so we had good conditions on the course during the TT. I really pushed a lot, and everything was perfect. There was a perfect approach to the race, and the result was because of all of these things."

Kwiatkowski made it a 1-2 Omega Pharma finish for both the stage and general classification as well, finishing 58 seconds down on Martin overall.

 
"Today I liked this kind of parcours," said Kwiatkowski. "It was not one for the big gear — it was a bit more technical with a lot of shifting. I like that kind of parcours the most. I am very happy about the entire week, even on the climb yesterday. I saw the job I did in the last month to improve on the climbs pay off. I had good results at this race and I am happy about it."

Dutch time trial champion Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) clocked the fourth fastest time, 1:16 down on Martin. Westra started the stage eight seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski and 17 seconds in front of Martin on general classification, but the Dutchman lost time to the Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammates. Westra would still finish on the final GC podium in third, however, with Kwiatkowski edging him out for second overall by just one second.

 
Overnight leader Sergio Henao (Sky) proved no match for the rouleurs on the Volta al Algarve's concluding time trial, losing 3:15 and the overall title to Martin, who started the day 28 seconds in arrears of the 25-year-old Colombian. Although Henao finished a respectable 14th in the final stage, beating the likes of French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel by four seconds, he nonetheless dropped to 12th overall on general classification, 2:47 down on Martin.

The seeds of overall victory were sown by Martin the previous day, where he limited his losses to his GC rivals with an 11th place result on the Alto do Malhão summit finish, a stage won by Henao. With a stunning display of time trial prowess befitting the world champion, Martin quickly erased his general classification deficit to seal his second Volta ao Algarve overall win in three years.

"My condition is better than last year at this moment," said Martin. "I knew it was possible to not lose a lot of time from the best climbers, and my team and I made sure of it. I have to say this kind of race, with an uphill finish, a TT, and sprint stages in the beginning is perfect for me. It's the kind of race I like and I am always looking for.

"I hope this victory helps me and the team continue to get good results during the season. I'd also like to thank my team and my teammates. They really protected me and Michal for the entire week. With the bad luck of Cav in the sprints, we really focused on the GC and the TT. Fortunately, we were successful. This is not just an individual victory, but a team victory."

Stage 4 Results
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:45:09
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:01:07
3 Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:15
4 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:16
5 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:30
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha 0:01:32
7 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:47
8 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:02:04
10 Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:02:32 

 Final general classification
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 15:36:26
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:00:58
3 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:00:59
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha 0:01:21
5 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:01:26
6 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:30
7 Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:40
8 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:45
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:53
10 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:31

Despite different reports coming out every day, it appears that reigning Tour de France Champion, Bradley Wiggins is not planning on defending his Yellow Jersey. His goal this year is the Giro d'Italia instead:

Wiggins: "I never thought for one minute I wanted to do it all again"

Bradley Wiggins (Sky) headed home from the Tour of Oman slightly disappointed by his own overall performance in the six-day race but convinced he has done the right thing by choosing different objectives and choosing the Giro d'Italia as his major goal of the season instead of a second Tour de France.

Wiggins lost 1:21 on stage one after being blocked by a late crash. Wiggins did not have the form or ambition to take on Contador, Nibali and Evans after training and racing hard the week before Tour of Oman and so he did his bit to help Chris Froome win overall.

"I was quite tired when I got here, especially on the first day, and it has not really got any better," Wiggins conceded in an interview with written media present in Oman.

"I kind of stayed where I was on that first day. When you come into a race with [training fatigue, you never know if you fly off it or if you’ll be mediocre, and I’ve been pretty mediocre…."

Wiggins is not worried about his form or lack of early season results. His approach to the 2013 season is radically different to 2012. With the Tour de France finally on his palmares after four years of trying, Wiggins has set himself a new challenge for 2013. It is not about winning every stage race he rides, it is not about learning how to win the Tour de France.

Instead, he will target the Giro d'Italia, have a go at Liège-Bastogne-Liège along the way in late April and perhaps try to complete a Giro-Tour double if he recovers well and if Froome's ambitions do not get in the way.

Wiggins seems almost relieved not to have to return to Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine, knowing that anything less than another victory could be considered a disappointment.

"I never thought for one minute I wanted to do it all again. It was more like: ‘No way, I ain’t doing all that again’. But I’ll do something else which is completely different and a new challenge, that for me was the Giro and other races along the way.

"I didn’t want to lack motivation at Paris-Nice and have direct comparison with last year all the time. There was only one outcome unless I won it all again and that would have been to fail. I really wanted to avoid that. I didn’t want to put that pressure on myself.

"I’ve committed to a completely different programme this year by targeting the Giro. Last year was about gaining the confidence through the year that I could actually win the Tour de France. Now there's a much more looking at the bigger picture of the season.

"We've worked back from that, and this period of racing and training is pretty important. Everything this year has been shuffled forward. It’s what April and May were last year for the Tour. I spent most of early January and February in Mallorca. It’s not about results but about getting the work in."

Wiggins will soon head to Tenerife with several teammates for a key block of controlled training at altitude.

He first real test of his form and first real objective will be the Volta a Catalunya (March 18-24). He will study some of the key Giro d'Italia stages and ride the Giro del Trentino (April 16-19) before probably teaming up with Froome to target Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 20) and then taper for the Giro d'Italia (May 4-26).

"I had five races before the Tour and have five this year. Liège is two weeks out from the Giro, so you should be pretty ready to go.

Weight is a massive thing for me and Liège is all about power to weight and fitness. I’m 82kg in the off season, 75kg now and 70kg at the Tour. It takes me a long time to get there, a lot of hard work. But the plan is to be ready to go, two weeks out from the Giro, and so Liège-Bastogne-Liège fits in nicely."

Emotion is the base line, all the rest is science

Team Sky gives the impression that it is driven by science, logic and a desire to produce results, with little room for emotion and improvisation. It is about hitting the right numbers and discovering marginal gains, being different and better to the rest of the peloton.

Yet Wiggins seems to need emotions to find his motivation and fire up his mojo. He's more attracted by the Giro d'Italia, with the screaming tifosi and iconic maglia rosa, than another tilt at the Tour de France.

"Emotion is the baseline, then the next step is to get the machine ready to do the job," he explained.

"I’d love to be able to do these incredible escapes in the mountain, but the reality is that I’m not that good a climber, so I have to work hard, be meticulous about what I do, and that’s made me incredibly successful.

"The Giro is special for me. It goes back to my childhood. It was one of the few races on TV along with the Tour de France when I was a teenager. I grew up reading magazines about it and the Giro was always stuck in my mind. I particularly remember Hampsten climbing in the snow (in the 1988 Giro, over the Passo Gavia). It seemed quite inspirational.

"The Tour of Italy's just a lovely race. It's the only race in cycling where they never really mention doping in the whole race. It's kind of refreshing in some way when you’re there, for the racing, because the people come out and watch the sport and idolize the racers.

"I said I’d never go back there in 2010 because it was so hard. But I’ve always had a love-hate with it and always had a soft spot for it."

No 'What If….?

Wiggins is preparing for the Giro d'Italia one step at a time. It's pointless to ask him what he will do and how it will affect him, or if he doesn’t win the Giro d'Italia. But the problem is that Wiggins doesn't do 'What if…?'"

"I don’t try and think 'what if?', especially post match. What if I die tomorrow? It means we won’t have to worry about the Giro, I never look too far ahead. I used to do that and worry. But really, it's just about taking one step at a time."  

Nibali Unhappy, Schleck in the Back

Six months later, and I am back. Sorry for the hiatus, but I needed to step away for a while. My passion for cycling had lowered at the end of the Tour de France, and so I just needed to back off for a while. However, I am back now, and that is what counts. I may not post every day, but I am going to try to post more often than once every six months.

On twitter this morning, Cyclingnews.com posted the link for the article: "Nibali regrets not joining Team Sky". I don't follow Nibali as much as other riders so I wasn't sure what this article meant. I took it as Nibali regretted not joining Team Sky this year, so I was confused: I thought he wanted to be team leader, to win in a Grand Tour. Why did he regret not joining, when if he had joined, he would probably have been third to Wiggins and Froome? Of course, once I read the article, it all made sense...and I feel bad for Nibali. I mean, it could have been him winning the 2012 Tour de France, instead of Wiggins, since it really is a team sport.

Nibali regrets not joining Team Sky

Vincenzo Nibali has told Cyclingnews that he regrets not being able to break his contract with the Liquigas team at the end of 2009 and sign for Team Sky.

The Italian was lined up to sign for the British team to be their Grand Tours leader in their inaugural year. As well as meeting with a Team Sky intermediary, Nibali also met with Team Sky’s management with a multi-year contract put in front of him.

Speaking exclusively to Cyclingnews at the Tour de San Luis, Nibali said: “I was very close to joining Sky, yes that’s true. I met with Max Sciandri to discuss a move and we met a few times. Then I had a meeting with the Team Sky management during the year. In the end I couldn’t move because of the contract with Liquigas. Sky offered me a contract though and I was very close to signing but couldn’t break the Liquigas contract.”

“Do I wish I’d signed? It was new team and I was looking forward to being part of a big international team. Yes, I wish I’d been able to ride for them then.”

Nibali eventually left Liquigas this winter, signing for Astana, where he will lead their charge at the Giro d’Italia this May. With Alberto Contador heading to the Tour in July many expect Nibali and Bradley Wiggins – the rider who was signed after the Italian's Team Sky deal fell through – to fight it out for the maglia rosa.

The Giro d'Italia organisers have attempted to create a finely balanced route for 2013, one that offers both the climbers and time trialists equal opportunities to shine. With 74.9 kilometres of time trialing, Wiggins can expect to severely dent Nibali’s chances. The Italian lost roughly six minutes in last year’s Tour de France to Wiggins against the clock.

However the Italian believes that the style of climbs in the Giro d'Italia will suit his characteristics better and the fact that there’s no final time trial offers the climbers of Nibali’s ilk further encouragement.

“The climbs are very difficult and different to the ones in the Tour. Wiggins is certainly a very good rider and there’s a long time trial for him but the race is wide open. I’m going to give my best and you have to remember that Wiggins won’t have the same team as he had at the Tour last year. Sky is a great team but they can’t send the same team to the Giro and to the Tour, so they have to decide where they split their strengths,” he told Cyclingnews.

“I don’t know who they’ll send to the Giro but I read the papers and from what I can see Wiggins will do ride the Giro, and Froome will ride the Tour. Wiggins is a big competitor with a lot of character but the road will decide.”

The time bonuses on offer are another reason for Nibali to be cheerful.

"They could be really important," he said. "For example Cunego won a Giro thanks to time bonuses in 2004. This year the course doesn’t have a final time trial. It would be better for Wiggins if there was final time trial but the final week suits the climbers better.”

The Giro isn’t Nibali’s only target in 2013. The Italian differs from a number of current grand tour riders in that he races throughout the season and at a consistent level – from attacking at Milano-Sanremo to aggressive riding at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardy – the 28-year-old selects a number of targets but without being fixated on one goal.

“In the last few years I’ve raced from the start of the season right up until the end. I was second at Liege last year, only just missing out and I was third at the Tour. I don’t like to start a season with just one target and there are so many big races in the calendar. The most important race is of course the Tour but it’s not the only important one.”

“When I was growing up I was a big Moser fan. I loved how he’d work towards finding new technologies. My father had a VHS of his wins and I’d watch that all the time and feel inspired. I like to be like him because he’d try and look for new technologies as a rider and that’s something I’m interested in. But Moser didn’t just target one race, like the Tour, and I’m like that too.”

Leading Astana

Currently finding form in Argentina at San Luis, Nibali appears to be settling in nicely with his new team. Each evening after dinner he leads his teammates down into the lobby for a quick coffee. The team has certainly thrown their weight behind him too. Earlier this month Astana and Specialized began a special project to work on his time trial position. Nibali is also now able to pick his own race programme. This and a significant pay increase, appear to have been a major incentive in his decision to move to Astana.

“It’s been a really nice experience so far. The team is trying to look to the future and we’re doing the best that we can. I feel good, and I’m the leader here. I’ve come because I wanted to try a new experience in an international team. I spent a lot of years at Liquigas but I wanted a change, a different environment, and here I’m the only leader and that’s something that’s really good for me,” he told Cyclingnews.

“It was a big step, I know that, but I’m not sentimental about the past and I don’t miss the old squad. And while it’s an international team here there are also a good number of Italians here as well.”

“For an Italian rider it’s important that I do the biggest Italian race. Astana were really interested in me doing the Giro as well. Last year, at Liquigas, it would have been nice if I’d had the chance to decide for myself if I was going to do the Giro or not, especially after seeing the results. Liquigas chose a different programme for me though.”

Now, after Stage 5 of the Santos Tour Down Under, Andy Schleck, is sitting in a comfortable 127th place...that's right, he is second to last. Or my new favorite term, coined by @Thorley_Lydia, #SchleckndFromLast. 

Last year, I remember that us Twitter-folk were worried about riders peaking too early, so far in advance of the Tour de France. However, this is just crazy. I know Schleck was out most of last season with a fractured hip, but second from last? I'm worried that five months from now he will still not be ready, although it seems he believes differently:

Andy Schleck rediscovering his way at Tour Down Under

It was during Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under when Andy Schleck's happiness and relief at being back on the bike was evident for all to see. In the last 12 months he's been handed a Tour de France title in a way in which he did not want it bestowed, and been to hell and back with injury. It was time to ride and it wasn't just about staying out of trouble in a nervous peloton, nor was it a training exercise.

"Why should it always be Jens [Voigt] that is riding [on the front]?" Schleck had told his RadioShack Leopard teammates during the pre-stage meeting. "I can ride as well. Riding in the front in the wind, suffering; that is what makes my shape better and stronger so that's the main goal. I won't hesitate the next day to do the same. I like it. I ride in the front and of course it hurts. Sometimes when I am really hurting, I hope that the guys behind are hurting also. I like to do it and I'm really, really happy to be back in the bunch again in the peloton. It's something different when you can do something like I did today."

It's Schleck's first appearance at the Tour Down Under after years of gentle nudging from former teammate, Adelaide local Stuart O'Grady. It's only now, as part of his build up to full competition following his crash at the Dauphine last June which left him with a fractured pelvis, that the Australian WorldTour event has been an option. Schleck's return began at the season-ending Tour of Beijing.

"Beijing was hard because I knew that I'd go back there and I probably had better shape when I was a junior than when I went to Beijing," he told Cyclingnews. "It was terrible but I went there because I want to race. It was not a good idea I found out after three days but still I finished the stage and I was happy. The positive thing about it was that it was the kick off for my new season again.

"To come here, mentally it was easy, really easy. I was counting the days to come here. Beijing was really different..."

The schedule Schleck has to have

Schleck's 2013 calendar is packed in the lead-up to the 100th Tour de France. After the Tour Down Under the 27-year-old will race the Tour of the Mediterranean, Tour du Haut Var, GP Nobili, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Criterium International and the Tour of the Basque Country.

From there, he will probably head to the Tour of California and wrap up his preparations with the Tour de Suisse, before heading to Corsica for the Tour's Grand Depart.

That's a lot of racing for someone essentially starting from scratch, but he's unconcerned about it potentially being a case of too much, too soon.

"I think I have pretty wide shoulders on that kind of [thing]. I am not afraid of that," Schleck. "People ask me, 'You might be over trained?' I don't know one guy who is over trained. For me it's a myth so ..."

The time is now

Schleck will turn 28 this year, an age that he admits is make or break for the rider that he could potentially become.

"I am definitely going to improve," he said. "The best age of a cyclist is between 28 and 32. That is what they say. I hope I am not an exception, or I'm not different. But it's also kind of ... cycling is mentally a really hard sport. My last year, 2012, made me mentally a lot stronger because I realised it is really, really what I want to do - it is winning bike races. Mentally I have no doubt ... it was not good last year. I'm still recovering to come back and be good and be in front in the final of a race. That will come. But I am happy to be here and have a bike number on my jersey and compete."

Returning to the peloton means more clashes with the likes of great rival Alberto Contador (Saxo - Tinkoff) at the grand tours. The Tour de France which he missed in 2012 saw Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome rise to the occasion for Sky and Schleck wants to pit himself against them all.

"For me now I can tell you 100 names I have to beat first! Wait I was 89th today [Wednesday] so 98 now!" he joked. "I go with of course big ambitions into the season but I know it's going to be a bumpy road until I am where I want to be because it's not easy, you cannot build up shape in three months, it's simply not possible. Maybe some say so but no, if you ask me, not."

But for now, Schleck is all about getting back to the normal and it's not just about racing the big events, it's also about rediscovering the confidence he needs to just be able to sit in the peloton.

"I am a little, I won't say scared, but I think it's also normal because you have to get used to riding in the peloton again. I rode in Beijing but that was more like behind the peloton than in the peloton so ... it worries me a little bit, honestly but it just takes time."

2012 Tour de France Stage 20, 7/22/12

July 22, Stage 20: Rambouillet - Paris Champs-Élysées 120km

Bradley Wiggins wins 2012 Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-20/results)

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) became the first Briton to win the Tour de France, taking the title of the 2012 Tour as he crossed the finish line on the Champs-Élysées Sunday afternoon. The final stage ended with the usual mass sprint, as Mark Cavendish easily took his fourth straight closing stage win. Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), one of the stand-outs of the Tour, took second, with former Cavendish helper Matthew Goss of Orica-GreenEdge third.

Wiggins stood atop the podium with a gap of 3:21 over his most dangerous rival, Sky teammate Christopher Froome. Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas-Cannondale rounded out the podium, finishing third at 6:19 down.

It was a historic moment for the British rider, who spent the entire race in first or second place overall. He stamped his authority on the race with two time trial victories, winning against the clock on stages 9 and 19 to assure himself of the title. The only rider really able to challenge him was his teammate and lieutenant, Froome.

"I've had 24 hours for this to soak in and today we were just on a mission to finish the job off with Cav," said Wiggins on the team website. "So job done and what a way for him to finish it off. I’m still buzzing from the Champs-Elysees.

"I've got to get used to going into the history books now, but I’m just trying to take everything in today first. It’s very surreal at the moment because this type of things [usually] happens to other people. You never imagine it happening to yourself."

Cavendish was jubliant with his stage win. "It’s incredible what we’ve achieved today – what a team. We got a one and two on GC but still we were riding to control things on the Champs-Elysees. It was an honour to have the yellow jersey leading me out. Bradley told me he’d go full gas to the last kilometre and then Edvald (Boasson Hagen) led me into the last corner. The finish couldn’t have been more perfect – no better end to this Tour,” he said on the team's website.

"It’s an incredible achievement for the team. Four years ago we said we were setting out to win the Tour, but we haven’t just done that, we’ve got second place as well and a handful of stages. Seven stages have been won by British guys this year so that’s one in three – not a bad stat."

Rush to the finish on the Champs-Élysées

The final stage followed its usual pattern, as the riders relaxed in the sun and in anticipation of successfully finishing the hard three weeks. There were even two category four ranked climbs in the first third of the race, with KOM Thomas Voeckler of Europcar picking up another point at the first one. The relaxed atmosphere only lasted until the sprinters could sense the approaching Champs-Élysées, and the racing then started. 

Two of the older riders, Christopher Horner (RadioShack-Nissan) and George Hincapie (BMC), who is retiring this season, were allowed to lead the way over the finish line as the field hit the Champs Elysees. They were then replaced by veterans Jens Voigt (RadioShack) and Danilo Hondo (Lampre-ISD), with a small group forming later around them.

Rui Costa (Movistar), Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan), Marcus Burghardt (BMC), Sebastien Minard (AG2R), Lars Bak (Lotto Belisol), Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Jean Marc Marino (Saur-Sojasun), Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank), Bram Tankink (Rabobank) and Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Katusha) built up a lead of up to 30 seconds on the closing circuit.

Sky led the chase for Cavendish to claim his fourth straight victory on the Champs Elysees, but as things progressed, they were joined by Liquigas riding to set up Peter Sagan. The lead group eventually fell apart, leaving only Minard, Voigt and Costa at the front.

The trio fought valiantly but never really had a chance, and with about 3 km to go, were caught. Shortly before that, a crash in the middle of the field took out two riders: Hondo and Mikael Cherel (AG2R).

None other than the yellow jersey Wiggins himself led the field under the flamme rouge for the final kilometer of the 2012 Tour. He peeled off to let Edvald Boasson Hagen make the final lead-out for Cavendish. Once the Manxman was in the wind on the finishing straight, there was no doubt as to his victory.

Wiggins rides to the top

Wiggins was never far from the top of the race, spending the entire race in either first or second place. He finished second in the race's prologue, three weeks ago, only seven seconds behind winner Fabian Cancellara. Wiggins successfully avoided the mass crash in the sixth stage, which took out a number of riders and put an end to the hopes of several contenders.

He made his move, though, on the race's first mountain stage. On stage seven, which featured the first mountaintop finish, Team Sky prepared the way for Wiggins by taking control of the stage and putting down a blistering pace the whole way.  By the time they approached the final climb up  La Planche des Belles Filles, the two Sky riders led the small group of favourites, dropping Cancellara along the way. Defending Tour champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) jumped first, Froome caught and passed him for the stage win, but Wiggins caught up to cross the finish line in the same time as the Australian, and took over the yellow jersey, which he never gave up.

As expected, Wiggins really won the Tour in the time trials. He won both of them, with Froome second in both. Even four-time World time trial champion Cancellara couldn't come close to him in the first time trial. But it was the second time trial, held yesterday, which really sealed the matter. Wiggins covered the rolling 53.5km over a minute faster than Froome.

Wiggins and Froome quickly became an inseparable pair, although there were often indications that Froome was unhappy with the relationship. The younger Briton was obviously the stronger rider on the climbs, and showed his impatience at being held back by his captain. He went public with his indignation at not being allowed to win the Tour, before belatedly realizing it was better to say nothing.

The jerseys

Wiggins and Cavendish were not the only winners of the day, though. Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale took the green jersey for the points classification, having won three stages. He also fought to take points at the intermediate sprints and made a reputation for his victory celebrations, ranging from the Hulk to Forrest Gump. It was in incredibly impressive Tour debut for the 22-year-old Slovakian.

Thomas Voeckler claimed the King of the Mountains classification and its polka-dot jersey. He wrestled it away from Astana's Fredrik Kessiakoff with his first of two stage wins, in the 16th stage. The Europcar rider aggressively defended it through the remaining few stages.

Best young rider was 23-year-old Tejay van Garderen. The 23-year-old American riding for BMC Racing Team finished his second Tour in fifth place, eleven minutes down, but six minutes ahead of the second-best young rider, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-Big Mat).

Team RadioShack-Nissan went from the high of Fabian Cancellara's prologue win to the low of Fränk Schleck leaving the race under suspicion of doping, and along the way managed to win the team title.

Hincapie says adieu

A long-time popular rider took his final bow in the Tour. George Hincapie of BMC Racing Team finished his 17th Tour at 38th overall, an hour and a half down. Over the years, he rode in support of nine winners: Lance Armstrong (seven times) and Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans (once each).

Hincapie wore the yellow jersey for two stages in 2006, and won a total of four stages, three of which were team time trials. But perhaps his most important victory was winning the heart and hand of podium girl Melanie Simonneau.

The sprinters

All eyes were on Mark Cavendish at the Tour, but from even before the race it was clear that it would be difficult if not impossible for Sky to support both Wiggins and Cavendish. The reigning world champion got the short end of the deal, but by the end of the race, he, too, was doing his share to support the team leader and sacrificing his own chances. Cavendish ended up with three wins, as did Greipel and Sagan.

Cavendish was overshadowed this year by none other than former teammate Andre Greipel, whom he once said could win only “little shit races.” The Lotto Belisol rider put that to the test, and took three sprint wins. Equally impressively, he finished second to Sagan on the sixth stage after crashing twice and having a suspected dislocated shoulder, which fortunately proved not to be so.

Full Results

1	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling	3:08:07
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
3	Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
4	Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
5	Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
6	Greg Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team
7	Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
8	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
9	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
10	Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun

 

Final general classification

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	87:34:47
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:03:21
3	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:06:19
4	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team	0:10:15
5	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:11:04
6	Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan	0:15:41
7	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:15:49
8	Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar	0:16:26
9	Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team	0:16:33
10	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat	0:17:17

 

2012 Tour de France Stage 19, 7/21/12

July 21, Stage 19: Bonneval - Chartres (ITT) 53.5km

Wiggins wins Tour's final time trial in Chartres

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-19/results)

Bradley Wiggins was in a class of his own as he claimed his second time trial victory in this year’s race and with it cleared the final hurdle on his way to becoming the first British rider to win the Tour de France. Fastest at all of the intermediate check points, Wiggins completed the 53.5km course between Bonneval and Chartres in 1:04:13, putting him 1:16 ahead of his Sky teammate Chris Froome, who consolidated his position in second place overall.

Third place on the day went to Rabobank’s Luis León Sánchez, who held the lead for a substantial part of the afternoon but ended up 1:50 down on Wiggins. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) produced another competitive performance to cement his grip on the third spot on the podium. But there was a significant change further down the top 10 as defending champion Cadel Evans finished outside the top 50 on the day to drop to seventh place overall behind Haimar Zubeldia.

As has been the case so often during this race, the day was all about Team Sky and, of course, Wiggins. “This is what I wanted to do, to go out with a bang,” said the Briton, who is set to be crowned Tour de France champion in Paris tomorrow afternoon. “The Tour isn’t over until now, but this is what I do best. I came out here in March with Sean to look at the course and I knew it would suit me.”

Wiggins has looked stronger than all of his rivals during the Tour’s final week and said that he knew from his first pedal stroke as he warmed up that he was going to perform well.

“I knew I was on it when I went down the start ramp. In the last 15-20k I knew what my advantage was and I was thinking about my wife and kids, my mum, all of the people who’ve helped me get to where I am… I know it sounds cheesy but I was thinking about the fact that I’ve spent my whole life working to get to this point – this is the defining moment. It’s all been summed up today.” 

Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford, whose daily mantra has been “We’re taking it one day at a time”, acknowledged: “We can start thinking about winning this race barring accidents.”

Brailsford was fulsome in his praise for his team leader and the rest of the Sky team. “I think Brad showed today why he is the leader of this team. He smashed the best time and Froomey did the same as well. It’s good to have two guys who can top the world in a sport that, quite honestly, we weren’t all that good at not so long ago. For Brad as a British rider to win this race in a British team with a British sponsor is a fantastic achievement,” said Brailsford.

He added: “People laughed when I said that our aim was to win the Tour within five years with a clean British rider. But I wouldn’t underestimate the effect that our Olympic experience has had. But this is a different sport on a very different playing field. But today is all about Bradley Wiggins and his incredible achievement.”

 Gretsch and Sánchez set early pace

Argos-Shimano’s Patrick Gretsch set the fastest time for the 53.5km course among the early starters. Almost two hours passed before Luis León Sánchez clipped 38 seconds off Gretsch’s mark, the Spaniard crossing the line in 1:06:03.

The Rabobank rider remained in pole position for another two-and-a-half hours. During that period Peter Velits came closest to Sánchez’s time, finishing 12 seconds down just as Froome and Wiggins were making their final preparations before taking to the start ramp.

There were huge cheers when Wiggins set off down the ramp. Up ahead of Wiggins, Froome and Nibali, best young rider Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) set the fastest time at the first check point, but that mark lasted just a matter of minutes. Froome went through 23 seconds quicker, then Wiggins followed another 12 seconds faster.

By the second check, Van Garderen’s fast start appeared to be taking a toll as he went through fourth fastest. However, by that point the young American had his team leader Evans in his sights and seemed to get a lift as he blasted by the defending champion. Froome also looked to be slipping slightly as he came through just four seconds faster than Sánchez. Wiggins, though, was unstoppable. Now 54 seconds up on Froome, he had his second stage win in his sights.

Wiggins fastest from first to last

Froome picked up his pace again coming into the final quarter of the test. He went through the third time check 22 seconds up on Sánchez. However, Wiggins was still pulling away. Now 1:15 up on his team-mate, he looked as smooth and faultless as ever.

At the line, Froome was not far off catching his three-minute man, Nibali, as he bettered Sánchez’s mark by 34 seconds. But Froome’s lead lasted little more than 90 seconds.

Wiggins powered relentlessly on towards the line, only sitting up out of his tuck in the very final metres to punch the air and celebrate his victory. It had been a superbly judged ride rounding off a fantastic performance over the whole three weeks. Chapeau, Brad!

Full Results

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	1:04:13
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:01:16
3	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:50
4	Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:02:02
5	Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:02:25
6	Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano	0:02:28
7	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:02:34
8	Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team	0:02:46
9	Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	0:02:50
10	Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat	0:03:05

 

One of the best things about today was when Tejay van Garderen caught up and PASSED his team leader, and last year's winner, Cadel Evans in the individual time trial of the Tour, overcoming a deficit of 3 minutes. (Evans started the ITT 3 minutes before van Garderen.) Tejay is also taking the Best Young Rider Jersey into Paris tomorrow.