The Chain Letter

Contador takes Stage 18.

Alberto Contador blew away his nearest rivals by coming first in three of the four checkpoints during the stage, and crossing the line 3 seconds ahead of last year’s World Time Trial Champion, Fabian “Swiss Bear” Cancellara who had led the stage until the last rider.

The climb towards the end of the stage proved a problem for some of the pure time triallists, and the weather slowed down many of the earlier riders to make the finish times slower than expected.

Katusha’s Mikhail Ignatiev was only fifteen seconds behind Contador, with Saxo Bank’s Gustav Larsson in fourth at 33 seconds down. Britain’s David Millar was 5th at 41 seconds, and team mate (and GC contender) Bradley Wiggins was 6th just 2 seconds behind him.

Contador is now a clear 4 minutes 11 seconds ahead in the GC. Andy Schleck’s finish today in 20th, kept him 2nd in the overall GC. Lance Armstrong moves back up to 3rd position, and Bradley Wiggins moves back into the Top 5 of the GC at 5 minutes 35 seconds down on Armstrong and two seconds ahead of Andreas Kloden in 5th.

Annecy to, erm, Annecy - Stage 18

The final Time Trial, usually the penultimate stage, in the Tour de France is usually where the GC is decided. It was the scene of the famous battle between Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond in 1989, and where many of the Armstrong/Ullrich races were decided. 

Not so, this year. The TT is the fourth to last stage now, after the organisers decided to insert one last hilly stage and a cheeky climb up Mont Ventoux on the eve of Paris. The windy mountain will have enough of an impact on the riders that the TT isn’t as be all and end all as it could be - however, it will still be a chance for Bradley Wiggins to claw his way back into the Top 5, or for Contador to extend his lead (He is the Spanish TT Champion after all).

Annecy itself, whilst twinned with Cheltenham, is a typical Alpine commune situated on Lac D’Annecy - the second largest lake in France. It is this lake that Stage 18 circumnavigates.

Interesting fact: Cycling Weekly informs us that Annecy is the home of the Mavic Headquarters (they own neutral service vehicle - the bright yellow car with all the bikes on it, that help out any rider in need) as well as the site of the first ever Carrefour Supermarket, who sponsor the Polka Dot Jersey now.

What does our expert opinion think the final Time Trial holds in store for the riders?

“You wouldn’t think a time trial around a lake would be too bad, and this isn’t, so that’s why they throw in a ten percent climb near the end to liven things up. The GC ought to be decided by now so the battle for the podium placings will be the only interest and given that Astana seem to have the stranglehold on tt’ing then one of them will probably win, maybe Contador will let Kloden have this one.”

Schleck (Snr) take Stage 17.

Bradley Wiggins was a marked man in today’s stage of the Tour de France, from Bourg Saint Maurice to Le Grande Bornand. Realising they probably couldn’t beat Yellow Jersey Alberto Contador over the next four days, all the attacking GC contenders targetted the time trialler Wiggins (as he has the most chance of gaining time tomorrow in the TT).

Entertainingly, a cat and mouse game between Astana riders Contador, Andreas Kloden and Lance Armstrong played out as team kits were forgotten and eyes were on the prize. You can issue as many magnanimous statements as you like, but when your legs are lead and you feel like you’re bleeding through your pores, you discover who your friends are - right?

Contador caught on to the back of a breakaway by the Schleck brothers and stayed there. Literally. Dragged up the hill by the Luxembourg tag team, Contador reserved his energy and, for their troubles, the Schlecks were offered the stage without having to contend a sprint finish after 5 hours in the Alps. White Jersey holder Andy Schleck awarded Stage 17 to his older brother Frank as a thank you for his help over the climbs.

Armstrong and Vincenzo Nibali fought ahead to cross the line 2 minutes 18 seconds behind the front group, and Andreas Kloden (earlier dropped by Contador and the Schlecks) rolled in 9 seconds behind them. Bradley Wiggins managed to keep 3 minutes 7 seconds behind Frank Schleck, and 1 minute 2 seconds behind him was his Garmin team mate Christian Vande Velde (who, along with David Zabriskie had worked in tandem to keep Wiggins as near to the front as possible) and French rider Christophe Moreau.

The jerseys remain unchanged but both Schlecks have found their way into the Top 5 of the GC, of which Contador is still number 1. Andy Schleck moves up to number 2, Frank Schleck is now 3rd, Armstrong and Kloden drop to 4th and 5th respectively. Bradley Wiggins drops out of the Top 5 to 6th overall.

Bourg Saint Maurice to Le Grand Bornand - Stage 17

Stage 17’s course heads north east for 75km before doubling back southwards for the remainder of the 170km route covering four, yes, that’s right, four Category 1 climbs and one Category 2.

The Tour last visited Le Grand Bornand in 2004, and to be honest, after a quick glimpse at the history of the commune, that seems to be one of their highlights. Flood, earthquake, murder and fire seem to be the order of the day - Let’s hope Le Grand Bornand has slightly more luck as the peloton roll over the finish line.

Whilst this would look like an obvious fighting ground for the yellow and polka dot jerseys, let’s see what the expert opinion thinks?

“Time to dance, there’ll be no hiding on this stage. The first two climbs are long long slogs and only the brave will be trying to escape early on. Those who just survived yesterday will be doing more surviving again with the mid point of the stage being the crucial point for them. The main players for the overall will have to assume their responsibilities from the feed zone onwards. Cote d’Araches will be unpleasant surprise to the legs after the calm of the valley then it’s probably full speed to the little known Col de Romme where there ought to be a major sort out. The final climb of la Colombiere might only be classed a 1st cat climb but it’s as difficult as anything the TdF will go over this year and will be the end of many GC contenders illusions. This stage has Contador’s name written all over it.”

Astarloza takes Stage 16, Jens Voigt crashes out.

Spanish Euskaltel-Euskadi rider, Mikel Astarloza crossed the line in Bourg Saint Maurice after a four and a quarter hour trek through the Alps in a stage that took in three different countries over a span of 159km.

Astarloza escaped a breakaway of four, including the polka dot jersey, to finish with a lead of 6 seconds. The remainder of his breakaway was caught by a second bunch of riders which included Sandy Casar and Ireland’s Nicholas Roche.

The main GC contenders finished together, just under a minute down on the winner, leaving the Top 5 of the General Classification unchanged.

Big news of the day is the horrific crash of Jens Voigt who came a cropper on the downhill of the final climb and had to be airlifted to hospital after a pretty nasty facial injury that left him unconscious for a few minutes. Latest news is that he’s currently awaiting an MRI scan to check for head/spinal injuries but the most serious injuries appear to be to his face and arm. My thoughts go out to Jens, he has always been a favourite of mine in the peloton and I wish him a speedy recovery. The Chain Letter will keep you posted on developments.

Martigny to Bourg St Maurice - Stage 16

After a rest day in the Alps, the riders are back on track, starting in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Martigny is the home of a Roman ampitheatre which houses “Cow Fights” (No, I don’t like the sound of it either…) and is the gateway to the St. Bernard pass through the mountains - a fact of which today’s riders will be painfully aware.

The Col de Grand-Saint-Bernard is an HC climb in today’s stage, followed quite swiftly by it’s little brother, the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard. Don’t be fooled by the ‘petit’ part of that title, at only just under 300m lower this Category 1 climb is not to be sniffed at.

The Mountains take their name from Saint Bernard of Menthon who founded a hostel for travellers on the larger peak in the 11th Century. This, in turn, gave it’s name to the Mountain passes, and eventually to the dogs that were bred there.

The finish in Bourg St Maurice is a downhiller, so, depending on the weather, could be quite hairy. As well as the HC and Category 1 climb, there are two sprint points which will remain pretty much inconsequential after Cavendish’s relegation last week. Today’s stage is for the Yellow and the Polka Dot.

What do the experts think?

“A day of two halfs, one half uphill and one half downhill - but if only it was that simple. There are lots of things to consider when it’s a relatively short stage in the big mountains. The non climbers need to make the timecut and the GC men need to use their energy wisely, so expect relative calm on the first climb otherwise the grupetto will be in for a worrying day. A stage for the climbers and the GC riders to re-appear from the depths of the group, the top of the last climb is a good distance from the finish and that’ll probably mean any last climb attacks are nullified on the descent and we will see a small group of the best placed GCers fighting for the stage win.”

Contador takes Stage 15.

Alberto Contador disappeared up the hill like a mountain goat as the end of Stage 15, a summit finish in Verbier, came within grasping distance.

The 2007 Tour de France winner had been part of a breakaway including Lance Armstrong, both Schleck brothers and Britain’s Bradley Wiggins when he launched an attack as the group neared the final stretch of the climb. Younger Schleck brother, Andy, gave chase but failed to catch the Spanish rider, rolling over the line 43 seconds behind.

Italian Liquigas rider, Vincenzo “The Nibbler” Nibali (actually his nickname is apparently “The Shark” but that’s not half as amusing), bridged the gap between the two leaders and the breakaway, finishing 1 minute 3 seconds down on Contador.

A small gap in the breakaway meant that Wiggins, Frank Schleck, and last year’s winner Carlos Sastre crossed the line at 1 minute 6 seconds, whilst GC favourites Lance Armstrong, Andreas Kloden and Cadel “Cuddles” Evans dribbled in behind them.

Contador ended Nocentini’s eight stage reign in yellow, as he claimed the top spot of the GC. The top five is completed by Contador’s Astana team mate Lance Armstrong in second, British Garmin rider Bradley Wiggins in third, Astana’s Andreas Kloden in fourth and Saxo Bank’s Andy Schleck in fifth.

Thor Hushovd remains in green with no contention from Mark Cavendish, and Franco Pellizotti keeps the King of the Mountains jersey. Tony Martin finally concedes the white, as 24 year old Andy Schleck takes the young rider’s jersey.

Pontarlier to Verbier - Stage 15

Phew, after Stage 14’s fireworks, what does Stage 15 hold?

Well, mainly a summit finish in Verbier as the Tour takes a diversion through Switzerland, and reports of snowstorms to just add that final touch to the Christmas Card scenery.

The route is decidedly bumpy with four Category 3 climbs and a Category 2, not forgetting that climb to the finish line. There are only two sprint markers which will be of serious importance to Mark Cavendish if he wants to make up for Stage 15’s disqualification.

Still, what do the experts think?

“Test time for the main contenders with a mountain top finish at the end of a long day into Switzerland. All eyes will be on Contador and Armstrong so a good opportunity for another team leader to try an attack on the climb up to the line. The collection of smaller hills at the beginning of the stage are ideal for a good group to escape and enjoy a long day out but will any of them be strong enough to survive to the end?”

Ivanov takes Stage 14. Nobody notices.

Russian team Katusha rider Serguei Ivanov reached the finish line in Besancon in a stage rife with confusion, disorganisation and tragedy.

It seems a shame that Katusha’s first stage win of the 2009 Tour is overshadowed by questions about team tactics and bizarre decisions, but, c’est le Tour.

The stage began with a horrific accident involving one of the leadout Police motorbikes and a pedestrian, the aftermath of which was the sight that greeted the riders as they cycled past.

A breakaway formed with 12 riders, led by Columbia HTC rider and fan favourite George Hincapie, which, after Ivanov time trial inspired dash from the front, finished 16 seconds behind the leader. For a brief period it looked like Hincapie may take yellow for the first time in his long career but it was not to be as the Peloton sprinted for the finish line 5 minutes and 36 seconds afterwards, meaning Hincapie was left 5 seconds away from Yellow.

A bunch sprint headed by Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushovd for those all important points proved controversial as claims began to fly of unsportman-like behaviour from Cavendish resulting in him being disqualified from the stage and leaving Hushovd 18 points ahead. The disqualification came from the decision that Cavendish and his Columbia team mates forced Hushovd into the barriers at the side of the finish line, so that sprinting for the finish meant risking going arse over tit over the handlebars. Cavendish is awarded ‘last place’ in the stage as a punishment and earns no points for todays race.

You’d think a rider disqualification or the first death of a spectator in 7 years might be the big talking point of the stage, but no. The US contingent of the internet has exploded in a shower of vitriol of Big George not taking yellow. It’s a curious arguement that has many aspects and, I imagine, can not be fully understood unless you were in the peloton listening to your team car’s instructions. Original reports from various internet sources was that Astana attacked, quickening the pace of the peloton and bridging the time gap between the yellow jersey, Nocentini, and Hincapie. Lance Armstrong used his Twitter feed to vehemently disagree with this. So, the next opinion was that AG2R (protecting Nocentini) and Garmin (protecting Wiggins top 5 GC place) attacked unnecessarily as any time lost to Hincapie today would be made up almost instantaneously tomorrow in the mountains. Basically, there are no clear answers to this. Regardless of whether it was Astana, Garmin or AG2R attacking, no team did anything that could be classed as dirty - they were all working for their best interests, within the rules of the race. The unfortunate outcome is that a well loved rider missed the Yellow Jersey by the skin of a hen’s teeth.

The Polka Dot Jersey

With all this talk of mountains, you might wonder why the riders bother. It’s rarely the first over a mountain that wins the race, right? Well, they do it for the Polka Dot Jersey which, to the climbers of the peloton, is as coveted as the Yellow Jersey.

The Polka Dot Jersey is awarded the the King of the Mountains, or the leader in the Mountains Classification. Just like the Sprinters’ Green Jersey, this is based on a points system. On each mountain peak is a marker, and the first riders past this marker are awarded points. Since 2004, the first rider to the top of a Category 4 climb obtains 3 points, whilst the first rider to the top of an HC climb is awarded 20 points.

Whilst the first three riders over a Category 4 climb win points, this gradually rises with each category (3 = 4 riders, 2 = 6 riders, 1 = 8 riders) to become the first 10 riders over an HC climb earning points. 2nd, 1st and HC climb points are doubled on the last climb of the day as an incentive for tired legs.

The Mountains Classification began life as the Meilleur Grimpeur, or ‘best climber’, in the early days of the tour until 1933 when Henri Desgrange, in a rare moment of magnanimity, noticed that riders who made it to the top of the mountain first weren’t necesarily making it down the mountains quickest, but deserved something for their efforts. So, a bonus was devised upon being the first rider to reach the top of the climb.

The Polka Dot Jersey was introduced for the King of the Mountains in 1975, sponsored by Chocolat Poulain. The origins of the Polka Dot design are hazy, but it is thought to be from a Chocolat Poulain product the sponsors were trying to advertise at the time. Wikipedia offers an alternative suggestion that a former Tour organiser had seen a similar design in the velodromes of his youth and suggested it for their new jersey.

When does a hill become a mountain? A guide to Climbing Categories.

After the upcoming rest day on Monday, the Tour de France really gets exciting. If exciting means cruel, gruelling and painful to watch. Yes, that’s right, Le Tour is off to the mountains.

The race takes a jaunt through the Alps, with respite for the climbers on the Individual Time Trial on Thursday, before an uphill finish on the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux the day before Paris.

You may have noticed I’ve been referring to climbs by a category number, and I’m sure, if you’re like my Mum, you’ll be wondering what these category numbers mean..

The categories are divided up into Category 4 (being the ‘easiest’), 3, 2, 1, and HC (Hors Categories, or ‘Outside Category’ - being the ‘hardest’).

The category of a climb is established by a committee but ultimately decided by the race director - currently Jean-Francois Pescheux - after taking into account several factors. These include:

• What is the altitude of the climb? (How high is the mountain above sea level?)
• How high is the peak’s elevation? (How high is the peak of the mountain in comparison to the surrounding terrain - how much does it tower above?)
• How long is the climb? (What is the distance of the road the riders’ travel?)
• What is the highest, and what is the average gradient? (How steep is steepest section of road, and how steep is the road on average?)
• Where does the climb feature in the stage? (Is it early on, when legs are fresh, or later on when riders are tired?)
• What is the condition of the road? (Is it dusty, gravelly, likely to get slippy if it rains?)

Be aware that as the Tour is the Mac-Daddy of races, so a climb that is seen as a Category 2 might be a Category 1 in any other race. With this in mind, a general overview of category climbs would present the following:

Category 4 - A hill. On a slow stage, any rider worth his salt would make it over still breathing through his nose. Obviously I mean any Tour de France rider. I would’ve gotten off and pushed by now.

Category 3 - Usually around a 5km climb, at a 5% average gradient. Like the kind of local climbs you would find in the UK or USA. Or avoid, if you’re anything like me.

Category 2 - A tricky one to define - harder than a Category 3, but not to the white knuckle extent of a Category 1, like Stage 15’s Cold des Mosses which is 1445m high, with a gradient of 5.5% over 19km.

Category 1 - Usually a much longer climb, but still at a relatively low gradient of around 5%, like Stage 16’s Col do Petit Saint Bernard which is a 27km ride over a gradient of 4.6%.

Hors Category (Outside Category) - A climb that doesn’t fit into the previous categories, often very long and quite steep like Stage 20’s Mont Ventoux, which is over 1900m high, and reaches gradients of up to 11% over a 23km route.

Colmar to Besancon - Stage 14

Starting in Stage 13’s finishing town, Stage 14 sticks pretty close to the French border with Germany and Switzerland for a generally flat ride down to Besancon. Although featuring two category 1 climbs, Stage 14 is essentially a course for the sprinters with three sprint markers and a flat finish.

Besancon is a rich historical city, favoured by Julius Caesar, birthplace of Victor Hugo and twinned with Huddersfield. You know, that other city famed for it’s rich history…

So, what’s the expert opinion for a day which should see a breakaway and some bustling for the finish line?

“Heading down towards the Alps will be what is on most riders minds on this stage, stay out of trouble, save energy and don’t fall off are the orders for the GC boys who get to play tomorrow. Despite a couple of small hills right in the middle of the stage expect to see another bunch sprint at the end and another notch on Mark Cavendish’s handlebars.”

Velodrome Vs Tour de France: Dave Le Grys on Track and Road

Commonwealth games silver medallist Dave Le Grys has represented Great Britain on the track at the Olympics and held the World cycling speed record in 1986 after reaching speeds of up to 126mph on the road. He has held the title of World Masters Sprint Champion eight times, and now coaches young cyclists who want to achieve the same. Let’s face it, he knows his stuff. So who better to tell us how riding on the splinteriffic wooden track of the velodrome differs from the long hot roads of the Tour de France?

For those who missed GB’s amazing performance at the olympics, briefly, what is track cycling?

Track cycling is a bit like atletics in a stadium except on bikes - no traffic or pedestrians. The track is often called a velodrome and all bikes that ride on the track have one single fixed gear and no brakes

You’ve ridden both track and road races, as a sprinter (like Mark Cavendish), how does the preparation for each differ?

Well that depends if you are a pure sprinter or an endurance rider on the track. Sprinters train for speed and although very powerful over a short distance will not be in the running for an endurance race. However, some sprinters like me can do both. The basic difference between the training would be more endurance on the road but still working on specific sprint training as well.

Bradley Wiggins has won numerous gold medals on the track and is now faring well in the TDF as an all rounder - how is he able to perform so well in such different disciplines?

He is an endurance track rider, and quite capable of riding on the road. Races like the Tour de France would incorporate more endurance and longer spells in the saddle as well as losing some weight to get over those mountains.

It an obvious question, but after proving he’s the fastest cyclist in the country, why doesn’t Chris Hoy ride the Tour de France?

This is similar to what I said [about preparation]. To be more specific, there are various muscle fibre types which determine genetically what type of rider you are, for instance, fast twitch muscle fibre is a sprinter, slow twitch an endurance rider. Some of us have a bit of both to make good allrounders and some are more specific like Chris Hoy (Fast twitch).
It has been shown that fast twitch muscle fibres can be recruited, meaning, in layman’s terms, [the rider] can convert into endurance. Chris could ride the Tour de France but he would probably need a good 2 or 3 years to convert and will have to lose a lot of weight as well.

So, there you have it. Undisputed science fact from a man who knows. Dave Le Grys runs training camps you can discover more about at www.mastercoach.co.uk and track training sessions at www.fasttrackcoaching.biz

Haussler takes Stage 13.

Aussie German, Heinrich Haussler couldn’t hide the tears as he crossed the finish line over 4 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, the incredulously named Amets Txurruka, in his training ground of Colmar today.

Haussler had featured in a breakaway that began to be swallowed on the climb up the Col du Platzerwasel (that’s Platzerwasel, not Wienner Schnitzel, Mr. Vande Velde) until only he and French rider Sylvain Chavanel remained. Haussler accelerated on the downhills, afterwards claiming he was used to riding on these roads in the wind and rain, to put considerable difference between himself and Chavanel who was suffering enough to eventually lose six and a half minutes on the stage winner.

My ironic prediction about the weather in the finish town unfortunately bore fruit as the peloton fought to negotiate mountain descents in torrential rain. Many riders suffered in the conditions, including Mark Cavendish who has forfeited the green jersey back to Thor Hushovd who finished 6th today to take 15 points over Cav who finished 118th for, you guessed it, no points.

Overall GC is uneffected by today, but has altered after Levi Leipheimer’s withdrawal from the race on Thursday night with a broken wrist after a small crash involving Cadel Evans. Top three remains Nocentini, Contador and Armstrong. Wiggins moves up to 4th, and as one Astana rider leaves the top 5, another appears with Andreas Kloden climbing up into 5th spot.

Nocentini is still in yellow, Tony Martin still in white, but as previously mentioned green was re-awarded to Thor Hushovd and Franco Pellizotti takes the polka dot jersey from Egoi Martinez.

Vittel to Colmar - Stage 13

A few interesting facts about today’s finish? Okay. Colmar’s ‘Old Town’ cityscape was the inspiration for the design of the animated movie of classic kid’s book Howl’s Moving Castle. It is, quite frankly, a splendid example of 16th Century wooden framed buildings that escaped the annihilation of the French Revolution. Colmar is also the ‘dryest city in France’. That’s a claim that will bode well for the finish of Stage 13, isn’t it…?

Stage 13 is a serpentine 200km route with some impressive climbs to shake up the riders. Two category 1, a category 2, and two category 3 climbs need to be faced before the descent to the finish line.

Let’s hear from the experts, eh?

“Back to business for the GC contenders with three decent climbs to test the legs. Ideally there would be a big sort out on the 1st category climb then the favorites could test each other on the final mountain but I doubt that’ll be part of the Astana game plan, you never know though may be they’ll surprise everyone. Most likely a sprint finish for a group of 50 or so - Pozzatto?”