TDF Stage 9 - Col du Tourmalet, Spinning Class On Steroids

A lone rider on the Col du Tourmalet. Image Credit: steephill.tv

TDF Stage 9 - Col du Tourmalet, Spinning Class On Steroids

A great, tactical, and very professional Tour de France has been shaping up in the previous eight days. Team rules take the day in the last day in Stage 9 - Saint-Gaudens → Tarbes - in the Pyrenees featuring a big climb up the Col du Tourmalet before a day off and a group of Stages in the middle flat of France before reaching the Alps, and a chance to create separation in about a week.

Col du Tourmalet from Luz Saint Sauveur in 3D, on Googleearth! Image Credit: climbbybike.com

It doesn't really make sense to waste energy needlessly when a team can control it's destiny with level headed tactics. Team Astana was content to have someone else wear, and some other team protect, the Yellow Jersey over the next several days while keeping their own strength up in the Peloton. No real attack, no real drama, just keep the Yellow Jersey in the group and take control of the Peloton when necessary so that no time is lost to the leader.

One can not blame Team Astana when they have three top riders just 6 seconds - Alberto Contador, 8 seconds - Lance Armstrong, and 39 seconds - Levi Leipheimer behind Rinaldo Nocentini and several days of flat stage work ahead ... with having the Yellow Jersey holding Team AG2R-La Mondiale (ALM) out in front to break the wind.

The Col du Tourmalet is situated in Pyrenees. Starting from Luz Saint Sauveur, the Col du Tourmalet is 19 km long. Over this distance, you climb 1404 heightmeters. The average percentage is thus 7.4 % and represents some of the toughest mountain cycling in Pyrenees. Image Credit: Patrick Giraud via Wikipedia

Today was a very pretty stage and one that shows the fanatic following of the event up the long climb to the top of the Col du Tourmalet. The crowds were not able to drive up the mountain a full day before the tour was due to visit, so one either had to drive in and stay overnight to camp out, or climb up to secure a vantage point and watch the 180 riders conduct their "spinning" class and maintain their position before going over the crest and on down the back of the mountain at 55 mph+ before another 50k of slightly downhill/flat cycling to the finish.

With no real changes in the General Classification in Stage 9 with today amounting to a real strenuous and long "Spinning Class" workout (slang - "on steroids") to end. The finish line presents the riders with an airplane ticket and a full day off before the tour resumes on July 14, 2009 with Stage 10 - Limoges → Issoudun - with 15 more days of battle to end through the streets of Paris.

Col du Tourmalet - One of the "big three" in the tour, together with the Aubisque and the Galibier. On its west side (Luz), the Tourmalet is a very regular climb at nearly 8%. Yet, it takes 18 km and 2 hours to reach the top at 2115 m. Image Credit: climbbybike.com

This end of stage entry excerpted and edited from VeloNews -

3:59
CPelkey: 31km to go.

Rabobank is setting tempo' at the front.
4:01
CPelkey: With 30km to go, the gap is now 2:40.

No way they're gonna stay out there.

We'll have to look through the archives to dredge up a stage that included the Tourmalet and ended in a freakin' field sprint.

Kinda sux.
4:04
CPelkey: One rider missing from the main field is points jersey leader Thor Hushovd.

We still can't figure out if Cavendish is in there, but reason would suggest that he is not.
4:06
CPelkey: The leaders are 26km from the finish. The gap is now 2:30.
4:07
CPelkey: The Rabobank and Caisse d'Epargne teams are setting tempo at the front of the peloton. The gap is being cut. We'll see if the two leaders hold on.
4:09
[Comment From Mr. Matt ]
How many riders are scored into the team competition?
4:10
CPelkey: The team competition is not based on overall GC. It's based on the times of each team's top three riders each day. That's why Ag2r - with riders in breaks these past two days - now leads the Team standings.
4:11
CPelkey: Our two leaders are 22km from the finish. They have been able to maintain the 2:30 gap.
4:16
VeloNews.com: Vande Velde: "didn't realize that wasn't part of their (Astana) plan"

Click link to view comment from C. Vande Velde - Flash Required / Mobile options coming soon.
4:16
CPelkey: These guys are doing a good job. They're holding their lead and have 20km to go.
4:16
[Comment From Peggy ]
Compare Lance's team this year to previous--team, strategy, standings. TY
4:18
CPelkey: Well, to start, the dynamic is quite different this time. Since his win in '99, he's never been in a situation where his leadership of the team is in doubt.
4:20
CPelkey: That's kinda cool.
The Liquigas and BBox teams are up front, not chasing, but allowing little gaps to develop in the chase. It's a nice example of how a team can disrupt a chase.
4:20
[Comment From Mtnbyked ]
What wheelset is Armstrong using today?
4:20
CPelkey: Heck, I dunno.
They look round.
4:22
CPelkey: With 14km to go, the gap is 1:59. The chase is making some progress, but will it be enough?
4:24
CPelkey: With 12km remaining, the gap is 1:45.

This is going to be tight. Caisse d'Epargne and Rabobank are setting tempo at the front.
4:25
[Comment From Mark ]
Will Lance win the ITT of put time into Contador?
4:27
CPelkey: Not sure. Do recall that Contador actually finished the Monaco time trial ahead of Armstrong. He's been working on his time trialing and continues to improve. The next TT is 40km, so the results may be quite different. Who knows? If I was good at predicting the future, I'd have bought Microsoft stock back in the '80s.
4:28
CPelkey: Our leaders are 9km from the finish. The gap is coming down now. 1:16.
4:28
[Comment From REG ]
All the Lance questions are annoying. There's 175 other riders in the race too
4:29
CPelkey: With 8km remaining, the gap is 1:10.
4:29
CPelkey: Caisse d'Epargne and Rabobank are driving hard. The effort to disrupt the chase hasn't had a huge impact.
4:30
CPelkey: Lots of road furniture in town here.
4:30
CPelkey: With 7km to go, the gap is 59 seconds.
4:31
CPelkey: 6km to go and the gap is 52 seconds.
4:32
CPelkey: The peloton includes all of the usual GC suspects, Sastre, Armstrong, Vande Velde, Contador ... no big players are missing.
4:32
CPelkey: Five kilometers to go.
The gap is 44 seconds.
4:34
CPelkey: Psssssssssssssss Andy Schleck has flatted. He's chasing and this happened outside of the 3km limit. He needs to chase.
4:35
CPelkey: Our two leaders are at 3.2km and have 41 seconds.
4:36
CPelkey: With 3km to go, the gap is holding.

Schleck is back, having been towed back to the field by Jens Voigt.
4:36
CPelkey: 2.5 km to go... 40 seconds.
4:36
CPelkey: 2km to go, and the gap is 39 seconds.
4:37
CPelkey: Liquigas is muddling up the chase a bit.
4:37
CPelkey: With 1.4 km to go, the gap is STILL 38 seconds.
4:37
CPelkey: Red Kite.
4:38
CPelkey: The two are still cooperating. Thaty will end in a couple of meters.
4:38
CPelkey: Pellizotti is trailing and not taking a pull.
4:38
CPelkey: Pellizotti attacks!
4:39
CPelkey: Chaaaaaaarge!
4:39
CPelkey: No he went to early
Pierrik Fedrigo (BBox) gets it
4:40
CPelkey: Freire gets the field sprint at about 35 seconds.
4:40
CPelkey: Well, nice move on Pierrik Fedrigo's part.
4:43
CPelkey: Well we have to credit Fedrigo and Pellizotti for at least doing their part from making this stage a complete embarrassment. A field sprint at the end of stage with the Tourmalet would be nuts.
4:45
[Comment From Sal Ruibal ]
hang in there CP. rest day coming up. woot woot
4:46
CPelkey: Ahhhh, Mr. Ruibal. Leave it to a member of the press corps to remind us that we get a day off tomorrow.
4:47
CPelkey: Tomorrow is, indeed, the first rest day of the Tour, folks. So we'll be back on Tuesday with Live Coverage of Stage 10.
4:49
CPelkey:

As you might have guessed, today's stage had very little impact on the GC picture:
# 1. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r-La Mondiale
# 2. Alberto Contador Astana, at 00:06
# 3. Lance Armstrong Astana at 00:08
# 4. Levi Leipheimer Astana at 00:39
# 5. Bradley Wiggins Garmin - Slipstream at 00:46
# 6. Andréas KlÖden Astana at 00:54
# 7. Tony Martin Team Columbia - Htc at 01:00
# 8. Christian Vande Velde Garmin - Slipstream at 01:24
# 9. Andy Schleck Team Saxo Bank at 01:49
# 10. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas at 01:54
# 11. Luis-leon Sanchez Caisse D’epargne at 02:16
# 12. Maxime Monfort Team Columbia - Htc at 02:21
# 13. Frank Schleck Team Saxo Bank at 02:25
# 14. Roman Kreuziger Liquigas at 02:40
# 15. Vladimir Efimkin Ag2r-La Mondiale at 02:45
# 16. Carlos Sastre Cervelo Test Team at 02:52
# 17. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi at 03:02
# 18. Cadel Evans Silence - Lotto at 03:07
# 19. Kim Kirchen Team Columbia - Htc at 03:16
# 20. Vladimir Karpets Team Katusha at 03:49

4:50
CPelkey: Today's stage results:
# 1. Pierrick Fedrigo Bbox Bouygues Telecom
# 2. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas
# 3. Oscar Freire Rabobank at 00:34
# 4. Serguei Ivanov Team Katusha at 00:34
# 5. Peter Velits Team Milram at 00:34
# 6. Joaquin Rojas Jose Caisse D’epargne at 00:34
# 7. Greg Van Avermaet Silence - Lotto at 00:34
# 8. Geoffroy Lequatre Agritubel at 00:34
# 9. Alessandro Ballan Lampre - N.g.c at 00:34
# 10. Nicolas Roche Ag2r-La Mondiale at 00:34
# 11. Jérémy Roy Francaise Des Jeux at 00:34
# 12. Christophe Le Mevel Francaise Des Jeux at 00:34
# 13. Sylvain Chavanel Quick Step at 00:34
# 14. Sébastien Minard Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne at 00:34
# 15. Brice Feillu Agritubel at 00:34
# 16. George Hincapie Team Columbia - Htc at 00:34
# 17. Andréas KlÖden Astana at 00:34
# 18. Pierre Rolland Bbox Bouygues Telecom at 00:34
# 19. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas at 00:34
# 20. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi at 00:34

4:50
[Comment From Franz Lani ]
Where can we get the results complete for Stage 9 and overall standings?
4:50
CPelkey: We should have those posted momentarily.
4:55
CPelkey: While we won't be offering Live Coverage tomorrow, we will continue with Rest Day stories and news from press conferences.

Later today, our video crew will posting the latest edition of VeloCenter. It's usually up by 4:00 p.m. EDT.

They, too, will be working tomorrow producing a Rest Day edition of our daily reports on VeloNews.TV.
4:56
CPelkey: After the two big climbs today, the KOM picture has changed:
# 1. Egoi Martinez Euskaltel - Euskadi 78 points
# 2. Christophe Kern Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne 59 points
# 3. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas 55 points
# 4. Brice Feillu Agritubel 49 points
# 5. Pierrick Fedrigo Bbox Bouygues Telecom 49 points
# 6. Christophe Riblon Ag2r-La Mondiale 46 points
# 7. Sandy Casar Francaise Des Jeux 43 points
# 8. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi 38 points
# 9. Vladimir Efimkin Ag2r-La Mondiale 35 points
# 10. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r-La Mondiale 34 points

4:58
CPelkey: Today's stage didn't have much impact on the points race, though:
# 1. Thor Hushovd Cervelo Test Team 117 points
# 2. Mark Cavendish Team Columbia - Htc 106 points
# 3. Joaquin Rojas Jose Caisse D’epargne 75 points
# 4. Gerald Ciolek Team Milram 66 points
# 5. Oscar Freire Rabobank 62 points
# 6. Fabian Cancellara Team Saxo Bank 55 points
# 7. Tyler Farrar Garmin - Slipstream 54 points
# 8. Thomas Voeckler Bbox Bouygues Telecom 47 points
# 9. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas 47 points
# 10. Jérôme Pineau Quick Step 46 points

TDF Stage 8 - Three Climbs And Still 3 Sundays To Go

Image & Caption Credit: steephill.tv

TDF Stage 8 - Three Climbs And Still 3 Sundays To Go

This Tour de France held each year may well be the most epic human competition that exists in any sport, anywhere in the world. Imagine that we have already witnessed seven days of racing competition and we are now in the middle of race day number eight.

Today starts off with a category 1 climb and is followed by a long decent into a valley followed by two more climbs of a category 2 and a category 1 and another long decent to the end.

The day started with a breakaway of nine riders that included long time former teammate to Lance Armstrong, American George Hinacapi of Columbia-HTC and Team Saxo Bank's former Yellow Jersey rider, Fabian Cancellara. Other riders include Juan Antonio Flech (Rabobank), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Vladimir Efimkin (Ag2r), Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux), Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne), Sébastien Rosseler (Quick Step), Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha).

The breakaway at one point led by as much as a little over 3 minutes.

The most important fact remains that the main contenders are in the peloton and all that needs to happen for the Yellow Jersey worn by Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r-La Mondiale) to change riders is a separation to happen with the leaders that trail by only seconds - #2 Alberto Contador (Astana) at 00:06, #3 Lance Armstrong (Astana) at 00:08, and #3 Levi Leipheimer (Astana) at 00:39!

Team Astana remains in control on the last climb where we now begin coverage.

TDF Stage 8 Map and Profile. Today’s stage takes the riders 176.5 kilometres from Andorra La Vieille to Saint Girons, and is the second mountain stage of this year’s race. Three climbs feature – they are the Port d'Envalira (23.2km at 5.1 percent), topping out 23.5 km after the start, then the Col de Port (11.4 km at 5.5 percent, km 102) and the Col d'Agnès (12.4 km at 6.5 percent), which summits some 44 clicks before the finish in the valley. Caption Credit: CyclingNews / Image Credit: steephill.tv

This excerpted and edited by VeloNews with added material from various resources -

3:19
CPelkey: No, there is still the Category 1 Col d'Agnès, which starts at 120.1km, averages 6 percent over 12.4km and summits at 132.5km, 1570 meters above sea level.
From there it’s all downhill to the finish at Saint Girons, at an altitude of 425 meters.

As a reminder, the men in the break are:

1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
2. Juan Antonio Flech (Rabobank)
3. Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
4. George Hincapie (Columbia)
5. Vladimir Efimkin (Ag2r)
6. Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux)
7. Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne)
8. Sébastien Rosseler (Quick Step)
9. Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha)

3:23
[Comment From Craig ]
I suppose Hincapie is up front to support Cavendish if he can rejoin the peleton for a sprint?
3:25
CPelkey: Probably not, Craig. Hincapie did his best to mitigate Hushovd's impact on the points contest, but I doubt the Columbia team has a realistic expectation that Cavendish will be able to crest the summit of the final climb in time to rejoin.

Hincapie is up there in hopes of snagging a stage win.
3:32
CPelkey: The leading nine are now just 2:05 ahead of the peloton, with 59km remaining.
3:33
CPelkey: Our leaders are on the day's final climb, the Category 1 Col d'Agnès.
3:37
[Comment From Retired... ]
Why are people hating on Contador so much? Yesterday's attack sent a tough and somewhat selfish message to his team but if you're the best racer in the Tour, are you going to seize the moment or let your opportunity slip by? His legs fire like pistons, nobody can match his explosiveness.
3:39
CPelkey: It's an interesting team dynamic and fans tend to stake out positions based on their preferences. I happen to agree that at this point in their careers, Contador is probably the best climber on the team. Indeed, he's improved as a time trialist, too.
3:41
CPelkey: Cancellara has popped off the back of the break. He's struggling on.
3:48
CPelkey: There are attacks in the main field. Andy Schleck has made a dig. He's got Armstrong and Contador and most of the GC contenders on his wheel ... with the sole exception of Nocentini.
3:50
CPelkey: Schleck is still setting tempo at the front of the group. They are already sweeping up riders from the break.

Up front, Hincapie has been dropped. Astarloza, Efimkin and Sanchez are at the front.

3:51
CPelkey: Nocentini has been spit off the back under the pressure of the Schleck move.
3:52
CPelkey: Sandy Casar has fought back and rejoined the leading trio.
3:53
CPelkey: That GC group includes, Leipheimer, Contador, Vande Velde, Sastre, Menchov, Kreuziger, Schleck and Schleck, Martin, Wiggins.
3:53
CPelkey: It's bigger than that, but we're still working to ID these guys.
3:56
CPelkey: We see Evans in the mix. Karpets is in there, too. Kim Kirchen has rejoined that group.

We'll see a new rider in yellow tonight. Contador? Armstrong? Someone else?

CyclingNews (CN) - 1.
16:02 CEST - Kloden is on the front. This group appears to be getting larger.
2.
16:03 CEST - Yes, it's got a lot bigger. Nocentini is back up here, so he's protecting his jersey.. Stephane Goubert helped him get back by driving the pace.
3.
16:05 CEST (46.3km remaining from 176.5km)
______________
Situation
Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne), Vladimir Efimkin (AG2R La Mondiale), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)
Favourites and yellow jersey group at 1:41

VeloNews (VN) - 4:01
CPelkey: Nocentini [Yellow Jersey] is suffering, but he's only about 35 seconds behind the GC group.
4:03
CPelkey: An update on Hincapie. He's caught between the four leaders and about a minute up on the GC leaders' group.
4:04
[Comment From Manuel in Nicaragua ]
All this excitement before the summit and it looks like they are going to end together thanks to the long down hill. BTW I figured out that the helmets are the new Giro Pro Light model
4:05
CPelkey: The 40+ kilometers of doownhill mean there will be significant regrouping, for sure. Indeed, Hincapie may be one rider that might rejoin the four leaders is Hincapie. He's only 25 seconds behind the leading four.
4:06
CPelkey: Nocentini has managed to fight his way back to othe GC group on a lull in the slope of the climb.
4:08
CPelkey: Efimkin is stepping up the tempo at the front, with about 1.6km before the the summit. Casar is the victim of that one.
4:09
CPelkey: Efimkin is working hard, but he can get rid of Sanchez and Astarloza.
4:10
CPelkey: The gap to our three leaders is now 2:20, with a few riders caught in the middle.
4:12
CPelkey: It's all Astana at the front of the GC group. The pace back there has moderated.

The leading three have crested the climb.

4:12
CPelkey: This is a view from the top of this climb, by the way.
4:13
CPelkey: Casar has summitted at 20 seconds.
Hincapie, by the way, is back in with the GC group.
4:15
CPelkey: The peloton, under the command of the Astana team, crested at 2:40.
4:15
CPelkey: It's a long way down. Up front, by the way, Casar is about to rejoin the leaders.
4:15
CPelkey: The descent off the final climb is very steep and very fast. Road surfaces are rough and speeds could hit triple-digits.
4:16
CPelkey: The break should be able to carry speed until about 20km, then there's a slight headwind coming into Saint-Girons
4:17
CPelkey: The final kilometers are lined with huge crowds. There's a major round-about with 2.5km, but with the pack all busted up, it shouldn't present too much danger.
4:18
CPelkey: he course sweeps left to the Salat river, with another round-about at -1km to go. From there, it's a mostly straight run to the line down the Avenue de la Resistance
4:24
CPelkey: Hey, hey correction.
Hincapie was NOT caught by the GC group. He's flying down the descent. He's trailing the four leaders by 1:10.

CN - 4.
16:21 CEST (36km remaining from 176.5km) - It's looking good for the break...they have 2'53 on this descent. Hincapie is chasing hard behind.
5.
16:22 CEST - He's low on the bike, pushing hard into the corners. Further ahead, Sanchez leads, with Casar hanging a little off the back of the other two. He took risks getting back up to them but now is content to take things a little handier.
6.
16:25 CEST - It's going to be hard for Hincapie, who is at 1'11 at this point. The Astana bunch is 2'53 back. All are on this long descent, which is fast and tree-lined.
____________
Situation
Vladimir Efimkin (AG2R La Mondiale), Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)
Favourites and yellow jersey group at 2:52

1.
16:26 CEST (31km remaining from 176.5km) - Hincapie looks like he is losing a bit of hope...he realises it's a tough task. The front four are rolling through nicely. Luis Leon Sanchez looks to be the strongest, although it's hard to tell.
2.
16:28 CEST - So, the final mountain is too far from the finish for the main riders to make the most of it... Hard to know why ASO includes profiles like this; it makes for good racing by those going for the stage win, but the race favourites don't give it everything.

VN -

4:25
CPelkey: Cheerleaders!
4:26
CPelkey: That was a photo from the start village this morning. Mr. Hood focuses on what interests him.
4:28
CPelkey: Our four leaders are gaining time on Hincapie... he's now 1:45 behind the four.
4:30
CPelkey: It's Astana at the front of the peloton. Nocentini is in there, too. He may well hold the jersey.

Our four riders are now 2:50 ahead of the main field.

4:31
[Comment From Steve ]
Is tomorrow a rest day?
4:32
CPelkey: Nope. Tomorrow is another biggie. Monday is the rest day. You will probably never see a grand tour with a weekend rest day. Those are great days for fans to get out and see the race for themselves.

CN - #
16:30 CEST (26km remaining from 176.5km) - Astana are leading things along...the other teams will hope they will wear themselves out as the race progresses.

Four riders remain up front - who will win? They've just over 25 kilometres to go, and surely won't be caught now.
#
16:31 CEST - Hincapie is now 2'21 down, 30 seconds ahead of the peloton. He's going to be caught very soon.
#
16:33 CEST (24.8km remaining from 176.5km) - Sure enough, Hincapie is caught.

20 km to go to the finish
______________
Situation
Vladimir Efimkin (AG2R La Mondiale), Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)
Favourites and yellow jersey group at 2:40

VN - 4:41
CPelkey: They have 2:38 on the peloton. It's clear the winner will emerge from this group.

1. Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
2. Vladimir Efimkin (Ag2r)
3. Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux)
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne)


4:43
[Comment From Don Stewart ]
In the last 10 Km, what do you expect Astana tp do to get either Contador or Armstrong into the yellow jersey?
4:44
CPelkey: Astana really has no reason to take the yellow jersey. Nocentini is back in the peloton. He'll probably have the jersey tonight. His odds of keeping it after the Tourmalet tomorrow are slight.
4:47
4:52
CPelkey: 10km to go. The gap is now 2:13.
4:52
[Comment From Lewis ]
Will there be any change in the top 10 GC today?
4:53
CPelkey: It sure doesn't look like it.
4:57
CPelkey: With 6km remaining our leading four riders are 1:43 ahead of the field.
4:58
CPelkey: Efimkin is still hanging at the back of the group. He's a member of Nocentini's team, so he's really not obligated to pull.

He may be in the position to win today, which would be his second Tour de France stage win.
4:59
CPelkey: With 5km to go, the gap is 1:32.
They won't be caught.

CN - #
16:57 CEST - Casar is 30 years of age and a pro since 2000. He's been with Française des Jeux his whole career. In 2002 he was second overall in Paris-Nice and was heralded as the next big French rider, but never quite lived up to that early promise. He's had a good career, no doubt, but not spectacular.

#
16:59 CEST (5km remaining from 176.5km) - Sanchez is 25 and has a number of big results to his name, including overall wins in the Tour Down Under (2005), the Vuelta a Mallorca (2007) and this year's Paris-Nice. Last year he won both the Spanish time trial championships and stage 7 of the Tour de France.
#
17:00 CEST (4.7km remaining from 176.5km) - Astarloza goes! He clips away, followed by Casar. Sanchez gets up to him with Efimkin on his wheel. Efimkin now goes!
#
17:01 CEST - Efimkin was sitting on quite a bit, and he's gone! Casar saw him going, tried to get out of the saddle but his legs shouted 'non!'

The three are chasing now.
#
17:01 CEST (2.8km remaining from 176.5km) - He's got the head down and is riding strongly...

VN - 5:03
CPelkey: 1km to go, and he's got maybe 2 seconds.
5:04
CPelkey: Efimkin, is still powering on. Is he gonna hold 'em off?
5:04
CPelkey: Caught
5:04
CPelkey: Casar attacks
5:05
CPelkey: Sanchez comes around Casar. Astarloza third, Efimkin fourth.
5:06
CPelkey:

1. Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne)
2. Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux)
3. Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
4. Vladimir Efimkin (Ag2r)

5:06
CPelkey: Field sprint... doesn't look like Hushovd is in there.
5:06
[Comment From epicryd ]
Any time bonus left after 4th place today?
5:07
CPelkey: There are no time bonuses at all in this edition of the Tour.

CN - 17:08 CEST - Here's the bunch... looks like either Rigoberto Uran or Jose Joaquin Rojas Gill who takes the sprint, sitting up out of the saddle and celebrating the Caisse d'Epargne win... Nocentini is in the bunch, so he holds yellow...

Situation
Vladimir Efimkin (AG2R La Mondiale)
Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux) at 5"

Favourites and yellow jersey group at 1:49

No Chance in the General Classification. Tomorrow, another Sunday down and more mountains - could be a day of separation led by Team Astana!

TDF Stage 7 - Longest & Highest Finishing Test Of Tour

A series of unpredictable alliances could conspire to disrupt the yellow jersey hopes of Lance Armstrong and his Astana team on the seventh stage of the Tour de France on Friday. Image Credit: AFP

TDF Stage 7 - Longest & Highest Finishing Test Of Tour

The first summit finish of the race is at the Andorran ski station of Arcalis but, although important in the grand scheme of things, it will take many more battles in the mountains before this year's race is decided.

Nevertheless, after just five days of unexpected drama Astana have taken significant steps towards eliminating some of their rivals.

Ahead of Thursday's sixth stage to Barcelona seven-time champion Armstrong was just 0.22secs behind race leader Fabian Cancellara, with 2007 winner Alberto Contador in third at just 19sec. Two other Astana riders, Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer, sit in fourth and fifth respectively.

The Kazakh-backed team's strong position ahead of three consecutive mountain stages gives them "plenty of cards to play", according to Australia's Michael Rogers, who rides for Columbia.

But it also means the likes of Denis Menchov (3:59), defending champion Carlos Sastre (2:44) and two-time runner-up Cadel Evans (2:59) and Luxembourger Andy Schleck (1:41) will have to attack, at one time or another, in an attempt to close their deficits.

Stage 7 Route Map. Image Credit: steephill.tv

The stage departs from the city of Barcelona and heads into the Pyrénées. Leaving Spain, the Tour heads into the independent principality of Andorre. The stage finishes at the ski resort in Arcalis. There are five categorized climbs on the route, though three of the five are not especially difficult. The final climb at Arcalis, rated hors catégorie, should provide an early indication of who has brought his climbing legs to this Tour de France.

The Climbs

Côte de Montserrat 4.1 km, avg. 3.8 %, catégorie 4

Port de Solsona 5.8 km, avg. 4.3 %, catégorie 3

Col de Serra-Seca 7.7 km, avg. 7.1 %, catégorie 1

Port del Comte 3.1 km, avg. 5.3 %, catégorie 3

Andorre Arcalis 10.6 km, avg. 7.1 %, catégorie HC

Stage 7 Profile. Image Credit: VeloNews

The race sees both its longest stage and first mountain stage in this, its seventh day. Riders face five categorized climbs, culminating with this 2009 TDF’s first and highest mountaintop finish atop the "hors-category" (beyond categorization) climb to the Arcalis ski station. The mid-stage Category 1 climb of Col de Serra-Seca should separate the field, but with almost 100 kilometers to the finish, a large group should arrive at the base of the finishing climb. The climb to Arcalis is 10.6 kilometers in length with an average grade of seven percent over a wide, well-engineered road, an anomaly in the Pyrénéan mountains.

Live updates excerpted and edited from VeloNews, Twitter, VERSUS, EuroSport, and various resources -

This from Phil Liggett, VERSUS, "So, as they say, the shadow boxing is over and now the contenders must fight to keep their reputations as a likely race winner."

stevenboss: @LeviLeipheimer Excellent coverage. We've been following the TDF for 22 years and really enjoying this year. Go Astana!

EuroSport (ES) - Le Tour heads to Andorra on stage seven, and the first mountain-top finish of this year's race. There is every chance of seeing a new man in yellow at the end of the day. But will it be Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador or somebody else? Stage 7 description

ES - It may have been a tense evening chez Astana last night. The simmering tension between Armstrong and Contador could come to a head, and it is up to team boss Johan Bruyneel to decide who is his main man. Astana face dilemma in mountains

ES - 10:30 - Today's 224km hike is under way, and already there is a three-man breakaway - Egoi Martinez, Christophe Riblon and Jose Ivan Gutierrez having escaped the peloton. It promises to be a long old day for all concerned

ES - 10:45 - Visit our video section for highlights and reaction from yesterday's stage six. Tour de France videos

ES - 11:00 - If you are near a TV, you can watch today's stage LIVE on British Eurosport from 12:30pm. It is also available on the Eurosport Player, which has live internet streaming of British Eurosport. British Eurosport 2 and all sorts of bonus content. Eurosport Player

ES - 11:05 - Former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche thinks today could be the perfect occasion for forgotten man Cadel Evans to try and catch Astana out. Roche: Time for Evans to attack

VeloNews -

Charles Pelkey:
Good day and welcome to VeloNews.com’s Live Coverage of the seventh stage of the 96th edition of the Tour de France, a 224-kilometer ride from Barcelona to the ski station of Arcalis in the principality of Andorra.

This is the one a lot of people have been waiting for, the first mountain-top finish of this year’s Tour. As you can see from the course profile, this is one of those days made for the climbers. Not only is it long, at 224km, most of the route today angles upward, starting in Barcelona at 230 meters above sea level and ending at Arcalis at 2240m. Up, up and away, as it were.
12:20
CPelkey:
Today’s stage features five climbs, the first of which is a relatively easy Category 4 climb at 32 kilometers and ends with the hors catégorie ride to the finish.

Those climbs are as follows:

* Summiting at 32km, the Category 4 Côte de Montserrat, a 4.1 km climb, with an average grade of 3.8 percent.
* Summiting at 97km, the Category 3 Port de Solsona, a 5.8 km climb, with an average grade of 4.3 percent.
* Summiting at 127km, the Category 1 Col de Serra-Seca, a 7.7 km climb, with an average grade of 7.1 percent.
* Summiting at 136.5km, the Category 3 Port del Comte, a 3.1 km climb, with an average grade of 5.3 percent.
* Summiting at 224km, the hor catégorie Andorre Arcalis, a 10.6 km climb, with an average grade of 7.1 percent.

12:21
CPelkey:
The real beauty of a stage like this is that it will probably put something of a dent in the seemingly endless speculation and chin-flapping by members of my own honorable profession. The question about who is and is not a contender for the overall title at the Tour should be a little clearer. So, too, will be questions surrounding the leadership roles on teams … okay, okay, the questions surrounding the leadership roles on one team in particular.

One thing is nearly certain today and that is that we will undoubtedly have a new race leader by day’s end. While Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara is a tough-as-nails time trialist and relatively solid performer in shorter stage races – such as this year’s Tour de Suisse, which he won – today’s stage does not suit his talents and he’s quite likely to lose the maillot jaune by day’s end.
1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Saxo Bank in 19:29:22
2. Lance Armstrong (USA), Astana same time
3. Alberto Contador (Sp), Astana, at 00:19
4. Andréas Klöden (G), at 00:23
5. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, at 00:31
6. Bradley Wiggins (GB), Garmin-Slipstream, at 00:38
7. Tony Martin (G), Columbia-HTC, at 00:52
8. Christian Vande Velde (USA), Garmin-Slipstream, at 01:16
9. Gustav Larsson (S), Saxo Bank, at 01:22
10. Maxime Monfort (B), Columbia-HTC, at 01:29
12:22
CPelkey:
While not normally driven to fits of nationalistic frenzy, I have to admit it’s pretty cool to see three Americans in the top 10 on GC in the Tour de France, especially since I remember 1981, the year the first American to ever even ride the Tour toed the line in Nice on June 25th that year. Who would have thought that an American would reach the podium in just three years and win the darn thing within five? Back then, the Tour seemed to be the nearly exclusive stomping grounds of French, Belgian and Italian riders. Since then, however, we haven’t even seen a Belgian winner, the French haven’t won a Tour since 1985 and … well, Pantani was the only Italian to win the Tour in these past 28 years.

In American sports terms, that would be like if baseball’s so-called “World Series” actually lived up to that name, opened the event to an international field of competitors and then Americans never won the darn thing for 25 or 30 years.

Since 1986, we’ve witnessed 10 Tour wins by Americans. Remarkable, eh?
12:29
CPelkey: Today's stage began at 11:10 and the pace has been fairly high since the 177 riders remaining in this Tour rolled through kilometer Zero at the edge of Barcelona.

We saw an early attack of three riders, who were soon joined by six more.

We now have nine riders at the 57km mark, with a lead of 10:30. The riders in the break are as follows:
Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne)
Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel)
Christophe Riblon (Ag2r)
Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r)
Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
Christophe Kern (Cofidis)
Jerome Pineau (Quick Step)
Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
Johannes Frohlinger (Milram)
12:33
CPelkey: Earlier in the stage, the leaders hit the Category 4 Côte de Montserrat.
The KOM points were distributed as follows:
1. Christophe Riblon (Ag2r), 3 points
2. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel), 2 pts
3. Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne), 1 pt.
12:37
CPelkey: Our latest time check gives the nine leaders an advantage of 12:10, a sure sign that the main contenders are more worried about the final climb than they are about chasing a group of riders who don't appear to pose much of a long-term GC threat.


12:41
CPelkey: Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r) is the current leader of the Tour de France, having started his day in 32nd place, at 3:13.

He and his fellow escapees are now at the 66km mark and their lead has bumped up to 14:20. Of course, there are 158 really tough kilometers ahead and we're still not willing to bet the rent on the chances of the break making it all the way to Andora in front.
----
1:03
CPelkey: The weather today is almost ideal for a stage like this. The sky is relatively clear and the temperature is currently 23 degrees (C) - that's 74 degrees for fans of Fahrenheit - and there's a slight 10kph wind from the south.
1:04
1:06
CPelkey: With 86km covered and 138km remaining, our leading nine riders are now 13:20 ahead of the peloton, as they head toward the lower slopes of the Category 3 Port de Solsona, a 5.8 km climb, with an average grade of 4.3 percent. It summits at 97km.

Points will be awarded to the first four across the top, starting with four points for the first rider to hit the KOM mark.
----
1:19
CPelkey: Another near certainty today is that the polka-dot jersey will trade hands by the end of the stage.

As of last night, the KOM contest stands as follows:
1. Stéphane Auge (F), Cofidis, 14 points
2. Jussi Veikkanen (Fin), Francaise des Jeux, 9 points
3. David Millar (GB), Garmin-Slipstream, 8 points
4. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Quick Step, 8 points
5. Tony Martin (G), Columbia-HTC 6 points

There are many, many points at stake in this stage.

As we noted, Category 4 climbs offer 3, 2 and 1 points to the top three riders over the top. Category 3 climbs offer 4, 3, 2 and 1 points to the top four.

There are no Cat. 2 climbs on the route today, but there are two Cat. 3s and a Cat 1. That's all capped off by an hors categorie climb to the finish.

Category 1 climbs offer 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5.

Hors categorie climbs offer 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5, but that's doubled on finishing climbs.

1:22
CPelkey: At 94km, our nine leaders are an even 13 minutes ahead of the field. It's still Astana setting tempo up there.

Armstrong is among those at the front and Contador is sitting in a relatively protected position. That could be an indicator of how the team itself views the question of leadership on Astana. It's an interesting question that will probably be answered by day's end.
----
1:30
CPelkey: The leaders are approaching the summit of the Category 3 Port de Solsona, and their lead has been trimmed to 12:05.
----
1:41
CPelkey: Our leaders are on the descent of the Category 3 Port de Solsona and heading to the feedzone before tackling that big Cat. 1.

1. Christophe Riblon (Ag2r), 4 points
2. Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), 3pts
3. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel), 2pts
4. Brice Feillu (Agritubel), 1pt
----
1:45
CPelkey: As the leading nine riders make their way toward the feedzone, their advantage has been trimmed to 10:45.
1:58
CPelkey: Our leaders are at the 109km mark. They are approaching the Category 1 Col de Serra-Seca. That climb summits at 127km and then is quickly followed by the Cat. 3 Port del Comte, wich summits at 136.5km. The gap is holding at around 11 minutes. We might expect that nine-man group to come apart on the Serra-Seca.
2:03
CPelkey: The weather is holding nicely today. The rain from yesterday's stage is but a fading memory at this point.
----
2:29
CPelkey: The leaders are still riding together as they work their way up the Cat. 1 Col de Serra-Seca. They are about 3km from the summit and are still holding an 11-minute lead over the field.
2:33
CPelkey: The peloton is ticking along nicely. We're seeing some riders popping off the back, but those are largely sprinters and we could see the "laughing group" forming up soon.

Up front, the Astana squad is still setting tempo, but the pace is relatively moderate at this point.
----
2:45
CPelkey: The peloton is now 1km from the summit.

Astana is still setting tempo. Cancellara is there, too. He's tucked in safely, although we don't expect him to be among the leaders on the final climb today.
----
2:49
CPelkey: And the peloton is nearing the top of the climb. They are now more than 12 minutes behind the break. Astana leads over the top. The crowds are huge on this climb and they are even bigger on the climb to the finish.
2:52
CPelkey: Up next, summiting at 136.5km, is the Category 3 Port del Comte, a 3.1 km climb, with an average grade of 5.3 percent.

Then comes the biggie, the hor catégorie Andorre Arcalis, a 10.6 km climb to the finish, with an average grade of 7.1 percent.
2:54
CPelkey: The last time the Tour took on the climb to Arcalis was in 1997. Indeed, that was the only time the Tour hit this climb. Jan Ullrich won that one - the 10th stage of the '97 Tour - on his way to his one and only overall Tour victory.
----
3:04
CPelkey: Results from the Port del Comte:
1. Christophe Riblon (Ag2r)
2. Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas)
3. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel)
4. Christophe Kern (Cofidis)
3:07
CPelkey: In case you're wondering, Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r) is the current leader on the road, having started his day in 32nd place, at 3:13. He is the highest placed rider in the break.

Stage 7 Barcelone - Andorre Arcalis 224km - last kilometres profile. The Andorre Arcalis is rated hors catégorie and has an average gradient of 7.1%. The maximum gradient comes in the first kilometer of the climb and reaches 8.7%. For the first four kilometers, the gradient hovers in the 7% range, then the climb relaxes to a more comfy 6.7%. The final kilometer is gentler still at 4%. It should be a small group at the finish here, and the stage winner may need a bit of speed to make the difference. The finish line perches at 2200 meters above sea level and is one of the highest stage finishes of the Tour de France. Image Credit ©Societe du Tour de France

CyclingNews (CN)
15:45 CEST (50km remaining from 224km)

Christian Vande Velde's Garmin Slipstream team are sitting just behind the two Astana riders leading the peloton. Today's stage will be a big test for CVV, who is coming back from a bad crash in the Giro. He seemed strong in the team time trial and will be hoping to fare well on the climb to Andorra.

With precisely 50km to go for the leaders, they are 12'07 ahead. That's not a bad lead...
2.
15:49 CEST

Don't be surprised if you see a few wrinkly spectators hopping up and down on the final climb, and hobbling speedily after their favourite riders; as Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown points out, the country has the highest life expectancy in the world. It's estimated at 85 years, exceeding that of Japan.

----------

Situation

Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel Euskadi), José Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d’Epargne), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Brice Feillu (Agritubel) and Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram).

Peloton: at 12'11

Live Rider Stats - Updated: 15:45 CEST

* Johannes Froehlinger - Milram
o Distance: 0km, Speed: 36km/h, Power: 286watts, Cadence: 104rpm
* Bert Grabsch - Columbia-HTC
o Distance: 0km, Speed: 30km/h, Power: 481watts, Cadence: 68rpm
* Brian Vandborg - Liquigas
o Distance: 0km, Speed: 68km/h, Power: 344watts, Cadence: 81rpm
* Chris Sorensen - Saxo Bank
o Distance: 0km, Speed: 0km/h, Power: 296watts, Cadence: 99rpm
* Nicki Sorensen - Saxo Bank
o Distance: 0km, Speed: 0km/h, Power: 418watts, Cadence: 78rpm

VN -4:00 CPelkey: With 40km remaining, the gap is still at 12 minutes.

CN - 16:01 CEST (39km remaining from 224km)

6. The road is inching upwards little by little, and the non-climbers in the break will be wondering when the jumping around will start. We imagine it'll be a while yet, as this group continues to work well.

----------

Situation

Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel Euskadi), José Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d’Epargne), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Brice Feillu (Agritubel) and Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram).

Peloton: at 12'11

VN - 4:03
CPelkey: With 38km remaining, Astana's domestiques continue to lead the peloton.
4:03
CPelkey: The time gap is now 11:45.
4:03
CPelkey: Our leaders have just passed into Andorra.
4:04
CPelkey: Through the border station, the nine leaders have not been asked to present passports.
4:08
CPelkey: Andorra is a small country, with a population of just around 90,000. Nestled in the Pyrenees, it's official status is that of a principality.

It attained its initial charter from Charles the Great (a.k.a. Charlemagne) after the locals lent a hand in fighting off further expansion of Moorish invaders.
4:15
CPelkey: The nine leaders are heading to the first of two rather oddly placed intermediate sprint marks on the road leading to the climb.

The peloton has crossed through the border check point now, 11:22 behind the men in the break.
4:20
CPelkey: Cut, cut, ... the gap, with 27km remaining is down to 10:19. We'd still have to predict that someone in the break is the most likely candidate to win the stage.
4:20
CPelkey: The full Astana team is up front. Contador, Leipheimer and Armstrong are in protected spots, but they are near the front.

CN - 16:31 CEST (23km remaining from 224km)

Several riders crashed in the bunch, including Mickaël Delage (Silence-Lotto), Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC), Levi Leipheimer (Astana) and Bernhard Eisel (Columbia-HTC). Leipheimer won't be happy with that as he was one of the Astana riders hoping to figure today.

He's chasing back on now, but would have preferred to use that energy a bit later on.
#
16:37 CEST (18.1km remaining from 224km)

Situation
Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Brice Feillu (Agritubel) and Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram)
Peloton at 8:00
3.
16:41 CEST

Pozatto is one of the riders who has also drifted off the back. Gutierrez takes the final sprint (without sprinting), ahead of Pineau and Fröhlinger.
4.
16:43 CEST

We could see a new yellow jersey tonight, but it might be from this break... The peloton is thinning down all the time. Sastre is quite far back, while Armstrong sits behind his domestiques, Contador on his wheel.
5.
16:45 CEST (14.7km remaining from 224km)

Dave Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde are up there near the front, as is Irish road race champion Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale).

Situation
Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas), Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Brice Feillu (Agritubel) and Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram)
Peloton at 7:45

The lead group has just lost one man so they are down to eight at 8 km to go - Time difference with lead Peloton that contains the current tour leaders - 6min. 34sec.

VN - 4:55
CPelkey: Astana is driving at the front of the peloton. The gap is down to 6:30.
4:57
CPelkey: Astana's Sergio Paulinho is setting tempo at the front. Popovych is right on his wheel and Haimar Zubeldia is up there, too. Tucked in behind them, are Contador and Armstrong.
4:58
CPelkey:

The gap is continuing to fall. The leaders are now just 6:05 ahead of the peloton.

5:00
CPelkey: Our eight leaders are moving at a pace considerably slower than the pace of the peloton.
5:01
CPelkey: Sergio Paulinho has done his work for the day. He's popped off the back of the peloton. He did his work for Astana and will just take his time in covering these last few kilometers.
5:01
CPelkey: Haimar Zubeldia is now doing duty at the front of the peloton.
5:02
CPelkey: Christophe Riblon (Ag2r) has launched an attack out of the lead group. His effort has cut the size of the lead group in half... well, no. They have regrouped.
5:02
CPelkey: Hincapie has been dropped by the peloton.
5:03
CPelkey: The leaders have just passed by Didi "the devil" Senft, the German sculptor and die-hard cycling fan.
5:04
CPelkey: Christophe Kern (Cofidis) has tried a dig at the front group.
5:04
CPelkey: With 6.4km to go, the gap is now 5:20.
5:05
CPelkey: Haimar Zubeldia continues to set tempo at the front of the peloton. Cancellara is still there. He's struggling a bit, though.

TEAM ASTANA DROPS FABIAN CANCELLARA - LANCE ARMSTRONG AND TEAM ASTANA PUTS DOWN THE HAMMER TO THE END!

CN - 17:10 CEST

Feillu is going further ahead and giving Agritubel their day of glory...great ride. He looks under his arm, checking out the gap...it's growing, keep going...
#
17:10 CEST (4.2km remaining from 224km)

Situation
Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) at 15"
Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) at 35"
Favourites group at 5:08
Yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) further back
#
17:11 CEST

Cancellara is going to lose quite a bit of time... He's already 23" back. Meanwhile, Feillu is 29" ahead of four chasers...looking good.
#
17:11 CEST (3.8km remaining from 224km)

Situation
Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) at 29"
Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) at 55"
Favourites group at 5:11
Yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) further back, 5.34
#
17:12 CEST (3.8km remaining from 224km)

Armstrong and Contador sit third and fourth wheel.

1.
17:13 CEST (3.5km remaining from 224km)

Feillu has just 3.5 kilometres to go, while the peloton is further down the mountain. No attacks as yet from that group. The peloton is 5'14" back...
2.
17:14 CEST (3km remaining from 224km)

Feillu has just 3km to go now...he's looking strong and focussed...

Situation
Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
Christophe Kern (Cofidis), Johannes Fröhlinger (Milram), Christophe Riblon (AG2R La Mondiale), Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) at 29"
Iván Gutiérrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step) at 55"
Favourites group at 5:08
Yellow jersey group further back, 5.48

Cadel Evens launches an attack ... Team Astana responds and begins to catch up!

5:19
CPelkey: Good on 'im. Evans knows he has to do something. He's shattered the group, but he has Armstrong and Contador on his wheel. Kloden... is in there.
5:20
CPelkey: Menchov (remember him?) he's been spit off the back.

Kloden is now setting tempo.
5:20
CPelkey: Up front Feillu is now 1km from the finish.
5:21
CPelkey: Jurgen Van den Broeck has attacked out of the group... caught and passed by Contador.
5:21
CPelkey: Contador is being chased by Schleck. Armstrong is right on Schleck's wheel.
5:22
CPelkey: Ooooooo Contador is flyin'
5:22
CPelkey: Feillu, meanwhile, is on his way. He's won a biggie.
5:22
CPelkey: Kern finishes second.
5:23
CPelkey: Now Contador is on his own and rocketing up the climb. He has a substantial gap.
5:24
CPelkey: Evans is chasing, but he's pulling a big crew on his wheel.
5:25
CPelkey: Contador is closing in on the finish. We still have to measure his time compared to the men in the break. It could be that one of them may be in yellow tonight.
5:26
CPelkey: Contador is finished and the chase group of Evans, Armstrong, Frank and Andy Schleck ... are across.
5:27
CPelkey: Time to do the math... Contador finished strongly, but we're not sure if he was close enough to grab the jersey.
5:28
CPelkey: Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r) may have taken over.
5:28
CPelkey: Interestingly, Contador finished 19 seconds ahead of Armstrong. Wasn't that the gap at the start of the day. Another tie?
5:32
CPelkey: Nocentini has a six-second lead on Contador. Armstrong is in third at eight seconds. Leipheimer is in fourth at 39 and Wiggins is in fifth at 46
----

So at the end of Stage 7 and the first mountain stage of the Tour de France the top ten of the General Classification is as follows:

* Race Leader: Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r-La Mondiale)
* Points: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC)
* KOM: Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
* Young Rider: Tony Martin (Columbia - HTC)
* Team: Astana

1. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r-La Mondiale) in 25:44:32
2. Alberto Contador (Astana) at 00:06
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) at 00:08
4. Levi Leipheimer (Astana) at 00:39
5. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin - Slipstream) at 00:46
6. Andréas Klöden (Astana) at 00:54
7. Tony Martin (Columbia - HTC) at 01:00
8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin - Slipstream) at 01:24
9. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) at 01:49
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) at 01:54

TDF Stage 5 - Small Breakaway Succeeds For France

Map of the course for Stage 5, Tour de France - From Le Cap D'Agde (top) to Perpignan (at bottom). Image Credit: VeloNews

TDF Stage 5 - Small Breakaway Succeeds For France

Today's stage was expected to be one "by the numbers", in that, the teams would push and test each other up and down a couple of small climbs ... then maybe, take advantage of the winds off of the coast to break up the peloton with echelon formation moves as was done in Stage 3 to gain an advantage on other teams riders (this was how Lance Armstrong was able to move up from 10th overall in the General Classification to third ... and set up a tie in time to #1 with having the same overall time as Fabian Cancelara).

This prediction, however, was thrown out the window when six riders were able to breakaway from the Peloton and maintain the break with one rider, Thomas Voeckler riding for Bbox Bouygues Telecom sprinting to the finishline first and winning the stage by a scant seven seconds before the rest of the field finished the Stage.

The following text entries are picked up in the flat last third of Stage 5 along the coast with about 40km to go.

Elevation profile of the course for Stage 5, Tour de France - From Le Cap D'Agde (top) to Perpignan (at bottom). Image Credit: VeloNews

This excerpted and edited from VeloNews -

VeloNews Live Update - Stage 5 July 8, 2009

4:28
CPelkey: So the situation on the road, with about 40km remaining, the peloton is growing. It's 56 seconds behind the six leaders. There is a group of 30 chasing hard and they're about 45 seconds behind the main field. Gesink is still chasing.
4:29
CPelkey: It doesn't appear that there are any major GC contenders who've been caught out in the split... with the exception of Gesink, a talented rider who could be considered to be an overall contender.
4:31
[Comment From Gregory ]
Is Gesink using his wrist yet?
4:31
CPelkey: Gesink is in the big chase group. Tom Boonen is in there, too. The gap back to them is now 52 seconds.
4:32
CPelkey: He seems to be favoring that wrist. It could be a small fracture, something quite common in cycling... but hey, I'm no doctor.
4:35
CPelkey: The pace has eased off a bit. The pace is still high, but the gap back to the chasers is narrowing. The six leaders, with 33km remaining, have 52 seconds.
4:36
[Comment From Max ]
What is Astana's interests in leading the chase? Any GC threats in the break?
4:38
CPelkey: It's hard to gauge anyone's motives, but Gesink is chasing, so they have the benefit of shedding at least one possible threat.
4:41
[Comment From dapheel ]
Do you believe Johan Bruyneel will stay with Astana after the Tour de France is over? How about after the season?
4:43
CPelkey: I really have no idea. If what Vinokourov said the other day carries weight in Kazakhstan, then maybe so. If he does leave, we can imagine he won't have to wait too long to get another team to run. He has eight Tour wins to his credit. That counts for something.
4:44
CPelkey: Out on the road, the leaders are 25km from the finish and the gap is now 39 seconds. The chase group with Boonen and Gesink is another 45 seconds back.
4:46
CPelkey: Gesink has dropped back to his team car... it's clear he's suffering today. We sure hope he is able to continue the Tour.
4:51
CPelkey: With 20km to go, the Boonen group has caught the peloton. Gesink is in there, too ... we THINK.
4:52
CPelkey: The gap to the six leaders is down to 45 seconds.
4:53
CPelkey: The gap is actually bigger than we thought. It's 1:18 to the six leaders.
4:53
[Comment From Bradley ]
Are teams allowed to substitute riders the day following injuries?
4:53
CPelkey: Nope. Never. Once out, you're out and the team loses a rider.
4:55
CPelkey: Gesink is not in the peloton. He's trailing and may not make it back today. We just hope his injuries are such that he can continue.
4:56
CPelkey: It looks like the bulk of the work has now fallen to Columbia and Garmin. Hey, they have the top two sprinters in the bunch, they should be doing the work.
4:56
[Comment From Michel ]
Could you recap who the 6 leaders are? Thanks
4:57
CPelkey: We have their names in the little box right there, but as a reminder, they are Anthony Geslin (FdJ), Thomas Voekler (BBox), Marcin Sapa (Lampre), Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano), Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha) and Yauheni Hutarovich (FdJ).
4:57
CPelkey: The gap is now at 1:26 with 17km remaining.
4:59
CPelkey: Actually we were wrong on that last distance check. With 12km remaining now, the gap is 1:19.
5:01
CPelkey: Gesink is now trailing the peloton by 2:30.

5:02
CPelkey: The leaders are now at the 10km to go banner and the gap is 1:18. Mmmmm.
5:02
CPelkey: Agritubel is moving some riders into the chase... they have to do something and do it soon.
5:04
Will the break stay away?
Yes
( 38% )
No
( 62% )
5:06
CPelkey: Of the men in the break, we'd have to favor Ignatiev to launch a late attack and hold on for the win, but Yauheni Hutarovich (FdJ) is the new national champion of Belarus. And we don't know much about the guy.
5:06
CPelkey: With 7km to go, the gap is still at 1 minute. Mmmmmm
5:06
CPelkey: And there goes Ignatiev.
5:07
CPelkey: Yauheni Hutarovich didn't look all that hot. Ignatiev goes again.
5:08
CPelkey: Voeckler clamped on to the Katusha rider's wheel. Despite the back-and-forth up front, the gap is holding.
5:09
CPelkey: With 5km to go, it's at 1:00 again.
5:09
CPelkey: Voeckler goes...
5:09
CPelkey: He has a gap.
5:10
CPelkey: Nice gap. He's being chased by Hutarovich, Ignatiev and Timmer. The two FdJ riders are OTB.
5:10
CPelkey: With less than 4km to go, Voeckler is on his own. He's got maybe 10 seconds.
5:11
CPelkey: Ignatiev is chasing by himself. The peloton is back at 41 seconds.
5:12
CPelkey: Three kilometers to go. Voeckler is still on his own. He may hold this one.
5:13
CPelkey: It's Timmer in pursuit of Voeckler. He's still trailing by 10 seconds or so. Voeckler is 2km from the finish.
5:13
CPelkey: No way the peloton is going to catch.
5:13
CPelkey: Timmer is at six seconds. Voeckler is 1.5km from the finish.
5:14
CPelkey: Big crowds and they're happy to see Voeckler winning. He's not only French, but very popular here.
5:14
CPelkey: One kilometer to go. He's nervous. He's looking over his shoulder.
5:14
CPelkey: The gap is 10 seconds. It looks like Voeckler has it.
5:15
CPelkey: He wore the yellow jersey a few years back, but he is now going to earn his first ever stage victory.
5:16
CPelkey: An Thomas Voeckler wins the fifth stage of the 2009 Tour.
5:16
CPelkey: Nice win.
5:16
CPelkey: The peloton comes in together. And there will be no change in GC.
5:17
CPelkey: It's days like this, folks, that answer that age-old question about riders who try these seemingly futile breaks. Every once-in-a-while they WORK!
5:20
CPelkey: Voeckler, in fact, was the only rider to have stayed away. The rest were swooped up by the peloton, which finished a scant seven seconds behind the winner.

Voeckler celebrates in Perpignan. Voeckler dedicated this Stage 5 win to his wife and son. Image Credit: sportweek.nl

5:20
CPelkey:
# 1. Thomas Voeckler Bbox Bouygues Telecom
# 2. Mikhail Ignatiev Team Katusha, at 00:07
# 3. Mark Cavendish Team Columbia - Htc at 00:07
# 4. Tyler Farrar Garmin - Slipstream at 00:07
# 5. Gerald Ciolek Team Milram at 00:07
# 6. Danilo Napolitano Team Katusha at 00:07
# 7. Joaquin Rojas Jose Caisse D’epargne at 00:07
# 8. Lloyd Mondory Ag2r-La Mondiale at 00:07
# 9. Oscar Freire Rabobank at 00:07
# 10. Thor Hushovd Cervelo Test Team at 00:07
# 11. Angelo Furlan Lampre - N.g.c at 00:07
# 12. Leonardo Duque Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne at 00:07
# 13. Romain Feillu Agritubel at 00:07
# 14. Kenny Robert Van Hummel Skil-Shimano at 00:07
# 15. Albert Timmer Skil-Shimano at 00:07
# 16. Koldo Fernandez Euskaltel - Euskadi at 00:07
# 17. Andréas KlÖden Astana at 00:07
# 18. Yukiya Arashiro Bbox Bouygues Telecom at 00:07
# 19. Roman Kreuziger Liquigas at 00:07
# 20. Mark Renshaw Team Columbia - Htc at 00:07
5:21
CPelkey: Armstrong, Contador, Cancellara and the other top GC contenders finished in the field.
5:22
CPelkey: Gesink is still out there [injured]. He'll finish today, but he's lost a lot of time. Well over 9 minutes back.
5:26
CPelkey: Gesink is in, nearly 10 minutes down. We hope his injuries are such that he can recover enough overnight and maybe aim for a stage win along the way. Gesink is a remarkable talent and even if he pulls out of this Tour, he's bound to make a mark on future Tours.
5:30
CPelkey: Okay folks, that turned out to be quite a good one today. It's always refreshing to see the peloton flub the timing on a catch. When you see the picture of today's finish, you'll see how close they came to catching him, too... but this isn't horseshoes and close don't count.
Reference Here>>

So, Stage 6 tomorrow will feature Barcelona, with a strong North wind present to potentially set up more echelon tactic team racing.

TDF Stage Four - Team Time Trial Shows The Way

Stage 4, Team Time Trial for the 2009 Tour de France start for Team Robo Bank. Image Credit: steephill.tv

TDF Stage Four - Team Time Trial Shows The Way

At the beginning of the day, Lance Armstrong was interviewed by the press corps and in his view, he stated that

if he were a betting man, his money would be on Team Saxo Bank would win and Fabian Cancellara would retain the

Yellow Jersey.

Asked how would it feel if Team Astana were to win the stage ... and by enough time to win the Yellow Jersey,

Lance said, "That would be cool, not realistic but very cool indeed."

Stage 4, Team Time Trial for the 2009 Tour de France (ctrl-click to launch map). Image and Link Credit: steephill.tv

During the interview, Lance was very clear to make the point that Team Astana has at least four riders that could contest as team leader and possible winner of the Tour de France. Of course, Lance would have to be considered due to the fact he has won seven previous TDF's but Alberto Contador (who has been riding and winning well over the last 18 months), Levi Leipheimer (who is having a good year this year), and Andreas Kloden (a strong rider in his own right) all could become factors when the team reaches the mountains. "The mountains will tell." said Lance.

Team Astana driving toward the finish line in a last big push. VERSUS broadcast video edit of Team Astana, Team Garmin-Slipstream, and Team Saxo Bank in competition - crtl-click on photo to launch video. Image Credit: AFP

Team Astana has been able to finish exactly 40 seconds ahead of Team Saxo Bank as well as finish first in the Team Time Trial. The Yellow Jersey is still in doubt at this very moment because the timing has to come down to the tenths of a second and the judges need to review the individual and the team time trial timings between Armstrong and Cancellara in order to determine who will be in the Yellow Jersey tomorrow!

It's official ... the time advantage is virtually ZERO (tenths and possibly thousandths of a second) so the Yellow Jersey is retained by Fabian Cancellara of Team Saxo Bank going on into the Pyrenees.

This excerpted and edited from VeloNews -

Astana steamrolls team time trial
Cancellara keeps the jersey by a fraction of a second over Armstrong
By VeloNews.com - Published: Jul. 7, 2009

Team Astana blazed through the team time trial to win stage 4. Astana came across the line 40 seconds ahead of the Saxo Bank squad of race leader Fabian Cancellara — the exact margin by which Cancellara led Lance Armstrong on general classification. After some careful math by race officials, Cancellara now holds the yellow jersey by a fraction of a second over Armstrong.

Garmin-Slipstream finished second on the day, 18 seconds down.

Astana came into the stage with four riders in the top 10 thanks to their time trialing ability, and that strength showed again on the 39km stage around Montpellier. Held largely on narrow roads, the technical course featured more than a few dicey corners that put riders from several teams on the ground.

Giro d’Italia champion Denis Menchov (Rabobank) was the first to go down, sliding out on a tight left-hand bend that soon felled World champion Alessandro Ballan (Lampre).

But Astana, having previewed the course several times, rode with precision and focused determination, avoiding any mishaps. They were rewarded for their efforts with Armstrong slotting into second overall, followed by Alberto Contador, Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer in third through fifth, respectively.

"It's a little bit of a disappointment," Armstrong said of the narrow miss. "But the yellow jersey is on the horizon. Astana did their maximum."
Reference Here>>