Touroscopy - Stage 10 Hautacam - The big one!
Monday, 14 July 2008 14:21
The CSC Saxo Bank team finally came to play today after just biding their time throughout the opening of the Tour de France. The ride off the Col du Tourmalet and up to the slopes of Hautacam was just a rocket as they finally flexed their muscle. Bastille Day always brings out the best in French riders and the Stage 10 was full of attacks from the start. But the big one was reserved for the road between the two climbs. There was a split and then the race we have waited ten days for began. The result was one very hot race and a new leader of the Tour.
Winners
- The cycling public in the Battle for Hautacam - What a great battle. The Tour's best climbers all trying to whack each other all the way up the climb! The best 7km we have seen in the Tour so far.
- Team CSC Saxo Bank - When they put the hammer down between the two climbs they absolutely blew the race to pieces. It was like a team time trial on the road with CSC on one side and Caisse d'Epargne on the other. At the foot of the Hautacam the damage was done and CSC had put their men on the box seat for the climb. No surprises the number one driver of this group was Jens Voight. This guy is the just the toughest guy in cycling.
- The group that made the final selection - Including Christian Vande Velde (Garmin Chipotle - H30), Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner), Kim Kirchen (Columbia), Fränk Schleck, Carlos Sastre, Jens Voigt, Andy Schleck and Carlos Sastre (CSC-Saxo Bank), Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto), Riccardo Riccò and Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Scott), Denis Menchov and Oscar Freire(Rabobank)
- Rémy Di Gregorio - Hey while he got blown away on the last climb his efforts on Bastille day were pretty good!
- Team Saunier Duval - This team has a wealth of climbers including the cobra Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli. They have been attacking all the way through the first mountain stages. The team have now the reputation of being the best climbing team.
- Cadel Evans - What can we say? He's in yellow!
Losers
- Team Caisse d'Epargne - They lost the two up time trial on theroad to Hautacam. Caisse d'Epargne as a team were great for the first ten days. Their men got hammered and the response was just not enough. Valverde and Pereiro lost out a huge amount and the gaps might just prove telling. Valverde's day got worse as he had a mechanical on the climb to add further insult.
- Kim Kirchen - A great job to get the Yellow Jersey but he was never going to keep it. He rode bravely but just lacked the firepower.
- Spanish Cycling - The great work done that was undone by Valverde during the week was just one of the problems that Spanish cycling faced. The Euskaltel - Euskadi team, one known for its' mountain prowess was no where to be seen. Their first rider Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau was four minutes down effectively finishing any hopes of a high finish. If it wasn't for Juan Jose Cobo Acebo who was second on the stage it might have been one really ugly day for a country that has such a rich history in the sport.
State of Play
The big mountains have been climbed for this leg and the rest day will be welcomed by the riders. It was a battle royale on the slopes of the Hautacam and the big boys stood toe to toe and slugged it out. Cadel was the last man standing and is in yellow. Does that mean he will keep it? History says if you take yellow at the Hautacam then you keep it to Paris. The question will be Cadel's team. Are they good enough? Team CSC Saxo Bank demonstrated their full gas power yesterday and it is downright scary. Jens Voight's work on the front could have been equaled by a locomotive! Sastre and Andy Schleck will ride in support of brother Frank and look to have found their form. The team of Cadel Evans will have to be on their game for the rest of this Tour. But Cadel has shown he can ride well with limited help. CSC will have to lay down the law in the Alps if they have any hope of gaining time. Don't forget in the first time trial Frank Schleck, who is down by one second right now, lost over two minutes to Evans. They know he is not as strong and with the final time trial looming, will look to out some distance between the two.
Thanks to Graham Watson for his image too. Graham's work can be found on grahamwatson.com
