Touroscopy - How the Tour was won
Sunday, 27 July 2008 12:31
photo: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon
This year's Tour de France was just plain strange. While the Tour seemed to stagnate through some stages, on others it was a pure battleground. Stage 20's much anticipated time trial was a bust with none of the favorites doing anything particularly special. But as always, there were some great individual efforts and incredible displays of strength, while tactically, the Tour was impressively won by the best team in the world.
TacticsLet's not pull any punches here. Team CSC Saxo Bank were far superior to any other team this year. Tactically the Silence Lotto team (who were the main contenders for the Tour) were found wanting in a number of areas - the team line up offered no climbing support to their General Classification (GC) man Cadel Evans. Letting Evans' chief lieutenant go up the road on Stage 16 (Yaroslav Popovych) may have been a costly mistake as Popovych appeared flat and lethargic for the rest of the race. Having a team mate up the road for insurance is understandable, but not at such a cost. Mario Aerts was left to defend Evans on the lower slopes of Alpe d'Huez and although he put up a valiant show, he was no match for the three-pronged attacking unleashed by CSC.
Rabobank too would be counting their GC losses. Their number one man, Russian Denis Menchov, lost time in crazy places and never had any help in the mountains. Their consolation will be in Oscar Freire's Green Jersey.
The accolades rightly go to CSC. They hid Carlos Sastre until setting him loose on Alpe d'Huez. Up until then, he was never more than a worker, biding his time and doing the team thing. It was on Alpe d'Huez that Sastre was given a license to kill and he did just that. Evan's brave chase was characteristically single-handed and just too late to make an indent.
Great Stages from 2008
Hautacam - In hindsight, this was the beginning of the end for the peloton with Team CSC opening up on the bunch between the Tourmalet and the Hautacam. Jens Voight set about assassinating the rest of the field, teaming up with Stuart O'Grady for a formidable double-act. They set a pace and tempo that has not been seen since the mighty U.S Postal teams of Lance Armstrong. All the other directors in the Tour would have left that stage thinking that they were in some serious trouble.
Alpe d'Huez - undoubtedly the most decisive stage in this year's Tour. History has shown that taking the Yellow Jersey on this magical climb means keeping it all the way to Paris, and once again this rang true for Carlos Sastre. The climb itself showed everything that was missing from the other main contenders. Evans, Kohl and Menchov were all isolated by their teams and failed to set aside team allegiances to act as collaborators to pull back the jersey.
Similar scenes occurred in the famous stage in 1989, where Yellow Jersey-wearing Lauren Fignon was off the front attacking and Pedro Delgado, Steven Rooks and Greg Lemond, all from different teams, got together to rein in the flying Frenchman. History tells us that Lemond went on to win the Tour that year. In this year's Tour, it was a critical mistake to allow Sastre to gain all the time he would ever need to continue the Spanish domination of this event.
Stage 20 Time Trial - The final big stage was the much-anticipated time trial. Poor Carlos Sastre must have ridden that course 100 times in his mind in the two days leading up to the time trial. Two things weren't known - how fatigued Cadel Evans was after his recent batterings and just how much vitality the Yellow Jersey can give a rider.
The answer was emphatic. While Evans rode well to a 7th placing, he was not nearly fast enough to secure victory. His energy levels must have been down as he appeared tired and not in his usual time-trialling form, suggesting too that the crash he sustained early on in the Tour was still taking its toll.
The second part of that equation is that wearing Yellow is indeed magical. It gives the wearer almost a quantifiable percentage of added strength. Sastre's remarkable performace in the time trial is now history and will serve as a costly reminder of the dangers of giving away precious time. It's unlikely that Sastre will ever get that sort of freedom on a stage again though, having made serious inroads into becoming an unexpectedly good rider against the clock.
Things we can't ignore
Cadel's Team - Much has been said about the Silence Lotto team. Having run with the same race template two years in a row and coming up short both time, maybe now there's sufficient impetus to make a change. Cadel is a seriously gifted rider, having only lost both Tours by 90 seconds collectively. Get the man some help! If Cadel doesn't get that support, he may just be looking elsewhere for a new team who will provide him with the help warranted by a man of his abilities.
Some great up-and-coming talent - Names like Andy Schleck, Bernhard Kohl spring to mind when you look at the talent that will be entertaining cycling fans for the next few seasons. Andy Schleck promises to win a Tour one day and Kohl's efforts in the time trial were a revelation. Add Alberto Contador, who should be eligible for the race next year, and next year's race is already shaping up as another cracker!
Teamwork in cycling - Anyone who thinks Sastre did this on his own might need to watch the race again. Mark Cavendish relied heavily on his team for the lead out on his brilliant four stage wins. Of course, it helps that he's jet propelled, but the efforts of his team cannot be denied.
Drugs in cycling - Let's be honest, the sport of professional cycling is not clean. However, cheats are getting caught. Riccardo Ricco was the big fish caught this Tour and will not be missed. Think about it - not only has he damaged the name of the sport but he's condemned around 40 people involved with the team to unemployment when key sponsors pulled their support. An undeniably selfish act. Bus drivers, masseurs, PR and office workers all lose out because Ricco pegs himself above the sport. A two year ban might be too light of a penalty, but well done to the ASO and UCI for continuing their war on drugs.
The final word - The Tour de France is still the greatest show on earth. It captivates millions, is both frustrating and inspirational in the space of minutes and has no heart. The clock carries on regardless and those that battle against it are some of the best athletes in the world. Roll on 2009!
