GCs lead in the Pyrenees
Sunday’s stage 14 was the Tour’s first day in the Pyrenees. The 2010 Tour de France is commemorating the first time the Tour crossed the Pyrenees in 1910, by spending four days in the treacherous chain that separates France from Spain, including two climbs of the Col du Tourmalet.
The general classification contenders clashed in the first mountain stage since Tuesday, resulting in some reshuffling of the top 10. One hundred and seventy-five riders checked in for the 184.5km span from Revel to Ax-3 Domaines. The feature of the stage was the hors-category climb of Port de Pailheres at the 155.5km mark and the summit finish of Ax-3 Domaines.
Christophe Riblon led an escape in the first 20km which achieved a 6:45 lead by the 32km mark. At the first climb, the escape was 4:05 ahead of the peloton, led by Astana, Sky and Saxo Bank. Riblon topped the climb in the lead and was pursued by a group of five on the descent. When the chase group couldn’t catch him, the stage leader realized this was his chance for a win.
“I was really disappointed with my start of the Tour, because I wanted to do something overall, and it did not work,” said Riblon. “Especially the last two days were very difficult, and I was almost depressed … Last night I would still not bet a euro on me.”
Race leaders Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador have rightly marked each other as the real opposition. In stage 14, this gave the other GC riders a chance to race ahead, gain time and focus on each other – the two at the top are far enough ahead to let that happen.
“I am relaxed, of course, but it’s not easy,” said Schleck. “It’s stressful and I’ve got a lot of pressure on my shoulders. I won’t break down. I can handle it – pressure motivates me – but it’s not easy.”
Contador attacked at one point but was unable to gain any time on his opponent. The Spaniard remains confident, knowing he has the advantage in the final time trial, while the two leaders can easily match each other, and anyone else for that matter, in the mountains. 5km from the finish line, Contador’s Astand teammates had dropped off and he lost time to Denis Menchov and Samuel Sanchez, the 2nd and 3rd place finished behind Riblon. Schleck finished in 4th at the front of the group 14 seconds behind the pair, the group also containing Contador, Robert Gesink, and Joaquim Rodriguez.
“Tomorrow will be totally different but now it was clear that I could not have passed him because he would have attacked and gained seconds on me,” said Schleck. “Today was a hard day and Alberto can handle it but the situation he’s in right now is not super. It’s not bad either but again today he could not drop me and that gives me a lot of confidence. I was never on the point of being dropped. I felt really good today.”
The GC group was 1:08 behind Riblon, and while Menchov and Sanchez closed the gap to the leaders by 14 seconds, Contador remains 2 minutes ahead, and Schleck another 31 seconds on top of that, still wearing the yellow jersey. Alessandro Petacchi for once maintained his grip on the green jersey, and Charteau on the polka-dot. Young Riblon, with only seven pro victories before today, has left a mark on the 2010 Tour de France
“In the final I did not want to say, ‘I won’. I constantly repeated to myself, ‘I’m going to win’, but I did not want to be sure, not until the last kilometre,” said Riblon. “When you’re alone in front, with a few kilometers to the finish, the support of the public helps to carry you and it encourage you, it transforms you and gives you strength. I gave everything and I felt I could not lose.”
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