Jérôme Pineau and Anthony Charteau Tied for Best Climber
Anthony Charteau, riding for team Bbox Bouygues Telecom, jumped from 18th to 1st place in the "King of the Mountains" competition after an outstanding performance in the most difficult mountain stage so far.
“Now I have the consolation of the polka-dot jersey, I think there will be a good battle with Jérôme Pineau,” said Charteau. “Theoretically he is faster than me on the climbs that are a little less difficult, but I was able to make the difference by gaining points on category-one and ‘hors category’ passes," he added.
The 9th Stage of the 2010 Tour de France was the main Alps stage and included five climbs – two category one and one out-of-category climbs. It was his victory in the latter, the final climb, which earned Charteau the whopping 40 points which put him on par with Pineau, the sole polka-dot jersey wearer up to that point.
“It’s with a great deal pride that I’ve etch my name on that pass, but I thought first and foremost of the stage win,” said Charteau.
The French cyclist finished 3rd in the first four climbs of the day, behind Pineau every time, but Pineau failed to finish the final and most valuable climb in the top ten. Pineau earned 41 points in the 9th Stage, bringing his total to 85, while fellow Frenchman Charteau earned 71 points to match the total. As the winner of the final climb, Charteau was awarded the "King of the Mountains" classification despite the tie.
“In the end, the arrival of Schleck, Contador and Moreau in our group changed everything,” said Charteau. “Andy immediately took the lead I found myself a little too far against the barriers… and I panicked. I could work around on the left and try to pass, so I missed something. In fact the best approach was to attack from a long way out to cut corners, and this is what Sandy did perfectly.”
Charteau participated in the early escape group, though he maintained third place behind Pineau and Christophe Moreau for the majority of the race. In close competition with the stage leaders were Jens Voigt and eventual winner Sandy Casar, who took the lead in the flat 30km final stretch after Charteau was the first to the summit of the Col de la Madeleine.
"I gave everything in the last two hundred meters, led by the idea that I could not lose,” said Casar. “I think Sanchez has also made great efforts in the climb to the Col de la Madeleine. I dedicate this victory to my father, whom I thought in the final. As sprinter, I was always saying that in this type of situation, you had to tackle first. That’s what I did.”
Charteau, the victor of the 2007 Tour de Langkawi, has been riding professionally since 2001. His taking of the "King of the Mountains" jersey put an end to Pineau’s 7-Stage streak wearing the jersey, after he was the first to take it in the hilly 2nd Stage.
"It would be a pity letting the jersey go without putting up a proper fight. That's not the way I am. I have an attacking personality, so as long as my legs respond to what I want to do, I'll go for it," said Pineau.
The Quick Step cyclist held the polka dot jersey for 5 stages in 2006, and having beaten that record, he’s satisfied to have held the jersey as long as he did.
“I'm pretty sure I'm not going to keep it until Paris!" said Pineau, laughing.
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