Tour de France 2012: Stage 7
January 1 - July 22, Tomblaine, F♐ra, Road - World🅰Tour
Welcome to our live coverage of stage 7 from the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:2012 Tour de France. With the race now a week old the general classi🌃fication is set to start taking shape with the first real climbing teܫst this afternoon.
Ten minutes to start time...
Today's 199km stage runs from Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Fiꦓlles in the Voges mountains. After a relatively gentle first half of the race, the riders will face two category three climbs before tackling the💧 formidable final climb up to La Planche des Belles Filles - the first category one climb of this year's Tour.
Yesterday's stage waꦺs marred by an horrific crash 25km from the finish. More on that to follow, but let's show some respect to Liquigas rider Pete🃏r Sagan, who won his third stage of the Tour in comfortable fashion:
TOP TEN FINISHERS - STAGE 6
1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 4:37:00
2 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
3 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
4 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
5 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
6 Greg Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team
7 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
8 Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team
9 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
10 Brett 💝Lancasꩵter (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:00:04
198km remaining from 199km
And we're off and racing in bright sunshine...
RadioSꦇhack-Nissan's Fabian Cancellara remained in yellow after yesterday's sixth stage. The Swiss has held the jersey for almost a week but his position is likely to be under threat this afternoon a🧸s the race heads into the mountains:
GC TOP TEN AFTER STAGE 6:
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan 29:22:36
2 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:07
3 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
4 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:10
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:13
6 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:17
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:18
8 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:19
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
10 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:22
Letour.com tells us that there were 182 riders at the start today, or eight non-starters. They are: Amets Txurruka (EUS), Ryder Hesjedal (GRS), Robert Hunter (GRS), Hubert Dupont (AL🔴ꦜM), Oscar Freire (KAT), Maarten Wynants (RAB), Imanol Erviti (MOV) and Jose Ivan Gutierrez (MOV).
Ten of the 22 teams in the Tour are now at least one man short. Garmin-Sha♒rp and Movistar have both lost three riders, 💛while Euskaltel and Rabobank are both two men down.
191km remaining from 199km
We're eight kilometres in and no breakaway yet
As I just said, Giro d'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal is the biggest name casualty of the race so far. Yesterday's crash has led to his early withdrawal from the race. Here's what he had to say on Twitter:
ryder_hesjedal In a car to Paris. Not really the way I envisioned it happening. Thank you for all tꦑhe support, especially from my Team. @Ride_Argyle
At least Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank have retained their sense of humour amid all🔜 these crashes and injuries. Acဣcording to Karsten Kroon, the music on the team bus this morning was "Stayin Alive" by the Bee Gees...
Looks like we have♐ our first sustained breakaway of the stage. Just getting details now...
Gautier (EUC), Riblon (ALM), Sanchez (RAB), Sorensen (STB), Fofonov (AST), Martin Velits (OPQ) and Albasini (OGE) are the sev𝕴en who have broken clear...
173km remaining from 199km
And the gap is quickly up over four minutes...
Luis Leon Sanꦗchez is the biggest name in this breakaway. He's won three stages at the Tour in his career, including stage nine last year.
Meanwhile, Riblon was 🌸the winner of stage 14 in 2010.
Riblon is also the highest placed of these seven in the general classification. At the start of the day he lay in 55th꧃ place, just over five minutes behind Cancellara.
Sorensen is not far behind ꦐhim in the GC, at 5:13...
Albasini has been in excellent form this season and will be hoping to make his mark here at the Tour. He already has three stage wins in 2012ꦕ and also won the overall title at th🐟e Volta a Catalunya.
160km remaining from 199km
Gap is now up to almost six minutes...
Sanchez's team have been talking about their revised goals for the rest of the Tour following the disruption caused by all these crashes. Read exactly what they mean right here.
The average speed for the first hour today is 43.9km/h. That makes it the fastest start to any stage so far the 2✤012 Tour de France.
And the gap has stabliᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚsed and even come down a b꧋it. Wonder how long that will last...
ABANDONMENT: Anthony Delapla⭕ce (Saur-🌠Sojasun) has pulled out early in the stage. He hasn't recovered from his fractured wrist.
Go🥃rgeous day here in northeastern France. Temperatures have now crept up to 25 degrees Celcius and the sun is shining.
145km remaining from 199km
Leaders are about to start climbing. It's fairly gentle at first, but they are now essentially climbing gradually for the next 70km until they reaꦅch the top of the first categorised climb. There are sections of respite betwee♏n now and then, but not many.
Almost 60km in, the leaders have reached the🐎 picturesque village of Rovi🌸lle-aux-Chenes in the foothills of the Vosges mountains.
Albasini was in bullish mood this morning when he spoke to the race organisers. He said that if he could attach himself into a ꦺbreakaway he had a chance of pushing for a stage win. Well, he's done the first part today...
135km remaining from 199km
Gap is remaining preꦏtty constant ⛎at around the five-and-a-half minute mark
VIDEO: In case you missed yesterday's action, you can watch video highlights of it right here.
Average speed will certainly be considerably slower for the second hour. The leaders are currently clocking just under ꦅ38km/h as they ride t🎶owards the next landmark - the feeding station.
Hearing reports that B🅠radley Wiggins was almost decapitated by a camera after yesterday's stage. I must have missed this yesterday...
So Sagan is basing his celebrations 🌌on the films that 🧔his Liquigas team watch on the team bus. Forrest Gump, the Hulk, etc. Trying to think of the most difficult one to pull off on a bike...
I guess Free Willy would be pretty dangerous. And Four Weddings and a🦹 Funeral would ta🃏ke some real planning.
Let's focus on this final categorised climb for a moment. It's about 6km long and has gradients of up to 13%. So it's short and explosive - not, perhaps, particularly suited to pre-race favourites Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggins🥃, who are better suited to longer, more end🎉urance-based ascents.
120km remaining from 199km
Gap still remaining c🧜onstant here. Not much change over the la🌺st 30kms or so...
Susan thinks the Karate Kid or Saturday Night Fever would be good ones for Sagan's next piece of showboating.ඣ..
Personally I'd pay a lot of money to see him and a couple of his teammates a💖ct out Priscilla, Queen of the Desert...
Feeding station is only a few kms away now...
We've just pas꧙sed the 2-hour mark and the riders have completed 85km.
There'sꦓ flood warnings back home in the UK. It's been the wettest June on rꦏecord. This gorgeous weather here is making a lot of people very jealous.
110km remaining from 199km
Feeding time for the leaders
With three categorised climbs coming up over the next three hours, let's take a look at the mountains classificaꦬtion:
1 Michael Morkov (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 9 pts
2 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 2
3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 2
4 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 2
5 David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 2
6 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Sharp 1
7 Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 1
8 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan 1
9 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondial♌e 1
Sanchez was in a similar position in a breakaway on stage nine of the Tour last y⛎ear and managed to win. It's early days here but he has proven that he can win from these sorts of positions.
Kazakh rider Fofonov finish🅰ed inside the🌟 top 20 at the 2008 Tour but tested positive for Heptaminol shortly afterwards.
100km remaining from 199km
As we enter the final 100🍨km the gap is now under five minutes.
As they continue to climb the riders are closing in on the♛ day's intermediate sprint.
One rider who has been talking up the significance of today's final climb is Liquigas rider Vincenzo Nibali. We caught up with him yesterday and you can read what he had to say right here.
And we've reached the intermediate sprint...
The leaders are through iജt, and Gautier has taken the full 20 points.
Just waiting on the 𒈔full results. Should have them in a minute
And Sagan cruises past Matthew Goss, treating him almost with contempt, to secure 8th position in the sprint💮 ahead of the other chaserꦺs.
FULL RESULTS - INTERMEDIATE SPRINT
1. Gautier (EUC) 20 pts
2. Fofonov (AST) 17pts
3. Sanchez (RAB) 15pts
4. Albasini (OGE) 13pts
5. Riblon (ALM) 11pts
6. Velits (OPQ) 10pts
7. Sorensen (STB) 9pts
8. Sagan (LIQ) 8pts
9. Goss (OGE) 7pts
10. Impey (OGE) 6pts
11. Greipel (LTB) 5pts
12. Hutarovich (FDJ) 4pts
13. Lancaster (OGE) 3pts
14. Cooke (OGE) 2pts
15. Casar (FDJ) 1pt
Going to leave you in the capable hands of Susan for a while now while I go and take a short brea🥂k...
88km remaining from 199km
Susan here while Mark grabs a sandw🎐ich. We have 88km to go,෴ and a gap of 5:19.
The lead group is approaching the first ranked climb of the day, the Col d🍨e Grosse Pierre. And are ෴there lots of fans alongside the road!
Only two rideﷺrs got points at this category three climb. Two points went to Sorensen, and one point to Sꦛanchez.
Sanchez has dropped back slightly on🅺 the ﷽descent and must scurry to catch up. Let us not forget that he is still suffering from a broken bone in his right hand.
Tyler Farrar of Garmi𓆏n continues to 🌳lag behind, but on the other hand, at least he is still in the race.
Sagan is now at the back of the field, but look𒁏s t♏o be dropping back to the team car.
The peloton crossed the♈ mountain top 4:43 behind the leadꦯers.
Gorka Verdugo of Euskaltel has joined Farrar back amongst the team cars. We are actually surprised to see Verdugo in the race today. He was involved in yesterday's crash and said to have a gash in his leg so deep that the b♐one﷽ was visible.
The new bott💎le carrier for Sky is none other than World Champion Mark Cavendish. He is back at the team car loading up.
I🍒t is a long des🍌cent now, and the peloton is strung out single file.
The final climb won't be a surprise to the Sky riders. Team Princip🌠al Dave Brailsford told us that all of them ha♉ve ridden it in training.
70km remaining from 199km
With 70km left on the day, the gap is 4:49. But with that 🧸big climb coming at the end, we don't expect this group to get through all the way on their own.
Pierre Roland was one of those involved in yesterday's crash, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:a hard blow for Europcar.
George HIncapie is the watercarrier for BMC Racing Team. This is the American's last 💫🌌Tour de France, as he will soon be retiring.
Mark is back, well-fed and ready to c🐲limb that final mountain. Ba🌊ck to you, big guy!
Thanks Susan
BMC definitely pushing things at the front of the peloton. Evans has been𒊎 quiet over the last few days, as expected. That could change today...
Check out @cyclingthealps preview of stage 7 from Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Filles (1035m). Explore the route on a Google Map, with a Google Earth Tour or cycle it virtually! Watch profiles, Street View tours, detailed G🌺oogle Earth tours and a lot more of each climb. .
60km remaining from 199km
The♔ leaders are now into the last 60♛km and have a lead of 4:56. They are almost at the foot of the second categorised climb, the Col du Monte de Fourche. There's only two points on offer here.
Pace increasing 🧜here. Sk🐎y's turn at the front of the chasing pack.
They're no🌌t exactly hard to spot with those yellow helmets...
That was an extremely fas🍒t last 10km. We're now into the last 50km almost in a blink of an eye
There's a carnival atmosphere here along the roads this afternoon.𝔉🎉 Such infectious enthusiasm must breathe life into some tired muscles.
Sky must realise that Wiggins is vulnerable for the first time thiᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚs afternoon. Any rider with designs on the GC must attack him on the mountain stages as the Briton appears to have such a lar🐻ge advantage in the time trials.
48km remaining from 199km
Gap is under four minutes. Eisel and Boa🐽sson Hagen taking r🐼esponsibility for Sky at the moment.
Sorensen leads Saꦛnchez over the top of the second climb and takes the two po🌄ints on offer.
Tyler Farrar and Johan Vansummeren have fallen off the back of the peloton. Not really a surprise considering their crashes over the last few days. In fact, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:as you can read here, the Garmin-Sharp squad is probably more battered and bruised than any other. And as we discussed e𝓰arlier, Hesjedal and Danielson are already out.
Vansummeren has almost made it back to the peloton. Farrar still struggling though. Has his spirit and body been broken by ꧂such ඣa terrible run of bad luck?
Another cras𝄹h victim, Gorka Verdugo, has also fallen off the back and is alongside Farrar.
Front seven working well together. Can't see them hanging onto their lead tꦛhrough to the end though. If anyone is going to attack from here you would think it will be Sanchez.
34km remaining from 199km
We've just p﷽assed the four-hour mark and the leaders have just under 35km left to go.
More on yesterday's massive crash. Europcar's Thomas Voeckler is blaming team radios. Read his full comments right here.
Gap is under three minutes now for the first time
Garmin-Sharp are certainly fighting hard. Zabriskie and Millar have both been on the front in the last few minutes. Millar pushing to reduce this gap, probabl🍸y for Dan Martin.
Excitement building for this decisive final climb that's looming. It's never featured in theꦇ Tour before.
25km remaining from 199km
And now its ওLotto-Belisol's turn to hit the🌼 front. They've been quiet today but the finish could play to the strengths of Van Den Broeck.
The riders have just passed through the small town of Melisey, which is the home town 𓄧of FDJ's Thibaut Pinot.
Wit🧜h 20km to go t🍌he gap is now less than two minutes. It's looking like curtains for the seven breakaway riders.
Let's not fo🀅rget that Lotto also have Jelle 🐼Vandendert. He could also be a big factor here.
The riders are ploughing uphill now. In a few kilometres there'll be a brief descent before t🌞he final category one climb until the finish line♌.
Lots of the sprinters are ♊now falling off the pace
The breakaway has responded slightly. Gap is not coming down as rapidly. But there's still over 10km to go until the final climb s☂tarts.
Pack are biding their time here. One finalꦅ breather, you suspect, before their assualt on the breakaway and then the final climb.
And up front, Fofonov turns up 𒊎the🐽 pace and attacks.
12km remaining from 199km
Gap is less than a minute now
Disaste𝄹r for Van Den Broeck as he loses a wheel. Faces a struggle to get back in touch before the final climb in about 5km.
Aဣnd the riders are freewheeling downhill now. They'ꦆll be at the foot of the final climb before we know it.
Four Sky men at 🍸the front now, with Wiggins tucked in behind out of trouble.
And wheel trouble at the back there for Valverde
And here we go - they're at the🐟 foot of the climb. Gentle introduction to it
Albasini and Sorensen are left in front
And Albasini gives way
Sky doing a great job for Wiggins as the climb gets steeper. But Evans is🃏 stalking them ominously. Michael Rogers leading Sky from the front.
Sorensen is swallowed up
Cancellara falling backward♎s. Looks like we might have a new yellow jersey holder at this rate...
Cancellara is rallying. Franck Schleck is struggling. Sky s𒀰etting a su𝓡icidal pace. Can they keep it up?
3km remaining from 199km
Three kilometres to go. A real war of attrition. Sky still s💧eemingly in control. Roughly halfway up this final climb.
Cancellara 45 seconds behind the leaders. Evan♏s and Wiggins looking good to overtake him in the GC...
T𒉰his leading eig✱ht are clinging on. Amazingly brave performance by Cancellara further down the road.
Menchov drops away
Froome leading Wigg🐷ins. They are in first and secon𝕴d. Last two kilometres.
Climb flattening out a bit here beforeꦡ brutal final 500m
Evans attacks
Froome going with him
TOP THREE FINISHERS:
1 Froome
2 Evans
3 Wiggins
Superb counter attack by Chris Froome there. Evans went for the line with less t💟han 500m to go but the Sky man went with him and passed him for a win that was in the end more comfortable than it promised to be. The final climb was a formidab🦄le one with several big names unable to cope with it and falling away.
Froome's Sky teammate Bra💜dley Wiggins finished on Evans' wheel in second and looks like he has taken over the yellow j🌳ersey.
Great day f𒁏or Sky then. Stage win and yellow jersey. Froome and Wiggins showing t♍he form that they displayed in last year's Vuelta.
Wh♔at was telling was the way Wiggins was able to co🔥mfortably stay with Evans at the finish, despite the last 500m suiting the Australian more on paper.
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) was in fourth place. Brilliant performance by Rein Taaramäe (C🗹ofidis) ꦛin fifth.
The sight✨ of Froome pulling effortlessly away from Evans at the finish will live long in the memory. In most teams he'd be number 🦄one.
UNOFFICIAL TOP 3 IN GC:
1 Wiggins
2 Evans
3 Nibali
Official confirmation to follow soon...
TOP TEN FINISHERS - STAGE 7
1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 4:58:35
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:02
3 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:07
5 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:19
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:44
7 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:00:46
8 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
9 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:50
10 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:56
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 7:
1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 34:21:20
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:10
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:16
4 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:32
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:54
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:59
7 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:09
8 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:22
9 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:01:32
10 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:01:40
🌄So aꦓfter the hors d'oeuvres of the opening week, today really felt like we were getting into the meat and drink of this Tour de France.
It was a day for Team Sky, who put two men on the podium and took the yellow jersey. Stage winner Chris Froome and new race leader Bradley Wiggins stole the headlines, with Froome's extraordinary acceleration away from Cadel Evans in the last few hundred metres of a brutal finale taking the breath away. After all the work he had done on the front in support of Wiggins,ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ it was an astonishing show of strength.
Nibali's fourth place on the day moved him up to third overall in the GC, behind Wiggins and Evans. He is not likely to alloღw the two pre-race favourites to have everything their own way over the next fortnight. Neither, on this form, is Froome.
Join u🦄s again tꦦomorrow for live coverage from stage 8.
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