CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE:WITH JUST days to go until the end of his final Tour de France and the conclusion of his career, Lance Armstrong attempted to go out in a blaze of glory by winning yesterday's stage 16 into Pau. The Texan has had a disappointing tour due to crashes, patchy form and, most probably, the stress of being under investigation, but has been saving his energy for one last blast over the lofty cols of the Pyrenees.
There were two problems with the Hollywood ending. The first was Frenchman Pierrick Fedrigo who, like several other breakaway companions, simply didn’t read the script. The second was Armstrong’s 38-year-old legs. He was in the right place with 500 metres to go but clearly didn’t have the speed, with Fedrigo powering clear to edge out compatriot Sandy Casar and Ruben Plaza Molina. Armstrong was a distant sixth.
“It was a tough day. I paid for it at the end,” the Texan said, looking weary and disappointed. “I warmed up a little bit before the race and it (the first break) went right at kilometre zero. Two hundred kilometres at the front took it out of me. I had a no sprint at the end. But I tried.”
In contrast, Fedrigo was on a high. His victory was the third stage win of his career and, remarkably, the sixth by a French cyclist in this year’s race. You have to go back to 1997 to find the same success rate, and the home nation is relishing it.
“I would have been very disappointed to finish this Tour without finding myself in a position to play to win,” he said. “I was really afraid of not succeeding. The Tour passes so quickly and so far I did not answer the call I’d issued myself.”
Nicolas Roche sprinted in fourth of the 51-man peloton, six minutes and 45 seconds back, and netted 13th on the stage. “I felt bad early on but came around near the end,” he said. “I was actually trying to lead out my team-mate Martin Elmiger for the sprint but he lost my wheel on a corner.”
Race leader Alberto Contador also finished in that group, having been threatened by what was an extremely rapid, aggressive start to the race. Eighteen riders went clear inside the first five kilometres and opened a dangerous lead by the top of the day’s first climb, the Col du Peyresourde. The presence of riders such as Armstrong, 2008 winner Carlos Sastre and several other big names caused panic-stations behind, and the peloton shattered into several pieces.
However, over the next climbs, things settled down somewhat and a less dangerous break comprising Armstrong, RadioShack team-mate Chris Horner, Fedrigo, Casar, Plaza, Damiano Cunego, Jurgen Van De Walle and Carlos Barredo, plus the oldest rider in the race, Christophe Moreau, pushed on ahead.
Once over the Tourmalet and Aubisque, Barredo raced clear approximately an hour from the end of the stage, but was brought back with less than two kilometres to go, paving the way for a sprint.
“I had a very clear idea of what might happen on this stage,” said Contador, still firmly in yellow after the peloton raced in. “First of all, I wanted the team to stay together, as it was necessary to maintain the gap until the last climb. Then I knew that other teams would take over. And that’s what happened.”
He and closest challenger Andy Schleck remain eight seconds apart, and are on better terms after shaking hands yesterday.
Roche had a mixed stage; he was involved in the first breakaway, cracked at the top of the Pyresourde and slipped right back behind the Contador group, but eventually fought his way back on and felt strong near the end. He remains 12:34 off yellow, but dropped a place to 18th overall due to the time gained by Horner.
Roche and the other riders will recover on today’s second rest day, prior to the final mountain stage tomorrow.
“Everything will come down to the finish on the Tourmalet on Thursday. I’ll ride as well as I can and see where I end up.”
He is still hoping to finish in the top 15 overall in Paris.
199.5km from Bagneres-de-Luchon to Pau
1. P Fedrigo (Fra) Bbox 5hr 31min 43
2. S Casar (Fra) FDJ ”
3. R Plaza (Spa) Caisse ”
4. D Cunego (Ita) Lampre ”
5. C Horner (US) RadioShack ”
6. L Armstrong (US) RadioShack ”
7. J Van de Walle (Bel) Quick-Step ”
8. C Moreau (Fra) Caisse ”
9. C Barredo (Spa) Quick-Step +28
10. T Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo +6:45
11. JJ Rojas (Spa) Caisse ”
12. E Capecchi (Ita) Footon ”
13. Nicolas Roche (Ire) AG2R ”
14. G Ciolek (Ger) Milram ”
15. M Elmiger (Swi) AG2R ”
16. A Kuchynski (Bel) Liquigas ”
17. B Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ ”
18. M Monfort (Bel) HTC ”
19. R Hesjedal (Can) Garmin ”
20. J Van den Broeck (Bel) Omega ”
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. A Contador (Spa) Astana 78:29:10
2. A Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank +8
3. S Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel +2:00
4. D Menchov (Rus) Rabobank +2:13
5. J Van den Broeck (Bel) Omega +3:39
6. R Gesink (Neth) Rabobank +5:01
7. L Leipheimer (US) RadioShack +5:25
8. J Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha +5:45
9. A Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana +7:12
10. R Hesjedal (Can) Garmin +7:51
11 R Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas +7:58
12 R Plaza Molina (Spa) Caisse +8:02
13 LL Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse +8:19
14 C Horner (US) RadioShack +8:52
15 C Sastre (Spa) Cervelo +9:02
16 A Kloden (Ger) RadioShack +11:14
17 T Lofkvist (Swe) Sky +12:09
18 Nicolas Roche (Ire) AG2R +12:34
19 K De Weert (Bel) Quick Step +14:07
20 J Gadret (Fra) AG2R +14:
SPRINTERS
1. T Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo 191pts
2. A Petacchi (Ita) Lampre 187
3. M Cavendish (Brit) HTC 162
4. JJ Rojas (Spa) Caisse 149
5. R McEwen (Aus) Katusha 138
KING OF THE MOUNTAINS
1. A Charteau (Fra) Bbox 143pts
2. C Moreau (Fra) Caisse 128
3. D Cunego (Ita) Lampre 99
4. S Casar (Fra) FDJ 93
5. J Pineau (Fra) Quick-Step 92
YOUTHS
1. A Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank 78:29:18
2. R Gesink (Neth) Rabobank +4:53
3. R Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas +7:50
4. J El Fares (Fra) Cofidis +40:53
5. R Valls (Spa) Footon +1:12:25
