Stage 13 Report and Results 2013 Tour De France

173k from Tours to Saint-Amand-Montrond

Flat

Weather: sunny, 25-27c/77-82f; crosswinds expected on the open road.

Stage 13 profile

In a pre-race interview today, Mark Cavendish was full of praise for Marcel Kittel. He said the German—who has won three stages here already—is the best sprinter at the Tour right now. I am paraphrasing, but Cav also suggested that Kittel has established himself as one of the best sprinters in the world, and that this Tour might mark a sort of changing of the guard. “It’s the cycle of life,” he said.  It was strange to hear the 28-year-old speaking as though Kittel were part of a “new generation” of cyclists coming up who could be supplanting him as the fastest in the world.

Stage 13 continues to the southeast

As I mentioned yesterday, Team Sky lost Edvald Boasson Hagen to the big crash that happened with about 2.6k to go on stage 12. That is the second important cog in their wheel to be forced to abandon the race (Kiryienka missed the time cut in stage 9). Boasson suffered a broken bone in his shoulder when he went down hard as riders crashed in front of him and he could do nothing to stop his bike from hitting the pile-up and throwing him to the ground. With Kennaugh and Thomas riding out their own injuries, Chris Froome will have to get the best out of the remainder of his team to keep him protected and help him conquer the Alps next week.

The little hill that pops up in the last 10k of the stage is reported to be insignificant. The sprinters should be able to control the finish. Wind in the wide-open stretches may be a big factor today.

TO THE ACTION:

At the start six men go clear.

The 6-man break consists of: Przemyslaw Niemiec (LAM), Cyril Lemoine (SOJ), Luis Mate (COF), Ruben Perez (EUS), Yohann Gene (EUC), and Kris Boeckmans (VCD). Niemiec is highest place on GC at +24:58. 

Km 28: With 145k left to ride the leaders have a gap of 2:30 to the peloton.

-120k: the lead is up to 3:42.

Stage 13 Preview and Profile 2013 Tour De France

Stage 13 on the map

Stage 13 is another flat, southeasterly route, that will take the riders from Tours to Saint-Amand-Montrond over 173 kilometers. On the way they will top one category-four climb, but the more important hill will be the uncategorized one that comes just a few kms before the finish. A strong puncheur may try an attack there. The sprinters teams will again work to get their men into a bunch sprint.

 

Stage 13 Profile

Stage 13 continues southeast

Marcel Kittel now has three stage wins and is looking like the fastest man to beat in this year’s sprint stages. Peter Sagan has got a stranglehold on the green jersey, but would surely like another stage win. 

André Greipel’s team was blown to pieces in the late stage-11 crash, and Mark Cavendish has not had enough good lead-outs to show his best stuff.

I can’t find specs on that little hill at the end, but its descent looks like it could be steep and maybe technical, though it can’t be more than a kilometer long or so. 

The last 5k are pancake flat to the finish line. I think the sprinters’ teams will arrive there in charge, up front, and prevent others from coming around.

That hill could possibly spoil some sprinters’ hopes at the end, but we will have to see what kind of effect it really has when they get there. 

I would think it is a good launch pad for Peter Sagan, or maybe Juan Antonio Flecha or Sylvain Chavanel will have another go. But an attack on a small slope like that will not have much opportunity to build a big lead for the flat run in to the finish.

MY PICK: Peter Sagan

Stage 12 Report and Results 2013 Tour De France

 

218k from Fougeres to Tours; flat

Weather: Sunny, temp 73-80 f (mid 20’s c); winds 10-15mph

Judges said crash not Cav's (R) fault

Not everyone agrees about who was at fault in the Mark Cavendish-Tom Veelers crash incident the other day. As you know, Cav paid a price already when someone threw urine at him during the time trial on Wednesday. Despite the Tour De France race judges’ ruling, Mark Cavendish has been disinvited to the Boxmeer Classic bike race later this month. A published quote from the race organizer displayed strong feelings against the Manxman.

TO THE ACTION:

A 5-man break got away at km2: Mori (LAM), Flecha (VCD), Gavazzi (AST), Delaplace (SOJ), Sicard (EUS).

Stage 12 Profile

No one who could threaten the overall standings is in the break. The highest placed rider in the break is Manuele Mori at about 50 minutes back.

The GC riders will look at this as a rest day, while the sprinters’ teams will want to chase down the break and set up a bunch sprint finish.

The riders have a nice cross tailwind helping them down the road, which gives the GC guys an even easier day.

Stage 12 route

km42: The lead maxes out around 9:00.

-125k: The gap to the peloton is 7:21.

-115k: the lead is 6:39.

-113.6k crash, Kadri, Geniez: Kadri goes over the handlebars, his bike bounces off the road and spins up into the air, narrowly missing an Orica GreenEdge rider on the right (Michael Albasini I think).

-100k: The gap is now 6:20 as the riders have just gone through the feed zone.

-99k: Crash: Smukulis.

-94k: Bike change, Andy Schleck.

EBH (Boasson Hagen), bike change.

-85k: The lead is 5:34 now.

The tailwind has the race going ten minutes ahead of the fastest expected time.

Stage 12 Preview 2013 Tour De France

Stage 11 winner Tony Martin on the podium

The stage 11 individual time trial shook up the overall standings on Wednesday, mostly in Chris Froome’s favor. Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde is trailing Froome by 3:25 in second place. Bauke Mollema of Belkin retained third place, and now trails Froome by 3:37. Froome has a comfortable buffer now, going into the next few stages. The GC won’t get another real shake up until stage 15 to the stark summit of Mont Ventoux.

Stage 12 on the map

Alberto Contador and Laurens Ten Dam swapped GC spots after the TT, “El Pistolero” taking fourth and Mollema’s teammate Ten Dam down to sixth. Roman Kreuziger held onto fifth place, and sits just behind his team leader, Contador.

With a fifth place finish in the TT, young Michal Kwiatkowski, Omega Pharma-Quickstep’s young Polish talent, moved himself well up in the standings from thirteenth overall to seventh. He also reclaimed the white jersey off the back of Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, and now leads the Colombian in that competition by :34. Quintana dropped one spot from seventh to eighth today. Roman Bardet the rider in third place among young riders, trails Kwiatkowski by 6:53. It really looks like a two-man duel for the white jersey from here on.

Stage 12 cuts southeast to Tours

Another Movistar talent, Rui Costa climbed from tenth to ninth overall. The new top-ten is rounded out by Jean-Christophe Peraud of Ag2R, whose top-20 finish in the TT was good enough to move him up from 14^th to tenth. Team Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez and Garmin’s Dan Martin dropped out of the top ten.

Omega Pharma-Quickstep was the best team of the day in the TT, with Tony Martin, Michal Kwiatkowski and Sylvain Chavanel all finishing inside the top ten.

Movistar retains the lead in the overall team competition.

Stage 12 Profile

Weather is expected to be 28c (82f) and sunny for stage 12.

Stage 12 is a 218-kilometer mostly flat run from Fougeres to Tours. It is the first of three consecutive stages that cut southeast across France toward the Tour’s rendezvous with the Alps.

The sprinters will do their best to force a bunch sprint finish. Marcel Kittel of Argos Shimano was the first to score two stage wins, but Peter Sagan is holding on to a comfortable lead in the green jersey competition. Mark Cavendish and André Greipel will work to get their lead-out trains firing on all cylinders to set them up for a shot at the stage win.

MY PICK: I am going with Mark Cavendish for stage 12. I am counting on him coming back from the stage 11 urine-tossing incident full of fire and eager to prove something. 

Combined profile for the next three stages, 12-14

Stage 11 Time Trial Report and Results 2013 Tor De France ITT

 

33k ITT, mostly flat

Weather: Sunny, 25c

Mont Saint-Michel hosts the stage 11 ITT finish

The course is 20.5 miles long, or 33k. The intermediate split points are at km 9.5 and km 22.

182 riders will take the start today.

Svein Tuft set an early fast time at the second intermediate checkpoint of 25:35.

Tuft finishes with the currently fastest time of 38:04.

Two-time World TT Champion, Tony Martin is on the course. He sets a new fastest time at the 2^nd INT of 24:42.

Jeremy Roy finishes at 38:12, currently second.

Thomas De Gendt comes in with a very good time of 37:30, and takes the lead from Tuft.

Stage 11 Profile

*Tony Martin comes in to the finish, and he has set the new best time at 36:29. That is an average speed of 54.271 kph. That will be the standard to beat for some time. Winds are picking up a bit, and may cause trouble for the later starters.

A report is in that spectators have thrown urine at Mark Cavendish on the course. That is shameful, despicable and dangerous. I hope they catch whoever had the tiny brain to conceive that assault. I know what their punishment should be, too.

Morons aside, let’s get back to the race:

The stage 11 ITT route

Jonathan Castroviejo is a rider I singled out for a good time today. He passes the first INT at km 9.5 with a time of 10:51. That is :30 slower than Martin’s time there.

Castroviejo is fifth at the 2^nd INT. He finishes 1:52 off the pace.

Edvald Boasson Hagen would be a good prospect for this course, but Team Sky have been told to save energy for Froome in the stages ahead. This is always a consideration. With the next high mountain stage not coming until Sunday, I thought Boasson Hagen would have been set loose today, but I guess not. EBH comes in almost four minutes off the pace.

The current leaders are:

1.    Tony Martin 36:29

2.    Thomas De Gendt +1:01

3.    Svein Tuft 1:35

4.    Jeremy Roy 1:43

5.    Jonathan Castroviejo 1:52

Tom Dumoulin of Argos Shimano is fifth fastest at the 2^nd INT.

Tejay Van Garderen seems to have rediscovered his strength. He is second fastest at the 1^st INT, just 18 seconds slower than Martin.