2010 Tour de France: Stage 17, Pau - Col du Tourmalet, 174 km



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2010 Tour de France: Stage 17, Pau - Col du Tourmalet, 174 km

This stage can be considered the Tour's queen stage, and features the second ascent of the Tourmalet, coming as a steep summit finish. The first-category Col de Marie-Blanque and Col du Soulor climbs precede it.

The Col du Tourmalet is the highest point of this years Tour de France.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_XupiC-Qas]YouTube - Results - Tour de France 2010 - Stage 17[/ame]

Stage 17 Map
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Stage 17 Profile
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The Last Climb ( Col du Tourmalet )
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The Climbs

Km 13.5: Côte de Renoir -> 2.2 km climb @ 6 % - Category 4
Km 56.5: Col de Marie-Blanque -> 9.3 km climb @ 7.6 % - Category 1
Km 117.5: Col du Soulor (D 126-D 918) -> 11.9 km climb @ 7.8 % - Category 1
Km 174.0: COL DU TOURMALET (Souvenir Henri Desgrange) -> 18.6 km climb @ 7.5 % - Category H

General classification before stage 17
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 78:29:10
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:00:08
3 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:02:00
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0:02:13
5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:03:39
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 0:05:01
7 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack 0:05:25
8 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:05:45
9 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 0:07:12
10 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions 0:07:51
 
Stage 17 News

Schleck declares he can still win
LIKE two heavyweight boxers Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador punched and counter-punched their way through the 174km 17th stage of the Tour de France. The pair had shadow boxed all day long through rain, fog and cold as the day turned sour on the final stage in the Pyrenees from Paul to Col du Tourmalet. .Neither was prepared to give an inch as they continue to slug it out for cycling's fabled prize, the maillot jaune.
Link: Andy Schleck declares he can still win Tour de France | The Australian

Schleck "rode terrible race" - Roche
Former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche believes Andy Schleck got it wrong in the decisive stage of this year’s race today. Schleck trailed two-time winner Alberto Contador by eight seconds going into Stage 17, which finished at the summit of the hors categorie Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees. He attacked Contador halfway up the Col but the Spaniard was able to keep pace, and while Schleck eventually took the stage victory the real winner on the day was Contador who retains the yellow jersey ahead of the final three stages, including his specialist event in the time trial on Saturday.
Link: Cycling | Schleck \"rode terrible race\" - Roche

Contador poised for Tour win, but Schleck holding on
Under a blistering attack from Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador tightened his grip on a third Tour de France title in four years by matching his rival's every acceleration during the ride up a challenging Pyrenean climb in yesterday's Stage 17. Schleck set a punishing pace up the last six ascending miles of the Col du Tourmalet, but the Spaniard shadowed him wheel-to-wheel...
Link: Contador poised for Tour win, but Schleck holding on

Schleck wins on the foggy Tourmalet, but can't drop Contador
Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador finally fought their duel on the Col du Tourmalet, and while the Saxo Bank rider won stage 17 of the 2010 Tour de France, the Astana man confirmed his hold on the yellow jersey, crossing right alongside his rival for second on the day. Schleck waited until his Saxo Bank team had decimated the yellow-jersey group before launching his first attack with 10km to go in the 174km stage. But Contador easily matched him on the grind to the summit of the fog-shrouded Tourmalet, trying a move of his own en route, before settling in to ride his rival’s wheel to the finish.
Link: VeloNews.com - Schleck wins on the foggy Tourmalet, but can't drop Contador

Roche pleased with Tourmalet ride
Though he was barely able to talk at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet, Nicolas Roche (Ag2r) managed to communicate, between coughing fits, that he was “happy enough” with his ride at the Tour de France. The Irishman placed 12th on the stage to move up to 15th overall, which leaves him on course for the target he set himself prior to the start of the Tour of placing in the top 15.
Link: Roche Pleased With Tourmalet Ride | Cyclingnews.com

Contador loses fight, not the war
You could scarcely see the hands in front of your face on the Tourmalet Thursday but that did not bother Alberto Contador, who only had eyes for Andy Schleck's back wheel three inches in front of him. Contador could see everything he needed. A third Tour de France title was effectively at stake and he rode with clarity of thought and vision in the mist, and with the great heart of a champion at all times. Chapeau!
Link: Contador loses fight, not the war

Sastre not interested in wait debate
Carlos Sastre (Cervelo Test Team) isn’t interested in controversy over waiting for fallen general classification contenders, after Alberto Contador (Astana) tried to stop his attack on the Tour de France’s Stage 17. Debate has raged on the topic since Contador himself attacked Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) to take the yellow jersey while the Luxembourg rider suffered a mechanical earlier in the race.
Link: Sastre Not Interested In Wait Debate | Cyclingnews.com

Alberto Contador all but locks up 3rd Tour de France
Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain virtually secured a third Tour de France title Thursday after staying with yellow-jersey rival Andy Schleck all the way to the top of the legendary Col du Tourmalet in the pivotal 17th stage. Schleck won the prestigious stage but Contador crossed the line nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with the Luxembourg rider after the pair had broken clear in the final 6 miles. They completed the 108.1 miles from Pau to the top of the Col du Tourmalet in 5 hours, 3 minutes, 29 seconds.
Link: Alberto Contador all but locks up 3rd Tour de France | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Alberto Contador Maintains Tour de France Race Lead on Last Mountain Climb
Alberto Contador kept an eight- second lead in the Tour de France after matching closest rival Andy Schleck up the final mountain ascent of the race. Schleck won the stage by about a wheel’s length after the 11.6-mile climb to the Col du Tourmalet at the end of stage 17, although he couldn’t cut the overall lead. There are two more flat stages and a time trial before the July 25 finish in Paris. Defending champion Contador is a time- trial specialist who beat Schleck by 1 minute, 45 seconds in the discipline over 25 miles last year.
Link: Alberto Contador Keeps Tour de France Race Lead on Last Mountain Climb - Bloomberg

McEwen sees Paris through Tourmalet fog
Robbie McEwen (Katusha) couldn’t even remain with the grupetto on the Tour de France’s stage to Col du Tourmalet, yet the Australian sprinter celebrated with a wheelie as he crested the climb more than 30 minutes down on stage winner Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank). The celebration was due to the fact McEwen survived the Tour’s mountain stages, in less than ideal circumstances, and now believes he can claim a sprint stage win.
Link: McEwen Sees Paris Through Tourmalet Fog | Cyclingnews.com

Tour success spurs hope of cleaner race
French riders have taken back their Tour de France with six stage victories this year. Some say it's thanks to improved anti-doping measures in cycling. Tour competitors from France - whether by pride about keeping the race clean or out of fear about tough French laws aimed to prevent doping - have long had a reputation as among the cleanest riders in the pack.
Link: Tour success spurs hope of cleaner race

When the Middle of the Pack Is Good
The indelible souvenir of this year's Tour de France came Monday, when one rider streaked past another to take the overall lead while the latter fixed his bicycle chain. This is a no-no in professional cycling, which maintains an old-world etiquette that says a rider must not grab first place while the leader's machine is inoperable. Alberto Contador of Spain, the cyclist who surged past Luxembourg's Andy Schleck that day, quickly apologized. Whatever the Spaniard might have thought in his heart, he could be certain about one thing: No cyclist can afford to make enemies in the peloton, that pack of more than 150 pros pedaling together every day in a long cycling road race.
Link: Tour de France: With Peloton, the Middle of the Pack Is Good - WSJ.com

Contador in control after mountain stage
Alberto Contador never wavered.
Under a blistering attack from Andy Schleck, the Spaniard tightened his grip on a third Tour de France title in four years by matching every acceleration his rival threw at him on a Pyrenean climb in Thursday's 17th stage. Schleck delivered on his promise to ride well on the last mountain of this race. It wasn't enough to shake Contador. Schleck set a punishing pace up the last six miles on the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet, but the Spaniard shadowed him wheel-to-wheel the whole way. In the end, Schleck won the 108.1-mile trek from Pau by a half bike-length, but the cyclist from Luxembourg failed in his bid to take the yellow jersey from Contador and gain time on his rival ahead of Saturday's time trial.
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else
Link: Contador in control after mountain stage | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/23/2010

Armstrong: I wish I was younger, faster
At the end of Lance Armstrong’s final mountain stage in a Tour de France career that stretches back to 1993, the seven-time champion described himself as being “a week away from a very private life” when he appeared on French TV alongside French president Nicolas Sarkozy. The pair have a good relationship that, Armstrong said, was based on a very simple fact: “We’re just two old guys who like to ride bikes.”
Link: Armstrong: I Wish I Was Younger, Faster | Cyclingnews.com

Winning the Tour de France means learning its unwritten rules
On the face of it, it might seem curious, even perverse, that a sport where the lowest form of cheating has been endemic over the years makes a big deal out of ethical codes. Since the sport began in the 19th century, drug-taking has always been there, and in the last 12 years it's been revealed to be systematic at the highest level. It's cheating, full stop. It's the ultimate way to gain an unfair advantage. No ethics there. And yet there is massive outrage and heated debate when a competitor takes advantage of a big rival having a mechanical problem, as happened on Monday when Alberto Contador, favourite to win the Tour, pressed on after Andy Schleck, the biggest threat to him, unshipped his chain at a key moment. Contador is held to have broken an unwritten law: you don't attack your rival when he has crashed or had a mechanical.
Link: Winning the Tour de France means learning its unwritten rules | William Fotheringham | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Contador not ready to celebrate yet
Mission accomplished summed up Alberto Contador's day at the Tour de France. The Spaniard is one day closer to Paris. He still holds an 8-second lead over Andy Schleck. Assuming that lead is maintained on Friday's flat stage to Bordeaux, it will ensure the Astana leader goes off last in the crucial final time trial to Pauillac, giving him the advantage of knowing how his rivals are performing ahead of him.
Link: Contador Not Ready To Celebrate Yet | Cyclingnews.com

Contador closes in on third Tour de France title in four years
Contador tightened his grip on a third Tour de France title in four years by matching Andy Schleck in a fabled Pyrenean climb in Thursday’s 17th stage. Schleck set a punishing pace up the last 6 miles on the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet, but Contador shadowed him wheel-to-wheel. In the end, Schleck won the 108.1-mile trek by a half-bike length but failed to take the yellow jersey from Contador and did not gain time on Contador.
Link: Contador closes in on third Tour de France title in four years - KansasCity.com

Schleck could have done with brotherly love
WATCHING Andy Schleck go head-to-head against Alberto Contador through the rain and fog on the higher slopes of the Tourmalet reminded me of watching Muhammed Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle" world title fight against George Foreman. Two great heavyweights slugging it out toe-to-toe. Also looking on from one of the VIP areas with more than a passing interest as the story of this race unfolded was the “Big Mig” himself - Miguel Indurian, who had made the short trip from his home in Pamplona.
Link: Andy Schleck could have done with brotherly love | The Australian

Hesjedal reaches new heights
Fourth on the most eagerly anticipated mountain stage of the 2010 Tour de France represented a new peak for Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions), one of the revelations of this year's race.
Link: Hesjedal Reaches New Heights | Cyclingnews.com

Tourmalet duel has anticlimactic finish
The top two men in the Tour de France, separated in the standings by just eight seconds, crested one of the most storied mountain roads in cycling in fog dense enough to blur the car headlights behind them and briefly render them colorless silhouettes. When they emerged from the mist, the white-clad Best Young Rider was followed by the yellow-clad Best Rider, who chose confirmation over confrontation Thursday.
Link: Tour de France: Andy Schleck wins last mountain stage, but Alberto Contador hangs on to overall lead - ESPN

Schleck: I accelerated 15 times
Andy Schleck refused to admit his challenge for the yellow jersey is over despite his failure to gain any time on race leader Alberto Contador during an epic stage to the misty summit of the Col du Tourmalet. The Saxo Bank rider had said on the rest day that whoever was in the yellow jersey after the Tourmalet stage would win the Tour, but declared in his post-stage press conference: "I changed my mind when I crossed the finish line today. I will give my maximum in the time trial and I'm sure I will go well. I can still see the yellow jersey in front of me so I've recently changed my mind about what I said yesterday."
Link: Schleck: I Accelerated 15 Times | Cyclingnews.com

Charteau seals Tour de France King of the Mountains title
Normally one of the most dogged of domestiques, Anthony Charteau can look forward to becoming the first Frenchman to win one of the Tour's four jerseys since Richard Virenque took the King of the Mountains title in 2004. The Bbox Bouygues Telecom rider may not have wrapped up his own mountains success with the same swagger as Virenque, but his success was a victory for the Tour underdogs, for the riders who rarely feature in the limelight.
Link: Charteau Seals Tour De France King Of The Mountains Title | Cyclingnews.com

Before the Stage

Schleck targets minute lead
Andy Schleck believes he needs to gain a minute on overall leader Alberto Contador on Stage 17 if he is to have a hope of winning this year's Tour de France. Contador holds the yellow jersey with an eight-second lead over Schleck, but with the climb to the summit of Tourmalet on Thursday, Schleck will have the chance to regain the leader's jersey.
Link: Andy Schleck targets a minute lead over Alberto Contador in the Tour de France | Cycling News | ESPN.co.uk

Mountain climb could decide Tour de France
After 1,900 miles and almost three weeks, the outcome of this year's Tour de France may rest on an 11.6-mile climb to a mountain-top finish today. Spain's Alberto Contador leads Andy Schleck of Luxembourg by 8 seconds ahead of the 17th stage, which hinges on the ascent to the Tourmalet mountain pass, according to Schleck. There are two more flat stages and a time trial before the race ends Sunday in Paris. Contador, seeking a third title in four years, is a time-trial specialist who beat Schleck by 1 minute, 45 seconds in the discipline over 25 miles last year.
Link: Mountain climb could decide Tour de France | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Evans avoiding disappointment by battling on at Tour
Despite his general classification hopes being smashed just one week into the Tour de France, UCI World Champion Cadel Evans has battled on to avoid disappointing fans, team members, race organisers and himself. The Australian spoke openly and honestly about his feelings throughout this year’s Tour during the race’s second rest day, when he tipped overall rival Alberto Contador (Astana) to claim this year’s title.
Link: Evans Avoiding Disappointment By Battling On At Tour | Cyclingnews.com

Schleck ready for queen stage at Tour de France
For Andy Schleck, it's make or break time at the Tour de France. The 25-year-old Luxembourg rider says he knows he'll be on the spot in Thursday's "queen stage" of the race, needing to overcome his 8-second deficit to defending champ Alberto Contador in the last day in the Pyrenees. The 17th stage features three tough climbs along a 174-kilometer (108.1-mile) ride from Pau to an uphill finish on the Tourmalet pass - one of the most wrenching ascents in pro cycling.
Link: Schleck ready for queen stage at Tour de France - Cycling - More Sports - Sports - The Times of India

SCHLECK: IT'S D-DAY
Andy Schleck believes he needs to be holding a lead of at least a minute over Alberto Contador by the end of today's 17th stage if he is to win this year's Tour de France.
The Luxembourg rider is eight seconds behind defending champ Contador in the standings.
The climb of the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees will give him his chance to break clear of the Spaniard.
Link: SCHLECK: IT'S D-DAY - mirror.co.uk

Ryder Hesjedal fighting for top ten
If Ryder Hesjedal is able to fight on the slopes of the Tourmalet like he was able to put away two Chipotle burritos on the rest day in Pau, he should have no problem hanging onto tenth place overall in the Tour de France.
Link: Ryder Hesjedal Fighting For Top Ten | Cyclingnews.com

A hill for a climber could decide Tour
There may be more vertiginous ribbons of asphalt traversed by the Tour de France, but the name of the pass about 2 1/2 miles above this Pyrenean ski station southeast of Lourdes will always send shivers down the spine of the hardened grimpeur. No hill for a climber? Wrong. The Col du Tourmalet is always a hill for a climber. "Other than maybe (Mont) Ventoux," said Garmin-Transitions boss Jonathan Vaughters, a former pro rider himself, "it's probably the hardest one there is."
Link: A hill for a climber could decide Tour

Tourmalet set to be Tour decider
To see the 2010 Tour de France decided on the slopes of the Tourmalet, the first mountain featured in the race a century ago, is probably what the organizers had in mind. Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck will play the lead roles later on Thursday as they battle it out in the 174-km 17th stage from Pau which finishes at the top of one of the race's most famous summits. Spaniard Contador takes an eight-second advantage over his Luxembourg rival into the last Pyrenees stage which also comprises two classic first category mountain passes, Marie-Blanque and Soulor.
Link: Tourmalet set to be Tour decider | Sports | Reuters

Schleck calm over Contador contest
Andy Schleck appeared calm and relaxed ahead of his yellow jersey showdown with Alberto Contador as the duo prepare to race to the summit of the Col du Tourmalet in stage 17 of the Tour de France tomorrow. Two-time champion Contador (Astana) is currently in possession of the Tour leader's maillot jaune with an eight-second advantage over Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) ahead of tomorrow's 174-kilometre stage from Pau to the Col du Tourmalet.
The Spaniard claimed the race lead by taking advantage of his rival's mechanical problem - against etiquette in cycling - on Monday's 15th stage to Bagneres-de-Luchon, overcoming a 31-second deficit by attacking at the moment Schleck's chain slipped on the hors categorie (beyond category) Port de Bales.
Link: Tour de France: Schleck calm over Contador contest - Others, More Sports - The Independent

Day of Duels on le Tourmalet
Online bookmakers are offering free bets to new customers on the decisive final day in the Pyrenees, stage 17 of the 2010 Tour de France. The exhausted Tour attacks Le Tourmalet from another side of the Circle of Death, the name given to the mountains protecting Col du Tourmalet, and followers can thrill at the prospect of three duels to be fought out on the last brutal climbs.
Link: 2010 Tour De France: Day of Duels on le Tourmalet | Freebets.com

Stage 17 sees riders tackling feared Tourmalet
The 17th stage of the 2010 Tour de France will be the most difficult race. If there was an ‘hors-category’ stage, this would be it. Pretty much the entire route is either up or down – the sections labelled ‘flat’ are really flat. The 174km stage from Pau to the summit of the Tourmalet includes three climbs and the steepest stretches in the Tour. To celebrate a hundred years of the Pyrenees in the Tour de France, this is the second climb of the Tourmalet. This is the same mountain which prompted the very first cyclist to ever reach the summit to call the stage organizers ‘murderers’ for asking people to do it. Frenchman Octave Lapize angrily reached the top, after having to push his bike part of the way, in 1910.
Link: Stage 17 sees riders tackling feared Tourmalet | Bettor.com

Cervélo leaders planning final flourish
Cervélo team leaders Carlos Sastre and Thor Hushovd are both optimistic about their their prospects going into the final four stages of the Tour de France. The pair were prominent on the pre-rest day stage to Pau. Sastre tried to attack to get across to the lead group, but when that attempt was foiled the Spaniard then helped his Norwegian teammate to stay in the yellow jersey group over the Tourmalet and Aubisque. That resulted in Hushovd contesting and winning the bunch sprint for 10th place that gave him the points he needed to regain the green jersey from Alessandro Petacchi.
Link: Cervélo Leaders Planning Final Flourish | Cyclingnews.com

A confident Contador would have waited for Schleck
Alberto Contador didn’t win the top bloke award for taking advantage of Andy Schleck in one of the most talked-about incidents in a controversy-riddled Tour. My take on the incident on stage 15, when Contador attacked Schleck just as he lost his chain, is that ordinarily he would have waited. Not to wait in these circumstances is a bit of a no-no in cycling. The only reason Contador did not wait, I see, is that he doubted his ability to stay with Schleck’s attacks on the Tourmalet climb in today's 17th stage.
Link: A confident Contador would have waited for Schleck
 
Hopefully Schleck can get a minute or so today and make the final TT interesting :)
 
This stage will most likely define who is going to win but it will almost certainly define which are going to lose.
 
Lot's of drunk cycling fans on the side of the road.........run sheep, RUN!
 
Cmon Andy make the race interesting, I wonder if by some chance Menchov can gain a bit of time on Contador, he could also make the time trial interesting
 
Just waiting for Vino to do something wild. Cancellara setting a blistering pace. Someone predicted that.
 
If schleck puts the hard yards in on the time trial in the next 12 months like contador has done in the past, know one will get anywhere near either of them over the next few years
 
blah. damp squib. shame on contador for just sucking andy's wheel. such predictable tactics making these tours dull.
 
Scotttri said:
Atleast he did the right thing and let Andy cross the line first!!

yeah, i'll concede that point. really would have done contador's reputation a bit more damage if he'd swiped the finish after all the effort schleck put out to get there.

still amazing at how easily they tore the legs off the peloton so far from the top. if anyone is going to get to their level, it will take a great deal of effort. they are head and shoulders above the rest of the bunch.
 
don't know what language this is, not English unless you're drunk perhaps, but great vid quality of stage 17. anyone have a highlights reel of the overall tour thus far?

"Don't mess with me, mista." ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger, commentator, 5:40 in vid

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ueS0ePnd5M"]YouTube - Tour De France 2010 - Stage 17 - Andy Schleck attack the yellow jersey[/ame]
 
Andy probably could have gained those 8 seconds if he waited until the end instead of attacking early. However, he bet on Contador running out of juice but that didn't happen. We have seen throughout the tour that despite Contador's reputation for acceleration, that Andy has shown to be an even better accelerator on grades of less than 10%.

If he had launched a sprint-like acceleration at the end he might have been able to put in enough seconds to gain last starting position in the time trial.
 
jhuskey said:
Just waiting for Vino to do something wild. Cancellara setting a blistering pace. Someone predicted that.
Man, when Cancellara popped today, he POPPED.
 
genedan said:
Andy probably could have gained those 8 seconds if he waited until the end instead of attacking early. However, he bet on Contador running out of juice but that didn't happen. We have seen throughout the tour that despite Contador's reputation for acceleration, that Andy has shown to be an even better accelerator on grades of less than 10%.

If he had launched a sprint-like acceleration at the end he might have been able to put in enough seconds to gain last starting position in the time trial.

Flap over his mechanical aside, the only person Schleck has to blame for this is himself (okay, maybe Bjarne Riis too) - Contador has looked vulnerable, but Schleck has been far too conservative in his attacks.
 
Oh yeah, one last thing - Sammy Sanchez should get a bit of a chapeau for his tough, tough effort following what looked like a pretty damn hard crash.
 

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