MARK CAVENDISH IS determined to put yesterday’s “savage” climb to Galibier Serre-Chevalier out of his mind today when he resumes his quest to win a first-ever green jersey.
The HTC-Highroad sprinter was one of a group of 88 riders who finished yesterday’s stage – the highest-ever finish in the Tour’s history – two minutes and 33 seconds outside the time cut.
Under normal circumstances, that would have signaled the end of Cavendish’s race for this year. But, due to the size of the group, race organisers decided not to disqualify those involved but instead dock them 20 points in the green jersey classification.
That was a cruel blow for Cavendish, who had led the race for the sprinter’s title by 45 points before yesterday’s deduction. His nearest opponent, Spanish rider Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar), finished just inside the time limit, cutting the Manx Missile’s lead to just 15 points.
“We just have to think about tomorrow now,” Cavendish said afterwards.
It’s disappointing. We thought we were way out of the time limit with quite a long way to go but it was a lot closer and had we known it might have made a difference.
“I’m not afraid to lose”
Meanwhile, in the race for the maillot jaune, Andy Schleck left three-time champion Alberto Contador behind, putting himself in prime position to win the Tour de France.
The Luxembourger still has to contend with Cadel Evans, the Australian who is desperate to improve on his two previous second-place finishes. Evans was less than a minute behind Schleck, with the Alpine climb and Saturday’s time-trial still to come— both stages in which Evans could conceivably make up time.
Schleck also has yet to quite see off the unexpected challenge of plucky Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who still held the leader’s yellow jersey a week after he himself expected to lose it.
Voeckler was 15 seconds ahead of Schleck.
Today, the riders face a 68-mile leg over the Galibier pass again — the 18th stage ended there yesterday — and then up the Alpe d’Huez, probably the most famous stage finish in cycle racing. The mountain is included in the Tour this year for the first time in three years.
Schleck made up for a bad day on Tuesday by winning arguably the biggest stage of the Tour at the top of the Galibier yesterday, the highest-altitude finish in the race’s 108-year history.
“I told the team yesterday that I had this in mind. I wasn’t going to be fourth in Paris,” said the 26-year-old who second overall last year.
I said I’d risk it all. … It’s my character: I’m not afraid to lose.
Schleck’s older brother, Frank, was second — 2:07 back.
Andy later tweeted his thanks to his brother “for being there 4 me.” Frank responded that he was proud of being in the Leopard Trek team and “proud of being 2 brothers from Luxembourg.”
“Victory is impossible now”
Contador lost time on all his main rivals and acknowledged that he wouldn’t win the race.
“Victory is impossible now,” he said. “I had a bad day. My legs didn’t respond and I just hit a wall. It was a very difficult day right from the start.”
Voeckler, who has done far more than was expected of him in this race, fought right to the end to limit his losses, managing to keep with Evans almost until the end and finishing the line looking truly exhausted.
“Please, let me breathe,” Voeckler said at the finish, mustering the strength to raise a fist in joy once he saw he’d kept the yellow jersey. “At 2,650 meters, the oxygen is thin.”
– Additional reporting by AP
