Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man/HTC-Columbia) won the eighteenth stage in the Tour de France, a 123 mile (197.95 kilometers) ride from Salies-de-Béarn to Bordeaux. Winning his fourth stage of the Tour, Cavendish completed the course in 4:37:09, maintaining a speed of 26.2 mph (42.8 km/h).
The Associated Press reported that it appeared as if Cavendish slowed up at the end. He said that he “wanted to conserve my energy” for the time trial tomorrow. “I doesn’t matter whether you win by a lot or half a bike length,” the Isle of Man native told the AP; “I just wanted to win.”
The first 139 finishers received the same time as Cavendish.
Top 10 Finishers:
1. Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man/HTC-Columbia) 4:37:09
2. Julian Dean (New Zealand/Garmin) + 0:00
3. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy/Lampre) + 0:00
4. Robbie McEwen (Australia/Katyusha) + 0:00
5. Oscar Freire (Spain/Rabobank) + 0:00
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway/Sky Pro Cycling) + 0:00
7. Jürgen Roelandts (Belgium/Omega Pharma) + 0:00
8. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) + 0:00
9. Grega Bole (Slovenia/Lampre) + 0:00
10. Ruben Perez (Spain//Euskatel) + 0:00
Alberto Contador (Spain/Astana) remained the overall leader, maintaining an eight second advantage over Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Saxo Bank). Schleck finished 52nd and Contador finished 56th.
Contador described the stage as “calm,” but told the AP that he “needed to be vigilant,” as they rode into a strong headwind for most of the race.”
The overall top ten did not change after this stage.
The Top 10 Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Spain/Astana) 88:09:48
2. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Saxo Bank) + 0:08
3. Samuel Sanchez (Spain/Euskatel) + 03:32
4. Denis Menchov (Russia/Rabobank) + 03:53
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Belgium/Omega Pharma) + 05:27
6. Robert Gesink (Netherlands/Rabobank) + 06:41
7. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spain/Katyusha) + 07:03
8. Ryder Hesjdal (Canada/Garmin) + 09:18
9. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Liquigas) + 10:12
10. Chris Horner (USA/RadioShack) + 10:37
Lance Armstrong (USA/RadioShack)finished the stage in 104th place and remains 23rd overall, 37:58 behind the leader. His team, RadioShack remains in first place, ahead of Caisse d’Epargne.
The Top 10 Teams:
1. RadioShack 264:36:07
2. Caisse d’Epargne + 8:30
3. Rabobank + 33:09
4. AG2R + 37:58
5. Omega Pharma + 50: 16
6. Astana + 54:40
7. Quick Step + 1:05:07
8. Euskaltel + 1:16:51
9. Liquigas + 1:24:41
10. Sky Pro Cycling2:09:07
Thor Hushovd (Norway/Cervelo) began the stage race wearing the green jersey, distinguishing him as the Tour’s leading sprinter. He first secured the garment after winning stage 3 on the fourth day of the Tour and did not relinquish it until stage 11, when Alessandro Petacchi claimed it.
Since then they have traded the jersey back and forth, until today when Petacchi won it for probably the final time. The AP reported that Hushovd, who finished 14th today, has given up any hope of regaining the green jersey by Sunday’s final stage to Paris. “It’s a big disappointment,” he told the AP, “but I realized step by step during the sprints that I’m suffering. I don’t have the same level as Cavendish and Petacchi, and today was just another sprint that didn’t work out.”
The Top 10 Sprinters:
1. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy/Lampre) 213
2. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Cervelo) 203
3. Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man/HTC-Columbia) 197
4. José Joaquin Rojas (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) 167
5. Robbie McEwen (Australia/Katyusha) 162
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway/Sky Pro Cycling) 152
7. Sébastien Turgot (France/Bbox-Bouygues) 122
8. Alberto Contador (Spain/Astana) 115
9. Samuel Sanchez (Spain/Euskatel) 112
10. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Saxo Bank) 107
A 32.3 mile (52 kilometers) individual time trial, from Bordeaux to Pauillac, is scheduled for tomorrow, the penultimate day of the Tour. While the time-trial plays in Contador’s favor, Schleck has not given up, as he told the AP after stage 17 that his father, Johny Schleck, who competed in the Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, “used to say that the one who did a good time trial, he fell off the bike when he finished,” and that’s what I plan to do on Saturday.”
References:
Associated Press, “Contador Close to Sealing Tour Title,” ESPN (July 22, 2010)
Associated Press, “Contador Keeps 8-second Lead” ESPN (July 23, 2010)
ESPN, Cycling 2010, ESPN website
