Rookie Calmejane Break Win Stage 8

Frenchman Lilian Calmejane of Direct Energie soloed to victory on stage 8 to Les Rousses, mimicking his compatriot Sylvain Chavanel who did it seven years ago and winning at the age of 24 the same way he did as a neo pro at the Vuelta a España last year. It was a very eventful race with top class contenders in the different breakaways but Chris Froome managed to retain the yellow jersey ahead of grueling climbs on the way to Chambéry.

193 riders started stage 8 in Dole. As expected on a stage dedicated to attackers, many skirmishes took place from the gun. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Gianluca Brambilla (Quick-Step Floors), Sylvain Chavanel (Direct Energie) and Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale-Drapac) formed the first breakaway of the day. It didn't work out but Chavanel went again, accompanied by Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana). Beaten by André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) and Michael Matthews (Sunweb), Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) increased his lead in the points classification over runner up Arnaud Démare (FDJ) who struggled badly in the first climb of the day, as well as Team Sky's Luke Rowe. Mathias Frank (AG2R-La Mondiale), Jasha Sütterlin (Movistar), Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Cyril Lemoine (Cofidis) rode away after 50km of racing. Sütterlin was substituted by Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) in the leading quartet but it was all together again at km 70.

46 riders managed to go clear after 75km of racing. 16 of them formed a leading group with 98km to go: Jan Bakelants and Mathias Frank (AG2R-La Mondiale), Koen de Kort (Trek-Segafredo), Michael Schär and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Michael Valgren (Astana), Jens Keukeleire (Orica-Scott), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors), Emanuel Buchmann and Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Warren Barguil and Laurens ten Dam (Sunweb), Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) and Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale-Drapac). Barguil and Pauwels rode away in the col de la Joux with 92km to go. The Frenchman and the Belgian were still part of a group of seven riders who climbed the côte de Viry at the front before a regrouping. At the initiative of Van Avermaet, they went again before the top of the hill where Barguil outsprinted Bakelants and an eight-man group was formed with 48km to go: Jan Bakelants (AG2R-La Mondiale), Nicolas Roche and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data), Warren Barguil (Sunweb), Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo), Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) and Simon Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac).

Michael Valgren (Astana) rejoined the leading group at St-Claude with 25km to go. In the first category Montée de la Combe de Laisia les Molunes, Calmejane rode away solo as there were 17km remaining before the finish. He suffered cramps with 5km to go but managed to overcome the pain to maintain his 40 seconds advantage over lone chaser Gesink. It's his first Tour de France victory and the second for a French rider this year after Arnaud Démare on stage 4 in Vittel. Calmejane also took the polka dot jersey while Chris Froome retained the lead in the overall ranking.

Simon Yates 

“It was an extremely fast pace today. Everybody expected that. Chances for guys to really go for the break were high. There was a lot of chaos at the beginning. I'm not sure about tomorrow, it's a really tough day. It could be raining too. Many riders today were worried about tomorrow.”

Lilian Calmejane 

“I hope everyone enjoyed the show. As a team, we had decided to go on the offensive and it paid off. In the finale, I knew Gesink wasn't far behind. But I didn't give anything away. I got a bit scared when I cramped between 6 and 4km to go but I had the experience of the same thing happening at Tour de l'Ain last year and I knew what to do. What a relief when I crossed the line. It's fantastic. This is the way of racing I like. I'm a rider with a lot of panache. I don't like chasing World Tour points or a place on GC. We'll see what my future is like. I'm not the future Bernard Hinault. This is my first Tour de France. It's too early to tell what lies ahead for me. As per the polka dot jersey, there are a lot of points tomorrow, so the jersey will be on someone else's shoulder. I'll be in the unknown after spending so much energy today, maybe a bit more than the other riders, but later on in the race and in years to come, the polka dot jersey could become a goal because the points scale makes it accessible to attackers as well as pure climbers.”

18:56 

Guillaume Martin

 "For my first discovery of the mountains in the Tour, to finish third is obviously a super stage for me. It was fast, very fast all day. There were a lot of attacks. When I saw the first group, or should I say bunch, go away, I was a little frustrated not to be in it. But then we made it back. I was feeling good, I tried to anticipate the big battle and eventually they did not come back. I did not take a lot of time for the GC but I'm still glad about this stage. For the stage win, the gap was too important. For my first Tour, for the first Tour of my team, it's fantastic, we're making a great Tour debut, we're in the breakaways everyday. It's nothing but pleasure."

Marcel Kittel 

“I had only one goal today: the intermediate sprint at km 45. It's been one of the hardest sprints I contested since the beginning of the Tour but at the end of the day, it's a good day for the green jersey.”

Arnaud Demare

My two guardian angels, Mickael Delage and Ignatas Konovalovas were truly exceptional. I struggled to recuperate from the last couple of days. I didn't rebuild my stock of glycogen like I should. I'm not ill, I'm dreadful. Clearly today I was dreadful. Thanks again to my guardian angels. The way they rode today was not work, it was love. Tomorrow is another day, the gruppetto will take shape earlier."

Chris Froome: 

"Today some teams wanted the yellow jersey. I guess Pierre Latour was up for it, or Mathias Frank, so we couldn't let them go. We've had to ride at the very high tempo behind them. After the hard stage we've had, tomorrow can be a very decisive day. The incident I had in a corner was a little bit of a reminder of how quickly things can change in the Tour de France. It can the moment that end your race but Geraint Thomas is alright and I didn't fall.

#letour

Kittel Powers to Stage 6 Victory

Already winner of the first sprint of this Tour de France in Liege, Marcel Kittel repeated the feat in stage 6 to make it two in Troyes. Yet it was a very different scenario this time as the German, perfectly led-out by his team, surged in the last 150 metres to outpower green jersey holder Arnaud Demare of France (FDJ) and fellow-German Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), who were battling it out near the fences and had to settle for podium places. Alexander Krirstoff (Katusha) and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) finished at the foot of the podium at the end of this long hot 216-km ride from Vesoul. 

The day's break took shape from the gun when Perrig Quemeneur (Direct Energie) attacked, followed by Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE) and Frederik Backaert (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), already in the leading group on the road to Longwy. The gap quickly increased and reached four minutes after 30 km and never went over 4:15. Teams Quick Step, Lotto-Soudal and FDJ made sure that the gap never went over three minutes and kept the break under control. They even eased up a little after the feed zone in Chaumont (Km 106) for fear of bridging the gap too early. 

Quemeneur snatched one point in the 4th category cote de Langres (km 69) while Backaert sprinted for the day's bonus prize in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, home of general De Gaulle. Arnaud Demare outsprinted the peloton to strengthen his green jersey ahead of Michael Matthews (Sunweb) and Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal). On the second climb of the day, Côte de la colline Sainte-Germaine (4th cat, km 154), Quemeneur grabbed another point. France's Laurent Pichon (Fortuneo) briefly attempted to join the leading trio but gave up after 15 km. 

In the last 30 km, the tempo raised and the leading trio maintained 1:30 over the main pack. But it was a lost cause and with 13 km left, as Julien Vermote (Quick Step), Tiago Machado (Katusha) and Lars Bak (Lotto-Soudal) led the chase, the gap quickly diminished. Influential in the breakaway group, Vegard Stake Laengen was awarded the prize as the most aggressive rider of the day. The sprint was far less eventful than the previous one in Vittel even if Demare and Greipel were involved in a fierce battle near the fences. But while they were losing their momentum, Kittel produce his last gasp effort to earn his 11th stage victory on the Tour de France and challenge Demare in the race for the green jersey.

#Tdf2017

Mark Cavendish Calls for Calm

Mark Cavendish has hit out at the “vile and threatening” abuse he has received on social media in the wake of the collision with Peter Sagan that ended both riders’ Tour de France.

Cavendish was forced to abandon the Tour with a broken shoulder suffered in the incident that resulted in Sagan’s disqualification, and says the hurtful messages he and his family have received since must stop.

“Everybody is entitled to their opinions”, Cavendish said in a video message posted on Twitter. “But please note it is a sport. Vile and threatening comments on social media to myself and my family isn’t deserved. I’d ask you all to respect that and please not send threatening or abusive language to myself and my family.”

Cavendish sad he has sorted things out with Sagan, the reigning world champion, and the Briton believes he is being targeted partly because of his behaviour during his younger years.

“I’m paying now as a 32-year-old for the attitude I had as a kid,” he said. “Unfortunately, this will never leave me and I’ll always deal with the brunt of people’s personal opinions.

“I’ve missed the race that I’ve built my career around. Unfortunately these things happen in cycling, especially in the chaotic finale of the sprint, but there’s no hard feelings between Peter and I. We are friends, he apologised after and called me in the evening as well. That’s a measure of the man he is.”

#letour #Peteosagan

Demare Wins Stage Four in Vittel

Arnaud Démare stormed to victory in stage 4 of the 104th Tour de France as he fended off Peter Sagan and Alexander Kristoff in a bunch gallop in Vittel. Two crashes in the last kilometer prevented some sprinters from contesting the victory. Geraint Thomas retained the yellow jersey for the fourth consecutive day ahead of the first summit finish at La Planche des belles filles.

195 riders took the start of stage 4 in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxemburg. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) attacked from the gun and there was no reaction from the peloton. He got a 13.15 advantage at km 59 before Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Julien Vermote (Quick-Step Floors) started setting the pace of the peloton after leaving the Team Sky of race leader Geraint Thomas regulating a slow tempo for the first hour of racing.

French teams FDJ with Arthur Vichot and Cofidis with Nicolas Edet, racing for their respective sprinter Arnaud Démare and Nacer Bouhanni, helped the two Belgian squads from half way into the stage. The gap was down to six minutes with 90km to go. At the intermediate sprint of Goviller with 50km to go, the deficit of the peloton was 2.40 and the fastest man was Démare who outsprinted Peter Sagan, André Greipel and Marcel Kittel. Van Keirsbulck's advantage was down to two minutes when he scored the only King of the Mountains up for grabs at the col des Trois-Fontaines 37km away from the finish in Vittel. Nathan Brown (Cannondale-Drapac) remained in the polka dot jersey, becoming the first American to do so since Greg LeMond (in 1986), Tejay van Garderen (in 2011) and Taylor Phinney (yesterday) lost it after one day.

Van Keirsbulck was reined with 16.5km to go after 191 kilometers of a solo breakaway. He received the price of the most aggressive rider of the day. A crash with one kilometer to go stopped Marcel Kittel. Démare made the right move to overtake Alexander Kristoff while Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish clashed and the Brit went down heavily. Démare is the first Frenchman to win a bunch sprint of the Tour de France since Jimmy Casper in Strasbourg in 2006. The last French stage winner wearing the blue-white-red jersey of French champion was Thomas Voeckler in Bagnères-de-Luchon in 2010 Luchon. 

Démare also took the green jersey, which no Frenchman did since Sylvain Chavanel, also in 2010. Geraint Thomas came home safely to retain the yellow jersey.

Contador Triggers Skyfall at Vuelta

La Vuelta

The Vuelta has this year, and not for the first time, surpassed the Tour de France for pure excitement. With Sunday’s stage a return to the old style cycling with the top riders battling it out mano-a-mano using their own intuition. Making the relatively short stage 119km stage o Sunday to Aramon Formigal in the Spanish Pyrenees the battle ground for those chasing this trophy in 2016. A breakaway at the start of the day triggered by Alberto Contador of Saxo-Tinkoff setting the pace for the day. The former champion anxious to make an impact on home soil after a bad fall early doors, and two similarly unlucky seasons at Le Tour. Keen to reverse a gap of three minutes separating him from the leaders of classification; Movistar’s Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome of Team Sky.

As the day unravelled Contador targeted an early downhill section and executed a plan to devastating effect testing the wherewithal of all those around him. A plan that also suited Quintana who on Saturday had tried – halfheartedly - it has to be said – to shake off the Froome powerhouse and extend his 54 second margin. Knowing the English cyclist is always keen to win a stage at a grand tour event and achieving that on Stage 11 at Pena Cabarga. But also beating Quintana in the process as both engaged in battle in the first weekend. A week later though Froome had dropped three minutes and thirty-seven seconds as the Contador - Quintana breakaway reshaped the general classification. With an unusual sight - it has to be said - of seeing Team Sky in such disarray. So no doubt there was much restless sleep into Monday morning when the true damage may look irreversible.

It was stage which left bizarrely left Froome isolated in a chasing group with only teammate David Lopez for company after his team were stuck in the peloton - tired from yesterday’s exertions perhaps. Any reduction in time loss made better thanks to Orica-Bike Exchange riders - who did him some favours - followed by an Astana trio and then BMC Racing. Without them Froome was marooned and helpless without the usual team Sky reinforcements surrounding him. Rarely ever seen so critical have they become to the Wiggins and Froome victories over the years in France during the summer. Chris Froome never without Richie Porte the year of his first win. Or last year with Geraint Thomas everywhere.

On the steep climb in Northern Navarra all the cyclists were exposed to the real physics of nature and the breakaway saw three of them still racing for the finish line together on the narrowest sections with a kilometre to go. Then as Contador got burned off, Quintana kept the pace to the top with Gianluca Brambilla of Etixx-Quick-Step in his slipstream fighting to grab the stage. An exhausted Contador fourth having consumed much energy driving the initial breakaway and knowing he would struggle for the last sector if there were a handful of riders still left in contention. A result though which leaves him in fourth, by seconds, and now within reach of a possible third place podium. A fight he must take on with Colombian Esteban Chabes. The red Jersey now out of reach for another year. But even a third place seemingly impossible a week ago with his injured legs after a fall.

Nairo Quintana looks back to his best, something which eluded him in France during July. His strength contrasting with a lost looking Froome who almost seemed human such was the exhaustion – and frustration – etched on his face. For that reason, the stage was a classic and the riders wearing their courage, instinct and heart on their sleeves. A segment which left little need for race directors and radio chats as the leaders fought the conditions and heat to the maximum. An excitement that Team Sky have strangled from many of the Tour de France stages many of which have become almost chess like. With race strategy run too much from the car seat rather than the bike saddle. Cyclists bombarded with instructions rather the old way where you raced as you felt and invented your own stage tactics with ore cunning. 

As the Tour at times is monotonous La Vuelta is the opposite and with Team Sky perhaps less focused the race has opened up/ With all the Spanish cyclists also desperate to win stages and catch the eye. Indeed, at different points on Sunday TV viewers saw the strength of Alejandro Valverde, energy of Dani Navarro, and diligence of Jonathan Castroviejo. All of which makes for a vastly more exciting stages and now made even more so by the result of Stage 15 in Northern Spain. Aided by stunning scenery and the abnormal heatwave which saw the riders battling 37C on Sunday. But few will be taking anything for granted going into the 158 km Stage 16 on Monday that heads down to the east coast for the week before arriving in Madrid.

Last Sunday Froome spoke to no media straight after the stage and will no doubt do his talking on the bike over the coming days. Perhaps after Tuesday’s rest day and ahead of the time trial as the Vuelta makes it way down from the mountains of Aragon and down to a flat stage finish on Monday, after a one point 3rd category climb – the long downhill descent to Vinaroz offering a chance for escapees to make their mark. All the leader’s intent on recovery from yesterday when some rest might be the order of the day. Contador and Quintana happy with their efforts having rearranged the leaderboard more favourably. With Quintana now in sight of a Vuelta title unless Team Sky can reverse matters

Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford also spoke with ITV Sport after the stage, explaining that Movistar and Tinkoff had played their cards to perfection and reaped the benefits.

"Sometimes you have to take your hat off to people and just say, 'well done,'" Brailsford added. "That was a great move and it paid off for Nairo and Alberto.

"We just have to sit down and look at it and keep on going. Sometimes in sport you take a punch in the face, turn around sit yourself down and say right, there six days of racing left, we're still in the same position as we were this morning and we'll just keep on going," added Brailsford.

La Vuelta - General Classification


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Brailsford Pledges to Help Review

Brailsford and Sutton 

Sir Dave Brailsford has pledged to share his knowledge of the workings of British Cycling with the independent review established to investigate claims of bullying and discrimination within the organisation.

British Cycling and UK Sport last Friday announced Annamarie Phelps, the chair of British Rowing, will lead the review, which follows allegations made towards former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton. He denies the claims.

Sutton, who resigned last Wednesday with 100 days to go to the Rio Olympics, in April 2014 succeeded Brailsford as the British Cycling figurehead, having previously worked as Brailsford’s chief lieutenant.

“It’s really good that this inquiry has been brought in, so we can establish the truth,” Brailsford told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to go into the details. What I will do is I’ll share everything that I know with that inquiry.

“We need to get to the bottom of [the allegations]. They need to be heard, they need to be documented properly and addressed properly.”

Britain won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and again four years later at London 2012, when Sutton was head coach and Brailsford was performance director.

Brailsford, the Team Sky principal, added: “The British Cycling model wasn’t based around motivation through fear or performance through fear.

“It was all around an athlete centred model. We had a forensic psychiatrist [professor Steve Peters], who was absolutely brilliant, that was in that programme.

“We ran a model which was very much about ownership and trying to give the riders as much ownership as possible over their careers.

"You can’t get performance on a continuous basis over a long period of time through fear. I just don’t believe it.

“When you’re in a leadership position like that you have a responsibility to athletes and the care of athletes, more than anything else. And the welfare of those athletes.

“And of course you’re going to push hard in those environments, but I’ll always be open to learn anything I can.”

Brailsford was not asked about Sutton’s continued employment by Team Sky. Sutton left his role as Team Sky head coach in January 2013, but continues to be employed in an advisory role. British Cycling was unaware of the position, but had no concerns with Sutton’s work for them.

Brailsford pointed to the gender inequalities in cycling as a whole and the creation of gender parity in the Olympic track programme.

In Beijing in 2008 there were seven male events and three for women. At London 2012 there were five events for each gender. He spoke of his own hopes for his 11-year-old daughter, Milly.

Brailsford, who also mentioned the successes of British female riders during his tenure, added: “I want her to get into sport and if she gets into sport, I want her to have the same opportunities as the guys in her class, the same opportunities to earn the same money. You’ve got to move forward and think about those aspects too.”

The independent review is one of three ongoing investigations at British Cycling.

Sutton was suspended by British Cycling on 26 April after it was claimed he called Paralympic cyclists “gimps”, shortly after the independent review was announced into claims of sexism made by Jess Varnish.

An investigation into Sutton’s behaviour is one of two further internal inquiries at British Cycling. The other is into claims high-performance kit has been sold on for profit.

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Geraint Thomas Returns to Flanders

Getty Images

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas returns to action for the first time since withdrawing from the Volta a Catalunya in Sunday's Tour of Flanders.

The 29-year-old Welshman won the Paris-Nice stage race in early March, but struggled with fatigue in Spain.

Thomas was favourite going into the 2015 Tour of Flanders, but has had a low-key build up this time.

"There's less expectation around me [but] we've got a super strong team," Thomas told BBC Radio Wales.

"We've got lots of cards to play so as long as one of us is on the top step on the podium that would be awesome."

Team Sky have never won one of cycling's big five annual one-day races - known as "The Monuments" - and Fabian Cancellara of Leopard Trek is the fancied rider this year.

Thomas believes he has benefited from resting after his withdrawal in Catalunya.

The double Olympic gold-medallist also thinks his team are closer to claiming victory after disappointments in previous years.

"It's all good now, I'm feeling healthy," he added.

"I had maybe four days off because I was run down after Paris-Nice, but I'm better now so it was a good call in the end.

"In previous years in some of the warm-up races I've been right there, but this is the big one everyone wants to do well in.

"And over the years for one reason or another it hasn't quite happened but hopefully this can be the year. I guess time will tell."

Team Sky (at the Tour of Flanders): Michal Golas, Christian Knees, Michal Kwiatkowski, Gianni Moscon, Salvatore Puccio, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Geraint Thomas

The "Five Monuments" of cycling

Milan-San Remo - First raced in 1907

Tour of Flanders - First raced in 1912

Paris-Roubaix - First raced in 1896

Liege-Bastogne-Liege - The oldest of the five, first raced in 1894

Giro di Lombardia - Raced in early autumn since 1905

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