Tour de France: Stage 10

Stage win number three in the Tour de France for happy chappy, Frenchman Thomas Voeckler after a long time out front of the race on stage 10.

Photos from Thomas van Bracht

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Previous Stages
| Prologue | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 | Stage 7 | Stage 8 | Stage 9 |

Yellow Jersey: Bradley Wiggins | White jersey: Tejay van Garderen |
| KoM Jersey:  Thomas Voeckler  | Green Jersey: Peter Sagan | Team: Radioshack Nissan

After making a 25 strong break which blew apart on the ‘Hors Category’ Col du Grand Colombier, Voeckler not only found the energy to battle away for the King of the Mountains points, and take the jersey, but also come from behind in the close stages to catch Dries Devenyns and Jens Voigt who had their own drag race to the line during those final kilometres.

Voeckler and Devenyns were part of a four man group that went clear on the Colombier and despite losing time, 40 year old Jens Voigt chased them down and then attacked them. He was caught however despite lots of screaming for him at TV sets around the world and Quickstep’s Devenyns then went for it and looked for a long time as though he was going to stay away.

Voeckler leads the break of four on the giant of a climb, the Colombier. Photo: Thomas van Bracht.

But first,Voigt fought his way back and then Voeckler trumped them all by going bang over the top and in a slow motion sprint between some very exhausted bike riders, Tommy simply cruised across the line, put his hand to his lip, a kiss and then a raise of the hand to acknowledge the win. The exhausted Frenchman was then swamped by his team and there were hugs all round for the rider who has in the past, not only won stages with a long break but also the Yellow jersey which he held for 20 days.

And then there was the battle for the GC because as popular as Voeckler’s win was, the attack by Italian Vincenzo Nibali from the yellow jersey group was also welcomed because as much as many want Wiggins to win, many more want there to be a ‘proper’ race for that yellow ‘shirt’ and the attack by Nibali was certainly a master stroke.

Not only did he gain time on the Yellow jersey group led by Riche Porte on the descent of the Colombier but also joined up with his teammate, Green jersey Peter Sagan, who had also been in the big break. This helped Nibali open up a good lead on the chasers to the point where he was looking like leaping up into second overall but alas, once on his own after dropped Sagan at the foot of the final climb, the race between him and Richie Porte saw the Sky rider win and what was left of the peloton caught Nibali on the final climb.

The attacks on Wiggins though never stopped there and soon Belgian Jurgen van den Broeck and Perrie Rolland were going clear on the descent on the final climb and whilst they stayed clear to the finish, their gain of 30 seconds didn’t change a lot in the overall classification. Two races in one gave twice the value but at the end of the stage, it was as you were at the top of the classification – Britain’s Wiggins still leads while France has a stage win to celebrate.

Reactions

Another  day on the podium for Wiggins, another step forward to Paris – Picture: PhotoSport International. uk usa asia.

Bradley Wiggins: “We were fortunate that we got the right breakaway away,” said Wiggins afterwards. “We were prepared to lose the jersey if need be to [Michele] Scarponi who was the best-placed up there. This is about being in yellow in Paris and if that means sacrificing the next days and keeping the boys back a bit [then so be it]. Fortunately that came back once we hit the climb and we kept the jersey.”

“I was waiting for Nibali to start playing his joker card and he did. Fortunately he went solo and we knew he’d have to have some good legs to stay clear on the next climb and then down into the valley. When [Vincenzo] Nibali teamed up with [Peter] Sagan it did look as though it had the potential to work but we do have to gamble a little bit here, we can’t just chase everything that moves and fortunately we didn’t panic. We got down that descent, rode hard on the next climb and got him back so it all worked out.

“You’ve got to continually calculate in your head and be quite businesslike and not let the emotion of the moment get to you. But Jurgen [van den Broeck] is five minutes down so we could afford to let him slip away slightly. Nibali went alone and I knew that he would have had to make quite a big effort in the last 30 kilometres or so to stay away alone… so we sort of gambled a bit, thinking that we’d be able to peg him back – which we did. We kept cool in those moments and it’s times like that that certainly will help us win the Tour. But they are moments when we could potentially lose the Tour as well.”

“I can’t express my appreciation to the work of my team-mates. ‘Thank-you’ is not enough for the work that they do. But we’ve been together all year, we’ve been training together, we’ve been rooming together… and they’re a fantastic group and I certainly wouldn’t be in this position without them.”

“It was pretty straight forward today really. The break went early and we didn’t have to go crazy like we did in Switzerland that day [stage eight]. We knew that the climb would be tough but that, probably, the attacks would come on the descent – which they did. So it all went to script today and it all worked out. There wasn’t any moment when I was really worried.”

“We’re in a massive bubble and we have no idea what’s going on at home although I can understand what the reaction to the Tour is like because I sat at home and watched it myself last year. I know how much people follow it at home and that’s fantastic but cycling is becoming more and more popular and mainstream. The exploits of Chris Hoy on the track and stuff like that is fantastic for our sport and fantastic for sport in the UK.”

The Tour in one shot … Wiggins, Nibali and Evans plus  Jurgen van den Broeck behind Evans. Photo: Thomas van Bracht

Thomas Voeckler has been plagued with injuries this season but the Frenchman has again won a stage – his third in the Tour de France and now he also leads the King of the Mountains classification. “Early today I said to myself, ‘The breakaway can go and win the stage’… and I was confident but not too confident because there were many, many guys who are very strong. In the end, I believed I could win only five metres before the finish line. The last 500 metres was so hard that I was looking back; I saw [Jens] Voigt and [Luis] Sanchez and I thought it was over for me. It was very long, those final metres!”

“You know, when you love something you have to give it all you can. For many years, I’ve said that for me, a good Tour de France is a Tour de France when you arrive in Paris and you can say to yourself that you have no regrets. Today I know that I can finish my Tour without regrets but that doesn’t mean that I’ll just stay in the peloton for the rest of the race.”

Voeckler  is all smiles after his victory on stage 10. Photo: Thomas van Bracht

“Two weeks before the start of the Tour de France, the Rud du Sud, I came to a halt and I had to abandon that race because of pain in my legs. I got in the car with one of our mechanics and I thought that, so close to the Tour, it wouldn’t be possible to make it to this race. I had eight days off the bike and it was most upsetting… but today I was where I wanted to be.”

“When I saw the composition of the lead group, I thought it was interesting because the break was likely to survive and but because of the quality of the riders in the escape I had to assess my options. When I got into the lead on the Col du Grand Colombier, there was a chance to grab the polka-dot jersey, I thought it would be better than nothing. But, of course I kept thinking about the stage win, even though I had pain in my legs.”

“It was good to find some strength during the stage but towards the end, I was treated like the man to beat. Every time I attacked, the others followed, and when someone attacked, I was the one to chase. So when [Dries] Devenyns attacked, I told them to go without me. On a flat stage, that would have been the moment that the race was over, and he would have gone to win. But there was a good climb to the finish, and my director Andy Flickinger told me to try something and make sure that I had no regrets. Otherwise, I might have succumbed.”

“The polka dot jersey… ah, you can not compare it to the yellow jersey. But this morning I had no chance to take the yellow. I’ve already worn the polka-dot jersey twice before in the Tour, but never so late in the race. I thought about ‘Chartix’ [Anthony Charteau] and how that he got to Paris in 2010 with the polka-dot jersey. If it happened for him, I tell myself that I can also try. I will not let it go easily.”

The popular Jens Voigt spoke afterwards saying, “As you could see, everyone was pretty much dead in the last kilometres,” said Voigt. “We had some slow motion attacks there at the end; everyone was on the limit. It was a hard day. We had to fight hard to get this group going in the first place and then it was really full gas all day long. On the first really big climb of the Tour, Col du Grand Colombier, I was suffering there. After that climb I could tell that the guys in my group were a little more dead than me so it was make it or break it time: go full gas and catch the leaders or explode completely.”

Photo: Jens Voigt talks about his race after the race. Photo  - PhotoSport International. uk usa asia.

“Fortunately I caught them and could recover a little bit before I tried to go again. I was missing a little bit of strength at the end. But it was a good performance for me and we gained a little more time on the Teams classification.”

Asked if he was bluffing on the HC climb which had him more than one minute behind the four leaders on the descent, Voigt laughed and commented: “I swear I was on the limit. I could hardly focus on the wheel in front of me. I was just in a tunnel of pain and trying to keep on the wheel. Then we had the descent and at the bottom of that I could breathe better and figure out more of my strategy. The final climb was not so steep and was good for me. I decided to go in with everything I had. If I exploded and finished nowhere, well, ok. But I caught them, recovered a bit, played some poker and finished third.”

“Most try to ride easier and not try so many crazy, stupid things like me. But that’s my image and I try to stick to that. I can officially declare that I’m not covering the breaks tomorrow. I am taking the day off. I will listen to my tired, poor body. Well, let’s say I’ll be less aggressive!”

“It’s good to prove to yourself that your body still functions, that it isn’t luck that you were selected to ride the Tour de France but that you deserved it. And that you are still a good team member and can do the job that the team expects. Yeah, I’m a little proud.”

His work done for Wiggins, Edvald Boasson Hagen waves to some young fans on the Colombier. Photo: Thomas van Bracht

STAGE 10

1 Thomas Voeckler Europcar 04:46:26
2 Michele Scarponi Lampre – ISD 00:03
3 Jens Voigt RadioShack – Nissan 00:07
4 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil Rabobank Cycling Team 00:23
5 Dries Devenyns Omega Pharma – Quickstep 00:30
6 Sandy Casar Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat 02:44
7 Egoi Martinez De Esteban Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
8 Pierre Rolland Europcar @ same time
9 Jurgen Van Den Broeck Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
10 Dmitriy Fofonov Astana Pro Team 02:52
11 Thibaut Pinot Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat 03:16
12 Cadel Evans BMC Racing Team @ same time
13 Bradley Wiggins Sky Procycling @ same time
14 Nicolas Roche Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
15 Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
16 Denis Menchov Katusha Team @ same time
17 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte Movistar Team @ same time
18 Christopher Froome Sky Procycling @ same time
19 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa Movistar Team @ same time
20 J̩rome Coppel Saur РSojasun @ same time
21 Maxime Monfort RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
22 Janez Brajkovic Astana Pro Team @ same time
23 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
24 Andr̩as Kl̦den RadioShack РNissan @ same time
25 Rein Taaramäe Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
26 Frank Schleck RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
27 Tejay Van Garderen BMC Racing Team 03:33
28 Laurens Ten Dam Rabobank Cycling Team 03:40
29 Robert Kiserlovski Astana Pro Team @ same time
30 Rafael Valls Ferri Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
31 Levi Leipheimer Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
32 Richie Porte Sky Procycling @ same time
33 Ivan Basso Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
34 Chris Horner RadioShack – Nissan 03:54
35 Andriy Grivko Astana Pro Team 04:06
36 Marcus Burghardt BMC Racing Team 04:24
37 Jelle Vanendert Lotto – Belisol Team 08:16
38 Chris Anker Sorensen Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank 09:07
39 Fabrice Jeandesboz Saur – Sojasun @ same time
40 Michael Rogers Sky Procycling @ same time
41 Jean-christophe Peraud Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
42 Matthieu Ladagnous Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
43 Alexandre Vinokourov Astana Pro Team @ same time
44 Giampaolo Caruso Katusha Team @ same time
45 Yuri Trofimov Katusha Team @ same time
46 Steven Kruijswijk Rabobank Cycling Team 11:41
47 Philippe Gilbert BMC Racing Team @ same time
48 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo Movistar Team @ same time
49 George Hincapie BMC Racing Team @ same time
50 Amaël Moinard BMC Racing Team @ same time
51 Michael Morkov Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
52 Steven Cummings BMC Racing Team @ same time
53 Eduard Vorganov Katusha Team @ same time
54 David Zabriskie Garmin – Sharp @ same time
55 Yaroslav Popovych RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
56 Peter Sagan Liquigas – Cannondale 12:25
57 Marco Marzano Lampre – ISD 15:04
58 Sylvester Szmyd Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
59 David Millar Garmin – Sharp @ same time
60 Simon Gerrans Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
61 Dominik Nerz Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
62 Peter Velits Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
63 Guillaume Levarlet Saur – Sojasun @ same time
64 David Moncouti̩ Cofidis РLe Credit En Ligne @ same time
65 Vladimir Karpets Movistar Team @ same time
66 Vladimir Gusev Katusha Team @ same time
67 Brice Feillu Saur – Sojasun @ same time
68 Simone Stortoni Lampre – ISD @ same time
69 Robert Gesink Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
70 Karsten Kroon Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
71 Johnny Hoogerland Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
72 Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
73 Yukiya Arashiro Europcar @ same time
74 Alessandro Vanotti Liquigas – Cannondale 17:26
75 Edvald Boasson Hagen Sky Procycling @ same time
76 Maxime Bouet Ag2R – La Mondiale 19:05
77 Marco Marcato Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
78 Davide Malacarne Europcar @ same time
79 Yauheni Hutarovich Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
80 J̩rome Pineau Omega Pharma РQuickstep @ same time
81 Sylvain Chavanel Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
82 Arthur Vichot Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
83 J̩r̩my Roy Equipe Cycliste FDJ РBigMat @ same time
84 Giovanni Bernaudeau Europcar @ same time
85 S̩bastien Minard Ag2R РLa Mondiale @ same time
86 Christophe Riblon Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
87 Joan Horrach Rippoll Katusha Team @ same time
88 Pierrick Fedrigo Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
89 Christian Vande Velde Garmin – Sharp @ same time
90 Daniel Martin Garmin – Sharp @ same time
91 Michael Schar BMC Racing Team @ same time
92 Anthony Roux Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat 27:27
93 Koen De Kort Argos-Shimano @ same time
94 Martin Velits Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
95 Bram Tankink Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
96 Alessandro Petacchi Lampre – ISD @ same time
97 Francis De Greef Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
98 Kristjan Koren Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
99 Fredrik Kessiakoff Astana Pro Team @ same time
100 C̩dric Pineau Equipe Cycliste FDJ РBigMat @ same time
101 Roy Curvers Argos-Shimano @ same time
102 Manuel Quinziato BMC Racing Team @ same time
103 Danilo Hondo Lampre – ISD @ same time
104 Yuriy Krivtsov Lampre – ISD @ same time
105 Federico Canuti Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
106 Adam Hansen Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
107 Stuart O’ Grady Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
108 Nicki Sørensen Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
109 Fabian Cancellara RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
110 Anders Lund Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
111 Albert Timmer Argos-Shimano @ same time
112 Yann Huguet Argos-Shimano @ same time
113 Lieuwe Westra Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
114 Luis Angel Mate Mardones Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
115 Samuel Dumoulin Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
116 Nicolas Edet Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
117 Jorge Azanza Soto Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
118 Ruben Perez Moreno Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
119 Lars Ytting Bak Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
120 Daniel Oss Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
121 Jonathan Cantwell Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
122 Christian Knees Sky Procycling @ same time
123 Matthew Goss Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
124 Andre Greipel Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
125 Jurgen Roelandts Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
126 Maxim Iglinskiy Astana Pro Team @ same time
127 Vasil Kiryienka Movistar Team @ same time
128 Vincent Jerome Europcar @ same time
129 Cyril Gautier Europcar @ same time
130 Mickael Cherel Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
131 Borut Bozic Astana Pro Team @ same time
132 Andrey Kashechkin Astana Pro Team @ same time
133 Christophe Kern Europcar @ same time
134 Yohann Gène Europcar @ same time
135 Cyril Lemoine Saur – Sojasun @ same time
136 Luca Paolini Katusha Team @ same time
137 Kris Boeckmans Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
138 Bert Grabsch Omega Pharma – Quickstep 31:55
139 Michael Albasini Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
140 Juan Jose Haedo Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
141 Marcel Sieberg Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
142 Matthieu Sprick Argos-Shimano @ same time
143 Patrick Gretsch Argos-Shimano @ same time
144 Julien Fouchard Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
145 Brett Lancaster Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
146 Tyler Farrar Garmin – Sharp @ same time
147 Kenny Van Hummel Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
148 Tom Veelers Argos-Shimano @ same time
149 S̩bastien Hinault Ag2R РLa Mondiale @ same time
150 Blel Kadri Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
151 Daryl Impey Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
152 Nick Nuyens Team Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank @ same time
153 Rob Ruijgh Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
154 Kevin De Weert Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
155 Bauke Mollema Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
156 Julien Simon Saur – Sojasun @ same time
157 Gustav Erik Larsson Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
158 Mark Renshaw Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
159 Pablo Urtasun Perez Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
160 Jimmy Engoulvent Saur – Sojasun @ same time
161 Pieter Weening Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
162 Mark Cavendish Sky Procycling @ same time
163 Aleksandr Kuschynski Katusha Team @ same time
164 Jan Ghyselinck Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
165 Bernhard Eisel Sky Procycling @ same time
166 Grega Bole Lampre – ISD @ same time
167 Gregory Henderson Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
168 Ruben Plaza Molina Movistar Team @ same time
169 Baden Cooke Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
170 Romain Zingle Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
171 Jean-marc Marino Saur – Sojasun @ same time
172 Tony Gallopin RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
173 Johan Vansummeren Garmin – Sharp @ same time
174 Sebastian Langeveld Orica – GreenEDGE @ same time
175 Gorka Izagirre Insausti Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time

OVERALL
1 Bradley Wiggins Sky Procycling 43:59:02
2 Cadel Evans BMC Racing Team 01:53
3 Christopher Froome Sky Procycling 02:07
4 Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas – Cannondale 02:23
5 Denis Menchov Katusha Team 03:02
6 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre RadioShack – Nissan 03:19
7 Maxime Monfort RadioShack – Nissan 04:23
8 Jurgen Van Den Broeck Lotto – Belisol Team 04:48
9 Nicolas Roche Ag2R – La Mondiale 05:29
10 Tejay Van Garderen BMC Racing Team 05:31
11 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa Movistar Team 05:46
12 Rein Taaramäe Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne 05:56
13 Janez Brajkovic Astana Pro Team 06:29
14 Andr̩as Kl̦den RadioShack РNissan 06:33
15 Michele Scarponi Lampre – ISD 07:14
16 Frank Schleck RadioShack – Nissan 08:19
17 J̩rome Coppel Saur РSojasun 08:31
18 Thibaut Pinot Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat 08:53
19 Levi Leipheimer Omega Pharma – Quickstep 08:58
20 Pierre Rolland Europcar 09:28

 

 

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