Astana’s SRAM RED equipped Contador Maintains Maillot Jaune at Tour de France

2010 Tour de France Tuesday 20 July
Stage 16: Bagnères-de-Luchon Pau 199.5 km

After a tough day out front, Radio Shack’s SRAM RED LTE equipped Lance Armstrong admitted “It was a tough day. I paid for it at the end. I warmed up a little bit before the race and it went right at kilometre zero. 200km at the front took it out of me. I had a no sprint at the end. But I tried.” Armstrong finished 6th in Pau, in a sprint just behind stage winner Pierrick Fedrigo

Armstrong said he had been considering attacking on Stage 16 because the overall Tour contenders would not let a break go away because of the long flat roads between the final climb and the finish in Pau. “I had this day kind of dog-eared in the book but it was harder than I expected,” he said. “I guess I felt better as the race went on. It was tough day for all the peloton. It was hard.”

Armstrong continued post-stage, saying “I gotta say, this entire Tour, the fans have been really nice to me, and very supportive. Today when we were out there with the smaller group. They can get close to you, they can talk to you, you can talk back to them. I appreciate their support. They don’t have to come to the Tour. They don’t have to fly in from all over the world and come and stand by the side of the road, but they do, and I appreciate it.”

“It’s been a while since I sprinted. We knew that Fédrigo was the fastest and then Cunego. We tried to catch his wheel. There were some questions whether or not we’d catch Barredo but I was just not quick enough.”

Armstrong was happy with his result despite not winning, explaining “We did what we wanted to do today. We tried to win the stage. We maintained team GC and Chris Horner had an amazing race. Caisse d’Epargne had two guys there but that means we’re equal on the day.”

“I’m not the best guy in the race. But I still have the spirit of a fighter, I suppose,” Armstrong concluded. “I focused on the stage, tried to get in the moves. It didn’t work. I wasn’t fast enough in the end. Fedrigo was very fast and he earned the win. Chapeau to him.”

SRAM RED LTE equipped Alberto Contador (Astana) will wear the Maillot Jaune on Stage 17 as the two time Tour winner maintained his race lead today in Pau. Post-race, Contador told French TV “Last night I posted a video because this situation does not please to me. Today I talked with Andy because I wanted to make things clear. We have always had good relations and I do not want them to be damaged by what happened yesterday. We have explained ourselves and I think our relationship can become as good as it was before.

“I had a very clear idea of what might happen on this stage. First of all, I wanted the team to stay together, as it was necessary to maintain the gap until the last climb and then I knew that other teams would take over. And that’s what happened.

“I think Andy can ask me about the problems of the time trial, simply because he is a great rider. Theoretically it is an advantage for me, but I know he is also able to gain time against the clock, being the [TT] champion of his country. But before we worry about the time trial there is still the stage on Thursday which is very hard, and there he may be big differences, rather than when we’re racing against the clock.

“It’s difficult to calculate how long it may be between us two in the time trial. This will depend first on what strength we have left. And, when compared to last year, it will not mean the same route [as the time trial in Annecy] for the one near Bordeaux is much flatter. I also think Andy has made significant progress in this area since last year.”

“I had to be careful in the beginning of the stage so I stayed up near the yellow jersey and had a good look at what he was up to. It looked like he had a good team around him and I had Jakob Fuglsang with me the whole time and unfortately Jens crashed in the downhill so it was not a super day for the team. I heard that he is okay, so that’s some of the best news of the day.

“We had one scenario that we’d spoken about: if there was a group two or three minutes I would have attacked maybe on the col d’Aubisque and see how I went. But when we got there the escape was just too far ahead so there was no point in trying anything today because it would not have been successful.

Wearing the Maillot Blanc of Best Young Rider, SRAM RED LTE equipped Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) is just 8” out of the MAillot Jaune and said in Pau “I’m still motivated but it’s not like it’s revenge. I just want to win this Tour; that’s my goal, and I know there’s only one chance left and that’s the Tourmalet [on Thursday]. I think I can do it. I hope I can do it.

“I haven’t seen the footage of Alberto’s apology but he came to me today and personally apologized and I appreciate that a lot. He knows that he did a mistake yesterday; he shouldn’t have done that, he knows it and, for me, that’s enough now. This case is closed and people should stop with it and move on. Nobody deserves to be chastised endlessly.”

Stage 16th stage of the 2010 Tour de France, 199.5km from Bagnere-de-Luchon to Pau began with 172 riders at the sign on with as SRAM RED equipped Mayoz (FOOTON) and Tankink (RAB) were non-starters. Besides two intermediate sprints after 164.5km and 185.5km, these were 4 major climbs on Stage 16; the Cat.1 Col de Peyresourde after 11km, the Cat.1 Col d’Aspin after 42.5km, the ‘Beyond Category’ Col du Tourmalet after 72km, and the ‘Beyond Category’ Col d’Aubisque after 138km.

Right from the gun, the attacks began up the Cat.1 Col de Peyresourde and after just 5km, these were 18 away including SRAM RED equipped Armstrong and Horner (RSH), Roche (ALM) and Capecchi (FOT). At the summit the gap was 55” over the Astana led peloton. On the Cat.1 Col d’Aspin, Contador and Astana maintined the chase, and at the arrived at the base of the Tourmalet the pleoton was just behind the break.

Casar had counterattacked ans as the 17km climb of the Tourmalet commenced, Armstrong went after him. Behind, Fedrigo, Cunego, Moreau and van de Walle came after the front duo, then followed by Horner, Plaza and Barredo caught the lead group at 65km to make a 10 man break. Atop the ‘Beyond Category’ Col du Tourmalet after 72km, Moreau sprinted ahead to take the Souvenir Jacques Goddet ahead of Fedrigo and Cunego with the Astana-led peloton at 3’40”.

As the 10 man break started the day’s final mountain challenge, the ‘Beyond Category’ Col d’Aubisque, the peloton was now at 6’25”. Despite the attacks, the group came back together and crested the Aubisque with 60km to race to the finish in Pau. With 45km to go, Barredo attacked solo and almost took the win but the chase behind eventually pulled him back with 1km to go and Fedrigo took the win, his third career Tour de France stage victory. Schleck and Contador finished 21st and 22nd in the stage, 6’45” behind and Contador, the defending Tour champion will wear the Maillot Jaune Thursday on Stge 17.

2010 Tour de France Wednesday 21 July: Rest Day / Pau
2010 Tour de France Thursday 22 July
Stage 17: Pau Col du Tourmalet 174km

The Tour’s final mountain stage will set the stage for Andy Schleck’s last chance to recover the race lead and Maillot Jaune. After the second rest day in Pau, the first climb is the inconsequential Cat.4 Côte de Renoir after 13.5km. Next up is the steep, difficult Cat.1 Marie-Blanque climb, an unforgiving 9.3km climb at 7.6 % after 56.5km.

The penultimate climb of the day is the Cat.1 Col du Soulor an 11.9km ascent at 7.8% after 117.5km. The Tour’s final mountain battle will be fought on the Col du Tourmalet, up the steep side which is an ‘Beyond Category’ 18.6km climb at 7.5%, atop which is the Souvenir Henri Desgrange climbing prize. Look for Andy Schleck to attack early and often on the Cat.1 Marie-Blanque with the hope of isolating Maillot Jaune Contador and eventually cracking him on the Tourmalet.

Stage Sixteen Results
1. Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 5:31:43
5. Chris Horner (USA) Radioshack (SRAM RED)
6. Lance Armstrong (USA) Radioshack (SRAM RED)
10. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo @ 6’45”(SRAM RED/ZIPP)
12. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Footon-Servetto (SRAM RED)
13. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale (SRAM RED)
14. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Milram (SRAM RED)
15. Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale (SRAM RED)

2010 Tour de France General Classification
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 78h29’10” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank @ :08” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
7. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack @ 5’25” (SRAM RED)
9. Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana @ 7’12” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
14. Chris Horner (USA) Team Radioshack @ 8’52”
15. Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team @ 9’02” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
16. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Radioshack @ 11’14” (SRAM RED)
18. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale @ 12’34” (SRAM RED)
20. John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale @ 14’24” (SRAM RED)