Tour de France Stage 16: Schleck Keeps Yellow, Vande Velde Fades, Alpe d’Huez Lurks

The Tour de France continued Tuesday with another grueling mountain stage from Cuneo to Jausiers. Stage 16 would take the peloton over the highest mountain pass in the Tour, and CSC’s Frank Schleck and his powerful CSC team were hoping to be able to further distance the Luxembourgian from his rivals. Cadel Evans and Denis Menchov, who both lost time to Schleck in some of the earlier mountain stages, had to make sure that they stayed in contact with Schleck while conserving their energy for tomorrow’s massive climb up Alpe d’Huez, one of the most famous climbs in the history of the Tour.
Cyril Dessel, the Frenchman of the AG2R team took top honors on the day, as he managed to escape from the top contenders along with a handful of other non-GC threats. He beat fellow Frenchman Sandy Casar to the line, taking a huge victory for himself and his French sponsored team. Dessel continued France’s streak of success in this year’s Tour, as he added another stage win for the host country.

Stage 16 ended with a twisting, technical descent into the town of Jausiers, and some of the overall contenders were unable to stay with the yellow jersey group. Rabobank’s Denis Menchov conceded 35 seconds to the yellow jersey on the difficult descent, while Garmin-Chipotle’s Christian Vande Velde faded in the high mountain passes and lost 2:36 in the battle for the overall lead.

Vende Velde has ridden extremely well thus far in the Tour, and it looked as though the American would be able to threaten for a spot on the final podium before he faltered on stage 16. He suffered a crash during the stage, and in losing over two minutes now sits 3:15 off the pace. All is not lost however, as a good day tomorrow on Alpe d’Huez could catapult him back into the overall picture. He’ll have to hope to recover over night and regroup ahead of tomorrow’s decisive stage.

Tomorrow’s stage to Alpe d’Huez will be drama-packed, as there are five riders very close to each other in the classification. Schleck will be put under pressure from all of the GC hopefuls. Look for pure climber Bernard Kohl to ride at the front and hunt for the win, as well as Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Sammi Sanchez. Meanwhile, Schleck’s teammate Carlos Sastre is an excellent climber, and may be able to escape as Evans and Menchov mark Schleck. One sure thing is that CSC will be a handful tomorrow for all the contenders with Schleck and Sastre both toward the top of the classification.

Tour de France Stage 10: Evans in Yellow, Vande Velde Serves Cold Crow to Critics En Route to Third Overall After Hautacam

Insert foot in mouth. In the high mountains of the Tour de France yesterday, the GC saw a major shake up as some top contenders faded away from the overall fight while other underdogs were able to put on impressive displays of strength. And none of those underdogs were a bigger surprise than Christian Vande Velde of the Garmin-Chipotle team. The American stayed with the world's best on the steep climb up to Hautacam, showing that his form is good enough for a run at the podium.

Many pundits (including this one) didn't think that Vande Velde would be able to keep pace in stage ten, but he was able to stay with the new race leader Cadel Evans, and now sits in third a scant 38 seconds off the leading time. The Tour is far from over, but it is looking increasingly likely that Vande Velde can go top ten . . . or higher . . . as long as his form holds.

In the battle for the overall title, it was Cadel Evans who rode tempo to limit his losses to a rampaging Frank Schleck. Schleck, climbing ahead of the chasing group by himself, was able to take almost two minutes out of his competitors, and is now in second place only one second behind Evans. With more solid performances in the mountains, Schleck will be in with a chance at the overall title. He will need a cushion in the long time trial though, as both Evans and Menchov are excellent time trialists.

Some of the pre-race favorites for the Tour saw thier GC hopes dissappear, as Stijn Devolder, Damiano Cunego and Alejandro Valverde all lost significant time on the day. Devolder was the worst off of the three, losing a staggering 14:38 on the stage. Cunego and Valverde meanwhile conceded just under six minutes, effectively ending their chances for an overall victory. At this point, it is really a six man race for the overall, between, Evans, Schleck, Menchov, Sastre, Vande Velde, and Kirchin.

After a rest day today, the second half of the Tour continues with a 165 kilometer run from Lannemezan to Foix. The field will pass over the catagory 1 Col de Portel, providing yet another look at the form of the overall contenders. The top GC threats will rest today with an eye on the second half of the Tour, as each pursues the most coveted title in all of cycling.

Christian Vande Velde Targets Tour de France Overall, Cycling World Falls on Floor Laughing

Pretty tough headline, right? Allow me to qualify it before you go crazy emailing me with profanity-laced tirades. I like Christian Vande Velde, as a rider and as a person. I admire his honesty, dedication, hard work, and team work. Since he was a youngster at US Postal, I have felt he was under-rated by many in the cycling world. To me Vande Velde has as much or more potential than Tom Danielson, yet it is Danielson who has received the majority of the "next big thing" attention over the years.

Today, Vende Velde is over 30 and on the back stretch of his career. He has ridden for the biggest teams in the world (Postal, CSC) and has been a part of many winning efforts over that time. He has rarely had a chance to ride for himself, but when he has he has usually been able to deliver decent results. So far in this year's Tour de France, Vende Velde has ridden very well, and as of stage nine he sat in third place overall, only 44 seconds behind race leader Kim Kirchin and secind place Cadel Evans.

After another solid ride in a hilly Tour stage, Vande Velde revealed in an interview with Frankie Andreau that he would be looking out for himself, with an eye on the overall classification. Some American commentators even went as far as to suggest that he could threaten for the overall title. It was upon hearing this that I, and many others in the cycling world, fell to the ground with uncontrollable laughter.

Let me be very clear about Vande Velde's overall chances in this year's Tour de France: he has a ZERO percent chance of winning the overall title. Further, he also has a ZERO percent chance of making the podium. If that makes me mean or insensitive, so be it. I would sooner assert that Leonardo Piepoli of the Saunier Duvall squad or Filippo Pozzato of Liquigas has a chance at the podium (they do not) than Vande Velde.

Winning the Tour de france is extremely difficult, and it is rare that a rider without amazing climbing talent wins the race. Pierero did in 2006, but that Tour is widely considered inadmissable due to Floyd Landis and his positive dope test. Periero was able to gain a half hour on the field in one of the stages, giving him a shot for the overall. The chances of Vande Velde getting away are nil, and he's not a good enough climber to hang in the steepest mountains. Just watch on stage ten if you don't believe me.

Sure, Vande Velde can hope to go top fifteen, and maybe top ten, but even that is asking a lot. Once the Tour hits the high mountains (today's stage 10), the Garmin rider will begin to lose major chunks of time. Unfortunately, while he is a good climber, Vande Velde will be riding against great climbers, riders capable of fearsome accelerations on the steepest mountain ramps. Instead of talking about the overall, Vande Velde would be better served to go stage hunting like other talented riders in the field. He'll have much better luck trying for a stage than the overall. If he wants to win a stage race, Christian should target next year's Paris-Nice, a much more attainable target.

Maglia Rosa for Vande Velde as Slipstream Wins Giro TTT

Vande Velde used his and his team's time trialing skills to take the first leader's jersey of the 91st Giro d'Italia

The Slipstream team accomplished its' only major goal for the Giro d'Italia, as they won the stage one team time trial and put American veteran Christian Vande Velde into the pink leader's jersey. In what was a monumental moment for the American squad, team leader David Millar played a big role in pacing the team to the win. American time trial champ David Zabriskie was valuable too, but Vande Velde went over the line first, taking a much deserved win and the first maglia rosa of the 2008 Giro.

For team director Jonathan Vaughters, it was a best case scenario, as all of the pressure on the American team goes away now that they have the jersey. Their victory in the event marked the second time they've won a TTT, the other being at the Tour of Georgia. Looking ahead, Slipstream probably won't be able to hold onto the jersey for very long, as the Italians in the race who are close on time will be hungry to steal it away over the next few days.

Best of all is that Slipstream really validated themselves as a top-flight cycling team. No longer will pundits be able to claim they are inexperienced or unworthy of being in a given race. And for the Tour de France in July, they'll have confidence that they belong in the event, and can thrive, if only on the time trial stages. Gone also will be their underdog status; they'll no longer be able to take anyone by surprise, and will be marked as a dangerous team in any race they attend.

Now that Vande Velde has the pink tunic, expect him and the Slipstream team to do all they can to keep it within the argyle kit. History tells us that once a rider takes a leader's jersey, they have just that little bit more motivation within them, which allows them to do great things. Vande Velde won't be keen on giving up his jersey without a fight, and he possesses the all-around skills to remain at the front of the race in any given stage. It on't be easy though, as the stacked Giro field will be breathing down his neck around every corner and on every climb.

2008 Tour of California: The Best Yet

Levi becomes the first repeat TOC champ

As the sun set in Pasadena and the 2008 Tour of California came to a close, fans, cyclists, and organizers could all count the 2008 version as the best yet, despite poor weather throughout the week. The racing was lively, the crowds were huge, and each and every spectator was witness to one of the best fields ever to compete in the United States.

Despite the weather, the 2008 TOC crowds were Europe-huge

The final stage's celebration was truly a sight to behold, as the overall awards were doled out to the deserving individuals and teams that stood above all others throughout the course of the week. Levi Leiphemier became the first two-time champ of the event, and was in a great mood after closing the book on the overall classification. He'll take a bit of momentum into the rest of the season, even if he and his Astana team don't secure an invite to the Tour de France.

Gesink will be heard from for many years to come

Robert Gesink, the winner of the young rider classification for the second consecutive year, was considered the revelation of the 2008 Tour, as he was the only rider capable of following Leipheimer on the decisive Sierra Road stage three. He'll be a rider to watch for many years to come, and in fact may be back someday to try for the overall Tour of California title.

The final jerseys: Gesink (young rider), Nydam (climber), Leipheimer (leader), Rollin (sprinter), Moos and BMC (aggressive)

Dominique Rollin netted the sprint leader's jersey, and in a class gesture, presented the Rock Racing podium girls with roses from his own winner's boquet on the podium after stage seven. He'll do major damage in the coming years, and will probably secure a contract with a Pro Tour team in the near future.

Rollin will be getting kisses in Europe before his career ends

For the most aggressive rider jersey, race organizer decided to award the prize to the entire BMC team for their significant activity throughout the eight stage event. Alexander Moos accepted the jersey on behalf of the team, and enjoyed kisses from the podium girls.

The remaining members of team BMC received the most aggressive rider award

The climber's jersey fell to Scott Nydam, the Californian training partner of Levi Leipheimer who also rides with the BMC squad. Nydam held the jersey for almost all of the stages, and was visibly happy to have secured the award along side his friend and colleague Leipheimer.

Nydam pulls on the final KOM jersey

Finally, the team award, signifying the one team in the race with the highest overall individual ranking, went to the wild card Slipstream team. Steven Cozza was constanty off the front throughout the Tour, and the time trialists of the team, Vande Velde, Zabriskie, and Millar, ensured that the argyle-kitted American outfit secured the team win. In what will surely be a message to the Tour de France, Slipstream's team award will drastically help their cause in obtaining a start in the 2008 Tour de France in July.

The team award went to Slipstream, as well as the oversized $17,000 check

The 2008 Tour of California can be looked at only as a success. Top teams and exciting racing highlighted the week, and most of the big name riders, Boonen, Bettini, Voekler, Cipollini, have all promised to return in 2009. Although a year away, the 2009 Tour of California is already on the mind of cycling fans across America as a must see race, as the best of the best will once again descend on the golden state next February.

The final podium has some fun with champaign at the expense of the race anouncer