Stage 12

T
D
F

2
0
0
5

Back to Main Tour Index
Go to coachcarl.com Home Page

Stage 12

Day 13 Briancon - Digne les Bains 187 km

Analysis

It was a pretty interesting stage strategically because of withdrawals from the race. First, the attacks came early but, as expected, they were contained until after the first road prime then very large breaks began to head up the road. The reason for the large breaks was that this was Bastille Day and the riders knew it would be won by a break so they wanted to be in the break. One large break after another was brought in until 11 riders finally managed to get away and they were bridged up to by the two climber/sprinters Hushovd and O'Grady.

The two sprinters were trying to steal a few extra points from McEwen by being in the break and succeeded. The race for the Points Jersey just got a little more lively because, prior to the stage start, Boonen had to retire from the race because of injuries. That opened the flood gates but Hushovd and O'Grady better get all the points they can because there are still five mountain stages left with significant climbs and Vino has just become the fourth rider in the standings. This race could get close because the sprinters only have three stages that favor them and Vino has five stages that favor him.

Hushovd and O'Grady got dropped by the leaders when the break split on the last cat 2 climb but they still managed to get a few more points than McEwen. It was a good try and paid off a little for them.

Did you notice that McEwen's team chased until it was obvious that they would not catch the break and then they quit chasing? You don't waste energy beating a dead horse. You save your energy and try again the next day.

The French are happy again because French riders got first and second for the stage on their national holliday, Bastille Day.

For the Yellow Jersey, the most significant thing that happened was Beltran crashed and had to withdraw. This is very significant because he was one of the main and strongest engines in the Discovery machine. With him gone, the other riders will have to take up considerable slack which will tire them out even faster. This is a very significant development in the race for the Yellow Jersey. They only had to do some towing today because the sprinter teams controlled the stage until after the first road prime and then again towards the end of the stage but Discovery still had to do most of the towing. With the very long and hard mountain stages, stages 14 and 15, just a few days away, Beltran could make the difference in keeping the Discovery Team from breaking. We will see.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is one of the flattest remaining stages in this Tour. It is only 173 km with only one cat 4 climb and two road primes. The pack will hold together until after the first road prime and expect to see a team battle for that prime. Attacks for breaks will begin after this road prime and a break will be off with the probability it will be caught by the sprinter teams.

Discovery will have to tow for most of the stage and the sprinter teams will tow for the very first few kilometers and towards the end to bring the break back in. With the two most significant mountains stages immediately following this stage, you can expect the GC riders and their teams to rest as much as possible.

I don't know if you noticed it but Rasmussen and Moreau have been racing hard for KOM points and will likely get dropped and lose time in the 14th and 15th stages. Also Valverde is having problems and may also get dropped and lose time. We should see some more sorting in those stages.

Back to Main Tour Index

Top of Page