[Tour 2002]- Stage 10

[CycloFiend Tour Addict]

"A short day before the pain begins..."

Stage 10 - Bazas to Pau - 147 km

As soon as the flag dropped, attacks occur everywhere. The race has
flown across the roads as all of the riders who will suffer horribly
over the next few days have decided to grab a last chance at glory.
Finally, 64 km to go - a group of 11 riders have found themselves up and
away with a 2:05 gap.  ONCE has been called to the front, still openly
stating that their main rider is the one sitting in third place - Joseba
Beloki  Well, not as they ride, in the press statements by Director
Manolo Saiz .

Santiago Botero - the first Colombian ever to win an individual Time
Trial at the Tour -  gets ferried back up to the peloton after a flat.
No matter what, it always seems strange to see a Kelme paceline. Two or
three of their riders firing away on a mountain stage, certainly, but
not a group of five riders on a flat roadway.

Lotto's Robbie McEwen won the first sprint point at the 43 km point on
the roadway - before the breakaway stuck, which has put him into a tie
with Erik Zabel.  We hadn't been hearing too much from Stuart O'Grady
this year, who seems to have been reaping some of the horrid luck which
has permeated his Credit Agricole squad. But, he's found the right move
today and is up the road now.

At the other end of the works, CSC's Laurent Jalabert is scuttling back
up through the team cars, after having changed his bike - he stepped up
to the microphone on the rest day and has announced his retirement,
effective after the end of this season.

Up in the break, Lampre's Ludo Dierckxsens, CA's Stuart O'Grady (highest
placed rider at 5:58), Mapei's Pedro Horillo -  who made the ill-timed
finishing sprint the other day, Jean Delatour's Patrice Halgand roll
through the paceline with 7 other riders from 7 other teams. They are
continuing to add seconds to their lead, now out to 2:50 with just under
50 km to go.

Jalabert pulls to the back and changes his bike once again, which
troubles him a bit before he gets underway again. Between the
catastrophic failure that caused Tyler Hamilton's worst crash at the
Giro, the nasty rear disc wheel problems and subsequent botched change
in the ITT in Stage 9 the day before last, and today's troubles, I would
think that Bjarne Riis ought to spend a little more money on his
mechanics for the next season.

Today's Trivia Question:
Who is the only man to win 3 different stages which passed over the
Tourmalet?

Zabel must be having nightmares of Australians these days, as McEwen
(tied with Zabel at 197 pts) continues to nip at his heels in every
bunch sprint, followed closely by Baden Cooke (134 points) of FDJeux.com
- another Aussie, with O'Grady (currently 125 points) clearly intending
to close the gap today.

181 riders on the road, after the abandonment today of ONCE's Alvaro
Gonzalez de Galdean - Igor's brother - who dropped out clearly in pain
from a quadracep. He limped into the team car after having his numbers
unceremoniously ripped from his back.

Nudging the gap just over 3 minutes, the breakaway has 40 km.  Their
efforts have been contributing to potentially the fastest ever stage in
a Tour de France - currently they are at a 48.845 km/hr pace.  Try that
on your next group ride.

ONCE now has their team echeloned at the front, continuing to have their
strength chipped away at by the slight crosswind on this otherwise hot
and humid day.

Halgand leads the effort up to the top of the second categorized climb
of the day, and passes through the banner with open road between him and
the rest of the breakaway group. But, they ease back up to him with the
help of gravity.

32 km to go.  Another categorized climb on the horizon in about 10 km.
But first,  Stuart OGrady is able to pop away and get 6 more points
towards the Green Jersey. Things quickly regroup, and the 11 riders
reestablish their neatly rotating paceline.  Although there are 11
separate teams represented, 4 French riders have found their way into
the break - and the French are still seeking their first stage win this
year.  (You'd think with - what? - 8 French teams?....). They still hold
a gap of 2:50.

25 km to go.  There are certainly positive aspects to Lance not wearing
yellow.  They essentially have another rest day, before they hit the
hard stages, unlike ONCE, who have been at the front for the past hour
or so.

Up in the breakaway, Halgand launches an attack on the last categorized
climb of Cote d'Auga.  Dierckxsens, O'Grady and Jerome Pineau (the
youngest rider in this year's Tour) of Bonjour all latch on, moving
sharply away from the rest of gang.  Unai Extebarria dropped away before
the peak of the climb - you don't think about Euskatel-Euskadi riders
flailing on a climb - and has not regained the trailing members of the
break .  The new gang of four have gained a quick gap, shown at 15
seconds, but they've moved the referee car into the gap, so it must be
increasing.   If you were going to design an engine, you'd put
Diercksens in it,  and they are hammering along as they approach the 10
km to go banner, and have stretched out to 43 seconds over the chasers.

The peloton has dropped back to 4:06. If they cannot close down that
gap, O'Grady will enter the big mountains with a much better GC position
than he started the day - that boy has a nose for gaining the right
breakaway.

With O'Grady on the front of the lead group, Halgand pips up the road
with 8 km to go, firing up the far side of the roadway and opening a
huge advantage.  O'Grady doesn't bat an eyelash, waiting for Dierckxsens
to snag his wheel, Pineau won't raise the pace even a touch - he
understands national pride. Halgand is fully committed, and couldn't
have picked a more opportune moment, as the other three just continue
trading the pacemaking with just 5 km to go.  He's continued to stretch
out what began as a 100 yard gap, while Pineau takes micro-pulls to the
chagrin of the other two riders. Perhaps his inability to chase Halgand
has more to do with the lack of anything resembling  power in his legs.
The trio works extremely poorly together - spreading across the roadway
anytime the lead rider begins to drop back.  They are probably a bit
embarrassed to have not nabbed the break of Halgand - now up to 20
seconds.

With pain creeping  up from his ankles to his hips, the 1 km to go
banner waves over Halgand's head.  He doesn't seem to be letting himself
admit it, but the race is almost definitely his.  Into the broad city
streets of Pau, Halgand takes one last look back with 500 meters to go,
then another over the other shoulder.  A quick check of the jersey
zipper and finally, a smile creeps through his pain - providing the
first French vicitory of this year's Tour.  Hands upraised, kisses to
sky, Patrice Halgand of Jean Delatour takes the stage with a solo
victory.

Somehow Pineau somehow gets away from the Dierckxsens/OGrady pair - I
wouldn't have taken 10 to 1 odds on that and finishes in second. He is
either amazed at his good fortune or aggravated that he didn't think to
attack earlier.  O'Grady and Dierckxsens duke it for the line, and it
will have to go to the photos to see who won that challenge!

But, Green Jersey points are still up for grabs as the peloton rolls
into town.  Baden Cooke has a gap over the sprinters, but he's clearly
gone too early as Zabel begins closing the gap, dodging through erratic
traffic as McEwen fires out past the German's shoulder.  McEwen's
explosive power immediately puts him out in front of Zabel, and he comes
up past Cooke to take maximum points in the group.  He's beaten Zabel to
the line, and will take over the Green Points Jersey as they head into
the mountains tomorrow.

Today's stage - the riders covered 147 km in just over three hours. No
word on whether that is a new stage record, but they really were flying!

Stage 10 -
Patrice Halgand  - Jean Delatour
Jerome Pineau - Bonjour
Stuart O'Grady - Credit Agricole
Ludo Dierckxsens - Lampre
Pedro Horillo - Mapei

GC -
Malliot Juane - Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (ONCE)
2. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, at 00:26.
3. Joseba Beloki (Spa), ONCE, at 01:23.
4. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), Fassa Bortolo, at 01:35.
5. Santiago Botero (Col), Kelme, at 01:55.
6. Andrea Peron (Ita), CSC-Tiscali, at 02:08.
7. David Millar (Gbr), Cofidis, at 02:11.


Tomorrow: Stage 11 - Pau  to La Mongie
158 km - climbing Col d'Aubisque (HC) and finishing on La Mongie (1).

As Paul Sherwin says - "This is the important rendevous"
This is the strategic crux of this year's Tour.  Perhaps not this stage,
but the next few days will show us exactly who has the legs to climb,
and only those who can truly challenge for this year's Tour.


Today's Trivia answer:
Jean Robic, who won in 1947, 1948 and 1953

(I had guessed Charly Gaul)