[Tour 2005]Stage 10 - Grenoble - Courchevel

[race-report@cyclofiend.com]

Stage 10
Grenoble - Courchevel - 192 km
One of the three true mountaintop finishes on this year's Tour. There
are a couple of sprint points tossed in there to mock the sprinters, but
there's a climb at around 118 kilometers - the Cat 1 Cormet de Roselend
which reaches 1967 meters, the climb to the tape at Courchevel, a 22 km
climb which averages a bit over 6% to the height of 2,000 meters.

The big variable as always will be how each rider reacts to the Rest
Day. Sometimes, the day off will effect them negatively as the body
bucks like a scared colt given time to consider the damage already done.

Jan Ullrich spent some of the day off at the hospital getting x-rayed.
Everything came back negative, but the report comes that he spun several
times on the roadway, and the doctors were concerned about his ribs.
Nothing like a little pain in every breath to welcome you to the Alps.

174 riders out on the roadway, as with a random control test Lampre's
Evgeni Petrov has been given a mandatory rest when they find his
hematocrit a bit too high to let him continue.

The bunch rolls up the incline of the Cormet de Roseland, chasing a
break of 7 who are 6:21 ahead.

Joost Posthuma- Rabobank
Luis Sanchez - Liberty Sequros
Mauro Facci - Fasso Basso
Laurent Brochard - Bouygues Telecom
Gianluca Bortolami - Lampre
Inaki Isasi - Euskatel-Euskadi
Yuri Krivtsov - Ag2R

As we speak, Bortolami and Isasi can no longer hold the pace, and
fracturing begins to occur both within the small break group and back at
the pack. While the bulk of the main bunch rides a sublty increasing
tempo, various single riders test their climbing gear and move
tentatively away. The solid pace of the bunch reels them in, but more
riders drip off the back under the increase of pressure.

Iban Mayo of Euskatel-Euskadi lags among the cars, suffering from a bit
of tendonitis it is reported. The larger gears of the flatter stages
have not been kind to this dynamic Basque climber.

Discovery's Manual Beltran sets pace and noshes some sort of special
foodstuff. The peleton still remains about 5 minutes behind Posthuma,
Facci, Sanchez, Brochard and Krivtsov, who have found their climbing
styles to be compatible and keep together on the long climb.

Brochard nips the mountain points as things stretch out slightly in
anticipation of the screaming descent.

Meanwhile back behind on the slope, Phonak's Oscar Pereiro hums away and
leads the now select group of 35 or 40 riders. He is quickly joined by
Jorg Jaksche from Liberty Seguros and the two of them ease out into the
gap toward the break members.

On the horizon, dark clouds press in on the mountains up ahead. Jaksche
and Pereiro howl down the non-guardrailed rowadways at 62 mph, according
to the speedometer of the motorcycle. Now well out on his own, Brochard
takes his former World Champion's mullet along at a brisk clip.

The gap hovers at 3:50 as riders in the Armstrong group spread across
the roadway and refuel for the larger climb.

Posthuma and Krivtsov move down the mountain about 20 seconds behind
Brochard.

Discovery's Yaroslav Popovych picks himself off the roadway, having gone
down following what seems to have been a puncture or blowout - It's hard
to tell if there's a big puddle of blood on the roadway below him as
they swap rear wheels. But, there doesn't seem to be a corresponding
hole in the rider, so hopefully it's just a matter of reattaching
himself to the bunch. Reports come through that he actually contacted a
team car. Hopefully not his own.

Brochard scoots through the town of Bourg-St-Marie at 54 km to go. He
rolls through the sprint point there and begins calculating

Posthuma, Facci, Bortolami and Krivtsov have found one another just this
side of the same sprint point, and let the recently returned but not a
threat for the last climb Bortolami take the points for the Green Jersey.

Sanchez hums up out of nowhere and joins Brochard, and they begin
working together

Popovych rolls along beside the race doctor and gets a bit of roadway
cleaned out of his left elbow. Despite a scuffed up jersey, he smiles
easily at the cameras, so hopefully things are fairly topical.

Mayo has found his way back up to the bunch, while Discovery snaps into
pace control formation. They lead an ever-swelling bunch as riders clip
back on after a hard descent and relatively forgiving roadway.

Brochard makes a sour face as Sanchez ceases taking pulls. A quick pan
of the camera shows that Periero and Jaksche's animation has brought all
of the original break back up to the leading duo. Now 9 strong, they
work together.

Discovery begins ticking off a faster cadence, making sure that they
remain in touch with Periero, who could potentially threaten the
strategic goal of Armstrong's Yellow Jersey hopes. Perhaps they just
don't want to let everyone rest up too much before they hit the final
slopes. Lance has an odd, almost overdone grimace on his face. Maybe he
has some designs on this day's stage. Regardless, they snip the gap
quickly down to 3:30.

The lead group moves onto the climb and things begin their inexorable
slide toward entropy and pain. Brochard wavers in the vicinity of
Periero and Jaksche, who have left all the other pretenders behind now
that the slope begins to bite.

Among the Discovery-led chasers, Voigt begins to crumble a bit while the
gap gets squeezed down to about 2 and a half minutes. Mayo has already
found the small chainring, and his knees move in the ungainly style of a
sprinter caught on a steep climb. He's clearly not enjoying what should
be his terrain. Groups of other riders begin to litter the roadway,
while up front Discovery seems to move with the ease of a training ride.
Of coure, other serious competitors hover directly behind him, waiting
perhaps to see what treachery Armstrong will unleash.

Now up front Pereiro gets neatly clipped off by a big ring accelleration
of Jaksche. He has a 10 mile climb to go but attacks the early
switchbacks and has found his own rhythm.

The chasing group have a team photo opportunity as they lead up the
climb. Denis Menchov of Rabobank slides back, accompanied by Haimar
Zubeldia from Euskatel and -- well, well, well -- a diminutive climber
named Roberto Heras. His teammate Joseba Beloki falls away as well.

CSC's Carlos Sastre decides he's not in enough pain and clicks up the
roadway. He gets a bit of a gap, but the Discovery machine smothly keep
him in their sights. They reclaim Brochard, who finds a similar pace
with American's Chris Horner and Bobby Julich.

Up front, Vinokourov, Ullrich and Levi Leipheimer sit directly behind
the impassive Armstrong. Ivan Basso and Floyd Landis sit among what is
now a select group of 14 riders. Well behind them on the roadway, a
group of challengers to the throne collects itself, with Voigt and the
Yellow Jesey trying to stay in touch.

Vinokourov slides to the back of the bunch. Either he has plans to fire
away or he has found marshmellows in his thighs. Hincapie pulls off and
starts the soft-pedal part of his climb. Popovych now remains at the
head of events.

A number of pure climbers sit in the bunch. But, one who doesn't is
Vinokourov. He keeps looking down at his gears, opens his jersey and
finds he has not got the gumption to stay stuck.

Armstrong has pushed the pbtton. Popovych hammers up the roadway and
aplinters the group. He buries hiimself for a couple hundred meters and
now Armstrong begins his crunch. Basso hangs onto the accelleration, as
does Rasmussen, but Ullrich and Floyd Landis have fallen away.

Francisco Mancebo takes upu the pace, Armstrong content to follow the
new pacemaker, while Rassmussen, Basso follow. Mancebo now falls away to
an increase of pace by Armstrong. They find Jaksche drifting back and
now the chase group is the lead group.

Kloden has found himself all alone, still more than 10km to go.

Armstong nudges Rassmussen ahead of him as the Devil runs alongside the
bunch. Leipheimer now claws his way back as Cadel Evans can no longer
stay attached. Mancebo looks to be struggling, though his teammate
Alejandro Valverde looks reasonably assured. The road slackens somewhat,
Armstrong drifts back through the group of five, asn after a quick
assessment moves stongly back into the lead. The accellerations have
left Leipheimer again, and it is a group of five once more.

Basso looks to be working hard to stay attached to the lead bunch, and
he and Mancebo suddenly find themselves adrift. Mancebo hikes up his
chamois and regains the bunch, but Basso has begun to pedal chunky
squares. The band plays the songs dictated by the Armstrong quartet.

Basso has now fallen back by 15 seconds.

Ullrich has found the wheel of Andreas Kloden, and with the roadway
slightly relaxing, they take aim at those who are in front of him.

The Yellow Jersey pedals in ragged stumpy movements, drinking water and
trying to limit his loses, which are in the neighborhood of 13 minutes
and counting.

Armstrong has gapped Ullrich by 1:13, but there are steeper bits to come
bfore the finish. Some yum-yum wearing a set of longhorns and carrying a
massive Texas flag runs alongside the lead quartet.

The two Illes Balears riders lead the charge through the 5 km to go
mark, Mancebo turning himself inside out to keep the pace high. Now
Armstrong pushes to the front as they move through the final town.

Landis goes through the 5 km banner 1:15 behind the lead quartet. They
slalom a few ninnys who populate the climb and Armstrong retakes the
front. He calmly zips up his jersey for maximum sponsor representation.
They now are safely inside the 2 km to go banner, and steel barriers
hold back the serious drinkers. A few more switchbacks go past and the
riders jostle for positon. Now Rassmussen takes the front. Armstrongs
faster cadence lets him move easily within the bunch, and he places
himself in the middle of everyone, a bit towards the back.

Armstrong rises out of the saddle, seemingly more for a change of angle
than for an actual attack. The foursome slides into darkness in a short
tunnel and pop out under the 1 km to go banner. They hover around
Armstrong as if he is the sun.

Rasmussen decides to make hay and whisks out and fires up, Valverde
nabbing his wheel, Armstrong in third. The thin Danish rider has
probably misjudged the finish, but is managing to put time on all his
competitors. Armstrong looks at everyone in front while Rassmussen may
have lost the impetus to continue leading.

Now Armstrong fires away and Valverde screams his way onto his wheel.
They quickly gap the other pair and Armstrong leads Valverde at 250 to
go - not the best place to be if you want to take a sprint. Valverde now
goes and times his effort to perfection - he sneaks ahead as Lance takes
second. They have both gapped Rassmusen and Mancebo.

Ivan Basso slides along at around 1:00

Levi Leipheimer finishes near 1:15

Jaksche paces a gang of hopefuls, which includes Ullrich - 2:15 back.

Vinokourov makes his way over the line a bit over 5 minutes back. Julich
accompanies him, but some serious damage has occurred to the T-Mobile
rider's hope of challenging.

Roberto Heras finishes over 10 minutes behind. Reports are that Voigt
has seriously self-destructed on the final climb, paying high interest
on the efforts he made on Sunday's stage.

Stage 10 -
1 - Alejandro Valverde - Illes Balears - 4:50:35
2 - Lance Armstrong - Discovery - s.t.
3 - Michael Rassmussen - Rabobank - +:09
4 - Francisco Mancebo - s.t.
5 - Ivan Basso - CSC - +1:02
6 - Levi Leipheimer - Gerolsteiner - +1:15
7 - Eddy Mazzoleni - Lampre - +2:14
8 - Andreas Kloden - T-Mobile - s.t.
9 - Andrey Kashechkin - Credit Agricole - s.t.
10 - Floyd Landis - Phonak - s.t.
11 - Leonardo Piepoli - Saunier Duval - s.t.
12 - Jan Ullrich - T-Mobile - s.t.
13 - Jorge Jaksche - Liberty Seguros - s.t.

GC - After 10 Stages -
MJ - Lance Armstrong - Discovery - 37:11:04
2- Michael Rassmussen - Rabobank - +:38
3 - Ivan Bass - CSC - +2:40
4 - Christophe Moreau - Credit Agricole - +2:42
5 - Alejandro Valverde - Illes Balears - +3:16

Jan Ullrich sits in 8th spot, 4:02 behind Armstrong. Floyd Landis sits
4:10 in arrears.

Tomorrow's Stage -
Stage 11 - Courchevel - Briancon - 173 km
Another day of potential damage and probable pain in high altitude.
Armstrong will wear his 72nd Yellow Jersey as the day begins deceptively
easily, heading downhill from the city of Courchevel to climb the first
Haute Categorie climb of the Tour - the Col de la Madeleine, then a
one-two pummeling of the Cat 1 Col du Telegraphe and the HC Col du
Galibier. Though the potential for more wreckage is great, the finish
sits another 40 km beyond in Briacon, at the end of a potentially
rider-collecting downhill.

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