Live Coverage - Stage 12 Tour de France, 2008
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01:09 PM: Good day and welcome
to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 12th stage of the 95th edition of the Tour de France, a 168.5-kilometer stage from Lavelanet to Narbonne.
This another transitional stage, taking the peloton from the Pyrenees to the Alps. Upon leaving Lavelanet (population 7,500), this stage stays in the foothills of the Pyrenees, with a few easy uphills for the first 75km. This is followed by 50km of rolling roads just inland from the Mediterranean coast before the course takes a straight shot across the plains for the final 25km into the ancient city of Narbonne (population 53,000) for a downtown finish on the Avenue General Leclerc.
There are 165 of the original 180 riders remaining in the Tour, the latest rider to leave the Tour is double stage winner Ricardo Ricco of Saunier Duval, who tested positive for a novel erythropoietic agent known as erythropoiesis receptor activator (CERA), a new agent, which medical professionals say is a promising treatment for anemia.
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01:12 PM: Start expected at 1:25 p.m.
There is a short neutral zone before today's start. We expect the 165-rider peloton to reach the official start at 1:25 p.m.
We are also now trying to get further information on today's breaking story, that Saunier Duval's Ricardo Ricco has tested positive for continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator (CERA).
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01:22 PM: Anti-Doping officials
have confirmed that Ricco has tested positive. He was questioned by police this morning and was driven from his hotel in a Saunier Duval team car. The rest of the team, it appears, will be allowed to start today's stage.
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01:25 PM: Correction: Saunier Duval out
The entire Saunier Duval team has withdrawn from the 2008 Tour de France.
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01:30 PM: Off they go
the peloton is on route, albeit without the company of Riccardo Ricco, Juan Jose Cobo, David De La Fuente, Josep Jufre Pou and Leonardo Piepoli.
Ricco was leading in the best young rider competition, while he and De la Fuente held the top two spots in the KOM contest. As a result, Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner) now leads the KOM with 57 points and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) is now the Tour's best young rider. Helluva way to shake up those standings, eh?
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01:30 PM: After 5km
the peloton is still together. There have been several attacks, but no one has gained an advantage.
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01:33 PM: At 8km
we see another dig, with six riders off the front of the field by about 30 seconds. We have yet to get IDs... although we're pretty darn sure none of them is wearing a Saunier Duval jersey.
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01:40 PM: Stage finishes in Narbonne
The most recent Tour stop in Narbonne was in 2003 when a stage started there. You might remember that one, because that was the day the Ahhhhnold stopped at the Tour to cheer on Lance Armstrong. Back then Arnold Schwarzenegger was just a movie star and had not yet campaigned for Governor of California.
Now you have to go back all the way to 1955 when a Tour stage last finished in Narbonne. That's when French regional team rider Louis Caput out-sprinted a 15-man breakaway group, seven minutes ahead of the pack.
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01:40 PM: It's been frantic
With a number of attacks going off, but at this point, the peloton is intact at the 17km mark.
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01:43 PM: Another attack
We have seven riders off the front at the 19km mark. They have maybe 10 seconds if they're lucky.
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01:45 PM: Drop us a line
If you have a comment, question or complaint, feel free to hit the "Contact our editors" link at the bottom of our Live Update Window. We'll try to answer many, address your concerns and even post a few during today's coverage.
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01:48 PM: All together - for now
We had a group of seven that earned just over 30 seconds -- enough for Race Radio to give us their IDs -- but they have been pulled back. Our daily Tour journal rider Will Frischkorn was among those it the break.
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01:50 PM: At 20k
Still together. Baden Cooke of Barloworld took a crash a few ks ago, but he appears to be up and back in the running. Barloworld, with just five riders left (last we checked) can't afford any more crashes.
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01:58 PM: Good Question
Live Update Dude,
Will Ricardo Ricco still be awarded the two stages he won. If not who did win those stages and by how much.
Sam
At some point in the process, the second-placed rider would be awarded the stage win, at least for the record books. We don't think we are getting too far ahead of ourselves to bring this up ... So in stage 6, Alejandro Valverde was second behind Ricco, and in stage 9, Vladimir Efimkin was second.
Now, it will get a bit more dramatic if Ricco's teammates Piepoli and Cobo are implicated directly. They were one-two on stage 10 atop the Hautacam, with Frank Schleck the first non-Saunier Duval rider to cross the line.
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02:00 PM: At 25k
We are still together - all except one, that is: Baden Cooke has left the race. We sincerely hate to see anyone leave the race THAT way. We are down to 158 riders in this Tour.
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02:07 PM: 32km raced
Lots of attacks, still, but no one has established a real break.
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02:12 PM: Two Frenchmen
Arnaud Gerard (Francaise des Jeux) and Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) have 30 seconds.
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02:15 PM: Over 1 minute
The two have built up a lead of over one minute as we pass the 40k mark.
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02:21 PM: Who are these guys?
Well, Dumoulin you will remember for winning stage 3, lo these many days ago. He was in 155th place after yesterday's stage, at 1:51:29 (his ranking will be improved, of course, by the departure of Saunier Duval).
Gerard was in 146th, at 1:47:46 after yesterday's stage.
Their gap is around 1:20 at the 44km mark. Bouygues Telecom was leading the chase, but the team seems to have pulled back and the two are increasing their lead.
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02:25 PM: Nature break
The peloton has apparently signaled that the pair is welcome to their lead.
What is that signal? A mass natural break beside the road. It's not a terribly dignified signal (almost a marking, is the word that comes to mind), but our two young leaders are not complaining as their lead has instantly increased to about 2:20 and is likely to grow.
We are at about the 50k mark.
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02:29 PM: 50k
Yessa: the peloton has passed the 50k mark and the lead is up to 3:40.
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02:35 PM: Leaders on the little climb
Gerard and Dumoulin are on the Col du Camperie, a fourth category climb that tops at the 57.5km mark.
Their lead is over four minutes.
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02:46 PM: Letters, we get letters
The ol' mail box is filling up faster than we can read them, re: the Ricco affair.
We are sure that Charles Pelkey, VeloNews' resident doping expert, will have a more nuanced and experienced response that will be shared with readers soon.
But the Part-time Auxilliary Live Update Dude du jour would like to respond to the questions about whether the expulsion of Ricco and his team will be followed by more scandals this year. And I would suggest that readers try to see the video from the Hautacam, when Piepoli and Cobo glided away from a rather elite group in the final kilometers.
Look at their faces, then look at the faces in the chase — of Frank Schleck and Cadel Evans and Christian Vande Velde. Then make your own conclusions.
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02:48 PM: Back to the race
The peloton is over the Col and Lang - our new KOM leader, with Ricco's departure - grabbed the third place point behind Dumoulin and Gerard.
At the 58km mark, the duo's lead is 3:20.
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02:50 PM: Entering the rollers
This is a pretty flat stage, but there will be a few more ks of rollers before the course turns north and shoots across the plains into Narbonne.
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02:51 PM: Updated Ricco story
VeloNews.com has posted an updated Charles Pelkey story on the homepage.
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02:56 PM: Gap coming down
Columbia and Silence-Lotto has taken over at the front of the peloton, and the gap is coming down to near two minutes.
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03:02 PM: Credit Agricole
Thor Hushovd's team is pitching in. The gap at 72km is 2:30.
The leaders are approaching an intermediate sprint.
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03:04 PM: Freire
Green jersey Oscar Freire took the third place points at the sprint, ahead of Hushovd.
Up front Gerard got the first points.
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03:16 PM: Quick Step, Columbia, Credit Ag ...
The sprinters teams have taken control of the front of the peloton. This may be the first gutter-to-gutter field sprint since Columbia's Mark Cavendish won stage 5.
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03:17 PM: The gap
It's about 1:20 now with about 76km left in the race.
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03:22 PM: Settling in
The pack has got its feed and the chase has mellowed out. The peloton is taking up the whole road as the riders dig into their musettes. The latest gap is 1:20 to our two leaders, Dumoulin and Gerard.
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03:24 PM: Crash
A Credit Agricole rider has gone down in the pack.
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03:28 PM: The C-A rider
It was Jimmy Engoulvent, who is back up and chasing with a new bike. Two Euskaltel riders also were involved in the crash, but they popped right back up.
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03:39 PM: Update
Arnaud Gerard (Francaise des Jeux) and Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) have about 1:30 with 64km to go. Dumoulin, the stage 3 winner, is 1 hour 51 minutes behind race leader Cadel Evans on GC. Dumoulin is about 1 hour 47 minutes back.
The two are working well together on a sunny day. Their tail wind has turned into a bit of a cross wind now ... meanwhile, the sprinters teams are patrolling the front of the field, but they seem content to give these fellows a minute or two at this point.
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03:41 PM: C-A?
Credit Agricole has not been at the front much since the feedzone. Columbia and Quick Step are doing the majority of the work, with Evans' Silence Lotto keeping him safely near the front and out of the wind.
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03:44 PM: Sprint the Second
The next intermediate sprint is at Thezan Des Corbieres, at the 142km mark, about 35km away. As the green jersey contenders get hungry for those points, the two men up front are in danger of being sucked up.
Their lead is under one minute now.
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03:45 PM: Sweet, sweet day
Didn't it rain during the first days of this Tour? A day like today could make you forget. We are getting some sweet Mediterranean sun today.
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03:50 PM: The towns
A reader has asked the Live Update Dude du Jour to mention the towns the peloton is passing through. The leaders are coming into a wee burgh called Villeneuve Les Corbieres.
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03:53 PM: Conditions in Narbonne
It's about 29 degrees (84 degrees F). They are saying there is a chance of rain, but we don't see that happening.
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03:55 PM: Wow
Euskaltel's J.J. Oroz has bridged across to our lead duo rather quickly. The gap from the peloton is still near 45 seconds.
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03:56 PM: Oroz leading
The leaders have topped off a small climb and are on the descent. Oroz is on the front, tucking.
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04:02 PM: Now they are working together
These three, the relationship did not start out so swell when Oroz bridged and tried to go straight past Dumoulin and Gerard. But they are now working well together and the gap has grown to over a minute again.
The peloton gave a big collective shrug. They are continuing to roll along comfortably, with Columbia, Quick Step and we think some Caisse d'Epargne riders at the front.
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04:10 PM: 1:30
The gap is back to 1:30 as we pass through the Villesque des Corbieres, about 39km to go to the finish.
Oroz is powering the break, which is 12 or 13k from the day's second sprint line.
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04:14 PM: The Wall of Silence
Well, not really a wall, but we liked that line. But they are up at the front again, keeping things rolling.
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04:18 PM: Carrefour
The gap is under 1 minute - about 51s - as Silence Lotto leads the chase with about 34k to go.
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04:23 PM: "The new generation"
VeloNews' Neal Rogers talked to Rolf Aldag this morning about the Ricco Affair.
“It’s even more disappointing and frustrating because Ricco is from the new generation,” said Aldag, who is now a Team Columbia director. Aldag confessed to doping during the 90s while riding with the German Telekom squad.
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04:25 PM: whop - less than 40s
The gap has come down to around 40s. Silence Lotto, Columbia and Milram are at the front, but they have not started to chase in earnest.
The wind should be slipping around to give a tailwind for the last 20k or so, so we can expect the peloton speeds to really ramp up.
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04:28 PM: Update
Just a reminder, we have three men off the front as we enter the last 34km of the stage. Dumoulin and Gerard took off at about the 40km mark and were joined by Euskaltel's Juan Oroz about 15km ago.
The three are approaching the second sprint of the day with around 30 seconds over the peloton.
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04:41 PM: The gap
It's growing again as the sprinters teams watch each other in the peloton.
Our man Andrew Hood spoke with Oscar Freire this morning at the start. He said he’s hoping for a win today: “Today is a good opportunity. The legs are slowly feeling better. I can usually do pretty well in the sprints in the second half of the Tour. There aren’t many sprints this year, so we cannot miss the opportunity if it’s there. I will keep plugging away at the green jersey points. I was in the break (Sunday) but I didn’t feel well yesterday. The day after the rest day is always hard for me.”
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04:41 PM: The three
are approaching the intermediate sprint.
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04:42 PM: Dumoulin gets it
Followed by Gerard and Oroz
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04:44 PM: The finish
The pack may be finally starting to really chase. The gap is 42s at 20k to go.
The finish is fast and flat in the final kilometers. There’s a sweeping right-hander just at the 1km to go kite, but it’s straight into the finish from there. There will be some brisk cross-headwinds that will definitely complicate the final sprint for riders trying to open up long sprints.
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04:45 PM: Ricco
And if it would amuse you to see Ricco being led away from the race this morning, here's a link to a video: http://tour2008.nos.nl/nieuws/artikel/ID/tcm:45-397146/
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04:49 PM: Quick Step
Quick Step is more prominent at the front than we've see so far this Tour. They've got about five guys up there.
15k to go
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04:52 PM: 15s
The break is almost within sight. The front is getting hectic, we see some Liquigas up there, Milram, Columbia, Quick Step.
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04:57 PM: 10s at 10k
The break is nearly caught. It's going to be a wild ride the last 6.2 miles ...
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04:57 PM: Caught
Stu O'Grady is the first to "weld" the pack together.
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04:58 PM: Evans
Evans is near the front, but seems to be almost on his own ... where are his mates?
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04:59 PM: Evans
Evans is on the wheel of a Quick Step rider, with several CSC riders nearby.
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05:00 PM: Evans in fourth position
right up front, Columbia is moving up en mass
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05:00 PM: 4k to go
Columbia is all over the front, and some Liquigas
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05:01 PM: The road
A roundabout then a big wide road
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05:01 PM: The pack stretches out
single file now
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05:02 PM: Credit Agricole
They've got 4 or 5 guys near the front, but Columbia is driving
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05:03 PM: 1.5k to go
Columbia still ruling the front, Milram moving up for Zabel
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05:03 PM: last k
so much blue...
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05:03 PM: Thor?
C-A is taking the front
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05:04 PM: Cav goes
Cav going
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05:04 PM: Cavendish gets it
His third stage win
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05:05 PM: Cavendish
He lost his train in the last 500 meters, but came from a bit back on the left to grab the win with time to raise three fingers.
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05:05 PM: Chavanel second
Steegmans third, Zabel fourth
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05:11 PM: Freire fifth
Hushovd was seventh, so Freire pads his points lead a bit.
Evans and Frank Schleck were s.t., so the Australian maintains his 1s lead.
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05:13 PM: That's all from here
Thanks for following along. Keep an eye on VeloNews.com today for continued coverage of the Ricco story. And check back here tomorrow for live coverage of stage 13, a roling 182km route from Narbonne to Nimes.
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