95th Tour de France - le Tour Report Card: Overall
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An overall look at what was a fantastic Tour this year. Brand new winners in all
individual classifications graced the final podium but the action started right
from the very first stage and kept all enthralled until the very end…
By Tim Lee
Le Tour started with five main favourites. Four of these finished in the top
ten while the others did not finish so the tipsters were fairly well on the
money.
The Points Classification winner has been threatening a performance like this
for a while and finally made it to Paris to realize a dream.
The Mountains Classification winner was most definitely an accomplished
climber; but a big surprise all the same in his breakout performance this year.
And he took a podium position overall to boot.
The Youth Classification winner has been tipped by every man and his dog to
one day dominate the sport in the not too distant future and confirmed that he
is bang on track to do just this as witnessed by his ride in the mountains this
year.
Britain found themselves a new hero while the sport has getting newfound
attention and respect in Australia, along with the Americans who continue their
tradition of putting someone new in the top ten overall in the post Lance era.
No one likes to dwell on the negatives in life or focus the spotlight on
those who had less than ideal performances, so here is the final definitive
report card for all the ‘winners’ in this years Tour:
A+++ - Carlos ‘Astra’
Sastre rode a very smart race to take home the ultimate prize. The
power of momentum shifted firstly from Valverde, then to Evans, onto senior
Schleck and finally landed with the veteran Sastre who just got stronger and
stronger as le Tour went on. For a rider in the twilight of his career who has
been so close so many times in the grand tours this victory must still be hard
to believe. Among all the speculation of who exactly would lead the CSC team,
Sastre bided his time and only really launched one attack but boy did he make it
count! He then rode a final time trial that his world champion team mate
Cancellara would be proud of and the fairytale was complete. One of the most
respected riders in the peloton, you could count the number of his victories on
two hands. Prior to this win most remember him for his 2003 stage win atop the
Plateau de Bonascre where he crossed the line with his daughter’s dummie in his
mouth. (pacifier for some) Something tells me his legacy will be vastly
different following his latest success…
A++ - Bernhard
‘Bernie’ Kohl rode out of his polka dot-clad skin to claim a place of
the podium in Paris as well as a 48 point victory in the Mountains
Classification. A truly impressive performance from a man that finished 31st in
his first and only other Tour appearance last year. The Austrian was super
strong on Hautacam in stage ten and never ever faded, even in his Achilles, the
time trial. It was a magnificent Tour for the German water boys who also got two
stage wins thanks to Stefan ‘Schuey’ Schumacher but Bernie was the star of the
Gerolsteiner show. Kohl stormed to third overall in the 2006 Dauphine Libere and
promptly transferred to Gerolsteiner and has been a little quiet since, but this
Tour he has exploded and shown the world the extent of his talent. At 26 he is
at least two years younger than anyone else in the top ten and seven years
younger than Sastre so time is definitely on his side.
A+ - Cadel ‘Rock star’ Evans
was justifiably one of the heavy favourites as he was bringing his
form to the boil just in time for le Tour. In reality he rode a phenomenal Tour
considering he was isolated against a formidable trio (and sometimes more!) of
CSC riders that were starting to resemble a pack of hyenas at times. When it is
one versus three, the result is not normally too difficult to predict… But the
little Aussie scored five days in yellow and put up a valiant fight. He single
handedly took the fight all the way to the final TT and can be super proud of
his accomplishments this Tour. He still has a couple of years at the top of the
sport in him so it will be interesting to see if Silence-Lotto further
reinforces the team around him or he finds a new team capable of adequately
supporting him. And do not forget that after finishing second last year, he went
on to have a very strong second half of the season, so watch out Beijing because
Cadel is still on a mission!
A+ - Mark 'Speed of sound’
Cavendish came to this Tour after learning many lessons in a very
humbling first Tour last year. This year was a very different story. Four
sprints, four wins! For a rider so young to win is one thing, but for him to
look so devastatingly unbeatable is another all together. Whilst the Manxman was
in the race, no other sprinter even looked like beating him. This is perhaps
even more amazing given he still has some positioning issues in the kilometres
leading up to the sprints where he is wasting energy. Once he gets this sorted
he will be unstoppable. Hang on he kind of already is… What’s the bet the likes
of Freire, McEwen, Hushovd and co. get together and start a “more hills in le
Tour” campaign for next year because if Cav brings this kind of form again he
will swap his Columbia jersey for a green one without raising much of a sweat at
all.
A - Christian ‘V12’ Vandevelde
rode a solid and consistent Tour this year. The American outperformed
more fancied riders like Valverde and Cunego, helping to warrant Garmin
Chipotle’s wildcard invitation to the race. He hung tough in the high mountains
and stormed home with a blistering final TT that elevated him to a final possie
of fifth on General Classification. After wearing the first Maglia Rosa in this
year’s Giro the American can look back at a great season and in particular two
very successful grand tours. Previously counting 24th as his best Tour
performance, it is amazing what a change of teams and positive attitude can do.
Of course having the form of your life also helps!
A - Oscar ‘Houdini’ Freire
rarely comes to le Tour without having an impact and this year was no
different. He won a stage and held a comfortable margin in the Points
Classification all the way to Paris over former winners Hushovd and Zabel. It is
not too often that the word ‘consistent’ is mentioned in the same sentence as
the Spaniard’s name but it has to be said that he was solid from start to finish
of this year’s Tour. Perhaps made even more impressive by the fact that Rabobank
were heavily weighted to help Menchov in the overall classification. Oscar will
now go to the Olympics with realistic ambitions to add an Olympic gold to his
three Rainbow jerseys.
A - ‘Handy’ Andy Schleck
rose to the expectations of everyone who witnessed his ride in last year’s Giro
d’Italia. Despite unselfishly riding for his older brother and eventual winner
Sastre, junior Schleck looked so comfortable on the climbs (Hautacam excluded)
that it was quite scary. The Luxembourg star has talent seeping from virtually
every crevice of his insanely lean body, and if he can convert this potential
into what most people think he is capable of this guy has got a future filled
with fast cars, island mansions and supermodels. That is, provided he keeps his
head in check. Anyone remember Jan Ullrich? He certainly seems destined to reach
the top of the sport and there would be few pundits willing to bet against him
doing it in the next couple of years.
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