"We are living in momentous times." Cliched, and probably used so much it's beginning to lose its meaning, but still very very true right now, especially in the cycling world. The kind and quality of riding and riders that we have seen this Tour is phenomenal and very rarely encountered.
All eyes were always going to be on Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck in this time trial, as the two main rivals for yellow, plus a weather eye out for Fabian Cancellara who was expected to dominate as always. That doesn't mean there weren't any surprises. This is the Tour de France. There always are.
Cancellara was sufficiently far down in the overall standings that he went off reasonably early, and as expected blitzed the field to record the fastest time thus far. But Cancellara's day was destined to get much worse. The young Australian from Saxobank-Sungard with an increasing reputation for time-trialling, Richie Porte, soon knocked Cancellara off his pedestal - and he was only the first of many. The next rider was the biggest surprise - Vacansoleil unknown Thomas de Gendt got up there to knock Porte down to second.
De Gendt's moment in the sun was to be equally short-lived, as Tony Martin, winner of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine time trial that was ridden on the same course, smashed through everyone's times to come home in a stunning 55:33 that claimed the stage. In perhaps a scary moment for world time trial champion Cancellara, Martin went through the first of three checkpoints just over a minute ahead of the Swiss they call 'Spartacus', suggesting that maybe the Roman's gladiator days are numbered.
Of course the big drawcard of the day was at the very bottom of the start times list. Alberto Contador, Thomas Voeckler, Cadel Evans, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck. Whilst other names like Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) might be thrown into the mix, these five were the ones people were waiting to see, especially as the Tour de France was up for grabs and all of these men wanted it! But only one of them wanted it badly enough, and only one of them was going to win it.
Contador went out hard and fast, clearly hoping to steal a podium position from one of the top four now that the yellow jersey was out of the question. A reasonable time trialler, Contador was quick enough to slot in above the time of Thomas de Gendt and secure third place on the stage. Three minutes further back, Thomas Voeckler, never a good time trialler and usually three minutes off the pace, pulled out one of his best performances in recent years to come 14th, only 2:14 behind Martin.
Meanwhile, behind Voeckler, a battle of the minds was taking place. Cadel Evans, three minutes ahead of Frank Schleck, who was three minutes ahead of brother Andy, was taking the Luxembourgers to town and making it look easy. Both the Schleck boys must have exhausted themselves with their attacks in the mountain stages, because though not noted for their time trials, neither was putting up a very good show, and Andy, usually the better time trialler of the two, was coming in at all the checkpoints a few seconds behind his brother!
Australia's golden boy was having the time of his life. With undoubtedly all of Australia up watching him ride himself towards the yellow, Cadel was riding his own race and following through on the plan made with BMC directeur sportif John Lelangue - alright, forget the GC, let's ride to win the stage. And so Cadel did. A paltry seven seconds behind the split of Tony Martin at the first checkpoint, Cadel had commentators whooping when they realised what he was up to. There were no more discussions of 57 seconds, or 'can Cadel catch up'. A man who can race over 3,000 kilometres for three weeks and then ride to win a stage is no longer just riding for the stage. Cadel was boldly going out there and claiming the yellow jersey as his right there and then, and Andy and Frank were letting him.
The defining moment, indeed, the most glorious moment of the whole stage, was at an arbitrary hour somewhere in the middle of their ride. The SBS coverage had a split screen showing Cadel on the left and Andy on the right, two crouched figures with a time gap written below, initially with Andy's name above with a time gap to the name underneath - Cadel Evans. Shall I try to describe the moment when the gap ticked down to zero, and then the names suddenly switched - equal on time, but advantage Cadel? I think perhaps not, given the English language doesn't contain words to express the utter elation I felt upon seeing those names switch in a show of faith by the telecast guys for the Aussie champion. He gratified that faith, by the way - the number started going back up again, all the time advantage Cadel.
Cadel finished second in the stage in 55:40, 2:31 ahead of 17th-placed Andy Schleck and thus claiming the yellow jersey from the younger rider by 1:34. So, at the finish of the final contested stage of the 2011 Tour de France, Australia's Cadel Evans is wearing the maillot jaune, the grandest prize in world cycling, in that same sport's most famed boulevard. Short of the most truly catastrophic of...catastrophes, Cadel will be wearing that self-same jersey over the finishing line when he enters the history books as the first ever Australian winner of the Tour de France. And mention, too, for the brave Schleck brothers, who will be standing either side of Cadel on the podium tomorrow, and fully deserve to be there. See you in Paris!
De Gendt's moment in the sun was to be equally short-lived, as Tony Martin, winner of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine time trial that was ridden on the same course, smashed through everyone's times to come home in a stunning 55:33 that claimed the stage. In perhaps a scary moment for world time trial champion Cancellara, Martin went through the first of three checkpoints just over a minute ahead of the Swiss they call 'Spartacus', suggesting that maybe the Roman's gladiator days are numbered.
Of course the big drawcard of the day was at the very bottom of the start times list. Alberto Contador, Thomas Voeckler, Cadel Evans, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck. Whilst other names like Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) might be thrown into the mix, these five were the ones people were waiting to see, especially as the Tour de France was up for grabs and all of these men wanted it! But only one of them wanted it badly enough, and only one of them was going to win it.
Contador went out hard and fast, clearly hoping to steal a podium position from one of the top four now that the yellow jersey was out of the question. A reasonable time trialler, Contador was quick enough to slot in above the time of Thomas de Gendt and secure third place on the stage. Three minutes further back, Thomas Voeckler, never a good time trialler and usually three minutes off the pace, pulled out one of his best performances in recent years to come 14th, only 2:14 behind Martin.
Meanwhile, behind Voeckler, a battle of the minds was taking place. Cadel Evans, three minutes ahead of Frank Schleck, who was three minutes ahead of brother Andy, was taking the Luxembourgers to town and making it look easy. Both the Schleck boys must have exhausted themselves with their attacks in the mountain stages, because though not noted for their time trials, neither was putting up a very good show, and Andy, usually the better time trialler of the two, was coming in at all the checkpoints a few seconds behind his brother!
Australia's golden boy was having the time of his life. With undoubtedly all of Australia up watching him ride himself towards the yellow, Cadel was riding his own race and following through on the plan made with BMC directeur sportif John Lelangue - alright, forget the GC, let's ride to win the stage. And so Cadel did. A paltry seven seconds behind the split of Tony Martin at the first checkpoint, Cadel had commentators whooping when they realised what he was up to. There were no more discussions of 57 seconds, or 'can Cadel catch up'. A man who can race over 3,000 kilometres for three weeks and then ride to win a stage is no longer just riding for the stage. Cadel was boldly going out there and claiming the yellow jersey as his right there and then, and Andy and Frank were letting him.
The defining moment, indeed, the most glorious moment of the whole stage, was at an arbitrary hour somewhere in the middle of their ride. The SBS coverage had a split screen showing Cadel on the left and Andy on the right, two crouched figures with a time gap written below, initially with Andy's name above with a time gap to the name underneath - Cadel Evans. Shall I try to describe the moment when the gap ticked down to zero, and then the names suddenly switched - equal on time, but advantage Cadel? I think perhaps not, given the English language doesn't contain words to express the utter elation I felt upon seeing those names switch in a show of faith by the telecast guys for the Aussie champion. He gratified that faith, by the way - the number started going back up again, all the time advantage Cadel.
Cadel finished second in the stage in 55:40, 2:31 ahead of 17th-placed Andy Schleck and thus claiming the yellow jersey from the younger rider by 1:34. So, at the finish of the final contested stage of the 2011 Tour de France, Australia's Cadel Evans is wearing the maillot jaune, the grandest prize in world cycling, in that same sport's most famed boulevard. Short of the most truly catastrophic of...catastrophes, Cadel will be wearing that self-same jersey over the finishing line when he enters the history books as the first ever Australian winner of the Tour de France. And mention, too, for the brave Schleck brothers, who will be standing either side of Cadel on the podium tomorrow, and fully deserve to be there. See you in Paris!
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