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Hincapie just misses yellow as Ivanov takes stage
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Katusha's Sergei Ivanov won Saturday's stage 14, a mostly flat transition stage from Friday's day in the mountainous Verges region and Sunday's first day in the Alps.
Ivanov attacked his 11 breakaway companions in the final 11 kilometers and used his time trial skills to roll away to an impressive win.
His breakaway companion George Hincapie almost snagged the yellow jersey from Rinaldo Nocentini, finishing just five seconds too late to take the lead.
Cav' in early break?
A group of 14 rolled off in the rain just about 15k into the stage, and among the group was Columbia's Mark Cavendish, perhaps thinking he could grab some points at the first intermediate sprint at the 34km mark.
But, perhaps at the urging of his breakmates, the Manxster soon sat up and faded back the peloton.
His teammate Hincapie did remain in the break, along with a dozen others.
The break
- Hayden Roulston (Cervelo)
- Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank)
- Martijn Maaskant (Garmin)
- George Hincapie (Columbia)
- Nicolas Roche (Ag2r)
- Daniele Bennati (Liquigas)
2009 TdF, stage 14: Ivanov early on in the break. Voigt would eventually go back to the peloton. - Daniele Righi (Lampre)
- Christophe Le Mevel (FdJ)
- Sebastien Minard (Cofidis)
- Frederik Willems (Liquigas)
- Sergei Ivanov (Katusha)
- Gerald Ciolek (Milram)
- Albert Timer (Skil-Shimano)
On a day where another sprinter showdown between Cavendish and Garmin's Tyler Farrar was expected, the presence of Hincapie and Maaskant in the break complicated things: would Columbia and Garmin (not to mention Thor Hushovd's Cervelo team) chase to set up a field sprint, or allow their breakaway men to vie for the win?
Early chase duties fell to teams without representation in the break: Silence Lotto, Bbox, Rabobank and Quick Step. But there was some serious firepower among the lucky 13 off the front, and after an hour they had a one-minute gap. In the second hour, the rubber band snapped and the break's lead ballooned to over three minutes.
Perennial breakaway artist Voigt, however, suffered an untimely flat and a slow wheel change, and, after a brief chase, decided to wait for the peloton.
By the time the remaining dozen crossed the day's first categorized climb, the Cote de Lebetain at the 90km mark, they had more than five-minutes' lead and Astana took up chase duties at the front of the peloton.
Hincapie was the best-placed rider in the break, at 5:25 behind Nocentini, and became the race leader on the road by the halfway point of the stage. The gap later opened to over eight minutes, putting the American three minutes into virtual yellow.
Astana continued to patrol the front, while Nocentini's Ag2r team had Roche in the break, and declined to contribute to the chase until the final 50km.
2009 Tour de France
- Stage 14: Colmar to Besançon
- 199km (123.7 miles)
- Stage winner: Sergei Ivanov (Katusha) in
- Stage winner's average speed:
- GC leader: Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r)
- Points leader: Thor Husvhod (Cervélo TestTeam)
- Climbing leader: Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas)
- Team GC leader:
- Best young rider: Tony Martin (Columbia-HTC)
- Stage wins/GC leaders
- Stage 1 (ITT): Fabian Cancellara/Cancellara
- Stage 2: Cavendish/Cancellara
- Stage 3: Cavendish/Cancellara
- Stage 4 (TTT): Astana/Cancellara
- Stage 5: Thomas Voeckler/Cancellara
- Stage 6: Thor Hushovd/Cancellara
- Stage 7: Brice Feillu/Rinaldo Nocentini
- Stage 8: Luis Leon Sanchez/Nocentini
- Stage 9: Pierrik Fedrigo/Nocentini
- Stage 10: Cavendish/Nocentini
- Stage 11: Cavendish/Nocentini
- Stage 12: Nicki Sorensen/Nocentini
- Stage 13: Heinrich Haussler/Nocentini
- Up Next:
- Sunday’s stage 15 is a 207km (129 mile) ride through the Swiss Alps. The route crosses four category 3 cliimbs before hitting the Cat. 2 Col des Mosses, then on the cat. 1 mountaintop finish on the Verbier climb, at 8.8km and average 7.1 percent grade.
Fresh legs in the chase, for a while
With 35km to go, Hincapie threw in an acceleration, trying to dump some tired legs in the break as the Ag2r chase began to narrow the gap.
Ag2r chased steadily, but the break, powered by Hincapie, carried a lead of more than six minutes into the final 15k.
The finale
Roche took the first flyer, with about 12k to go. He was reeled back and countered by Ivanov, who opened a big gap and blew apart the breakaway.
The Russian time trial champ rode smoothly off the front while Roulston and Timmer dangled off the front of the disorganized breakaway.
In the final 2k, Roche bridged to Roulston and Timmer and grabbed second place. Hincapie crossed at the same time and began to watch the clock, waiting to see if Nocentini would cross in time to retain his jersey.
Columbia found itself in an odd position, trying to set up Cavendish to win the field sprint (to grab points) while not towing Nocentini back into the lead.
Garmin was prominent at the front in the final kilometers but Cavendish led the pack in for 13th place, and Hincapie missed taking the jersey by five seconds, unofficially. Hincapie will enter the Alps Sunday in second place, behind Nocentini and one second ahead of Astana's Alberto Contador.
Following the stage, Garmin manager Jonathan Vaughters said his team moved to the front of the peloton for reasons “that had nothing to do with George or Columbia.
“Wiggo almost lost 15 seconds the other day due to a split,” Vaughters posted on his Twitter page. “We can't have that happen again.”
After the race, officials relegated Cavendish to the back of the pack, saying he failed to hold his line in the finish. Thor Hushovd was given the points for 13th place, giving the Norwegian an 18-point lead in the green jersey competition.
