Tour de Pologne 2013 - Stage 4 - FINAL KILOMETERS

Amazing finish by TP at the Tour de Pologne today. Ma and Pa Phinney must be beaming with pride.

And that's that.

Froome, Sagan and some little kid looking good on the final podium. 

Just like that - It's over. The 100th Tour de France ended with a magnificent show on the Champs-Élyseé. Everything must have been just as ASO planned it. The race was held at twilight or the first time in history. The remaining riders rode in and then did a set of circuits around central Paris to the throngs of adoring fans. As they rode into the city they followed a parade car containing the four greatest living champions in the history of Le Tour; Lemond, Indurain, Hinault and of course the great Eddy Merckx. I couldn't help but wonder how Lance Armstrong must have felt as he sat on his gigantic couch, with those 7 yellow jerseys lining the walls above it and watched as those true champions were presented in front of the cheering fans. There were attacks throughout the day once it got to the circuit, but none that looked serious enough to work. On the last lap things finally heated up and Omega Pharma Quickstep went to the front to set up their man Mark Cavendish. 

Cavendish had won the previous four Tour finalé's on the Champs-Élyseé and was a favorite to do so again...although not the huge favorite he normally is. That is because the story in sprinting for this Tour has not been Cav, but the young German with the stunning Vanilla Ice hairdo - Marcel Kittel. Around 1 km to go his Argos Shimano team came roaring up the middle and forced both Cav and the ever present Sagan to the right side of the course. It appeared that the Missile was caught off guard and was forced to respond with a huge effort. Before he and the rest of the field knew it they were at 500 meters and Kittel still had support ahead. Sagan was the first to fade as Greipel and Cavendish struggled to get back on the younger German's wheel. As he started his sprint Kittel had a half a length lead. The Greilla and the Missile made up much of that difference, but it was a classic case of too little too late. In fact Cavendish nearly crashed in his effort to overtake Kittel, his front wheel skidding over the cobbles on the road and his rear wheel swinging wildly to the right. He maintained his upright position but the race was done and he was third behind Greipel and the newly crowned king of the sprint. 

23 year old Marcel Kittel was one of the big revelations of this tour and his four wins have served to position him as arguably the best sprinter in the world today.  

With the fans thrilled and filled with exciting racing, the stage moved to an actual stage in the middle of the road. The pomp and circumstance was at an all time high for the centenary edition of Le Tour, and they took full advantage of all of the entertainment technology available in the world today and lit the Arch de Triomphe in every jersey color possible. The final color was of course yellow and it called to the stage the newly crowned champion of Le Tour de France - Christopher Froome. He was strong and confident as he accepted his jersey, lion and bouquet. He stood proudly as God Save the Queen played throughout the capitol of France. He then read a short but sincere speech where he politely thanked all of the proper people who helped him make it to the top step of the podium and fulfill his professional dream. 

It was the last line that I'll remember however, because he took the opportunity to respond to all of the doubters and haters out there in the world. He did it with class, the same way he has all race long. He simply said: "This is a beautiful country and it hosts the biggest annual sporting event on the planet. To win the 100th edition is an honour. This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time:."

For your sake and ours Chris - I hope that is true. 

So the 30 somethingth TDF that I have followed in my life is in the books and what a race it was. To those who say that it was boring because Froome was so far above the rest of the field I feel sorry for you. For each days racing was incredible in it's own right. The fight for the lower podium spots went literally until the last km of the last stage ridden in anger. It was a phenomenal event that laid to rest any lingering discussion by the knownothing talking heads who said that cycling was dead in the wake of the Pharmstrong scandal. On the contrary, this race is as vibrant and strong as ever, and we'll keep one eye on the future (but perhaps one eye on the blood tests) which seems brighter than it has been in years. 

Thanks for following along with my madness for the last 23 days. 

For those interested in more, stay tuned for my final "Bicycling life Tour de France 2013 Awards" which will be posted over the next few days. 

As it happened.

Something different today: Going to chronicle the last few km as they happen. Went for a ride this morning and DVR'd the race. I've been on radio silence all day and have managed to keep the results a secret from myself. As I write this Jens Voigt is out front but is just about to be swallowed up by the GC group containing Froome, JRod, Quintana and Contador. Apologies for any typo's but I'm getting this down as fast as I can.

Here goes nothing:

8.5 km - The catch has happened. Jens looks over a the leaders group as they ride past. Chapeau Jens, if this was your last tour break it was a great one. 

8.3 km - J Rod attacks, Nairo follows - and Froome responds!!!! He's riding away from them and Contador is fading. Amazing acceleration!

8.0 km - Froome has made a gap but JRod is pulling Nairo back. The three are together again - Contador is gone. 

7.7 km - Contador is 10 seconds back with Porte on his wheel - Quintana only needs 11 to take second. Kreuziger has blown and is losing a lot of time to Purito.

7.3 km - Mollema is struggling - no top five for him this year.

7.1 km - Contador 24 seconds behind the 3 leaders - he's in 3rd on the road. 

6.9 km - Contador seems to have recovered a bit - only 22 seconds back now. Porte still on his wheel. 

6.7 km - Kreuziger is struggling to pull Contador/Porte back. 

6.3 km - Kreuziger has caught Contador - he's leading him back up. Herioc ride by RK, but the break is still at 27 seconds. 

6.0 km - Froome is out of the saddle and is leading JRod and Nairo up the hill. When will JRod attack?

5.9 km - Contador group 37 seconds back.  JRod takes the lead, but keeps it at tempo. No attack yet. Valverde put in a great ride in support of Quintana today and has now passed Contador/Porte. 

5.3 km - JRod and Quintana looking comfortable as they lead Froome up. Valverde is only 27 seconds back of the leaders - Contador is now 47 seconds back, that means that Purito is virtual 3rd place at the podium!

5.2 km - Chubby pale shirtless guy in a tshirt and rainbow wig. 

4.6 km - The 3 leaders on the road are now the 3 leaders of Le Tour! Contador in danger of dropping further. 

4.2 km - Nairo looks good - has he learned from his earlier attacks? Will he wait for the last minute?

4.0 km - banner just passed - 1:19 to Contador. Quintana seems to be in a bit of stress...

3.5 km - Virtual top 5 on the road: Froome, Quintana, Rodriguez Contador and Kreuziger.

3.2 km - Talansky has caught Contador/Porte - great ride!!

2.8 km - Froome smacks a runner who was too close - runner turns around and looks for another rider to bother.

2.4 km - A giant Papa Smurf just showed up - the freaks are coming out. 

2.1 km - If Quintana finishes ahead of Froome he wins the dotty jumper - if Froome finishes ahead of Quintana he wins the yellow and the polka dots. 

2.0 km - The crowds are really starting to swell now, classic riding up the Somnez. They are inside the banners now. 

1.9 km - Will Purito attack? Only 26 seconds to second for him...

1.8 km - Inside the barriers now. JRod out of the saddle. Kreuziger has cracked. 

1.4 km - Chubby guy in a yellow Tshirt running inside the barriers- hope he doesn't have a heart attack. 

1.2 km - All three out of the saddle. 

1.1 km - Froome Attacks and Quintana follows! JRod cannot respond!

1.0 km - Quintana catches and passes Froome - he's leaving them both behind!!!

0.9 km - Colombia must be losing it's collective mind!!! 2nd spot on the podium is surely secure!

500 meters - he is out of the others sight!

400 meters - J Rod leaves Froome, but it doesn't matter. 

Quintana looks amazing as he crossed the line - both arms in the air in triumph. He wins second place in Le Tour, The white jersey, the polka dot jersey all in his first tour!!

Rodriguez follows 17 seconds behind and has secured 3rd spot on the podium - what a great race after a shaky first week!

Froome crosses 29 seconds back and gives a muted fist pump - he knows he has won his first tour - but the first of how many?

Valverde comes in fourth and has done a great job in support of Quintana - This writer has new found respect for him.

Porte is next in 5th - The MVP of the tour in my opinion - for Team Sky and Froome for sure! Will he be his main competition next year?

Talansky crosses the line just ahead of Contador for 6th place in the stage - What an amazing ride by the kid from Miami. Will he make top 10?

Contador follows Talansky in 7th, his podium dreams are gone but still a great ride by the Spaniard.

John Gadret out of nowhere for 8th.

Jesus Hernandez leads Kreuziger across 9th and 10th - Enough cannot be said about his sacrifice for Contador. 

What a great stage and a great Tour. One of the best in years, sure the overall has barely been in doubt for the last two weeks (or was it ever?), but the racing has still been fantastic and the battle for the lower podium spots has been riveting. 

One more stage tomorrow and then I'll list the final "The Bicycling Life" awards for the race. 

Good times. 

Rui times tui.

Rui celebrates win number 2 of the 2013 Tour - Stage 19 - Photo Credit: Graham Watson

Movistar team is having an incredible tour. With 2 wins from todays victor Rui Alberto Faria da Costa; and another win, the white jersey and a possible podium for Nairo Quintana the team has more than made up for Alejandro Valverde's mechanically induced inability to fulfill his role as GC contendor. It doesn't mean Valverde hasn't been a valuable leader. He was resigned to his fate after losing 10 minutes on the windswept stage to Saint Amond Montrod due to a broken rear wheel. Despite that disappointment he has continued to ride strong and has played domestique extraordinaire for the Colombian while also giving Costa the springboard he needed to ride to 2 victories this week, the second being today's stage 19 which ended with his jump from the break away group to solo to victory on the Col de la Croix Fry. Some might say it's payback for Costa's GC opportunity being eliminated as well when he was ordered to stay back with Valverde and limit his losses on that fateful day in the second week, while the young Quintana was allowed to go with the lead group and maintain the possibility of a podium finish in Paris. 

Rui Costa has had the freedom to make the breaks 2 times in the last 4 days for 2 reasons: 1) he is so far back in the GC that the race leaders are not concerned with him gaining time and 2) Alejandro Valverde has shouldered the load of protecting Quintana against all of the other GC contenders. He has made the most of that freedom by making well timed attacks when the competition was at it's most vulnerable. Today he had teammates Reuben Plaza and J.J. Rojas to work for him in the break. They helped him to make up time on Pierre Rolland who had been out in front on his own for almost 50 km. Costa caught Rolland early in the final climb and then made his move on the steepest part of the road. Rolland had no answer and simply sat up and fixed his glasses on his helmet as he watched the climber from Portugal ride away to victory. 

Costa crossed the line 48 seconds ahead of Andreas Kloden and 1:44 ahead of Klodens Radio shack teammate Bakelants - who continued his strong run in this tour by taking yet another podium. Rollands collapse was dramatic, as he lost over 6 minutes to Costa in only a few kim. He can take solace in the fact that he won enough mountain classification points during his break that he will wear polka dots tomorrow as he sits only one point behind Froome for the outright win in the climbing contest. Expect him to be out front again tomorrow in the final mountain stage of this amazing tour. 

And what of the GC contenders? Well, JRod took the fight to Quintana and Contador, but was unable to distance them and gain any time. Froome had a much less stressful day and handled all of the surges with the same calm and focused efforts we had seen from him on all the stages prior to yesterday. The group ended up crossing the line together nearly 8 minutes behind Costa and the leaderboard remained status quo, with all eyes fixed on tomorrows penultimate stage of the Tour. With 6 categorized climbs and one HC mountain packed in to only 125 km, the riders should be fresh and ready to attack on the final cllimb of the day and the tour - the 8.5 % hors categorie finish up the Annecy - Semnoz. 

Get up early or set that DVR folks, because it should be a true donnybrook on the last real racing day of the 100th edition of Le Tour de France.

Mind = Blown.

One of the most amazing cycling photos I have ever seen - Stage 19 2013 TDF - Photo Credit: CorVas/Cyclingtips

This photo is stunning. It captures all of the drama of the fight for the stage and the GC lead in one incredible moment. Not just any moment mind you, but the moment. That instant where the world realized that for the first time in this years tour, at a crucial moment, Chris Froome was struggling. His arm looks like it is floating, almost beyond his control skyward. Porte is looking back over his shoulder for his leader, he may be starting to hear Froome's voice as it calls out to him. JRod and Quintana's faces are stoic and focused...locked in on the moment to overcome the otherworldly pain that envelopes them. They are still unaware of the coming issues for Froome. The perfect scenario is unfolding behind them and they don't even know it yet. At this point they are still reeling from the sight of Porte leading them...after he had been dropped once. They must be expecting Froome to come around them and force the issue at any time. They are preparing for the brutality of that moment but instead, in a few seconds they will realize he has dropped off the pace and they will reach for another gear and find their wind as an unexpected hope appears. They will work together to distance the maillot jaune and when the dust settles they will gain 59 seconds on Froome and more importantly move in to 3rd and 5th place in the GC, with 2 more high mountain stages to go.

They will learn later that it was not a mechanical as it appeared and as so many of us thought. It was Froome cracking on the biggest day of the tour. They will know that he is human, that he may be vulnerable, and they will plan to attack again and again over the next 2 days in the high mountains. The tour leader will be tested like he never has this weekend by these two and the other GC contenders and it will be amazing to watch.

The Didi is in the details - stage 19 2013 TDF - Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

All of this was happening while up ahead another dramatic battle was taking place between the American TeJay Van Garderen and the Frenchman Christophe Riblon. Both nearly had their races ended earlier in the stage - Tejay by a chain mechanical, and Riblon by an overshot corner on the descent where rode off the side and into the grass...luckily without falling. They had put those issues behind them as they rode up L'Alpe D'Huez for the second time today. Riblon struggled and Van Garderen broke loose with Cannondale's Moreno Moser who he then dispatched a few kilometers up. His lead would stretch out to 45 seconds, but on the second half of the climb Riblon found his legs again and Tejay lost his. It was painful to watch as the American struggled to keep his lead. Riblon was reeling him in kilometer after kilometer. With 4 km left it looked like Van Garderen might hold him off, With 2.4 km to go it was slowly slipping away, and with 1.9 km to go the decision had been made. 

Riblon celebrates just past Dutch corner - stage 19 2013 TDF - Photo Credit: AFP/AFP photo

Riblon rode by Van Garderen with relative ease. The gravity of the moment must have hit him and given him extra strength. For there is no better place for a Frenchman to win a stage of Le Tour de France than at the summit of L'Alpe D'Huez. Riblon is a national hero for his performance and will go down in history for this magnificent ride. He wept as he crossed the line and I'm sure those were not the  only tears flowing. Van Garderen rolled over a full 59 seconds behind the winner. He looked broken at the line despite putting in a fantastic ride for second. But you do not come to the tour to finish second. You do not ride L'Alpe for anything other than the top step of the podium. I'm sure in time Tejay will be able to look back at this day fondly and enjoy the amazing accomplishment for what it was. A truly epic ride on a truly epic day at the 100th Tour de France. 

SPOLER ALERT: The Alpe squared.

Alpe D'Huez. There are few mountains that inspire excitement in a cycling fan like L'Alpe. It may not inspire fear like other riders, but the 21 hair pin turns are not only a path to victory...they are a path to glory for any rider who is first to the top. 

Spoiler alert: The winner of todays stage is revealed after the break. 

What time is it?

Chris Froome on a cheetah...what else would you expect? Don't know who to credit this image to, but I'd wish I did.

Time trials. Many consider them to be the purest form of bicycle race there is. No drafting, no teammates, no lead outs, just you and your bike for what seems like eternity. There are tactics to be sure,  like when to push, when to rest, which bike to ride...sometimes you have to decide that one multiple times. The ability to sustain a nearly full effort for upwards of an hour on varying grades of road is ultimately the only thing that matters. The strongest man wins and everybody else is left wanting, and wondering how to beat a man who seems to have no weaknesses. Today's race was not your ordinary time trial, it had nearly a thousand meters of climbing, far more than your normal race of truth. This meant that the pure climbers actually had a shot to podium, or at the very least to limit their losses. They took full advantage of the profile and managed to claim the top ten spots on the leaderboard. 

The Norwegians are very comfortable in their own skin - TDF 2013 stage 17 - Photo Credit: Casey B. Gibson

This centenary tour continues to provide some of the best racing in years and today's time trial was no exception. There may be little question as to how the race will end up in Paris, but nearly each days race - taken on it's own - has been phenomenal in the amount of drama and excitement it has gifted to those of us who love this race. 

In no particular order here are my thoughts on today's amazing day of racing:

Froome in all of his rail thin glory - stage 17 - Photo Credit: Christophe Ena/Ap photo

Chris Froome is good at bicycle racing: On today's stage he had to dig down deep to win. It wasn't a surprise that he won mind you, but he really had to work for it...and work he did. He was 2 seconds back of provisional leader Alberto Contador at the first check and 11 seconds behind at the second check. When you throw in the bike change that he made (I don't like that they allow bike changes, but that's for another post) and he had to make up around 15 seconds on Contador. He did that and more, winning by a full 9 seconds and strengthening his already vice like grip on the general classification. 

Alberto Contador sucking through an invisible straw (I hope) - stage 17 - Photo Credit: Bike Radar

Contador is coming into great form in week 3: He may feel that it is too little too late and he may be reeling with disappointment at coming so close today, but Alberto's racing has really improved as the tour has gone on. It bodes well for his chances to maintain his second place in the GC through the high mountain stages that are coming in the next 3 days. He struggle a bit compared to his teammate Kreuziger last weekend, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out for Saxo Tinkoff with only 17 seconds separating their two top riders.

Dirty beard - stage 17 - Photo Credit: Laurent Rebours

Dirty rode the TT of his life: Alejandro Valverde is not known for his time trial abilities, and actually is probably better known for his horrible time trial performances in the past. His fifth place finish only 30 seconds was a revelation for the Spaniard. Dirty stepped it up today. I'm still not a fan, but I can respect a good ride when I see one. 

Purito's pain face - stage 17 - Photo Credit: CorVas/Pez Cycling

JRod might have saved his podium chances: Like Valverde, Purito is not known for his time trialing prowess. Though he's not been horrible in his career, he has given away a lot of time in previous time trials - including the first TT of this tour. Today was a different story however, third place and only 10 seconds behind Froome pushes him to within only two minutes and thirty seconds behind the current third place holder. With plenty of vertical feet to ride, he has a shot to gain that time back between now and Saturday...expect fireworks from the Spanish climber. 

Roman Kreuziger Stage 17 - Photo Credit: Bike Radar

Kreuziger kept the pressure on: Roman's ride to fourth place kept his podium dreams alive, and as I stated earlier, the tension in the Saxo Tinkoff team bus at a moderate level. He finished only 13 seconds behind his team leader on the stage and though he'll no doubt be saddled with the responsibility of riding for Contador, should the Spaniard falter in the mountains, he'll be ready to step up. 

Bauke on his way up the hill, and down the leaderboard - Stage 17 - Photo Credit: Roadcycling UK

Bauke bombed: Much like his Belkin teammate Laurens Ten Dam did yesterday, Bauke Mollema blinked on the big stage and was the days big loser.  He rode shaky and even crashed into a retaining wall within 1 km of the finish. The result was that he dropped second place down to fourth. He still has a great chance to gain it back thanks to his climbing abilities and having the support of a teammate like Ten Dam who can climb well in his own right. He'll have his hands full with a group of Spaniards intent on disrupting things over the next three days. 

The young guns - totally forgot to get the photo credits and now it's late and I'm tired - apologies if these were yours.

The future is bright: Nairo Quintana in 6th, Michal Kwiatkowski in 7th, Andy Talansky in 9th and Teejay Van garderen in10th place are all riders aged 24 years old or less. After todays stage only Teejay sits outside of the top 15 in the overall GC. These kids are for real and they are very arguably riding clean - it speaks volumes about the direction the sport is going and the amazing racing that we'll have presented to us fans for years to come. 

Cadel Evans reading the writing on the wall - stage 17 - Photo Credit: Christopne Ena/Ap photo

It's over for Evans: Cadel had another awful day on the bike. The pride of Australia finished over eight minutes behind the winner...it was so bad for him that even Mark Cavendish bested him... and he was just trying to make the cut. I don't know if Evans will retire after this year, but if he does he can depart the sport he loves with head held high and secure in knowing that he did great things for the sport as the first tour winner from down under. He also would leave with what would appear to be a clean conscience of having ridden clean...not something too many of his peers can claim. 

Couldn't find a good picture of Andy from today, so I used this one from the 2010 TDF where he's riding next to some dude wearing a yellow bikini - Photo Credit: Bernard Papon/POOL

Andy is alive: Last but not least there was a Shleck sighting in the top 15 of a stage for the first time in I can't tell you how long. It would seem that he is finding a sliver of his old form and that the challenges of the broken pelvis are finally fading into the past. There's no telling exactly how much of the old Andy will be able to be reclaimed, but at only 28 years old he still has time on his side.