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France’s Blel Kadri breaks away to win Tour de France’s stage eight France’s Blel Kadri breaks away to win Tour de France’s stage eight
(about 2 hours later)
After a wretched first week for British hopes in the Tour de France, a brief parting of the clouds on the road to Gérardmer La Mauselaine. Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish have long departed, having crashed and been crocked, but Simon Yates – one of only two Britons left in the race, along with Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas – showed plenty of talent and hustle to slip away in five-man group and stay clear for over 100km (62.5 miles), before being swallowed by the yellow jersey group near the rain-soaked finish. After a wretched first week for British hopes in the Tour de France, a brief parting of the clouds on the road to Gérardmer La Mauselaine. Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish have long departed, having crashed and been crocked, but Simon Yates – one of only two Britons left in the race along with Sky’s Geraint Thomas – showed plenty of talent and hustle to slip away in five-man group and stay clear for over 100km, before being swallowed by the yellow jersey group near the rain-soaked finish.
While the Frenchman Blel Kadri was crossing the line in triumph, and the crowd were celebrating a first home victory on this year’s Tour, the skirmishes among the general classification contenders were becoming sharper. Repeatedly on the 1.8km climb to the finish, with its testing average gradient of 10.3%, Alberto Contador kept jabbing at Vincenzo Nibali. While the Frenchman Blel Kadri was crossing the line in triumph, and the crowd were celebrating a first home victory on this year’s Tour, the skirmishes among the general classification contenders were becoming more pointed. Repeatedly on the 1.8km climb to the finish, with its testing average gradient of 10.3%, Alberto Contador kept jabbing at Vincenzo Nibali. Repeatedly Contador peered into his rival’s eyes, prying for a weakness. But Nibali’s face was as impassive as stone.
Repeatedly Contador peered into his rival’s eyes, prying for a weakness. But Nibali’s face was as impassive as stone. Contador, who was rocking and rolling on his saddle, did find an extra spurt to take three seconds out of Nibali, who finished behind him in third. The yellow jersey insisted he was satisfied with that, although Sunday’sand Monday’s stages in the Vosges will provide further opportunities to crack his shell.
Contador, who was rocking and rolling on his saddle, found an extra spurt before the line to finish second, 2m 17sec behind Kadri, but he took only three seconds out of Nibali, who finished third. The yellow jersey will be satisfied with that – especially as he had a problem changing gears in the last 200m – although Saturday and Sunday’s stages in the Vosges will provide greater opportunities to crack his shell. Meanwhile, Sky’s Richie Porte clung on valiantly to finish fourth, four seconds behind Nibali. Porte is now third on the general classification, 1min 58sec behind Nibali – and, interestingly, 29 seconds ahead of Contador, who is in sixth. If Nibali cracks at some point, as many believe he will, Porte knows that if he can stay with Contador he will have a chance of yellow.
Meanwhile Sky’s Richie Porte clung on valiantly to finish fourth, four seconds behind Nibali. Porte is now third on general classification, 1:58 behind Nibali – and 29 seconds ahead of Contador, who is in sixth – and is increasingly seen as a threat. Porte said: “I’m happy with how that went. It’s not really my bread and butter that short, sharp climbing. It puts me in quite a good position. I’m a little bit behind those guys on that type of terrain but maybe on the longer climbs I’ll be a bit better.”
Nibali said: “Porte is a very good rider. We’ve seen that with the way he stays close to Froome in the mountains. He’s clearly in great condition, but there are others who’ll be dangerous, like Alejandro Valverde, even if he was a bit behind us today.” Certainly Nibali is aware of the danger Porte poses. “He is a very good rider – we’ve seen that with the way he stays close to Froome in the mountains,” he said. “He’s clearly in great condition, but there are others who’ll be dangerous, like Alejandro Valverde, even if he was a bit behind us today.”
Nibali was also asked who would be happier now – Contador or Porte. “I can’t tell you,” he answered. “It’s true that Contador grabbed some seconds off me but I don’t think it’s that important because we have almost two weeks left.” Nibali was also asked who he thought would be happier now – Contador or Porte. “I can’t tell you,” he answered. “It is true that Contador grabbed some seconds off me but I don’t think it’s that important because we have almost two weeks left.”
Yates, meanwhile, was spent, despite his heroics. Given fresh legs he might have run the last climb as fast as he rode it. He finished the stage 43rd, 5:59 behind Kadri – numbers that do scant justice to the scale of his effort. Yates, meanwhile, despite his heroics was spent and ended up finishing the stage in 43rd place, 5min 59sec behind Kadri – numbers that do scant justice to the scale of his effort, which involved getting into the original breakaway in the first place, then staying with it for the best part of the day until Kadri and Sébastien Chavanel escaped with 25km to go.
Thomas, meanwhile, finished 22nd on the stage – 3:44 back – after a minor crash near the end. But he remains 15th overall, a very creditable effort given he has worked so hard for Froome and Porte on the hills of Yorkshire and the cobbles of northern France. “It was tough even trying to get into it,” said Yates. “I was going flat out just to get into it with 30 other guys. Later my legs were a bit cold from the rain so when Kadri and Chavanel attacked they got the gap straight away and that was it. I couldn’t get back to them, but I rode as hard as I could.”
But the stage belonged to Kadri, who made a decisive move on the first of the three climbs on the day, the Col de la Croix des Moinats. Earlier another Frenchman, Sébastien Chavanel, had jumped away from the five-man breakaway, but Kadri reeled him in and then shot clear. Thomas, however, became the latest Sky rider to crash in an incident with Andrew Talansky – which cost him a bit of skin and nearly a minute and a half of time. Still, he remains 15th overall, a very creditable effort given he has worked so hard for Froome and Porte on the hills of Yorkshire and the cobbles of northern France.
“As soon as Chavanel attacked, I went,” he said. “I knew he went downhill pretty well, so I decided to go for it on my own. I didn’t want to crash or to have mechanical problems so I kept concentrated, and it was only with 200m to the finish line that I really enjoyed the stage win.” But the stage honours belonged to Kadri, who made a decisive move on the first of the three climbs on the day, the Col de la Croix des Moinats. “As soon as Chavanel attacked, I went,” he said. “I knew he went downhill pretty well, so I decided to go for it on my own.”
As Kadri sped to victory, Yates, a 21-year-old from Bury who only turned professional earlier this year, tried to hang on to third place. But while the heart was willing, the legs were gone. Afterwards Kadri paid tribute to him, calling him a “very strong rider”. Kadri also paid tribute to Yates, calling him a very strong rider. “He is a better climber than I so I had to manage my gap,” added the Frenchman. “I had to avoid having him coming back to me on the last climb. I think he will have a good career. He will be a very great and strong rider in the future.”
“He is a better climber than I so I had to manage my gap,” added the Frenchman. “I had to avoid having him coming back to me on the last climb. Meanwhile, Sky’s team principal, Dave Brailsford, says that both Porte and Thomas can be competitive on the two remaining stages before Tuesday’s rest day.
“I think he will have a good career. He will be a very great and strong rider in the future.” “At this moment in time, Geraint and Richie are well placed on GC and we would like to keep them both well placed,” he said. “But Geraint did a lot of work on the Sheffield stage. And he did a lot of work on the cobbled stage. However, we’d still like to see how he can do. How far he can get into the race. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
Meanwhile Sky’s team principal, Dave Brailsford, says that both Porte and Thomas can be competitive on the two remaining stages before Tuesday’s rest day. “At this moment in time, Geraint and Richie are well placed on GC and we would like to keep them both well placed in the GC,” Brailsford said. “But Geraint did a lot of work on the Sheffield stage. And he did a lot of work on the cobbled stage. Probably more than you’d expect if he was just working for his own GC aspirations. In 2012 and 2013, Sky rode into yellow on the second Saturday of the Tour. History did not repeat itself again, but Brailsford remains optimistic about his team’s chances over the next two weeks despite the loss of Froome. “Grands tours are all about the long haul,” he insisted. “And life is not fair. But to find ourselves in a slightly different position is fun, too. You have to relish these challenges.”
“So you have to take that into consideration in terms of fatigue. However, we’d still like to see how he can do. How far he can get into the race. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
In both 2012 and 2013, Sky rode into yellow on the second Saturday of the Tour. History did not repeat itself again this year but Brailsford remains optimistic about the next two weeks despite the loss of Froome.
“It’s brilliant,” he said. “Grand tours are all about the long haul. As we always say, the goalposts will move, for sure. And life is not fair. But to find ourselves in a slightly different position is fun, too. You have to relish these challenges.
“If you start thinking negatively about it in any way, that is not the right approach to take.”