Stage 11 -- July 12: Albertville to Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire/Les Sybelles, 148 km (92 mi)
Despite have just crossed three mountain passes, Pierre Rolland has time to finish and lift his bike in celebration while waiting for the others to finish. Photograph: Nathalie Magniez/AFP/Getty Images
It was a day of high drama. A day we might look back on as the one that swung the balance of this Tour into the lap of Bradley Wiggins once and for all, but also the day that his team-mate, and somewhat reluctant super-domestique, Chris Froome showed he had the potential to win the Tour and almost certainly will be trying to do so twelve months from now. It was the day the French had their hopes lifted once again thanks to Pierre Rolland, that not to far into the future they could have their own Tour contender once again.
It was a terrible day for Cadel Evans. The defending champion had to try something. He was clearly going to lose more time in the penultimate stage of this years Tour's time-trial, and it was clear the mountains were his only chance. With two big climbs to go in the day he decided he couldn't wait until the final one when Sky's tempo would be at it's maximum. Hoping to shed them of all support baring Wiggins and Froome, he stepped on the gas going up the Col du Mollard. It got him the briefest of gaps but not being ones to panic, Sky kept their pace and reeled in the Australian. Surely Evans was hoping to get a gap, descend further ahead and then climb to La Toussuire to overcome his deficit to the Yellow jersey. Or at least prove this British team to be vulnerable. He didn't, and it had to be demoralising. Come the slopes to La Toussuire it was clear that Evan's effort had been one last throw of the dice for he cracked and by the top he lost 1-26 to the Yellow jersey.
Rolland may have been rolling up the climb much like he did at Alp d'Huez a year before, to his second Tour victory and a top ten position in the GC, but it was behind him were the real action was taking place. Rolland had got into a 26 man break very early on the stage and as that shed in numbers over the hard day of climbing, Rolland was the last man remaining on the way to the finish. Behind him the Yellow jersey group was shedding it's stragglers at a dramatic rate also and those from the earlier break were being swept up and sent straight out the back thanks to that relentless Sky pace being put down, first by Richie Porte and then by Chris Froome.
Then suddenly Wiggins made a surge and put Froome into trouble. For a moment it looked like Wiggins might finally be showing his hand and being on the verge of really distancing his rivals in this Tour. Was it in reaction to two solid moves by Vincenzo Nibali who had created quite the gap on the second one threatening for a while to put time into Wiggins? Or was it a brief show of strength ... a message to his rivals not to try anything crazy?
Either way it didn't appear to sit well with Froome who had been pacing Wiggins relentlessly up the climb. Once Froome composed himslf and bridged the gap he too put in a hard kick that distanced everyone including Wiggins was was briefly put into trouble. Froome claimed he thought Wiggins would be joining him and maybe he did given the effort Wiggins had put in moments before, but then suddenly the Sky team-car came blasting over his radio instructing him to wait on the team leader. Acting up on this advice and wishing the fans to know exactly why he wasn't continuing with an attack he might want you to understand could have pushed him right into Yellow jersey contention, Froome put his hand to his ear as if required to do this to hear the message. He slowed off and not until the sprint for the line did he kick again taking just one second out of Wiggins.
With it came the debate over team-orders. Rightly Sky are playing the percentages. The last thing they need would be for Froome to attack, crack Wiggins, see Nibali go with Froome and have a GC standings at the end of the day with Froome a few seconds behind Wiggins and just 18 ahead of Nibali. Wiggins has a two minute advantage and it's the right game for the team to try and maintain that. Sure it would have been a hell of a lot more exciting had we seen Froome pull out the radio, chuck in it the nearest field, and take off up the climb, potentially pulling back some serious time, but while we long for it to be ultimately an individual effort, cycling is very much a team game at times like this, and this proved it.
Had it not been for a puncture on stage one which cost Froome 1-25 to Wiggins, he would currently find himself just 40 seconds behind overall and surely with more of a case to press home his belief that he is the stronger rider on the hills. Right now that puncture is costing him very dear and unless Wiggins hit real trouble, right now Froome is going to have to pace him up climbs, look after his leader, and bide his time to win this great race for another year.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I follow orders at all costs, I’m part of the team and I have to do what the team ask me to do.” -- Team Sky robot, Chris Froome
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FAKE TWEET OF THE DAY
@p_rolland Wait till 2015 France.
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ABANDONMENT'S
Fabian Cancellara failed to start the stage as he headed home to Switzerland to be at his wife's side who is due to give birth any day now. Five others didn't finish the stage, they were: Mark Renshaw, Bauke Mollema (both Rabobank), Rob Ruijgh, Gustav Larsson and Lieuwe Westra (all Vancansoleil-DMC). Two others, Alessandro Petacchi and Yuriy Krivtsov were the first two riders eliminated on time after finishing over 45 minutes behind the stage winner.
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STAGE 11 RESULT
1. Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar in 4h 43' 54"
2. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-BigMat at 55 sec
3. Chris Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling at 55 sec
4. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team at 57 sec
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
6. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling all at same time
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 11
1. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 48h 43' 53"
2. Chris Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling at 2-05
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale at 02-23
4. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team at 3-19
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team at 4-48
6. Haimar Zubeldia (Esp) Radioshack-Nissan at 6-15
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THE RACE FOR THE LANTERNE ROUGE
After a couple of tough climbing stages that really put the hurt into the grupetto, American Tyler Farrar siezed control of the Lanterne Rouge position ahead of Frenchman Jimmy Engoulvent. With neither nations looking good for any of the official jersey's this year, this one could well become a hotly contested battle, especially given that just five seconds separate them.167. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Sharp 51h 04' 33"
166. Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur-Sjoasun at 5 sec
165. Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Sharp at 8-05
164. Albert Timmer (Ned) Argos-Shimano at 9-15
163. Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos-Shimano at 9-58
162. Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Cofidis at 10-36
