Stage 16: Carcassonne to Bagnères-de-Luchon, 237.5km. High Mountains.
It was the 15 July, 2007, stage 8 of the Tour de France on the road from Le-Grand-Bornand to Tignes and crossing the Cormet de Roselend among others. Michael Rogers was in the break, was bidding to become the first Australian to win the Tour de France and was looking for the first, of what would surely become many, stage wins in his career. He was 27 years of age; he was in the form of his life.
As anyone who followed the sport back then or has read about its history will have known, Rogers didn't win the Tour that year...he didn't win a stage that year, and hasn't won a stage any year. Any year that is, until this year...yesterday.
On that fateful day for the Australian seven years ago he crashed on the descent of the Roseland and had to abandon the Tour. When he crashed he was the virtual leader on the road, leading by more than the 4 minutes, 3 seconds he trailed his team-mate, Linus Gerdemann by in Yellow by and certainly more than the two and one second defects he trailed Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans by respectively. All the other contenders had come into the stage behind him on time.
Michael Rasmussen went on to win that stage by almost three and a half minutes over the other contenders and it put him into yellow. Rasmussen held the jersey until four days to go when, despite looking certain to win the Tour, his team took him out of the race for "violating internal rules" and suspicions of drug use. Time would confirm all this but it essentially handed the tour to a young Alberto Contador while Rogers watched on television.
But in spite of his bad fortune and lost attempt, many felt he'd be back again in the future and nobody could have foreseen him having to wait until now to win a stage.
But by the start of 2014 had you asked most people they'd have felt his chance to win a stage had long since past. The positive test for Clenbuterol at the very tail end of last season had looked to have ruled him out for at least this year and at 33 years of age, his career was on the ropes. But Rogers overcame. He was able to prove that the Clenbuterol was the result of tainted meat he had eaten in China and the case against him was dropped and his suspension lifted. His first race back was the Giro d'Italia and he wasted no time and being thankful for what he suddenly had again: The opportunity to race. He won two stages including the Queen stage up the mighty Zoncolan.
It seemed like a fine cap to a fine career, one from which he also overcame the 2007 crash and then the long setback from Glandular Fever, to transition into becoming one of the most reliable super domestiques in the pro-peloton. He became the road captain of Team Sky during the 2012 Tour de France and helped Bradley Wiggins to becoming the first British winner of the Tour; something he had hoped to do as an Australian in that 2007 Tour only for the honour to go the way of Cadel Evans in 2010.
From there his services were acquired by what is now the Tinkoff-Saxo team, to do for Alberto Contador what he did for Wiggins. Last year they fell short to Chris Froome, but hopes were high coming into 2014 until Contador crashed out on stage 10. It was Rogers was one of the first back to help his team leader, pacing him to try regain contact with the peloton only for Contador to pat the captain on the back and tell him he could no longer go on, but thank you for the service.
Rogers was now in the hunt for a stage win. Two Giro stages and why not a Tour stage to complete the dramatic turnaround of what looked for so long like a lost 2014 season. Today's stage was ideal for him...he got in the early break and the peloton let it go. It gained well over ten minutes at one point and it soon became clear the winner was coming from it. Still, Michal Kwiatkowski was there, two Sky riders were in on the act trying to save their tour, and there was Thomas Voeckler, two times winner into Luchon in the past and the bookies favorite once the break had established.
By the time they summited the HC ranked Port de Balès and began their descent to the finish the large group had reduced to just three: Rogers, Voeckler and José Serpa. Vasili Kiryienka and Cyril Gautier joined them on the way down, but Rogers had the bit between his teeth. When Europcars' Gautier attacked on the way down, his team-mate Voeckler couldn't chase and the window opened for Rogers. He jumped across and then beyond Gautier and was suddenly alone as he entered the town and went under the 3km banner. The four behind regrouped and attempted to chase but it was too late.
Rogers had time to sit up and milk the moment and to no doubt think about 2007, about the hopes he had then, about how long it had been since, and about finally winning a stage of the Tour, something he later confirmed he had dreamed about all his life. He took a bow as he crossed the line and punched the air once more. Michael Rogers had won a stage of Le Tour and looks as good now as he ever has since that crash on the Roseland seven years before.
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One other point of note: Tour de France cyclists tend to be pretty hard: Yes there is what they go through every day just to finish a stage, but beyond that there is the injuries that some try to ride with just to get through. Take Alberto Contador, riding on for 25km after breaking his tibia, or Geraint Thomas last year, riding the majority of the 3 weeks on a broken pelvis. Now Reto Hollestein has thrown his 'hard hat' in the ring: He crashed yesterday and punctured a lung but with the medical car nowhere to be seen he remounted and finished the stage through the mountains...with a PUNCTURED LUNG!
Chapeau to that man.
Result:
1. Rogers (TIN) in 6h 07'10"
2. Voeckler (EUC) +9"
3. Kiryienka (SKY) s.t.
4. Serpa (LAM) s.t.
5. Gautier (EUC) s.t.
6. Van Avarmaet (BMC) +13"
Others:
7. Kwiatkowski (OPQ) +36"
17. Pinot (FDJ) +8'32"
18. Valverde (MOV) s.t.
19. Peraud (ALM) s.t.
20. Nibali (AST) s.t.
30. Bardet (ALM) +10'22"
37. Van Garderen (BMC) +12'08"
Overall:
1. Nibali (AST) in 73h 05'19"
2. Valverde (MOV) +4'37"
3. Pinot (FDJ) +5'06"
4. Peraud (ALM) +6'08"
5. Bardet (FDJ) +6'40"
6. Van Garderen (BMC) +9'25"