Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > La Toussuire-Les Sybelles, 138km
This morning twelve months ago it was all very different for Vincenzo Nibali. They were heading into stage 18 of the 2014 Tour de France and he had the Yellow jersey on his back and three stage wins to his name. He had an unassailable 5'26" lead and was set to win his first Tour de France. That morning he would climb on his bike for the stage to Hautacam and once again go on the attack winning his fourth road stage of the race, the first since Eddy Merckx to achieve such a feat.
Today, here in 2015, the defending champ rolled out towards La Toussuire without a stage win to his name and in 7th overall, 8'04" behind the Yellow jersey, now on the shoulders of Chris Froome.
It had been a tough Tour for the Italian. Caught behind a crash on stage 2, he lost time. On stage 3 to the Mur de Huy he was distanced by Froome. He tried for all it was worth on the cobbles on stage 4 but conditions didn't suit and he failed to gain back that lost time. By stage 8 at the Mûr-de-Bretagne in which he once more lost valuable seconds, Nibali sat 13th overall, 1'48" behind Froome, his Tour in trouble after a first week that was meant to suit him best.
Things didn't get any better down in the Pyrenees either. On that first mountain stage to la Pierre Saint-Martin, Nibali lost a massive 4'25" to Froome and people began to wonder whether he would even make it to Paris. It would have been easy to quit, to find an excuse beyond a lack of form and leave the race. Indeed, even his own team management appeared to be quitting on him as Alexander Vinokorov installed Jakob Fuglsang as team leader for the rest of the race.
The next day he lost more time but a brief attack distanced Fuglsang and ended the leadership debate. Whatever you might think of that moment, Nibali has slowly begun to come around; quitting or laying down is not in his nature and slowly but surely the proud champion has begun to find some form; gradually climbing the general classification albeit out of overall contention but with a stage win still a realistic goal.
He finished with Froome at Plateau de Beille and the next day was on the attack, albeit a futile effort. He lost 30 seconds into Mende, but took back 28 seconds on the stage to Gap before the second rest day - the first time he has taken time from his rivals so far. The day after the rest he once again lost a little time to the Yellow jersey but took some back on others and as a result found himself in that 7th place at 8'04".
Twelve months to the day since his magnificent effort to Hautacam, the writing ought to have been on the wall and when he attacked on the ascent to the col de la Croix-de-Fer, it would be the last any of his rivals would see him. The attack was controversial...Chris Froome had picked up a mechanical issue at that moment and was therefore able to respond. After the stage Froome confronted Nibali and while the Italian denied knowing about Froome's issue, video replays suggested otherwise.
Still, an opportunity had to be siezed. Nobody waited on stage two when he was caught behind a crash and on this very stage to La Toussuire in 2012, Chris Froome made a move against his Yellow jersey wearing team mate, Bradley Wiggins. That isn't to justify Nibali's attack, but sitting as far back as he did on Froome, it wasn't as though this was a direct assault on the jersey anyway.
And still, with 59km to the finish, Nibali had a lot of work ahead of him. the previous 18 stages suggested he wouldn't last, but form is temporary, class is permanent.
As the day wore on Nibali swept up all those in the leading break and eventually caught the leader on the road, Pierre Rolland. The Frenchman didn't last long and soon, with 16km remaining, the defending champion was on his own, on a redemption mission to show his class, to salvage his pride and to go out as a champion fighting.
Behind, Nairo Quintana wasn't going down without a fight either, he attacked with 6km left and while he may have been hoping to do to Froome on this climb what id done to Floyd Landis in 2006, it wasn't to be and the Colombian had to make do with a mere 30 seconds regained overall. It leaves him 2'38" behind Froome with just one mountain stage remaining...worth throwing caution to the wind for, but looking like more than a mountain to climb.
The day belonged to Nibali though. He came in 44 seconds ahead of the charging Quintana and 1'14" ahead of Froome. Still 6'44" down overall but his effort and with the subsequent attacks on Froome isolating many of those around him on GC, it leapfrogged Nibali right up into 4th place, just 1'19" behind Valverde for the final podium placing.
Just a few days it looked like Nibali might go home, or even ride into Paris outside the top 10. Of the big four, that became a big-five when Van Garderen made his intentions known, he was the one struggling most, but now he's back in contention for a podium placing, and the way his confidence is building, you wouldn't rule it out. Today's ride by 'The Shark' has left us looking back at the last two weeks and wondering, 'what if'?
| Result: | Classement: |
| 1. Nibali (AST) in 4h 22' 53" 2. Quintana (MOV) @ 44" 3. Froome (SKY) @ 1' 14" 4. Pinot (FDJ) 5. Bardet (ALM) 6. Valverde (MOV) all s.t. --- 9. Contador (TCS) s.t. 53. Thomas (SKY) @ 22' 00" | 1. Froome (SKY) in 78h 37' 34" 2. Quintana (MOV) @ 2' 38" 3. Valverde (MOV) @ 5' 25" 4. Nibali (AST) @ 6' 44" 5. Contador (TCS) @ 7' 56" 6. Gesink (TLJ) @ 8' 55" --- 15. Thomas (SKY) @ 27' 24" |
