Stage 9: Vannes > Plumelec, 28km TTT
Placing a team-time-trial on the ninth stage of this years Tour de France was always going to create an element of mayhem and set it up as a more defining discipline than ever before for those hoping to compete to win this Tour. Leaving aside tired legs from eight gruelling days through Holland, Belgium and northern France, there was those who have suffered crashes and those who have abandoned leaving their teams men short before they even began.
This was highlighted none more so than Orica GreenEdge. The team that won and set the fastest team-time-trial in Tour history just a few years ago down in Nice started today's stage with just six men, and the time stopped on the fifth man across the line. They stuck together and rode it as a glorified Sunday club run, but the net result was they lost a whopping 4 minutes 58 seconds to stage winners, BMC. Their handicap highlighted by the fact they were even 2 minutes 26 slower than the next slowest team, Cofidis.
Still, for those looking good competition come the mountains, the big favourites and their teams couldn't have hoped for much better after those first eight days. They had their share of bumps and bruises but their teams were largely intact their team-leaders still in the mix. Had this team-time-trial been at the very start of the Tour the names of BMC, Sky, Movistar, Tinkoff Saxo and Astana -- who's leaders make up what we now consider the 'big five' -- would have been favourite to contend for the win. As it turns out, all the drama before today aside, that was the order in which they finished with Sky missing out on victory by a fraction of a second.
It will be disappointing for Sky, but in terms of the general classification the result will be seen as a huge success. Tejay Van Garderen only pulled back a second on Froome who maintains Yellow by 13 seconds while all his other rivals lost time. Quintana and Valverde lost a further 2 seconds to Froome, Contador 27 seconds and Nibali 34 seconds.
Indeed, Nibali now faces a real uphill battle to retain his title sitting 2 minutes 22 seconds behind Froome. Bigger gaps have been overcome, but he's going to have to muster the strength from somewhere to attack him early and often, both uphill and downhill, and try put him into trouble. Contador, at 1'03", will need to do the same, though perhaps a little less urgently while Van Garderen can now afford to play a longer game. And let's not forget about the two Colombians...yes, two. Many overlooked Rigoberto Uran coming into this Tour in favour of Quintana, but Uran sits sixth overall 1'18" behind Froome whereas Quintana lies 1'59" behind. Again, both will need to attack and in Quintana you can be sure of it.
Froome is in the position he would want to be, but he'll have to be strong and pick his battles because he's got a lot of people coming for him. Whether alliances can be formed to try and work him over will be only one of many intriguing storylines as they hit the Pyrenees on Tuesday. Make no mistake, Froome is in command, but the hard work is to come. Someone is going to have a great day, some will have many good days, but others will have bad days and someone will have an awful day. These overall standings have a lot of shaking up still to be done and the way this first week has gone, we can expect some tired legs later next week and beyond and that will only add an extra dimension to what's shaping up to be a fascinating run into the mountains.
| Result: | Classement: |
| 1. BMC Racing in 32'15" 2. Team Sky +1" 3. Movistar +4" 4. Tinkoff-Saxo +28" 5. Astana +35" 6. Etixx-QuickStep +45" | 1. Froome (SKY) in 31h34'12" 2. Van Garderen (BMC) +13" 3. Van Avermaet (BMC) +27" 4. Sagan (TCS) +38" 5. Contador (TCS) +1'03" 6. Uran (EQS) +1'18" |
Those on the outside who will need to attack from the first mountains on Tuesday:
7. Valverde (MOV) +1'50"; 9. Quintana (MOV) +1'59"; 13. Nibali (AST) +2'22"; 14. Barguil (TGA) +2'43"; 15. Gesink (TLJ) +2'52"; 17. Peraud (ALM) +3'30"; 18. Rodriguez (KAT) +3'52"; 19. Talansky (TCG) +4'17"; 21. Bardet (ALM) +4'38"; 23. Rui Costa (LAM) +5'20"; 29. Pinot (FDJ) +8'5".
