'The Cobra' Strikes to Win Stage Six of the 2008 Tour de France

Saunier Duval rider Riccardo Ricco, nicknamed "The Cobra," struck at the finish line to win Stage Six of the 2008 Tour de France. After a very fast ride up two Category Two climbs, the race came down to the most powerful riders using their strength to sprint up a very steep hill.

The yellow jersey passed to Columbia rider Kim Kirchen, as Schumacher crashed in the final kilometer. Garmin Chipotle held on to the team lead.

Stage Six: Aigurande to Super-Besse

The first mountain stage, Stage Six stretches 195.5 km and rises more than a kilometer, with a Category Two climb at Col de la Croix-Morand 158 km out, and finished with another steep climb to the ski resort town of Super-Besse.

The last ten kilometers of the stage is particularly heartbreaking: it starts with 7.5 km of a six percent grade, then ramps up to a ten percent grade for the final kilometer-and-a-half. This ride will really test riders' fitness and endurance, and will be the first chance for the climbing specialists to shine.

Of course, none of the "sprinters' stages" ended with bunch sprints, so who knows what to expect?

Kim Kirchen (3rd L) of Team Colombia rides amid the peloton climbing the La Croix-Morand Pass during stage six of the 2008 Tour de France from Aigurande to Super-Besse. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

Categorized Climbs

There are four Categorized climbs in the route: two Category Four, and two Category Two.

A Category Four climb is generally just a hill; Category Three climbs are up to approximately five km in length, five percent gradient (five meters of rise per one hundred meters of run) and ascend at least 150 meters. Category Two climbs are at least five km long with up to six percent grade (extremely steep) and ascend 500 meters. Category One climbs are at least 20 km long, with 1000 meters of rise and eight percent grade. Beyond Category climbs are uphill sections climbing more than 1000 meters—basically climbing a small mountain from the flatlands—and can be up to twelve percent grade.

This system is not hard and fast rules; race organizers consider steepness, length, total rise, and also where in the rise a climb occurs when applying a rating. In general, the lower the number, the longer, steeper, more physically and psychologically devastating the climb, regardless of the specifics.

The final two Category Two climbs in this stage comprise much of the final fifty km, and will surely put riders to the test.

The Road Takes Its Toll

Saunier Duval rider Aurilien Passeron, who was involved in a collision with a spectator in Stage Five, withdrew from the Tour overnight. He was the second Saunier Duval rider to withdraw—Angel Gomez withdrew after cracking his pelvis in a crash in Stage Three.

Alejandro Valverde was riding swathed in bandages after crashing the prior stage. He had road rash on his right arm and leg, and both knees, but was reasonably comfortable and riding well.

Valverde told reporters, "…We were riding very fast, at about 55km/h, when I rode upon one of those bumps that are sometimes in the middle of the road. That threw me off balance and I fell on my right side. My right collarbone, knee and calf hit the ground, but as for now it is not hurting. The only thing is that my right side is completely scratched and it looks like if I had been fighting with a lion!"

(From R) Sylvain Chavanel, Freddy Bichot,and Benoit Vaugrenard ride in a breakaway during the sixth stage of the 2008 Tour de France. (Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images)

A Fast Pace Before the Climbs

The peloton took off at a high pace, not conserving energy, which made attacks difficult.

Six km out, Sylvain Chavanel, riding for Cofidis, managed to break away form the pack. He was followed by Freddy Bichot of Agritubel and Benoit Vaugrenard of Francaise des Jeux. This trio slowly increased their lead until, by the halfway point they were four minutes ahead of the peloton.

Yellow-jersey-wearer Schumacher and his Gerolsteiner team led the peloton, keeping the pace high and the attackers on a short leash, while Team Columbia stayed near the front supporting Kim Kirchen. Kirchen, a powerful rider who should be suited to mid-category climbs, was expected to contest the yellow jersey.

When asked about whether he planned to take the yellow in this stage, Kirchen told reporters, "It will be a hard stage. We don't know how strong the other guys are hope I can stay with the rhythm and keep up with the top guys. We're not out to take the lead."

Silence-Lotto team leader Cadel Evans told reporters, "Schumacher and Kirchen will go all out for yellow and the rest of us of will be scrapping behind them." When asked about his overall favorites, he suggested that Denis Menchov and Kim Kirchen were his picks for the Tour victory.

Of course, Evans himself must be considered as a possible winner; he came in second in 2007, trailing by only 23 seconds.

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Unexpected Weather

Shortly after the riders reached the first feeding station at the 111 km mark, a light rain broke out over the course, making the roads slippery and the riders chilly.

The feeding station brought its quota of drama as two riders crashed getting their musettes. Cofidis rider Florent Brard crashed, destroying his rear derailleur. He grabbed a new bike and pressed on. Caisse D'Epargne rider David Lopez Garcia also crashed, but immediately remounted.

The rain cleared up after just a few minutes, and the day grew hot.

Cadel Evans punctured a tire shortly after the feeding station. The entire Silence-Lotto team dropped back from the head of the peloton to bring Evans back up.

Remi Pauriol of Credit Agricole attacked at 150 km, while Benoit Vaugrenard of Francaise des Jeux dropped out of the break as the road got steeper. Sylvain Chavanel and Freddy Bichot remained about two minutes ahead of the peloton. A kilometer later, several other riders decided to attack. The peloton picked up the pace even higher, trying to keep the break in hand. After a few kilometers, the peloton caught up the attackers.

Sylvain Chavanel was first to the top of the Col de la Croix-Morand, winning the King of the Mountain Jersey.

Just over the peak of the first big climb, Gorka Verdugo of Euskatel, Thomas Voeckler of Bouygues Telecom and Sandy Casar of Francaise des Jeux made a serious attack, bent on joining the race leaders, who were now less than a minute ahead of the field.

The attack failed, as the peloton, now led by Caisse D'Epargne, kept a very high pace.

At the start of the final climb, Sylvain Chavanel abandoned his attack, leaving Bichot to head on alone, with just a 23-second lead.

Erik Zabel and Vogondy collided but immediately remounted. However, they were then well back in the pack.

Stefan Schumacher (R) rides with teammate Austrian Bernhard Kohl after a fall near the arrival line during the sixth stage of the 2008 Tour de France. (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)

The Final Climb

Laurent Lefevere of Bouyges Telecom and Amael Moinard of Cofidis decided to attack at the bottom of the climb. Lefevre dropped out first, then Moinard, leaving AG2R climber Vladimir Efimkin to lead the race. Because all the major riders were waiting in the peloton, watching each other to see who would make the first move, many less-known riders had a chance to make attacks.

Cofidis rider David Moncoutie was the next rider to attack, catching and passing Efimkin.

Christian Vandevelde of Garmin Chipotle attacked next, with Saunier Duval rider Leonardo Piepoli, and still the peloton did not react. Vandevelde was riding for the yellow jersey, being only 37 seconds behind Scumacher, whose Gerolsteiner teammates were dropping back in the pack, exhausted.

The peloton kept shrinking as the high pace and the steep climb took its toll, while the big teams kept waiting for the other to go. Possibly the leading teams were too tired by the very high pace, or possibly their strategies called for very late attacks.

With a kilometer to go, Cadel Evans moved to the front of the pack, with Kim Kirchen and Schumacher with him. These three, with Denis Menchov, Valverde and Ricardo Rico, Carlos Sastre and Frank Schleck all attacked.

Schumacher crashed in the last kilometer, touching the rear wheel of Kim Kirchen, but the rest took off at a sprint, despite the ten percent grade. Vandevelde was swallowed up along with the other breakaway riders, as the big guns blazed away at the last several hundred meters of painful uphill pavement.

Valverde, who had been delivered to the front by his teammates and was the only rider with a leadout, accelerated strongly, but flying Italian Ricardo Rico had more left in his legs, outsprinting Valverde to the line, capturing the stage win.

Kim Kirchen took over the yellow jersey, taking the lead by six seconds, with Cadel Evans in second, while Schumacher dropped to third.

Garmin Chipotle held its team lead while Columbia dropped to second, displaced by CSC Saxo bank.