Freire Climbs, Then Sprints, to Win Stage 14 of the Tour

Oscar Freire (C) leads Leonardo Duque (R) and Erik Zabel (L)to the finish line in Stage Fourteen. (Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images )

Team Rabobank sprinter Oscar Freire finally got his chance to shine, as he held on through the climbs to be in at the final sprint in Stage Fourteen of the 2008 Tour de France. In a fast-paced uphill stage where most expected a breakaway to take the win, the big sprinters’ teams decided to take over the stage for their own contest.

The final Cat Four climb knocked out Columbia’s amazing sprinter Mark Cavendish, but the rest of the big guns were there at the end, and Freire had the most in his heart and legs, and took the Stage win.

Long Climb on a Hot Day

Stage Fourteen of the Tour, Nîmes to Digne-les-Bains, was a194.5 miles of climbing. The route started on the plains and climbed in to the Alps, rising steadily if not steeply, gaining 700 meters of the length of the course.

There were only two serious climbs: Cat Fours, neither long or steep. One came in the middle of the route, and the last, longer and steeper, 10 km from the end—a perfect spot to launch a final attack to steal the race.

The final five kilometers sloped very gently downhill and were flat, so any sprinter who could survive the attacks on the climbs would have a good chance—but it seemed unlikely any sprinter could manage that.

The sun was hot, and the sky clear, with only a slight breeze; the temperature hovered around ninety degrees F. The combination of heat, pace, and the final climb hit the field hard. As Garmin Chipotle rider Julian Dean described it, “The last kilometer wasn’t particularly fast; I think everyone was tired.”

On a sad note, Team Barloworld has announced it will withdraw from cycling as soon as the Tour ends, in response to Moises Duenas Nevado getting caught doping. The team’s sponsor decided it was bad for its corporate image, and will shut down the team entirely.

Fast Pace to Chase the Breakaway

The field set out at an extremely fast pace, as has been the norm with this year’s Tour, averaging 48 kph for the first two hours.

The first attack came at the 5 km mark, when a group of twenty-one riders gained a short lead. Most of this greoup was caught up at the 50 km mark, but a breakaway of four remained free: Bram Tankink (Rabobank), Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse D’Epargne), William Bonnet (Credit Agricole), and Sandy Casar (Fraincaise des Jeux).

The peloton was content to keep the break on a short leash, allowing a gap of a few minutes, but never more. The speed over the third hour was 42.5 kph; the big sprinters’ teams were pushing the pace to try to create a group sprint finish, to gain a final advantage before the serious mountain stages that start with Stage Fifteen.

Team Rabobank sprinter Oscar Freire finally got his chance to shine, as he held on through the climbs to be in at the final sprint in Stage Fourteen of the 2008 Tour de France. In a fast-paced uphill stage where most expected a breakaway to take the win, the big sprinters’ teams decided to take over the stage for their own contest.

28 km out, Caisse D’Epargne rider Jose Ivan Gutierrez attacked the breakaway, opening a lead of about a minute heading up to the final climb. However, the peloton was waiting for the climb—as soon as the road tilted up, the peloton took of, and ran down the breakaway with ease. Cavendish fell off the pace when the attacks started.

With 11 km to go, various riders attacked. Thomas Voeckler, Paolo Tirralongo, and Gorka Berredo all took a shot; Sylvain Chavanel made the best effort, attacking at five km and staying away until the final two kilometers. But the sprinters’ teams were relentless.

The Sprinters Take Over

With three km to go, Columbia took the lead in the peloton, leading for Gerald Ciolek. Milram moved up for Erik Zabel. Oscar Freire, riding with no team support, and Julian Dean of Garmin Chipotle, also alone, were in fourth and fifth with one km to go.

Agritubel rider Romain Feillu broke first and opened up a few lengths lead, but Stefan Schumacher rode him down. Then Zabel took off; behind him Oscar Freire cut across from right to left to find a space, and when he found it he accelerated past the other sprinters to be first across the line.

 

Overall leader Cadel Evans came in 28th, sufficiently well –placed to keep the yellow jersey in the serious Alpine stages, where he knows he will be vigorously challenged by the other riders seeking an overall Tour win.
 

General Classification
Place	Rider	Team	Time	Gap
1.	Cadel  Evans	Silence-Lotto	59h 01' 55”	0
2.	Frank Schleck	CSC Saxo Bank	59h 01' 56”	+ 00' 01”
3.	Christian  Vandevelde	Garmin Chipotle	59h 02' 33”	+ 00' 38”
4.	Bernard Kohl	Gerolsteiner	59h 02' 41”	+ 00' 46”
5.	Denis  Menchov	Rabobank	59h 02' 52”	+ 00' 57”
6.	Carlos Sastre	CSC Saxo Bank	59h 03' 23”	+ 01' 28”
7.	Kim Kirchen	Columbia	59h 03' 51”	+ 01' 56”
8.	Vladimir	AG2R La MOndiale	59h 04' 27”	+ 02' 32”
9.	Mikel Astarloza	Euskaltel-Euskadi	59h 05' 46”	+ 03' 51”
10.	Vincenzo Nibali	Liquigas	59h 06' 13”	+ 04' 18”

 

Stage Fourteen Results
Place	Rider	Team	Time	Gap
1.	Oscar Freire	Rabobank	4h 13' 08”	0
2.	Leonardo Duque	Cofidis	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
3.	Erik Zabel	Milram	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
4.	Julian Dean	Garmin Chipotle	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
5.	Steven De Jongh	Quick Step	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
6.	Alessandro Ballan	Lampre	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
7.	Ruben Perez	Euskatel Euskadie	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
8.	Jérôme Pineau	Bouyges Telecom	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
9.	Matteo Tosatto	Quick Step	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”
10.	Thor Hushovd	Credit Agricole	4h 13' 08”	+ 00' 00”

 

Team Standings
Place	Team	Time	Gap
1.	CSC Saxo Bank	176h 57' 55”
2.	AG2R La Mondiale	177h 02' 44”	+ 04' 49”
3.	Gerolsteiner	177h 13' 18”	+ 15' 23”
4.	Rabobank	177h 16' 41”	+ 18' 46”
5.	Lampre	177h 27' 58”	+ 30' 03”
6.	Cofidis Caisse D’Epargne	177h 30' 40”	+ 32' 45”
7.	Euskatel Euskadie	177h 33' 40”	+ 35' 45”
8.	Credit Agricole	177h 39' 44”	+ 41' 49”
9.	Silence-Lotto	177h 41' 01”	+ 43' 06”
10.	Liquigas	177h 42' 10”	+ 44' 15”