Ivanov waited until several other riders launched their attacks, then made his own, opening a small gap that was enough to make his tired pursuers pause. With that edge, he had what he needed to keep pulling away while the rest of the escape battled itself.
Columbia rider George Hincapie was part of the twelve-man breakaway, which solidified around the 14 km mark, and he pushed the pace, hoping to win the yellow jersey. He started the stage 5:25 behind Nocentini, and for most of the race kept a lead of seven to eight minutes. AG2R seemed too tired to defend the jersey for any length of time. Astana pushed the pace for most of the start of the race, not wanting Hincapie, a capable rider, to get the lead.
Towards the end of the stage, Garmin-Slipstream, which has been engaged in something of a rivalry with Columbia all season, picked up the pace, cutting Hincapie’s gap. Columbia had to choose between contesting the sprint for the green jersey, or protecting Hincapie for the yellow.
In the end, both efforts failed. Hincapie lost the yellow jersey by five seconds, and Cavendish was penalized for blocking during the field sprint, and was dropped to the back of the pack.
George Hincapie was bitterly disappointed; the thirty-six year old has ridden fourteen Tours and only once worn the yellow. He did move into second place overall, but that was small consolation.
“I am just extremely disappointed,” Hincapie said after the race. “I don’t know why Astana was riding, but that’s highly insulting to me. I am very disappointed; I got so close.
“They were basically doing the work for AG2R; I don’t understand it.
“I could have done it. I just don’t understand what was going on, why Garmin and why Astana were riding. It was the chance of a lifetime for me, and it’s gone.”
After the race, Lance Armstrong said, “We wanted him to get the jersey. There must be something personal between those two teams [Garmin and Columbia].”
Last Sprinters’ Stage
After the climbs of the day before, Stage Fourteen, Colmar to Besançon offered gentle rolling hills, the last chance for the sprinters to win a stage until the final day on the streets of Paris.
After the terrible weather of Stage Thirteen, Stage Fourteen looked to be a repeat. The day started dark and cool. However, after a bit of rain at the ten-kilometer mark, the clouds lifted and the roads dried, making for a great day for cycling.
Many people had expected a series of attacks and counter-attacks in Stage Thirteen; these never materialized.
