Tour de France

Stage 3: Wanze to Arenberg – Porte  Du Hainaut, 213km/132mi

By Cathy Mehl

The long-anticipated stage on the cobbles of northern France finally arrived on Tuesday’s stage three.  Tackling seven sectors of pavé totaling 13.2km of bone-jarring cobblestones, the peloton of 191 riders took their chances on the famed roads used in the one-day classic Paris-Roubaix.  Some won…some lost.  Team RadioShack’s Lance Armstrong punctured at just the wrong time and lost contact with his working group.  Teammate Yaroslav Popovych was there to help Armstrong get back into the action before Lance went solo to bridge a gap and rejoin a chasing group.  But the 7-time Tour winner lost time on the stage and slipped out of the top ten.

“Like you see a lot of times in these races it’s a question of luck, good or bad, technical issues, flat tires and crashes.  And we saw all of the above,” said Armstrong to the press after he finished the stage.  “Frank Schleck crashed and that split the group and then I got a flat and was behind.”  Asked about putting the cobble sections into a grand tour course, Lance answered, “Going in I thought it was a good idea to have this stage and I’m not going to change my mind.  I think it was a dynamic stage.  You can say it was a disadvantage to the climbers but look who was in the front today, a great team that rode a great race today.  I think there is a place for that in this race.”

Speaking to his chances now for the overall, Lance said, “They dropped.  But we’ll have to keep our head up and take our chances on the climbs.  It was just bad luck.  My chances took a knock today but we’re not going home.  We’ll stay in the race.”  Saying that he had good legs on the cobbles today, he added “I’m not going to make excuses.  We came in and I was in good position.  There was the crash that split the group.  We tried to come back and I got the flat tire at the wrong moment.  It’s very difficult to come back.  Pro bike racing is dog-eat-dog.  One day you’re the peace maker and the rational mind and the next day you’re taking advantage of every opportunity you can.  That’s the nature of the sport.  Like I always say: some days you’re the hammer and some days you’re the nail.  Today I was the nail.  That’s okay; I’ve had plenty of days where I was the hammer.”

Armstrong’s flat came at a very difficult moment in the racing: “Schleck’s crash gapped open the group and we hung in there, but just as we were coming back on them, section six I believe, I got a front flat.  (Gregy) Rast came by and I grabbed his wheel but it took 45 seconds for the wheel change and they were gone.  I was alone for a little bit but Popo came back and gave me a hand.  Then on section seven I went alone, stuck in the cars, eating dirt.  Bad luck was with me today.  But look at the results.  Everyone thought the climbers were going to lose minutes and they were the ones in front and the guy who was supposed to take advantage of it was in the back.  That’s the nature of it.  I will do my best in the next two-and-a-half weeks,” concluded a clearly discouraged Armstrong.

Part of strong group that blew the race apart on the cobbles, Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) took the sprint victory from a group of six, claiming his second win this season after expressing disappointment over the neutralized stage  yesterday.  His efforts moved him into the lead for the green sprinter’s jersey.   Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) drove the pace across the pavé to gain time for teammate Andy Schleck, but his huge efforts paid off with another chance to ride in yellow as he re-claimed the race lead.  

Also on the losing end was yellow jersey Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) who suffered at least three bike changes and saw his time in the maillot jaune come to a quick end.  A bad crash for Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) was race-ending with a broken shoulder and surgery required. 

A break of seven riders went away after only 13km of racing and included Steve Cummings (Sky), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin) and Pavel Brutt (Katusha).  The time out front was a solid effort by men clearly comfortable on the cobbles. 

The opening three sectors were not too long and the peloton rode mostly together through them.  Before the fourth section of pavé at 2400m long, Team Saxo Bank put Jens Voigt and Stuart O’Grady on the front to drive the pace and eliminate riders from the front chasing group.  The gap to the leaders was still 33-seconds back to the yellow jersey group containing all the favorites. With dust flying the peloton charged over the cobbles, many riders clearly more comfortable than others. 

Hesjedahl broke away from the leaders and entered the sixth sector with time over the Schleck chasing group.   Armstrong looked aggressive and riding well before being gapped off by the Frank Schleck crash and suffering the flat tire that put him into a chasing position.  His huge efforts to bridge across did serve him well, but now has time to make up on his chief rivals.    

At only 6.5km to Hesjedahl was picked up by the Cancellara-led chase group as they continued to roll for the line and gain time for Schleck.  Contador’s group chased with Armstrong two groups further back.   At the finish line Hushovd easily sprinted for the win in front of best young rider Geraint Thomas (Sky) and world champion Cadel Evans (BMC), who suddenly finds himself in third place on the classification.  Contador came un-hitched from his group in the finishing straight and crossed the line with a broken spoke, moving his teammate Alexander Vinokourov just ahead of him on the classification.

Jani rides well on the cobbles

Racing continues Wednesday with Stage 4 from Cambrai to Reims at a much shorter distance of 153.5km.  Stage four – really?  With all this action we’re only at stage four?  Stay tuned for much more racing as the race stays in France and heads straight for the Alps.

Top Ten Results

1          Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team                       

2          Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team                      

3          Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team                 

4          Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions                  

5          Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank                 

6          Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank                     

7          Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin - Transitions     0:00:53          

8          Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team                     

9          Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto                         

10       Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana

Team RadioShack Results

32       Lance Armstrong (USA)  0:02:08

42       Christopher Horner (USA) 0:02:25

44       Jani Brajkovic (Slo)

64       Levi Leipheimer (USA)

78       Andreas Klöden (Ger)

90       Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)

127     Sergio Paulinho (Por) 0:06:28

136     Gregory Rast (Swi)

138     Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz)

General Classification after Stage 3

1          Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank        14:54:00        

2          Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team         0:00:23          

3          Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team    0:00:39          

4          Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions     0:00:46          

5          Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step        0:01:01          

6          Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank    0:01:09          

7          Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team          0:01:19          

8          Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana     0:01:31          

9          Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana          0:01:40          

10       Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto            0:01:42

Team RadioShack on General Classification

18       Lance Armstrong (USA)   0:02:30         

24       Levi Leipheimer (USA)   0:02:53

27       Jani Brajkovic (Slo)   0:03:00

29       Andreas Klöden (Ger)   0:03:01

44       Christopher Horner (USA)   0:03:17

54       Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)             0:03:26 

125     Sergio Paulinho (Por)  0:12:17  

127     Gregory Rast (Swi)   0:12:35 

154     Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz)  0:21:50