Tour de France – Stage 14

Yesterdays stage between Mazamet and Plateau-de-Beille was 197 km of mountains and some really amazing riding by Alberto Contador and Michael Rasmussen. The last 6km up the Plateau-de-Beille to the finish line was some of the most amazing riding i’ve ever seen, a tactics war between Michael Rasmussen, Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, Cadel Evans and Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez.

Alberto Contador and Michael Rasmussen were the winners in the tactical race with Cadel Evans, Levi Leipheimer and Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez having to drop off and take the climb in their own pace. Many of the top names in the overall competition lost a lot of time against Rasmussen today, but Contador established his lead in the youth competition ever more and now has a total of 9 minutes between him and second placed rider Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez.

Rasmussen attacked with 2km from the finish line, but it didn’t succeed, instead it started another tactics war between then. In the end it was Contador that won the sprint to the finish with Soler coming in at third place, some 37 seconds behind Contador and Rasmussen.

It was a day of great excitement and almost unprecedented performances by all the riders but certainly by Alberto Contador and Michael “The Flying Chicken” Rasmussen. Plateau-de-Beille is a killer climb and yesterday it was proven yet again. I learned today that Mr. crash king Alexandre Vinokourov actually crashed on yesterdays stage after another rider got a flag in the wheel and he rode right into him. But he is a fighter and he will most likely attack one day, again. Maybe he will make a smashing time trial on Saturday.

The comment of the day was Alexandre Vinokourov who said after the stage : Today, I had no legs !

I’ll be back tomorrow with my view on the 15th stage.