Tour de France - Piepoli wins, Evans takes yellow

Eurosport - Tue, 15 Jul 12:03:00 2008

Overall favourite Cadel Evans claimed the yellow jersey atop the summit of the Hautacam mountain, as Italian climber Leonardo Piepoli took a maiden Tour de France victory in stage ten.

CYCLING Tour de France 2008 Cadel Evans - 0

Piepoli led team-mate Juan Jose Cobo across the line in a Saunier Duval one-two after the 156 kilometre trip from Pau to Hautacam, the most gruelling mountain stage of this year's race thus far.

Luxembourg's Frank Schleck joined Cobbo and Piepoli on the final ascent, but was unable to keep pace with them and ultimately finished third at 28 seconds back.

Australia's Evans (Silence-Lotto), who led Schleck by one minute and 50 seconds coming into Monday's stage, managed the final HC Hautacam climb perfectly to finish with a group of favourites exactly 1'49" behind Schleck.

The 2007 runner-up leads the general classification from Schleck by one second, with American Christian Vandevelde (Garmin-Chipotle) in third at 38 seconds off pace.

Another Luxembourg rider, Kim Kirchen (Columbia), lost his yellow jersey after being dropped by the favourites on the final climb.

Spain's Alejandro Valverde (Caisse D'Epargne) and Italy's Damiano Cunego (Lampre) essentially dropped out of contention for the overall win after each lost more than three and a half minutes on the main favourites.

Valverde and Cunego, who had already struggled in the first week of racing, were both lost by a group of leaders on the Tourmalet climb, the first Hors Categorie ascent of this year's race, in the final 65 kilometres of racing.

With Schleck's CSC squad, led by German Jens Voigt, setting a bruising pace at the front of peloton, the main bunch was quickly thinned as the weaker climbers faded.

Valdeverde eventually crossed the summit of the 17.7 kilometre Tourmalet (7.5% average gradient) a full 50 seconds behind the group of favourites, which still included the yellow jersey of Kirchen.

The Spaniard then relied on his Caisse D'Epargne team-mates David Arroyo and Oscar Pereiro, the 2006 Tour winner, to attempt to tow him back to the main group on a fast descent with 50 kilometres left to race.

But the main bunch, led by five CSC riders including world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara, did well to stay away and went into the final climb at Hautacam more than a minute ahead of Valverde and Cunego.

As the final 14.4km climb (average gradient of 7.2%) began, the group of around 20 riders overtook solo break-away leader Remy Di Gregorio, who had claimed the spoils for France alone atop the Tourmalet climb on the Bastille Day national holiday.

As more of the pretenders and domestiques slipped off of the back of the leading group, Schleck launched an attack that was quickly joined by the two Saunier Duval riders along with Bernard Kohl and Vladimir Efimkin.

After Cobbo and Piepoli attacked jointly, Schleck was the only rider who was able to stay with them.

The trio remained together until the final attack by the Saunier Duval pair in the last six kilometres of climbing.

The 36-year-old Piepoli, a three-time Giro D'Italia stage winner and last year's Tour of Italy mountains jersey, led Cobbo over the finish line without a sprint to collect his first Tour de France stage win.

Valverde, meanwhile suffered a critical mechanical error with his bike on the final ascent, as his efforts to chase down the favourites and return to GC contention faded into dust.

Kirchen lost his chances of retaining the yellow jersey for a fifth straight day as he was dropped from a bunch that included Evans, Vandevelde, two-time Tour of Spain champion Denis Menchov, Italian youngster Vincenzo Nibali, CSC leader Carlos Sastre, and double stage winner Riccardo Ricco of Saunier Duval.

Menchov is now fifth overall at 57 seconds behind Evans, followed by Sastre (+1'28''), Kirchen (+1'56''), Cobbo (+2'10''), and Ricco (+2'29'').

Valverde dropped to 14th overall at 4'41'' off of the leading pace, with Cunego in 16th at 5'37'' back.

Tuesday is a rest day for the Tour, but the peloton returns to action on Wednesday with a final day of climbing in the Pyrenees before a return to flatter terrain.

Watch live coverage of every stage on your PC via the Eurosport player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe.

Or watch the action on British Eurosport - available in the UK on Sky channel 410 and Virgin Media channel 521 or British Eurosport 2 - available on Sky 411 and Virgin Media 525.

Jeremy Stahl / Eurosport

Comment 5 - 24 of 24

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  1. i think that the rider with the biggest potential is Ricardo Ricco. the man is strong. i call on his manager to allow him to get out there and real them in. Ricco reminds me of Lance Armstrong and Michael Rasmussen with a plus. The is no dopping allegations against him.

    Good Luck in the future Ricardo.
    From : A fan in the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago)

    From uwidecderick, on Wed 16 Jul 2:30AM

  2. Oh Yea, go ahead keep bashing Armstrong. Maybe Pereiro just needs the peleton to give him a 20 minute lead in a break away and about 30 extra hits of his asthma inhaler and then maybe he will podium but I doubt it.

    From chad w, on Tue 15 Jul 8:53AM

  3. I think the lack of attacks is direct result of the lack of drugs in the peloton. No offense to Lance, but cycling is more exciting without him.

    From Lawrence P, on Tue 15 Jul 3:57AM

  4. I'm delighted that Cadel Evans is wearing the Yellow Jersey. I'm an Italian fan and an appasionate of the Tour de France and the Giro D"Italia it's just wonderful to see an Australian leading the Tour. France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and the Usa have made history in past let's add now Australia to the bunch....

    From dante, on Tue 15 Jul 1:04AM

  5. I'm delighted that Cadel Evans is wearing the Yellow Jersey. I'm an Italian fan and an appasionate of the Tour de France and the Giro D"Italia it's just wonderful to see an Australian leading the Tour. France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and the Usa have made history in past let's add now Australia to the bunch....

    From dante, on Tue 15 Jul 1:03AM

  6. evans deserves it.if he dusent win a stage SO WHAT hes consistent!!!If 1 of the odas attack he will go with them.he dusent have that acceleration.valverde @#$%! ! ! !Contador should be at the tour neway and he wuld win!!!hands down

    From bradmavor, on Mon 14 Jul 11:43PM

  7. I think this has been the best TdF in years - Since those classic struggles up mountains with the likes of Roche/Indurain/Chiappucci and Rominger.

    From H C, on Mon 14 Jul 11:28PM

  8. Well everbody is an expert about cycling, you all must train harder, so it was better when uncle lance was wining with no chance to others, or when everyone was driking epo in the morning, and changing blood in the evening, those where the days.
    I prefere this tour, a lot of attacks from diferent guys, a open race.
    So you want Cadel to attack brilliant and he will go uphill in those moutains with robbie macwen on this side dahh.
    Hello !!!! he does not have a team do it he is alone, he is alone up there so is tactic must be wait and go only after the one that represent real danger for the yelow jersey in Paris, today is "friend" was Menchov (also alone), the ones with stronger teams have the they responsability to attack like CSC did it today.
    Lotto was a team that was made around one sprinter, and they didn't changee it now it is even worst is not good for macwen (they all must fit to help cadel) and is not good for Cadel also (the team is not good enough in the high moutains) to buy good sidekicks is expensive to have Voight or Cancellara helping you it's one complete diferent thing.
    About Pereiro let's see what he can do in the alps he lost a lot of time, and now he must attack it's the only way
    Opinions are free of course but a little knowledge about things must be taken in acount

    Adeus

    Vitor Louçã

    From vitoramador@rocketmail.com, on Mon 14 Jul 10:36PM

  9. it's plain to see their are riders in their relative teams,stronger than their leaders,so come on managers,give them some freedom and thats have some excitement in the tour!!

    From pinarello, on Mon 14 Jul 10:30PM

  10. Today was a good day for the favourites to expose Evans but they didn't take the chance. Nobody in this Tour seems willing to attack. All they do is sit back. Except Riccardo Ricco. He is phenomenonal. He was still recovering today but he has the ability to blow them away in the Alps. He is right, the peloton are vegetables

    From max_angelos, on Mon 14 Jul 9:54PM

  11. Evan's, the most boring man ever to grace the peleton, all the other riders are dragging him to a win that he'll never really deserve. Feel sorry for Oscar Pereiro, would possibly be in yellow or there abouts if it were not for his pathetic team mate and manager. Come on everyone attcke and let's see if Evans can actually ride a bike.

    From Mark J, on Mon 14 Jul 9:07PM

  12. Valverde was never going to win it. And I agree, Perreiro should have been allowed to slip the leash. Now, over six minutes back, it's too late.

    From BoBBie G, on Mon 14 Jul 8:50PM

  13. If Perreiro had not been held back on stage nine to help the weak Valverde then he would probably quite close to Evans in the GC today. Perreiro is definitely the best rider in his team, Valverde just has a bloated reputation

    From max_angelos, on Mon 14 Jul 8:36PM

  14. that got to be the worst tour de france ever. If contador or kloden were in it they would have already a 10 min gap on this bunch of loosers. I mean Evan in yellow ... got to be kidding me ...

    From mauricechlela, on Mon 14 Jul 8:33PM

  15. very good

    From www.premiership.altervista.org, on Mon 14 Jul 8:27PM

  16. Evans the favorite
    Schleck F.- low chances, pretty disappointing
    Menchov- Attention, I think he is in good form,mt favorite this year
    Vandevelde-very low chance for being in yellow in Paris
    Valverde-disappointing+weak team mates
    Kirchen-nice surprise,good future
    Ricco-not yet the 'new Pantani' but with great qualities. He reminds me of Rasmusen with that 'mountain runs'

    From First L, on Mon 14 Jul 7:41PM

  17. I really hope that Valverde and crew try and light it up a little later on. It would be great if someone would attack on the ascents...

    From mipapage@ymail.com, on Mon 14 Jul 7:28PM

  18. Well said. This tour will be won and lost in the final time trial.

    From BoBBie G, on Mon 14 Jul 6:56PM

  19. Does anyone realistically expect the weakest climber of the favourites, with the weakest climbing team, to attack? Yes he is not the great hilltop attacker we would love him to be but if menchov, sastre, schleck or vandevelde cannot break him on the climbs then they don't deserve to win.

    From steveisherewa78, on Mon 14 Jul 5:54PM

  20. I agree! Evans needs to win a stage that is not a time trial if he wants yellow in Paris...

    From jr, on Mon 14 Jul 5:47PM
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