<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n7. Daniele Bennati<\/p>\r\n\r\n
8. Bryan Coquard<\/p>\r\n\r\n
9. Daniel Oss<\/p>\r\n\r\n
10. Samuel Dumoulin<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:40","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:40:32"},{"id":"99521","title":"0 km to go - 185,5 km done","text":"
That was a great sprint by Kristoff. He launched a long sprint after OPQS had dominated the finale. Demare got closer but faded near the end. Instead, Sagan finished very fast but ran out of metres.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:36","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:36:23"},{"id":"99517","title":"0 km to go - 185,5 km done","text":"
Sagan 2nd, Demare 3rd, Albasini 4th.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:35","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:35:02"},{"id":"99516","title":"0 km to go - 185,5 km done","text":"
Kristoff takes it!<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:34","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:34:42"},{"id":"99515","title":"0 km to go - 185,5 km done","text":"
Martin on the front. Now Kwiatkowski.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:34","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:34:13"},{"id":"99514","title":"1 km to go - 184,5 km done","text":"
Sabatini on the front. He has three OPQS on his wheel. Trentin is at the back. Then Krisotff.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:34","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:34:02"},{"id":"99512","title":"1 km to go - 184,5 km done","text":"
Still Marcato on the front. OPQS are very well-organized.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Paolini takes over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Flamme rouge!<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:33","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:33:37"},{"id":"99511","title":"2 km to go - 183,5 km done","text":"
Cannondale is back in control with Marcato. Demare is moving up.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:33","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:33:07"},{"id":"99510","title":"2 km to go - 183,5 km done","text":"
OPQS has hit the front with Bakelants.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:32","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:32:46"},{"id":"99508","title":"2 km to go - 183,5 km done","text":"
Chavanel and Greipel are back on their bikes. They argue a lot.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:32","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:32:30"},{"id":"99507","title":"2 km to go - 183,5 km done","text":"
It's now De Marchi on the front.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:32","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:32:02"},{"id":"99506","title":"2 km to go - 183,5 km done","text":"
6 Cannondale riders on the front. Bennati, Oss, Kristoff, Trentin, Degenkolb are all near the front.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:31","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:31:45"},{"id":"99504","title":"3 km to go - 182,5 km done","text":"
Bodnar is now on the front for Cannondale.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:31","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:31:13"},{"id":"99503","title":"3 km to go - 182,5 km done","text":"
Now Cannondale take over with De Marchu leading four of his teammats.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
CRASH! Greipel is down. Chavanel is also involved. And Vanmarcke.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:31","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:31:00"},{"id":"99501","title":"3 km to go - 182,5 km done","text":"
Martin has taken over for OPQS.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:30","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:30:13"},{"id":"99500","title":"4 km to go - 181,5 km done","text":"
Katusha hit the front with Isaychev.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The break is caught.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:29","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:29:43"},{"id":"99498","title":"5 km to go - 180,5 km done","text":"
Rodirguez, Gallopin, Lopez, Edet, Valls are in a small group.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:29","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:29:22"},{"id":"99497","title":"6 km to go - 179,5 km done","text":"
Cannondale and Katusha move into postion. Bak and Dumoulin set the pace.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Gautier still does all the work in the front group.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:28","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:28:09"},{"id":"99496","title":"6 km to go - 179,5 km done","text":"
Gautier attacks! But Clarke responds.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:27","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:27:26"},{"id":"99495","title":"6 km to go - 179,5 km done","text":"
Clarke has stopped contributing to the pace-setting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, Majka and Slagter have been dropped.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:27","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:27:14"},{"id":"99493","title":"8 km to go - 177,5 km done","text":"
Dumoulin and Bak do all the work. Then Curvers, De Kort and Degenkolb are lined out for Giant. OPQS are moving into position.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:25","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:25:56"},{"id":"99491","title":"8 km to go - 177,5 km done","text":"
Quemeneur is caught.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:25","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:25:04"},{"id":"99490","title":"9 km to go - 176,5 km done","text":"
Quemeneur has blown up. Clarke and Gautier are the only riders left.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lotto have now also started to chase. Bak contributes to the pace-setting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Gallopin is dropped again.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:24","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:24:30"},{"id":"99487","title":"11 km to go - 174,5 km done","text":"
Dumouln and Devenyns chase hard. They are saving De Kort for the lead-out.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:22","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:22:45"},{"id":"99486","title":"12 km to go - 173,5 km done","text":"
Quemeneur and Gautier constantly open small gaps that Clarke has to shut down. However, they are losing ground to the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:21","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:21:25"},{"id":"99485","title":"14 km to go - 171,5 km done","text":"
Gallopin has rejined the peloton but he is suffering a lot.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:20","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:20:42"},{"id":"99484","title":"15 km to go - 170,5 km done","text":"
Gallopin is losing contact with the peloton. He may lose his 5th place today.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:18","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:18:54"},{"id":"99482","title":"15 km to go - 170,5 km done","text":"
Devenyns and Dumoulin still do all the work. The gap is 30 seconds.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:18","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:18:17"},{"id":"99481","title":"19 km to go - 166,5 km done","text":"
Demare is riding near the front of the group!<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dumoulin and Devenyns are again chasing for Giant-Shimano.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:14","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:14:00"},{"id":"99480","title":"19 km to go - 166,5 km done","text":"
There is a hard battle for position at the moment. All the GC team are lined out on the front.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:13","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:13:30"},{"id":"99478","title":"20 km to go - 165,5 km done","text":"
Clarke has decided to wait for Quemeneur and Gautier. We have a front trio with a 50-second advantage.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:11","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:11:42"},{"id":"99477","title":"21 km to go - 164,5 km done","text":"
Sky have now hit the front to positon Porte for the descent. Eisel sets the pace.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:10","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:10:59"},{"id":"99476","title":"21 km to go - 164,5 km done","text":"
Gautier and Quemeneur are less than 10 seconds behind.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:10","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:10:21"},{"id":"99475","title":"21 km to go - 164,5 km done","text":"
We have spotted Greipel. He is riding in the middle of the peloton and will definitely make it to the top with the best.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Clarke has crested the summit.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:10","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:10:04"},{"id":"99474","title":"22 km to go - 163,5 km done","text":"
Langeveld is caught. Devenyns, Curvers, Degenkolb, De Kort and Dumoulin are lined out on the front for Giant.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
And now Langeveld is dropped.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:09","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:09:22"},{"id":"99472","title":"22 km to go - 163,5 km done","text":"
Quemeneur is sacrificing himself for Gautier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, Gallopin who is 5th overall, is suffering at the back.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:08","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:08:07"},{"id":"99471","title":"23 km to go - 162,5 km done","text":"
Greipel must still be in the peloton. We have had no indications that he is no longer there.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:07","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:07:11"},{"id":"99470","title":"24 km to go - 161,5 km done","text":"
Quemeneur and Gautier have passed Langeveld. They are 25 seconds behind.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:05","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:05:58"},{"id":"99469","title":"24 km to go - 161,5 km done","text":"
In addition to Degenkolb and Kristoff, Coquard, Gerrans and Sagan are riding near the front of the peloton.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Clarje is 1.20 ahead.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:05","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:05:28"},{"id":"99467","title":"25 km to go - 160,5 km done","text":"
Clarke is now riding away fro Langeveld. He is 1.20 ahead of the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:03","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:03:32"},{"id":"99466","title":"25 km to go - 160,5 km done","text":"
Clarke decides to take off on his own. Langeveld doesn't even try to respond.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:02","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:02:48"},{"id":"99465","title":"26 km to go - 159,5 km done","text":"
Renshaw is the next rider to get dropped. Devenyns is setting a brutal pace at the moment.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:01","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:01:59"},{"id":"99464","title":"27 km to go - 158,5 km done","text":"
The gap is now 1.20. Devenyns and Timmer ride pretty hard at the moment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Gautier and Quemeneur are 40 seconds behind.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 17:00","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:00:39"},{"id":"99462","title":"27 km to go - 158,5 km done","text":"
Intxausti, Pichot, Gene, Vanotti, Voigt are dropped.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:59","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:59:52"},{"id":"99461","title":"27 km to go - 158,5 km done","text":"
CRASH! Busche, Oliveira have hit the deck. They are both back on their bikes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kristoff and Degenkolb are both riding comfortably near the front.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:59","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:59:24"},{"id":"99460","title":"28 km to go - 157,5 km done","text":"
That's it for Kittel. Both he and Leezer ave been dropped.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:58","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:58:30"},{"id":"99459","title":"27 km to go - 158,5 km done","text":"
Kittel is suffering at the back.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:57","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:57:34"},{"id":"99457","title":"29 km to go - 156,5 km done","text":"
Gautier and Quemeneur are already 30 seconds ahead of the pelootn.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Timmer still leads the chase for Giant-Shimano. He now gets some assistance from his teammate Devenyns.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:56","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:56:53"},{"id":"99456","title":"29 km to go - 156,5 km done","text":"
Europcar know that Coquard is a great climber and they want to make the race as hard as possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rast and Howes are dropped from the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:55","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:55:32"},{"id":"99454","title":"30 km to go - 155,5 km done","text":"
Interestingly, Europcar have attacked right from the bottom. Quemeneur and Gautier have taken off.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:54","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:54:16"},{"id":"99453","title":"31 km to go - 154,5 km done","text":"
The escapees have hit the Cote de Grammond (9.8km, 2.9%).<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:52","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:52:13"},{"id":"99452","title":"33 km to go - 152,5 km done","text":"
Greipel has been brought to the front end of the peloton. He needs to start the climb in the first positions so that he can allow himself to drift backwards.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:49","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:49:26"},{"id":"99450","title":"35 km to go - 150,5 km done","text":"
Pichot, Gene and Timmer are now riding a bit harder. The gap is 2.00. They will probably use their last bit of energy in the run-in to the final climb.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:48","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:48:03"},{"id":"99449","title":"38 km to go - 147,5 km done","text":"
Interestingly, Cannondale have now gathered their troops near the front. Expect them to hit the front as soon as they hit the final climb.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:44","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:44:12"},{"id":"99448","title":"40 km to go - 145,5 km done","text":"
It's a bit of a surprise that no one tried to up the pace on the first climb. Now the likes of Sagan only have the final easy climb to try to get rid of the likes of Kittel and Greipel.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:42","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:42:56"},{"id":"99446","title":"43 km to go - 142,5 km done","text":"
Rast has been brought back by the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:38","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:38:43"},{"id":"99444","title":"45 km to go - 140,5 km done","text":"
Timmer has led the peloton over the summti with a 2.10 deficit. Kittel is no longer with his teammates near the front and has probably drifted backwards. However, he is unlikely to have been dropped yet. Degenkolb is looking comfortable.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:36","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:36:28"},{"id":"99443","title":"48 km to go - 137,5 km done","text":"
Renshaw, one of the sprinters, is suffering at the back. OPQS are likely to be riding for Trentin but if Petacchi survives the climbs, the veteran may be given is chance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Langeveld has led the escapees over the top.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:33","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:33:03"},{"id":"99441","title":"49 km to go - 136,5 km done","text":"
Demare has apparently rejoined the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:29","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:29:16"},{"id":"99440","title":"51 km to go - 134,5 km done","text":"
Vachon has been brought back by the peloton which is still led by Gene, Timmer and Pichot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The gap is still 2.15.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:26","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:26:13"},{"id":"99438","title":"52 km to go - 133,5 km done","text":"
Pinot has rejoined the peloton after having been escorted by Pineau and Ladagnous.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:22","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:22:10"},{"id":"99437","title":"53 km to go - 132,5 km done","text":"
Burghardt who is suffering from a shoulder injury, is dropped.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:21","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:21:27"},{"id":"99435","title":"53 km to go - 132,5 km done","text":"
As one would have expected, this terrain is a bit too hard for Rast. The big Swiss has been dropped.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The gap is rather constant at 2.15.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:20","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:20:13"},{"id":"99434","title":"54 km to go - 131,5 km done","text":"
Mechanical for Pinot! He gets a new bike and now needs to chase to rejoin the peloton. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pineay has dropped back to help him rejoin the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:19","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:19:20"},{"id":"99432","title":"54 km to go - 131,5 km done","text":"
Vachon is the first rider to get dropped from the breakaway. Clarke, Langeveld and Rast set a hard pace.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:17","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:17:47"},{"id":"99430","title":"55 km to go - 130,5 km done","text":"
Gadret has rejoined the peloton.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:16","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:16:30"},{"id":"99428","title":"58 km to go - 127,5 km done","text":"
John Gadret has suffered a puncture but the pace is not very fast at the moment. He will have plenty of time to rejoin the peloton.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The gap as come down to 2.15.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:13","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:13:08"},{"id":"99427","title":"59 km to go - 126,5 km done","text":"
What's wrong with Riblon in this race? The Frenchman is already dropped. He has been riding really poorly all race but bounced back with a solid showing in the Planche des Belles Filles stage where he finished 21st after having been on the attack all day.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:10","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:10:30"},{"id":"99426","title":"60 km to go - 125,5 km done","text":"
Former yellow jersey (in 2006) and stage winner (in 2008) Cyril Dessel has described the final part of stage 12 to L'eaufficiel, which is a daily newspaper presented during the Tour de France by official water supplier Vittel. Dessel who hails from Saint-Etienne said:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
“From Vagneray onwards, the last 60 kilometres are on lumpy roads but the hills aren't difficult. The col des Brosses is said to be 15.3km long but in reality, it's 7 to 8km long. It won't be decisive. At the end, the côte de Grammond is also rolling but the downhill to Saint-Etienne is quite fast before finishing in front the Zenith (arena). It could be a sprint of 80 to 100 riders.”<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:09","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:09:18"},{"id":"99425","title":"61 km to go - 124,5 km done","text":"
The peloton is definitely not as nervous as it was at the start of the race. The fight for position is a lot less intense as the GC has now been established.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Demare is still suffering from his injuries. He is the first rider to get dropped.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ji has also fallen off the pace.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:07","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:07:56"},{"id":"99424","title":"61 km to go - 124,5 km done","text":"
As the peloton hits the climb, Timmer is again contributing to the pace-setting for Giant.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:06","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:06:30"},{"id":"99422","title":"63 km to go - 122,5 km done","text":"
The harder work by the escapees has an effect. The gap has grown from 1.55 to 2.20.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The escapees have hit the climb (15.3km, 3.3%).<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:03","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:03:33"},{"id":"99421","title":"65 km to go - 120,5 km done","text":"
Behind Gene and Pichot, Timmer, De Kort, Curvers, Veelers, Devenyns, Degenkolb, Dumoulin and Kittel are lined out for Giant-Shimano. Then Quemeneur leads the rest of the Europcar riders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It will be interesing to see when Cannondale hits the front. They will definitely try to make things as hard as possible and as the climbs are not steep, they need to make use of their length to make a difference.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 16:02","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:02:19"},{"id":"99419","title":"66 km to go - 119,5 km done","text":"
The escapees are definitely riding a lot harder now but they continue to lose ground. The gap is now 2.00.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:59","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:59:34"},{"id":"99418","title":"67 km to go - 118,5 km done","text":"
The escapees are now just 5km from the bottom of the first of the two long climbs in the finale. It is definitely not a steep affair but nonetheless the GC riders all want to be in good position. They have started to organize their troops near the front.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:56","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:56:38"},{"id":"99417","title":"70 km to go - 115,5 km done","text":"
Giant-Shimano are no longer contributing to the pace-setting. Instead, Gene and Pichot do all the work. The gap is 2.30.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:53","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:53:43"},{"id":"99414","title":"75 km to go - 110,5 km done","text":"
The Europcar work has an effect. The gap has come down to 3.00.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:45","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:45:18"},{"id":"99413","title":"77 km to go - 108,5 km done","text":"
The breakaway contains some strong riders. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Langeveld and Rast are both cobbled classics specialists but the former is also a pretty solid climber. They are both big engines for the first part of the stage. Langeveld has won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad while Rast has won the Tour of Luxembourg overall and won a stage in last year's Tour de Suisse.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
We have already mentioned Clarke who is a typical Ardennes rider. He has a fast sprint and finished 7th in last year's Worlds. In 2012 he won a stage and the mountains jersey at the Vuelta.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Vachon is a fast rider who mixed it up in bunch sprints a few years. However, he also excels in hilly terrain. He has won several big Frecnh one-day races, including the 2012 Paris-Bourges.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:44","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:44:32"},{"id":"99412","title":"79 km to go - 106,5 km done","text":"
Coquard must be feeling good. Yesterday he almost made it into the front group and he is one of the best climbers among the sprinter. He has asked his teammate Pichot and Gene to contribute to the pace-setting.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:37","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:37:58"},{"id":"99408","title":"84 km to go - 101,5 km done","text":"
Veelers is getting a bit of a rest and now all the work is left to Ji and Timmer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The escapees have reached the feed zone with an advantage of 3.30.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:27","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:27:27"},{"id":"99407","title":"86 km to go - 99,5 km done","text":"
As a consequence of the crash, the gap is now down to 3.40.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:24","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:24:41"},{"id":"99405","title":"88 km to go - 97,5 km done","text":"
Unfortunately, it has now been confirmed that De La Cruz is out of the race.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:22","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:22:21"},{"id":"99404","title":"89 km to go - 96,5 km done","text":"
Questioned during the race by letour.fr, Europcar's DS Dominique Arnould said:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
“We were hoping to have a rider in the breakaway but since they're only five at the front, it doesn't matter much. Giant-Shimano controls the race. That's pretty good for us. We can foresee a regrouping. There are hills in the finale.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Depending on how the peloton will ride there, Bryan Coquard will be able to follow or not. I hope he will but we have a second option with Kevin Reza. He's in good form since the beginning of the Tour. He showed it again yesterday (10th) even though he got boxed in with two kilometers to go and he couldn't sprint the way he wanted. He was very disappointed. He deserved the top 5.”<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:20","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:20:23"},{"id":"99402","title":"90 km to go - 95,5 km done","text":"
Langeveld has already rejoined the front group. He seemed to get quite a bit of assistance from his team car.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:19","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:19:22"},{"id":"99401","title":"91 km to go - 94,5 km done","text":"
Langeveld is 40 seconds behind while the peloton is at 5.30. They still haven't decided to wait for the Garmin rider.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Langeveld is a great time triallist and an excellent classics rider. It's a really great shame for the break to have lost him in this flat part of the course.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:19","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:19:00"},{"id":"99399","title":"92 km to go - 93,5 km done","text":"
This is a big shame for De La Cruz. He is a talented young climber who is riding his second year with NetApp and was set to be a key support rider for König in the mountains. He has won the youuth classification in the Volta a Portugal and was second in the Tour of California queen stage earlier this year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As Machado is still suffering from his recent crash, König has now lost two key domestiques.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:17","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:17:37"},{"id":"99398","title":"97 km to go - 88,5 km done","text":"
Langeveld is back on his bike but De La Cruz is in a lot of pain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rast, Clarke and Vachon are discussing whether they want ot wait for Langeveld or not.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:16","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:16:07"},{"id":"99396","title":"97 km to go - 88,5 km done","text":"
Disaster for the breajaway! De La Cruz crashed in a corner and brought Langeveld down in the process. The Spaniard fell directly on his shoulder and it looks like he has broken his collarbone.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:15","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:15:01"},{"id":"99395","title":"97 km to go - 88,5 km done","text":"
Giant-Shimano know that they need to up the pace. Albert Timmer is now also contributing to the pace-setting.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:12","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:12:03"},{"id":"99394","title":"98 km to go - 87,5 km done","text":"
At the top of the climb, the gap is 4.57. The peloton is constantly losing ground.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:10","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:10:29"},{"id":"99392","title":"102 km to go - 83,5 km done","text":"
Again De La Cruz wanted the KOM points but no one wanted to challenge him. He led Rast over the top and so has scored 3 points today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The escapees are now 4.40 ahead. Giant-Shimano have still not received any help.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 15:05","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:05:49"},{"id":"99391","title":"105 km to go - 80,5 km done","text":"
The escapees have hit the Cote du Saule-d'Oingt (3.8km, 4.5%).<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:57","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:57:15"},{"id":"99390","title":"107 km to go - 78,5 km done","text":"
Giant-Shimano told Letour.fr that they wouldn't do all the work but so far they have received no help at all. Ji and Veelers are the only riders contributing to the pace-setting and they are losing a bit of ground at the moment.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:55","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:55:53"},{"id":"99389","title":"110 km to go - 75,5 km done","text":"
It's another brutally hot day. Langeveld has just put ice on his neck. The temperature at the finish is expected to reach 34 degrees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The gap was down to 3.25 but it is growing again. It is now 4.00.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:52","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:52:04"},{"id":"99387","title":"115 km to go - 70,5 km done","text":"
Interestingly, Orica-GreenEDGE have a rider in the break today. Today's stage is their biggest opportunity left in this race but they know that it will be hard for Gerrans to beat the faster sprinters in a bunch kick. Hence, they have changed tactics and sent Simon Clarke on the offensive. The Australian is great in this terrain but this group is too small to make it to the finish.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, it means that they won't contribute to the pace-setting. Instead, we can expect them to try to make things very hard in the finale.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:42","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:42:56"},{"id":"99385","title":"119 km to go - 66,5 km done","text":"
Questioned during the race by letour.fr, Giant-Shimano's DS Christian Guiberteau said:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
“I was surprised to see John (Degenkolb) finishing second yesterday but he was surprised as well [after suffering a muscle thorn in his bum that almost forced him out of the Tour in stage 6]. In the morning, his morale was low but he eventually managed to follow. Had he still felt the pain yesterday, it would have been very complicated [for him to continue racing].<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"After the race, he was a little bit disappointed because of losing but moreover, he was happy to see that he came back from so far out. He was euphoric last night. Today he's motivated but cautious.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Today, our plan is for him, even though Marcel [Kittel] might as well overcome the climbs. We contributed to the initial chase with Astana. Anytime soon, we'll put Ji Cheng at the head of the peloton in order to maintain the gap around four minutes. Eventually, we'll see of other teams help or not. We won't do all the work today.”<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:33","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:33:23"},{"id":"99383","title":"127 km to go - 58,5 km done","text":"
De La Cruz clearly wanted the KOM point but he wasn't challenged by his escape companions.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:22","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:22:27"},{"id":"99382","title":"127 km to go - 58,5 km done","text":"
Giant-Shimano are riding a bit harder now. The gap has come down to 3.50.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:21","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:21:13"},{"id":"99381","title":"128 km to go - 57,5 km done","text":"
The escapees have hit the Cote de Brouilly (1.7km, 5.1%). There's only a single point on offer and they are unlikely to give the KOM sprint too much attention.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:19","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:19:08"},{"id":"99380","title":"130 km to go - 55,5 km done","text":"
Before live images became available, the riders contested the intermediate sprint. The escapees showed no interest in the points while Kittel beat Coquard in the sprint for 6th. The fact that the German did the sprint indicates that he has no ambitions for today's finale.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
1. Florian Vachon (Bretagne-Séché Environnement), 20 points<\/p>\r\n\r\n
2. Gregory Rast (Trek), 17<\/p>\r\n\r\n
3. Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge), 15<\/p>\r\n\r\n
4. David De La Cruz (NetApp), 13<\/p>\r\n\r\n
5. Sebastian Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp), 11<\/p>\r\n\r\n
6. Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano), 10<\/p>\r\n\r\n
7. Bryan Coquard (Europcar), 9<\/p>\r\n\r\n
8. Mark Renshaw (OPQS), 8<\/p>\r\n\r\n
9. Romain Feillu (Bretagne), 7<\/p>\r\n\r\n
10. André Greipel (Lotto), 6<\/p>\r\n\r\n
11. Peter Sagan (Cannondale), 5<\/p>\r\n\r\n
12. Fabio Sabatini (Cannondale), 4<\/p>\r\n\r\n
13. Elia Viviani (Cannondale), 3<\/p>\r\n\r\n
14. Tom Veelers (Giant), 2<\/p>\r\n\r\n
15. Yohann Gène (Europcar), 1<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:17","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:17:35"},{"id":"99378","title":"136 km to go - 49,5 km done","text":"
At the moment, Giant-Shimano do all the work in the peloton. As usual, Cheng Ji is riding a lot in the wind and he gets some assistance from his teammate Tom Veelers. The latter is usually Marcel Kittel's lead-out man but he will never make it over the climbs with the best and so the team uses his energy a bit earlier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Dutch team wants to win the stage with John Degenkolb.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:09","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:09:04"},{"id":"99377","title":"140 km to go - 45,5 km done","text":"
For the second day in a row, the riders took the start under very hot temperatures. Unfortunately, one rider didn’t sign in this morning as Andrew Talansky has chosen to abandon the race despite his heroic effort in yesterday’s stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As expected, the stage was off to a very fast start as lots of riders planned to go on the attack. The first rider to make a move was Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp-Endura) and soon after a 9-rider group got clear. At the 5km mark, however, things were back together.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sebastian Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp) made the next move and after 7km of racing he had a 10-seconds gap. He was joined by Gregory Rast (Trek), Florian Vachon (Bretagne), Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE) and David De La Cruz (NetApp-Endura) and they fought hard to build an advantage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
At the 12km mark, they were 20 seconds ahead but as Astana took over the pace-setting, they started to build a bigger advantage. After 13km of racing, they were 1.05 ahead and at the 30km mark, it was already 4.40.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Giant-Shimano have now joined Astana on the front and started to control the situation. Nonetheless, the advantage has continued to grow and the latest time check is 5.00.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:02","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:02:42"},{"id":"99376","title":"Stage winner picks","text":"
CyclingQuotes’ stage winner pick: John Degenkolb<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Other winner candidates: Alexander Kristoff, Peter Sagan<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Outsiders: Bryan Coquard, André Greipel, Daniele Bennati, Greg Van Avermaet, Kevin Reza<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jokers: Julien Simon, Giovanni Visconti, Daniel Oss<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:02","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:02:22"},{"id":"99375","title":"The favourites","text":"
Tomorrow’s stage is very similar to today’s stage 11. Again the first part is pretty easy and all the major climbing is located in the second half. Like today, the final third of the race has virtually no flats and only the final few kilometres to the finish are not either up- or downhill.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, there are a few differences as well. Most notably, the final climbs are a lot easier than the short, steep ascents that littered today’s finale. The two late climbs may both be very long but they are not very steep. Only the first of those two ascents has some steeper gradients near the top but the climbs will be a lot more manageable for most of the riders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
This opens the door for a much wider range of riders. More sprinters will fancy their chances of making it over those climbs with the best and this suggests that the race could be more controlled. On the other hand, more attackers feel that they have a chance to finish off a breakaway in successful manner and this means that a lot of riders will be keen to ride aggressively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For riders that are not climbers, sprinters or TT specialists, this may be the final chance to win a stage and so we can again expect the start to be extremely fast. Today the riders rode at more than 50kph before the break finally took off and we should be in for a similar scenario tomorrow. Most of the teams have made a pre-race plan to attack and almost all teams have been told not to miss out if a big group gets clear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Today the break got clear surprisingly early and was surprisingly small which suited Cannondale and Orica-GreenEDGE perfectly. In the end, the finale proved to be too hard to control but the first part of the stage panned out just as they had hoped.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
They may not have the same kind of luck tomorrow but there is no doubt that stage 12 is a big goal for both teams. For Sagan, it may be his final big chance to take a stage win as the remaining non-mountain stages are more suitable to the pure sprinters. For Orica-GreenEDGE which have no sprinters or climbers on their roster, this is the final real chance as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, both teams spent a lot of energy in today’s stage and especially Cannondale went really deep in the finale. It will be hard for those teams to control another very fast start and both teams will probably take part in the attacks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Furthermore, Orica-GreenEDGE may prefer to change tactics. Tomorrow more sprinters may make the selection which makes it less likely that Simon Gerrans will win a sprint. It may be a better chance for them to send riders like Michael Albasini, Gerrans, Simon Clarke or Jens Keukeleire up the road and they may go into the race with a completely different game plan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the other hand, John Degenkolb is apparently back to his best after his muscle injury. Tomorrow’s stage was one of his big pre-race goals and if he again feels up to the challenge, Giant-Shimano will definitely do their part of the work. They may not be strong enough to control the peloton in the hilly finale but if they can do their work on the flats, Cannondale and Orica-GreenEDGE may take over by the time the terrain gets a bit hillier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Katusha and Alexander Kristoff may also come into play. The Russian team is here to win a stage and the mountains jersey and on the rest day, the Norwegian claimed that their best stage winning opportunity would be in the sprints. However, he is unlikely to beat Kittel and Greipel in the pure sprints and so his best chance may come tomorrow. So far Katusha has done no chasing but tomorrow it may be their time to take some responsibility.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Most teams will likely go into the stage with an open mind and nothing will be guaranteed before the break has taken off. If a big group with the major sprint teams gets clear, it will probably stay away. If the group is a smaller one, the sprint teams will bring it back together for the finale and they may get some help from the teams that have missed the move.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
If the break stays clear, it will all come down to a battle between the escapees on the final climbs but the strongest rider won’t necessarily prevail on these pretty easy ascents. Instead, tactics will play a very big role. If the peloton brings things back together, we are likely to see late attacks but it will be a lot easier for teams like Cannondale and Orica to control the finale. Orica will definitely try to make the race hard but we should see no repeat of today’s uncontrollable finale. This also means that Sagan is unlikely to be isolated and so he doesn’t need to ride aggressively as he did in stages 7 and 11 but can allow himself to save energy for the final sprint.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With Giant-Shimano also thrown into the mix, we will put our money on a sprint finish. In that case, John Degenkolb will be the man to beat. Going into this race, the German was our favourite for stages 11 and 12 but the muscle injury he suffered in stage 5 set him back. Yesterday he said that he needed a miracle to be competitive but apparently the rest day had a better impact than expected as he finished second in today’s stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Degenkolb was pleasantly surprised by the result and made it clear that he aimed high at tomorrow’s stage as well. With a hilly finale, it suits him down to the ground as he is a much better climber than most of the sprinters. Furthermore, he excels in sprints at the end of hard races as he proved when he finished second in Paris-Roubaix and won Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Tours and Vattenfall Cyclassics.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Degenkolb has sprinting really well all year and was clearly faster than Mark Cavendish in the Tour of California. His main problem has often been positioning but in a smaller group that will be less of a disadvantage. Furthermore, he can expect to have Koen De Kort and Tom Dumoulin at his side in the finale which will provide him with much better support than most of his rivals. Of course his injury raises several questions and he may not feel as good as he did today. With his return to form, however, he is our favourite to win the stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His biggest rivals in a sprint finish could be Alexander Kristoff. The Norwegian has been suffering from stomach problems but is now back at full strength. Today he didn’t even try to follow the best but afterwards he regretted his decision to save energy. Tomorrow he will definitely give it a try in a stage that suits him perfectly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kristoff has been climbing extremely well in this race and it would be a huge surprise if he fails to keep up with the best. Furthermore, he is very fast at the end of a hard race as he has proved in most of the biggest classics where he has often won the sprint of the first bigger group. With Luca Paolini and Gatis Smukulis at his side, he will have decent support in the finale and he handles the positioning really well. Tomorrow is definitely Kristoff’s best chance to win a stage in this race.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Today Peter Sagan was again left frustrated as he again failed to stay calm in the finale. Instead of focusing on a sprint, he panicked and started to follow attacks which left him with little strength for the sprint. As said, tomorrow’s finale will be much easier to control and he should be able to save himself for the final dash to the line.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Sagan has not been sprinting very well this year and honestly we don’t think that he has the speed to beat the likes of Degenkolb and Kristoff. On the other hand, no one is better at positioning than the Slovakian and it may not all come down to pure speed. If Sagan handles the finale way, tomorrow could be the day when he finally takes that elusive stage win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bryan Coquard is a much better climber than most of the sprinters and he doesn’t seem to be fatigued yet. Today he finished in the second big group, just 1.36 behind stage winner Tony Gallopin, and he should definitely be there in the finale. Coquard has been sprinting really well in this race and most importantly, he has been much better at positioning himself than usual. If Coquard gets a clear run to the line and doesn’t have to start too far back, he definitely has a chance to win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
André Greipel definitely can’t be ruled out in this kind of stage. The big German is a solid climber and has overcome pretty tough climbs in the past. Two days ago he did a massive job for Gallopin in much harder terrain and he seems to be riding really well at the moment. Today he didn’t even try to keep up with the best but tomorrow he will definitely give it a go. If he is there in the end, he will obviously be the fastest rider.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
If a break stays away, there are several good candidates but due to the flat start it is a bit of a lottery to make the right move. However, Greg Van Avermaet seems to be riding better than ever before and he appears to be at ease on the climbs. As a classics specialist he knows how to ride hard on the flats and like today he will definitely try to join the breaks. With faster sprinters in the finale, he knows that he is unlikely to win a sprint but if he makes it into the break he could easily be the fastest rider.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the rest day, Sep Vanmarcke said that he targeted the transitional stages and tomorrow’s stage suits the Belgian down to the ground. Usually not known for his climbing skills, he has been climbing extremely well in this race. Today he finished in the gruppetto and may have decided to save energy for today’s stage. The finale should be manageable for Vanmarcke who has a very fast sprint to finish it off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kevin Reza has mostly been working as a lead-out man for Coquard in this race but tomorrow it may be his time to go on the attack. The Europcar rider is climbing better than ever before and today he made it into the front group before sprinting to 10th. He has a decent sprint and will be hard to drop on the climbs. If he joins the break, he may take Europcar’s first stage victory in this race.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Finally, we will select our jokers. Julien Simon crashed in stage 1 and suffered in the first few stages but now he is back at his best level. Today he almost made it into the first group and tomorrow’s stage suits him even better. Simon is fast in a sprint but knows that he won’t beat the real sprinters in a bunch kick. Instead, he will try to go on the attack and if he makes it into the break he will be one of the favourites.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Movistar have their eyes firmly fixed on Alejandro Valverde but they are not afraid of going on the attack. This stage suits Giovanni Visconti down to the ground as he excels in this hilly terrain and has a very fast sprint. His main objective will be to keep Valverde safe but if he makes the right break, he will be a danger man.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Daniel Oss may be a big classics guy but he is actually a decent climber. Today he played a key role in chasing down the four-rider group in the finale which again underlined his excellent form. Tomorrow he may try to join the break and if he makes it, the hilly finale suits him well. He is both a strong rouleur and has a fast sprint which makes him an obvious winner candidate.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:02","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:02:13"},{"id":"99374","title":"The weather","text":"
For the first time in this year’s race, the riders rode in hot conditions when they travelled to Oyonnax earlier today. The heat does plan to give way for rain and cold yet and so tomorrow should be another brutally hot day in the saddle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bright sunshine is forecasted for the entire stage and the temperature will reach a maximum of a sweltering 34 degrees in the second half of the stage and it will only be slightly cooler on the top of the late climbs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
There will be a light easterly wind which means that the riders will first have a tailwind until the intermediate sprint and then a crosswind almost all the way to the finish in Saint-Etienne. In the finale, there is a short tailwind section that but the final 4km will mostly be raced with a crosswind from the left.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:01","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:01:47"},{"id":"99373","title":"The course","text":"
The second week has a few hilly stages that could both be won by a strong sprinter or a brave escapee. For the second day in a row, the riders face such a stage when they travel 185.5km from Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Étienne as they continue their southerly journey by travelling a bit in a westerly direction to get a little farther away from the Aps and briefly touch Massif Central.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The stage is pretty similar to the previous one as the first part is almost completely flat, with the early intermediate sprint being the highlight. It is both pretty technical with several turns and slightly uphill, averaging 1% for the final 2km and being slightly steeper near the line. After the sprint, the terrain gets slightly hillier, with the Col de Brouilly (category 4, 1.7km, 5.1%) and Cote de Saule d’Dingt (category 3, 3.8km, 4.5%) being the first challenges of the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
An easier section leads to the finale which kicks off with the long Col des Brosses (category 3, 15.3km, 3.3%) which is not very steep. A descent brings the riders to the bottom of the Cote de Grammond (category 4, 9.8km, 2.9%) which is pretty similar to the previous climb. Summiting 21.5km from the finish, the climb is followed by a short uphill stretch and then a long descent to the final 8.5km that are completely flat. The finale is pretty easy as the final major turn comes 1500m from the line and then the road only bends slightly to the right and left before the riders get onto the 320m finishing straight. The final kilometre is uphill with a 1.2% average gradient.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Saint-Étienne has often hosted stage finishes of the major French races, most recently in 2009 when Niki Terpstra and Christian Vande Velde won stages in the Dauphiné and Paris-Nice respectively. One year earlier Marcus Burghardt won a Tour de France stage here while Kjell Carlström, Christophe Moreau, Tom Boonen and Patxi Vila are all among the latest riders to have won in the city, proving that a lot of different riders can excel in this terrain. In 2005, Lance Armstrong sealed his seventh Tour de France victory by winning the final time trial of that year’s Tour de France here.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:01","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:01:22"},{"id":"99372","title":"Welcome","text":"
Welcome to our live coverage of stage 12 of the Tour de France.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 14:00","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:00:48"}],"authors":[{"author":"Nikolaj Jensen ","email":""}]},"hashtags":"#TdFdk #tv2tour","profileSmall":"http:\/\/www.feltet.dk\/octo_cms\/files\/Feltet.dk\/Billeder\/2014\/Lob\/Tour_de_France_2014\/Etapeprofiler\/12_etape.jpg","profileLarge":"http:\/\/www.feltet.dk\/octo_cms\/files\/Feltet.dk\/Billeder\/2014\/Lob\/Tour_de_France_2014\/Etapeprofiler\/12_etape_stor.jpg","items":[{"title":"Feltet","cq":{"title":"Peloton"},"settings":{"item_text":"","item_km":"0","item_distanceMins":"0","item_distanceSecs":"15","cq":{"item_title":"Peloton","item_text":""},"shirts":["shirt_generalClas.png","shirt_pointClas.png","shirt_mountainClas.png","shirt_youthClas.png"]}}],"elements":[{"id":"99530","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Dermed takker vi af fra en dag med spændende cykelløb, flere udbrudsforsøg, hårdt arbejde fra Giant og Europcar, efterfulgt af en perfekt spurt af norske Alexander Kristoff. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Der kom ikke de helt store ændringer i den samlede stilling, men det kommer der bestemt i morgen, hvor vi tager hul på alperne, som altid giver spændende cykelløb. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Den etape kan du selvfølgelig følge med i her på Feltet.dk. Liveopdateringen starter klokken 12.10, så du kan, som altid, følge med fra starten af etapen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Derudover kan du selvfølgelig følge med på Feltet.dk resten af dagen, hvor vi vil komme med reaktioner og et referat af dagens etape.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Tak for i dag!<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:50","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:50:06","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99529","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Top 10 i klassementet:<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) 51.31.34<\/p>\r\n\r\n
2. Richie Porte (Sky) +2.23<\/p>\r\n\r\n
3. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +2.41<\/p>\r\n\r\n
4. Romain Bardet (AG2R) +3.01<\/p>\r\n\r\n
5. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ.fr) +3.47<\/p>\r\n\r\n
6. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +3.56<\/p>\r\n\r\n
7. Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) +3.57<\/p>\r\n\r\n
8. Bauke Mollema (Belkin) +4.08<\/p>\r\n\r\n
9. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) +4.18<\/p>\r\n\r\n
10. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) +4.31<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Den eneste ændring i top 10 var altså, at franske Tony Gallopin forsvandt fra sin femteplads efter han blev sat med få kilometer tilbage.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:45","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:45:57","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99527","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Dagens top 10:<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n
1. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
2. Peter Sagan (Cannondale)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
3. Arnaud Demare (FDJ.fr)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
4. Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
5. Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
6. Matteo Trentin (OPQS)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
7. Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff-Saxo)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
8. Bryan Coquard (Europcar)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
9. Daniel Oss (BMC)<\/p>\r\n\r\n
10. Samuel Dumoulin (AG2R)<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:43","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:43:23","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99525","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Som sagt styrtede Greipel lige inden spurten, et styrt som Sylvain Chavanel også var involveret i. Ifølge Greiepl var han også lidt for involveret, da man efterfølgende kunne se de to diskutere hæftigt på vej mod mål. Greipel mente, at Chavanel havde haft en hånd på hans styr, og at styrtet var franskmandens skyld. Det var Chavanel naturligvis uenig i.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:41","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:41:49","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99523","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Sejr til Alexander Kristoff (Katusha)! Det blev altså til endnu en andenplads til Peter Sagan, som dog kan trøste sig med en masse point til sin grønne trøje.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:38","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:38:05","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99522","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Sagan trækker udenom, men Kristoff tager den! Det så tæt ud oprindeligt, men når man ser det oppefra kan man tydeligt se, at nordmanden vinder med mindst en halv cykellængde.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:37","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:37:00","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99520","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Demare er også med, det bliver mellem de tre! Kristoff liger bedst lige nu.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:36","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:36:09","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99519","title":"0 km til m\u00e5l - 185,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Kristoff kører forbi med Sagan på hjul, han åbner spurten på det helt rigtige tidspunkt!<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:35","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:35:45","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99518","title":"0,7","text":"
OPQS overtager fronten i feltet for Trentin! De har flere ryttere i front, og han kunne ikke ønske sig et bedre lead-out.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:35","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:35:09","km_driven":"185,5"},{"id":"99513","title":"1 km til m\u00e5l - 184,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Katusha og Cannondale er i front lige nu, hvor de kører ind på sidste kilometer!<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:33","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:33:54","km_driven":"184,8"},{"id":"99509","title":"2 km til m\u00e5l - 183,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Cannondale har kørt et meget klogt løb i dag og høster lige nu frugten af det - de har adskillige ryttere til at køre lead-out for Sagan nu. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:32","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:32:39","km_driven":"184,5"},{"id":"99505","title":"3 km til m\u00e5l - 182,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Greipel har været nede! Der røg hans chancer for at vinde i dag, sikke en ærgerlig måde at miste chancen for etapesejren. Cannondale er fremme i feltet, hvor de allerede sad inden styrtet.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:31","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:31:40","km_driven":"183,5"},{"id":"99502","title":"3 km til m\u00e5l - 182,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så er OPQS i feltets front. De satser nok på Matteo Trentin, som allerede har vundet en etape i dette års Tour.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:30","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:30:49","km_driven":"182,5"},{"id":"99499","title":"5 km til m\u00e5l - 180,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så fik vi Katusha frem i feltet. Alle mand er hentet nu, og samtidig er Tony Gallopin sat. Han ser ud til at tage det roligt og satser tydeligvis ikke på, at bevare sin gode placering i klassementet.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:29","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:29:30","km_driven":"182,5"},{"id":"99494","title":"7 km til m\u00e5l - 178,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Et andet hold der snart skal til at vise sig er Alexander Kristoffs Katusha. Kristoff har gode chancer i en finale som den i dag, men Greipel er nok en tand stærkere i en mand mod mand spurt.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:26","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:26:42","km_driven":"180,5"},{"id":"99492","title":"8 km til m\u00e5l - 177,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Lars Bak er gået frem i feltet, og dermed kan vi nok forvente, at André Greipel stadig er at finde i feltet. Vi så heller ikke nogle billeder af ham blive sat, så den er nok god nok.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:25","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:25:27","km_driven":"178,5"},{"id":"99489","title":"10 km til m\u00e5l - 175,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Lige omkring 15 sekunder har udbruddet nu, og der er vist ikke længere den store tvivl om, at de bliver hentet om lidt. Derefter ser vi nok Cannondale gå frem for Sagan for at lukke alle angreb ned. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:24","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:24:13","km_driven":"177,5"},{"id":"99488","title":"11 km til m\u00e5l - 174,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Tony Gallopin var lige ved at blive sat fra feltet før, men er tilbage nu. Han ser dog træt ud, hvilket også er forståeligt efter sin flotte kørsel i år. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:22","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:22:54","km_driven":"175,5"},{"id":"99483","title":"16 km til m\u00e5l - 169,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så har de tre i front kun 35 sekunder, trods godt arbejde fra de to Europcar ryttere. Det er Giant-Shimano, der er ansvarlige for udbruddets tidstab. Cannondale kører meget kynisk i dag, men det kan betyde, at de for en gangs skyld har nogle folk til at hjælpe Sagan i finalen.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:18","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:18:22","km_driven":"174,5"},{"id":"99479","title":"20 km til m\u00e5l - 165,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Både udbruddet og feltet har passeret bjergspurten på toppen af dagens sidste stigning, som Clarke kørte først over. Det fortsætter dog med at gå opad lidt efter det, og nu bliver Clarke hentet af Quemeneur og Gautier.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:12","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:12:51","km_driven":"169,5"},{"id":"99473","title":"22 km til m\u00e5l - 163,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Quemeneur og Gautier hentede for nogle minutter siden Langeveld, og det samme gør feltet nu. Simon Clarke har 12 sekunder til Europcar rytterne, og over et minut til feltet.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:09","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:09:20","km_driven":"165,5"},{"id":"99468","title":"25 km til m\u00e5l - 160,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Simon Clarke angriber i udbruddet! Han angreb mens Langeveld lige skulle til at tage en tår vand, klog timing. Langeveld ser dog ikke umiddelbart ud til at have noget at svare igen med, men Clarke bekymrer sig nok mere om feltet lige nu. Imens øger Europcar rytterne deres forspring, og de er kun 35 sekunder efter Clarke.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:04","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:04:21","km_driven":"163,5"},{"id":"99463","title":"27 km til m\u00e5l - 158,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Det er ret usædvanligt, at man ser styrt på stigninger, men her har Oliveira (Lampre) og Busche (Trek) netop været nede. Farten er ikke så høj, og de ser heller ikke ud til at have slået sig meget.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 17:00","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 17:00:28","km_driven":"160,5"},{"id":"99458","title":"28 km til m\u00e5l - 157,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Quemeneur og Gautier har faktisk allerede fået et halvt minut. Nede i feltet har Europcar, som forventet, trukket sig fra fronten, og dermed skal vi snart til at se nogle andre hold deltage i føringsarbejdet.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:57","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:57:19","km_driven":"158,5"},{"id":"99455","title":"31","text":"
Udbruddet har ramt Cote de Grammond (9,8km, 2.9%), og dermed angriber to Europcar ryttere. Vi troede alle, at de kørte for Coquard i dag, men umiddelbart er det Gautier, som de ser ud til at satse på nu. Han har i hvert fald kørt væk på hjul af Quemeneur.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:55","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:55:07","km_driven":"157,5"},{"id":"99451","title":"35 km til m\u00e5l - 150,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Cannondale har været meget anonyme på dagens etape, men nu har de sat sig langt frem i feltet. Jeg tror, at de rammer fronten når dagens sidste stigning starter.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:49","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:49:21","km_driven":"154,5"},{"id":"99447","title":"40 km til m\u00e5l - 145,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så blev Rast hentet af feltet. Sky har sendt Bernhard Eisel frem i feltet, sandsynligvis for at holde Porte ud af problemer på nedkørslen.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:42","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:42:41","km_driven":"150,5"},{"id":"99445","title":"44 km til m\u00e5l - 141,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Feltet er oppe over den første af de to afsluttende stigninger, og de er fortsat over 2 minutter efter. Ingen af de store sprintere er sat så vidt vi ved, men nu kommer der jo også endnu en hård stigning inden vi når mål.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:37","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:37:28","km_driven":"145,5"},{"id":"99442","title":"48 km til m\u00e5l - 137,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Stigningen er blevet en del stejlere her mod toppen, som man også kan se på rytternes fart. Feltet henter faktisk ikke så meget ind på udbruddet lige nu, og forspringet har været stabilt hele vejen op ad Col des Brosses.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:31","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:31:48","km_driven":"141,5"},{"id":"99439","title":"51 km til m\u00e5l - 134,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så blev Vachon hentet af feltet. Det samme kan vi nok forvente af Rast inden længe.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:26","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:26:07","km_driven":"137,5"},{"id":"99436","title":"53 km til m\u00e5l - 132,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så kunne Rast heller ikke mere! Nu sidder kun Clarke og Langeveld oppe foran. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:20","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:20:28","km_driven":"134,5"},{"id":"99433","title":"54 km til m\u00e5l - 131,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Floriant Vachon er sat fra udbruddet. Han har længe siddet og kæmpet bagerst i gruppen, og nu blev det altså for meget for franskmanden.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:18","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:18:25","km_driven":"132,5"},{"id":"99431","title":"55 km til m\u00e5l - 130,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Det er fortsat Europcar og Giant-Shimano, der sætter tempoet i feltet. Hold som Orica-GreenEdge og Cannondale skal vi nok også forvente at se fremme snart, da de begge har storfavoritter i henholdsvis Simon Gerrans og Peter Sagan.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:17","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:17:43","km_driven":"131,5"},{"id":"99429","title":"57 km til m\u00e5l - 128,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
John Gadret (Movistar) har netop punkteret, men det er nok begrænset hvor stor en katastrofe det er på nuværende tidspunkt. Gadret er en vigtig hjælper for Valverde, som nok håber på, at han kan komme tilbage hurtigst muligt.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:13","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:13:34","km_driven":"130,5"},{"id":"99423","title":"62 km til m\u00e5l - 123,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så kører udbruddet ind på Col de Brosses! 15kilometer med 3,3% i snit lyder ikke så slemt, men vi kan nok forvente at se nogle ryttere blive sat alligevel, vi er trods alt et stykke inde i Touren. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:05","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:05:47","km_driven":"128,5"},{"id":"99420","title":"65 km til m\u00e5l - 120,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Udbryderne er lige ved at være ved bunden af den første af de to lange stigninger i dagens finale. De har kun to minutter til feltet nu, og deres chancer for at holde hjem er meget, meget små.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 16:01","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 16:01:03","km_driven":"123,5"},{"id":"99416","title":"72 km til m\u00e5l - 113,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Europcars arbejde har betalt sig, og forspringet er nede på under tre minutter. Feltet tager absolut ingen chancer med de fire i front i dag, hvilket der absolut heller ikke er en grund til.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:49","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:49:57","km_driven":"120,5"},{"id":"99415","title":"74 km til m\u00e5l - 111,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Det tyder på, at Bryan Coquard (Europcar) har gode ben i dag. Han har i hvert fald sendt et par ryttere frem i feltet for at hjælpe Giant-Shimano. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:45","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:45:20","km_driven":"113,5"},{"id":"99411","title":"79 km til m\u00e5l - 106,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Udbruddets forspring faldt lidt som følge af styrtet, men de er nu ved at bygge et fint forspring op igen. Selvom de mistede næsten et minut ved at vente på Langeveld er det nok ikke noget de fortryder, han kan sætte et godt tempo på flad vej, og har bestemt også gjort sin del af arbejdet i dag.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:35","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:35:56","km_driven":"111,5"},{"id":"99410","title":"81 km til m\u00e5l - 104,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Nu kører feltet gennem forplejningszonen. Der er altid en lille risiko for styrt her, så derfor er det godt at se, at tempoet er sat lidt ned her. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:30","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:30:59","km_driven":"106,5"},{"id":"99409","title":"84 km til m\u00e5l - 101,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Vejret i Frankrig er godt, og rytterne ser ud til at nyde det efter en regnfuld start på løbet. Tempoet er stabilt, og Giant-Shimano styrer feltet. Astana sidder bag dem med Nibali i en god position.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:27","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:27:48","km_driven":"104,5"},{"id":"99406","title":"88 km til m\u00e5l - 97,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så er det officielt, David De la Cruz (NetApp-Endura) er udgået fra løbet. Ærgerligt for den 25-årige spanier, der ellers så godt kørende ud. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:22","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:22:58","km_driven":"101,5"},{"id":"99403","title":"90 km til m\u00e5l - 95,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Feltet kom sikkert gennem det sving, hvor styrtet skete. Langeveld er netop kommet op til udbruddet igen, og han ser ud til at være okay.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:19","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:19:25","km_driven":"97,5"},{"id":"99400","title":"91 km til m\u00e5l - 94,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Langeveld er endnu ikke kommet op til udbruddet igen, men det ser ud som om de vil vente på ham oppe foran.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:17","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:17:51","km_driven":"95,5"},{"id":"99397","title":"93 km til m\u00e5l - 92,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Styrt i udbruddet! De la Cruz skred i et sving og ramte Sebastian Langevelds baghjul. Langeveld er kommet op igen, men De la Cruz ser ikke ud til at kunne fortsætte. Det ligner et brækket kraveben.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:15","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:15:48","km_driven":"94,5"},{"id":"99393","title":"100 km til m\u00e5l - 85,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Når der nu ikke sker det store i cykelløbet kan vi lige tænke lidt fremad på etapens afslutning. Som jeg sagde tidligere ligner finalen meget gårsdagens, dog ikke helt så hård. I dag følger også et lidt længere fladt stykke efter stigningerne end i går, hvilket kan hjælpe de lidt tungere ryttere. Et soloangreb som Tony Gallopins i går bliver sværere i dag.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 15:08","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 15:08:01","km_driven":"92,5"},{"id":"99388","title":"110 km til m\u00e5l - 75,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Flotte billeder fra Frankrig, men ikke det mest spændende cykelløb. Udbruddets forspring er stabilt, og der er ro på feltet. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 14:51","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:51:20","km_driven":"85,5"},{"id":"99386","title":"118 km til m\u00e5l - 67,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Udbruddets forspring er faldet et lille minut, men samarbejdet er stadig godt. Det er Giant-Shimano, der laver alt arbejdet lige nu. Har John Degenkolb gode ben?<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 14:36","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:36:30","km_driven":"75,5"},{"id":"99384","title":"126 km til m\u00e5l - 59,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
David de la Cruz (NetApp-Endura) angriber kort inden dagens første bjergspurt og tager det ene point på toppen af Col du Brouilly. Han har i forvejen kun to point i den konkurrence, og er dermed ikke for alvor med i kampen om den prikkede bjergtrøje.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 14:23","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:23:47","km_driven":"67,5"},{"id":"99379","title":"133 km til m\u00e5l - 52,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Vi har ikke fået mange meldinger om pointspurten, men det blev altså Florian Vachon der tog pointene i udbruddet, mens Marcel Kittel vandt spurten i feltet. Sagan hentede fem point til sin trøje og er dermed oppe på hele 306 point!<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 14:15","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 14:15:57","km_driven":"59,5"},{"id":"99371","title":"145 km til m\u00e5l - 40,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Hele fem minutter har udbruddet nu, så det ser ud til, at der ikke kommer flere med i dag. Det bliver nok meget roligt de næste mange kilometer, men når bakkerne kommer kan vi nok godt forvente flere angreb.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:57","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:57:22","km_driven":"52,5"},{"id":"99370","title":"150 km til m\u00e5l - 35,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Udbruddets forspring er steget til godt tre minutter, her hvor rytterne nærmer sig dagens indlagte pointspurt. I denne konkurrence har Peter Sagan næsten dobbelt så mange point som Bryan Coquard (Europcar), som ligger på andenpladsen.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:48","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:48:08","km_driven":"40,5"},{"id":"99369","title":"160 km til m\u00e5l - 25,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Det er nogle meget stærke ryttere, der er kommet afsted, og hvis de kan få et godt samarbejde i gang er de bestemt ikke ufarlige. Dagens etape er også en klassisk udbryderetape, men da Peter Sagan (Cannondale) endnu ikke har fået sin etapesejr, får vi måske Cannondale at se i fronten af feltet.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:39","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:39:42","km_driven":"35,5"},{"id":"99368","title":"165 km til m\u00e5l - 20,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Så kom et udbrud afsted, som består af følgende ryttere: Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp), Gregory Rast (Trek Factory Racing), Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge), Florian Vachon (Bretagne-Seche Environment) og David de la Cruz (NetApp-Endura). De har allerede fået sig 2'25 til feltet.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:36","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:36:08","km_driven":"25,5"},{"id":"99367","title":"175 km til m\u00e5l - 10,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Vi har set nogle få angreb indtil videre på etapen, men ingen er kommet afsted endnu. Især Huzarski (NetApp-Endura) og Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp) har virket ivrige efter at komme i udbrud, men de har altså ikke haft den store succes endnu.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:24","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:24:11","km_driven":"20,5"},{"id":"99366","title":"185 km til m\u00e5l - 0,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Talanskys præstation fangede også løbsdirektøren Christian Prudhommes opmærksomhed. Tidligere i dag hyldede han Talansky, og kaldte ham blandt andet en Tour-legende. "En sand lektion i mandsmod," kaldte han det, og sagde derudover også, at han var sikker på, at denne præstation ville hjælpe Talanksy i sin fremtidige karriere.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:16","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:16:50","km_driven":"10,5"},{"id":"99365","title":"185 km til m\u00e5l - 0,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"
Dagens helt store (og meget ærgerlige) nyhed er, at amerikanske Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) er udgået fra løbet. <\/a> Som følge af hans mange styrt i årets løb blev han i går sat, og selvom han på et tidspunkt så ud til at være klar til at udgå, blev ahn overtalt til at fortsætte og gennemføre etapen. Efter etapen gav han et følelsesladet interview hvor han fortalte, at han ikke kunne udgå efter alt det arbejde hans holdkammerater havde lavet, men nu blev det altså for meget. <\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:12","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:12:41","km_driven":"0,5"},{"id":"99364","title":"185 km til m\u00e5l - 0,5 km k\u00f8rt","text":"Goddag og velkommen til vores dækning af 12. etape af Tour de France! Det bliver uden tvivl en spændende dags cykelløb med to hårde stigninger mod slutningen af etapen, og på en etape der generelt ligner gårsdagens ganske meget, kan dette være sidste chance for Peter Sagan og hans etapesejr.<\/p>","date":"17\/7-2014 kl. 13:01","date_unformatted":"2014-07-17 13:01:44","km_driven":"0,5"}],"authors":[{"author":"Nikolaj Jensen ","email":""}]}