Sanchez wins 14th stage
Source: AFP |
July 16, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SPANIARD Luis Leon Sanchez handed his stricken Rabobank team a welcome boost by soloing to victory on a memorable the Tour de France 14th stage from Limoux to Foix yesterday.
Sanchez, whose team has been decimated by crashes, had been part of an 11-man break which built a 16-minute lead on the peloton well before the end of the 191-kilometer stage.
And after counter-attacking Frenchman Sandy Casar on the 38km descent towards the finish, the Spaniard made a decisive move with just over 11km to race. Sanchez finished 47 seconds ahead of Slovakian Peter Sagan (Liquigas) with FDJ rider Casar in third and the main peloton, including race leader Bradley Wiggins, coming over the finish 18 minutes in arrears.
Defending champion Cadel Evans started the day 3 minutes 19 seconds adrift but could have finished it far worse off after falling victim to several mechanical problems that left his high-tech BMC team looking amateurish.
First, the Australian was left waiting at the summit of the last, brutal climb, the Peguere, for nearly two minutes after suffering a problem with his back wheel.
Looking flustered, he got a replacement from a teammate only to require another wheel change on the descent, during which time the yellow jersey peloton had sat up and waited.
Wiggins will take a 2:05 lead over teammate Chris Froome into today's mainly flat stage.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) is still third overall at 2:23 with Evans still fourth at 3:19.
Sanchez, whose team has been decimated by crashes, had been part of an 11-man break which built a 16-minute lead on the peloton well before the end of the 191-kilometer stage.
And after counter-attacking Frenchman Sandy Casar on the 38km descent towards the finish, the Spaniard made a decisive move with just over 11km to race. Sanchez finished 47 seconds ahead of Slovakian Peter Sagan (Liquigas) with FDJ rider Casar in third and the main peloton, including race leader Bradley Wiggins, coming over the finish 18 minutes in arrears.
Defending champion Cadel Evans started the day 3 minutes 19 seconds adrift but could have finished it far worse off after falling victim to several mechanical problems that left his high-tech BMC team looking amateurish.
First, the Australian was left waiting at the summit of the last, brutal climb, the Peguere, for nearly two minutes after suffering a problem with his back wheel.
Looking flustered, he got a replacement from a teammate only to require another wheel change on the descent, during which time the yellow jersey peloton had sat up and waited.
Wiggins will take a 2:05 lead over teammate Chris Froome into today's mainly flat stage.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) is still third overall at 2:23 with Evans still fourth at 3:19.
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