Ivanov clears a 12-man break in a classic move propelling him to a stage victory today. George Hincapie tried valiantly to create enough of a gap to acquire the Yellow jersey.
Stage 14 Winner - Ivanov
The gap was closed by mere seconds by a string of events that left him confused and disappointed.
Today’s breakaway of substance cleared at the 15km mark. The 13 man break included Hayden Roulston, Jens Voigt, Martijn Maaskant, George Hincapie, Nicolas Roche, Daniele Bennati, Daniele Righi, Christophe Le Mevel, Sébastien Minard, Frederik Willems, Sergei Ivanov, Gerald Ciolek and Albert Timer. Hincapie was the closest to the Yellow Jersey at 5:25 back. So it was rather peculiar that Nocentini’s team, AG2R, allowed the break to grow to over 8 minutes. Putting Hincapie in Yellow on the road. AG2R was not strong enough to reel in the break. Garmin came to the front to whittle down the lead much to the consternation of Hincapie. It was thought an unnecessary surge, as Hincapie was not considered a GC threat.
As the break approached 12km, riders began to fly off the front. After several failed attempts, Ivanov launched a well-timed and powerful attack that stuck. He was able to hold off the remaining break riders who failed to form a cohesive response. Hincapie finished 16 seconds back when the clock started on the Yellow. His Columbia teammates tried desperately to balance the need to leadout Cavendish with the desire to maintain the gap for Hincapie as best as they could. In the end it wasn’t to be for either rider. The gap was closed 5 seconds shy of what Hincapie needed to clear the jersey. In the sprint to salvage the remaining points, Cavendish was DQed because he blocked Hushovd from the line intentionally or otherwise. He gained no points as a result and fell further behind Hushovd in the Green Jersey competition.
Stage 14 - George Hincapie makes a run for Yellow
Hincapie did take second in the overall displacing Contador and Armstrong in the process. He is not expected to contest for the mountainous stage 15 tomorrow however. It is likely that there will be a GC shakeup. Riders are eager to mix it up and the string of Cat 3’s, a 2 and a mountain top Cat 1 finish should provide the canvas.
Stage 14 Recaps
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Stage 14 Results
1 Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha 4:37:46
2 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:16
3 Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cervelo TestTeam
4 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin – Slipstream
5 Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
6 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre – NGC
7 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux
8 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia – HTC
9 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas
10 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram 0:00:22
11 Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-Shimano 0:00:26
12 Frederik Willems (Bel) Liquigas 0:03:41
13 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo TestTeam 0:05:36
14 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia – HTC
15 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française des Jeux
16 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
17 Koen de Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano
18 Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre – NGC
19 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Cervelo TestTeam
20 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux
Green Jersey Standings
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo TestTeam 218 pts
2 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia – HTC 200
3 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 126
4 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram 122
5 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin – Slipstream 110
Polka Dot Jersey Standings
1 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 98 pts
2 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi 95
3 Brice Feillu (Fra) Agritubel 64
4 Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 59
5 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step 53
Overall Standings
1 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 58:13:52
2 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia – HTC 0:00:05
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 0:00:06
4 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana 0:00:08
5 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux 0:00:43
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin – Slipstream 0:00:46
7 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:00:54
8 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia – HTC 0:01:00
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin – Slipstream 0:01:24
10 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:01:49
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