Cycling: After we in our ersten Teil of the cycling highlights of 2016 looked at the first half of the season, now the second part is about the rest of the year. with you? The Tour de France, of course! In our upcoming season recap articles, we'll look at the tops & flops, the surprises, the unlucky ones, the comebackers, the individual teams and the strangest events of 2016.
Froome & Sagan dissect the Tour de France peloton
Of course, the Tour de France should not be missing from our cycling highlights 2016. There were several highlights during the most important tour of the year. All cycling fans already know that the mountain stages are exciting, but even a flat stage can be really interesting. The wind usually plays a role. So also on this July 13th: On the 11st stage the Tour took the peloton from Carcassonne to Montpellier. The Pyrenees lay behind the field of riders and the course was gradually set for the Alps. A day before the climb up Mont Ventoux, spectators expected a bunch sprint on this typical transfer stage. However, some experts warned of the Mistral - knowing full well that the wind blows particularly dangerously for the drivers on the Mediterranean coast.
After Leigh Howard (IAM) and Arthur Vichot (FDJ) were able to break away and there were a few falls, things calmed down despite the strong wind. However, this state should only be the calm before the storm. With 90 kilometers to go, the Tinkoff team around Peter Sagan pushed the pace. Since the wind mostly came from the side, the typical wind edge formations quickly formed. Eventually, Trek-Segafredo also got involved in the tempo work. Much to the dismay of the breakaways, as Howard and Vichot were caught with 61km to go. The field tore into several parts. There were many wind relays until there were only 35 kilometers to go. After that, the peloton calmed down again and seemed to be heading towards a mass sprint as one. But Sagan's Tinkoff team in particular was not satisfied with that. After the departure of captain Alberto Contador, everything was put on the green jersey anyway.
With 12 kilometers to go, Maciej Bodnar and Sagan pushed the pace again. To everyone's surprise, the two Sky pilots Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas sat down at their rear wheel. The gap opened up. The teams looked at each other. The quartet agreed. All four gave their all. Thomas pedaled for his leader Froome and Bodnar for Sagan. The yellow and the green were ahead and the lead was quickly around 25 seconds. The sprinters' helpers were tired and the Movistar team was simply too weak on the flat. Still, it got really tight at the end. The field came within six seconds. Nevertheless, as expected, Sagan won the sprint and thus ensured the preliminary decision for the green jersey. Froome extended his lead in the general classification by 12 seconds. And the spectators were treated to a real spectacle.
Pure madness in the mountains of the Vuelta a Espana
The Vuelta is often referred to disparagingly as the least important three-week tour of the country. The route profile is far too one-dimensional. The elite of the sprinters has stayed away from this tour for years anyway. That's why the world's best climbers have been at the start here for some time, even if they didn't define the Vuelta as their goal for the season before the season started. This year, too, there was a big clash between Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Chris Froome (Sky). So it's no wonder that the Vuelta made it into our 2016 cycling highlights list. Of course, the mountains were once again responsible for this. Chris Froome in particular will be remembered for being left behind more than once and then always being able to catch up. In addition to Froome, other well-known drivers are the focus of our two highlight stages of the Vuelta. No matter which team your heart beats for: That was it Cycling at its finest!
The 14st stage led the riders up the well-known Col d'Aubisque. Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo) was part of a 41-man breakaway and proved to be the strongest. However, his victory was almost a side note, because the tactics of the Orica-BikeExchange team caused a lot of astonishment. Before the race, Esteban Chaves and Simon Yates were doing well with fourth and seventh overall respectively. On this day, however, they should improve to third and fourth place. To do this, three teammates were sent into the top group: Simon Gerrans, Jens Keukeleire and Magnus Cort Nielsen. On the Col de Marie-Blanque, another helper, Jack Haig, attacked before captain Simon Yates followed suit and received his support. Between this mountain and the final ascent, the Briton was then pulled out of the leading group by his three helpers. At the foot of the Col d'Aubisque, he was able to gain a large lead, of which 1:08 minutes remained at the finish. The team's second captain, Esteban Chaves, was also able to gain a few seconds by pulling away from Quintana and Froome on the final climb. This gave the team an excellent starting position for the podium in Madrid.
However, the joy of the two captains of Orica-BikeExchange should not last too long. On the following day 15st stage for they should atone for it. Alberto Contador saw his podium chances slip away and once again ensured a historic race. The only 118,5 km long section from Sabiñánigo to Sallent de Gállego should be the perfect setting for this. A few kilometers after the start, the Spaniard attacked with half his team. The field tore up. 14 riders were able to break away in the chaos, including Contador and Quintana, each with two helpers. The Sky and Orica-BikeExchange teams completely slept through this attack. While Froome only had one helper with him, Chaves and Yates could count on significantly more support, but the train had already left. In the end, Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-Quick Step) won the race and Quintana made the preliminary decision in the general classification.
Here is the first part of our cycling highlights 2016. A few more issues will follow in the coming weeks. In it we look at the tops & flops, the surprises, the unlucky ones, the comebackers, the individual teams and the strangest events of the year.