Mark Cavendish won stage 15 in a close sprint finish. Afterwards the usually mellow Tyler Farrar accused Cavendish in not-so-many words that he had help getting to the finish in Stage 14.  Farrar wasn’t the only sprinter to accuse Cav of getting a tow to the finish, interestingly he was accused of the same in this year’s Giro. No proof at this point but I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t watched closer.

Today was a rest day, but the Tour starts back up with a moderate mountain stage – one rated climb, a category 2. It looks like a perfect stage for one Phillippe Gilbert. Shouldn’t be any shake up with the favorites barring accident or injury – or sneakiness.

Edit:  8:36am/Getting ready to watch the Tour but wanted to add a thought I had this morning about Stage 16. Thomas Voeckler is a good descender, he could pick up time on the Schlecks and Evans. Stage 16 climbs up to Gap but then descends to the finish.

For the Love of Bikes fantasy cycling challenge team scored 109 points in Stage 15.

If you expected to see the favorites come out and race aggressively today you’re probably disappointed.

On the other hand, if you like to see the underdogs, the riders that ride below the radar for most fans, race and challenge the favorites, you probably thought today was an exciting stage.

I’m in the 2nd camp, and I’m a fan of Thomas Voeckler, still the leader of the Tour de France, after one of the two toughest mountain stages in this year’s Tour.

If you like to watch riders lay it on the line, you were disappointed in the tactics of Frank and Andy Schleck and impressed with the tactics of say, Stage 14 winner Jelle Vanendert, Voeckler, his teammate, Pierre Rolland, Sammy Sanchez, Rigoberto Uran and others.

Cadel Evans attacked once and was quickly followed, Ivan Basso attacked a couple of times with the same results. I don’t question either. Andy Schleck however, attacked 5-7 times. Each time (except at the finish) he checked to see what damage if any he had done to the others and then allowed them to catch up – then wait for 2-3 minutes and attacked again…. turn around – check others – wait… etc.

I understand the strategy, but I don’t agree with it. If you’ve got the legs ATTACK and GO!  Don’t look back, don’t check on your brother or the others just GO!  Andy wasted a lot of effort on those multiple attacks. Wouldn’t he have been better off to use it in one serious attack?

His first attack was his best. Catching the others off guard, he quickly got a lead, but then instead of continuing the attacking pace, he slowed up.

The Schlecks and perhaps team management, strategize too much. They race too cautiously. Psychologically at least, they’re not as strong as they were. Other teams have to be questioning and thinking that if they had the legs they would have gone. The team and the Schleck brothers have allowed chinks in their amour and it could cost them.

If they want to win and have the legs to win they must come out on the next tough mountain stage and race lights out.

I don’t mind about the Schlecks however, because it played out well for my favorite, Voeckler and his teammate Rolland. I was happy to see Vanendert win too and for the Sky rider to be up there with the big guns.

When sport, whatever the type of sport, is dominated by one or two elite competitors the competition, the sport, suffers. It’s fun and refreshing to see new riders or the likes of Voeckler mix it up with the established favorites and it’s good for bike racing.

I am so impressed with Voeckler! He has the heart of a champion and he can suffer with the best of them. In the Tour de France talent only takes you so far, you have to be willing to put it all on the line and you have to be willing to suffer like you’ve never suffered before.

Voeckler would collapse from exhaustion before he would ever sit up and quit.  It remains to be seen if that is true of any of the favorites.

The favorites rested up and maintained their positions in the GC while a few went stage win hunting.

Another courageous effort by Frenchman, Jeremy Roy! How he found the energy and wherewithal to take off and stay away today too – after yesterday’s enormous effort to win and falling short – is beyond me. Roy has been the most aggressive rider of the Tour, getting in numerous breakaways throughout the Tour this year only to lose. He seemed heart broken when he crossed the finish line in third.

Another aggressive man in this year’s Tour rode a PERFECT race today. No one would have picked him to win Stage 13, he’s not even a climber (at least by reputation), he’s a sprinter.  The fact is that he has said recently that since he is no longer able to compete and win sprint stages, he’s spent a lot of time training in the mountains near his home in Monaco.

It shows.

Thor Hushovd has arguably had the best 2011 Tour of anyone. Wearing the yellow jersey for 7 days and then today, winning the stage. Not just any stage, but a stage in the brutal Pyrenees mountains. A stage that a climber was expected to win.

It has to be the biggest stage win of his career.

I hope Roy gets a stage win before the Tour ends in a couple of weeks.

Thomas Voeckler and his team took care of business today keeping him in the yellow jersey going into the beyond category Stage 14 tomorrow. 

Beyond category in difficulty: 6 categorized climbs (2 cat 1’s, 2 cat 2’s, cat 3 and HC) culminating in a mountain top finish on the HC (beyond category) the Plateau de Beille.

Stage 14 is arguably the Queen Stage (toughest stage)of this year’s Tour although I haven’t heard it referred to as that. Stage 18 with 3 HC climbs may be just as brutal if not more so.

The GC will look a lot different after Stage 14 and as much as I hate to say it, unless something unforeseen happens we’ll have a new yellow jersey wearer.

Not going out on a limb I realize, but it will most likely be Frank Schleck, Cadel Evans or Ivan Basso who takes yellow tomorrow.

Enjoy it while you have it Thomas!

Tour de France Fantasy Cycling Challenge

For the Love of Bikes team (4loveofbikes) had a decent day and scored 176 points in Stage 13 thanks to David Moncoutie (91) Thomas Voeckler (50) and Phillippe Gilbert (35).

Stage 12 90 points thanks to Thomas Voeckler, and we lost another rider, now down to 10. Must keep 9 to play. Come on guys!

Stage 11 – 109 points thanks to Romain Feillu (59) and Thomas Voeckler (50).

Stage 12 was the first stage where the favorites vulnerabilities or strengths in some cases were evident.

Obviously this is not the Alberto Contador we are used to seeing in the mountains of France. The guy has tired legs; he came in to the Tour with tired legs from the Giro d’Italia. He also has hit the pavement a lot but even that in part is due to being drained – from the Giro and from the boos by Tour fans.

Andy Schleck, top favorite for this year’s Tour, doesn’t look much better. He has struggled all year to find his legs and he continues to.

His brother Frank, however, isn’t struggling at all.  When he attacked yesterday just kilometers from the finish, he put the struggle in the others – he climbed with ease.

Yellow jersey holder, Thomas Voeckler, struggled big-time but he persevered the way only determined bike racers do and he kept the yellow.

Voeckler showed again today why he is not only a favorite in France, he’s a favorite among Tour fans and the riders. He is used to defying the odds too, there was no way he was going to lose that jersey on Bastille day.

The fact he had teammate Pierre Rolland with him at the end, crossing the finish line together, was incredible. Without Rolland, Voeckler would have certainly lost more time.

Their ride was the most impressive ride for me.

Team Leopard-Trek put the hammer down early and slowly shattered the peloton. Jens Voight continues to defy all odds – all understanding – just grinding it out in the front for what seemed like forever – until just a few were left. Did I say he is almost 40 years old?

Ivan Basso is obviously a serious contender. He will be on the podium this Tour I think. He’s another that seemed to climb with ease.

Cadel Evans was aggressive and although he lost a little time to Frank Schleck he continues to look strong.

Another impressive and phenomenal ride was by Sammy Sanchez, winner of Stage 12. Riders like Vanendert and Tom Danielson finished high and showed what appears to be a promising future in the Tour. It has been expected of Danielson but this is the first opportunity he’s had to come to the Tour. It certainly won’t be his last.

All in all, Stage 12 did not disappoint. It shook up the General Classification but not in a big way. Stage 14 is the next stage that looks to define the podium finishers in a significant way.