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95th Tour de France

Stage 20 - Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond - 53.0 km (32.9 mi)

26 July 2008

This stage started with dread anticipation. Could Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) reclaim the maillot jaune, as he sat only ninety-four short seconds behind the leading time? Could the holder of that leading time, Carlos Sastre (Team CSC), fend off the stronger time trialist to maintain his spot atop the podium heading into Paris? Could he even stay ON the podium, something that time trials have caused him to fail to do in the past? And then who would win the stage itself? Would it be a guy like Fabian Cancellara, Sastre's teammate, who would be riding in the rainbow-striped jersey of the world time-trial champion? Perhaps David Millar (Garmin-Chipotle), a former Tour time-trial winner and world champion in the discipline? Could, perhaps, a guy like Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) come off a breakaway win in yesterday's stage to win in the bleu, blanc et rouge of the French national time-trial champion?

The skies were overcast over France as the riders left one by one from the starting gate in Cerilly. The riders leave the gate in the inverse order of their position on the general classification. Wim Vansevenant (Silence-Lotto), the lanterne rouge (last-placed rider still in the race) for the past two years and bearing down on a third, left the gate first out. The winds were blowing from the northwest at around ten kilometers (six miles) an hour. Danny Pate (Garmin-Chipotle) set the early fast time on the course, clocking a 1:06:45. His time stood for about a half-hour before Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner) came through thirty-six seconds faster...

But that time, too, would not last. Both Millar and Cancellara were out on the course. Millar was the two-minute man, leaving directly before the world champion. While Millar managed to keep from getting caught, posting a new best time of 1:05:27, the greyhound to Millar's rabbit was soon bested as the rainbow jersey turned in a scorching 1:04:12. Cancellara was excited by his performance, after turning in a disappointing (when you're the world champion) fifth place in the first time trial back in Cholet for Stage 4. "It was totally different," Cancellara said. "I was relaxed, calm... the day was perfect."

That perfect day would soon go as cloudy as the heavy skies overhead. The winner of that time trial in Cholet, Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner), came through the first time check in Rond-Bernard in the same time as Cancellara. The anticipation was horrendous. Schumacher had lost twelve seconds to the leader at the second checkpoint in Ainay-le-Chateau; by the third checkpoint in Charenton-du-Cher, he had reclaimed fourteen of those seconds to go ahead of Cancellara by two seconds. At the finishing line in Saint-Amand-Montrond, Schumacher stopped the clock at 1:03:50... the champ had fallen yet again.

Cancellara's time would stand well enough to finish second, and ultimately would be the only time within a minute of Schumacher's phenomenal pace. While it was three spots higher than the fifth back on Stage 4, Cancellara once again had been bested by his contemporary. Schumacher, who up to this point was best known to American fans as the man who had "stolen" the Tour of Benelux back in 2006 after colliding with then-leader George Hincapie in the finishing straight of the final stage, is showing great form ahead of the Olympics and world time-trial championships. He could also improve on the bronze medal he won at last year's world road championships in Stuttgart.

But there was hardly enough time to ruminate on such things. The GC leaders were coming out of the gates, one by one...

Denis Menchov (Rabobank) had a superb time trial, but could not find his way onto the podium. Finishing only twenty-six seconds ahead of third-placed Bernhard Kohl in the time trial, 1:55 behind the time of Schumacher, Menchov will have to settle for fourth in Paris. Kim Kirchen (Columbia) put in a strong effort to try to work back toward regaining the yellow lost in the second week. Ultimately he would have to settle for third on the stage, 1:01 behind Schumacher, and will go into Paris eighth on the general classification.

The big race, though, was between Carlos Sastre and Cadel Evans. Evans left the gates in Cerilly first. Then Kohl left, followed by Frank Schleck and the race leader Sastre. Evans kept inching up on time -- Sastre was twenty-three seconds down through the second time check -- but did not look to be on good enough form to either challenge the times of the top three. Sastre had pulled back three of those seconds by the third time check. At the finish Evans had taken only twenty-nine of the ninety-four seconds needed to take over the yellow... and the Spaniard from Team CSC had claimed the third-straight Tour for his country, the first for Bjarne Riis and the CSC squad, and his biggest victory in an illustrious career.

Results - Stage 20

STAGE WINNERS

1. Stefan Schumacher (GER) Gerolsteiner -- +1.03.50 (49.817 km/h)
2. Fabian Cancellara (SWI) Team CSC -- +0.21
3. Kim Kirchen (LUX) Columbia -- +1.01
4. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Chipotle -- +1.05
5. David Millar (GBR) Garmin-Chipotle-- +1.37
6. Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank -- +1.55
7. Cadel Evans (AUS) Silence-Lotto -- +2.05
8. Sebastian Lang (GER) Gerolsteiner -- +2.19
9. Bernhard Kohl (AUT) Gerolsteiner -- +2.21
10. George Hincapie (USA) Columbia -- +2.28

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Carlos Sastre (ESP) Team CSC -- 84.01.00
2. Cadel Evans (AUS) Silence-Lotto -- +1.05
3. Bernhard Kohl (AUT) Gerolsteiner -- +1.20
4. Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank -- +2.00
5. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Chipotle -- +3.12
6. Frank Schleck (LUX) Team CSC -- +4.28
7. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) Euskatel-Euskadi -- +6.32
8. Kim Kirchen (LUX) Columbia -- +7.02
   
9. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne -- +7.26
10. Tadej Valjavec (SLO) AG2R La Mondiale -- +9.12

POINTS CLASSIFICATION

1. Oscar Freire (ESP) Rabobank -- 244 pts
2. Erik Zabel (GER) Milram -- 202
3. Thor Hushovd (NOR) Credit Agricole -- 198
4. Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis -- 164
5. Kim Kirchen (LUX) Columbia -- 155
6. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne -- 125
7. Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld -- 115
8. Robbie McEwen (AUS) Silence-Lotto -- 105
9. Cadel Evans (AUS) Silence-Lotto -- 101
10. Julian Dean (NZL) Garmin-Chipotle -- 99

1. Bernhard Kohl (AUT) Gerolsteiner -- 125 pts
2. Carlos Sastre (ESP) Team CSC -- 80
   
3. Frank Schleck (LUX) Team CSC -- 80
4. Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Bouygues Telecom -- 65
5. Stefan Schumacher (GER) Gerolsteiner -- 61
6. John-Lee Augustyn (RSA) Barloworld -- 61
7. Sebastian Lang (GER) Gerolsteiner -- 60
8. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne -- 58
9. Remy di Gregorio (FRA) Francaise des Jeux -- 52
   
10. Egoi Martinez (ESP) Euskatel-Euskadi -- 51
    
    

BEST YOUNG RIDER

1. Andy Schleck (LUX) Team CSC -- 84.12.32
2. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas -- +1.17
3. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Liquigas -- +17.01
4. Maxime Monfort (BEL) Cofidis -- +24.16
5. Eduardo Gonzalo (ESP) Agritubel -- +1.08.34
6. Thomas Lovkvist (SWE) Columbia -- +1.13.55
7. John-Lee Augustyn (RSA) Barloworld -- +1.24.49
8. Peter Velits (SVK) Milram -- +1.38.17
9. Remy Di Gregorio (FRA) Francaise des Jeux -- +1.38.22
10. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne -- +1.44.07

TEAM CLASSIFICATION

1. Team CSC -- 251.54.35
2. AG2R-La Mondiale -- +15.49
3. Rabobank -- +1.05.33
4. Euskaltel-Euskadi -- +1.16.40
5. Silence-Lotto -- +1.17.29
6. Caisse d'Epargne -- +1.20.42
7. Columbia -- +1.23.14
8. Lampre -- +1.26.24
9. Gerolsteiner -- +1.28.01
10. Credit Agricole -- +1.37.23

Tomorrow: Stage 21 - Etampes to Paris (143.0 km)

This is it, folks... the final promenade along the cobbles of the Champs-Elysses. The familiar sprint out for the finish... or perhaps, in another rare instance, a breakaway of strong riders can sustain a gap until the end. With over a minute's lead and the strongest team in the race, Sastre will stand atop the podium in Paris tomorrow, holding the porcelain trophy high ahead as he is bedecked in yellow. Once again, Cadel Evans will be the next step down on the podium, and King of the Mountains Bernhard Kohl will complete the triumvirate. It looks like Oscar Freire will claim his first green points jersey after years of futile injury-plagued attempts. Another great Tour is almost in the books... this stage should serve as the perfect bookend to the beginning of the race twenty-two days ago in Brittany...