As the Tour offers a double-package of Alpe d’Huez for its 100th anniversary, prepare for some mountain toughness. From Gap to Alpe d’Huez, the riders will face hardships and pain, and the undisputable “joy” of climbing this legendary mountain two times. So – yaaay for that!
Lots of riders attack already at the start. Igor Antón is with them because he was positioned very good. So we didn’t think twice about it. However, Nieve is actually our guy for today and we hope to get him up front and that there will be no complications with other teams. But then again, if they would just hand the victory to us, it would be kinda boring, right?
There’s no doubt that Euskaltel – Euskadi wants this win by now. And Nieve looks to be in good shape so far as he pulls the group all on his own – with a little bit of help by Astana’s Aru – to the first one.
17 guys and Euskaltel is the only team with two guys up front. Well, suit yourself. The competition includes Serpra (LAM), Clarke (OGE), Poels (VCD), Horner (RTL), Visconti (MOV), Moser (CAN), Stetina (GRS), Chavanel (OPQ), Aru (AST), Ladagnous (FDJ), Geschke (ARG), Nerz (BMC), Bagot (COF), De Greef (LTB) and Azana’s very own nightmare Hivert (SOJ). So, well – yeah, just because we have two riders upfront, it won’t get any easier with stage wins in such a formidable breakaway. And don’t forget the peloton of course.
Antón and Nieve exchange some talk up to Col d’Ornon. So far, Antón did most of the work since Nieve has the better shape obviously and is also by a bit the rider better suited for such a finish, but don’t count Igor out because of that. Both of them do their share of work and so do many other riders. It’s a good harmony and the 7 minutes so far are a reward for that. But if they want to make it to Alpe d’Huez, the second time around, they will need more.
It’s crowded in here as the serpentines of Alpe d’Huez await the riders eagerly.
Immediately Antón takes charge again after previously getting some bottles to Nieve. He is ahead of Aru and Nieve.
Antón increases the pace a bit. The lead seems to decrease a bit, we won’t just take that, Katu says and gives commands with much thought put into each sentence.
5 kilometers to the top and Antón’s increase of pace really shows an effect. 10 minutes to the peloton. Still there is enough time to take a drink of course. Stay hydrated. No more mistakes.
Antón takes the 25 points easily without any fight by the others. This means he is now ranked second in the mountain classement, 4 points short of Daniel Martin. If he takes at the Col de Sarenne too, it’s likely he will get the mountain jersey again. That might be a good thing for the irish rider, since it will mean, that he can finally put some pants back on.
Meanwhile, Moser and Ladagnous are the first rider to get dropped. We are in the passage from Alpe d’Huez to the Col de Sarenne. Everybody knows that this is a beauty. With a time of about 12 minutes lead at the top, Nieve is currently 3rd in the virtual general classification.
Little snow fall on top of Col de Sarenne as Antón takes the points and the mountain jersey. For now.
Already on top of Col de Sarenne, and the peloton is just in the little passage. You look closely, you can see the flamme rouge down there.
Rightly, the downhill is considered to beautiful…
… and one of the toughest. Especially when it starts to rain a bit later. We could need some Samu Sánchez-power now. This year’s Paris-Nice winner Sylvain Chavanel gets meanwhile surprisingly dropped in the downhill but gets back a bit later on.
It’s raining cats and dogs as the break heads into the last 20 kilometers.
While the break comes closer to Alpe d’Huez, the peloton sees attacks by yesterday’s winner Contador, Van den Broeck and Niemiec.
Seriously, if we fuck this up this time around, we just don’t deserve a stage win here. With about 9 minutes lead, and roughly 13 kilometers ahead of us, Nieve and Antón need to give everything now. But none of the other 13 riders will make it easy on us. Well, we won't make it easy for them at least.
Nerz, Geschke and Clarke can’t quite hold on. Let’s hope some more guys get dropped.
Stetina is the next one to drop while De Greef and Serpa attack in order to reach the break again.
The pace by SKY meanwhile is extreme. The break loses minute upon minute. Henao sure is a great domestique and Wiggins works for Froome too.
Euskaltel – Euskadi really put in an showcase of pure strength as they decimate the breakaway bit by bit. Aru, Bagot and Horner are the only ones left at the 10 kilometer sign.
Due to an attack by Chris Horner, Bagot can’t follow anymore. Nieve took over control and leads now the bunch.
Aru gets the better of the two Euskaltel riders. They dropped Horner through that attack but Aru seems to be a true wildcard in here.
However a bit later, they already caught him. Could someone please relief from this tension?!
The peloton has meanwhile decreased significantly by the pace of SKY. Contador and Van den Broeck launch another attack, wh ile Quintana and Rodriguez sit on the wheel of Froome and bid their time for an attack. Mollema is in there too, and hopes to further improve or keep his 5th place.
His bottle is empty. Nieve and Antón showed no remorse to day! Together they ride into the last 5 kilometers and look set to take the first basque victory at this year’s Tour de France. Alpe d’Huez is in the Pyrennees now, I shout. Gora Igor, Gora Mikel!
Quintana attacks together with Purito! They pass easily Stetina & Co, however Froome seems to have problems to react while Contador and Mollema remain on his wheel.
Igor Antón did massive work today and without a doubt, this stage win belongs to him as much as it does to Mikel. But he has done a lot of work today, he will take the mountain jersey today and he is all tired by now. But is that an excuse for forsaking him to win Alpe d’Huez? That’s a once in a lifetime chance for him. And I see how much Katu struggles, this is not easy. Giving it to one means taking it from another. So instead all know that they will just ride, and there is no way of keeping up with Mikel, who now not only rides for the stage win but also for the general classification, and who is the better climber… The legs must hurt for Igor…
Mollema got dropped and 3 of the 5 best climbers in the world fight it out for overall classification, while Contador hopes to improve a few more ranks today and just wants to show that he is still one of the greatest stage racers the world has ever seen, despite his crash in the first week. Surely, El Pistolero would be major contender.
It’s the final kilometer for Nieve.
Everything like it was at the start. Froome, in the yellow jersey, has the duty of leading Quintana, Purito and Contador up the mountain.
Gora Mikel, Gora Igor, Gora Euskadi!
I take as many pictures as possible. Mikel Nieve just won Alpe d’Huez of the 100th Anniversary. This is too good to be true! After all the hardships, all these failed attempts, we finally get rewarded. This is beauty of cycling.
At the finish line, Igor falls into Mikel’s arms. “This one belongs to us”, states Mikel happy and Igor shakes his head. “You deserve it”, he states. “And at least, it stays in the family, no?” There was not much anxiousness in Katu’s car. We knew we had it in the bag. This was no dramatic finish. This was not a true struggle that we’ve come to expect. This was smarter than any other tactic we followed this year. To lose time in the time trial, so that no one chases Mikel, the one rider who hadn’t had a chance so far. And now he climbs up the general classification too, a bit at least.
Poor Fabio Aru. He surely deserved more than to get his 3rd place get taken from him by these four guys…
Vrecer and Astarloza on the ride up, they surely must have heard the good news, seeing how easy and smiling they ride up Alpe d’Huez.
Stage 18, Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Mikel Nieve
Euskaltel - Euskadi
5h12'47
2
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 42
3
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
+ 2'55
4
Nairo Quintana
Movistar Team
s.t.
5
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
+ 3'20
6
Fabio Aru
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
7
Alberto Contador
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
8
Chris Horner
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 3'47
9
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 4'43
10
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Belisol
+ 5'13
Spoiler
11
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
+ 5'35
12
Michael Rogers
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
13
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
14
Carlos Betancur
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
15
Cadel Evans
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
16
Jean-Christophe Peraud
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
17
Giovanni Visconti
Movistar Team
+ 6'16
18
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
19
Romain Bardet
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
20
Yoann Bagot
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
21
Sergio Henao
Sky Procycling
s.t.
22
Rui Costa
Movistar Team
s.t.
23
Nicolas Roche
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
24
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
+ 7'07
25
Roman Kreuziger
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
26
Thibaut Pinot
FDJ
s.t.
27
Bradley Wiggins
Sky Procycling
s.t.
28
Dominik Nerz
BMC Racing Team
+ 7'47
29
Wout Poels
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 8'06
30
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
31
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 8'54
32
José Serpa
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
33
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
34
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
35
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
s.t.
36
Laurens Ten Dam
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
37
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
+ 9'06
38
Pierrick Fédrigo
FDJ
s.t.
39
Peter Stetina
Garmin - Sharp
+ 9'50
40
Rein Taaramäe
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 10'22
41
Thomas De Gendt
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 10'43
42
Michał Kwiatkowski
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 11'06
43
Jérôme Coppel
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
44
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 11'20
45
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
46
Simon Spilak
Katusha Team
s.t.
47
Simon Geschke
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
48
Simon Clarke
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
49
Daniel Martin
Garmin - Sharp
+ 13'22
50
Jelle Vanendert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
51
Sylvain Chavanel
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 13'36
52
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
+ 14'22
53
Steve Morabito
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
54
Matthieu Ladagnous
FDJ
+ 14'41
55
Christophe Le Mével
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 17'26
56
Andreas Klöden
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
57
Nicolas Edet
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
58
Moreno Moser
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 18'47
59
Tom Slagter
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
60
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Sky Procycling
s.t.
61
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
62
Jorge Azanza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
63
Christophe Riblon
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
64
Luis León Sánchez
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
65
Johnny Hoogerland
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
66
Juan Antonio Flecha
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 19'28
67
Guillaume Levarlet
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
68
Tom Danielson
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
69
Jérémy Roy
FDJ
s.t.
70
Mikel Astarloza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
71
Robert Vrecer
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
72
Rinaldo Nocentini
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 19'54
73
Nicki Sørensen
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 20'36
74
Haimar Zubeldia
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 21'12
75
Bart De Clercq
Lotto Belisol
+ 21'25
76
Samuel Dumoulin
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
77
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
+ 24'50
78
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
s.t.
79
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 25'02
80
Rémi Pauriol
Sojasun
s.t.
81
Enrico Gasparotto
Astana Pro Team
+ 26'07
82
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
83
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
+ 26'32
84
Matthias Frank
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
85
Lieuwe Westra
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
86
Ben King
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
87
Maxim Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
88
Paul Martens
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
89
Egoi Martínez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
90
Matteo Tosatto
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
91
Lars Boom
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
92
Alexandr Kolobnev
Katusha Team
s.t.
93
Matti Breschel
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
94
Damiano Caruso
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 27'01
95
Eduard Vorganov
Katusha Team
s.t.
96
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
+ 27'51
97
Vasil Kiryienka
Sky Procycling
s.t.
98
Brice Feillu
Sojasun
+ 28'22
99
Richie Porte
Sky Procycling
s.t.
100
Tony Martin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 29'40
101
Christophe Kern
Team Europcar
+ 30'08
102
Giampaolo Caruso
Katusha Team
+ 31'21
103
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 31'57
104
Benoît Vaugrenard
FDJ
s.t.
105
Fabian Cancellara
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
106
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
107
Fabian Wegmann
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
108
Arthur Vichot
FDJ
s.t.
109
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Sojasun
s.t.
110
David Millar
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
111
Michael Albasini
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
112
Zdenek Stybar
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
113
Björn Leukemans
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
114
Daniele Ratto
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
115
Tom Boonen
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
116
Romain Sicard
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
117
Greg Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
118
Eros Capecchi
Movistar Team
s.t.
119
Dario Cataldo
Sky Procycling
+ 33'00
120
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 33'48
121
Sebastian Langeveld
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
122
Maarten Tjallingii
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
123
Johan Vansummeren
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
124
Daniele Bennati
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
125
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
126
Allan Davis
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
127
Luka Mezgec
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
128
John Degenkolb
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
129
Vincent Jérôme
Team Europcar
s.t.
130
Leigh Howard
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
131
Niki Terpstra
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
132
Julien El Fares
Sojasun
s.t.
133
Cyril Gautier
Team Europcar
s.t.
134
Daniele Pietropolli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
135
Kristjan Koren
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
136
Alessandro De Marchi
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
137
Stéphane Poulhiès
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
138
Koen De Kort
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
139
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
140
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
141
Greg Henderson
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
142
Tom Dumoulin
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
143
Mark Renshaw
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
144
Marcel Sieberg
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
145
José Joaquín Rojas
Movistar Team
s.t.
146
Alessandro Petacchi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
147
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
148
Manuel Belletti
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
149
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
150
Jakob Rathe
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
151
Jonathan Castroviejo
Movistar Team
s.t.
152
Matthew Goss
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
153
Ángel Madrazo
Movistar Team
s.t.
154
Damien Gaudin
Team Europcar
s.t.
155
Danny Van Poppel
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
156
Stijn Vandenbergh
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
157
Guillaume Boivin
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
158
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
159
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
160
Marcus Burghardt
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
161
André Greipel
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
162
Roberto Ferrari
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
163
Egoitz García
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
164
Daniel Oss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
165
Juan José Lobato
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
166
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
167
Nacer Bouhanni
FDJ
s.t.
168
Alexander Serebryakov
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
169
Davide Appollonio
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
170
Thor Hushovd
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
171
Theo Bos
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
172
Simone Ponzi
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
173
Elia Viviani
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
174
Kenny Dehaes
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
175
Evaldas Siskevicius
Sojasun
s.t.
176
Marcel Kittel
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
177
Sébastien Chavanel
Team Europcar
s.t.
178
Bernhard Eisel
Sky Procycling
s.t.
179
Michael Matthews
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
180
Arnaud Demare
FDJ
s.t.
181
Karsten Kroon
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
182
Yohan Offredo
FDJ
s.t.
183
Fabio Sabatini
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
184
Maxime Daniel
Sojasun
+ 36'10
185
Yauheni Hutarovich
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
186
Marco Haller
Katusha Team
+ 41'19
187
Barry Markus
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
188
Adrien Petit
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 45'10
189
Tyler Farrar
Garmin - Sharp
+ 45'18
190
Christophe Laborie
Sojasun
s.t.
191
Jacopo Guarnieri
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
192
Aidis Kruopis
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
The joy from the podium is unbearable and Katu takes his hand on my shoulder, while some other guys of Euskaltel head to the podium and cheer too. They don’t want to get to the bus, they want to see Mikel. And then, they wait for someone else.
We cheer even louder when Igor Antón takes on his deserved red-dotted jersey as King of the Mountain. More than anything though, more than being a superb climber, he is a stellar teammate that puts the Us in Euskadi ahead of his own personal favors. We could have lost everything. He smiles from the podium and we clap enormously, we shout Igor! Igor! Gora! And truly, for the time being, Alpe d’Huez, dubbed the dutch mountain, is a bastion of the basque country. The ikurrina hangs upon Mikel’s hips and we put one on Igor too, as they give their interviews together.
General Classification
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
70h37'20
2
Nairo Quintana
Movistar Team
+ 2'50
3
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
+ 5'17
4
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 8'07
5
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
+ 8'19
6
Cadel Evans
BMC Racing Team
+ 9'51
7
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Lotto Belisol
+ 10'37
8
Jean-Christophe Peraud
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 10'56
9
Michael Rogers
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 10'59
10
Mikel Nieve
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 12'21
Spoiler
11
Alberto Contador
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 12'31
12
Rui Costa
Movistar Team
+ 13'22
13
Thibaut Pinot
FDJ
+ 13'41
14
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - Merida
+ 15'13
15
Carlos Betancur
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 15'51
16
Bradley Wiggins
Sky Procycling
+ 17'11
17
Jakob Fuglsang
Astana Pro Team
+ 18'35
18
Roman Kreuziger
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
19
Pierrick Fédrigo
FDJ
+ 19'02
20
Laurens Ten Dam
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 20'06
21
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
+ 20'09
22
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
+ 20'17
23
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
+ 22'20
24
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 23'10
25
Michał Kwiatkowski
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 25'59
26
Nicolas Roche
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 26'08
27
Daniel Martin
Garmin - Sharp
+ 27'02
28
Sergio Henao
Sky Procycling
+ 28'07
29
Jérôme Coppel
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 29'26
30
Simon Spilak
Katusha Team
+ 31'10
31
Thomas De Gendt
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 33'52
32
Maxime Monfort
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 37'41
33
Romain Bardet
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 40'00
34
Luis León Sánchez
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 40'54
35
Giovanni Visconti
Movistar Team
+ 42'50
36
Chris Horner
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 45'27
37
Jelle Vanendert
Lotto Belisol
+ 48'50
38
Pierre Rolland
Team Europcar
+ 49'14
39
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Sky Procycling
+ 49'46
40
Christophe Riblon
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 1h01'23
41
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
+ 1h05'03
42
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
+ 1h14'10
43
Nicolas Edet
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 1h17'52
44
Simon Clarke
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 1h19'08
45
Nicki Sørensen
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 1h19'18
46
Yoann Bagot
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 1h21'33
47
Mikel Astarloza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 1h21'58
48
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
+ 1h22'45
49
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 1h24'03
50
Andreas Klöden
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 1h25'11
51
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 1h26'41
52
Wout Poels
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 1h27'50
53
Jérémy Roy
FDJ
+ 1h28'40
54
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
+ 1h29'23
55
Michael Albasini
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 1h30'14
56
Bart De Clercq
Lotto Belisol
+ 1h30'30
57
Jorge Azanza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 1h31'09
58
Samuel Dumoulin
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 1h34'11
59
Rein Taaramäe
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 1h36'04
60
Rinaldo Nocentini
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 1h37'51
61
Tom Slagter
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 1h38'19
62
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
+ 1h38'22
63
Sylvain Chavanel
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 1h39'24
64
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 1h39'53
65
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
+ 1h39'56
66
Egoi Martínez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 1h40'01
67
Fabio Aru
Astana Pro Team
+ 1h40'14
68
Dario Cataldo
Sky Procycling
+ 1h40'32
69
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
+ 1h42'16
70
Daniele Bennati
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 1h43'03
71
Alexis Vuillermoz
Sojasun
+ 1h44'37
72
Robert Vrecer
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 1h45'06
73
Alexandr Kolobnev
Katusha Team
+ 1h45'27
74
Eduard Vorganov
Katusha Team
+ 1h47'17
75
Matthieu Ladagnous
FDJ
+ 1h47'49
76
Simon Geschke
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 1h48'21
77
Björn Leukemans
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 1h48'56
78
Fabrice Jeandesboz
Sojasun
+ 1h49'16
79
José Serpa
Lampre - Merida
+ 1h49'39
80
Matteo Tosatto
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 1h49'42
81
Enrico Gasparotto
Astana Pro Team
+ 1h49'53
82
Matti Breschel
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 1h49'57
83
Christophe Le Mével
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 1h50'04
84
Haimar Zubeldia
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 1h51'13
85
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
+ 1h51'28
86
Juan Antonio Flecha
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 1h53'01
87
Richie Porte
Sky Procycling
+ 1h53'10
88
Eros Capecchi
Movistar Team
+ 1h53'24
89
Ángel Madrazo
Movistar Team
+ 1h54'00
90
Brice Feillu
Sojasun
+ 1h54'13
91
Guillaume Levarlet
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 1h54'27
92
Dominik Nerz
BMC Racing Team
+ 1h56'54
93
Lieuwe Westra
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 1h57'21
94
Maxim Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
+ 1h58'53
95
Peter Stetina
Garmin - Sharp
+ 1h58'59
96
Benoît Vaugrenard
FDJ
+ 1h59'38
97
Johnny Hoogerland
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 1h59'48
98
Romain Sicard
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 2h00'34
99
Cyril Gautier
Team Europcar
+ 2h01'30
100
Jonathan Castroviejo
Movistar Team
+ 2h03'18
101
Rémi Pauriol
Sojasun
+ 2h03'26
102
José Joaquín Rojas
Movistar Team
+ 2h03'29
103
Giampaolo Caruso
Katusha Team
+ 2h04'08
104
Greg Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h04'12
105
Paul Martens
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h04'16
106
Tom Danielson
Garmin - Sharp
+ 2h04'34
107
Tony Martin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2h04'42
108
Vasil Kiryienka
Sky Procycling
+ 2h05'01
109
Ben King
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 2h06'23
110
Lars Boom
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h06'24
111
Daniel Oss
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h06'33
112
Taylor Phinney
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h09'50
113
Juan José Lobato
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 2h11'12
114
Tom Boonen
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2h11'15
115
Niki Terpstra
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2h11'34
116
Christophe Kern
Team Europcar
+ 2h12'14
117
Tom Dumoulin
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 2h12'44
118
Moreno Moser
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h13'31
119
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
+ 2h13'35
120
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2h13'52
121
Zdenek Stybar
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2h15'48
122
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
+ 2h16'32
123
Steve Morabito
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h17'41
124
Julien El Fares
Sojasun
+ 2h18'34
125
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 2h18'48
126
Vincent Jérôme
Team Europcar
+ 2h19'27
127
Fabian Wegmann
Garmin - Sharp
+ 2h21'30
128
Kristjan Koren
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h21'39
129
Davide Appollonio
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 2h22'02
130
Matthew Goss
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 2h22'05
131
Fabian Cancellara
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 2h22'08
132
Maarten Tjallingii
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h22'26
133
Mark Renshaw
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h22'27
134
David Millar
Garmin - Sharp
+ 2h22'29
135
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 2h23'15
136
Allan Davis
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 2h23'19
137
Arthur Vichot
FDJ
+ 2h23'48
138
André Greipel
Lotto Belisol
+ 2h23'50
139
Sebastian Langeveld
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 2h23'59
140
Thor Hushovd
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h25'05
141
Daniele Ratto
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h26'26
142
Damiano Caruso
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h26'30
143
Simone Ponzi
Astana Pro Team
+ 2h26'46
144
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 2h26'54
145
Danny Van Poppel
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h27'16
146
Luka Mezgec
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 2h28'31
147
Theo Bos
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h28'37
148
Johan Vansummeren
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
149
Elia Viviani
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h30'03
150
Karsten Kroon
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 2h30'27
151
Stéphane Poulhiès
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 2h30'31
152
Marcel Sieberg
Lotto Belisol
+ 2h30'34
153
Matthias Frank
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h30'40
154
Marcus Burghardt
BMC Racing Team
+ 2h32'10
155
Tyler Farrar
Garmin - Sharp
+ 2h33'16
156
Arnaud Demare
FDJ
+ 2h33'31
157
Koen De Kort
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 2h34'28
158
Alexander Serebryakov
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 2h34'43
159
Michael Matthews
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 2h35'10
160
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
+ 2h35'43
161
Filippo Pozzato
Lampre - Merida
+ 2h36'09
162
Stijn Vandenbergh
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2h36'11
163
Manuel Belletti
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 2h37'08
164
Bernhard Eisel
Sky Procycling
+ 2h37'49
165
Nacer Bouhanni
FDJ
+ 2h37'53
166
Marco Haller
Katusha Team
+ 2h38'09
167
Daniele Pietropolli
Lampre - Merida
+ 2h38'10
168
John Degenkolb
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 2h41'34
169
Alessandro De Marchi
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h44'29
170
Egoitz García
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 2h44'38
171
Barry Markus
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 2h47'01
172
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
+ 2h47'32
173
Sébastien Chavanel
Team Europcar
+ 2h49'51
174
Yohan Offredo
FDJ
+ 2h52'13
175
Fabio Sabatini
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 2h52'34
176
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
+ 2h53'11
177
Alessandro Petacchi
Lampre - Merida
+ 2h53'44
178
Adrien Petit
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 2h54'08
179
Marcel Kittel
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 2h56'52
180
Evaldas Siskevicius
Sojasun
+ 2h56'55
181
Damien Gaudin
Team Europcar
+ 2h57'09
182
Christophe Laborie
Sojasun
+ 3h02'59
183
Roberto Ferrari
Lampre - Merida
+ 3h04'41
184
Kenny Dehaes
Lotto Belisol
+ 3h05'34
185
Guillaume Boivin
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 3h07'33
186
Jakob Rathe
Garmin - Sharp
+ 3h10'19
187
Jacopo Guarnieri
Astana Pro Team
+ 3h16'30
188
Greg Henderson
Lotto Belisol
+ 3h17'27
189
Leigh Howard
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 3h18'38
190
Aidis Kruopis
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 3h29'11
191
Yauheni Hutarovich
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 3h33'42
192
Maxime Daniel
Sojasun
+ 3h36'15
Later at the debriefing, there is an incredible anxiety in the room hall as we wait for Mikel and Igor, who return from their press interviews. When they finally arrive, everybody on the team applauds in respect and gratitude. Mikel starts to clap too for Igor, who has shown an incredible performance. Doing major work until Alpe d’Huez, leading the entire way up Alpe d’Huez… not only one time, but both times. Igor had a perfect day today, and Mikel did too, and subsequent, Euskaltel – Euskadi had a perfect day. We joke about tomorrow’s headlines, how the newspapers in basque country, in Spain and cycling-affine magazines will write about this article. Thankfully, I have already my work done for today… I stay up with some mechanics of the team and we play some card games when all the fuss is over. The tour isn't over, we have just won our goddamn stage finally.
And one last note, one important one: Do you remember the story about Roberto Laiseka, Samuel Sánchez and Luz Ardiden? That Samuel Sánchez won the stage up to Luz Ardiden 10 years after Roberto Laiseka. Well, Mikel Nieve’s stage win at Alpe d’Huez happened 10 years after Iban Mayo’s spectacular finish at… yeah, exactly. Talk about history coming full circle.
Gora Iban, Gora Euskadi!
NOTE: I would have loved to take a picture of Mikel and Igor together with a ikurrina-waving fan but unfortunately I didn’t spot any.
@VoetsT: Writing history is our favourite thing to do at Euskaltel - Euskadi.
@Dippo: Well, Antón has the KoM jersey for now, so that's something. But I should have looked out that both of them cross the line together and just don't care about the additional seconds for Nieve. I regret that one.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Yay!!!
What a great win for Euskaltel-Euskadi
Nieve and Igor, probably the only ones who could have done it, have done the team and the nation proud.
This should always be remembered and
GORA EUSKADI!!!
What an absolutely brilliant stage! Perfectly played out tactics, and exceptionally well captured from a reporting perspective too. Very well deserved after Azanza's close misses earlier in the race!
Oh, and congratulations on claiming the new member-award. You're already proving that I made no mistake voting for you!
@LLS: I agree, don't think anyone else besides Nieve or Antón could have pulled it off for us.
@Pellizotti2: Considering I lost time on purpose in the TT I risked quite something but we gained it all back eventually.
Thanks, and thanks for voting for me too.
@Ian Butler: Gora Gora Gora!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Once more thanks guys. I'm sure the stage would have been lovely on live television, but then again, every Alpe d'Huez stage is pretty special in its own right.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
