World champ Hushovd takes well deserved solo Tour win
Day two in the mountains of this 2011 Tour de France, and the word was that stage 13 was a day for a breakaway to succeed.
Sure enough, Garmin's Thor Hushovd - the world road race champion, and wearer of the yellow jersey for most of the first week of this year's Tour - soloed to victory, the last man standing of an earlier 10-man breakaway. Almost eight minutes behind, in the main bunch, Europcar's Thomas Voeckler retained the yellow jersey.
Bar stage two's team time trial, Friday's 152.5km run between Pau and Lourdes was the shortest stage of the race so far.
The Col d'Aubisque was the day's only real obstacle - albeit a 1,709-metre one - with a long, downhill run nearly all the way from its summit to the finish 40 kilometres further on in Lourdes.
After a few efforts from other riders, 10 men managed to escape the clutches of the fast-starting peloton at the 50-kilometre mark, including Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen, Cofidis's David Moncoutié, the ever-active Jérémy Roy (FDJ) and Hushovd.
The leading group didn't contest the intermediate sprint with 82 kilometres covered, and it was Boasson Hagen who rolled over the line first.
It was hotly contested behind them, though, with José Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) pipping Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) for 11th place, and five points, with Rojas's team-mate Francisco Ventoso trying, and failing, to steal more points away from Cavendish. The Movistar duo were on the receiving end of a half-hearted, waved-hand appeal from Cavendish, with him thinking they'd blocked him a little with the side hoardings jutting out on the Manxman's side a little too much, but we'd be surprised if anything comes of it.
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On the approach to the Aubisque, Hushovd decided to splinter the lead group, setting off alone on the mountain's slower slopes, with Roy in hot pursuit, followed in turn by Moncoutié.
A day too late with 14th July - Bastille Day - coming yesterday, the fans on the Aubisque were ecstatic to see Frenchman Roy leading up the climb, followed by compatriot Moncoutié.
Roy crested the summit a little under a minute ahead of Moncoutié, with the peloton eight minutes down on Roy.
However, the long descent gave Hushovd and his never-give-up mentality - not to mention his superior descending skills - the chance to rejoin Moncoutié, and Roy was in for a two-versus-one chase to the valley floor.
Behind them, nearing the bottom of the descent, with 25km to go, Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma) took a flyer out of the front of the bunch, together with Rabobank's Bauke Mollema. Gilbert was looking for some big points at the finish towards the green jersey, with Cavendish left behind and out of the picture, but with Rojas still hanging on in the main bunch.
With three kilometres to go, and Roy still holding a slim lead, Hushovd decided he'd had enough of Moncoutié, ridding himself of the Frenchman and then blasting past a tired Roy.
Hushovd had timed things absolutely perfectly, making it look easy after 100 kilometres away in front of the clutches of the peloton, winning the stage in his world champ's rainbow jersey, with Moncoutié coming home 10 seconds behind him, and a tired Roy in third.
The remnants of the break drip-dripped home, with Gilbert holding on from the fast-finishing peloton to take 10th place and some much needed points towards the green jersey, which Rojas led home. Voeckler finished safely in the peloton to retain the leader's yellow jersey.
Cavendish stays in green with a thirteen-point buffer over Rojas, with Gilbert another 11 points behind. The GC riders may have had a comparatively easy day, but the points competition is really beginning to hot up.
However, Saturday's shark-tooth profile for stage 14 from Saint Gaudens to Plateau de Beille will definitely bring back the fireworks in the fight for yellow.
Stage 13 live text coverage - as it happened>>
Results
Tour de France 2011, stage 13: Pau - Lourdes, 211km
1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Garmin-Cervélo in 3-47-36
2. David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis at 10 secs
3. Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ at 26 secs
4. Lars Bak (Den) HTC-Highroad at 5-00
5. Jérome Pineau (Fra) Quick Step at 5-02
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky at 5-03
7. Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha at 5-08
8. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-ISD at 5-16
9. Maarten Tjallingii (Hol) Rabobank at same time
10 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto at 6-48
British
96. David Millar (Gbr) Garmin-Cervélo at 8-03
119. Ben Swift (Gbr) Sky at 18-32
123. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Sky at same time
129. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) HTC-Highroad at 22-08
Overall classification after stage 13
1. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Europcar in 55-49-57
2. Frank Schleck (Lux) Leopard-Trek at 1-49
3. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC at 2-06
4. Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard-Trek at 2-14
5. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas at 3-16
6. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre at 3-22
7. Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank at 4-00
8. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel Euskadi at 4-11
9. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Rabobank at 4-35
10. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Cervelo at 4-35
British
39. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Sky at 21-16
59. David Millar (Gbr) Garmin-Cervélo at 38-13
130. Ben Swift (Gbr) Sky at 1-30-53
131. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) HTC-Highroad at 1-32-28
Thor Hushovd takes the stage win
thomas Voeckler: Another day in yellow
Tour de France 2011: Related links
Tour de France 2011: Cycling Weekly's coverage index
Tour de France 2011: Latest news
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Tour de France 2011: Teams, riders, start list
Tour de France 2011: Official start list
Tour de France 2011: Who's riding?
Tour de France 2011: Team guide
Tour de France 2011: Stage reports
Stage 12: Sanchez wins at Luz Ardiden as Frank Schleck gains on other contenders
Stage 11: Cavendish moves into green after winning in Lavaur
Stage 10: Greipel beats Cavendish in Tour stage 10 sprint
Stage nine: Sanchez conquers day of crashes and climbs
Stage eight: Costa wins first mountain stage of 2011 Tour
Stage seven: Cavendish wins but Wiggins crashes out of Tour
Stage six: Boasson Hagen takes Sky's first Tour de France win
Stage five: Cavendish wins in Cap Frehel
Stage four: Evans edges out Contador on the Mur-de-Bretagne
Stage three: Farrar sprints to first Tour victory in Redon
Stage two: Garmin win team time trial to put Hushovd in yellow
Stage one: Gilbert blasts to victory as Tour gets off to spectacular start
Tour de France 2011: Highlights videos
Stage 12 video highlights
Stage 11 video highlights
Video: Feeding the riders at the Tour
Stage 10 video highlights
Stage nine video highlights
Stage eight video highlights
Stage seven video highlights
Stage six video highlights
Video: Erik Zabel's role as Cavendish's sprint advisor
Stage five video highlights
Video: The ride of Philippe Gilbert at the Tour de France
Stage four video highlights
Stage three video highlights
Stage two video highlights
Stage one video highlights
Tour de France 2011: Photo galleries
Stage 12 photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage 11 photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage 10 photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage nine photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage eight photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage seven photo gallery by Graham Watson
Tour de France 2011 wallpaper gallery
Stage six photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage five photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage four photo gallery by Andy Jones
Stage four photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage three photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage two photo gallery by Andy Jones
Stage two photo gallery by Graham Watson
Stage one photo gallery by Graham Watson
Tour de France 2011 team time trial training photo gallery by Andy Jones
Tour de France 2011 team presentation by Andy Jones
Tour de France 2011 team press conferences by Andy Jones
Tour de France 2011 team presentation by Graham Watson
Tour de France 2011: Live text coverage
Tour de France 2011 LIVE: CW's text coverage schedule
Stage seven live text coverage
Tour de France 2011: Archive videos
Video: 2003 Centenary Tour
Video: Lance Armstrong retrospective
Video: Behind the scenes at the Tour
Video: Guerini's 1999 stage win
Video: Thrills and spills at the Tour
Video: Armstrong in 1999
Video: The Indurain years
Video: Ladies of the Tour
Video: Best of bizarre
Tour de France 2011: Archive articles1999 Tour de France stage two: Passage du Gois causes chaos
Tour de France 2011: TV schedule
British Eurosport Tour de France 2011 TV schedule
ITV4 Tour de France 2011 TV schedule
Tour de France 2011: Related links
Tour de France: The jerseys, what they are and what they mean
Potted history of the Tour de France
The closest Tours in history
Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Wiggins
Tour de France 2010: Cycling Weekly's coverage index
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