Steve Cummings
34-year-old Steve Cummings brought joy to the South African team MTN-Qhubeka on the day that commemorates the birth of Nelson Mandela. The British cyclist, who had already won a stage of the Tour of Spain in 2012, took advantage of the marking that the French cyclists Thibout Pinot and Romain Bardet were subjected to, to catch up with them and beat them at the finish line in Mende. Behind the escape, in the fight for the general classification, Nairo Quintana launched an attack that allowed him to surpass Tejay Van Garderen in second place. Chris Froome seemed to struggle at first, but eventually resisted the attacks from the Colombian. Alejandro Valverde remains in fourth place, 4:02 behind the leader, and Alberto Contador moves up to fifth place, but loses another 19 seconds.
The Cycling Celebration Marred by Incidents
The cycling celebration was tainted minutes after the stage ended, when two pieces of news became known. On one hand, a fan had thrown urine at leader Froome, the same day that it was known that Richie Porte had been punched by another vandal. Two regrettable attacks that have little to do with what cycling has historically been: a sport where the audience and the rider could coexist in the same space. The superiority of Team Sky is raising so many suspicions and so much tension on social media, that the limits are being exceeded. "Disappointed with the French fan who ruined my great day today", the yellow jersey wrote later on Twitter. In parallel, the technical jury announced the disqualification of Eduardo Sepúlveda, who, with a breakdown, got into the Ag2r car to go to the Bretagne vehicle.
The Stage
The prominence of a large breakaway group was expected on such a challenging terrain as the one presented in this stage of the Central Massif: two fourth-category climbs and two second-category climbs, in a continuous up and down. Before that, a crash at km 5 created nervousness in the peloton and sent Steve Morabito home with a broken collarbone. The day began tense. After several alternatives, the definitive breakaway was formed by about twenty cyclists. Among them, two Spaniards (Rubén Plaza and Castroviejo) and other pedigreed riders (Bardet, Pinot, Urán, Sagan, Van Avermaet, Cummings...). The adventure gained a lead of over seven minutes, enough to compete for the victory. Froome's Team Sky limited themselves to controlling to prevent significant differences.
A French Party That Didn't Happen
With 10 kilometers to go, Golas and Koren were leading the race. Ladagnous and Roy were chasing behind to bring their FDJ leader, Thibout Pinot, closer. However, it was another Frenchman who made the first move on the final climb: Romain Bardet. He attacked three times: on the last attempt, he managed to leave the company of Simon Yates and finally broke away solo. Although Pinot still had his ammunition and caught up with him. The situation pointed to a French celebration, but Pinot and Bardet, bitter rivals since their amateur days, lost too much time marking each other. In their wake, without any consideration, came Cummings, who took risks in the final bends to cross the line first in Mende.
Quintana and Froome Battle
There was also movement behind them. Nairo Quintana attacked on the climb. Only Vincenzo Nibali initially managed to neutralize his first attack. It was another illusion for the Italian. His teammate Alejandro Valverde didn't make it, as he stayed behind with Froome, where Contador was enduring. Van Garderen didn't either, as his second place on the podium was at risk. The yellow jersey seemed to be struggling, but we already know that his faithful ally is the power meter. As we saw in the last Vuelta, he climbs at his own pace and managed to catch up with the Colombian, to whom he then took a second at the finish line. Contador couldn't withstand such pressure and conceded 19 seconds: nevertheless, he took fifth place from Geraint Thomas. Meanwhile, Valverde trailed by only 4 seconds and remains the best-placed Spanish rider, in fourth position.
Hopes for a Competitive Race
The stage in Mende gives hope that Froome does not have the race sealed. Nairo Quintana shows signs of improvement, as he did in the 2013 Tour, which ended with a victory in Semnoz-Annecy against the same rival that now leads him. His teammate Valverde, less pressured than in previous years, enjoys being in front and is already starting to dream: "The goal is for Nairo to win the Tour... And if I get on the podium, it would be amazing."
Spanish Influence on the Mende Finish
Previous arrivals in Mende have always had a Spanish influence. The first year, in 1995, there was a French victory on National Day: Laurent Jalabert. But that victory completed a maneuver by ONCE that challenged Miguel Indurain's fifth Tour for a large part of the race. Marcos Serrano, in 2005, and Purito Rodríguez, who beat Contador in 2010, completed the list of winners at the aerodrome until this Saturday.