2008 Tour de France
The 95th Tour de France started on Saturday, July 5, 2008 in Brest and ended on Sunday, July 27th at the Avenue des Champs- Élysées in Paris. The total track length was 3559.5 km and was similar to many as the year before; there were a total of 50,000 vertical meters to go.
Overall winner Carlos Sastre of Team CSC- Saxo Bank. This win comes after Óscar Pereiro (2006) and Alberto Contador (2007) for the third consecutive year a Spaniard.
On June 3, 2008 it was announced that the Tour de France will be discharged from the ASO under the supervision of the French Cycling Federation FFC and not the UCI, as previously performed by the same organizer cycling race Paris-Nice and Paris -Roubaix. In response, the UCI participating teams threatened with punishment and suspended the French Cycling Federation. The 2008 Tour de France was removed from the calendar of the UCI ProTour 2008.
A change in the regulations was the elimination of the time bonuses in the intermediate sprints and at the stage finish.
- 2.1 List of stages
- 2.2 ratings in the itinerary
- 3.1 doping prevention
- 3.2 doping cases
Starting position
Participants
On 20 March 2008 the ASO announced the 20 participating teams. With the exception of Team Astana to last year's winner Alberto Contador all ProTour teams were invited. The reason given for the exclusion of Team Astana with his involvement in the doping scandal Fuentes and the detected cases of the former Astana rider Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrei Kaschetschkin. The three Professional Continental teams Agritubel, Barloworld and Garmin - Chipotle ( formerly Slipstream - Chipotle ) received a wildcard.
Favorites for the overall standings of the Tour 2007 Second Cadel Evans and Alejandro Valverde were. Other contenders for the yellow jersey were Denis Menshov, Vuelta winner in 2005 and 2007, Damiano Cunego, winner of the 2004 Giro d'Italia, Kim Kirchen, seventh in 2007, and the classification riders from Team CSC: Carlos Sastre, fourth at the Tour 2007 and the Luxemburger Andy Schleck and Fränk.
Michael Rogers was after a long failure due to Pfeiffer 's glandular fever not at the start. He lacked the form of a three-week tour.
The sprinters were missing three prominent Driver: Alessandro Petacchi was banned for doping, Tom Boonen was unloaded by the organizers due to a positive finding, cocaine, and Daniele Bennati said the race due to an Achilles tendon inflammation from. Among the most promising sprinters in the field included Óscar Freire, Thor Hushovd, Erik Zabel, Robbie McEwen, Mark Cavendish, Gerald Ciolek, Robert Forster, Robert Hunter and Jimmy Casper.
A total of 180 riders started in 20 teams.
→ Main article peloton 2008
Route
The organizer was on 25 January 2007, the start locations of the first three stages known, all located in Brittany. For the first time since 1966, the Tour de France did not begin with a prologue or a time trial, but with an ordinary stage. This resulted from Brest to Plumelec. The second stage was from Auray to Saint- Brieuc. Starting point of the third stage was Saint- Malo. To kick off the tour in 2008, Denmark had also applied.
The complete course was presented on 25 October 2007. The course was almost exclusively through France, only on the 15th and 16th stage made the tour a trip to Italy. There were a total of 10 flat stages, five high mountain and four medium mountain stages and two individual time trials.
The tour took on the 197.5 km long first stage inland to Plumelec. With the 2nd, 3rd and 5th stage was followed for the first week tour typical flat stages, where mass sprints are very likely on target. The first individual time trial took place on 8 July and was hence represents the 4th stage
The 6th and the 7th stage were moderate and already had some mountains in the second category, the sixth stage with a mountain top finish (Super Besse, cat 2) ended. The 8th stage was a transfer stage with possible mass sprint in the destination Toulouse.
The 9th, the 10th and the 11th stage led by the Pyrenees. There followed three transfer stages. Even before the second rest day on July 21, the first stage in the Alps took place. The destination was Nevoso Prato in Italy. On 22 July, followed by a very difficult stage with two climbs of the highest category (hors categorie ) and a day later the 17th stage - the queen stage of the tour to L' Alpe d' Huez with three climbs of the highest category (hors categorie ), including the famous Col du Galibier.
The stages 18 and 19 were moderate and thus favorable for outliers (groups). The individual time trial on July 26 was then again catch the last chance residues, while it was still only on the last stage to Paris for the prestigious stage win on the Champs- Élysées.
Race course
At the finish of the first stage in Plumelec reached Alejandro Valverde as the first with a second ahead of the target. He was thus the first yellow jersey. The second stage ended in a bunch sprint pure, with Thor Hushovd as the winner, Valverde remained in the yellow jersey. Also on the third stage a mass sprint was expected, but four riders managed a successful escape and Samuel Dumoulin sprinted to victory. His escape Romain Feillu companion drove the yellow jersey. The fourth stage, an individual time trial, won Stefan Schumacher, who thus took over the overall lead.
The fifth stage had a low profile. The 23- year-old Mark Cavendish was the fastest in the bunch sprint. With a mountain top finish ended the sixth stage. Stefan Schumacher held with the leading group, but crashed several hundred meters before the finish. The Luxembourger Kim Kirchen was the new yellow jersey, the stage victory went to Riccardo Riccò. The seventh stage led by the Auvergne. Luis León Sánchez was able to pull a few kilometers from the finish and won. Churches remained in yellow.
On the eve of the eighth stage was suspended Manuel Beltrán by his team Liquigas. He tested positive after the first stage. On the tenth stage Cadel Evans took the yellow jersey from Kim Kirchen. The Australian led with just one second ahead of Fränk Schleck, Luxembourg's. Before the start of the eleventh stage it was announced that Moisés Dueñas tested positive for EPO after the fourth stage. In Dueñas hotel room was found among other syringes and blood bags. Shortly before the start of the twelfth stage and the two-time stage winner and runner has been found guilty of doping in the mountain and Riccardo Riccò Nachswuchswertung. His team Saunier Duval- Scott immediately pulled the entire team, and thus also the winner of the 10th stage of Leonardo Piepoli back. After the twelfth stage Sebastian Lang received the dotted Vincenzo Nibali and the white jersey - in both ratings Riccò had been in the lead.
The transfer stages between the Pyrenees and the Alps Kurt- Asle Arvesen won, Mark Cavendish (two stages) and Óscar Freire. The first Alpine stage at Prato Nevoso in Italy was Simon Gerrans decide ahead of three other outliers for themselves. The total guide Fränk Schleck took over the peloton riding. Bernhard Kohl, who led the pursuers, won the polka dot jersey as the best climber and moved up to second place. After the second rest day followed by the second stage in the Alps - with the roof of the tour, the Cime de la Bonette residues Fund. Again, a breakaway group managed to escape, it won Cyril Dessel. From Christian Vande Velde 's favorites could not follow on the last climb. Denis Menshov lost in the descent towards the finish half a minute.
The third stage in the Alps was the queen stage to L' Alpe d' Huez. The favorites were waiting for the final climb. There Sastre attacked. Only Menshov responded, but he could not follow the pace. Sastre won with two minutes ahead, and thus took over the yellow jersey from his teammate Fränk Schleck. The Favorites group Andy Schleck countered the numerous attacks and so held the group together.
The next two stages won outliers - Marcus Burghardt and Sylvain Chavanel. Stefan Schumacher won the second time trial before the favorites Fabian Cancellara. The stronger as time favorite driver and classified on the Tour victory Cadel Evans could not get enough time on Sastre make up and had to settle for about a minute behind second place content in the overall standings. The mountain specialist Bernhard Kohl defended with a ninth place in the time trial the third podium place. Fränk Schleck fell from second to sixth place overall.
The final stage on the Champs- Élysées won the Belgian Gert Steegmans in a mass sprint.
List of stages
Links to the articles on the individual stages are in the table in the first column. The yellow jersey are given after the completion of the stage.
Ratings in the itinerary
The table shows the leaders in their respective standings at the start of each stage.
Raise the Red Lantern for the last place in the overall standings was awarded for the third time to Wim Vansevenant. Before him, no driver three times Paris has reached the last one.
Doping
Doping prevention
All teams participating in the Tour de France were obliged to "Anti -Doping Agreement" to be signed, which provided for in the event they become known a doping offense during the tour pay a fine of 100,000 Euros in case the rider dopes under the connivance of the team. The penalty should be paid to the French Cycling Federation. Possible clashes between the teams and organizers should be regulated by the French NOK. Whether this contract would have more legal weight than the declaration of honor that had to be signed at the last discharge of the individual drivers, however, was unclear. All 20 participating teams signed the contract.
Doping cases
After the seventh stage it was announced that the Spaniard Manuel Beltran was tested prior to the start of the first stage positive for EPO. The driver was taken by his Liquigas team out of the race and suspended pending the announcement of the results of the B sample. In the hotel room Beltran's no doping preparations by the French police were found. Moisés Dueñas also tested positive for EPO at the fourth stage, gave the French anti -doping agency AFLD announced before the start of the eleventh stage. The 27 -year-old was immediately suspended out of his team Barloworld. In addition, at 5 to 20 riders conspicuous blood levels were observed.
After the eleventh stage was known that the two-time stage winner tested positive for EPO at this year's Tour Riccardo Riccò. Then his team Saunier Duval- Scott went to no longer 12th stage. The following day was transferred by Leonardo Piepoli another with EPO of doped riders. He, too, was - like Riccardo Riccò - sacked by Saunier Duval- Scott immediately.
After the 18th stage of lying in the overall standings at position 19 Kazakh Dmitri Fofonow was tested by the team Crédit Agricole positive for a stimulant.
On August 9, 2008 it was announced that it was the fifth case of doping with Jimmy Casper. We have not found traces of steroids in his urine. The Disciplinary Committee of the French Cycling Federation said Casper free however, since the doping accusation was due to a not yet renewed derogation granted to the agent. Casper, who suffers from asthma, had such an exemption, however, which expired on May 29 and was not renewed before the tour for the last twelve years.
On 13 October 2008 announced the French sports daily L' Equipe that the winner of the mountains classification, Bernhard Kohl, as well as his Gerolsteiner teammate and tour room mate Stefan Schumacher at the follow-ups of the Tour de France doping tests by the French anti - Doping Agency AFLD had been tested positive for EPO - CERA doping agents. Also in the Italian Leonardo Piepoli the A sample was positive.
On 15 October 2008 Kohl admitted against the ORF to have doped at the Tour de France. He thus waived the opening of the B sample.
Prizes
During the tour prize money in the amount of € 3.25 million was distributed. Each team received an appearance fee of € 51,243. Traditionally shared within the team all the drivers and helpers the prize money won.
Team CSC - Saxo Bank at the Tour winner Sastre won the most prize money. Saunier Duval- Scott did not receive any prize money due to the positive doping test of Riccò.
Retired driver
Total excreted from 35 drivers. Thus reached 145 driver the destination in Paris. CSC Saxo Bank, Milram and Euskaltel -Euskadi finished the tour complete with all nine riders.