2010 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 10#Stage 3
The third stage of the Tour de France 2010 on July 6 led 213 km from bug after Arenberg. On this flat stage, there were three intermediate sprints and a mountain stage of the fourth category. In addition, several cobblestones in Belgium and in France of a total of about 13 km in length had to be overcome. After the task Mickaël Delages, Christian Vande Velde and Niki Terpstra during or after the stage the day before 191 of the 198 registered participants were at the start.
Race course
At 12:42 clock, the real start was given. After eight kilometers a seven -man lead group consisting of Steve Cummings, Ryder Hesjedal, Pavel Brutt, Pierre Rolland, Imanol Erviti, Stéphane Augé and Roger Kluge could be formed in two phases. She could settle down and open a lead of nearly five minutes. Kluge won the first two sprints, Hesjedal the intervening mountains classification. Quick Step, the team of the overall leader, followed by the field went back a little closer.
Even before the cobblestones was reached, several drivers came to case. A broken collarbone forced David Le Lay to the task. After making several teams, especially Team Sky, in the field pace to get closer to the top group. It shortened so the gap to about two minutes, when this reached the first of seven cobblestone sections. The projection then fluctuated around this amount. Even before that there were the first flat tire. Simon Gerrans crashed but was able to continue. Kluge secured before the remaining six cobblestone sections without a fight and the last sprint.
" We knew that there would be a massacre - and it became a massacre. "
Mark Cavendish struggled after a defect back to the field approach, which shortened the distance to the tip slowly. After the second cobbled section several drivers came to a bush to the case, including Damiano Cunego and clean Taaramäe, but all were able to continue. At the forefront Ryder Hesjedal was able to sell short, but was recaptured. The peloton, led by Team Saxo Bank, fell into two groups again as French soil was reached, and came down to less than half a minute closer to the outliers. In a further fall in the Alberto Contador and Tony Martin were involved, Fränk Schleck himself suffered a broken collarbone and had to be the next driver to abandon the race.
It was formed a small group to Andy Schleck and Fabian Cancellara, Thor Hushovd, Cadel Evans and Geraint Thomas, who pursued the still leading Hesjedal. In the back field a defaulted by the fall group managed to Contador connection to a group with Lance Armstrong. This made the pace and tried to ride in front of him Schleck group to catch up before he suffered a defect. Chavanel had meanwhile twice to change the wheel and was thrown back, which earned him the loss of the yellow jersey.
Through the leadership Cancellara, the Schleck group caught the leaders Hesjedal again. The final sprint of this group eventually won Hushovd, who thus secured the green jersey. Cancellara conquered back the yellow jersey. Contador was thrown back a little again due to a puncture just before the finish. Then other groups came to the finish, in which, inter alia, Tony Martin was who lost the white jersey of Geraint Thomas.
Criticism
Even before the 3rd stage some racers and teams had practiced harsh criticism of the route. The seven up to 3.7 km long cobblestone sections, the course director Jean -François Pescheux had built into the course, be an unnecessary risk for the drivers. Lance Armstrong predicted a " bloodbath", the longtime Pelotonsprecher Jens Voigt conjectured broken arms and collarbones. Pescheux defended his route planning, arguing that no less dangerous descents part of the tour were, these but no one could think away. Tour director Christian Prudhomme argued that the race organizers wanted to hold up the voltage already in the first week. A professional cyclist who is entitled to the overall victory had also with the requirements set by the cobblestones, cope.
Jens Voigt appeared in an interview on ARD immediately after the race, including his fallen teammate Fränk Schleck had been unable to quit, outraged: " This was a frivolous, meaningless threat to our health. " The driver had for months in vain their concerns about the stage management expressed. The first tour week will already hectic enough as should be dispensed with such a " spectacle." Must Lance Armstrong, who had a large backlog accept relented: "I believe such a stage belongs entirely to the tour. "
Sprints
- Second intermediate sprint in Nivelles ( 71.5 miles ) ( 135 m OP)
- Third intermediate sprint in Pipaix ( km 151.5 ) ( 48 m OP)
- Target in Arenberg ( 213 km ) (28 m)
Climbs
- Côte de Bothey, Category 4 ( 48 km ) ( 148 m OP; 1.4 km à 3,4 %)