Saturday, July 11, 2009
Stage 8: Andorre-la-Vieille to Saint-Girons
Kenny Robert Van Hummel of Skil-Shimano was 172nd and last on the Pyrenean stage today, finishing in a trio with Danilo Napolitano (Katusha) and Angelo Furlan (Lampre) at 34:01 after the stage winner.
Van Hummel is also 172nd overall (about 3 minutes behind nearest rider in the General Classification), for his third day as Lanterne Rouge. Unfortunately it does not bode well for him finishing the entire Tour de France, unfortunately. Best of luck to him in recovering and succeeding in moving up the next few stages.
The (fairly worthless) withdrawals list on the official Tour site currently lists these casualties, but they're missing Piet Rooijakkers of Skil-Shimano who crashed out in the Stage 4 Team Time Trial:
NO LONGER RIDING Stage 8
177 LE LAY David (FRA) AGRITUBEL withdrawls
176 GONZALO RAMIREZ Eduardo (ESP) AGRITUBEL withdrawls
111 PEREIRO SIO Oscar (ESP) CAISSE D’EPARGNE withdrawls
63 FERNANDEZ Koldo (ESP) EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI outside time limit
Stage 7
105 JOLY Sébastien (FRA) FRANCAISE DES JEUX withdrawls
Stage 6
46 GESINK Robert (NED) RABOBANK non-starter
Stage 3
159 VAN DE WALLE Jurgen (BEL) QUICK STEP non-starter
Van Hummel is also 172nd overall (about 3 minutes behind nearest rider in the General Classification), for his third day as Lanterne Rouge. Unfortunately it does not bode well for him finishing the entire Tour de France, unfortunately. Best of luck to him in recovering and succeeding in moving up the next few stages.
The (fairly worthless) withdrawals list on the official Tour site currently lists these casualties, but they're missing Piet Rooijakkers of Skil-Shimano who crashed out in the Stage 4 Team Time Trial:
NO LONGER RIDING Stage 8
177 LE LAY David (FRA) AGRITUBEL withdrawls
176 GONZALO RAMIREZ Eduardo (ESP) AGRITUBEL withdrawls
111 PEREIRO SIO Oscar (ESP) CAISSE D’EPARGNE withdrawls
63 FERNANDEZ Koldo (ESP) EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI outside time limit
Stage 7
105 JOLY Sébastien (FRA) FRANCAISE DES JEUX withdrawls
Stage 6
46 GESINK Robert (NED) RABOBANK non-starter
Stage 3
159 VAN DE WALLE Jurgen (BEL) QUICK STEP non-starter
Labels: Fernandez, Furlan, Gesink, Gonzalo Ramirez, Joly, Le Lay, Napolitano, Pereiro, van der Walle, Van Hummel
Friday, July 10, 2009
Stage 7: Barcelone to Andorre Arcalis
Our first mountaintop finish of the 2009 Tour!
Unfortunately, former Lanterne Rouge (several stages in 2006) Sébastien Joly of Francaise de Jeux was a casualty and dropped out today midway through the stage. He's one of the notable cancer survivors in the peloton (though there may be others).
There was a huge autobus finish today with 48 riders arriving at 28:29 after the stage winner, and Eduardo Gonzalo Ramirez (Agritubel) and Angelo Furlan (Lampre) arriving shortly thereafter.
Kenny Robert Van Hummel, the Dutch rider on Skil-Shimano, remains Lanterne Rouge for the second day. He was the first starter in the individual time trial earlier in the Tour, I believe.
Unfortunately, former Lanterne Rouge (several stages in 2006) Sébastien Joly of Francaise de Jeux was a casualty and dropped out today midway through the stage. He's one of the notable cancer survivors in the peloton (though there may be others).
There was a huge autobus finish today with 48 riders arriving at 28:29 after the stage winner, and Eduardo Gonzalo Ramirez (Agritubel) and Angelo Furlan (Lampre) arriving shortly thereafter.
Kenny Robert Van Hummel, the Dutch rider on Skil-Shimano, remains Lanterne Rouge for the second day. He was the first starter in the individual time trial earlier in the Tour, I believe.
Labels: Furlan, Gonzolo Ramirez, Joly
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Stage 1 Monaco individual time trial
Yauheni Hutarovich, riding for Francaise de Jeux, became the Stage 1 Lanterne Rouge of the 2009 Tour de France today. He finished in 180th position in the 15.5-km individual time trial in Monaco with a time of 23:23. If my calculations are correct, that gives him an average speed over that super-hilly course of 24.71 mph.This is his first Tour de France for the sprinting specialist. Hutarovich is currently the road race champion of the nation of Belarus and therefore has the right to wear their national colors.
Placements today of previous Lanternes Rouges:
Geoffroy Lequatre (Stage 5, 2007): 99th
Filippo Pozzato (Stage 3, 2006): 101st
Bernard Eisel (Stage 19, 2008): 103th
Dimitry Muravyev (2008 Vuelta a Espana Lanterne Rouge): 122nd
Sébastien Joly (multiple stages, 2006): 129th
Aleksandr Kuschynski (Stage 1, 2007 and 2008): 165th
Mark Cavendish (Stage 7, 2007): 177th
Looking at Mark Cavendish's finishing position, the rider who may be the world's best sprinter at this time ranking 4th-to-last overall, I am reminded to make the point that the position in the General Classification says nothing about the inherent athletic ability of the cyclist, and everything about the important job they each play on their own team.
Labels: Cavendish, Eisel, Hutarovich, Joly, Kuschynski, LeQuatre, Muravyev, Pozzato
Sunday, June 28, 2009
2009 Tour: Former TdF Lanternes Rouges
Here is the substantial roster of former Lanternes Rouges (last place for at least one day in the General Classification in the Tour de France, 2005 and later; or last overall in another recent Grand Tour) who may be riding in the 2009 Tour:
Cut from roster:
Française des Jeux: Remy di Gregorio, Stage 4, 2007
BBox Bouygues Telecom: Evgeny Sokolov, 2009 Giro d'Italia Lanterne Rouge
Confirmed:
Agritubel: Geoffroy Lequatre, Stage 5, 2007
Astana: Dimitry Muravyev, 2008 Vuelta a Espana Lanterne Rouge
Columbia-Highroad: Mark Cavendish, Stage 7, 2007
Columbia-Highroad: Bernard Eisel, Stage 19, 2008
Française des Jeux: Sébastien Joly, multiple stages, 2006
Katusha: Filippo Pozzato, Stage 3, 2006
Liquigas: Aleksandr Kuschynski, Stage 1, 2007 and 2008
The fun starts this coming Saturday! Don't forget, I will be posting daily short updates on Twitter this year as TdFLanterne, and may not be doing extensive blog posts as in the past. Please be sure to subscribe to our Tour de France Lanterne Rouge feed there!
Cut from roster:
Confirmed:
Agritubel: Geoffroy Lequatre, Stage 5, 2007
Astana: Dimitry Muravyev, 2008 Vuelta a Espana Lanterne Rouge
Columbia-Highroad: Mark Cavendish, Stage 7, 2007
Columbia-Highroad: Bernard Eisel, Stage 19, 2008
Française des Jeux: Sébastien Joly, multiple stages, 2006
Katusha: Filippo Pozzato, Stage 3, 2006
Liquigas: Aleksandr Kuschynski, Stage 1, 2007 and 2008
The fun starts this coming Saturday! Don't forget, I will be posting daily short updates on Twitter this year as TdFLanterne, and may not be doing extensive blog posts as in the past. Please be sure to subscribe to our Tour de France Lanterne Rouge feed there!
Labels: Cavendish, Di Gregorio, Eisel, Joly, Kuschynski, LeQuatre, Muravyev, Pozzato, Sokolov
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Paris-Nice 2009
British rider Jeremy Hunt, riding for Cervélo TestTeam, is the Lanterne Rouge of the final stage of Paris-Nice, in 92nd place for the day. The overall Lanterne Rouge of the general classification was Alexandr Dyachenko, a Kazakh rider on the Astana team. 159 riders began the stage race, so Dyachenko finished ahead of over 40% of the starters.
Several former Tour de France Lanternes Rouges appeared in the race this year, including Aitor Hernandez (Euskaltel) (Stage 2, 2006), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas) (Stages 1-3, 2007; stage 1, 2008), who shared an early breakaway in Stage 2 of Paris-Nice and ended up 44th and 42nd overall. Sébastien Joly, the French rider on Française Des Jeux, Tour de France Lanterne Rouge for 9 stages in 2006, was a DNF.
Several former Tour de France Lanternes Rouges appeared in the race this year, including Aitor Hernandez (Euskaltel) (Stage 2, 2006), Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas) (Stages 1-3, 2007; stage 1, 2008), who shared an early breakaway in Stage 2 of Paris-Nice and ended up 44th and 42nd overall. Sébastien Joly, the French rider on Française Des Jeux, Tour de France Lanterne Rouge for 9 stages in 2006, was a DNF.
Labels: Dyachenko, Hernandez, Hunt, Joly, Kuschynski
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Joly back in training
Sébastien Joly, former Lanterne Rouge, has joined the ranks of celebrity pro cyclists who are survivors of testicular cancer. He participated in the Française des Jeux training camp before Christmas and is back up to four hours in the saddle.
He says: "Mine was not life threatening. I didn't need chemotherapy. Then there was the prediction that I've heard a few times but which doesn't make me smile at all: people telling me that I'll win seven Tours de France now. Hey, I'm not the guy who was a World Champion age 21. I'm only an average French cyclist. I don't expect to become better; I'd just liked to get back to my level."
He's six kilos lighter than a year ago, so he also is remaking his physique as he works to regain his full cycling fitness. We wish him the best of luck in the 2008 season.
He says: "Mine was not life threatening. I didn't need chemotherapy. Then there was the prediction that I've heard a few times but which doesn't make me smile at all: people telling me that I'll win seven Tours de France now. Hey, I'm not the guy who was a World Champion age 21. I'm only an average French cyclist. I don't expect to become better; I'd just liked to get back to my level."
He's six kilos lighter than a year ago, so he also is remaking his physique as he works to regain his full cycling fitness. We wish him the best of luck in the 2008 season.
Labels: Joly
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Happy news
Former Lanterne Rouge Sebastian Joly is back on the bike and regaining his legs after being treated for a tumor earlier this year. (He was Lanterne Rouge for nine stages of the 2006 Tour). We're very glad to hear it and hope to see him winning seven Tours de France in coming years!
Labels: Joly
Friday, July 27, 2007
Stage 18: Cahors to Angoulême
Podium Cafe notes that Predictor Lotto has the chance to pull off the rare maillot jaune-Lanterne Rouge double if Cadel Evans rides well in the final time trial tomorrow. That's in addition to the feat of Vansevenant possibly becoming Lanterne Rouge in two consecutive Tours de France. Tomorrow will tell the tale! Unless something else crazy happens, most of the riders including our Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant will hold position until that day when their tired legs will give it one final hurrah.So let's take a look at Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant's record, while we have a breather:
- Born on December 23, 1971 in Dixmuide, Belgium
- Lives in Eerhegem, Belgium
- Height : 1.74 m (5'8.5")
- Weight : 65 kg (143 pounds)
He's been a professional cyclist for 13 years, and has been a solid supporting player on a number of teams.
2007. Predictor-Lotto
9e une étape du Tour Down Under
2006. Davitamon-Lotto
2006. Davitamon-Lotto
139e du Tour de France (dernier)
2005. Davitamon-Lotto
2005. Davitamon-Lotto
11e du Tour de Belgique
154e du Tour de France
2004. Lotto-Domo
2004. Lotto-Domo
141e du Tour de France
2003. Lotto-Domo
2003. Lotto-Domo
3e du Grand Prix Tistaert
5e du Championnat de Belgique CLM
13e de Paris-Bruxelles
2002. Collstrop-Palmans
2002. Collstrop-Palmans
3e de Cholet-Pays de Loire
8e du Championnat de Belgique CLM
2001. Mercury-Viatel
2001. Mercury-Viatel
2e une étape du Circuit Franco-Belge
4e du Championnat de Belgique CLM
5e du Grand Prix de Wallonie
6e du Grand Prix Tistaert
10e du Grand Prix Van Steenbergen
2000. Farm Frites
2000. Farm Frites
3e du Grand Prix de Villers-Cotterets
4e de la Clasica Sabinanigo
7e du Grand Prix Tistaert
1999. Collstrop
1999. Collstrop
3e une étape du Tour de la Somme
15e du Grand Prix Pino-Cerami
1998. Vlaanderen 2002
1998. Vlaanderen 2002
3e une étape du Tour d'Autriche
8e du Circuit des Ardennes Flamandes, une étape du Grand Prix Midi-Libre, de la Flèche Ardennaise, du Tour d'Autriche
1997. Vlaanderen 2002
1997. Vlaanderen 2002
6e du Circuit Franco-Belge
9e de A Travers la Belgique, du Grand Prix Fréquence-Nord
Taux d'hématocrites trop élevé en avril
1996. Vlaanderen 2002
1er une étape du Tour du Vaucluse (Cairanne)
2e de la Course du Raisin
3e une étape du Tour de l'Avenir
5e une étape de la Hofbrau Cup
8e du Tour du Vaucluse
1995. Débuts pros chez Vlaanderen 2002
1995. Débuts pros chez Vlaanderen 2002
2e une étape du Regio Tour
18e des Trois Jours de La Panne
1994 (Août).
Stagiaire chez Word Perfect
This is Vansevenant's fourth Tour de France, which is a proud record for any professional cyclist. In 2004, he finished 140th. In 2005, 154th. In 2006, he was the 139th and last rider in the General Classification.
Rose Cantine found this information: The only other two riders to consecutive titles as Lanterne Rouge are the Belgian Daniel Masson (1922 and 1923) and Austrian Gerhard Schönbacher (1979 and 1980). There is also an interview with Vansevenant online in Flemish, with French subtitles. Neither of which help the linguistically-challenged like me, unfortunately!
This is Vansevenant's fourth Tour de France, which is a proud record for any professional cyclist. In 2004, he finished 140th. In 2005, 154th. In 2006, he was the 139th and last rider in the General Classification.
Rose Cantine found this information: The only other two riders to consecutive titles as Lanterne Rouge are the Belgian Daniel Masson (1922 and 1923) and Austrian Gerhard Schönbacher (1979 and 1980). There is also an interview with Vansevenant online in Flemish, with French subtitles. Neither of which help the linguistically-challenged like me, unfortunately!
In former Lanterne Rouge news, 28-year-old Sebastian Joly will be taking time out from cycling to undergo chemotherapy and radiation for a cancerous tumor. Best wishes to him for a complete recovery. He can be contacted here.
Just for the sake of completeness, here are today's stage results:
We had a lot of riders come in at 9 and 10 minutes, and then our Final Four, saving everything for tomorrow:
138. CANCELLARA Fabian 33 TEAM CSC 5h 24' 33" + 11' 02"
139. MILLAR David 201 SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR 5h 24' 33" + 11' 02"
140. CARDENAS Félix 212 BARLOWORLD 5h 24' 33" + 11' 02"
141. WILLEMS Frederik 159 LIQUIGAS 5h 24' 33" + 11' 02"
Our standings at the back of the peloton before the final deciding time trial are:
137. DE GROOT Bram 53 RABOBANK 89h 39' 01" + 3h 34' 45"
138. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 89h 39' 06" + 3h 34' 50"
139. KRAUSS Sven 96 GEROLSTEINER 89h 41' 35" + 3h 37' 19"
140. GERAINT Thomas 215 BARLOWORLD 89h 44' 00" + 3h 39' 44"
141. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 89h 49' 17" + 3h 45' 01"
So Vansevenant holds the Lanterne Rouge spot by 5:17, even though he finished the stage way up in 78th place today. I'm not sure what the cutoff will be for elimination during the time trial tomorrow, but I'd say Vansevenant has a pretty firm grip on the final slot in the General Classification of the 2007 Tour de France.
Wonderful article today by Samuel Abt about Wim Vansevenant here (first spotted by Podium Cafe, who also provide the first mention I've seen of a new doping result in Stage 14).
Stage reports are back in business at VeloNews:
Medical report:
Casar (FDJeux) and Willems (Liquigas), both crashed at 28km, minor cuts and scrapes. (Apparently another dog incident - I hope it wasn't a French Lab).
Hinault (Credit Agricole) breathing problems.
Burghardt (T-Mobile) breathing problems.
Gadret (Ag2r) headache.
Azanza (Euskaltel) digestive troubles.
Quinziato (Liquigas) digestive problems.
Boogerd (Rabobank) insect bite
Jury decisions: no report
Labels: Cancellara, Cardenas, De Groot, Evans, Hushovd, Joly, Krauss, Masson, Millar, Schönbacher, Thomas, Vansevenant, Willems
Monday, July 02, 2007
Joly out of Tour
Sebastian Joly, Frenchman on the Francaise des Jeux team, is out of the 2007 Tour after being diagnosed with a tumor. Joly rode nine stages of the 2006 Tour de France as Lanterne Rouge.
Best wishes to him on a speedy treatment and full recovery.
Best wishes to him on a speedy treatment and full recovery.
Labels: Joly
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Past Tour de France Lanternes Rouges in 2007
Here's an update on what I've been able to dig up about the current situation of the Tour de France Lanternes Rouges of recent years. If you have any additional current information on any of these, please leave it in the comments!
2006 Prologue Lanterne Rouge Ruben Lobato Elvira will be in the 2007 Tour de France riding for Saunier Duval-Prodir.
2006 Stage 1 Lanterne Rouge Danilo Di Luca won the 2007 Giro d'Italia for Team Liquigas, and then announced that he would not be riding Le Tour, but soon after came under suspicion of doping. His case is still awaiting a resolution.
2006 Stage 2 Lanterne Rouge Aitor Hernandez Gutierrez was not named for the 2007 Tour de France roster for his team, Euskaltel-Euskadi.
2006 Stage 3 Lanterne Rouge Filippo Pozzato is on the Liquigas Team (which has not named their Tour roster yet) and will compete in the Italian national road race championship on July 1st, 2007.
2006 Stage 4 Lanterne Rouge Magnus Backstedt is on the Liquigas Team (which has not named their Tour roster yet) and will compete in the Swedish national road race championship on July 1st, 2007.
2006 Lanterne Rouge of 9 Stages, Sébastien Joly, is a member of the Française des Jeux team which has not yet announced its 2007 Tour de France rider roster. In his earlier years he rode with Bonjour alongside fellow Lanternes Rouges of 1998, Damien Nazon, and 2000, Olivier Parraudeau.
2006 overall Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant is a member of the Predictor-Lotto team which has not yet announced its 2007 Tour de France rider roster.
2005 Stages 1-3 Lanterne Rouge Leonardo Piepoli, mountain climber for Saunier Duval-Prodir, won the mountain climber competition at the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but is under investigation for excessive levels of asthma medication during the Giro, and is not on their 2007 Tour de France roster.
2005 Stages 5 and 7 Lanterne Rouge Janeck Tombak, an Estonian now riding for the second-tier Jartazi Promo Fashion team, not a Team in the 2007 Tour. He recently won the 4th stage in the Tour of Picardie.
2005 Stage 6 Lanterne Rouge Steve Zampieri was a member of the now-disbanded Phonak cycling team. He now rides for Cofidis but was not named for their 2007 Tour de France team.
2005 overall Lanterne Rouge Iker Flores (brother of 2002 Lanterne Rouge Igor Flores) is now riding for Fuerteventura (a new pro-continental team, formerly Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme) and is "one of the favourites to win the Euskal Bizikleta which kicks off on June 8th in the Basque country of Spain."
Two-time Lanterne Rouge (2001 and 2004) Jimmy Casper now is a member of the Unibet.com cycling team, which as a gambling concern has been barred from racing (and thereby advertising their product) on French soil.
2003 overall Lanterne Rouge Hans de Clerq rode for Lotto-Domo, which has turned into the Predictor-Lotto team. According to the Dutch Wikipedia, "Hans De Clercq is since 2006 also competition leader of the Per Tour-competition Ghent-Wevelgem and since 2007 team leader of the cyclo-cross race team Sunweb-ProJob".
2002 overall Lanterne Rouge Igor Flores rode for Euskaltel-Euskadi and currently rides as a guide for Grupetto Tours.
2000 overall Lanterne Rouge Olivier Perraudeau rode for Bonjour in 2002 along with 1998 Lanterne Rouge Damien Nazon and subsequent 2006 stage Lanterne Rouge Sébastien Joly. I haven't found more recent news.
1999 overall Lanterne Rouge Jacky Durand worked for Eurosport in 2006.
1998 overall Lanterne Rouge Damien Nazon also rode for Bonjour in 2002 with subsequent Lanterne Rouge Olivier Parraudeau of 2000 and 2006 stage Lanterne Rouge Sébastien Joly. Until 2005 he rode for Credit Agricole.
2006 Prologue Lanterne Rouge Ruben Lobato Elvira will be in the 2007 Tour de France riding for Saunier Duval-Prodir.
2006 Stage 1 Lanterne Rouge Danilo Di Luca won the 2007 Giro d'Italia for Team Liquigas, and then announced that he would not be riding Le Tour, but soon after came under suspicion of doping. His case is still awaiting a resolution.
2006 Stage 2 Lanterne Rouge Aitor Hernandez Gutierrez was not named for the 2007 Tour de France roster for his team, Euskaltel-Euskadi.
2006 Stage 3 Lanterne Rouge Filippo Pozzato is on the Liquigas Team (which has not named their Tour roster yet) and will compete in the Italian national road race championship on July 1st, 2007.
2006 Stage 4 Lanterne Rouge Magnus Backstedt is on the Liquigas Team (which has not named their Tour roster yet) and will compete in the Swedish national road race championship on July 1st, 2007.
2006 Lanterne Rouge of 9 Stages, Sébastien Joly, is a member of the Française des Jeux team which has not yet announced its 2007 Tour de France rider roster. In his earlier years he rode with Bonjour alongside fellow Lanternes Rouges of 1998, Damien Nazon, and 2000, Olivier Parraudeau.
2006 overall Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant is a member of the Predictor-Lotto team which has not yet announced its 2007 Tour de France rider roster.
2005 Stages 1-3 Lanterne Rouge Leonardo Piepoli, mountain climber for Saunier Duval-Prodir, won the mountain climber competition at the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but is under investigation for excessive levels of asthma medication during the Giro, and is not on their 2007 Tour de France roster.
2005 Stages 5 and 7 Lanterne Rouge Janeck Tombak, an Estonian now riding for the second-tier Jartazi Promo Fashion team, not a Team in the 2007 Tour. He recently won the 4th stage in the Tour of Picardie.
2005 Stage 6 Lanterne Rouge Steve Zampieri was a member of the now-disbanded Phonak cycling team. He now rides for Cofidis but was not named for their 2007 Tour de France team.
2005 overall Lanterne Rouge Iker Flores (brother of 2002 Lanterne Rouge Igor Flores) is now riding for Fuerteventura (a new pro-continental team, formerly Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme) and is "one of the favourites to win the Euskal Bizikleta which kicks off on June 8th in the Basque country of Spain."
Two-time Lanterne Rouge (2001 and 2004) Jimmy Casper now is a member of the Unibet.com cycling team, which as a gambling concern has been barred from racing (and thereby advertising their product) on French soil.
2003 overall Lanterne Rouge Hans de Clerq rode for Lotto-Domo, which has turned into the Predictor-Lotto team. According to the Dutch Wikipedia, "Hans De Clercq is since 2006 also competition leader of the Per Tour-competition Ghent-Wevelgem and since 2007 team leader of the cyclo-cross race team Sunweb-ProJob".
2002 overall Lanterne Rouge Igor Flores rode for Euskaltel-Euskadi and currently rides as a guide for Grupetto Tours.
2000 overall Lanterne Rouge Olivier Perraudeau rode for Bonjour in 2002 along with 1998 Lanterne Rouge Damien Nazon and subsequent 2006 stage Lanterne Rouge Sébastien Joly. I haven't found more recent news.
1999 overall Lanterne Rouge Jacky Durand worked for Eurosport in 2006.
1998 overall Lanterne Rouge Damien Nazon also rode for Bonjour in 2002 with subsequent Lanterne Rouge Olivier Parraudeau of 2000 and 2006 stage Lanterne Rouge Sébastien Joly. Until 2005 he rode for Credit Agricole.
Labels: Backstedt, Casper, de Clerq, DiLuca, Durand, Flores, Hernandez, Joly, Lobato, Nazon, Perraudeau, Piepoli, Pozzato, Tombak, Vansevenant, Zampieri
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Joly's TT success no fluke
Following up an excellent performance in the Paris-Nice prologue, and a victory in the Paris-Camembert race, Sébastien Joly of Française des Jeux (who spent eight days as the Lanterne Rouge in the 2006 Tour de France) took third place in the initial individual time trial at the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque race, behind Bradley Wiggins (Cofidis) and William Bonnet (Credit Agricole).
Labels: Bonnet, Joly, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, Wiggins
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Joly wins!
Sébastien Joly, the Française des Jeux rider who spent most of the 2006 Tour de France in the Lanterne Rouge position, is having a great start to 2007. Today he was victorious in the Paris-Camembert race (Trophée Lepetit), winning from a six-man breakaway for the last 90 minutes of the race.
Labels: Joly, Paris-Camembert
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Paris-Nice has begun, after all!
Former Lanterne Rouge Sébastien Joly of Francaise de Jeux has taken third in the Paris-Nice Prologue just two seconds behind the winning time of David Millar! Daily Peleton called it an "unexpected great ride".
In other news, another former Lanterne Rouge Danilo DiLuca of Liquigas won Milano-Torino, the oldest of the Italian classic races.
In other news, another former Lanterne Rouge Danilo DiLuca of Liquigas won Milano-Torino, the oldest of the Italian classic races.
Labels: DiLuca, Joly, Milano-Torino, Paris-Nice
Friday, July 14, 2006
Back in the back
Sébastien Joly's abortive escape attempt on Bastille Day must have worn him out, because he finished last again (in the autobus at 12:07 after the stage winner), while yesterday's Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant finished well up in the stage, in 16th place with a time gap of 4:25. That puts Joly back into the Lanterne Rouge spot with a group of very familiar names:
153 133 CASPER Jimmy COF FRA 1h 29' 11"
154 124 HERNANDEZ Aitor EUS ESP 1h 29' 51"
155 086 RIGHI Daniele LAM ITA 1h 32' 05"
156 113 CHARTEAU Anthony C.A FRA 1h 32' 36"
157 105 POZZATO Filippo QSI ITA 1h 32' 39"
158 163 BACKSTEDT Magnus LIQ SWE 1h 36' 58"
159 068 VANSEVENANT Wim DVL BEL 1h 41' 34"
160 155 JOLY Sébastien FDJ FRA 1h 49' 08"
To give these riders credit, they're some of the hardest-working men in the Tour, riding back and forth through the peleton throughout the day in support of the leading riders, fetching their water and bringing information from the team car.
The peleton is down to 160 riders now (16 riders now gone), with two additional abandons today, both on the Agritubel team: José Alberto Martinez, a Spaniard, and Frenchman Samuel Plouhinec.
153 133 CASPER Jimmy COF FRA 1h 29' 11"
154 124 HERNANDEZ Aitor EUS ESP 1h 29' 51"
155 086 RIGHI Daniele LAM ITA 1h 32' 05"
156 113 CHARTEAU Anthony C.A FRA 1h 32' 36"
157 105 POZZATO Filippo QSI ITA 1h 32' 39"
158 163 BACKSTEDT Magnus LIQ SWE 1h 36' 58"
159 068 VANSEVENANT Wim DVL BEL 1h 41' 34"
160 155 JOLY Sébastien FDJ FRA 1h 49' 08"
To give these riders credit, they're some of the hardest-working men in the Tour, riding back and forth through the peleton throughout the day in support of the leading riders, fetching their water and bringing information from the team car.
The peleton is down to 160 riders now (16 riders now gone), with two additional abandons today, both on the Agritubel team: José Alberto Martinez, a Spaniard, and Frenchman Samuel Plouhinec.
Labels: Joly, Martinez, Plouhinec, Vansevenant
Stage 12: Bastille Day
I'm sure everyone (except maybe the Disco boys) are heaving a sigh of relief that yesterday's monster stage is over. There have been no new abandonments overnight. I haven't heard of too many crashes from yesterday's stage, except for the unfortunate crash with a spectator that Paolo Salvoldelli had after the stage was over!
In the absence of broken bones, sprains, and massive contusions, the riders can cope with tired backs and fatigued legs. That's their job, and they do it well.
Today stage is rolling, with an early Category 2 climb and three Category 4 climbs, then a long road to Carcassonne for a sprinter's finish.
ACK! I spoke too soon, and jinxed them all! Isaac Galvez, a Spaniard riding for Caisse d'Epargne-Illes-Balears has abandoned about a half-hour into today's ride. There have been a couple of small crashes in the peleton, but I don't know if he was involved.
Sébastien Joly, our former Lanterne Rouge, attacked briefly for a solo escape early on Bastille Day, as Frenchmen like to do, but he was caught within ten minutes.
In the absence of broken bones, sprains, and massive contusions, the riders can cope with tired backs and fatigued legs. That's their job, and they do it well.
Today stage is rolling, with an early Category 2 climb and three Category 4 climbs, then a long road to Carcassonne for a sprinter's finish.
ACK! I spoke too soon, and jinxed them all! Isaac Galvez, a Spaniard riding for Caisse d'Epargne-Illes-Balears has abandoned about a half-hour into today's ride. There have been a couple of small crashes in the peleton, but I don't know if he was involved.Sébastien Joly, our former Lanterne Rouge, attacked briefly for a solo escape early on Bastille Day, as Frenchmen like to do, but he was caught within ten minutes.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Today is Sinko de Mayo
Iban Mayo's sunk. The highly-regarded Spaniard, leader of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team and once thought to be a podium contender, abandoned about 3:40 PM local time, after struggling all day yesterday and in the first part of today's stage. "The Spanish team said earlier on Thursday that Mayo had caught a cold on the plane from Lorient to Bordeaux on Sunday." It was also reported that he had knee problems.Another interesting account: "Euskaltel team leader Iban Mayo showed his anger at a cameraman tracking his progress on Thursday afternoon as the Spaniard was unable to keep pace with the peloton. Apparently unwilling to be filmed abandoning the race, Mayo instructed the cameraman tracking his progress to continue up the road, before eventually stepping down off his bike. The 29 year-old has been suffering from a sore throat for the last couple of days, reportedly brought on by air conditioning in his hotel room." Gosh, I forgot that air conditioning is so rare at the riders' lodgings that when it's encountered it carries the threat of disease.
Giovanni Lombardi, an Italian on the CSC team also abandoned earlier in the day. Additionally, Wilfried Cretskens, Belgian rider on the Quickstep-Innergetic team, abandoned today. No news yet on the reasons for these withdrawals. (CSC cycling is usually prompt with their news updates, but nothing about Lombardi yet. Nothing new has been posted on the Quickstep team site for an entire week! Jeez, help us out here!) (Update: CSC's site says now that Lombardi had stomach problems.)
That leaves 165 riders still in the 2006 Tour.
The final finisher of this monster stage was Cristophe Mengin, French rider on the Française des Jeux team, at a colossal time gap of 46:13 behind the stage winner. Our former Lanterne Rouge and his teammate, Sébastien Joly, finished well up at 107th place at 35:47 today.
That allowed Joly to move up one place in the standings and means that we have a new Lanterne Rouge: Wim Vansevenant, a Belgian rider on the Davitamon-Lotto team. He finished in the autobus today at 44:20 for the stage. He actually had been in 166th place yesterday and moves UP to 165th, but with the three abandons today that gives him the greatest aggregate time of the riders remaining in the peleton. He finished the 2005 Tour in 154th place, the penultimate position.Stage finish positions for the other previous Lanterne Rouges of the 2006 Tour: Rubén Lobato 28th (7:22), Aitor Hernandez 108th (35:47), Filippo Pozzato 109th (40:32), Magnus Backstedt 140th (44:20).
Labels: Backstedt, Cretskens, Hernandez, Joly, Lobato, Lombardi, Mayo, Mengin, Pozzato, Vansevenant
Friday, July 08, 2005
Stage 7: Tombak regains LR position
13:18 CEST 56km/172km to go: That cute Steve Zampieri (Phonak), yesterday's Lanterne Rouge, has become the third rider to abandon the Tour, after his miserable day yesterday. According to the Phonak Cycling website he was "suffering from exhaustion". Cyclingnews.com reported that he was suffering the effects of an earlier crash. However, Zampieri had trouble hanging on as early as the Stage 4 Team Time Trial when he was dropped by his team and got to the finish line 1:44 after them.Also withdrawing today from the Tour de France: rider Allesandro Spezialetti, a 30-year-old Italian cyclist on the Lampre - Caffita team. That's him, sporting those classy Saeco mudflap girls on his cap.
Procyclingnews.com tells a sad story: "The Lampre rider Alessandro Spezialetti ... was rushed to hospital in Epinal after falling at the 25km mark. Spezialetti broke one tooth and sustained deep wounds to both upper and lower lips. Needless to say, the Italian was forced to abandon what was his first Tour de France. " Cyclingnews.com tells the story differently: "Alessandro Spezialetti (Lampre) crashed after 50 km of racing. Tour de France doctor Gérard Porte immediately told team director Giuseppe Martinelli to take Spezialetti to hospital because the wound he had on his lip looked to be serious. Spezialetti had to abandon the race but, in the hospital of Epinal, he did not need stitches. He came back to the team hotel in the evening with doctor Marco Pallini and will be back in Italy tomorrow."That leaves 185 of the 189 original starters left in the 2005 Tour.
When riders drop out without being involved in a big crash, one always suspects a cold, flu, or stomach bug. On top of the daily physical exertion they endure, and cumulative fatigue of riding hard every day, the riders are all under a lot of psychic stress from being in the eyes of the world all day, every day of the Tour, and surrounded by huge crowds of people every waking moment.
However, tomorrow in the mountains we may start seeing our first few devastating cases of "Mountain Fever", which seems to selectively affect the sprinters in the peloton. The Category 2 climbs for tomorrow aren't yet severe enough to take a catastrophic toll on the sprinters, though. The peloton may have an epidemic once it reaches the Alps.
The ongoing process of attrition has brought #127 Janeck Tombak back into the position of Lanterne Rouge today, the Estonian rider on the Cofidis team. Tombak is still paying the price for that overshot turn in the final stretch of Stage Five! Despite finishing in the middle of the peloton today, he is 4:33 below the nearest rider (#107 Sébastien Joly of Credit Agricole) in the General Classification.Two riders today lost a fair chunk of time from arriving behind the peloton: Illes Balears teammates #36 Vicente Garcia Acosta and #32 Jose Luis Arrieta, both finishing 5:22 behind the stage winner. They were off the back with about 20km to go, after assisting their team leader #31 Francisco Mancebo and getting him back into the peloton after some trouble.
Labels: abandonments, Acosta, Arrieta, Joly, Mancebo, Martinelli, Pallini, Porte, Spezialetti, Tombak, Zampieri
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Stage 6: Swiss Lanterne
Today our new Lanterne Rouge is rider #69, the charming Steve Zampieri, a Swiss rider for Phonak. He is down 11:08 from our previous LR, Janeck Tombak of Cofidis. No details yet, but the large margin suggests a big problem out on the road.Here's a bad Babelfish translation of the Phonak team site info (in German) on his delay: "Directeur Sportif Jacques Michaud accompanied the fatigued Steve Zampieri in the fight against the control conclusion on the last 60 kilometers."
Poor guy! Sounds like a really sucky day - especially having to maintain a speed of ~29 mph for 123 miles in the rain, 37 miles of that without a peloton to draft behind, and finishing 26:23 behind the stage winner after all the jerseys have been awarded.
Zampieri is a 28-year-old mountain specialist, taking 4th last year in the Tour de Romandie Mountain Time Trial and 10th overall; and 30th overall in this year's Giro d'Italia.
Hang on Steve, 2 days until the mountains!
Another late finisher was Sébastien Joly of Credit Agricole, who arrived by himself 12:54 after the stage winner.
Let's hope they bounce back quickly from a rough day.
Labels: Joly, Michaud, Tombak, Zampieri
