Presented by Gary Imlach, Chris Boardman and Ned Boulting. Commentary: Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. Stage 15 highlights, Samatan to Pau. Today is a tricky and undulating stage through the foothills of the Pyrenees which is ideal for a breakaway. No big mountains today, but neither is there a flat section of road on the way to the town of Pau for the 64th time in Tour history
any event staged on public road is going to be vulnerable to interventions by the public and a quick troll through the archives reveals incidents like yesterday scattered like carpet tacks through the history of the tour or like hay bales possibly or sheep if you’ve got them to hand or in the absence of livestock then livestock byproduct there’s more than one way to stop a race but Farmers historically have been well placed and well equipped to make their point although the original point is generally lost somewhere between the planning stage and the Mayhem that results the evening news is unlikely to give two minutes to the protesters list of complaints when they can show berino punching one of them or pushing one up a [Music] Podium the basks have a long history of protest whenever the race comes through areas of France or Spain that they lay claim to and they don’t always just Target the Riders we had a car blown up when the race started in San Sebastian in 1992 last time the race has been to San Sebastian funnily enough more often than not though I’m plotting un certain pattern on the XY AIS of malice and just not paying attention it’s usually individuals who one way or another find themselves crossing the line between watching the race and participating oh that is disgraceful tagging up there is a rider with a number no idea who that Rider is but they’re going to pull him off oh dear me what happened what has happened there now then before we get on with today’s stage p a quick update on the One Lunatic Presence at the side of the road that’s actually welcome on the tour at least welcome by us French television doesn’t seem keen on giving us shots of him anymore I’m talking about DD s the devil who’s been on every tour to France since 1993 but isn’t on this one because he’s recovering from brain surgery so for all of you who’ve emailed in asking where he is and huge numbers of you do every year that’s the answer the good news is he’s recovering well and with a bit of luck he’ll be back for the hundredth tour next year doing his deviling and perhaps the French host broadcast relent and give him his 10 seconds on camera as the race passes in the meantime on with today’s here’s the stage profile 158 km from samon which has never previously hosted the tour to one of the Race’s favorite staging posts Po in fact today will be the 65th visit making it the tour’s third most popular finish behind Paris and Bordeaux the intermediate Sprint is at maor just over 100 km into the stage and then there are three categorized climbs in in the last third but nothing like the one that split the race two days ago on the run into the cap dagged so it should end like stages generally end in PO with a bunch finish now we saw Bradley Wiggins make a bik change yesterday and he made another early on today and there’s a lesson for any young cyclist watching always make sure you remove your water bottles before you throw your bike in the ditch not sure why Bradley was annoyed with his machine but we’ll try and find out later anyway he had a couple of teammates on hand and he was soon back in the race six men in today’s break when it finally settled down including stage 10 winner Thomas Vera in there with him were Pier fedrigo Christian Vander adri deanin Samuel Dulan and Nikki senson but we’re inside seven kilom to go wide Boulevard just there he goes now that’s a tentative who’s going to chase him because you don’t allow per fedrigo out of your sight this man has W in gap TOs and here in po two years ago well I told you he was the craftiest rider in this break way but it looks as if Christian vandel is one of the strongest because the American is coming across the Gap I looked at vander’s face about a kilometer or so ago it looked the coolest face in the Breakaway he’s up for it today I feel sure of that Vander is trying to get across the Gap two Riders are now ahead it’s up to the rest to chase them down well perck fedrigo has got the nose for a move like this Phil and now all of a sudden this is what happens behind once you get that Gap these guys are questioning how they respond but Nikki sson said right I’m not going to let this stage Victory disappear from me this afternoon Velda come back up to the wheel of peric fgo and immediately knows he has to relay and work with this Rider they’ve got to form an alliance here Phil for the next few kilometers to build on the lead that they’ve got over the chases because they know the responses will come it takes you back to 2006 the race to Gap fedrigo was the winner he was clear with Vander Vander crossed the line in third now they are together and clear there it’s a difficult situation once you get the Gap they don’t know which one will chase the one that chases uses energy that he’s trying to save to win the day well they can’t keep jumping like this as you said Phil they need to organize they need to start sharing the pace if they want to bring back that Gap it’s 10 seconds and V jumps again he wants to try a ride across this gap on his own and he doesn’t want any passengers on his wheel these two need to help each other for the moment as time runs out for the others to get across this Gap now they split up here here Thomas voer has gone they tried to put matters to right with Dre David getting across the vo there’s the Gap the two Riders have got a very usable Gap here well vo looks over he knows he’s got the Gap he insists with his effort now on the front of that group trying to bridge to these two men it looks as if van deville’s got a good turn of speed on him here this afternoon but as I’ve said again Phil the man that he’s with peric fedrigo is a very prolific winner he knows how to raise his game for a big day and a big day like today one man is suffering is Samuel Dean the Sprinter he needs to get carried across there to use his Sprint finish we’re under 4 kilomet to go now fedrigo and Christian vanell have got to keep the pressure on they’ve got to help each other because these four look to me as though they’re getting a little bit reorganized now well you know vanel must remember that he comes from a track background he raced on the track for the United States at the Olympic Games he should have a good turn of speed but he’s got to get his thinking head back on now because most of his victory throughout his career have been in individual time trials or overall standings in stage races he doesn’t remember he needs to try and remember how he used to sprint on the track massive crowds as we approach the center of Po here now at 2 km to go we’re going to see a straight a kink and a right turn and then they’re on the approach to the Finishing Line they’ve made a perfect move in a perfect place and fedrico the danger made it this a dual carriageway this we’re on the right hand side of it it’s perfectly straighten until the builtup area of the center po this is a beautiful city we’re coming here for the 65th time it has been part of the culture of the tour to France since 193 21 seconds is now the advantage Thomas voer there is still trying to get himself across I have to feel a little bit sorry for Samy Duman his reputation went against him in this Breakaway group here Phil they know how fast he is as a sprinter that’s why they’ve pretty much worked him over as they say in cycling jargon well the bottle just got thrown away by fedrigo he knows he’s got a battle on his hands because Christian looks very very cool every time he catches look at that ball the Sprinter D Dulan has been well and truly worked over at 2 kilometers to go now and they play a spread eagle it’s not over yet but only 2 kilometers left to ride now this is Thomas voer around the corner they’re getting away and they’re going out of sight well they’ve still got to work as a this is the right then this is the right hand sweeper now they’ve got to collaborate fill right the way down until the the final kilometer or so because 16 15 seconds can get wiped away very quickly there’s neither of these Riders are showing any sign of weakness but I wonder if fedrigo he’s got those slightly bigger carves than chrisan vanal vel’s got a very high speed Cadence when he ticks over those pedals he’s got to turn that at the end into sprinting speed well the only thing is that he vrio won the only race he’s won this year was the third stage of the credum international in Christian Vel hasn’t won but they’re now under one kilm to go it’s virtually a straight road there is a kink in it going to the left then it’s a straight to the Finish I can tell there’s a marvelous crowd in the center of the pl veran to see the tour to France come here but it’s going to be decided by two men now for sure well Thomas velan now is going under the 1 kilomet Banner 15 seconds of drift the winner will come from this leading group of two vanderville has to do this he has to force the French to lead out the Sprint and hope he’s got the acceleration to come off his wheel in the last 200 m Christian vaner sits on the wheel he will get to see the finish I don’t think he’d be coming round now fedrigo he’s got him in the front where he wants him it’s all about a Sprint finish now fedrigo won here two years ago he knows the finish in the plas and he also knows Paul he’s in the wrong position because vaner will wait now to open the Sprint well notice vaner moved it upper gear there using a very low gear up until this point but he has to been the right gear to have the jump and to have the power to come by fedrigo fedrigo is waiting to make it a very short Sprint the flags fly fedrigo looked over he saw the kick by Christian vanderville and he’s giving his best job vander’s going to have to gri his teeth here because the Gap is opening and fedrigo is going to win this stage of the Tour of France and he’s going to repeat what he did two years ago and win in po vanderville second now it is Thomas vler on the right here taking on Nikki senson you see voer can Sprint when he wants to just pipping voer and Dre davage comes in in fifth place yes look at that San is moving what scrip he second in line now s’s got his wheel and beaing away on the back wheel griper looking for him well don’t get misjudged boys because the Sprinter started now just how good he s in the flat Sprint as they start that’s Tyler Farah on s’s shoulder s is happy to cross the line third gpel Farah Sagen over the line Ninth Place behind gpel and Farah and Peter Sagan another 14 points he’s now on 356 Andre griel got 18 on the line he’s on 254 so the gap between first and second is now over a 100 and Matt gos seems to have given up the fight in third in fact Peter Sagan has more points now than Mark Cavendish earned in the entire race when he won the green jersey last year so as long as he finishes the race he has that compet ition one another six men conceded that they wouldn’t make it to Paris today so 156 go into the rest day and we’ll see how many come out now yesterday you might remember l published a revealingly Frank interview with Chris FR in which he talked about being stronger than Bradley Wiggins in the mountains his belief that he could win this tour if he wasn’t riding for sky and the frustration he feels at having to re himself in on the climbs well the tax sabotage story rather overtook that in the end so we didn’t get the chance to ask him about it and when we finally did today he was ready with a familiar explanation yeah fine I mean there are a lot of things taken out of context there uh there’s nothing there’s no bad blood in the team we’re we’re still here with the same goal um ah nothing nothing wrong with that so another stage another milestone for Bradley Wiggins he’s carried the yellow Jersey from rest day to rest day and looked well placed to carry it for the rest of the tour there’s the general classification which is starting to assume an air of permanence Wiggins FR NE the podium positions and Evans and Vanden Brook the only other series contenders to get a foot on it