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DAILY RACE COVERAGE: CONTADOR CUTS DEFICIT TO SCHLECK
Road Bike Action & AFP
July 16, 2010
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(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Defending champion Alberto Contador cut into Andy Schleck's overall Tour de France lead here on Friday, as Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez celebrated his maiden race victory in the 12th stage.
Rodriguez held off the challenge of his compatriot Contador, who launched a late charge on the gruelling 3km climb towards Mende that caught his rivals cold and allowed him to cut Schleck's advantage to 31sec.
It was 31-year-old's Rodriguez first stage win in the race, in which the Katusha rider is competing for the first time.
Schleck (Saxo Bank) recovered to cross the line in fifth place alongside Belgium's Jurgen Van den Broeck, 10sec behind Contador.
Third place went to Contador's Astana team-mate Alexandre Vinokourouv, a survivor of a breakaway that started after 60km of this rolling 210.5km stage from Bourg-de-Peage.
Vinokourouv was not reeled in until the final 2km, as Contador surged past him in a bid to gain as much time on Schleck as possible.
 Farrar will have to wait another year to score a victory in the Tour.
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Tyler Farrar Abandons on Stage 12
Compromised by a wrist fracture, Garmin-Transitions’ Tyler Farrar abandoned the Tour de France during stage 12. Considered a “medium” mountain stage, the course to Mende proved to be rough on the team’s top sprinter. He is headed back to the states to recover and train.
He is the third rider from Garmin-Transitions to abandon the race, following Christian Vande Velde and Robbie Hunter. That leaves just five riders to support leader Ryder Hejedal in his bid to crack the top 10 on general classification.
Hushovd pulls on the green jersey once again(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Green Jersey See-saws Between Hushovd and Petacchi
After gaining the green jersey on Thursday, Alessandro Petacchi gave it up again to Thor Hushovd on Friday.
Lampre rider Petacchi, the winner of two stages so far, started the 184.5km 11th stage from Sisteron to here with a seven-point deficit to Cervelo fast man Hushovd.
After finishing runner-up to Britain's Mark Cavendish as the HTC-Columbia man grabbed a third, albeit controversial, win of the race, the Italian added 30 points to his tally, giving him a four-point lead.
Two-time green jersey winner Hushovd took only 19 points for his seventh-place finish, ending the hopes of team director Jean-Paul van Poppel for the day.
"We calculated that we could lose points today. We did the best we could. We tried to keep it, but it was not possible," said the Dutchman.
Hushovd later admitted he has lacked power for the bunch sprints since breaking his collarbone in May.
"I know I am not as fast as last year in the sprint. My injury slowed down my preparations for the Tour," said the Norwegian.
"But I feel like I am getting stronger day by day."
On Friday, Hushovd and Slovenian Grega Bole's successful bid to join the breakaway was no coincidence either, although their aims were not targeted at the yellow jersey.
At the first intermediate sprint at Mariac (74.5km) Bole rode hard to cross first, stopping Hushovd, the green jersey rival of his Lampre team-mate Alessandro Petacchi, taking all six points at the line.
Reigning champion Hushovd came second to take four, drawing virtually level with the Italian sprinter on 161 points.
From there, the front-runners worked in harmony although their lead was kept, for the time being, to a tight two minutes.
Petacchi's Lampre team began to contribute to the chase, but their efforts were in vain as Hushovd went on to beat Bole into second place at the second intermediate sprint, thus adding six points to his tally and becoming the virtual owner of the green jersey again.
However, the Italian now believes he can actually challenge Hushovd all the way to Paris for a prize whose points can be won at the finish line of the flatter stages as well as at intermediate sprints on all stages.
"I'd love to arrive in Paris with the green jersey. It's now a huge motivation for me on this race. And, I'm in good condition," said Petacchi.
Yet the Italian faces a battle.
Hushovd's determination to beat Cavendish to the prize last year left him going off on audacious solo raids into the mountains in a bid to gobble up the intermediate sprint points.
And the Norwegian suggested that more of the same could be on the menu.
"I will keep fighting. Let's see how we get over the mountains," he said.
Van Poppel, meanwhile, believes the duel could even be decided on the final finish line on the Champs Elysees in Paris.
"The fight for the green jersey will be very hard. We expect it to come down to the final sprint on Paris.
"Thor has the advantage that he can climb and I believe he is becoming stronger. It won't be easy."
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