BBC Sportcycling

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the action

By Andy Nicolson

1606: Hope you've enjoyed the commentary.

I'll be back tomorrow around midday.

1604: Well, that was a day with a difference: no win for Cavendish. At least the newspapers will have an excuse for not putting him on the front page of the sports sections.

Stage 15 will see the beginning of the endgame as they hit the first of three days in the Alps:

"Tomorrow will be a world of pain. I think Cav will abandon on the road tomorrow, or perhaps not even start due to accumulated fatigue. Great showing from him in this year's Tour."
Im_partial on 606

Expect some fireworks.

1558: Here is the top five of the sprinters competition:

1. Oscar Freire 219
2. Thor Hushovd 172
3. Erik Zabel 167
4. Mark Cavendish 156
5. Kim Kirchen 144

1554: Though I'm beginning to wonder if the stats are incomplete.

Indeed they are - they've just updated and your man Wim is definitely not full of vigour.

1551: "Is Wim Vansevernant still keeping a tight grip on his lanterne rouge?"
BBC Radio 5 Live's Alex Murray on 606

No mate, that honour goes to yesterday's spectacular crash victim, Sven Krauss, who's level on time with Jimmy Caspar.

1547: Good call by MagpieMatt on 606 to pick Freire as the day's winner.

1543: Cav drops two places down to fourth in the green jersey competition. But he was far from the last to finish - seven minutes and counting and they're still not all home.

1540: Mark Cavendish eases his way across the line in a small bunch, 3mins 20secs behind Freire.

Could be the last we see of the Cannonball on this Tour.

1537: Oscar Freire wins by a bike length after a brave effort by Romain Feillu.

The points jersey holder wins a stage.

1536: Wegmann's there, Pozzato's there, Zabel's there... final straight.

1535: Chavanel's under the 2km-mark as the blue Columbia train leads again.

"It would seem both my hat and reputation are safe. Hurrah."
Lowlandbrit on 606

1532: Sylvain Chavanel has burst off the front with just over 5km to go, but Columbia have moved ominously to the front of the main bunch.

Could they be preparing the way for Gerard Ciolek?

1529: They're over the top of the last hill. Cavendish is in a small group off the back without any team-mates.

All the riders at the front are looking at each other.

"It's cat and mouse time at the front. One thing we can say is that Mark Cavendish isn't going to win this stage."
BBC Radio 5 Live's Peter Slater.

Listen live to our enhanced audio commentary.

1526: Cav's struggling, right at the back, though he's not been dropped.

1525: The peloton hits the climb and the attacks start, stringing the group out, but nobody's getting away. There's still 10km to go.

1520: The bunch are on the final climb and are still all together, with the lone Caisse d'Epargne rider's advantage down to 20 seconds. Under 15km to go.

1518: Liquigas and Bouygues Telecom pulling the peloton along; Gutierrez looks doomed with a gap of just over 30 seconds.

1512: Just under the 20km-mark and three of the four breakaway men have been swept up. Only Jose Gutierrez remains clear, at 46 seconds.

1510: BBC Radio 5 Live's Peter Slater is joined by former Tour rider Graham Jones live in our enhanced audio commentary.

1506: Jose Gutierrez has jumped off the front of the breakaway, and pulled the gap out to just over a minute. Can't see him staying away though - the peloton is strung out in a long line, indicating a high pace.

1504: BBC Radio 5 Live's Peter Slater will be live and online shortly...

1459: Twenty kilometres to the top of the final climb - the Cat 4 Col de L'Orme - and the gap, after seeming to stabilise, has dropped towards one minute.

"Cav has just got to hang on over this next cat 4. The run in may not suit him but he has shown he is faster than anyone else when he is in the right position."
kuzfan on 606

1443: The gap's down to 1min 33secs, and Gutierrez in the break has been examining the route map. Is he contemplating another effort or wondering whether to give up? Just 42km to go.

1439: Lowlandbrit has got in early with his evening dinner plans:

"If Cavendish wins I'll eat my hat. He may be about twice as fast in a straight (flat) line as anyone else, but he's an awful, awful climber and I can't see him getting back to the front on time to compete."
Lowlandbrit on 606

Don't forget that Columbia have pulled him up climbs to deliver him to the line before now... how do you take your hat, sir?

1435: With under 50km to go, the gap is beginning to slide towards two minutes.

1427: It looks baking out there. The ambient temperature is around 32 degrees; probably over 40 degrees on the road.

Most of the riders will get through around 10-12 litres of water/isotonic drink on the stage.

1417: Apropos of nothing: William Bonnet is one of the riders in the break. Wasn't he also Billy the Kid?

1415: Foxforever on 606 wonders where Cavendish is.

Well, to paraphrase the film Airplane, it's town in Suffolk, but that's not important right now.

The Manxman is safely in the main bunch, which is 2mins 41secs behind the breakaway, and there's around 63km to go.

1410: "My favourite "Breakaway" was originally recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964 and released as the B-Side of her biggest hit, the US #17 hit single "Wish Someone Would Care". It was later mauled by Tracey Ullman some time in the eighties."
WildMercury on 606

Good knowledge - I remember the Ullman version. There's an awful Top of the Pops routine on YouTube, I believe.

1405: A bunch of Milram riders have joined forces with Liquigas at the front of the bunch, as the breakaway makes the slight descent to the foot of the Cote de Mane.

The gap's steady, just under three minutes; 70km to go.

1357: BBC Radio 5 Live's Alex Murray is straight onto the back of Im_partial's breakaway:

"Cat 4 climbs shouldn't do too much damage to keeping things fairly bunched. Liquigas and Milram near the front suggests to me that it's one for the sprinters who can get over lump - Pozzato or Zabel perhaps as tips for today? Would be lovely to see old square hair Erik baggin a stage in what might be his last Tour (how many years have we been saying that now?)"

1354: "I think a breakaway (not necessarily this one) or a late-stage attacker will provide the winner today. That final climb will put paid to the dreams of the sprinters.

My bet is on an Italian or a Spanish rider who has felt left out. I'll give a thought to who I think will be in there at the finish and be back later with a fearless prediction."
Im_partial on 606

Fear not, we'll keep an eye out for it. Anybody else willing to risk a punt?

1350: Liquigas are putting their foot on the, er, gas at the front of the peloton, with about 82km to go, just over 3mins behind the break.

1345: 108km covered, 86 to go. The four breakaway riders are sharing the load fairly evenly. For the record, they are Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne), William Bonnet (Caisse d'Epargne), Bram Tankink (Rabobank) and Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux).

But they're only 3mins 20secs ahead.

1337: Breakaway banter has broken out in all directions on 606:

"Forget chocolate bars. Forget Beach Boys songs even. The title track on the Kelly Clarkson album 'Breakaway' is brilliant. The rest of the album is full of crazy swooping ups and downs that show off technical virtuosity but could be dismissed as excessive. Bit like some mountain stages really."
ShinyDavidHowell on 606

"Talking of food I've tucked into a rather tasty ham and Pyrenean cheese sarnie - leftovers from our Etape trip... would the hairpins of L'Alpe-d'Huez remind one of a curly wurly or a Twister ice cream?"
BBC Sport's Paul Redgrove on 606

Oh dear.

1332: Chris Fisher, head of corporate marketing at Barloworld has explained the decision to pull out:

"Team Barloworld has a zero tolerance policy towards doping which has been constantly communicated to the riders - we have to act on this policy and as such we will all have to live with the long term consequences of one individual's [Moises Duenas] action."

The company have, however, said they will honour contractual obligations, and discussions are underway with replacement sponsors.

1329: Fabian Wegmann crashed but is back on his bike, while Nicolas Jalabert has abandoned.

The long, steady ascent of the stage towards the first categorised climb, the Cote de Mane, is taking its toll on the breakaway - they've dropped a minute to 5mins 27secs after 100km.

1325: The gap is up to 6mins 38secs after 96km. That, if maintained, would put Sandy Casar around 6mins 20secs behind Cadel Evans.

1320: BREAKING NEWS: Barloworld have announced that they are withdrawing their sponsorship of cycling after the Tour.

Barloworld are the team of GB Olympic riders Geraint Thomas and Steve Cummings.

1303: "I just ate a Breakaway bar with my lunch! It didn't last long though. It's a sign."
MagpieMatt on 606

Clever, very clever.

1301: Eighty clicks clocked, and Casar & Co are 3mins 50secs ahead at the feedzone at Les Huguets.

1257: "I seem to remember vaguely that the Beach Boys had a hit back in the late 60s/early 70s called "Breakaway"."
krautbeckerfan on 606

Ah! Somebody has picked up my Breakaway reference below (see 1215). I was alluding to cycling-related food, but Beach Boys chat is always welcome.

1250: It's 31 degrees in southern France, with a 20km/h tailwind. Chances are the temperature is more like 42 degrees at road level. Phew!

1246: Sandy's group has applied some grease (see what I did?) to their efforts to build a three-minute gap after 69km.

Could Jerome Pineau being upfront about Ricco (see 1200 below) finally be the start of the the riders naming and shaming those amongst them whom they know to be cheats?

"Stuff that is this common knowledge should be acted on rather than swept under the carpet."
jmb on 606

1233: Two gaps become one; only the four-man Sandy Casar group is still away. They have just 22 seconds advantage over the main group, with 60km gone. 133km to go.

1225: Opinion is ebbing and flowing about the likelihood of Cavendish reaching the end of the Tour:

"Unfortunately Mark has two masters to please, his sponsors for the Tour publicity and then British Cycling for the Olympics glory.

He has said recently that 3 weeks between the end of the Tour and the Beijing track events will be enough for his preparation.

I don't see why he cannot get through the Alps with the "gruppetto" and go on to win the final stage in Paris.

Of course, all the time-fingers crossed for no more crashes."
Royal Blue Mersey on 606

1215: Sandy Casar is one of four riders who have broken away from the breakaway; their gap is 15 seconds.

The main bunch, meanwhile, has closed the other gap to 35 seconds. Hope that's all clear.

I remember a chocolate biscuit bar called Breakaway. Quite nice it was too, if memory serves. Maybe there's a topic for irrelevant 606 chat...

1205: " think this will be Cav's last day in the race, although I hope i'm wrong and he goes on to win on the Champs-�lys�es. As for today I think it will be a non threatening breakway day, with Pippo Pozatto left to defend the integrity of Italian riders at the end of it all."
igmeister on 606

Just 262 comments to go to equal yesterday's tally...

1203: The break is 50 seconds away at the 35km-mark; 160km to go.

1200: French rider Jerome Pineau has some very interesting things to say on his blog about Riccardo Ricco.

Let's just say my French isn't fluent but Jerome certainly isn't very complimentary!

1155: The chat is off and running on 606:

"I think Cav will get through today, and see how he feels after what isn't the most gruelling of mountain stages, compared to what's to come anyway."
E_Cartman on 606

On yesterday's 606 stage article there were an astonishing 267 comments... many thanks to everybody who posted.

1150: The highest-placed rider in the breakaway is Sandy Casar. The Frenchman, who has Francaise des Jeux team-mate Sebastien Chavanel for company, is 13 minutes behind race leader Cadel Evans.

1145: Our man in France, BBC Radio 5 Live's Peter Slater, has some reflections on events of the last few days on 606.

1135: No hanging about again, today. Twenty one riders are straight off the front after just 4km.

1130 BST: Morning all!

After another Cannonball run into the finish yesterday, it's all aboard for the approach to the Alps.

The final climb, with 10km to go, may mitigate against Mark Cavendish being able to hold up a full hand of digits as he crosses the line, but stranger things have happened.