Tour de France 2007

The 94e edition of the Tour de France was held July 7th at July 29th, 2007 in sport. It started from London, in England.

The June 19th 2007, the director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, has advertisement that any runner not having signed before the July 7th the charter anti-doping established by the Union cyclist international and presented the same day to Geneva, could not take share with the Turn. This charter does not have however a legal authenticity.

It is finally the Spaniard Alberto Contador of the team Discovery Channel which gains this Tour de France 2007.

Course

The course of the 94e Tour de France is revealed on October 26th, 2006 in sport. Length of: 3,553 kilometers and composed of twenty stages and a prolog, the Turn is held over twenty-three days (including two days of rest).

This one starts from London where it carries out the loop of the prolog, and from where it leaves the following day for the first stage to England. The official candidature had been given in October 2004 by the mayor of London to Jean-Marie Leblanc (former director of the Tour de France) at the time of the festivals celebrating the centenary of the Harmony between the France and the the United Kingdom (the “Grande Boucle” had already sprung of an island in 1998 at the time of the departure of Dublin in Ireland, or already made there stage as with Noirmoutier).

Following the first departure in France with Dunkirk, the race passes then by the Belgium with the arrival of the second phase to Ghent, before setting out again the shortly after the Flemish city of Waregem and turning over to France, while passing by the Walloon city of Tournai. At the time of the 16th stage, it makes also a short incursion in Spain (Communauté Forale de Navarre) to cross three Pyrenean successive collars between Port of Larrau and the Col of Pierre Saint Martin's day at the Franco-Spanish border.

Finally the two last stages (27 and July 28th) arrive at Angouleme (with the against-the-watch Cognac - Angouleme the 28), before the traditional last stage of the “Champs” (which starts from Marcoussis).

The Turn includes/understands three arrivals in altitude, eleven stages of plain and six stages of mountain, like three against-the-watch individual (including the prolog); there is no against-the-watch by team in this edition.

Finally twelve new cities become stages cities for their first time: London and Canterbury in England; Waregem in Belgium; Villers-Cotterêts, Joigny, Windfallen wood, Semur-in-Auxois, Tignes, Tallard, Mazamet, Cognac and Marcoussis. Rare phenomenon also, three city-stages are in the same department, the Tarn (81, with Albi, Castres and Mazamet).

The other turn

Because of the polemics on the doping surrounding cycling since many years, Guillaume Prébois carried out the turn of France 2007 “with clear water” by traversing each stage the official stage day before. It is accompanied by Fabio Biasiolo, is followed and controlled by a doctor each day. All this to show that it is completely possible, for a sufficiently trained person, to carry out the Tour de France with an average average near to 30 km/h (lower by approximately 10 km/h compared to the official race) without having recourse to illicit practices. It should be specified that this turn at summer made by respecting the uses of road (intersections, motor vehicle traffic, red lights, etc), contrary to the professional group for which circulation is blocked. The fact of rolling in group also makes increase the average. However, this other Tour could be carried out at regular intervals, contrary to the race whose rate/rhythm varies in an important way because of the attacks.

Account

The principal organizer of the first week of race is Fabian Cancellara, first of all victorious of the London prolog, then third stage while escaping from the red flame and by preceding the sprinters. Only fact determining for general classification, the fall of the leaders of the formation Astana - Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden - at the time of the fifth stage.

The first change of yellow jersey occurs at the time of the first stage of mountain, where Linus Gerdemann carries it after a long escape. The following day, it is still the team T-Mobile while launching one of the outsiders of the turn, Michael Rogers at any beginning of stage. No team reacts, but it falls in the descent of the Cormet de Roselend. It is finally Michael Rasmussen, reconsidered the group of head in the course of stage, which carries it and seizes the yellow jersey and the shirt with pea.

Side of the favorites, it is Christophe Moreau which carries the first attacks, outdistancing Vinokourov, Klöden, Leipheimer, Menchov or Sastre. But the group of head which includes/understands, in addition to Moreau, Valverde, Evans, Mayo, Schleck, Kashechkin and Contador does not cooperate, and does not benefit from the fall of form of Vinokourov by relegating it only to one minute, while Michael Rasmussen gains the stage with a comfortable advance. Vinokourov loses three minutes the following day again, in a stage which will not see large variations growing hollow between the favorites. It is the young person Colombia N Juan Mauricio Soler Hernández who gains the stage.

After a stage of transition towards Marseilles which will see the victory of Cédric Vasseur, the hostilities begin again as of the eleventh stage towards Montpellier, the team Astana trying to trap favorites while proceeding to a edge. On arrival, only Christophe Moreau, sixth with the general, will lose more than three minutes at the time of this stage. The team Astana confirms her revival at the time of the first against-the-watch of the turn, while placing Vinokourov, Klöden and Kashechkin in the four first. Cadel Evans is classified second, but does not manage to take again the yellow jersey with Rasmussen, which against any waiting finishes the stopwatch in eleventh position, doubling even Valverde, left three minutes before him.

The first Pyrenean stage between Mazamet and the Plateau of Beille are marked by the failures of Christophe Moreau and Alexandre Vinokourov. It assoit domination of Michael Rasmussen that only Alberto Contador can follow in the rise towards the Plateau of Beille. The victory of stage returns to Contador. The second stage of the Pyrenees between Foix and Loudenvielle - Louron mark the return in form of Alexandre Vinokourov which gains the stage as a recluse, followed in second position by astonishing a Kim Kirchen. Michael Rasmussen preserves the yellow jersey while finishing at the 11th position right behind Alberto Contador, its dolphin with general classification.

At the time of the second day of rest, Tuesday July 24th, the Astana team withdraws race following the positive control of her leader Alexandre Vinokourov.

Michael Rasmussen gains the 16th stage, and last stage of mountain between Orthez and Gourette - Col of Aubisque, it thus consolidates its 1st place with general classification. The same day, the Italy N Cristian Moreni of the team Cofidis is announced like positive with the Testostérone Exogène. Its team withdrew race thereafter.

After its victory in the 16 {{E}} stage, Michael Rasmussen is dismissed by its team, the Rabobank, to be themselves withdrawn from controls anti doping before the departure of the Tour de France and to have lied on its timetable. Consequently, it does not take the departure of the 17th stage.

At the evening of the 17th stage, it is thus Alberto Contador which endorses the yellow jersey, that it will preserve until Paris. It succeeds in keeping short a 23 seconds advance of on Cadel Evans and 31 seconds on its fellow-member Levi Leipheimer at the conclusion of last the against-the-watch. This podium is tightest of the History of the Turn, the three first being held in 31 seconds.

Businesses of doping and controversies

After the advertisement of the positive control of the German Patrik Sinkewitz the German public channels ZDF and ARD announces, the July 18th, which they suspend their diffusion of the Turn until new order. The following day the satellite channel Sat.1 ensures the diffusion for the country.

the international Union cyclist (UCI) could not control Michael Rasmussen (control anti doping) the May 8th and June 28th, 2007 in sport, this one not having specified its places of drive, as opposed to what stipulates the payment. Michael Rasmussen received the June 29th, a warning of the UCI having for reason the defect of localization for these two controls. On Thursday, July 19, 2007 in sport, at the evening, it was excluded officially, of the national team by Jesper Worre, the president of the Danish Union cyclist (DCU), it will not be able to take part in the next championships of the world of cycling to Stuttgart in September 2007 in sport, nor with the Olympic Games of Beijing in 2008.
the Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov, 33 years, leader of the team Astana, was controlled positive with the transfusions homologous Saturday July 21st at the conclusion of the individual against-the-watch with the Tour de France which it gained with Albi. The blood sample operated on arrival showed, after analysis within the laboratory of Châtenay-Malabry, the presence of two populations distinct from red globules in the sample has, which, in light, means that Vinokourov had recourse to a transfusion homologous very little with time before the stage, by using the blood of a compatible donor (blood group and rhesus). Following positive control, the formation Astana of which he was the leader agreed to leave the Turn, Tuesday July 24th at the time of the day of rest.
Following positive control with the Testosterone of Cristian Moreni on the 11th stage, its team Cofidis withdraws Tour de France, on July 24th.
the team Rabobank request with its runner Michael Rasmussen to withdraw test before the 17th stage after having learned that he had lied on his preparation with the Mexico. The old yellow jersey of the Turn would have in fact be in Italy in June, this lie would thus let predict of possible a doping known as “of preparation”, i.e. an intensive catch of narcotics before a competition, in order to begin the test with a physical condition from synthesis. This false planning and unexpected controls of the UCI thus involved, at the evening of July 25th, its dismissal by the formation Dutchwoman.
Following all these businesses, the crisis which brooded between the international Union cyclist and Amaury sport organization (organizing company of the Tour de France, it belongs to the group the Team ) is now open.
Monday July 30th, the Spanish newspapers announce that the Spanish runner Iban Mayo was controlled positive with EPO during the day of rest of the July 24th. This advertisement is then confirmed against that which finished in the 16th place of the Turn.

Stages

Each stage is described more in details while following the bond indicated in the first column of the table below.

(In the first column, the stages of mountain are in italic).
Note: the winners of stages still include (at least temporarily) certain runners convinced of doping or serious violation of the regulation on obligatory control and already excluded from the Turn. Once the investigations and procedures of appeal finished near the UCI, the final classifications of whole or part of the stages in which they have for the moment obtained of the points and the prices will be possibly modified and those will be réattribués for these stages.

General classifications

The cyclists present in the table below correspond to the leaders of the additional classifications at the conclusion of the stage. They can not correspond with the carrier of the shirt at the beginning of the following stage for several reasons:

following a disqualification or withdrawal, the shirt can be carried by no runner at the time of the following stage, as long as the new classification is not officially modified after possible decisions of the sporting authorities and the possible calls;
if a runner is leader of several classifications, it carries only one shirt, the others being delegated to the seconds of the other classifications according to the following priority: yellow, green, pea, white. For example, the second of the prolog (Andreas Klöden) carried the green shirt at the time of the first stage. It is Txurruka, third of the classification of the young people, which carried the white shirt at the time of the last stage because the first, Contador, carried the yellow jersey and the second, Soler, the shirt with pea.

Final classifications

Points score

Classification of the mountain

Classification of the best young person

Classification by teams

Classification of combativeness

Points UCI

The Tour de France 2007 brought back a certain number of points UCI to part of the runners of the group. Are concerned with these points only the members of a team UCI Pro Turn. The invited teams (Barloworld and Agritubel) thus do not enter this classification. The winner of stage empoche 10 items, 5 for 2nd and 3 for 3rd. The final winner of the Turn glane 100 points, the second obtains 75 from them, third 60, fourth 55 and so on until the 12th place by cutting off 5 points each time, 13th obtains 12 points, the 14th 10 points and so on until the 20th place by cutting off 2 points each time.

List runners

It should be noted that number 001 is not atribué (nor numbers 002 to 009), indeed, the winner of the back issue Floyd Landis and its team of the time, which does not exist today any more, does not take part in this edition.

NP: Non-starter; C: abandonment on fall; A: abandonment in the course of stage; HD: except time; FD: voluntary departure or collective; EX: excluded or forced to leave by the organization; RPSE: returned race by its team. (These indications are followed number of stage where the withdrawal is noted.)

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