William Bonnet of France, Simon Gerrans of Australia, Jose Mendes of Portugal, Greg Henderson of New Zealand and Ramon Sinkeldam of the Netherlands lay on the ground after being involved in a crash with about 31 miles remaining in Stage 3 of the 2015 Tour de France from Anvers to Huy on July 6, 2015 in Huy, Belgium. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)
Boulder-based pro cycling team Cannondale-Garmin is facing early adversity in the Tour de France, with race co-leaders Andrew Talansky and Dan Martin more than two minutes back of overall race leader Chris Froome after Stage 3.
The trouble started on Stage 2 from Utrecht to Zelande, when the peloton — riding through a series of roundabouts in Rotterdam in the Netherlands — split, with some riders splitting left, and others right.
Talansky — one of three Americans riding in the Tour — and Martin both went left, where a diesel spill combined with slick roads ultimately led to a crash that caused them to split from the peloton. Heavy winds along the ocean eventually doomed that third group further as they fell off the back fell back by 90 seconds, a delay that also claimed Colombian and pre-race co-favorite Nairo Quintana of Movistar, who is 17th at 1 minute, 56 seconds behind Froome. American Tejay van Garderen — who lives in Aspen part-time — is third, 13 seconds back.
“A diesel spill — it’s one of many things you can’t do anything about,” Cannondale-Garmin CEO Jonathan Vaughters told The Denver Post in a phone interview late Monday night about what happened on Stage 2. “Luckily no one got injured. Now, we just have to get creative on how to get that time back.”
Without that loss, Martin and Talansky — sitting at No. 20 (2:06 back) and No. 23 (2:49 back), respectively — likely would be in the top 10 in the overall classification. Their opportunities to regain time on the flatter parts of the Tour are much narrower. Now, they head into Tuesday’s Stage 4 from Seraing to Cambrai, which features roughly 8.2 miles of cobblestones, an obstacle over which Froome and defending champion Vincenzo Niabli can ride well — as can Talansky.
“There will be more crashes, there will definitely be. … Someone will be injured today,” Vaughters said. “Today’s stage, I think it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be really fought out.”
But the most dangerous part of the stage may be in the five-mile lead-up to the cobblestones, as riders and teams jockey for position in the front to ensure they keep their race leaders out of trouble and potential crashes.
“Cobblestone riding takes a very different technique. Some guys are good at it naturally. Some guys are less so — and we’ve done quite a bit of that (in practice),” Vaughters said.
before I start my day: Froome will be fine on the cobbles today, folks. It’s the 10kms before the cobbles that are dangerous. For everyone.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters)
Martin tried unsuccessfully on Monday for the stage win into Huy, Belgium, finishing fourth by five seconds behind Spanish veteran Joaquim Rodriguez after a furious climb that featured climbs at 19 percent grade. Froome was second and claimed the yellow jersey over Tony Martin by one second thanks to time bonuses.
Martin and the others avoided a horrific crash around 31 miles left in the stage involving 20 riders that led to several eventually dropping out. That included 34-year-old Fabian Cancellara of Trek Factory Racing — wearing yellow at the time and riding in his final Tour — after tests showed he was found to have two fractured vertebrae in his lower back. Cancellara was the final rider to go down and flipped head-over-heels on his bike and skidded along the dirt.
Cannondale-Garmin rider Jack Bauer was involved in the crash, but came out OK, Vaughters said.
Jack Bauer went down, but lucky and has no injuries. Rest of team fine. Others not so lucky. Everyone risks all for TdF. This is the price.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters)
