2015 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 11

Stages of cycle race thumb|350px|Route of the 2015 Tour de France The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour started in Utrecht, Netherlands on 4 July and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 26 July.http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/tour-route-2015-140386 Tour de France 2015 route revealed 8 January 2015 Cycling Weekly 5 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150905161009/http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/tour-route-2015-140386 dead On 13 July, between stages nine and ten there was a rest day in Pau.Rest Day 1: Pau http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/rest-day-1.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028020945/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/rest-day-1.html 2014-10-28 dead Classification standings Legend 20px|link=General classification in the Tour de France|alt=Yellow jersey Denotes the leader of the general classification 20px|link=Points classification in the Tour de France|alt=Green jersey Denotes the leader of the points classification 20px|link=Mountains classification in the Tour de France|alt=Polka dot jersey Denotes the leader of the mountains classification 20px|link=Young rider classification in the Tour de France|alt=White jersey Denotes the leader of the young rider classification 20px|link=Team classification in the Tour de France|alt=Jersey with a yellow background on the number bib. Denotes the leader of the team classification Stage 1 4 July 2015 — Utrecht, 13.8 km 0 on individual time trial (ITT)Stage 1: Utrecht to Utrecht http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-1.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028020248/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-1.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|Stage one route map The Tour began on 4 July in the Netherlands, with an individual time trial that started and finished at Jaarbeurs, Utrecht. Because of its length, it did not qualify as a prologue.Stages of the 2015 Tour de France http://www.bicycling.com/racing/2015-tour-de-france/stages-2015-tour-de-france Whit Yost Bicycling.com 30 June 2015 10 July 2015 The course, which featured 20 turns and two roundabouts (traffic circles), was flat and mildly technical.http://cyclingquotes.com/news/2015_tour_de_france_stage_1_preview/ Tour de France stage 1 preview Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 4 July 2015 4 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil The first rider off the start ramp was Daniel Teklehaimanot of MTN 2015, who became the first black African to compete in a Tour de France.https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/daniel-teklehaimanot-becomes-first-african-to-compete-in-tour-de-france-1.35509/ Daniel Teklehaimanot becomes first African to compete in Tour de France The National Abu Dhabi 4 July 2015 6 July 2015 Jos van Emden of TLJ 2015 set the first good benchmark time, clocking in at 15' 11".http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/21683/9903586/tour-de-france-rohan-dennis-wins-stage-one-to-take-race-lead Rohan Dennis wins stage one to take race lead Sky Sports 2015 Sky 4 July 2015 6 July 2015 Westby Matt He remained atop the leaderboard until Rohan Dennis of BMC 2015 took over with a time of 14' 56". Dennis, who had clocked an average speed of 55.446 km/h 1 on, held on to win the stage and became the first yellow jersey wearer of the race.http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/rohan-dennis-beats-boardmans-tour-de-france-time-trial-record-180499 Rohan Dennis beats Boardman's Tour de France time trial speed record Cycling Weekly 4 July 2015 4 July 2015 Wynn Nigel With his performance, he established a new record for average speed in a Tour de France individual time trial.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-1/results Dennis sets record speed to claim first maillot jaune in Utrecht Cyclingnews.com 4 July 2015 4 July 2015 Zeb Woodpower Tony Martin of EQS 2015 took second, finishing five seconds behind Dennis. Fabian Cancellara (TFR 2015), who came into the event with five previous Tour de France opening time trial victories,http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/winning-tour-opener-a-tall-order-for-cancellara_376150 Winning Tour opener a tall order for Cancellara VeloNews 4 July 2015 4 July 2015 5 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150705183809/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/winning-tour-opener-a-tall-order-for-cancellara_376150 dead finished six seconds off Dennis' time and took third.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-misses-tour-de-france-yellow-jersey-by-six-seconds Cancellara misses Tour de France yellow jersey by six seconds Cyclingnews.com 4 July 2015 4 July 2015 Decaluwé Brecht In the battle for the general classification, Thibaut Pinot of FDJ 2015 had one of the best times among the favorites for overall classification, 41 seconds behind Dennis, despite not having a reputation as a good time trialist.http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/pinot_wins_first_gc_battle_in_the_tour_de_france/ Pinot wins first GC battle in the Tour de France Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 4 July 2015 4 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) and Vincenzo Nibali (AST 2015) also set good times, finishing one and two seconds behind Pinot, respectively. Stage 1 result and general classification Rank Rider Team Time 1 Rohan Dennis AUS 20px|Yellow jersey 20px|Young rider classification 20px|Points classification BMC 2015 14' 56" 2 Tony Martin GER EQS 2015 + 5" 3 Fabian Cancellara SUI TFR 2015 + 6" 4 Tom Dumoulin NED TGA 2015 + 8" 5 Jos van Emden NED BEL 2015 + 15" 6 Jonathan Castroviejo ESP MOV 2015 + 23" 7 Matthias Brändle AUT IAM 2015 + 23" 8 Adriano Malori ITA MOV 2015 + 29" 9 Wilco Kelderman NED BEL 2015 + 30" 10 Steve Cummings GBR MTN 2015 + 32" Stage 2 5 July 2015 — Utrecht to Zeeland, 166 km 0 onStage 2: Utrecht to Zeeland http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-2.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028020113/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-2.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|The cyclists pass under the Dom Tower in Utrecht. This flat stage started in Utrecht. The riders rode underneath the Dom Tower and then went to De Meern.Tour de France start met tijdrit dertien kilometer http://www.cyclingonline.nl/artikel/2467_tour_de_france_start_met_tijdrit_dertien_kilometer.html cyclingonline.nl 28 November 2013 28 November 2013 nl The race headed through Gouda before an intermediate sprint in Rotterdam.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 79 0969-2576 The peloton continued west through Spijkenisse and Hellevoetsluis, before crossing Haringvliet and Grevelingen. The finish was on Neeltje Jans, an artificial island at the entrance to the Scheldt estuary, in the province of Zeeland.Tweede etappe Tour 2015 finisht op Neeltje Jans http://www.nusport.nl/wielrennen/3784403/tweede-etappe-tour-2015-finisht-neeltje-jans.html cyclingonline.nl 24 May 2014 24 May 2014 nl 26 May 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140526232043/http://www.nusport.nl/wielrennen/3784403/tweede-etappe-tour-2015-finisht-neeltje-jans.html dead Cycling commentators suggested before the race that strong winds off the sea could have a major impact, potentially splitting the peloton into echelons. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/ng-interactive/2015/jul/01/tour-de-france-2015-stage-by-stage Tour de France 2015: stage by stage 16 July 2015 The Guardian William Fotheringham Before the start, at km 0, an honorary start in Utrecht, which involved the playing of the French and Dutch national anthems in the presence of Jan van Zanen, Mayor of Utrecht, Christian Prudhomme, the race director and cycling legends Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-200.html Live stage 3 Amaury Sport Organisation Dimension Data Holdings 5 July 2015 6 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150707010929/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-200.html 7 July 2015 dead dmy-all After the ceremonies, the race begun, and a breakaway formed, which consisted of EUC 2015's Bryan Nauleau, Jan Bárta of BOH 2015, Stef Clement representing IAM 2015 and BSE 2015's Armindo Fonseca. The quartet weren't allowed a significant time gap, however, with their maximum lead over the peloton remaining below three minutes throughout the stage. At the intermediate sprint in Rotterdam, won by Barta, their lead was a mere 30".http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-2/results Greipel wins storm-swept stage to Neeltje Jans Cyclingnews.com 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Woodpower Zeb Whilst he, Clement and Fonesca desperately tried to continue riding before the yellow jersey group, they were caught with 62 km 0 on to go.http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/greipel_wins_huge_crosswinds_drama_in_the_tour_de_france/ Greipel wins huge crosswinds drama in the Tour de France Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 5 July 2015 5 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil It was then that the race headed towards the open sea, and large echelons were formed. The riders were split into three groups, however the last two of those eventually merged. When the situation became clear, 2nd and 3rd placed Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara, sprinters Mark Cavendish and André Greipel and GC favourites Alberto Contador, Chris Froome and Tejay van Garderen were all shown to be in the first group, whilst leader Rohan Dennis and other GC favourites Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, Joaquim Rodríguez and Thibaut Pinot were all in the second group. Thanks to work from world champion Michał Kwiatkowski (who later received the combativity award for his work), SKY 2015, SAX 2015 and BMC 2015, the gap continued to increase, eventually reaching over one minute. This was a clear blow to the chances of those caught in the second group. During the sprint finish, Cavendish had his leadout man Mark Renshaw helping him. However, as Cavendish later said, Renshaw got out of the way too earlyhttp://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/mark-cavendish-renshaw-went-too-early-and-left-me-hanging-180619 Mark Cavendish: Renshaw went too early and left me hanging Cycling Weekly 5 July 2015 5 July 2015 Abraham Richard making for a long sprint. This allowed Greipel, Sagan and Cancellara to catch up. Greipel later won a very close sprint finish, with Sagan second and Cancellara third. Cavendish gave up towards the end and came fourth. Had he continued, and come in third, his teammate Tony Martin would have taken the yellow jersey. Instead, the time bonus for his position was sufficient to grant the yellow jersey to Cancellara. Eventually, the second group arrived 1'28" behind the winners.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-2/news.html Stage 2 News Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 5 July 2015 6 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150706232501/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-2/news.html 6 July 2015 dead dmy-all Stage 2 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 André Greipel GER LTS 2015 3h 29' 03" 2 Peter Sagan SVK SAX 2015 + 0" 3 Fabian Cancellara SUI TFR 2015 + 0" 4 Mark Cavendish GBR EQS 2015 + 0" 5 Daniel Oss ITA BMC 2015 + 0" 6 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2015 + 0" 7 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 0" 8 Tom Dumoulin NED TGA 2015 + 0" 9 Tony Martin GER EQS 2015 + 0" 10 Warren Barguil FRA TGA 2015 + 0"General classification after stage 2 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Fabian Cancellara SUI 20px|Yellow jersey TFR 2015 3h 44' 01" 2 Tony Martin GER EQS 2015 + 3" 3 Tom Dumoulin NED 20px|White jersey TGA 2015 + 6" 4 Peter Sagan SVK SAX 2015 + 33" 5 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 35" 6 Daniel Oss ITA 20px BMC 2015 + 42" 7 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 42" 8 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 44" 9 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 48" 10 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 48" Stage 3 6 July 2015 — Antwerp to Huy, 159.5 km 0 onStage 3: Anvers to Huy http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-3.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028021923/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-3.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 3 profile The tour moved to Belgium for the third stage, starting in Antwerp and ending in Huy.Tour de France 2015 : de l'eau, et du diamant http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2014/fr/avant-course/actus/ahc/tour-de-france-2015-de-l-eau-et-du-diamant.html letour.fr 24 May 2014 24 May 2014 fr https://web.archive.org/web/20140525214154/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2014/fr/avant-course/actus/ahc/tour-de-france-2015-de-l-eau-et-du-diamant.html 25 May 2014 dead dmy-all The stage proper began at the end of the neutral zone in Boechout, south-west of Antwerp, and continued through Lierre, Aarschot, Tienen and Hannut.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 80 0969-2576 Andenne was followed quickly by the first climb of the tour, which was the category 4 Côte de Bohissau. Following a sprint at Havelange, the tour went over the category 4 Côte de Ereffe and the Côte de Cherave on the outskirts of Huy. The stage finished on the category 3 Mur de Huy, a 1.3 km on climb with a maximum gradient of 19% in the final few hundred metres. thumb|The riders at the start line in Antwerp, Belgium. Like in the previous stage, the day's breakaway was formed immediately after the start. Bryan Nauleau and Jan Bárta were in it again, like the day before, joined by Martin Elmiger representing IAM 2015 and MTN 2015's Serge Pauwels, again making a quartet. This time, they were allowed a slightly bigger lead, as it reached four minutes before the peloton began the chase.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-3.html Stage 3 News Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150629110032/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-3.html 29 June 2015 dead dmy-all Barta won the most combative rider of the day award.http://cyclingquotes.com/news/barta_most_aggressive_nerz_crashes/ Barta most aggressive, Nerz crashes Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil As they were being caught, and when the peloton was getting ready to tackle the first climb of the Tour at full speed, (the Côte de Bohisseau) a huge crash occurred in the field.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-3/results Rodriguez wins on the Mur de Huy Cyclingnews.com 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Woodpower Zeb Among those who went down were leader Fabian Cancellara, third placed Tom Dumoulin who was also the leader of the young rider's classification, William Bonnet and Simon Gerrans. The peloton was initially neutralized to allow those riders to catch up so that the riders could come back to the peloton, before being completely stopped at the foot of the ascent. The cause for this was the lack of ambulances and the doctor, who were all busy treating the injured riders. Bonnet, Gerrans and Dumoulin abandoned, soon followed by Dmitry Kozontchuk.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-stage-3-paused-as-cancellara-caught-up-in-mass-crash Tour de France stage 3 paused as Cancellara caught up in mass crash Cyclingnews.com 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Once the race restarted, the Bohissau climb was neutralised. Green jersey holder André Greipel took full points at the intermediate sprint in Havelange, before the climbs of the fourth category Côte d'Ereffe and Côte de Cherave. None of these caused major losses from the GC contenders, although the Cherave did slightly split the bunch.http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/rodriguez_conquers_the_mur_de_huy_froome_moves_into_yellow/ Rodriguez conquers the Mur de Huy; Froome moves into yellow Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil Cancellara was already far back, experiencing the effects from his crash, ensuring a loss of the yellow jersey. On the Mur de Huy, the favourites came to the fore, and it was Joaquim Rodríguez who attacked with 400 m 0 on to go, ensuring a stage victory for himself. Chris Froome came second, and later took the yellow jersey as Cancellara came in almost twelve minutes after the winner. He gained time over his GC rivals. Later, Froome said, "I didn’t wake up today thinking I was going to be in yellow", and, "That was a real surprise there."http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/race-report/rodriguez-wins-tour-stage-3-froome-takes-yellow-jersey_376690 Rodriguez wins Tour stage 3, Froome takes yellow jersey VeloNews 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Powlison Spencer 6 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160606101001/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/race-report/rodriguez-wins-tour-stage-3-froome-takes-yellow-jersey_376690 dead Later in the evening, it was revealed that Cancellara had suffered two transverse process fractures in two vertebrae in his lower back. He abandoned the race.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-abandons-tour-de-france-after-fracturing-vertebrae-in-high-speed-crash Cancellara abandons Tour de France after fracturing vertebrae in high-speed crash Cyclingnews.com 6 July 2015 6 July 2015 Stage 3 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP KAT 2015 3h 26' 54" 2 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 0" 3 Alexis Vuillermoz FRA ALM 2015 + 4" 4 Dan Martin IRL TCG 2015 + 5" 5 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 8" 6 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 11" 7 Vincenzo Nibali ITA AST 2015 + 11" 8 Simon Yates GBR OGE 2015 + 11" 9 Nairo Quintana COL MOV 2015 + 11" 10 Bauke Mollema NED TFR 2015 + 11"General classification after stage 3 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2015 7h 11' 37" 2 Tony Martin GER EQS 2015 + 1" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 13" 4 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 26" 5 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 28" 6 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 31" 7 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 34" 8 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 36" 9 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 1' 03" 10 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 1' 04" Stage 4 7 July 2015 — Seraing to Cambrai, 223.5 km 0 onStage 4: Seraing to Cambrai http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-4.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028015936/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-4.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 4 profile The fourth stage was the Tour's first entry into France as the peloton covered seven sectors of pavé on the way to Cambrai. This flat stage departed from Seraing heading west through Huy, to Namur, where the riders faced the category 4 Côte de la Citadelle de Namur.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 82-82 0969-2576 The riders passed around the northern outskirts of Charleroi, through Sombreffe and over the first section of cobbles between Pont-à-Celles and Gouy-lez-Piéton. The race then continued towards the south-east to Binche, before an intermediate sprint at Havay. Three-quarters of the way through the stage, after passing through Le Quesnoy, where the race turned north-west, the six remaining sections of pavé followed. Sector 6 arrived before reaching Famars, where the riders turned south-west. Sectors 5 and 4 followed before the turn south-east at Saulzoir. The riders then did have a tarmac surface to Saint-Python. Sectors 3, 2 and 1 then all occurred on the way west to Carnières. The riders then returned to the tarmac surface to the finish line at Cambrai. +Pavé sectorsTour de France 2015 stage 4 preview http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/tour-de-france-2015-stage-4-preview-177141 Cycling Weekly 11 July 2015 6 July 2015No.NameKilometre markLength (m)7Pont-à-Celles à Gouy-lez-Piéton10118006Artres à Famars175.512005Quérénaing à Verchain-Maugré18116004Verchain-Maugré à Saulzoir185.512003Saint-Python19615002Viesly à Quiévy198.537001Avesnes-les-Aubert à Carnières2092300 At the start, a special ceremony was held involving the king of Belgium, Philippe.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-400.html Live stage 4 Amaury Sport Organisation Dimension Data Holdings 7 July 2015 7 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150708135214/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-400.html 8 July 2015 dead dmy-all Once the race got underway, another four-rider breakaway was formed. It consisted of AST 2015's Lieuwe Westra, Thomas de Gendt of LTS 2015, Perrig Quémeneur representing EUC 2015 and BSE 2015's Frédéric Brun. Due to the length of the stage, the riders were allowed a bigger time gap—nine minutes before TGA 2015 started the pursuit. At the intermediate sprint in Havay, which De Gendt won, the time gap was down to two minutes. Whilst they made it through the first cobbled section together, the peloton continued to speed up, and they were caught before the third sector.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-4/results Tony Martin wins cobbled stage 4 in Cambrai Cyclingnews.com 7 July 2015 7 July 2015 Fletcher Patrick In sector 4 (the first of four sectors, counting down to one) the group split into two.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-4/results Tour de France 2015: Stage 4 results Patrick Fletcher Cyclingnews.com Fifty riders were left in the main group, which included most of the general classification favorites. The only main rider missing was Thibaut Pinot, who not only lost in the split, he also had to stop twice for equipment changes and ended up losing 3' 23" to the stage winner. Vincenzo Nibali attacked three times on the cobbled sectors, but to no avail other than getting him the most combative rider award.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-unable-to-conjure-up-repeat-result-on-tour-de-france-cobbles Nibali unable to conjure up repeat result on Tour de France cobbles Cyclingnews.com 7 July 2015 7 July 2015 Ryan Barry None of the other cobbled sectors were sufficient to split the leaders, who prepared for a sprint finish, with riders such as Peter Sagan and John Degenkolb (winner of the cobbled classic Paris–Roubaix earlier in the year) being seen as the most likely to win. With 3.1 km 0 on to go, however, Tony Martin attacked.http://road.cc/content/news/156648-tour-de-france-stage-4-tony-martin-attacks-finally-get-yellow Tour de France Stage 4: Tony Martin attacks to finally get into yellow RoadCC Farrelly Atkinson Ltd 7 July 2015 7 July 2015 MacMichael Simon WhilstJuly 2015 his lead reached a maximum of a few seconds, the team of race leader Chris Froome, SKY 2015, were happy to give him the yellow jersey. Thus, with only TGA 2015 chasing, Martin managed to stay ahead of the bunch with a 3" advantage, taking the stage and the yellow jersey. It was seen as finally turning his luck, as he had been in second place since the start of the Tour, with time gaps of 5", 3" and 1" after each stage and to a different leader.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-4/news/flm/tony-martin-finally-takes-the-yellow-jersey.html Tony Martin finally takes the yellow jersey Tour de France 2015 2015-07-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20150708135239/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-4/news/flm/tony-martin-finally-takes-the-yellow-jersey.html 2015-07-08 dead He later said to the organisers, "It's a super nice story and it makes me super happy", and, "I'm pretty sure to stay in yellow until the Pyrenees".http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-4/news/int/tony-martin-i-m-pretty-sure-to-stay-in-yellow-until-the-pyrenees.html Tony Martin Tour de France 2015 2015-07-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20150708135334/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-4/news/int/tony-martin-i-m-pretty-sure-to-stay-in-yellow-until-the-pyrenees.html 2015-07-08 dead Stage 4 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 Tony Martin GER EQS 2015 5h 28' 58" 2 John Degenkolb GER GIA 2015 + 3" 3 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 3" 4 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 3" 5 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR MTN 2015 + 3" 6 Nacer Bouhanni FRA COF 2015 + 3" 7 Jacopo Guarnieri ITA KAT 2015 + 3" 8 Tony Gallopin FRA LTB 2015 + 3" 9 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 3" 10 Bryan Coquard FRA EUC 2015 + 3"General classification after stage 4 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Tony Martin GER 20px|Yellow jersey EQS 2015 12h 40' 26" 2 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 12" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 25" 4 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 38" 5 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 39" 6 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 40" 7 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 46" 8 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 48" 9 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 1' 15" 10 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 1' 16" Stage 5 8 July 2015 — Arras to Amiens, 189.5 km 0 onStage 5: Arras to Amiens Métropole http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-5.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028022110/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-5.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 5 profile The first full stage in France covered a relatively flat course.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 84 0969-2576 Expected to be the first proper stage for sprinters, the stage began in Arras and headed north to the outskirts of Lens, before turning south to head through Croisilles and Bertincourt, and on to an intermediate sprint at Rancourt. The peloton turned west at Peronne taking a circuitous route to Albert and on south to Lamotte-Warfusée. The race then continued west into Amiens. The stage was dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during World War I, with sites such as the Arras Memorial, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, the British cemetery of Sailly-Saillisel, Rancourt Necropolis (as mentioned, home of the intermediate sprint), the Museum of the Great War, the Longueval cemetery of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Delville Wood South African National Memorial, the Franco-British memorial at Thiepval and the Villers–Bretonneux Australian National Memorial being visited during the stage.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-5/news/enj/a-course-made-for-sprinters.html A course made for sprinters Tour de France 2015 2015-07-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20150711012738/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-5/news/enj/a-course-made-for-sprinters.html 2015-07-11 dead thumb|left|André Greipel, pictured after stage four, took the victory and put on the green jersey on the podium. It was a rainy and windy day on this stage of the Tour. At the beginning of the race, Nicolas Edet (COF 2015) and Pierre-Luc Périchon (BSE 2015) escaped. Edet soon folded back to the bunch, leaving Périchon in the headwind alone.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-5/results Greipel wins the sprint in Amiens Cyclingnews.com 8 July 2015 8 July 2015 Fletcher Patrick Meanwhile, crashes were occurring in the bunch, notably one that forced Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) out of the race after aggravating injuries sustained in the French National Road Race Championships.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nacer-bouhanni-crashes-out-of-the-tour-de-france Nacer Bouhanni crashes out of the Tour de France Cyclingnews.com 8 July 2015 8 July 2015 After some minor gaps, a definite split was caused by the crosswinds, catching out Ryder Hesjedal (TCG 2015) and SKY 2015's riders Richie Porte and Peter Kennaugh. This group would ultimately come in 14' 15" in arrears. Périchon was caught with 96 km 0 on to cover and nobody tried his luck from that point. A bunch sprint organized itself with all the main sprinters present. André Greipel of LOT 2015 won it to bank his second victory at this Tour de France, with second place belonging to Peter Sagan (TTS 2015) who made a late surge for the line.http://road.cc/content/news/156880-tour-de-france-stage-5-andr-greipel-takes-second-win-mark-cavendish-third Tour de France Stage 5: André Greipel takes second win, Mark Cavendish third RoadCC Farrelly Atkinson Ltd 8 July 2015 8 July 2015 MacMichael Simon Mark Cavendish (EQS 2015) rounded off the podium. The "most combative" award was given to Michael Matthews (OGE 2015), who fought on to finish the stage despite riding with two broken ribs.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/tour-de-france-2015-andre-greipel-adds-to-german-glee-10376586.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/tour-de-france-2015-andre-greipel-adds-to-german-glee-10376586.html 2022-05-01 subscription André Greipel adds to German glee The Independent independent.co.uk 8 July 2015 8 July 2015 Fotheringham Alasdair Tony Martin's (EQS 2015) overall lead was unchanged. "It was quite an interesting sprint as no one of the sprinters had a real lead-out man in the last 400 metres", Greipel said after the stage. "So everybody had to time the sprint somehow and find the right position."http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/07/andre-greipel-sprints-to-a-second-stage-win-martin-retains-tour-de-france-lead/ André Greipel sprints to a second win on stage 5, Tony Martin retains Tour lead CyclingTips 8 July 2015 8 July 2015 de Neef Matt Stage 5 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 André Greipel GER 20px|Points classification LTB 2015 4h 39' 00" 2 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 0" 3 Mark Cavendish GBR EQS 2015 + 0" 4 Alexander Kristoff NOR KAT 2015 + 0" 5 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR MTN 2015 + 0" 6 John Degenkolb GER GIA 2015 + 0" 7 Arnaud Démare FRA FDJ 2015 + 0" 8 Bryan Coquard FRA EUC 2015 + 0" 9 Davide Cimolai ITA LAM 2015 + 0" 10 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 0"General classification after stage 5 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Tony Martin GER 20px|Yellow jersey EQS 2015 17h 19' 26" 2 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 12" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 25" 4 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 33" 5 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 38" 6 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 40" 7 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 46" 8 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 48" 9 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 1' 15" 10 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 1' 16" Stage 6 9 July 2015 — Abbeville to Le Havre, 191.5 km 0 onStage 6: Abbeville to Le Havre http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-6.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028022113/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-6.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 6 profile The stage departed from Abbeville and headed west to Dieppe, which was followed quickly by two category 4 climbs, the Côte de Dieppe and the Côte de Pourville-sur-Mer.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 86 0969-2576 The peloton then continued west along the English Channel coast to Saint-Valery-en-Caux, then on to Fécamp, which was followed by an intermediate sprint at Saint-Léonard. The race continued to Étretat, which was followed quickly by the category 4 climb of the Côte de Tilleul. The peloton continued south along the coast to Sainte-Adresse on the outskirts of Le Havre. This stage did not have a typical sprint finish, as there was an incline up to the finish line in Le Havre. thumb|left|Zdeněk Štybar surprised the leading group. He is pictured here at the 2015 Paris–Roubaix. The day's breakaway was formed not too long after the start, and consisted of EUC 2015's Perrig Quéméneur, COF 2015' Kenneth Vanbilsen and Daniel Teklehaimanot of MTN 2015. The peloton, recovering from the crashes in the previous stages, had a rather slow speed, and thus the trio of riders were allowed a lead which topped 12'30" before LTS 2015 started pursuit. Teklehaimanot took the available points at the three climbs which meant he took the polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification, becoming the first black African to do so.UCI World Cycling Centre: former trainee Teklehaimanot makes Tour de France history http://www.uci.ch/road/news/article/uci-world-cycling-centre-former-trainee-teklehaimanot-makes-tour-france-history/ 2 August 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale 10 July 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150718233007/http://www.uci.ch/road/news/article/uci-world-cycling-centre-former-trainee-teklehaimanot-makes-tour-france-history/ 18 July 2015 Towards the end, the breakaway split, with Vanbilsen trying an attack for the day's combativity award (it actually went to Quéméneur). Quéméneur and Teklehaimanot were caught with 10 km 0 on to go, whilst the COF 2015 rider still had an advantage of 25". He was ultimately caught with 3 km 0 on to go and the peloton prepared for a finish.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-6/results Tour de France 2015: Stage 6 results Cyclingnews.com The stage finished on a short incline (850 m 0 on at an average 7%), then there was 500 m 0 on of flat terrain to the line.http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/2015_tour_de_france_stage_6_preview/ Tour de France stage 6 preview Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 8 July 2015 9 July 2015 With about 900 m 0 on to go, a crash occurred in the peloton, causing race leader Tony Martin and general classification favorite Vincenzo Nibali to fall. Zdeněk Štybar took advantage of this, as he jumped from the peloton amidst all the confusion and took a stage win, finishing two seconds ahead of the group. Peter Sagan was left in the chasing position behind, but refused to take on the workload as there were teams with more than one unit in the group. He finished second.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-sprinters-left-watching-as-stybar-wins Sprinters left watching as Stybar wins Cyclingnews.com 9 July 2015 9 July 2015 O'Shea Sadhbh Štybar later said "I have mixed feelings after winning this stage because Tony Martin crashed".http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-6/news/int/zdenek-stybar-171-a-great-feeling-but-mixed-feelings-187.html Zdeněk Štybar: A great feeling, but mixed feelings... Tour de France 2015 2015-07-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20150710111134/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/stage-6/news/int/zdenek-stybar-171-a-great-feeling-but-mixed-feelings-187.html 2015-07-10 dead In the evening, it was announced that Martin suffered a broken collarbone and would be unable to start the next stage, as he was flying to Hamburg for surgery.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/martin-abandons-tour-de-france-due-to-fractured-collarbone Martin abandons Tour de France due to fractured collarbone Cyclingnews.com 9 July 2015 9 July 2015 Stage 6 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 4h 53' 46" 2 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 2" 3 Bryan Coquard FRA EUC 2015 + 2" 4 John Degenkolb GER GIA 2015 + 2" 5 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 2" 6 Tony Gallopin FRA LTB 2015 + 2" 7 Edvald Boasson Hagen NOR MTN 2015 + 2" 8 Davide Cimolai ITA LAM 2015 + 2" 9 Julien Simon FRA COF 2015 + 2" 10 Gorka Izagirre ESP MOV 2015 + 2"General classification after stage 6 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Tony Martin GER 20px|Yellow jersey EQS 2015 22h 13' 14" 2 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 12" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 25" 4 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 27" 5 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 38" 6 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 40" 7 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 46" 8 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 48" 9 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 1' 04" 10 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 1' 15" Stage 7 10 July 2015 — Livarot to Fougères, 190.5 km 0 onStage 7: Livarot to Fougères http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-7.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028015931/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-7.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 7 profile The riders departed from Livarot, the first time the commune was used for the start or finish of a stage, in another stage for the sprinters.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 87 0969-2576 The race quickly headed over the category 4 Côte de Canapville and on through Vimoutiers and Argentan, where an intermediate sprint took place. After heading south-west to Saint-Martin-des-Landes, the peloton then headed west through Lassay-les-Chateaux, Ambrières-les-Vallées and Gorron before heading into Fougères. After his crash the day before, the leader Tony Martin had to withdraw from the race, meaning no-one wore the yellow jersey in this stage.http://www.etixx-quickstep.com/en/news/show/tony-martin-update-broken-collarbone-abandons-le-tour-de-france/2307 Tony Martin Update: Broken Collarbone, Abandons Le Tour de France Sanmax Consultancy BVBA etixx-quickstep.com 2015-07-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20150710132133/http://www.etixx-quickstep.com/en/news/show/tony-martin-update-broken-collarbone-abandons-le-tour-de-france/2307 2015-07-10 dead Before the stage, number one general classification rider Froome said: "Out of respect for Tony I would never have worn it in any case. That's not the way to get the yellow jersey, due to someone else's misfortunes."https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/11730877/Tour-de-France-2015-stage-seven-live.html Tour de France 2015, stage seven – Mark Cavendish roars to victory ahead of André Greipel: as it happened The Telegraph 10 July 2015 13 July 2015 MacLeary John There was another non-starter, Greg Henderson of LOT 2015, because of two broken ribs.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-7/results Cavendish gets his first in Fougères Cyclingnews.com 10 July 2015 10 July 2015 thumb|EQS 2015's Mark Cavendish, pictured here at the team presentation, won stage six's bunch sprint. The stage was disputed under good weather conditions. During the neutral zone before the start, Alberto Contador and Robert Gesink of BEL 2015 went down on the asphalt but didn't sustain any injuries.http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/wire/the-latest-contador-unscathed-in-minor-spill-at-tour/article_6739a284-8d67-5061-96dc-d6fb52079943.html The Latest: Contador unscathed in minor spill at Tour Waco Tribune-Herald Waco Tribune-Herald Associated Press 10 July 2015 13 July 2015 Once the flag was dropped to start the race, five riders came through as the day's breakaway – the mountains classification leader Daniel Teklehaimanot, Kristijan Đurasek of LAM 2015, COF 2015' Luis Ángel Maté and two riders from the local BSE 2015 team – Anthony Delaplace and Brice Feillu. Teklehaimanot took full points on the only categorised climb of the day. Meanwhile, LOT 2015 and EQS 2015 heavily controlled the pace of the peloton, in an attempt for their sprinters to try and fight for the stage. Thus, the breakaway's lead only topped four minutes.http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-700.html Live stage 7 Amaury Sport Organisation Dimension Data Holdings 10 July 2015 10 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150711184959/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-700.html 11 July 2015 dead dmy-all Despite this, the five at the front proved very difficult to catch, as they were caught with only 11 km 0 on until the finish.http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/mark-cavendish-plays-waiting-game-to-win-at-last-in-2015-tour-de-france-181814 Mark Cavendish plays waiting game to win at last in 2015 Tour de France Cycling Weekly 10 July 2015 10 July 2015 Brown Gregor At the finish, Mark Cavendish, André Greipel, Peter Sagan and John Degenkolb all went for the final sprint, and were practically neck and neck until the finish, when Cavendish caught Greipel's slipstream and took his 26th success at the tour, and his first for nearly two years. Greipel managed second and Sagan took third.http://roadcyclinguk.com/racing/reports/tour-de-france-2015-mark-cavendish-sprints-to-stage-seven-success.html#KLeT0tdLXEFxbbtv.97 Mark Cavendish sprints to stage seven success Road Cycling UK Mpora 10 July 2015 13 July 2015 Henrys Colin The 'Manx Missile', as Cavendish is known, dedicated the victory to his teammate Tony Martin, who was recuperating from a collarbone operation. Froome regained the yellow jersey. After the stage, it was announced that Luca Paolini (KAT 2015) had tested positive for cocaine and was excluded from the race.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/paolini-informed-of-cocaine-positive-at-tour-de-france Paolini informed of cocaine positive at Tour de France Cyclingnews.com 10 July 2015 10 July 2015 Stage 7 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 Mark Cavendish GBR EQS 2015 4h 27' 25" 2 André Greipel GER 20px|Green jersey LTB 2015 + 0" 3 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 0" 4 John Degenkolb GER GIA 2015 + 0" 5 Alexander Kristoff NOR KAT 2015 + 0" 6 Arnaud Démare FRA FDJ 2015 + 0" 7 Tyler Farrar USA MTN 2015 + 0" 8 Reinardt Janse van Rensburg RSA MTN 2015 + 0" 9 Davide Cimolai ITA LAM 2015 + 0" 10 Sam Bennett IRL BOH 2015 + 0"General classification after stage 7 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2015 26h 40' 51" 2 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 11" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 13" 4 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 26" 5 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 28" 6 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 34" 7 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 36" 8 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 52" 9 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 1' 03" 10 Warren Barguil FRA GIA 2015 + 1' 07" Stage 8 11 July 2015 — Rennes to Mûr-de-Bretagne, 181.5 km 0 onStage 8: Rennes to Mûr de Bretagne http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-8.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028015551/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-8.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 8 profile thumb|The riders leaving Rennes at the start of the stage eight The peloton headed out of Rennes with racing officially starting at Montgermont, heading north-west to Bécherel, west to Saint-Méen-le-Grand, and then north-west again to Plénée-Jugon.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 88 0969-2576 This was followed by the category 4 Col du Mont Bel-Air and an intermediate sprint at Moncontour. The race then headed south through Loudéac to Rohan and turned west to Neulliac. The peloton continued to Mûr-de-Bretagne, travelling through the commune before arriving at the final climb for the day. The category 3 climb of Mûr-de-Bretagne, up to the finish line, was 2 km mi at a gradient of 6.9%.http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/TDF/2015/800/PROFILCOLSCOTES_1.png Mûr-de-Bretagne letour.fr 17 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150629034809/http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/TDF/2015/800/PROFILCOLSCOTES_1.png 29 June 2015 dead dmy-all Four riders attacked at km 0 and became the day's breakaway. These riders were Pierre-Luc Périchon of BSE 2015, Bartosz Huzarski of BOH 2015, IAM 2015's Sylvain Chavanel and Romain Sicard of EUC 2015. Their maximum lead reached four minutes before LTS 2015 took up pursuit at the head of the peloton. At the intermediate sprint, a group of 17 riders went clear of the peloton. They joined the initial breakaway, before Huzarski attacked again, this time taking LTS 2015's Lars Bak and EQS 2015's Michał Gołaś with him. The lead of these riders reached 1'12".http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-800.html Live stage 8 Amaury Sport Organisation Dimension Data Holdings 11 July 2015 11 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150713003313/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2015/us/live/aso/stage-800.html 13 July 2015 dead dmy-all Huzarski (the recipient of the day's combativity award) gave up with 10 km 0 on to go, but Bak and Gołaś continued fighting.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-vuillermoz-rises-to-stardom-after-stage-win-on-the-mr-de-bretagne/ Vuillermoz rises to stardom after stage win on the Mûr-de-Bretagne Cyclingnews.com 11 July 2015 13 July 2015 Decaluwé Brecht However, they only managed to last another 2 km 0 on before being brought back by the peloton. At the Mûr-de-Bretagne, Froome led the peloton, but was unable to keep going for a stage victory,http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-8/results Tour de France 2015: Stage 8 results Susan Westemeyer Cyclingnews.com as Alexis Vuillermoz attacked with 800 m 0 on to go and managed to take the stage victory for himself It was the first French triumph in this year's Tour. He later said "After winning I thought about my dad who died three years ago. He was the one who got me interested in the Tour de France, he used to take my cousins and I to the side of the road to watch the Tour go past", said Vuillermoz. "I hope today he's proud of me."http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/road/stage-8-vuillermoz-takes-first-french-victory-of-2015-tour_377690 Stage 8: Vuillermoz takes first French victory of 2015 Tour VeloNews 11 July 2015 13 July 2015 Dan Martin came in second position, after trying an attack but leaving it until too late. Nibali lost ten seconds to all GC contenders, and later said "I had a bad day. I felt good at the beginning of the stage but at the end, I couldn’t feel anything anymore, I didn’t have any legs anymore."http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/stage-8-a-bad-day-for-reigning-tour-champ-nibali-who-loses-ground-on-gc-rivals_377722 Stage 8 a 'bad day' for reigning Tour champ Nibali, who loses ground on GC rivals VeloNews 11 July 2015 12 July 2015 12 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150712192052/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/stage-8-a-bad-day-for-reigning-tour-champ-nibali-who-loses-ground-on-gc-rivals_377722 dead Peter Sagan grabbed the green jersey by three points as André Greipel didn't feature in the finish.http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/road/stage-8-vuillermoz-takes-first-french-victory-of-2015-tour_377690 Stage 8: Vuillermoz takes first French victory of 2015 Tour VeloNews 11 July 2015 11 July 2015 After the stage, the UCI proceeded to randomly check five riders' bicycles for hidden motors as a part of the mandatory control efforts. All passed inspection as nothing was found.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-shorts-controls-flights-cancellaras-return/ Tour de France shorts: Controls, flights, Cancellara's return' Cyclingnews.com 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150714105806/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-shorts-controls-flights-cancellaras-return 14 July 2015 dead dmy-all Stage 8 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 Alexis Vuillermoz FRA ALM 2015 4h 20' 55" 2 Dan Martin IRL TCG 2015 + 5" 3 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 10" 4 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 10" 5 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 10" 6 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 10" 7 Adam Yates GBR OGE 2015 + 10" 8 Chris Froome GBR SKY 2015 + 10" 9 Bauke Mollema NED TFR 2015 + 10" 10 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 10"General classification after stage 8 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2015 31h 01' 56" 2 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|Green jersey 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 11" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 13" 4 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 26" 5 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 28" 6 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 34" 7 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 36" 8 Warren Barguil FRA GIA 2015 + 1' 07" 9 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 1' 15" 10 Bauke Mollema NED TFR 2015 + 1' 32" Stage 9 12 July 2015 — Vannes to Plumelec, 28 km 0 on team time trial (TTT)Stage 9: Vannes to Plumelec http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-9.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028021144/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-9.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 9 profile There had not been a team time trial (TTT) this late into the Tour de France since 1982. TTT stages in the Tour usually take place in opening days because of the likelihood that all of the team's riders would still be participating.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-9/preview Tour de France 2015 Stage 9 preview: Vannes – Plumelec (TTT), 28 km Cyclingnews.com 23 July 2015 12 July 2015 The teams started in the reverse order that they were placed in the team classification, with the exception of the team which included the general classification leader, which was Chris Froome's SKY 2015, who started last.Arnold Rob Pinotti puts the final details on BMC's TTT preparations http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/article/2015/07/12/pinotti-puts-final-details-bmcs-ttt-preparations 12 July 2015 SBS 12 July 2015 In this stage, the teams had to have five riders crossing the finish line, and the time of this fifth cyclist was the one that counted. The teams departed from Vannes, heading north-east to the first time check at Lesneve on the outskirt of Saint-Avé, bearing north through Monterblanc and on to the second time check at Le Croiseau on the outskirt of Plaudren.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 89 0969-2576 The end of the stage provided a 1.7 km mi on climb up the Côte de Cadoudal fr at an average gradient of 6.2%, before the finish in Plumelec. thumb|MTN 2015 riders coming into the finish of stage nine's team time trial OGE 2015 were the first to start, but only had six riders left and put in the worst performance, with a time of 37'13". Simon Yates called it a "rest day" and told the press he did not go over 75% of his capabilities during the stage.http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/simon-yates-calls-tour-de-france-time-trial-a-rest-for-his-stricken-team-181964 Simon Yates calls Tour de France time trial 'a rest' for his stricken team Cycling Weekly 12 July 2015 12 July 2015 Brown Gregor The next team to start, BSE 2015 beat them, with a time of 34'01". LAM 2015 were the next leaders, after going 58" faster than the French team, before being beaten by Vincenzo Nibali's AST 2015, who arrived in a time of 32'50". Twenty minutes later, Nairo Quintana's MOV 2015 took the reins at the finish, before being beaten by BMC 2015, who were four seconds faster. Leader Chris Froome's SKY 2015, who struggled to maintain a five-men group together at the end of the stage, finished a mere second after the Americans, who took a stage win.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-9/results BMC win team time trial in Plumelec Cyclingnews.com 12 July 2015 12 July 2015 SAX 2015 had a chance to earn the yellow jersey for Peter Sagan, but instead came in fourth with a time deficit of 28 seconds on BMC. TCG 2015 came in with a 1' 29" deficit, which could prove difficult to overcome for their leader Andrew Talansky, now sitting in 19th position in the overall classification at 4' 17".http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-concedes-further-ground-in-tour-de-france-team-time-trial Nibali concedes further ground in Tour de France team time trial Cyclingnews.com 12 July 2015 12 July 2015 Ryan Barry Froome kept the yellow jersey with an advantage of twelve seconds over Tejay van Garderen.http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/chris-froome-retains-tour-de-france-lead-as-bmc-win-team-time-trial-181957 Chris Froome retains Tour de France lead as BMC win team time trial Cycling Weekly 12 July 2015 12 July 2015 Wynn Nigel Van Garderen later said "We knew we were on a really good ride", and "In a perfect world, we would have taken the stage and the yellow jersey. But we will take the stage win. Honestly, I couldn't be happier." Stage 9 result RankTeamTime 1 BMC 2015 20px 32' 15" 2 SKY 2015 + 1" 3 MOV 2015 + 4" 4 SAX 2015 + 28" 5 AST 2015 + 35" 6 IAM 2015 + 38" 7 EQS 2015 + 45" 8 LAM 2015 + 48" 9 BEL 2015 + 1' 14" 10 ALM 2015 + 1' 24"General classification after stage 9 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2015 31h 34' 12" 2 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 12" 3 Greg Van Avermaet BEL 20px BMC 2015 + 27" 4 Peter Sagan SVK 20px|Green jersey 20px|White jersey SAX 2015 + 38" 5 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 1' 03" 6 Rigoberto Urán COL EQS 2015 + 1' 18" 7 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 1' 50" 8 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 1' 52" 9 Nairo Quintana COL MOV 2015 + 1' 59" 10 Zdeněk Štybar CZE EQS 2015 + 1' 59" Rest day 1 13 July 2015 — Pau thumb|upright|TTS 2015's Ivan Basso, pictured here at the Tour's team presentation, quit the race on the first rest day after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. The riders transferred to Pau for the rest day. Ivan Basso of the TTS 2015 team announced that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and that he was withdrawing from the race. His road captain, Alberto Contador, was emotional when talking to the press and Basso received support from a number of people including Lance Armstrong.http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/ivan-basso-leaves-tour-de-france-with-testicular-cancer_377869 Ivan Basso leaves Tour de France with testicular cancer VeloNews 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 15 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150715154357/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/ivan-basso-leaves-tour-de-france-with-testicular-cancer_377869 dead Basso made the announcement in English to the media: "I have a bad announcement to give to you guys. On stage 5, I had a really small crash but in the crash I touched my testicle on the saddle and for a few days, I felt a small pain. Yesterday we spoke with the doctor of the Tour de France and we decided to go to make a special analysis in the hospital and the examination gave me bad news. I have a small cancer in the left testicle."http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ivan-basso-diagnosed-with-testicular-cancer Ivan Basso diagnosed with testicular cancer Cyclingnews.com 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 Ryan Barry About the race, race leader Chris Froome (SKY 2015 yes) said: "This first week, the big thing was not to lose any time. So to gain quite substantial amounts of time, that is the dream scenario. I have my team to thank for that. They have been there every step of the way, after all these one-day Classics I couldn’t be in a better position."http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-froome-questions-morale-of-rival-teams-after-dream-start Froome questions morale of rival teams after dream start Cyclingnews.com 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 Benson Daniel Alberto Contador (TTS 2015 yes) did not lament his time deficit: "We’ll see how everyone is in the mountains. I believe that a lot is still to happen in this Tour and everybody will have días malos, bad days. Hopefully we will have none", said the Spaniard. "This Tour will be won by regularity and I hope that this favours me."http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-contador-loses-valuable-seconds-to-froome-in-plumelec Contador loses valuable seconds to Froome in Plumelec Cyclingnews.com 12 July 2015 13 July 2015 Decaluwé Brecht Nairo Quintana of MOV 2015 yes was sitting ninth on the general classification at 1' 59" and reflected: "The roster is still full, with a couple of crashes yet with no major complications, and performing really well, as everyone could see yesterday in the team time trial. I think that the Pyrenees, with Alejandro and all of them by my side, will be a good opportunity to turn things around in our favour."http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/quintana_and_valverde_well_turn_things_around_in_the_pyrenees/ Quintana and Valverde: We'll turn things around in the Pyrenees Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil Tejay van Garderen (BMC 2015 yes) said about the mountains to come: "I don’t think my strength is going to be flying up the road and dropping people like Quintana and Contador, my strength is going to be my consistency", said the American. "In the Pyrenees I’m going to have to mark the guys who are important and take the opportunity if it's there."http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-garderen-my-strength-is-going-to-be-my-consistency Van Garderen: My strength is going to be my consistency Cyclingnews.com 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 Ryan Barry Vincenzo Nibali of the AST 2015 yes squad was shocked by the news of his fellow countryman Basso's cancer. He nonetheless talked about the upcoming race in those terms: "I want to see if the real Nibali is around. More than anything, I want some answers for myself. I still haven’t felt as good as I did last year, I hope it happens starting from tomorrow (Tuesday). Will I attack? We’ll see.... If there's a chance, why not?"http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-ready-to-start-his-tour-de-france-fight-back-in-the-pyrenees Nibali ready to start his Tour de France fight back in the Pyrenees Cyclingnews.com 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 Farrand Stephen Stage 10 14 July 2015 — Tarbes to La Pierre-Saint-Martin, 167 km 0 onStage 10: Tarbes to La Pierre-Saint-Martin http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-10.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028021713/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-10.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 10 profile Bastille Day featured the first mountainous stage of the 2015 Tour, departing from Tarbes, with racing officially starting at Bordères-sur-l'Échez.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 90 0969-2576 The peloton travelled west through Morlaàs, over the category 4 Côte de Bougarber to Mourenx, and then over the category 4 Côte de Vielleségure to Navarrenx. The peloton then headed south-west to Mauléon-Licharre, then south to a sprint at Trois-Villes and on to Tardets-Sorholus. The race then turned east and headed over the category 4 Côte de Montory to Arette, before turning south once again to begin the Hors catégorie 15.3 km mi climb up to La Pierre-Saint-Martin at 1610 m ft. The average gradient of this first major climb of the Tour is 7.4%.http://cyclingquotes.com/news/2015_tour_de_france_stage_10_preview/ Tour de France stage 10 preview Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 13 July 2015 13 July 2015 Axelgaard Emil Pierrick Fédrigo (BSE 2015) broke away first and was joined after 45 km 0 on of racing by Kenneth Vanbilsen (COF 2015). They amassed the points at the intermediate sprint, but the battle got heated after their passage with André Greipel winning the sprint. He would eventually take back the green jersey from Sagan.http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-10/results Froome crushes competition in first major summit finish Cyclingnews.com 14 July 2015 14 July 2015 Shortly after the beginning of the final climb, the break was swept up by the leading group. The climb had barely started when polkadot jersey wearer Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN 2015) was dropped, along with Kwiatkowski. Soon, Thibaut Pinot and Jean-Christophe Péraud, the third and second overall of last year's Tour respectively were distanced too. A select group of twelve riders resisted with 10 km 0 on to cover, at which point Nibali was distanced. Chris Froome (SKY 2015) attacked with 6.4 km 0 on remaining, as there was only Nairo Quintana and teammate Richie Porte with him. He dropped them both with that acceleration, won the stage in solo fashion and put considerable time into all his general classification rivals.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/14/chris-froome-tour-de-france-team-sky-cycling Chris Froome makes huge statement with stage win The Guardian 14 July 2015 14 July 2015 Porte was second, followed by Quintana at one minute and four seconds. BEL 2015's Robert Gesink, who had attacked shortly after the beginning of the climb, reaped a fourth position.http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-shorts-gesink-shines-on-col-de-soudet Tour de France shorts: Gesink shines on Col de Soudet Cyclingnews.com 15 July 2015 15 July 2015 Tejay van Garderen finished tenth at 2' 30", Contador at 2' 51" and Nibali at 4' 25".http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france/chris-froome-stamps-authority-on-tour-de-france-with-solo-stage-10-win-182386 Chris Froome stamps authority on Tour de France with solo stage 10 win Cycling Weekly 14 July 2015 14 July 2015 Wynn Nigel Contador blamed the performance on respiratory problems.http://cyclingquotes.com/news/contador_i_couldnt_breathe_properly/ Contador: I couldn't breathe properly Cycling Quotes CyclingQuotes.com 2013 14 July 2015 14 July 2015 Pederson Andy MTN 2015 yes's Daniel Teklehaimanot relinquished his polka dot jersey to Froome, although it was worn by Porte in the next stage as he is second in the mountains classification.Fletcher Paul Chris Froome destroys field to increase lead https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/33528242 14 July 2015 BBC Sport 14 July 2015 Stage 10 result Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2015 4h 22' 07" 2 Richie Porte AUS SKY 2015 + 59" 3 Nairo Quintana COL MOV 2015 + 1' 04" 4 Robert Gesink NED TLJ 2015 + 1' 33" 5 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 2' 01" 6 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2015 + 2' 01" 7 Adam Yates GBR OGE 2015 + 2' 04" 8 Pierre Rolland FRA EUC 2015 + 2' 04" 9 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 2' 22" 10 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px BMC 2015 + 2' 30"General classification after stage 10 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey 20px|Polka-dotted jersey 20px SKY 2015 35h 56' 09" 2 Tejay van Garderen USA BMC 2015 + 2' 52" 3 Nairo Quintana COL 20px MOV 2015 + 3' 09" 4 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 4' 01" 5 Geraint Thomas GBR 20px SKY 2015 + 4' 03" 6 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 4' 04" 7 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 4' 33" 8 Robert Gesink NED TLJ 2015 + 4' 35" 9 Warren Barguil FRA GIA 2015 + 6' 12" 10 Vincenzo Nibali ITA AST 2015 + 6' 57" Stage 11 15 July 2015 — Pau to Cauterets – Vallée de Saint-Savin, 188 km 0 onStage 11: Pau to Cauterets — Vallée de Saint-Savin http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-11.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 8 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028020245/http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-11.html 2014-10-28 dead thumb|upright=1.5|Stage 11 profile This stage departed from Pau, heading south-east to Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre and then east through Lourdes.Cycle Sport Magazine Tour de France Preview Summer 2015 92–93 0969-2576 The peloton then headed over the category 3 Côte de Loucrup turning south-east before a sprint in Pouzac, riding through Bagnères-de-Bigorre, turning north-east to the category 4 Côte de Bagnères-de-Bigorre and then east to the category 3 Côte de Mauvezin. The race turned south at La Barthe-de-Neste heading to Arreau before facing the 12 km mi on climb of the category 1 Col d'Aspin, with a 6.5% gradient ascending to 1490 m ft on. The riders then descended into the valley at Sainte-Marie-de-Campan and began the Hors catégorie Col du Tourmalet, a 17.1 km mi on climb, at a gradient of 7.3%, to a height of 2115 m ft, taking the eastern route through La Mongie. The first rider over the summit received the Souvenir Jacques Goddet. The race then descended through Luz-Saint-Sauveur to Pierrefitte-Nestalas to begin the category 3 Côte de Cauterets, a 6.4 km mi on climb with a 5% gradient, before finishing in Cauterets itself. Stage 11 resulthttp://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-2015/stage-11/results Majka goes on solo romp to win in Cauterets Cyclingnews.com 15 July 2015 29 July 2015 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Rafał Majka POL SAX 2015 5h 02' 01" 2 Dan Martin IRL TCG 2015 + 1' 00" 3 Emanuel Buchmann GER BOH 2015 + 1' 23" 4 Serge Pauwels BEL MTN 2015 + 2' 08" 5 Thomas Voeckler FRA EUC 2015 + 3' 34" 6 Julien Simon FRA COF 2015 + 3' 34" 7 Bauke Mollema NED TFR 2015 + 5' 11" 8 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 5' 19" 9 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey 20px|Polka-dotted jersey 20px SKY 2015 + 5' 21" 10 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 5' 21"General classification after stage 11 Rank Rider Team Time 1 Chris Froome GBR 20px|Yellow jersey 20px|Polka-dotted jersey 20px SKY 2015 41h 03' 31" 2 Tejay van Garderen USA BMC 2015 + 2' 52" 3 Nairo Quintana COL 20px MOV 2015 + 3' 09" 4 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2015 + 3' 59" 5 Geraint Thomas GBR 20px SKY 2015 + 4' 03" 6 Alberto Contador ESP SAX 2015 + 4' 04" 7 Tony Gallopin FRA LTS 2015 + 4' 33" 8 Robert Gesink NED TLJ 2015 + 4' 35" 9 Warren Barguil FRA GIA 2015 + 6' 44" 10 Bauke Mollema NED TFR 2015 + 7' 05" References 30em External links 2015 Tour de France 1 11 12 21 Category:2015 Tour de France Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Tour de France stages