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Stage 6 - June 10: Briançon - La Toussuire, 169 km
Iban Mayo is back in business
By Jean-François Quénet in La Toussuire
Iban Mayo is definitely back at the top of world cycling. The day after finishing 2nd in Briançon behind French surprise Ludovic Turpin, who broke his femur today on the descent of the col du Mollard and will not ride the Tour de France for AG2R, the Basque climber has won the gruelling stage in La Toussuire, where Levi Leipheimer had no problem keeping the yellow jersey with one day to go. Denis Menchov is no longer his runner up, since he also crashed in the same descent as Turpin and got dropped on the final climb.
"I've thought I'd never come back", a relieved Mayo said after his win. "I've spent two years without a win. Once it was because of a problem with a shoulder that stopped me from racing for a long time. Then I decided to prepare only for the Tour de France, but I got a sore knee as well as back problems and I never reached my level on time."
It looked like the same Mayo when he climbed the Mont Ventoux ten minutes behind Leipheimer. "I wasn't on a good day. As soon as the climb became hard, I felt very weak, with no strength. I think I suffered in the heat. So I decided to save myself for another stage. Yesterday, I felt strong again but my mind wasn't following my legs. I got the necessary confidence though, and today I had both."
Had the Spanish riders read the French press, who suggested that the arrest of Dr Fuentes and Manolo Saiz might have changed the Spaniards' performances? They didn't look as flamboyant as in the previous years in the Alps, until four of them gathered on the col de la Croix-de-Fer: Alejandro Valverde and David Arroyo (Caisse d'Épargne), Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile) and Mayo.
"I was afraid of Valverde and Sevilla," Mayo explained. "I knew they wanted to win but maybe Valverde was working more for the overall classification because that gives him points for the UCI Pro Tour? If I got to sprint against him, it would have been difficult for me. As for myself, I gave it all for the stage win. During the 500 last meters, when I was alone, I was very emotional. I've thought of all the times when I didn't see the light. I've made so many sacrifices to come back. It's a fabulous feeling to be a winner again."
We might see the Basque climber in action at the Tour de France like in 2003 when he won on L'Alpe d'Huez. "But I don't have any concrete objective for the Tour at this stage," he said. "My ambition is big, but I'm not able yet to say what I can do. I'll see day after day. I've changed nothing in my preparation. I just don't have physical problems anymore. Thanks to some massages, my back doesn't hurt anymore."
TAKE IT! IBAN MAYO IS BACK BITCHES!
Iban Mayo is back in business
By Jean-François Quénet in La Toussuire
Iban Mayo is definitely back at the top of world cycling. The day after finishing 2nd in Briançon behind French surprise Ludovic Turpin, who broke his femur today on the descent of the col du Mollard and will not ride the Tour de France for AG2R, the Basque climber has won the gruelling stage in La Toussuire, where Levi Leipheimer had no problem keeping the yellow jersey with one day to go. Denis Menchov is no longer his runner up, since he also crashed in the same descent as Turpin and got dropped on the final climb.
"I've thought I'd never come back", a relieved Mayo said after his win. "I've spent two years without a win. Once it was because of a problem with a shoulder that stopped me from racing for a long time. Then I decided to prepare only for the Tour de France, but I got a sore knee as well as back problems and I never reached my level on time."
It looked like the same Mayo when he climbed the Mont Ventoux ten minutes behind Leipheimer. "I wasn't on a good day. As soon as the climb became hard, I felt very weak, with no strength. I think I suffered in the heat. So I decided to save myself for another stage. Yesterday, I felt strong again but my mind wasn't following my legs. I got the necessary confidence though, and today I had both."
Had the Spanish riders read the French press, who suggested that the arrest of Dr Fuentes and Manolo Saiz might have changed the Spaniards' performances? They didn't look as flamboyant as in the previous years in the Alps, until four of them gathered on the col de la Croix-de-Fer: Alejandro Valverde and David Arroyo (Caisse d'Épargne), Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile) and Mayo.
"I was afraid of Valverde and Sevilla," Mayo explained. "I knew they wanted to win but maybe Valverde was working more for the overall classification because that gives him points for the UCI Pro Tour? If I got to sprint against him, it would have been difficult for me. As for myself, I gave it all for the stage win. During the 500 last meters, when I was alone, I was very emotional. I've thought of all the times when I didn't see the light. I've made so many sacrifices to come back. It's a fabulous feeling to be a winner again."
We might see the Basque climber in action at the Tour de France like in 2003 when he won on L'Alpe d'Huez. "But I don't have any concrete objective for the Tour at this stage," he said. "My ambition is big, but I'm not able yet to say what I can do. I'll see day after day. I've changed nothing in my preparation. I just don't have physical problems anymore. Thanks to some massages, my back doesn't hurt anymore."
TAKE IT! IBAN MAYO IS BACK BITCHES!