Stage 15 of the Tour de France from Limoux to Montpellier saw Mark Cavendish make it four wins in this year’s edition and take a stranglehold on the green jersey points competition.
It was yet another demonstration of the strength of the HTC Highroad Team and the rare sprinting prowess of Mark Cavendish.
Despite attempts by the peloton to disrupt their rhythm in the last few kilometres, the HTC road train kept their focus and did not panic. With less than a kilometre to go the race to the finish became a forgone conclusion.
There was Mark Renshaw at the head of the race with Cavendish in tow powering to the finish. Cavendish came off Renshaw’s wheel and launched his sprint. Despite the best efforts of Tyler Farrar, he held on for yet another victory.
Cavendish has now recorded 19 stage wins. He sits seventh in the all-time list. Andre Darrigade has the most wins by a sprinter with 22. Eddie Merckx recorded an incredible 34 stage wins.
Cavendish’s HTC Highroad Team will disband if a new headline sponsor is not found. But, regardless of where he ends up, as long as Cavendish stays healthy, he should break Darrigade’s record to become the most successful sprinter in tour history.
The yellow jersey contenders kept themselves out of trouble and finished with the peloton. They were all given the same time.
For Cadel Evans he heads into tomorrow’s rest day in a very good place. None of his rivals were able to dent his confidence after three days in the Pyrenees.
They know all know they have to make time on him on Thursday and Friday when the tour goes over the high peaks of the Alps. If they don’t, they will be handing the yellow jersey to Cadel Evans on a plate come next Saturday’s time trial.
The tour resumes on Tuesday as it heads into the foothills of the Alps with a 162.5km stage from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Gap 162.5km. It’s all uphill with a category 2 climb just before the finish and 11.5km descent to the finish.
The stage profile suggests the winner will be found in a breakaway. Hopefully, Simon Gerrans can find himself in the decisive escape group that will contest the finish at Gap.
Stage 15 Results
1. CAVENDISH Mark HTC – HIGHROAD 4h 20′ 24″
2. FARRAR Tyler TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
3. PETACCHI Alessandro LAMPRE – ISD 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
4. OSS Daniel LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
5. ROJAS Jose Joaquin MOVISTAR TEAM 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
29. EVANS Cadel BMC RACING TEAM 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
41. SCHLECK Andy TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
43. CONTADOR Alberto SAXO BANK SUNGARD 4h 20′ 24″ + 00′ 00″
Overall Standings
Rider Team Time Gaps
1. VOECKLER Thomas TEAM EUROPCAR 65h 24′ 34″
2. SCHLECK Frank TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 65h 26′ 23″ + 01′ 49″
3. EVANS Cadel BMC RACING TEAM 65h 26′ 40″ + 02′ 06″
4. SCHLECK Andy TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 65h 26′ 49″ + 02′ 15″
5. BASSO Ivan LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE 65h 27′ 50″ + 03′ 16″
6. SANCHEZ Samuel EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI 65h 28′ 18″ + 03′ 44″
7. CONTADOR Alberto SAXO BANK SUNGARD 65h 28′ 34″ + 04′ 00″
8. CUNEGO Damiano LAMPRE – ISD 65h 28′ 35″ + 04′ 01″
Green Jersey Standings
Rider Team Points
1. CAVENDISH Mark HTC – HIGHROAD 319 pts
2. ROJAS Jose Joaquin MOVISTAR TEAM 282 pts
3. GILBERT Philippe OMEGA PHARMA – LOTTO 248 pts
4. HUSHOVD Thor TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO 192 pts
5. GREIPEL André OMEGA PHARMA – LOTTO 170 pts
What’s your best bet? For great odds on all your favourite sports check out PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
It’s a pretty good time to be a Tasmanian sports fan right now. After years in the sporting wilderness with not much to celebrate,…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
In 2015 when heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko, the fighter regarded by many as the ‘Greatest of all time’ in the sport,…
Join Australia's most vibrant online sports community and you have the chance to win $1000. The Roar is the perfect blend of sports reporting,…
Here is a review of our boxers who made a splash in the world rankings over the past year.
After intense debate at Roar HQ, we’ve selected the 23 most controversial moments for 2023.
