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July 9/08 5:07 am - Tour de France: Stage 5 report, photos and results


Posted by Editoress on 07/9/08
 

Tour de France

Photos

Team Columbia press release

Team Columbia’s Mark Cavendish blasted to a first stage win in the Tour de France on Wednesday’s stage from Cholet to Chateauroux. The 23-year-old Briton finished over a bike length ahead of three-times World Champion Oscar Freire of Spain, with German Erik Zabel in third.

It was Cavendish eighth road-race win of 2008 and 19th road-race victory of his career. In a remarkable year so far for Team Columbia, Cavendish win is the 46th of 2008 for the men’s team.

“This is far and away the biggest win of my career.” Cavendish said afterwards.

“Everyone knows what the Tour is, when you’re a kid you watch it on tv, you dream of being there. I’ve always known how important the Tour is.”

Strongly supported by all eight Columbia team-mates in the frantic finale, Cavendish said their hard work “shows just how self-sacrificing they are.”

“They did everything they could do to help me there, and I had to do my best to pay them back and win.”

“They’ve worked with total commitment all week. Today we had to top the podium. I couldn’t really come away without the victory.”

Although Olympic ambitions are high on Cavendish’s list of priorities this year, he is adamant that he has no plans to abandon.

“I want to go all the way to Paris. To plan to do otherwise would be disrespectful to the organisers, my team, the other riders and the race.”

Discussing the team’s role in the finale, Cavendish said that German team-mate Gerald Ciolek “led me out from 600 metres. That’s a long way to go in the headwind, but you saw how fast he went past the other guys.”

“Then when [rival rider Mark] Renshaw went with [sprinter Thor Hushovd] with 250 metres to that was a bit early in the sprint for me to accelerate.”

“But after Renshaw had given Hushovd a good lead-out then my own final acceleration would have been less efficent if I had waited for my usual distance.”

“So I had to go for it when they did.”
“Fortunately my strength was enough to take me all the way to the line. I was able to hold it all the way there and it all paid off.”

Stage 5: Cholet to Châteauroux, 232km
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia5:27:52
2. Oscar Freire (Esp) Rabobank
3. Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
4. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole
5. Baden Cooke (Aus) Barloworld
6. Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld
7. Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis - Le Credit par Telephone
8. Robbie McEwen (Aus) Silence - Lotto
9. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas
10. Julian Dean (NZl) Team Garmin-Chipotle
11. Robert Forster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
12. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quick Step
13. Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel
14. Sebastien Chavanel (Fra) Francaise des Jeux
15. Jimmy Casper (Fra) Agritubel
16. Inaki Isasi (Esp) Euskaltel - Euskadi
17. Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Team Garmin-Chipotle
18. Xavier Florencio (Esp) Bouygues Telecom
19. Jerome Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
20. Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner
152. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30all s.t.
GC
1. Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner19:32:33
2. Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia0:12
3. David Millar (GBr) Team Garmin-Chipotle
4. Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto0:21
5. Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Team CSC Saxo Bank0:33
6. Christian VandeVelde (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle0:37
7. George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia0:41
8. Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Team Columbia0:47
9. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas0:58
10. Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Esp) Caisse d'Epargne1:01
11. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank1:12
12. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC Saxo Bank1:13
13. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step1:18
14. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Esp) Caisse d'Epargne1:22
15. Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis - Le Credit par Telephone1:24
16. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre1:26
17. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Caisse d'Epargne1:27
18. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC Saxo Bank1:29
19. Samuel Sanchez (Esp) Euskaltel - Euskadi1:31
20. Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner1:40
85. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Team Garmin-Chipotle5:26
Points GC
1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole88. pts
2. Oscar Freire (Esp) Rabobank85
3. Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia81
4. Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram72
5. Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld60
Climbers GC
1. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom19. pts
2. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis - Le Credit par Telephone11
3. Bjorn Schroder (Ger) Team Milram9
4. David De La Fuente (Esp) Saunier Duval - Scott4
5. Lilian Jegou (Fra) Francaise des Jeux3
Young Rider GC
1. Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Team Columbia19:33:20
2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigasat 0:11
3. Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis - Le Credit par Telephone0:37
4. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC Saxo Bank0:42
5. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas1:42
Team GC
1. Garmin Chipotle58:37:35
2. Team Columbiaat 1:44
3. Team CSC Saxo Bank2:35
4. Cofidis Credit Par Telephone3:20
5. Gerolsteiner3:31
6. Caisse d'Epargne3:43
7. Liquigas4:30
8. Quick Step5:08
9. Barloworld5:31
10. Euskaltel - Euskadi6:14
11. AG2R-La Mondiale6:23
12. Rabobank6:39
13. Lampre6:47
14. Team Milram7:06
15. Agritubel7:07
16. Silence - Lotto7:19
17. Bouygues Telecom8:03
18. Credit Agricole8:13
19. Saunier Duval - Scott8:43
20. Francaise des Jeux9:17


 

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