AFP/Paris


MUCH NEEDED BREAK: Overall leader’s yellow jersey, British Bradley Wiggins, poses with his jersey as he takes his breakfast at the hotel hosting British Sky cycling team on the first rest-day of the 2012 Tour de France cycling race in Quincie-en-Beaujolais, southeastern France. (AFP)

For defending champion Cadel Evans, the first ‘hors categorie’ climb of this year’s Tour de France could not come at a better time.
Two days after losing nearly two minutes to British rival Bradley Wiggins in the ninth stage time trial, it is the Australian’s first chance to start his campaign to win back the yellow jersey.
Stage 10 is the first of two consecutive days in the high Alps and the ascent of the Col du Grand Colombier comes a day after the Tour’s first rest day. Included recently on the Criterium du Dauphine stage race won by Wiggins, it is expected to be a decisive feature on the 194.5 km ride from Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Wednesday.
The 17.5 km climb to the summit—so difficult it does not have a category—comes after the relatively short, category-two Cote de Corlier. After a 13 km descent, the peloton will tackle the 7km climb to the category-three summit of the Col de Richemond.
A near 20 km descent will take the peloton towards the finish, meaning there will be no classic summit finish battle between the big climbers in the peloton. That means Evans, and fellow challengers like Italian Vincenzo Nibali will have to adapt their strategy.
Wiggins is prepared for most eventualities.
“After the rest day it will be a whole different ball game,” he said. “And anything can happen, a bad day or a crash, so let’s just take it a day at a time.”
As well as possessiing strong climbing skills Nibali is a renowned downhiller and with Evans, and several others, could decide to launch offensives against Sky on any of the stage’s three climbs.
Race course designer Jean-Francois Pescheux believes the Col du Grand Colombier, whose descent is technical and dangerous, could be a game-changer.
“If you ask me it’s the toughest mountain in France, with sections at 12 percent (gradient),” said the Frenchman.
“Nevertheless, its location 43 km from the finish line changes everything.
“Rather than a single devastating attack, I see a group of five or six strong riders break away and then come together before the finish.”
Evans, who lost 1min 43sec to Wiggins in the ninth stage time trial, is now second overall behind Wiggins at 1:53 with Britain’s Chris Froome, also of Sky, a further 14secs adrift.
“It hasn’t been optimal so far, 1:53 down is not the best position to be in,” said Evans.
“But we’ll reassess the situation day by day and we don’t give up, that’s for sure, we don’t give up.”
Liquigas rider Nibali, the 2010 Tour of Spain champion, is fourth at 2:23 while former Tour of Spain and Tour of Italy champion Denis Menchov is fifth at 3:02.
Cofidis suspend rider over doping suspicions
Paris: Tour de France team Cofidis have suspended Frenchman Remy Di Gregorio over doping allegations, the team announced on the race’s first rest day yesterday.
Di Gregorio, 26, was arrested following a police raid at his team’s hotel in Bourg-en-Bresse, several miles outside Macon in eastern France where the race will resume for the 10th stage Wednesday.
A team statement said: “We have just learned that one of our riders, competing at the Tour de France, may have attempted to resort to doping substances to improve his performance.
“At the current time, we have very little information about the facts of the case.
“However the suspicion on the rider concerned, Remy di Gregorio, leaves us with no choice but to hand down the strictest possible sanctions.
“Remy di Gregorio is therefore immediately suspended, provisionally, while we await more ample information on the case.
“If the suspicions are confirmed, he will be sacked on the spot—in accordance with the stipulations in his contract and in line with the ethical policy of the team.”
It is not the first time one or several riders from Cofidis have been embroiled in a doping affair.
Several riders including Briton David Millar and Frenchman Phillipe Gaumont were implicated in a damaging doping affair in 2004, leading to radical changes at management level.
Three years later, under pressure from organisers, the team voluntarily left the 2007 Tour when Italian rider, Cristian Moreni, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin).