Another Rest Day Recap

Rest Day: Vaucluse

The past week in the Tour has offered up a whole host of things to talk about. There were some surprises, like watching the peloton split apart on Friday on a very flat stage. Other things were predicted, and seemed to follow the path they always would, like Sagan cementing his place in the green jersey, and Quintana attacking on the Mont Ventoux to claim the white jersey. IN this second rest day recap, I'll take a look once more at how the classifications have turned out.

Green Jersey

This classification is decided. Peter Sagan will wear the green jersey into Paris, barring his elimination from the race. Greipel and Cavendish are simply too far behind to challenge his lead in the green jersey competition. In fact, Sagan may well extend his lead by the time the peloton reaches the Champs Elysees, with one hilly stage on which the other sprinters will probably struggle. 

Sagan has, this year, shown that Hushovd's strategy of winning on the hilly stages in the Tour is a vital ploy for claiming the green jersey. The ability to accumulate points on all flat or flattish stages is perhaps more important than the pure pace required to win a sprint. Now, that's not to say that top end speed is not still important, but rather points to the fact that strength in the sprints should be coupled with at least some ability to get over the tougher hills in the Tour. Sagan and Hushovd's efforts may just be redefining what needs to be done to win the green jersey.

Polka-dot Jersey

Chris Froome has found himself in possession of the polka-dot jersey for the best climber in the Tour as a result of his two stage wins on mountain tops, as well as collecting some points on the other climbs. Froome's lead in this classification is no doubt incidental - he wouldn't have been targeting it at the start of the Tour as his focus is on yellow, but having incentive to be aggressive on the high-scoring climbs to gain in the yellow jersey competition has earned him the lead in the King of the Mountains classification.

This classification is arguably the most open of all the classifications. There are still a lot of points to be had in the last week of the Tour, and there are a lot of riders who will be looking to get themselves points in this classification. Rolland lost out on the Ventoux, cracking on the early slopes of the climb, but he will definitely be targeting the high mountains to earn some more points. His position in the overall standings is now much lower than it was in the second week of the Tour, and he'll certainly be given leeway by the peloton to chase the jersey.

What remains to be seen is if Quintana will change his aims in this year's Tour. He is set for a high overall finish, but he is also second in the King of the Mountains classification. If he plays his cards right he could well win two of the jersey classifications this year. He will be a marked man, however, and will need to have a sound plan to get the jersey off Froome. Froome will be watching him closely as he is a threat to the yellow jersey. Quintana will struggle to find the space to go after points in this classification. Incidentally, the attacks from Quintana and Froome on the consequential stages could secure Froome a win in this classification. If he continues to finish near the front of the race in the high mountains, he could end up with the polka-dot jersey in Paris.

White Jersey

The best young rider in this year's Tour is almost undoubtedly Nairo Quintana. He has been incredibly impressive in the high mountains, and is the only young rider who is in contention for the yellow jersey. While his chances of winning the yellow jersey seem slim, he is almost assured to win the white jersey. The mountains between now and the end of the Tour will suit his riding style, and he will be certain to put more distance between himself and second-placed Michal Kwiatkowski.

Kwiatkowsi may gain some time back in the time trial, but with two category 2 climbs to get over the time trial is somewhat more favourable for Quintana. He may yet lose time to Kwiatkowski, but the climbs will mitigate his losses somewhat. 

Yellow Jersey

Chris Froome has shown himself to be the dominant rider in the Tour. His grip on the yellow jersey is firm, as he has a lead of over four minutes to the next best rider. Froome's lead is not insurmountable, but his performance on the Mont Ventoux and Ax-3-Domaines showed that he is very strong, and will be difficult to ride away from. Some moments of weakness from Team Sky have left the door marginally open for the other competitors. Four minutes certainly can be made up, but it will be very difficult to do. At this stage it looks like the yellow jersey will stay with Froome to Paris, but as always with the Tour nothing is certain.

The race for second place is one to watch closely. With 4 riders all within 40 seconds of each other, the second place spot in the overall standings is highly contested. Contador and Kreuziger put some time into Bauke Mollema on the Mont Ventoux, but Mollema has been riding incredibly well and has matched Contador at almost every turn. Having the help of his teammate, Laurens ten Dam, will definitely stand him in good stead going into the last week. Contador and Kreuziger are also teammates, and at points Kreuziger could be seen to be climbing better than Contador, the extent to which they will ride in support of each other will remain to be seen.