Scrapping for Seconds: The Final Showdown Approaches

Stage 19: Bourg-d'Oisons - Le Grand-Bornard

One of the toughest days in the Tour, which had promised so much drama in the race for the yellow jersey, was largely uneventful in that regard. In the race to be named the King of the Mountains, however, today's stage truly delivered. It was a stage that brought Pierre Rolland and Mikel Nieve back into contention for the polka-dot jersey, and set up the final mountain stage perfectly.

Rui Costa, for the second time in the Tour, timed his attack to perfection. He was in the breakaway at the time, and his attack and rapid climb up the final mountain set him up to claim his second stage win in the race. He had been in the breakaway that had led for most of the race, and he attacked when the breakaway was slowing somewhat - giving him a gap over the chase group at the top of the final climb. With a solid gap of 45 seconds at the top of the climb, Costa's victory was assured. An attempt to bridge the gap came from Andreas Kloden, but it was left too late and the rider from Radioshack would have to settle for second on the day.

In the overall race, the action was limited to just one move towards the end of the last climb of the day. The move came from Rodriguez, and it was an attempt to claw back some time before the final day in the mountains - or perhaps, to move himself up in the overall standings. For a brief moment it looked as though he would be achieving his objectives, as Kreuziger dropped away. However, Kreuziger bridged the gap on the descent and ended up finishing with the other contenders. Contador, Quintana and Froome all looked comfortable in their response to Rodriguez's attack, a good sign for an exciting stage tomorrow.

The most exciting aspect of today's stage was definitely the race for the polka-dot jersey. Pierre Rolland and Mikel Nieve were both involved in the breakaway, and both found themselves moving up in the standings at the end of the day. Rolland was the more aggressive of the two riders, and could well have claimed the polka-dot jersey if not for him cracking on the final climb. His efforts reduced the points difference between himself and Froome to just one point, while putting him 5 points clear of Mikel Nieve.

 A Last Chance

Tomorrow is effectively the last day in the Tour de France. The final stage is always a parade day, on which the peloton rides into Paris for a final chance at a stage win, and the final ceremony. The podium places will be set by the end of the stage tomorrow, as will the winners of each classification. And so, as the final days of the Tour loom the riders are presented with a chance to gain time, or points in one final bid.

The penultimate stage is one of the shortest in this year's Tour (just 125 kilometres long), but it is also one of the toughest. The stage features two very difficult climbs, the category 1 Mont Revard, and the hors categorie climb to the finish at Annecy-Semnoz. Because the stage is so short, the possibility that a rider could attack on the Mont Revard and ride clear to the finish is actually a live possibility. Large amounts of time could be gained or lost - this stage could well produce a the shock that it was always set out to do.

The shock that could happen is unlikely to be a change in the yellow jersey, but the race for the podium has never been closer. Four riders are competing for the other spots on the podium, and they are separated by mere seconds. Today, Rodriguez showed a glimpse of what is surely to come from him tomorrow. He wants to be on the podium in Paris and, as the lowest placed rider in actual contention for the podium he will have to get aggressive on the climbs. Quintana is also likely to go on the offensive, as the second place spot is well within his reach, all he has to do is crack Contador. This all adds up to a fantastic showdown on the final climb of the Tour. I can hardly wait.

The race to be named the King of the Mountains is the closest it has been throughout the race. Five riders are in close contention for the top spot, separated by just 11 points. The stage tomorrow offers a maximum of 71 points, with 50 of those being awarded on the final climb. The King of the Mountains will, quite fittingly, be decided on the final climb of the Tour. Quintana's aggression, and perhaps his desire for a stage win may well earn him this jersey. If he is able to win the stage, he will earn enough points to win the polka-dot jersey. A white jersey, a podium finish, and the title of King in the Mountains in his debut Tour would put his name down in the record books as one of the best rookies ever to take to the course.

Rolland's recovery tonight will determine if he's an actual threat to Quintana and Nieve in this classification. Froome, the leader in the race for the polka-dot jersey, is largely disinterested in the race for this jersey. His disinterest plays into the hands of the other riders and, while he's not likely to let Quintana escape, space may present itself for Nieve, Riblon or Rolland to make their bid for the jersey. Again, however, question remain over whether or not these riders can keep pace with the overall contenders on the final climb - if they are in the breakaway they may be caught, and if they are in the peloton they may get dropped. Whatever happens, I think their strategies should all be the same - to target the final climb. The last mountain in the Tour offers 5 times the number of points than the category 1 climb of the day, the riders must be aware of this and save their effort for when it counts. Summiting first over the category 1 climb may payout a decent sum of money, but the payoffs for winning the King of the Mountains classification will be much greater.