While Stage 13 looked like yet another dead-flat, dead-pan transitional stage, it produced the type of race that keeps the romanticism of the Tour alive and well. With wind playing havoc with the peleton, an elite group of 15 containing Alberto Contador and Bauke Mollema, but NOT Chris Froome and Team Sky, tore away from the front of the field....and Team Sky could not catch them! By the end of the day Froome had conceded over a minute to Contador and Mollema, and sure his lead in the General Classification reduced.
But this was not the only shake up to the GC. Alejandro Valverde had already been shelled after suffering a mechanical inside the final 100km. And his chase group also ended in vain, losing over 10 minutes by the end of the stage to see his podium hopes go up and smoke. While it is probably nothing more than a drug cheat deserves, it is sad to see Valverde's podium hopes end in this way, as he has always toughed it out at the top end of the GC throughout his Grand Tour career. As a result, Mollema and Contador jumped to second and third overall, and now trail Froome by around 2.5 minutes.
The win on the day was slightly overshadowed, but it proved a day of redemption for Mark Cavendish who was smart enough first to get into the winning break, and then proved easily the best sprinter of those remaining to take the stage from perennial placegetter Peter Sagan and Mollema. I guess Cav was lucky his new German revival Marcel Kittel rolled in some 10 minutes down in the Valverde Group. There was no change to any of the classifications, as both White Jersey leaders, Michal Kwiatowski and and Nario Quintana finishing in the Froome group a minute by the leaders.
Now - the big question on everyone's lips is does this materially change the race for the yellow jersey? The answer is no. Froome still leads by over 2 minutes and Sky won't be making this mistake twice. If the race is going to be a contest - Contador and Mollema have to attack Froome on Sunday's stage to Mount Vontoux....repeatedly! But with a fairly regulation stage on tomorrow, Sky are sure to get their 'program' in order and ensure Froome is fit and firing to explode on the mountain come Bastille Day. Sunday might just be the last day of reckoning at this years Tour - so it is certainly a stage worth watching one way or another.
Yellow Jersey - Chris Froome
Green Jersey - Peter Sagan
Polka Dot Jersey - Pierre Rolland
White Jesrey - Michal Kwiakowski
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