2008 Tour de France
This article documents a current road bicycle race. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports, scores, or statistics may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
Race details | |
---|---|
Dates | 5 July–27 July |
Stages | 21 |
Distance | 3,559 km (2,211 mi) |
The 2008 Tour de France is the 95th Tour de France. The event is currently taking place from July 5 to July 27, 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour will enter Italy on the 15th stage and return to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which will be reached in the 21st stage. All time bonuses for intermediate sprints and at each stage finish line have been scrapped.
On February 13 2008, the event organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation, announced that the Astana Team would be barred from the 2008 Tour due to its involvement in the doping scandals that marred the 2007 Tour and its links to the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case. This move comes despite an almost complete turnover of the team's management, and rider roster in the wake of the 2007 scandals. The ASO's decision means that defending champion Alberto Contador and last year's third-place finisher Levi Leipheimer, both of whom signed with the revamped Astana Team, will not compete in the 2008 Tour.[1] 2007 green jersey (points) winner Tom Boonen tested positive for cocaine in a test on May 26 2008. Since this was outside competition, Boonen does not face sanctions by the UCI or WADA. Despite the absence of official sanctions, Boonen was barred from the 2008 Tour de France.[2][3]
Teams
Long running disputes between the ASO and the UCI reached a head when the race organisers insisted upon the right to invite, or excude, whichever teams it chose for the event. Under UCI rules, any ProTour event must be open to all member teams of the UCI's top level. The ASO made it clear that, despite changes in team management and personnel, it intended to exclude Astana from the event as a result of disruption to the two previous tours, and thus the link between the tour and the UCI was severed. The ASO announced on 20 March 2008 that all ProTour teams except Astana would be invited, along with three "wildcard" teams: Agritubel, Barloworld, and Team Slipstream-Chipotle (subsequently renamed as Team Garmin-Chipotle[4]).
The 20 teams invited to the race are:[5]
|
Pre-race favourites
Because Astana Team is not invited to the 2008 Tour de France, the winner of the 2007 Tour de France, Alberto Contador, the 3rd place finisher Levi Leipheimer and the 2004 and 2006 Tour de France runner up Andreas Klöden are not competing. Ten days before the start of the tour, Contador picked Cadel Evans as the likely winner for 2008.[7] Shown in the table below are the riders that, according to the bookmakers[8] in May 2008, June 2008 or July 2008, before the start of the 2008 Tour de France, had a chance of winning the 2008 Tour better than or equal to 25/1.
Rider | Team | Notes | Decimal Odds July 2008 |
Decimal Odds June 2008 |
Decimal Odds May 2008 |
Position after stage 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cadel Evans | Silence-Lotto | 2nd place 2007 Tour de France | 3.25 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 1st place |
Denis Menchov | Rabobank | 5th place in 2006 | 7.00 | 6.50 | 6.50 | 5th place |
Carlos Sastre | Team CSC Saxo Bank | 4th place in 2007 Tour de France | 11.00 | 11.00 | 8.00 | 6th place |
Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | 6th place 2007 Tour de France | 4.50 | 5.00 | 9.00 | 12th place |
Andy Schleck | Team CSC Saxo Bank | 2nd place 2007 Giro d'Italia | 13.00 | 12.00 | 9.00 | 20th place |
Damiano Cunego | Lampre | Best young rider 2006 Tour de France | 11.00 | 10.00 | 15.00 | 14th place |
Mauricio Soler | Barloworld | King of Mountains 2007 Tour de France | 26.00 | 26.00 | 23.00 | Did not finish stage 5 |
Thomas Dekker | Rabobank | Not included on 2008 Tour Team | - | 29.00 | 23.00 | – |
Michael Rogers | Team Columbia | Three times world champion time trial | - | - | 23.00 | – |
Kim Kirchen | Team Columbia | 7th place 2007 Tour de France | 34.00 | 26.00 | 26.00 | 7th place |
Samuel Sánchez | Euskaltel-Euskadi | 3rd place 2007 Vuelta a España | 26.00 | 26.00 | 26.00 | 11th place |
Riccardo Riccò | Saunier Duval-Scott | 2nd place 2008 Giro d'Italia
Disqualified (drug test) |
34.00 | 51.00 | 26.00 | Did not start stage 12 |
Roman Kreuziger | Liquigas | 1st 2008 Tour de Suisse | 21.00 | 17.00 | - | 18th place |
Stijn Devolder | Quick Step | Winner 2008 Ronde Van Vlaanderen | 26.00 | 21.00 | - | 26th place |
Haimar Zubeldia | Euskaltel-Euskadi | 5th in 2007 Tour de France | 26.00 | 23.00 | - | 45th place |
Omitted from squad |
Did not finish |
Stages
In previous years, the Tour started with a prologue, followed by a week of flat stages. The flat stages were dominated by the sprinters' teams, and the yellow jersey was worn by a sprinter who had a good prologue. Tour Director Christian Prudhomme announced that the 2008 Tour should be different: "We have wanted a first week of racing with much more rhythm. With no prologue, an uphill finish that will suit different types of sprinters at the end of stage one, with a short time trial on stage four and the first mountain at Super-Besse only 48 hours later, we have decided to change the scenario."[9] The time bonuses at the end of each stage were removed, and there will be 82 kilometres (51 mi) of time trials, rather less than usual.
The 2008 Tour de France is almost entirely in France, with only a small part in Italy.
Stage | Route | Distance | Type | Date | Official page | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brest - Plumelec | 197.5 km | Flat stage | Saturday, July 5 | link | ||||
2 | Auray - Saint-Brieuc | 164.5 km | Flat stage | Sunday, July 6 | link | ||||
3 | Saint-Malo - Nantes | 208.0 km | Flat stage | Monday, July 7 | link | ||||
4 | Cholet | 29.5 km | Individual time trial | Tuesday, July 8 | link | ||||
5 | Cholet - Châteauroux | 232.0 km | Flat stage | Wednesday, July 9 | link | ||||
6 | Aigurande - Super-Besse Sancy | 195.5 km | Intermediate stage | Thursday, July 10 | link | ||||
7 | Brioude - Aurillac | 159.0 km | Intermediate stage | Friday, July 11 | link | ||||
8 | Figeac - Toulouse | 172.5 km | Flat stage | Saturday, July 12 | link | ||||
9 | Toulouse - Bagnères-de-Bigorre | 224.0 km | Mountain stage | Sunday, July 13 | link | ||||
10 | Pau - Hautacam | 156.0 km | Mountain stage | Monday, July 14 | link | ||||
Rest day | Tuesday, July 15 | ||||||||
11 | Lannemezan - Foix | 167.5 km | Intermediate stage | Wednesday, July 16 | link | ||||
12 | Lavelanet - Narbonne | 168.5 km | Flat stage | Thursday, July 17 | link | ||||
13 | Narbonne - Nîmes | 182.0 km | Flat stage | Friday, July 18 | link | ||||
14 | Nîmes - Digne-les-Bains | 194.5 km | Flat stage | Saturday, July 19 | link | ||||
15 | Embrun[10] - Prato Nevoso | 183.0 km | Mountain stage | Sunday, July 20 | link | ||||
Rest day | Monday, July 21 | ||||||||
16 | Cuneo - Jausiers | 157.0 km | Mountain stage | Tuesday, July 22 | link | ||||
17 | Embrun - Alpe d'Huez | 210.5 km | Mountain stage | Wednesday, July 23 | link | ||||
18 | Bourg-d'Oisans - Saint-Étienne | 196.5 km | Intermediate stage | Thursday, July 24 | link | ||||
19 | Roanne - Montluçon | 165.5 km | Flat stage | Friday, July 25 | link | ||||
20 | Cérilly - Saint-Amand-Montrond | 53.0 km | Individual time trial | Saturday, July 26 | link | ||||
21 | Étampes - Paris Champs-Élysées | 143.0 km | Flat stage | Sunday, July 27 | link | ||||
Total | 3,559.5 km |
Stage recaps
Jersey progress
- Jersey wearers when one rider is leading two or more competitions
- In stage 2, Philippe Gilbert wore the green jersey
- In stage 4, Andy Schleck wore the white jersey
- In stage 7, Thor Hushovd wore the green jersey
- In stages 8 and 10, Óscar Freire wore the green jersey
- In stage 11 Vincenzo Nibali wore the white jersey.
- Before stage 12, Riccardo Riccò was expelled from the Tour for doping. Vincenzo Nibali wore the white jersey in stage 12, and nobody wore the polka-dot jersey.
Overall standings
The light blue background indicates the wearer of the white jersey.
As of stage 13.
General Classification
|
Young Riders' Classification
|
King of the Mountains Classification
|
Points Classification
|
Teams Classification
Rank | Team | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Team CSC Saxo Bank | 164h 18′ 31″ |
2 | Ag2r-La Mondiale | + 4′ 49″ |
3 | Gerolsteiner | + 15′ 23″ |
4 | Rabobank | + 18′ 46″ |
5 | Lampre | + 30′ 03″ |
6 | Caisse d'Epargne | + 32′ 45″ |
7 | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 35′ 45″ |
8 | Crédit Agricole | + 41′ 49″ |
9 | Silence-Lotto | + 43′ 06″ |
10 | Liquigas | + 44′ 15″ |
|}
Prize money
A total prize fund of approximately €3.25m is awarded throughout the tour. Each team receives €51,243 towards expenses of participation, with an additional €1,600 per rider who completes the race, if at least seven do so.[12][13]
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Individual Stages | €8,000 | €4,000 | €2,000 | €1,200 | €830 | Prizes down to 20th place (€200). |
General Classification | €450,000 | €200,000 | €100,000 | €70,000 | €50,000 | All finishers earn at least €400. The wearer of the Yellow Jersey each day gets €350. |
Overall Points Competition | €25,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €4,000 | €3,500 | Additional prize money down to 8th place (€2,000). The leader of the ranking each day gets €300. |
Intermediate Sprints | €800 | €450 | €300 | There are 45 such sprints during the tour. | ||
King of the Mountains Competition | €25,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €4,000 | €3,500 | Additional prize money down to 8th place (€2,000). The leader of the ranking each day gets €300. |
Hors Category climbs | €800 | €450 | €300 | There are 8 HC cols during the tour. There are additional €5,000 prizes for the riders first over the Tourmalet (stage 10), called the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, and the Galibier (stage 17), called the Souvenir Henri Desgrange. | ||
First category mountains | €650 | €400 | €150 | There are 4 such mountains during the tour. | ||
Second category mountains | €500 | €250 | There are 5 such climbs during the tour. | |||
Third category hills | €300 | There are 14 such climbs during the tour. | ||||
Fourth category mountains | €200 | There are 26 such climbs during the tour. | ||||
Young Riders' Competition | €20,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €5,000 | The first young rider each day gets €500, and the leader of the ranking each day gets €300. | |
Combativity prize | €20,000 | A prize of €2,000 is awarded for each stage except time trials. | ||||
Team Competition | €50,000 | €30,000 | €20,000 | €12,000 | €8,000 | The team with the fastest time for its first three finishers each day gets €2,800. |
By tradition, a team's winnings are pooled and shared among the riders and support team.
Withdrawals
Riders who withdrew, were disqualified, or injured.
Doping
On 11 July 2008 news broke that Spanish rider Manuel Beltrán tested positive for EPO after the first stage of the tour. Blood abnormalities before the tour start had led French anti-doping agency (AFLD) to target the rider. Beltrán's team Liquigas withdrew him from the tour with immediate effect. French police questioned Beltrán over possible offences and searched his hotel room, but he claimed his innocence. The B-Sample has not yet been tested.[15]
Prior to the ninth stage, it was revealed that AFLD had informed team doctors that five riders had unusually high hematocrit levels. The Italian press reported that Riccardo Riccò, who won the stage later that day, had been selected for testing several times during the first week, which led to a suspicion that he was among those whose teams had been notified. Riccò has for some time been known to have a naturally high hematocrit level of 51%, above the 50% level which usually is taken to be an indicator of possible blood manipulation, and has a license confirming that this is a natural, long-term condition that is given to the doping agencies before the start of a race.[16]
On 17 July, shortly before the start of Stage 12, he, and the rest of the Saunier Duval-Scott team, were withdrawn from the race after announcement that he had tested positive for CERA, a new type of EPO, at the end of Stage 4. [17] Cite error: A <ref>
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Notes and references
- ^ Associated Press (2008-02-13). "Tour de France organizers exclude Astana team; Alberto Contador may not defend title". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Boonen participation in Tour de France to be decided: Ouick Step". afp.google.com. 2008-06-11.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Former world champion Tom Boonen barred from Tour de France". afp.google.com. 2008-06-11.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Garmin is the new title sponsor of the Slipstream-Chipotle team" (Press release). VeloNews. June 18 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
{{cite press release}}
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(help) - ^ TOUR 2008 : VINGT ÉQUIPES INVITÉES (PDF)
- ^ renamed with effect from the date of commencement of the 2008 Tour de France, formerly known as Team High Road : "Columbia Sportswear Announces Sponsorship" (Press release). Team Columbia & High Road Sports, Inc. June 15 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
{{cite press release}}
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(help) - ^ "Contador rates Evans as Tour favourite". 2008-06-25.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ All odds taken from skybet.com
- ^ Gregor Brown. "A Grand Tour with minimal transfers and mythical mountains". cyclingnews.
- ^ The 15th stage was due to start at Digne-les-Bains but due to the risk of rock falls in the climb up the Col de Larche, the organisers decided to modify the itinerary. The stage will take off from Embrun and head to Prato Nevoso facing the climb up the Col Agnel (2744 m).
- ^ a b c d e Official Tour de France standing
- ^ Rules and Stakes at Le Tour.fr
- ^ 2008 Rules and Stakes at Le Tour.fr (PDF)
- ^ Piepoli of Italy wins 10th stage of Tour
- ^ "Doping agency: Beltran positive for EPO". google.com. AP. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ "Riccò makes it look easy on Col d'Aspin". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/news/?id=/news/2008/jul08/jul17news4
External links
- The official Tour de France site
- Template:Nl Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Template:Fr A presentation of the Tour de France 2008 stages
- Tour de France 2008 on Google Earth
- Cyclingfans.com Tour de France live video and audio feeds
- The stages of the official Tour de France 2008 route on Google Maps New: Google interactive map in Terrain View
- Tour de France 2008 List of Stages and Trip Planner
- The individual stages of the official Tour de France 2008 route on Google Maps New: Google interactive map with all the single stages based on detailed KML file
- Le dico du Tour / Le Tour de France de 1947 à 2008 (French)
- 2008 Tour de France: Stage by stage Interactive application with Google Maps