2007 Tour de France
2007 UCI ProTour, race 17 of 26 | |||
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Route of the 2007 Tour de France | |||
Race details | |||
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Dates | 7 July–29 July | ||
Stages | 20 & Prologue | ||
Distance | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). | ||
Winning time | 91h 00' 26" | ||
Palmares | |||
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Winner | ![]() |
(Discovery Channel) |
Second | ![]() |
(Predictor–Lotto) | |
Third | none | ||
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Points | ![]() |
(Quick-Step–Innergetic) |
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Mountains | ![]() |
(Barloworld) |
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Youth | ![]() |
(Discovery Channel) |
Team | Discovery Channel | ||
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain. It was won by Spanish rider Alberto Contador.[1]
The Tour was marked by doping controversies, with three riders and two teams withdrawn during the race following positive doping tests, including pre-race favorite Alexander Vinokourov and his Astana team. Following Stage 16, the leader of the general classification, Michael Rasmussen, was removed from the Tour by his Rabobank team, who accused him of lying about the reasons for missing several drug tests earlier in the year.
The points classification, indicated by the green jersey, was won for the first time by Tom Boonen, who had failed to complete the previous two Tours after leading the points classification at times during each. The mountains classification, indicated by the polkadot jersey, was won by Mauricio Soler in his first Tour appearance.
The general classification, indicated by the yellow jersey, was closely contested until the final time trial on stage 19. The top three riders, Alberto Contador in the yellow jersey as the leader, Cadel Evans in second, and Levi Leipheimer in third, were separated by only 2:49, with both Evans and Leipheimer recognized as far superior time trialists to Contador. In the end, each rider held his place after the final time trial, but with considerably slimmer margins, as the Tour ended with the smallest-ever spread of only 31 seconds among the top three riders. Alberto Contador also won the young rider classification, indicated by the white jersey, as the best young (under age 25) rider.
Contents
Teams
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A total of 21 teams were invited to the 2007 Tour de France. Each team sent a total of nine riders to participate in the Tour, which brought the starting total of the peloton to 189 riders.
The 21 teams that took part in the race were:[2]
†: Wild card entries
Pre-race favourites
After the retirement of seven-time winner Lance Armstrong and with Ivan Basso and Floyd Landis not entering the Tour, the bookmakers' favourite to win the 2007 Tour de France was Alexander Vinokourov, who was unable to start in 2006 due to lack of team members, but did win the 2006 Vuelta a España. The main challengers were expected to be the 2006 Tour de France second-place finisher Andreas Klöden; and Alejandro Valverde, who dropped out of the 2006 Tour de France after a crash, but came second to Vinokourov in the 2006 Vuelta a España.
Shown in the table below are the riders that, according to the bookmakers[3] on 7 July 2007, the start day of the 2007 Tour de France, had the best chances of winning the 2007 Tour.
Rider | Team | Notes | Decimal Odds | Final Place |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander Vinokourov | Astana | Unable to start in 2006, 5th in 2005 | 2.87 | WD |
Andreas Klöden | Astana | 2nd in 2006, winner of 2007 Tirreno–Adriatico | 5.00 | WD |
Alejandro Valverde | Caisse d'Epargne | Crashed and withdrew in 2006 and 2005, winner of 2006 UCI ProTour | 5.00 | 5th (+ 11' 37") |
Cadel Evans | Predictor–Lotto | 4th in 2006 | 13.00 | 2nd (+ 23") |
Carlos Sastre | Team CSC | 3rd in 2006 | 13.00 | 3rd (+ 7' 08") |
Levi Leipheimer | Discovery Channel | 12th in 2006 | 17.00 | DSQ |
Andrey Kashechkin | Astana | Unable to start in 2006, 2nd in Young Riders' Classification in 2005 | 17.00 | WD |
Denis Menchov | Rabobank | 5th in 2006 | 19.00 | WD |
Fränk Schleck | Team CSC | Winner of Stage 15 to Alpe D'Huez in 2006, 10th overall | 23.00 | 16th (+ 31' 48") |
Christophe Moreau | AG2R Prévoyance | 7th in 2006, winner of 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré | 23.00 | 37th (+ 1h 33' 06") |
Vladimir Karpets | Caisse d'Epargne | Best young rider in 2004, winner of 2007 Volta a Catalunya and 2007 Tour de Suisse | 26.00 | 13th (+ 24' 15") |
Alberto Contador | Discovery Channel | Winner of 2007 Paris–Nice | 29.00 | 1st (91h 00' 26") |
Michael Rogers | T-Mobile Team | 9th in 2006; three-time World Time-Trial Champion | 41.00 | WD |
Óscar Pereiro | Caisse d'Epargne | 1st in 2006 | 51.00 | 9th (+ 14' 25") |
withdrawn |
Finished in Top 5 |
Janez Brajkovič, Damiano Cunego, Tom Danielson and Koldo Gil were all offered at odds within the range of this table, but withdrew before the race field was finalised.
Route and stages
The organisers of the Tour and London mayor Ken Livingstone announced on 24 January 2006 that the start of the Tour would take place in London. Livingstone noted the two stages would commemorate the victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, saying "Having the Grand Départ on the seventh of July will broadcast to the world that terrorism does not shake our city."
The routes for the Prologue in London and the first full stage through Kent, finishing in Canterbury, were announced on 9 February 2006 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. This was the third time the Tour visited England, including Plymouth in (1974) and two stages in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire in (1994).
Tour director Christian Prudhomme unveiled the 2007 route in Paris on 26 October 2006. In total, the route covered 3,569.9 kilometres (2,218.2 mi).[4][5]
Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
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P | 7 July | London (England) | 7.9 km (5 mi) | ![]() |
Individual time trial | ![]() |
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1 | 8 July | London (England) - Canterbury (England) | 203 km (126 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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2 | 9 July | Dunkirk - Ghent (Belgium) | 168.5 km (105 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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3 | 10 July | Waregem (Belgium) - Compiègne | 236.5 km (147 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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4 | 11 July | Villers-Cotterêts - Joigny | 193 km (120 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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5 | 12 July | Chablis - Autun | 182.5 km (113 mi) | ![]() |
Intermediate stage | ![]() |
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6 | 13 July | Semur-en-Auxois - Bourg-en-Bresse | 199.5 km (124 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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7 | 14 July | Bourg-en-Bresse - Le Grand-Bornand | 197.5 km (123 mi) | ![]() |
Mountain stage | ![]() |
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8 | 15 July | Le Grand-Bornand - Tignes | 165 km (103 mi) | ![]() |
Mountain stage | ![]() |
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16 July | Rest day | ||||||
9 | 17 July | Val-d'Isère - Briançon | 159.5 km (99 mi) | ![]() |
Mountain stage | ![]() |
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10 | 18 July | Tallard - Marseille | 229.5 km (143 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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11 | 19 July | Marseille - Montpellier | 182.5 km (113 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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12 | 20 July | Montpellier - Castres | 178.5 km (111 mi) | ![]() |
Intermediate stage | ![]() |
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13 | 21 July | Albi | 54 km (34 mi) | ![]() |
Individual time trial | ![]() |
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14 | 22 July | Mazamet - Plateau-de-Beille | 197 km (122 mi) | ![]() |
Mountain stage | ![]() |
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15 | 23 July | Foix - Loudenvielle | 196 km (122 mi) | ![]() |
Mountain stage | ![]() |
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24 July | Rest day | ||||||
16 | 25 July | Orthez - Gourette–Col d'Aubisque | 218.5 km (136 mi) | ![]() |
Mountain stage | ![]() |
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17 | 26 July | Pau - Castelsarrasin | 188.5 km (117 mi) | ![]() |
Intermediate stage | ![]() |
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18 | 27 July | Cahors - Angoulême | 211 km (131 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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19 | 28 July | Cognac - Angoulême | 55.5 km (34 mi) | ![]() |
Individual time trial | ![]() |
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20 | 29 July | Marcoussis - Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 146 km (91 mi) | ![]() |
Plain stage | ![]() |
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Total | 3,569.9 km (2,218 mi) |
Classification leadership
There were four main classifications contested in the 2007 Tour de France, with the most important being the general classification. The general classification was calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification was considered the winner of the Tour.[9] In 2012, there were no time bonuses given.[10]
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awards a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists get points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and is identified with a green jersey.[9]
There was also a mountains classification. The organization categorized some climbs as either hors catégorie, first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reach the top of these climbs, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and was identified with a polka dot jersey.[9]
The fourth individual classification was the young rider classification, marked by the white jersey. This classification was calculated the same way as the general classification, but the classification was restricted to riders who were born on or after 1 January 1987.[9]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team is the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that lead this classification were identified with yellow numbers.[10]
For the combativity award, a jury gives points after each stage to the cyclists they considered most combative. The cyclist with the most votes in all stages leads the classification.[10]
The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.
- Jersey wearers when one rider is leading two or more competitions
- In stage 1, Andreas Klöden, who was second in the points classification, wore the green jersey, because Fabian Cancellara (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage.
- In stage 8, Mauricio Soler, who was second in the young riders classification, wore the white jersey, because Linus Gerdemann (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage.
- In stage 9, Sylvain Chavanel, who was second in the king of the mountains classification, wore the polka-dot jersey, because Michael Rasmussen (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage.
- In stages 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, Mauricio Soler, who was second in the king of the mountains classification, wore the polka-dot jersey, because Michael Rasmussen (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage.
- In stage 18, 19, and 20, Amets Txurruka, who was third in the young riders classification, wore the white jersey, because Alberto Contador (in first place) wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage and Mauricio Soler (in second place) wore the polka-dot jersey for leading the king of the mountains classification.
- Other note
- Shortly after Michael Rasmussen won stage 16, his Rabobank team removed him from the Tour for violation of team rules; therefore in stage 17, no one wore the yellow jersey.
Final Standings
Legend | |||
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Denotes the winner of the General classification[11] | ![]() |
Denotes the winner of the Mountains classification[11] |
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Denotes the winner of the Points classification[11] | ![]() |
Denotes the winner of the Young rider classification[11] |
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Denotes the winner of the Team classification[11] | ![]() |
Denotes the winner of the Combativity award winner[11] |
General classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
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1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Discovery Channel | 91h 00' 26" |
2 | ![]() |
Predictor–Lotto | + 23" |
DSQ | ![]() |
||
3 | ![]() |
Team CSC | + 7' 08" |
4 | ![]() |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 8' 17" |
5 | ![]() |
Caisse d'Epargne | + 11' 37" |
6 | ![]() |
T-Mobile Team | + 12' 18" |
7 | ![]() |
Discovery Channel | + 12' 25" |
8 | ![]() |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 14' 14" |
9 | ![]() |
Caisse d'Epargne | + 14' 25" |
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Points classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() ![]() |
Quick-Step–Innergetic | 256 |
2 | ![]() |
Barloworld | 234 |
3 | ![]() |
Team Milram | 232 |
4 | ![]() |
Crédit Agricole | 186 |
5 | ![]() |
Française des Jeux | 181 |
6 | ![]() |
Lampre–Fondital | 160 |
7 | ![]() |
Gerolsteiner | 140 |
8 | ![]() |
Team CSC | 112 |
9 | ![]() |
Predictor–Lotto | 109 |
10 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Discovery Channel | 88 |
King of the Mountains classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() ![]() |
Barloworld | 206 |
2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Discovery Channel | 128 |
3 | ![]() |
Discovery Channel | 105 |
4 | ![]() |
Predictor–Lotto | 92 |
5 | ![]() |
Bouygues Télécom | 85 |
6 | ![]() |
Quick-Step–Innergetic | 77 |
7 | ![]() |
Team CSC | 74 |
8 | ![]() |
Saunier Duval–Prodir | 68 |
DSQ | ![]() |
||
10 | ![]() |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | 64 |
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Young riders classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Discovery Channel | 91h 00' 26" |
2 | ![]() ![]() |
Barloworld | + 16' 51" |
3 | ![]() ![]() |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 49' 34" |
4 | ![]() |
Gerolsteiner | + 1h 13' 27" |
5 | ![]() |
Barloworld | + 1h 15' 16" |
6 | ![]() |
Rabobank | + 1h 30' 34" |
7 | ![]() |
T-Mobile Team | + 1h 30' 47" |
8 | ![]() |
Discovery Channel | + 1h 33' 50" |
9 | ![]() |
Française des Jeux | + 2h 22' 50" |
10 | ![]() |
Team Milram | + 2h 41' 41" |
Team classification
Rank | Team | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Discovery Channel ![]() |
273h 12' 52" |
2 | Caisse d'Epargne | + 19' 36" |
3 | Team CSC | + 22' 10" |
4 | Rabobank | + 36' 24" |
5 | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 46' 46" |
6 | Saunier Duval–Prodir | + 1h 44' 33" |
7 | Predictor–Lotto | + 1h 50' 21" |
8 | Lampre–Fondital | + 2h 19' 41" |
9 | Crédit Agricole | + 2h 25' 44" |
10 | AG2R Prévoyance | + 2h 26' 08" |
UCI ProTour points
Cyclists in the UCI ProTour (therefore not members of the wildcard entries Barloworld or Agritubel) are awarded UCI ProTour points for their performance in the Tour de France. The winner of a stage receives 10 points, second receives 5 points and third 3 points. UCI ProTour points are also awarded for high places in the final classification, with 100 points for the overall winner.[12]
Doping scandals
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The first scandal arrived when it was made public on 18 July that rider Patrik Sinkewitz from the T-Mobile Team had tested positive one month before the Tour started. Sinkewitz had already withdrawn from the race having incurred an injury during the 8th stage. The scandal was big enough to prompt German TV broadcasters ZDF and ARD to drop their coverage.[13]
The Tour was dealt a major blow when the first-place Astana team withdrew from the race on 24 July 2007, after team member and pre-race favorite Alexander Vinokourov from Kazakhstan tested positive for an illegal blood transfusion.[14] Vinokourov's teammates Andreas Klöden and Andrey Kashechkin were in 5th and 7th place respectively at the time.
At the start of the 16th stage on 25 July, some teams made a protest against the laxness of the official attitude to doping in the race.[15] After the stage, race officials announced that Cofidis team member Cristian Moreni of Italy had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, and the Cofidis team withdrew from the race.
Spanish cyclist Iban Mayo tested positive for EPO on the second rest day of the Tour, on 24 July.[16]
French prosecutors wanted to start a legal case against Vinokourov, Mayo and Moreni, and requested the UCI to hand over the doping samples. The UCI refused to give them, and in May 2011 the investigation was stopped.[17]
Other incidents
German cyclist Marcus Burghardt collided with a Labrador Retriever during Stage 9. The bike struck the dog on its backside, which buckled the front wheel and threw Burghardt over the handlebars onto the road. Remarkably the dog was unhurt by the collision, and it was grabbed by a spectator before it could cause any more damage.[18]
A second incident involving a dog occurred on Stage 18. Sandy Casar and Frederik Willems were in a four-man break when Casar collided with a dog running across the road, causing both him and Willems to fall. Casar was able to rejoin the break with the help of Axel Merckx despite receiving road rash on his right buttock, while Willems returned to the peloton. Casar went on to win the stage.[19][20][21]
After Stage 16, overall leader Michael Rasmussen was fired by his team, Rabobank, for violating team rules after he told the team that he was in Mexico with his wife in June, then being sighted training in Italy by Italian journalist Davide Cassani.[22] Rasmussen disputed this claim, maintaining that he was in Mexico. Thus, at the start of stage 17 there was no holder of the yellow jersey. Afterward the lead and the jersey were transferred to Discovery Channel's Alberto Contador.[23] Rasmussen later in 2013 confessed to doping from 1998 to 2010, including at the 2007 Tour de France.[24]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for an illegal blood transfusion after stage 15. Kim Kirchen was declared the winner of stage 15 on 29 April 2008. Vinokourov's stage 13 time trial win was given to Cadel Evans.[8] Cite error: Invalid
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See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 21 teams in the Tour de France 2007 30 June 2007 press release (PDF)
- ↑ All odds taken from skybet.com at 10am (BST) on 7 July
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- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ UCI Points scale for the individual ranking PDF
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Tour de France press release: "Le Tour de France obtains the withdrawal of the Astana team" (25 July 2007)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
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Further reading
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External links
![]() |
Wikinews has related news: 2007 Tour de France |
- Official website (English)
- Website on the first two stages at the Wayback Machine (archived February 1, 2008)