Leipheimer has the lead

Photo: Graham Watson

Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) surged into the overall lead Thursday at the 58th Dauphiné Libéré after a superb performance up Mont Ventoux on a day that saw many of the top favorites succumb to the giant of Provence.

2005 Vuelta a España winner Denis Menchov (Rabobank) grabbed the victory ahead of Christophe Moreau (Ag2r) in the 186km fourth stage after the pair rode Leipheimer’s wheel up the final 5km of one of cycling’s most feared climbs.

“The most important thing today was taking the jersey,” said Leipheimer, who finished third at 15 seconds back. “I want to win the Dauphiné this year because this is one of the most beautiful races in cycling. Last year, I let it slip away and I don’t want to see that happen again.”

Leipheimer used a deadly high-cadence pedal stroke to erase a 4 minute, 20-second gap to overnight leader Philippe Gilbert (FDJeux) to slip into the leader’s jersey 28 seconds ahead of Menchov. Gilbert came through 38th at 5:43 back and fell to third at 1:08 back.

Leipheimer led Moreau and Menchov against brisk winds pelting the Ventoux’s stony summit to leave the out-gunned Gilbert in his wake.

“I feel my climbing is getting better. I felt it last year at the Tour of Germany and you can see it again today,” said Leipheimer, who won the Tour of Germany last year after finishing sixth in the Tour de France. “Menchov is a dangerous rider, but so are Moreau and (Francisco) Mancebo because they’re on the same team.”

Leipheimer was the best American a day after four U.S. riders swept Wednesday’s time trial stage.

Team CSC’s Dave Zabriskie, who started second overall at 2:47 back after winning Wednesday, finished 50th at 8:10 back to drop to 26th at 6:22 back while Floyd Landis (Phonak), second in Wednesday’s TT, crossed the line 9:30 back in 56th and fell to 32nd at 8:43 back.

George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), fourth Wednesday, rode alongside Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal (Phonak) in a group that also included Alejandro Valverde, to finish 20th at 3:13 and stayed in contention at 10th at 3:02 back.

Other big names couldn’t match Leipheimer’s pace. Iban Mayo, the 2004 winner who took two minutes out of Lance Armstrong on a climbing time trial up Ventoux that year, fell to 59th overall at 12:39 back, while Alexandre Vinokourov (Würth), a winner here last year, sank to 66th at 14:13 back.

Mayo moved past Landis, who took the final stretch at a moderate pace

Photo: Graham Watson

Back in driver’s seat
The performance underscores Leipheimer’s position as one of the favorites ahead of next month’s Tour de France.

“You can never train as hard as you race here,” Leipheimer said. “If I won here, it would give me confidence ahead of the Tour. I could also afford to rest a little while the others would have to continue training. There are different approaches to preparing for the Tour.”

A year ago, Leipheimer defended the leader’s jersey up Ventoux a day after taking the lead in a time trial in Roanne, but his Gerolsteiner team would later see that lead slip away to Inigo Landaluze (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who eventually held on for final victory after working into a long breakaway.

Leipheimer, who eventually settled for third overall last year, said he hopes that doesn’t happen again.

For Menchov – who was named winner of the 2005 Vuelta a España after the disqualification of Roberto Heras for EPO last year – the win repeats his victory here in the 2002 Dauphiné to announce his arrival in the peloton.

Menchov sat on Leipheimer’s wheel the final 6km of the 21.5km Ventoux climb and shot away from Leipheimer and Moreau with 300m to go to. Moreau almost snuck past him at the line, but the Russian didn’t seem impressed.

“It’s most important who comes through first, it’s not so important by how much. The finish was very difficult,” Menchov said. “I don’t know if I can fight for the overall. Right now I am satisfied with today, so we’ll take it day by day.”

Moreau set an early tempo on the climb

Photo: Graham Watson

For Moreau, it was a bitter disappointment on a day where he and Ag2r teammate Francisco Mancebo livened things up in the middle reaches of the Ventoux climb. The pair put in attacks to help dislodge many of the favorites before Moreau settled in behind Leipheimer after sweeping past the Chalet Reynard with 6km to go.

“I screwed up my tactic in the end,” said Moreau, now fifth at 1:48 back. “I gave everything to win the stage, but I waited too long to try to come around Menchov. I am disappointed because to win on a climb so important would have been nice.”

Up the giant
Before the start in Tain-L’Hermitage along the Rhone, Chris Horner sat in the Davitamon-Lotto team car making a revision of the GC after Wednesday’s time trial. Horner said he wasn’t sure who wanted to try to win the race.

“We have to wait to see how wants to race. Right now, it seems like everyone is just waiting for everyone else,” said Horner, who eventually finished alongside Landis in his first shot up Ventoux. “I’ve never ridden the Ventoux, but I know I am going to be suffering.”

Early in the stage, a group of nine riders pulled away at about 15km into the race. In the group were: Lars Bak (CSC), Florian Stalder (Phonak), Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), Ronny Scholz (Gerolsteiner), Stephane Auge (Cofidis), Cedric Vasseur (Quick Step), Danilo Napolitano (Lampre), Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues) and Alessandro Vanotti (Milram).

The early break seemed doomed from the start

Photo: Graham Watson

The course pushed south along the Rhone Valley under a spectacular French soleil. The course hit two Cat. 4 climbs on the steady approach toward the Ventoux, which slowly came into view through the haze hanging over the vineyards and picturesque villages.

The gap opened up to six minutes over the Col le Debat at 125km, but that wouldn’t be a big enough head start on the main bunch.

Phonak had the numbers at the front and drove the peloton over the final kilometres to the base of the Ventoux climb and the leaders’ gap was reduced to three minutes as the bunch rolled through Bedoin, the last village at the base of the Ventoux.

The escapees soon wilted on the treacherously steep lower approaches, with Vasseur and Vinotti making brave efforts to hang on.

Making an early acceleration out of the main bunch was Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile), who shot away with about 15km to go as the peloton started to grind up the lower flanks of the Ventoux climb. The brutally steep wooded section quickly fractured the peloton.

With 13km to go, Sylvester Szmyd (Lampre) also shot out of the group as race leader Gilbert first started to drift off the back of the quickly dissolving group reduced to about 20 riders.

Azevedo

Photo: Graham Watson

Jose Azevedo (Discovery Channel), Pietro Caucchioli (Credit Agricole), Vicenzo Nibali (Liguigas) lurched off the front as Sevilla finally drove up to Vasseur, who was the leading rider of the day’s early break.

Azevedo bridged up to Sevilla and then promptly dropped him while Francisco Mancebo (Ag2r) sprang away from the lead bunch as the road punched out of the pines about halfway up the climb.

Azevedo continued riding hard and opened up a 40-second gap on the chasers. The Mancebo move caused more fractures in the lead group and it was soon every man for himself. Zabriskie was having trouble marking the rhythm as was Landis and Hincapie.

With such a long, grinding climb, Leipheimer knew he had to measure his efforts. A year ago, he was rock solid up Ventoux to gain control of the race.

“A lot of those guys are coming back from breaks, so maybe they were afraid to suffer and maybe they decided to ride conservatively,” Leipheimer surmised. “I learned last year Ventoux is a mountain you should respect. This is a climb when you have to wait, wait and you have to have patience. Maybe I could have waited even a little longer today.”

Finishing nearly 10 minutes back, Landis's attention is now on July

Photo: Graham Watson

Hitching the wheel at 40 seconds back of Azevedo were Leipheimer, Moreau, Menchov, Sergio Paulinho (Wurth), Syvlain Chavanel (Cofidis) and Bernard Kohl (T-Mobile).

With 8km to go, Azevedo was still in the lead while Gilbert was 2:45 back when Moreau made another stab from the front group with Kohl grabbing his wheel. Caucchioli and Sevilla were brought back as Leipheimer looked steady in the saddle.

In another group back about 30 seconds back, Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) had two teammates to help him while Hincapie stayed tucked on his wheel. Valverde would eventually finish 18th at 3:13 back and move to 11th at 3:36 back.

“This is my first time up Ventoux and it’s a very hard climb. Much harder than the Pyrenees. I suffered worse at the bottom, but as we got higher on the mountain, I felt better,” Valverde said. “Maybe I paid a little today for my efforts in the time trial, but I am content. Some of the others couldn’t follow us.”

Azevedo made the sweeping left turn past the Chalet Reynard holding a 30-second gap with 6km to go as the climb hit the final, rocky approaches blasted by a brisk crosswind.

Moreau accelerated again to split the chase group, following were Kohl, Leipheimer and Menchov. Leipheimer took over to set a blistering pace that soon dropped Kohl with 4km to go to trim the gap to Azevedo to 15 seconds.

Azevedo was doomed and was reeled in with about 3.5km to go with Leipheimer continuing to set the pace with a brutally efficient pedal stroke. Menchov and Moreau stayed glued on Leipheimer’s wheel along with Azevedo.

With two kilometres to go, Leipheimer kept the pace at the front, patiently spinning his legs and receiving no help from anyone else. Gilbert was fighting for all his worth, but he was 4:10 back with 1km to go.

Azevedo lost the wheel with under 1km to go and was nearly bumped off his bike by a spectator. With 300m to go, Menchov shot away to claim the win.

The 58th Dauphine Libere continues Friday with the 155km fifth stage from Sisteron to Briancon. The route passes over the Cat. 4 Col de Sarraut at 36km and the Cat. 3 Col Lebraut at 57.5km before hitting the day’s main obstacle with the beyond category Col d’Izoard at 135km. From there, it’s a fast descent to Briancon, where the stage finishes with the short climb to the citidal above the valley floor,

It’s an ideal stage for a breakaway. Leipheimer will be especially motivated it won’t be a repeat of last year when the Landaluze group snuck away.

Results – Stage 4
1. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, 4:50:37 (38.41kph),
2. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r, s.t.
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, at 0:15
4. Jose Azevedo (Por), Discovery Channel, at 0:29
5. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Cofidis, at 0:54
6. Bernhard Kohl (A), T-Mobile, at 0:54
7. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Ag2r, at 1:04
8. Sergio Paulinho (Por), Würth, at 1:15
9. Pietro Caucchioli (I), Credit Agricole, at 1:19
10. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz), Milram, at 1:30

Overall, after stage 4
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 15:47:53
2. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, at 0:28
3. Philippe Gilbert (Bel), Française des Jeux, at 1:08
4. Jose Azevedo (Por), Discovery Channel, at 1:47
5. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r, at 1:48
6. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Cofidis, at 2:08
7. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Ag2r, at 2:10
8. Bernhard Kohl (A), T-Mobile, at 2:25
9. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel, at 3:02
10. Sergio Paulinho (Por), Würth, at 3:20
FULLRESULTS