Kazakh makes the other teams work all day, misses out on reward of victory, but is satisfied with team's day
Starting the day in 14th place, just 6’31” behind yellow jersey Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) managed to get himself in the long breakaway on the road to Mende. His presence, as well as that of Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions), in 12th place at 5’42”, made their rival teams work to limit the group’s lead. This was a premeditated move on his part, according to the Kazakh.
"This was planned in the team's strategy today,” said Vinokourov after the stage. “I had to get myself into a group of escapees to encourage the other teams in the bunch to work.
“In the end it seems to me that it happened,” he said, “I think Saxo Bank worked hard today."
Indeed, the Saxo Bank team, and later the Cervélo TestTeam and Liquigas-Doimo team, was forced to work on the front of the peloton for the whole day. On a so-called transitional stage like this the race leader’s team would ordinarily have relaxed and let a break get far away.
Inside the final 50km of the stage Vinokourov was part of a four-man move that broke off the front of the original 18-man group. They managed to pull further away from the peloton on the approach to the final climb in Mende, which again was a planned move.
"I knew that I needed to boost the breakaway to gain more time," explained the Kazakh.
The four riders arrived at the base of the final climb, the Côte de la Croix-Neuve, with a lead of over 30 seconds. Hesjedal was the first to crack, followed by Andreas Klöden (RadioShack); then with just over a kilometre to the top Vinokourov accelerated once more and dropped his last companion, Vasil Kiryienka (Caisse d’Epargne) and set off for the finish line alone.
"Of course I thought about the stage win,” he admitted, “I know this arrival in Mende, I have already won a stage here at the Grand Prix du Midi Libre [in 1999], and Tour de France already went here in 2005, I think."
Behind him though, the overall favourites were making their moves and his teammate Alberto Contador, in second place just 41 seconds behind Schleck, rode up to him with eventual stage winner Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha).
"[I] didn’t know that Alberto was coming,” he said. “When you get near to the finish line, with the noise of the crowd you can hear nothing, if I had known, I would have slowed down a bit in the climb and I helped on the flat”
Rodriguez and Contador dropped Vinokourov just before the top but he managed to stay clear of the rest of the field to finish in third place, 4 seconds behind them.
"Today has been a testing day,” he said. “It's true, it’s unfortunate about the stage win, but the last climb was hard; at the finish I only needed about ten seconds to win. No matter, at the finish I could appreciate the atmosphere of Tour de France, when you arrive in the lead the reception is impressive, there is a particular atmosphere, it’s exceptional!
“But we are here to play for the overall and the main thing is that Alberto gained time on Andy [Schleck], after this remain four major stages in the Pyrenees, this is where the final victory will be played out, and I have complete trust in Alberto and his abilities, and in this team, to win this victory”.
At the end of the day Vinokourov himself took just 6 seconds from Schleck, but rose two places to twelfth in the general classification; overtaking Hesjedal and Nicolas Roche (AG2R-La Mondiale).