#TDF13: Froome wins TT by 9 seconds – Huez the winner today?

Third stage victory for Chris Froome yesterday

Chris Froome won the mountain time trial yesterday but by a much closer margin than expected as he beat Alberto Contador by just nine seconds. Contador had been leading at the three intermediate checkpoints. Joaquin Rodriguez rode an fine TT finishing at 10 seconds behind Froome. Romain Other leading positions were Kreuziger (23 seconds), Alejandro Valverde (30 seconds), Nairo Quintana (1.11), Jakob Fuglsang (1.34), Andrew Talansky (1.41), Tejay Van Garderen (1.51) and Bauke Mollema (2.09). This takes Froome's stage total to four.

Yesterday Contador rode his best time trial for a number of years and will have been very disappointed not to win the stage having been ahead of Froome for most of the course. However, Sky are famous for their negative splits. Also Contador choose to not to change to a time trial bike at the top of the second mountain climb, whereas Froome and a number of other leading riders did and this may have cost Alberto. However, Froome was already reducing the gap between him and Contador by the third checkpoint.

One big loser of the day was Bauke Mollema who dropped from 2nd to 4th overall.The other was sadly Jean-Christophe Peraud, who crashed while out checking out the course early in the morning breaking his collarbone. Unfortunately he crashed at exactly the same place during the race doubtless doing further damage to his shoulder and having to retire from the race. Peraud was the leading French rider.  

Today should be very exciting and great theatre with two ascents of l'Alpe d'Huez. I have ridden the Alpe once back in 1985 and although a tough climb as you go straight from flat into the climb I don't think it is as tough as the Ventoux, for instance. Doubtless this is very different when you are racing with many thousands of people packed all the way up the climb. We did also see the Tour go up here in 1986 when Greg Lemond and Bernard Hainault rode up together.             

Pat McQuaid: has become the story & Kimmage case now a referendum on McQuaid's presidency

   

Showing amazing ineptitude, Pat McQuaid, 'president' of the UCI  has managed to make himself the story this week. Rather than starting to clear up the mess revealed by the USADA report, McQuaid has stirred up an EPO driven hornets' nest by calling Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton 'scumbags' for eventually telling the truth about their doping along with Armstrong's. Hardly presidential language!

At the UCI press conference on Monday McQuaid had the chance to provide a lead – a reassurance that UCI would be striving to make as sure as possible that doping would be eradicated as far as possible from the sport. McQuaid managed the easy part stripping Lance Armstrong of his Tour victories and accepting the USADA life ban. But that was as good as it got.

UCI will continue to take money from riders, who they are supposed to be policing, despite all the grief that Armstrong's donations to the UCI have caused. No chance of moving on by dropping the foolish and vengeful legal action against Paul Kimmage. It then transpired that the UCI's endorsement of the USADA report was much less ringing than MacQuaid present it to the world's press. This reinforcing the impression that the UCI would have preferred that USADA never assembled a case against Armstrong and that during the Armstrong's years the UCI turned a blind eye to what was going on. No wonder the USADA released their case against Armstrong to the world leaving the UCI little option but to accept its findings and verdict on Armstrong.          

Little wonder that there are now calls for McQuaid to stand down – firstly from Tyler Hamilton and then, much more credibly, from triple winner Greg Lemond.

Day by day the action against Paul Kimmage becomes a bigger and bigger PR disaster for McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen. The Kimmage defense fund, which was started on 20th September, has now reached $81,448.50 with donations from 2724 people all voting against McQuaid and Verbruggen. Perhaps predictably McQuaid has been shredded on twitter with his reputation now toast.
 
Time for McQuaid and Verbruggen to go. Whether they will is quite another matter. Chances are that, like Sapp Splatter, they will cling limpet-like to their posts devoid of any credibility. 

Views on McQuaid: here (Richard Williams-Guardian), Greg Lemond's open letter and comment here.     

UCI v USADA: Here 

Michael Ashenden: The curious tale of Armstrong's donations to the UCI.

Which clean riders might have won the Armstrong Tours– 1999-2005? 

26.10.12 am: Paul Kimmage Defense fund is now $82,651.50 from 2762 donors. Donate here.


26.10.12 pm: Paul Kimmage Defense fund is now $83126.50 from 2782 donors. Donate here.