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Tour de France 2014: Stage 14

By SadhbhO'Shea
published

January 1 - July 27, Grenoble, France, Road - WorldTour

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Welcome to Cyclingnews coverage of stage 14 of the Tour de France from Grenoble to Risoul

Welcome to stage 14 of the Tour de France and it is set to be abother warm one for the riders, albiet a little cooler than it has been over the last two days.

Today sees the first hors categorie climb of the race the Col d'Izoard. It is the highest peak of this year's race and the first rider to hit the top of the climb will take home a nice little sum of 5,000 euros.

We're about 5 minutes away from the ceremonial start. Here is what the riders will face today.

Vincenzo Nibali was supreme once again yesterday and took his third stage win of the race. Can he add to that today? Here is how things finished yesterday.

The riders are almost all at the start line and we should be off any moment now. It's going to be a tough day with almost 4,000 metres of climbing.

And they're off. It's a long neutral zone today, at 9km. The official start should be given around 12:10 local time.

We mentioned that Nibali took his third stage win yesterday. The Italian extended his lead in the general classification to 3:37 over Alejandro Valverde. Richie Porte was the big loser of the day as he rocketed out of the top 10. Things are likely to change again later, but here is how it looks at the start of the day.

Joaquim Rodríguez is wearing the polka-dot jersey today, although Nibali is the classification leader. Currently Purito is 17 points behind Nibali. He's made his intentions known regarding the competition, will we see him on the attack again today?

Here is how things looks in the mountains classification at the moment.

The peloton is still in the neutral zone and we're a little behind schedule. The delay was due to a firefighters protest, but after a brief stop they are in motion again.

Around 8 minutes behind schedule, the official start has been given. It's a little cooler at 26 degrees, but still pretty warm riding conditions. There's not much chance for the riders to settle into today's stage before they start climbing.

This year's race has been a great one for the French, with some of their young stars really shining. In fact, it is two Frenchmen leading the pack in the young rider's classification. Romain Bardet heads the standings, 16 seconds ahead of his compatriot Thibault Pinot. We could have a good old battle between this pair today. Here is how the standings look at the start of the day.

174km remaining from 177km

It's going to be a long old day for André Greipel, the German sprinter has already been shed out of the back on this small, unclassified, incline at the start.

The peloton is in one line and the fast pace continues to take it's toll on the lesser climbers. Splits appearing all over the place with Gautier trying to go it alone at the moment.

We've got one DNS today, Rafal Valls (Lampre-Merida). The Spaniard is suffering with tendonitis of the knee. He is the third Lampre rider to abandon the race.

Greipel has a small cut to the back of his left calf. It looks like he may have had an off in the neutralised zone, which could explain why he was off the back. It doesn't look too serious for the German.

Vincenzo Nibali is in this front group at the moment, with a few teammates. Other jersey wearers Peter Sagana dn Joaquim Rodríguez up there too. Bardet is the only jersey wearer to miss the split.

164km remaining from 177km

Race radio has the size of the lead group at 40 riders, but we can already see splits forming there too. The second peloton is around 26 seconds behind them.

Astana has sat up and been brought back to the peloton, but Sagan and Rodríguez continue on in the front group. Both are looking to add to the points tallies in their respective competitions.

The speed of the opening 16km has been 47kph, pretty high when you consider that they've been climbing almost right from the off. However, it should abate now that we've got what looks like our breakaway for the day.

We'll bring the full list of riders at the front when we have it, but in addition to the jersey wearers we can see Geraint Thomas. With Richie Porte looking like he's lost all hope in the GC battle, Sky have gone to plan C and stage victories. Nieve will be one of the favourites to win today and Thomas will be a huge asset in that plan.

155km remaining from 177km

It's very early in the day, but with a group this strong we could see our stage winner coming from this group of 17.

Geraint Thomas is the highest placed GC rider in the break today. The Welshman is 14.05 behind Nibali. Nieve is not too far behind him at 14:51, however he could have been higher up had he not waited for Porte yesterday.

Thibault Pinot has been paced back up to the peloton after an early puncture. Today is a chance for him to take the white jersey, but we will have to wait and see how he copes with the long descents today.

149km remaining from 177km

Simon Yates is one of the escapees today. It is his second time in the break at the Tour de France, after stage 8 to Gérardmer La Mauselaine where he was caught on the final climb. He got a late call up to the race and is the youngest rider in the race, after the departure of Danny van Poppel. He's in illustrious company today, and the experience will be a big one for him.

The second climb of the day, the Col d'Izoard, is the highest peak of this year's Tour de France. It is a climb that is steeped with Tour de France history and hosts a small cycling museum at the top. It also has a memorial to Tour legends, Fausto Coppi and Louison Bobet. The Izoard is also the first of our five key climbs for the Tour de France. You can see the other climbs we have picked in our video here and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

141km remaining from 177km

No challenge at all for Sagan as he takes full points at the intermediate sprint.

As things calm down a little bit, we can take a look at some more of our escapees and it is good to see Rein Taaramae make it in. He's not had much luck at the Tour so far and is over two hours down in the general classification. It's a far cry from 2011 when he finished 11th and just missed out on the young riders classification. Taarmae had an operation on his larynx this winter and came back to win a stage of the Tour of Turkey. You can read about his return here.

Joaquim Rodríguez has some radio problems. He's not the only one, Konig had some issues earlier on as did Mollema. Perhaps the incoming strom clouds are having an affect already.

A rear puncture for Nieve and he calls for the team car. A quick changes and he's back on his bike.

The leaders are in Bourg-d'Oisans, home to the Alpe d'Huez. The riders will be able to see it, but their not going to be climbing it this year. The Col du Lautaret is coming up soon.

Steven Kruijswijk is another of the breakaway riders who had to take some time out this winter for an opperation. A narrowing in his femoral artery meant that he was struggling to match his past performances in the mountains. The operation was the second he had on the artery, but this time he hopes it is gone for good. On his day, Kruijswijk could be a contender for the stage.

Rafal Majka has been looking a lot better in recent days and finished second to Nibali yesterday. He was another late call-up to the Tour de France, after his teammate Romain Kreuziger was pulled due to an ongoing anti-doping case against him. Majka rode the Giro d'Italia earlier in the season and finished sixth, his best finish in a Grand Tour to date. After a bad start to the Tour, he is well down the standings and almost two hours behind Vincenzo Nibali.

121km remaining from 177km

115km remaining from 177km

Back to our look at the escapees and next up is Alessandro de Marchi. The Italian was in the breakaway yesterday. It looked like it was all over for him but he passes Kadri and Bakelants on the Col de Palaquit. He was eventually reeled in by the group of favourites, but took the most combative rider award. This is his second TOur de France.

Jose Serpa is receiving some medical attention to his right leg at the back of the breakaway group. not clear what the problem is, but it doesn't seem too serious.

A brief aside from the Tour action today and Mark Cavendish is back to training on the turbo this week, only six days after having surgery. He might not be able to go out of the house on his bike, but it has allowed him to catch up with Game of Thrones. You win some you lose some, eh. You can read the full article here.

This year is the 11th time that the Col du Lautaret has featured in the Tour de France and it is only the second time it has has first category status. It made its first appearance in 1950. Alpo Lazarides was the first rider over, but it was Raphaël Geminiani who took victory in St Etienne. The most recent appearance was 2006. On that day David de la Fuente made it over first, with Frank Schleck nicking victory on the Alpe d'Huez. Can Schleck take victory again today? Unlikely, I think.

106km remaining from 177km

Arnaud Démare rides off the front of the peloton and climbs into a camper van. Not sure what his reasons are for that.

It seems the French national champion needed the toilet and has chosen to go in the privacy of the camper van. He was ushered forward by his teammate Jérémy Roy.

101km remaining from 177km

Astana are still very much in control of things on the front of the peloton. We've had some brief glimpses of Movistar near the front but it has been all turquoise blue for almost the entire stage.

100km remaining from 177km

Former yellow jersey holder and winner of stage 11, Tony Gallopin has dropped off the back of the peloton to pick up some bidons. He gets one particularly sticky bottle.

As we near the top of the first clim, the break group has been strung out. A few guys will be very interested in the mountains points at the top here. Another little reminder of how things stand in that classification.

There are 10 points available at the top. Not enough for Rodríguez to close the gap to Nibali, but it will set him up nicely for the following climb.

If you are just waking up in the US and you've joined us for the remaining 96km of the stage, here is a reminder of the 17 men who made it into this front group.

 Joaquim Rodríguez takes the points on the top of the Lauteret, he too is unchallenged in his quest for points. Alessandro de Marchi follows him over. Both the leaders and peloton are powering it down the descent now. 

86km remaining from 177km

NetApp-Endura are moving closer to the front. They're looking after their man Leopold Konig. He finished third in yesterday's stage and moved himself into the top 10. You can read what he had to say here. 

76km remaining from 177km

75km remaining from 177km

A front wheel puncture for Peter Sagan. Better now than on the ascent. A fairly quick wheel change and he's now chasing back onto the escape group. However, if he's not back on by the time they start climbing, it's unlikely that he will ever make it back. 

70km remaining from 177km

113km remaining from 177km

Problems for Timmer as he goes through the feed zone. He takes his musette, but the handle breaks and he almost loses it. That could have ended quite badly. All safe and he's also managed to keep the contents of the musette too. 

The riders are climbing the Briançon side of the Izoard. It's considered the easier of the two sides, but don't let that fool you. It starts with a manageable 6% at the bottom, but hits almost 10% in the final 5km of the climb. 

61km remaining from 177km

Démare is getting some attention from the medical car. At least it is much cooler today than it was yesterday or the stomach problems may have put an end to his race very early on. 

Sorry for the gap in information, we have had a technical issue, but it has been fixed.

46km remaining from 177km

Back in the peloton, NatApp are still on the front with Astana sitting just behind them. Peter Sagan is about to be spat out the back of the pelron now.

Roche, Edet and Taaramae have all been dropped from the leading group and Moinard looks like he could be the next victim. Only 10 men left in the front group now. They still have a gap of 3:07.

44km remaining from 177km

42km remaining from 177km

The peloton is now on the descent, lead by an FDJ rider. It could well be Pinot.

40km remaining from 177km

There is a brief rise again for the peloton and we can confirm that it was Pinot who was leading on that small descent. If you're worried about descending then the front is probably the best place for you, although the riders behind may not think that.

We're about to get to the really pointy end of the action, why not let us know your picks for victory by tweeting us on @Cyclingnews or @SadhbhOS

34km remaining from 177km

Most importantly, Bardet has a gap on Pinot who is only 16 seconds behind him in the general classification. Valverde is alos being forced to chase on.

Nibali and Valverde have joined up with the Bardet/Peraud pairing. Pinot is still chasing hard to make it back.

Back up front and Edet has joined the leading group, swelling their ranks to 11.

Pinot made it back but he is being distanced once again. His fear of descending is nothing like it was last year, but he still has some work to do on it.

There are a few noticeable absentees from this chasing group. Porte, Van Garderen and Van Den Broeck are all missting. Riblon is one of the former leaders that has been caught and is now leading his teammate Bardet down this descent.

BMC are now leading the chase in the third group. They are 28 seconds behind the second group on the road.

23km remaining from 177km

Dries Devenyns has become the lastest rider to abandon the Tour de France, after suffering a crash. He is the first Giant-Shimano rider to call it quits.

The road has levelled out a touch and the pace has abated. This is merely the calm before the storm on the way Risoul.

16km remaining from 177km

AG2R now have five riders ont he front of the peloton, including Romain Bardet. Leopold Konig is sitting on the back. Perhaps the earlier efforts of his team have taken its toll on their leader.

With a kilometre to go to the final climb, the gap is down to just over a minute. Serpa decides he wants to be first onto the climb and attacks.

Rodriguez is playing it cool at the back of the leading group. How long before he attacks?

We're onto the final climb

12km remaining from 177km

Giant-Shimano report that Devenyns has gone to hospital after his earlier crash. Hopefully it isn't too serious. 

Riblon has done his work and has now dropped off the group of favourites. Costa has also been dropped.

11km remaining from 177km

Serpa has set off in chase of De Marchi

10km remaining from 177km

After being dropped on the last climb, Edet has now attacked and has set off in chase of De Marchi and Serpa.

9km remaining from 177km

Fuglsang has well and truely exploded. Covered in the bandages from yesterday, he's done his job for the day.

8km remaining from 177km

Bardet only has one more teammate left with him now and his compatriot Rolland is looming behind him as if he might be about to do something.

Sorry, I was mistaken. Rodriguez wasn't dropped He has actually caught and passed De Marchi.

Serpa and Edet are about to get caught by the yellow jersey group as have the majority of the escape group.

Rafal Majka is out alone at the front with Rodriguez just 16 seconds behind him. De Marchi is doing his best to hold onto Rodriguez.

6km remaining from 177km

As it has been since the beginning of the climb, AG2R are trying to pile the pressure on the front of the yellow jersey group. The pace has had its victims as Jurgen Van Den Broeck is dropped.

Yates attacks.

He was caught a little while ago, but obviously still has some energy in his legs. The attack doesn't last very long though.

5km remaining from 177km

This is impressive from Majka. He's obviously managed to ride himself into form. There is still 4.8km to go. He can still do it, but it's going to be tough.

AG2R peel off and Rolland attacks

4km remaining from 177km

Van Den Broeck really looks like he's struggling. He's around 1:30 behind the yellow jersey group.

Rolland has another dig, but he doesn't really make a gap

3km remaining from 177km

Nibali passes Rodríguez and De Marchi, with Peraud struggling to get into his wheel. The Frenchman is the only one who could follow the attack.

2km remaining from 177km

2km remaining from 177km

Majka is still out front. The gap has come down to 52 seconds, but that should be anought for him.

2km remaining from 177km

Van Garderen attacks now, but he can't make a gap. Valverde is too quick on his wheel.

1km remaining from 177km

The chasing group has split. Van Garderen, Bardet, Schleck and Pinot are chasing down Nibali.

Behind them is Konig, Valverde, Ten Dam and Rolland.

Ten Dam attacks and is followed by Konig. Valverde is really struggling here and could be able to lose his second place, perhaps even his podium spot.

Majka is into the final kilomtre. Nibali and Peraud pass under the flamme rouge 29 seconds back.

Aside from Schleck, this third group ont he road is the battle of the yound riders. Pinot, Bardet and Van Garderen are all pretty close in that competition.

The trio are attacking each other and Schleck is striggling to hang on

Majka can see the finish line now

Majka takes victory on stage 14 of the Tour de France.

Peraud attacks Nibali

Nibali doesn't panic and comes around him to take second

Bardet sprints for the line and crosses the line with Pinot. Van Garderen loses a little time.

We wait for Valverde and we could be about to see two Frenchman move into podium postitions.

Valverde crosses the line. It looks like he's saved his second place, but not by much.

Michael Rogers crossing the line 2:33 behind his teammate. After losing Alberto Contador before the rest day, Majka's victory will go a little way to saving TInkoff-Saxo's Tour de France.

Simon Yates finishes just under 3:30 behind Majka. What a great performance from him. Need we remind you that he is the youngest rider in the race and got the call up less than a week before the race started.

Van Den Broeck still out on course.

Costa crosses the line almost 5 minutes down and will likely slip out of the top 10. Van Den Broeck and Richie Porte follow about 30 seconds behidn the world champion.

Only 17 seconds remain between Berdet and Valverde after that finish. He's hanging on by a thread. Pinot is only 16 seconds behind Bardet. Nibali may be in control but it's all still to play for behind him.

We'll have the top 10 for you as soon as we can, but you will be able to find the full results, report and pictures from today's stage here soon.

 Here is the top 10 from today's stage

We've got a few movers and shakers in the GC today. 

That's it from us today. Thanks for joining us and make sure you come back for stage tomorrow. 

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