14 DAY TRIAL // Mount Ventoux is one of the special climbs of the Tour, known for the huge crowds that gather on its slopes when the race comes and its lunar-like landscapes near the finish.
This is a mountain for the pure climbers and much can happen here to change the race leadership.
Kloden is my main attacking threat here and I plan to pair him up with Schleck once more while also getting another rider up the road to help them in the final 10 to 15 km.
The day started well for me as Montfort, a strong cyclist from Belgium, made it into the break on his first try and managed to stay with a strong group without using up too much energy.
Unfortunately, once the Ventoux climb itself started, all the big and medium category favorites attacked at once and I was unprepared to send my leaders after them.
Instead, I chose to put two of my own riders on the front with maximum effort and try to bring that big group back.
No other team joined me and my efforts were too small to make a dent in the rapidly growing gap.
To make matters worse, Kloden had a bad day, with 0 daily form, while Schleck sat at +5, and I tried to allow each to climb at his own pace rather than sacrificing one leader to improve the other’s chance.
Once again, my tactic of splitting my forces was inadequate and I lost precious more minutes to the leading riders.
The 100th edition of Le Tour de France is now led by Alejandro Valvede who sits ahead of Contador and Froome.
A new rest day follows and then the race heads into an even more hellish final week with one individual time trial and some tough Alpine climbs.
