Apart from issues with his bike in the closing stages of today’s stage to Lisieux, stage six went well for defending Tour champion Alberto Contador. He reports a good recovery from yesterday’s crash, saying that he is feeling much better.
“In the beginning of the stage, I was struggling a bit but after a few kilometres of pedalling I was feeling ok,” he stated. “It was another nervous stage and because of the rain I was practically unable to see anything. At the end of stage I was moving to the very front of the pack simply to avoid accidents and not because I wanted to make an attack. I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better all the time.”
Contador was delayed inside the final hour of racing due to a pedal problem. He initially swapped bikes with Saxo Bank SunGard team-mate Jesus Hernandez, then got a replacement from the team car. He was able to rejoin the main bunch and finished in the front group of 62 riders.
Team owner Bjarne Riis said he was satisfied with how things went. “This stage was much more calm than the previous stages, and I think everything it went as we had hoped for despite of heavy rain and wind. Alberto had a completely undramatic bike change due to problems with his pedal.” He added that the goal now is to avoid issues tomorrow, then head towards the sort of terrain where Contador can set about making up the time he has lost.
As a result of being delayed behind a crash on day one plus the team time trial, the Spaniard is currently back in 34th place, one minute 42 seconds behind race leader Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo). Providing he’s on top form, he can begin to recoup the time given up to his rivals in the mountains. Saturday’s stage to Super Besse will be the first opportunity to do so, although the final climb may not be difficult enough to make a decisive break.