The years as a bit player are definitively over: British cycling is playing a leading role in this year’s Tour de France.
After a decade of scandal and infighting, it is the influence of British riders that is restoring some dignity to the much-loved but tainted race.
Yesterday, after David Millar’s Garmin-Cervélo team narrowly eased past the Bradley Wiggins-led Team Sky to win the coveted team time-trial stage here, four British names were among the top 20 riders in the overall standings.
Millar, Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins, both of Team Sky, and Mark Cavendish, of HTC-Highroad, are hovering near the head of the race classification. Any of them can hope to pull on the maillot jaune, which is on the shoulders of Millar’s team-mate, Thor Hushovd, in the next few days.
Millar and Wiggins, feuding since the Londoner left Garmin for Sky in late 2009, may finally have buried the hatchet, but there is clearly a fierce rivalry between the teams.
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Beyond yesterday’s finish line, across a supermarket car park where the team buses were billeted during the stage, a huge cheer broke out as Garmin personnel realised that they had posted a faster time than Sky.
If Garmin’s joy was unbridled, Sky’s start to this Tour has left the British team in buoyant mood. Wiggins, who is in twelfth place and, like Thomas, four seconds from the race lead, was delighted by his team’s performance in the collective discipline.
“We didn’t win the stage, but this is Garmin’s speciality,” he said. “We took time on [Alberto] Contador, so for the general classification it’s great. Geraint was hungry today and the slight tinge of disappointment is that he didn’t get the [yellow] jersey, but we couldn’t have done any better.”
“They did everything they could,” Sean Yates, the Sky directeur sportif, said of his riders. “If they’d made a mistake, you could feel frustrated, but they were on it from the start and carried it all the way to the finish. Respect to Garmin for going faster.”
In fact, Millar might have taken the yellow jersey, if he had not crossed the line slightly behind Hushovd in Saturday’s finish at Mont des Alouettes. Now the 34-year-old Scot, who is level on time with the Norwegian, is eyeing up the forthcoming stages for any further opportunities to steal clear.
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Closing on Millar is Thomas, who is four seconds in arrears. The Welshman, who leads the young riders’ classification, was Sky’s leading finisher in the opening road stage, which was won by Philippe Gilbert, of Belgium.
For Contador, the defending champion, it has been a calamitous start. Delayed by a crash on Saturday, he languishes in 75th place, more than 1min 40sec behind Hushovd. In the first two stages, he has lost significant ground on Wiggins and other rivals, such as Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck, last year’s runner-up.
“In recent years, the Tour has been decided by a handful of seconds and I’m almost two minutes down,” Contador said. “It’s going to be tough.”
Last night it was rumoured in the Spanish press that Contador’s team, Saxo Bank, had appealed that his time arrears be adjusted, arguing that he had been delayed behind team cars after Saturday’s crash. However, it now seems unlikely that the race jury will make any change.
Nonetheless, it would be premature to write off the Spaniard. There are ten days until he enters his preferred terrain, the high Pyrenees. So close to the Spanish border, he is guaranteed support, but whether that will be enough to lift him seems a moot point.
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While Contador appears increasingly morose, Sky have been able to celebrate their sense of togetherness. “Today wasn’t about egos,” Wiggins said. “It was about the team and about getting the maximum out of everybody. It was a fantastic performance — to finish second here is no disappointment.”
The rake-thin Wiggins, who at 69 kilograms weighs four kilograms less than in 2009 and one kilogram less than when he won the mountainous Dauphiné Libéré last month, is feeling optimistic. “It’s been a fantastic start to this Tour and a complete contrast to last year’s race,” he said. “At the moment, it’s looking good.”
Team time-trial (Les Essarts to Les Essarts, 23km): 1, Garmin-Cervelo 24min 48sec; 2, BMC Racing at 4sec behind; 3,Team Sky; 4, Leopard-Trek both same time; 5, HTC-Highroad 5; 6, RadioShack 10; 7, Rabobank 12; 8, Saxo Bank Sungard 28; 9, Astana 32; 10, Omega Pharma-Lotto 39; 11, FDJ 46; 12, Europcar 50; 13, AG2R La Mondiale 53; 14, Quickstep 56; 15, Liquigas-Cannondale 57; 16, Saur-Sojasun 1min 2sec; 17, Lampre-Isd 1:04; 18, Katusha same time; 19, Movistar 1:09; 20, Vacansoleil-Dcm 1:15; 21, Cofidis 1:20; 22, Euskaltel-Euskadi at same time.
Leading individual positions: 1, T Hushovd (Nor, Garmin-Cervelo) 5hr 6min 25sec; 2, D Millar (GB, Garmin-Cervelo) at same time; 3, C Evans (Aus, BMC Racing ) 1sec behind; 4, G Thomas (GB, Team Sky) 4; 5, L Gerdemann (Ger, Leopard-Trek); 6, F Schleck (Lux, Leopard-Trek); 7, F Cancellara (Switz, Leopard-Trek) 8, E Boasson Hagen (Nor, Team Sky); 9, M Quinziato (It, BMC Racing); 10, A Schleck (Lux, Leopard-Trek); 11, J Fuglsang (Den, Leopard-Trek); 12, B Wiggins (GB, Team Sky); 13, G Hincapie (US, BMC Racing ) all same time; 14, T Martin (Ger, HTC-Highroad) 5; 15, P Velits (Slovakia, HTC-Highroad); 16, T van Garderen (US, HTC-Highroad); 17, L Ytting Bak (Den, HTC-Highroad); 18, M Cavendish (GB, HTC-Highroad); 19, M Harley Goss (Aus, HTC-Highroad) all same time; 20, A Klöden (Ger, RadioShack) 10. Other: 24, B Swift (GB, Team Sky ) 11.
Today: Third stage: Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon (198km).
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Television: Eurosport from 11.45am.