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Sanchez solos to Tour Stage Win!
15 juli 2012
Rabobank rider Luis Leon Sanchez scored a dazzling solo stage win at the Tour de France Sunday, attacking in the final 11km to win a mountainous Stage 14 in Foix.
Sanchez’s win was even more remarkable considering the crashes, injuries and bad luck that have plagued his team in this year's Tour. With only four riders left in the race, Rabobank still managed to set the tone in the first Tour stage in the Pyrenees. Sanchez and his teammate Steven Kruijswijk were the aggressors in a breakaway group of 11 riders that went clear about 50km into the 191km stage.
The break built up a lead of more than 15 minutes over the day’s two main climbs, the Por du Lers and the Mur de Péguere. The mountains whittled the front group down to just five riders, including Sanchez, on the final long descent into Foix. With the green jersey sprint leader Peter Sagan among the five, Sanchez, a known breakaway artist who has several Spanish Time Trial Championships to his name, knew he had to attack to win.
Sanchez made his move at just the right time, rocketing ahead on his Giant TCR Advanced SL to score his fourth career stage win at the Tour de France.
“Sagan can win any sprint in the Tour, so today, in a break with so few people, he would have won easily,” Sanchez said. I attacked from far out and everything went right.”
For Rabobank, it was a superb result in an otherwise challenging year at the Tour. With one week to go before the finish in Paris, you can expect Sanchez and his three remaining teammates to continue battling until the very end.
Sanchez’s win was even more remarkable considering the crashes, injuries and bad luck that have plagued his team in this year's Tour. With only four riders left in the race, Rabobank still managed to set the tone in the first Tour stage in the Pyrenees. Sanchez and his teammate Steven Kruijswijk were the aggressors in a breakaway group of 11 riders that went clear about 50km into the 191km stage.
The break built up a lead of more than 15 minutes over the day’s two main climbs, the Por du Lers and the Mur de Péguere. The mountains whittled the front group down to just five riders, including Sanchez, on the final long descent into Foix. With the green jersey sprint leader Peter Sagan among the five, Sanchez, a known breakaway artist who has several Spanish Time Trial Championships to his name, knew he had to attack to win.
Sanchez made his move at just the right time, rocketing ahead on his Giant TCR Advanced SL to score his fourth career stage win at the Tour de France.
“Sagan can win any sprint in the Tour, so today, in a break with so few people, he would have won easily,” Sanchez said. I attacked from far out and everything went right.”
For Rabobank, it was a superb result in an otherwise challenging year at the Tour. With one week to go before the finish in Paris, you can expect Sanchez and his three remaining teammates to continue battling until the very end.
