2015 Tour de France: Stage 6 News, Notes and Quotes

There is never a dull moment on the Tour de France and Thursday’s sixth stage was no exception as race leader Tony Martin crashed, sending 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali and other riders tumbling to the tarmac.

After a few days of crashes and nervous racing, the peloton took it relatively easy on the Normandy coastline until the last kilometer when Martin lost his balance and, almost like dominos, other leading contenders followed suit.

Martin Forced to Abandon

Race leader Tony Martin crossed the finish line clutching his shoulder and reports after the race indicated that his collarbone was broken.

Martin will fly to BG Hospital in Hamburg immediately for surgery, and will withdraw from the race. Martin was diagnosed with a collarbone fracture on the left side of his body.

“Unfortunately, the collarbone is a lateral fracture,” Team Doctor Helge Riepenhof said. “The collarbone is in lots of pieces, so it was a major impact. One of the pieces came through the skin, which means it’s an open fracture. Therefore, even if it was Tony’s wish to start tomorrow, I have to say he is not allowed to. Riders always want to race. Tony especially. He’s shown in the last years that even with broken bones that he will race if possible. But this is a medical situation where this is impossible. He needs surgery straight away, and that is why we are going to the hospital now. We will fix the collarbone there. He is already on antibiotics. It’s a serious injury, and that is why we can’t risk anything and why he cannot be at the start tomorrow.”

Movistar leaders take scrapes

Both Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde suffered injuries in Stage 6.

Quintana was several bikes behind Tony Martin when the crash happened. The Colombian rider reached the finish line with a wound on his right elbow, caused by a chain wheel, and some other bruises over his arm, which were treated right at the team bus.

“I was like three places behind Tony Martin and the crash that took him down also affected me”, said the Boyacá-born rider after the stage. “It’s a superficial wound; now that I’m still with all the ‘heat’ of the stage on me, I don’t feel any pain – I just hope it’s really nothing and feel my elbow OK tomorrow morning. People at home can feel calm about this.”

After a nature break earlier in the race, Alejandro Valverde slipped on the gravel when he went back on his bike, suffering bruises in his left gluteus and calf, as well as some pain all over his body and a blow to his back. The injuries are not expected to have an impact on his continuing in the race.

Daniel Teklehaimanot makes history

The 6th stage of the Tour de France ended as a historical day for African cycling as MTN-Qhubeka’s Daniel Teklehaimanot became the first African rider to pull on the Polka Dot climbers jersey and only the third African ever, to wear a leader’s jersey at the Tour de France.

Teklehaimanot’s opportunity came when he got into the 3 rider break of the day that got clear after just 5km of racing. There would be 3 category 4 climbs on route today, with 1 point available to the first rider over the top of each climb. Perrig Quemeneur (Europcar) and Kenneth Vanbilsen (Cofidis) were the two other riders in the break and Quemeneur challenged the Eriteran rider for the mountain points throughout the stage.

“I am really happy to take the jersey,” said Teklehaimanot. “It is a big step for African cycling and I feel really proud at the moment because I have this jersey. I am excited to be able to show my team’s colours on the podium because we are trying to give 5000 bicycles to African students, being on the podium will help our project and I want to help make a difference for my African people. It was always our plan to get this polka dot jersey so I am happy we could do it. I am proud to be African and I am proud to be Eritrean. This is a day I will never forget.”

FDJ team angered by late night dope tests

Reuters reports today that FDJ team management was angered by late night anti-doping controls on three of their riders last night.

FDJ coach Julien Pinot, whose brother Thibaut finished third in last year’s Tour de France, and team doctor Gerard Guillaume were fuming after the tests were carried out at 11pm on Wednesday.

Pinot, Alexandre Geniez of France and Swiss Steve Morabito were the three FDJ riders who were tested.

“Even if the sport has made many mistakes in the past, I think it’s going somewhat too far,” Guillaume told French TV.

“The first controls of the day took place at 6am…I guarantee you that it would make the front page of L’Equipe newspaper if it happened in football.”