Rob Moore’s Motorworld: From the Pitlane (11/07/11)We

Welcome to another edition of Rob Moore’s Motorworld: From the Pitlane.

In this edition we discuss the British GP.

Tour de France: Stages 7 – 9

As we enter today’s rest day, there have been dramatic changes at the top  (and I don’t mean the News of the world!)

1 VOECKLER Thomas 181 TEAM EUROPCAR FRA 38h 35′ 11″ + 00′ 00″

2 SANCHEZ Luis-Leon 47 RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM ESP 38h 37′ 00″ + 01′ 49″

3 EVANS Cadel 141 BMC RACING TEAM AUS 38h 37′ 37″ + 02′ 26″

4 SCHLECK Frank 18 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK LUX 38h 37′ 40″ + 02′ 29″

5 SCHLECK Andy 11 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK LUX 38h 37′ 48″ + 02′ 37″

6 MARTIN Tony 175 HTC – HIGHROAD GER 38h 37′ 49″ + 02′ 38″

7 VELITS Peter 179 HTC – HIGHROAD SVK 38h 37′ 49″ + 02′ 38″

8 KLÖDEN Andréas 74 TEAM RADIOSHACK GER 38h 37′ 54″ + 02′ 43″

9 GILBERT Philippe 32 OMEGA PHARMA – LOTTO BEL 38h 38′ 06″ + 02′ 55″

10 FUGLSANG Jakob 13 TEAM LEOPARD-TREK DEN 38h 38′ 19″ + 03′ 08″

(Existing Yellow Jersey holder, Thor Hushovd moves down to 24th position.  Last year’s winner Alberto Contador is now up to 16th)

Green Jersey: GILBERT Philippe 32 OMEGA PHARMA – LOTTO BEL 217pts

Polka Dot Jersey:   HOOGERLAND Johnny VACANSOLEIL-DCM NED 22pts

White Jersey: GESINK Robert NED 38h 39′ 12″

Team Competition: TEAM EUROPCAR 115h 03′ 31″

 So why all this change?  A dramatic few days is the answer.

Stage 7:

Mixed fortunes for British riders in this stage saw Mark Cavendish grab yet

Bradley Wiggins crashes during Stage 7.

another stage win, but also the withdrawal of the unfortunate Bradley Wiggins after an awful crash.  His joy was clouded by a broken collarbone sustained by Bradley Wiggins after a pile-up in the peloton, which forced the 31-year-old Team Sky rider to retire.  Even worse for Team Sky, delays suffered by Geraint Thomas following that crash meant he relinquished the white jersey to Dutchman Robert Gesink (Rabobank).

Stage 7  result:

1. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) 5h 38′ 53″

2. Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) +00′ 00″

3. Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma – Lotto) +00′ 00″

4. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil) +00′ 00″

5. Willian Bonnet (FDJ) +00′ 00″

6. Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) +00′ 00″

7. Thor Hushovd (Garmin – Cervelo) +00′ 00″

8. Sebastien Turgot (Europcar) +00′ 00″

9. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) +00′ 00″

10. Sebastien Hinault (AG2R La Mondiale) +00′ 00″

Stage 8:

Rui Costa won the stage for Movistar, but it was Thor Hushovd and Philippe Gilbert who retained yellow and grab green respectively.  A week in and 189 riders are left in the starting pack for Saturday’s tricky Stage 8  from Aigurande to Super-Besse with four climbs either side of the sole intermediate sprint at Auzances.

Stage 8 result:

1. Rui Costa (Movistar) 4h 36′ 46″

2. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) +00′ 12″

3. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) +00′ 15″

4. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) +00′ 15″

5. Peter Velits (HTC-Highroad) +00′ 15″

6. Dries Devenyns (Quick Step) +00′ 15″

7. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) +00′ 15″

8. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank Sungard) +00′ 15″

9. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) +00′ 15″

10. Frank Schleck (Leopard-Trek) +00′ 15″

Stage 9

A dramatic day in the Massif Centralmountains proved disastrous for some riders, with a number being forced to abandon the race after crashes. One crash involved a collision black car owned by a French television channel and
Johnny Hoogerland. In the last few kilometres of the race, the car attempted to overtake the him,  but, swerving to avoid a tree by the side of the road, rammed into the side of Flecha, who in turn sent Hoogerlander cartwheeling painfully into a barbed-wire fence.   The bloodied pair eventually remounted  and were soon absorbed back into the main pack and both finished the stage.  A tearful Hoogerland later accepting his hard-won King of the Mountains jersey.
In Thomas Voeckler,  it was a Frenchman in the Yellow Jersey however.  The last time the Tour passed through the town of Saint Flour, where this year’s ninth stage was due to conclude, Thomas Voeckler was wearing the maillot jaune of the race leader.  After today’s finish, where the Frenchman lead an early breakaway that lasted right to the stage’s end, he won back the golden fleece once again, the first time since 2004.

Stage 9 result:

1. Luis-Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) 5h 27’09”

2. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) +00’05”

3. Sandy Casar (FdJ) +00’13”

4. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto + 03’59”

5. Peter Velits (HTC-Highroad) + 03’59”

6. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing)  + 03’59”

7. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 03’59”

8. Tony Martin (HTV-Highroad + 03’59”

9. Frank schleck (eam leopard-trek + 03’59”

10. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) +03

Tour de France: Stage 6

Following Stage 6, on Thursday (7th),  this is how the General Classification stands:

1 Thor HUSHOVD (Nor) TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO   22h 50’34” + 00’00”
2 Cadel EVANS (Aus) BMC RACING TEAM  22h 50’35” + 00’01”
3 Frank SCHLECK (Lux) TEAM LEOPARD-TREK  22h 50’38” + 00’04”
4 David MILLAR (GB) TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO  22h 50’42” + 00’08”
5 Andréas KLÖDEN (Ger) TEAM RADIOSHACK  22h 50’44” + 00’10”
6 Bradley WIGGINS (GB) SKY PROCYCLING  22h 50’44” + 00’10”

Green Jersey: Philippe Gilbert  Omega Pharma-Lotto 144pts
Polka Dot Jersey: Johnny Hoogerland  Vacansoleil-DCM  4pts
White Jersey: Geraint Thomas  Team Sky  22:50:46

Team Sky gained their first ever Tour de France stage win, as Edvald Boasson Hagen won a tough sprint ahead of HTC’s Matt Goss and Garmin rider Thor Hushovd.  Sky, formed just 2 years ago, are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.  A sort of AFC Wimbledon of the cycling world.
With team-mate Bradley Wiggins in contention for the yellow jersey, and young Welshman Geraint Thomas retaining the white jersey after Stage 6, Boasson Hagen rounded off a good day for the team, winning a sprint to the line at Lisieux.

Edvald Boasson Hagen

Stage 6 result:

1  Edvald Boasson Hagen  (Team Sky)  5h 13′ 37″
2. Matthew Goss    (HTC-Highroad)     + 00′ 00″
3. Thor Hushovd    (Garmin-Cervelo)  + 00′ 00″
4. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil)     + 00′ 00″
5. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)   + 00′ 00″
6. Arthur Vichot (FDJ)  + 00′ 00″
7. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto  + 00′ 00″
8. Gerald Ciolek (Quick Step)    + 00′ 00″
9. Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil)    + 00′ 00″
10. Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ)    + 00′ 00″

Tour de France: Stages 4 & 5

Following Stage 5, on Wednesday (6th),  this is how the General Classification stands:

1  Thor Hushovd  (Nor)  Team Garmin – Cervelo  17h 36’57”

2  Cadel Evans  (Aus)  BMC Racing Team  17h 36’58”  +00’01”

3  Frank Schleck  (Lux)  Team Leopard-Trek  17h 37’01” + 00’04”

Green Jersey: Philippe Gilbert   Omega Pharma-Lotto   120pts

Polka Dot Jersey: Cadel Evans  BMC Racing Team   2pts

White Jersey: Geraint Thomas  Team Sky  17:37:09

Team Competition:  Team Garmin – Cervelo  52h 01′ 31″

Cadel Evans wins in a close finish on Stage 4.

In Stage 4,  Cadel Evans just managed to hold off Alberto Contador to gain victory on the line,  and win his first stage of the 2011 edition in Mur de Bretagne. The BMC Racing Team rider looked strong over the first few days and dug deep up the final uphill stretch to deny the controversial reigning champion Alberto Contador and Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov.

Stage 4 result:

1. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)  4h 11m 39s

2. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank Sungard) same time

3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) same time

4. Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky) same time

5. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) same time

6. Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) same time

7. Frank Schleck (Leopard Trek) same time

8. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) same time

9. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) same time

10. Andreas Kloden (Radioshack) same time

Britain’s Mark Cavendish won Stage 5 on the uphill finish to seal his 16th Tour stage win. Earlier on, the HTC-Highroad pace rider was boxed in at the intermediate sprint, which visibly angered him and gave him the adrenaline to upstage the likes of Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd.

Stage 5 result:

1. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)  3h 38 min 32 sec

2. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) same time

3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) same time

4. Tony Gallopin (Cofidis) same time

5. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) same time

6. Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto) same time

7. Sebastien Hinault (Agr2 La Mondiale) same time

8. William Bonnet (FDJ) same time

9. Daniel Oss (Liquigas) same time

10. Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) same time

Tour de France: Stages 2 & 3

Thor Hushovd

Following Stage 3, on Monday (4th),  this is how the General Classification stands:

1 Thor Hushovd  (Nor)  – Team Garmin-Cervelo  9h 46′ 46”

2David Millar (GBR)  – Team Garmin-Cervelo  9h 46′ 46”

3 Cadel Evans (Aus)  –  BMC Racing Team   9h 46′ 50”

Behind Cadel Evans, right down to 17th place, there is a whole host of riders on the same time (just 4 seconds down).  Two British riders are in the top 4, and all five British riders are within the top 25.

Stage 2,  the Team Trial was won by Garmin-Cervelo.  With this, their rider, Norway’s Thor Hushovd took the yellow jersey.  Incumbent Yellow Jersey wearer Phillipe Gilbert took the green (points) jersey.

Stage 3 was won by Tyler Farrar (USA) – Garmin-Cervelo  (4h 40′ 21” ) , ahead of  Romain Feillu (Fra) – Vacansoleil and Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) – Movistar, who took the green jersey,  and 4th Sébastien Hinault (Fra) – AG2R-Le Mondiale.  They all finished on the same time as winner Tyler Farrar.

Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushovd were docked points for an incident during Stage 3’s intermediate sprint.  Cavendish won the bunch sprint to take sixth place behind the five breakaway riders with Hushovd behind, however Tour officials deemed their behaviour leading into the line unacceptable.

Controversy continues over last year’s Tour winner Alberto Contador.  He has a performance-enhancing drug charge hanging over him.  He was originally stripped of the Tour win, but,  following an appeal, was reinstated as the winner.  Now, a counter-appeal has been launched – but this is not going to be heard until after this year’s Tour.  So, if he was to win this Tour as well,  and then, the counter-appeal is upheld, we might have the strange situation of him being stripped of both last year’s Tour – and this year’s as well.  This Tour has not gone well for him at all.  Even before Stage 1 started, when the teams were being presented,  he was booed.  Once the stage started,  he was involved in a collision with another rider, and a spectator,  and found himself down in 75th place.  It has been suggested the spectator causing the collision was not where they were by accident,  and an appeal was put in.  This has since been confirmed, not to be the case.  He is presently in 69th place.

Tour de France – Stage 1

In-form Philippe Gilbert stormed to victory in Stage 1 of the 2011 Tour de France on Mont des Alouettes.  (Saturday 2nd)

Cadel Evans of BMC Racing Team pushed him all the way and finished second, with Norwegian Thor Hushovd taking third place. Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas lies sixth, and could well be wearing yellow following the Stage 2 team time trial, as his team is tipped to be very strong in the team time trial.

Positions after Stage 1:

Yellow Jersey (Result of Stage 1/General Classification)
1  Philippe Gilbert  (Bel) –  Omega Pharma  – 04:41:31
2  Cadel Evans (Aus) –  BMC Racing –  04:41:34     +3secs
3  Thor Hushovd (Nor) –  Team Garmin –  04:41:37    +6secs

Green Jersey (Points)
1  Philippe Gilbert (Bel) –  Omega Pharma  -45 pts
2  Cadel Evans (Aus) – BMC Racing – 35 pts    (Is in green because Phillipe Gilbert is already in yellow)
3  Thor Hushovd (Nor) – Team Garmin – 30 pts

Tour de France 2011

This weekend sees the start of the greatest cycle race in the world, and here, I will keeping track of what is happening. Before we go any further, here are all the stages, with dates and how long they are….

Stage 1  En ligne Saturday 2 July Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts > Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers 191.5 km

Stage 2  Team TT Sunday 3 July Les Essarts > Les Essarts 23 km

Stage 3  En ligne Monday 4 July Olonne-sur-Mer > Redon 198 km

Stage 4  En ligne Tuesday 5 July Lorient > Mûr-de-Bretagne 172.5 km

Stage 5  En ligne Wednesday 6 July Carhaix > Cap Fréhel 164.5 km

Stage 6  En ligne Thursday 7 July Dinan > Lisieux 226.5 km

Stage 7  En ligne Friday 8 July Le Mans > Châteauroux 218 km

Stage 8  Medium mountains Saturday 9 July Aigurande > Super-Besse Sancy 189 km

Stage 9  Medium mountains Sunday 10 July Issoire > Saint-Flour 208 km

Rest Day Monday 11 July Le Lioran Cantal

Stage 10  En ligne Tuesday 12 July Aurillac > Carmaux 158 km

Stage 11  En ligne Wednesday 13 July Blaye-les-Mines > Lavaur 167.5 km

Stage 12  High Mountains Thursday 14 July Cugnaux > Luz-Ardiden 211 km

Stage 13  High Mountains Friday 15 July Pau > Lourdes 152.5 km

Stage 14  High Mountains Saturday 16 July Saint-Gaudens > Plateau de Beille 168.5 km

Stage 15  En ligne Sunday 17 July Limoux > Montpellier 192.5 km

Rest Day Monday 18 July Département de la Drôme

Stage 16  Medium mountains Tuesday 19 July Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Gap 162.5 km

Stage 17  High Mountains Wednesday 20 July Gap > Pinerolo 179 km

Stage 18  High Mountains Thursday 21 July Pinerolo > Galibier Serre-Chevalier 200.5 km

Stage 19  High Mountains Friday 22 July Modane Valfréjus > Alpe-d’Huez 109.5 km

Stage 20 Individual time-trial Saturday 23 July Grenoble > Grenoble 42.5 km

Stage 21  En ligne Sunday 24 July Créteil > Paris Champs-Élysées 95 km

The Tour de France starts on from Saturday July 2nd and ends on Sunday July 24th 2011.  This, the 98th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometres, or 2131.6 miles. It comprises of 10 flat stages, 6 mountain stages, with 4 summit finishes, 3 medium mountain stages, and 1 individual time-trial stage (42.5 km (26.4 miles)). and 1 team time-trial stage (23 km (14.3 miles)).

What do the different color Tour de France jerseys mean?

YELLOW: The maillot jaune, the yellow jersey, is worn by the overall leader of the race so far. Each day the total amount of time taken to finish that stage is added to the cumulative time of all previous races, and the overall leader is determined. The next day, he wears the yellow throughout the stage. Whoever is awarded the yellow jersey following the final stage in Paris is the overall winner of that Tour de France.

GREEN: The green jersey, or maillot vert, is the sprinter’s jersey. At every stage, points are awarded to the first 10-25 riders that cross the finish line. The amount of sprint points awarded depends on the day’s course (a flat course produces more points than the mountain terrain) and in what place the rider finishes that day. Some stages have mini-sprints within the stage that are worth points. German Erik Zabel holds the record for winning the final green jersey in the Tour six consecutive times, between 1996 and 2001.

WHITE WITH RED POLKA DOTS: This is the King of the Mountains jersey. Points are awarded to the first rider to reach the crest of designated hills and mountains. Mountains are graded according to steepness, length, and position on the course, and points correspond to the grade.

 WHITE: This jersey is worn by the fastest overall rider under the age of 25 (as on 1st January in the year of the race).

Alberto Contador (pictured here) and Andy Schleck, the 2010 winner and runner up respectively,  will be in with a good chance this year.  Australia’s Cadel Evans and Robbie McEwen,  Italy’s Ivan Basso, Belgian Phillipe Gilbert, Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara, Russian Denis Menchov, and Britain’s Mark Cavendish will also be up there vying for the Yellow Jersey. Expect to see one of these winning the Green Jersey competition too.

So, the 2010/11 has now finished.

So,  the 2010/11 has now finished.  In the Championship,  it is QPR and Norwich  City that enter the promised land of the Premiership, along with Swansea City, who beat Reading in the play-off final at Wembley.

At the bottom, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United were relegated to League 1.

In League 1, the two south coast teams of Brighton and Southampton were promoted to the Championship,  together with Peterborough United, who beat my own team, Huddersfield Town in the Play-off Final at Old Trafford.  At the bottom,  Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town were all relegated to League 2.

Plymouth Argyle were only relegated because of this ten point deduction rule for going into administration.  Had this not happened, they would have survived at the expense of Walsall.

Plymouth Argyle’s future is still not secure following administration,  and there was a discussion between the Pilgrims Supporters Trust,  Lead Administrator Brendan Guilfoyle, and acting chairman Peter Ridsdale earlier in the week.  They are still looking at various consortiums that could take control.  However, a deal to sell off Plymouth Argyle’s ground and stadium and save the club from folding could go through by the end of this week, acting chairman Peter Ridsdale said on Tuesday (28^th).Bishop International Limited, an offshore company, is the preferred bidder for the ground at Home Park in a reported £5 million deal.

In League 2,  it’s congratulations to Chesterfield, Bury and Wycombe Wanderers on gaining promotion to League 1,  together with Stevenage, who, after just scraping into the play-off positions on the final day of the season-proper,  beat Torquay United in their play-off final, again at Old Trafford. 

At the bottom of League 2, the Football League bid farewell to Stockport County and Lincoln City. Stockport County having been a league club since 1905, and Lincoln City, since 1922 – with the exception of the 1987/88 season, when they were in the Conference, after they became the first team to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League. The immediately won promotion straight back,  and will be hoping to do the same this time.

Taking their places in the Football League are Crawley Town,  and AFC   Wimbledon.  What a rise it has been for the Dons, who were only formed in 2002.  This was as a result of the original Wimbledon FC’s relocation to Milton Keynes and “rebranding” as MK Dons.Wimbledon supporters opposed to this move reacted by founding their own side, AFC Wimbledon.  At the start, it entered the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League.  Since then, they’ve been promoted five times in eight seasons, culminating in their promotion to the Football League.

Rob Moore’s Motorworld: Shaun Hollamby Interview Teaser

A new feature on Rob Moore’s Motorworld is a regular chat with AMD Milltek Racing Team Boss (and previous driver) Shaun Hollamby about the previous weekend’s action in the BTCC.

In our first chat with Shaun, we talk to him about his career to date and look at last weekend’s action at Croft. Obviously, not wanting to spoil it ALL before next week’s show, we’ve given you a sneak peek into the interview with this teaser.

In this teaser, Shaun talks about whether he thinks Volkswagen will ever enter Formula One.

You can catch the full interview on Rob Moore’s Motorworld on Monday 27 June between 5-8pm.

Thoughts on BBC Sport Coverage (potential axing of)

Reports circulating the news today suggest that “one of the BBC’s major sports events could be axed in an effort to save the pennies.

I posted back in March when the previous round of BBC speculation suggested that Formula One was for the chop, and since then I’ve had some time to think what the BBC should do (in my opinion) to keep great broadcasting and save pennies.

So- here is my manifesto for cost savings.

1. Is there a need for two people to do the job one can do adequately? Cost saving doesn’t just have to be about axing things. The BBC should review their structure- is there too many people on one job (for example, is it necessary to have four website editors- could three do the job, or could that role be incorporated into the job of other employees).

2. Have a lean, mean mindset. Don’t get me wrong, but I’m a huge fan of BBC. However, ridiculous amounts are spent on some promotional events, such as here in Cornwall for the Royal Cornwall Show. Is it entirely necessary to have a huge marquee full of entertainment during the day for three days with entertainment including the odd singer, science show and magical illusion? What about a tie-up with a commercial entertainments company where they pay for some of the costs, and share the entertainments bill with the BBC? That way, less money spent for the same product. (I must stress this is not a barb at the wonderful people at Radio Cornwall, who do a great job. It’s a countrywide problem, but living in Cornwall meant its the one that relates to me)

3. Focus on events of a major sporting interest. Is there any need to have sports just on the red channel when other sports are on BBC1? For example, one of the BBC’s programme highlights is Wimbledon. But is there any need to also show tennis events such as that at Queens? Surely Wimbledon should be prioritized as the grandee event?

In addition, with the greatest respect to football supporters, is there really any need to have a Premier League preview show (“Football Focus”) and a score service with reporters at every game? No other sport has preview shows or such extensive coverage, yet BBC doesn’t have the right to show Premier League games live. Maybe a cheaper option while retaining the service is to make a preview show to be broadcast via the internet on demand, such as the BBC did for Formula One before the start of the season. Also- there is excessive build up before a FA Cup final game. I can’t remember how long it was this season but I distinctly remember in the no so distant past it was THREE HOURS buildup.

4. Streamline Management- Is it really necessary that there’s a manager for pretty much every aspect? For example, why don’t neighbouring counties share a Managing Editor for BBC Local Radio? Why does every channel need a Controller- why can’t BBC 1 and 3 share controllers, likewise BBC 2 and 4? Instead of a head for every sport, why not have the Producers (such as Mark Wilkin for Formula One) reporting to a single head of BBC Sport?

5. What provides better value for money? I call on quotas regarding the amount of work the BBC has to give to independent producers to be scrapped. They should then allow the BBC to decide for each individual programme if it is cheaper and better to have it produced in house, or externally. For example, USP content produce Five Live F1. And do an excellent job. There’s an example of what I mean.

6. Is…there…REALLY so much need for Reality TV?! BBC really should stay away from reality television. Reality TV on ITV works because the adverts and premium line phone numbers mean the show pays for itself. The BBC don’t have the luxury of adverts and really should stop stuff like “so you think you can dance” and just stick to their old warhorse “Strictly Come Dancing”.

7. Get rid of Don’t Scare the Hare. A frankly awful waste of money and TV show.

Any other ideas?