Cavendish wins, seizes control of the maillot vert as Rojas, 8th in supersprint and 7th in the proper finish, overtakes Gilbert in the ranks José Joaquín Rojas is still fully inside the fight for the green jersey of the 2011 Tour de France. The Movistar Team sprinter took a good bunch of points once again today after claiming 8th -second to Cavendish into the bunch, behind the 6-man break of the day- in the supersprint and 7th over the finish line, where the Manxman beat the rest of the field. Rojas is now 2nd, 16 points from Cavendish and four over Gilbert (251-235-231).
The stage went marked by the pouring rain falling over the riders all day, specially during the finale, where Rojas even had a flat tire with 20 kilometers from the finish -Gutiérrez gave him a wheel-, something that made his position harder to find into a difficult ending zone. “It was a terrific finish, truly crazy, really dangerous,” explained Rojas after a healing shower. “I couldn’t see anything due to the rain, It was really putting your life into risk there. You could only guide yourself into the slipstream of the guy before you. It was raining a lot, the roads were really dirty and the wheels taking the water down made you see nothing, and even the finishing straight was too narrow for a Tour sprint. Just like everyday, we were always attentive, as well into the intermediate sprint as in the finish. Cavendish took over me for the green jersey, but I have to be satisfied. Gilbert is not a sprinter, but with his tremendous force, he profits from every terrain to take points. This was a crazy finish, and we went a bit kamikaze-style to get there. From tomorrow, the Pyrénées starting, my stages will be finishing at the intermediate; after all, in stages like Lourdes or Gap, we’ll try to take maximum advantage into finishes Cavendish won’t make. We have two big rivals: the best sprinter in the world and the best classics rider, but we’re not worse than them, and will not get frightened. There’s still some sore feeling into my stmoach due to the virtus. You have to keep in mind that a normal personal takes three to four days to recover from such a disease, and we are making the body go through infamous efforts day after day, giving our best. It’s not the best way to get better, but it’s almost done and dusted.”
The race will head into a completely new scenario in the Pirenaic mountains, the big cols taking protagonism during the 12th stage of the Grande Boucle. The ascents to the Hourquette d’Ancizan (Cat. 1; km 141) and the HC Tourmalet (km 175) and Luz Ardiden (finish) during the 211km starting at Cugnaux will sort the GC out.