Majka free to seek stage wins as Contador crashes out
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
15.07.2014 10:35
With tour favourite Alberto Contador crashing out of the Tour de France, the way could be open for one of his top domestiques, Pole Rafal Majka, to go on the attack in search of stage wins.
Saxo Tinkoff procycling team rider Alberto Contador of Spain is seated inside his team car as he abandons the race after crashing during the 10th stage of the 101st Tour de France 2014 cycling race, over 161.5 km from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles, in France, 14 July: photo - EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) is back in the yellow leader's jersey and is now red-hot favourite to win his first Tour de France after his main rival Alberto Contador retired from the three-week stage race during stage 10 on Monday, with x-rays revealing he has a broken tibia after hitting a pot-hole and flying over his handle bars on a down hill section at over 60 kph.
With his team leader at Tinkoff-Saxo out of the race, Rafal Majka, one of his main helpers in the mountains and part of a crop of new up-and-coming Polish cycling stars, is now free to seek individual glory in the race
Stage 10 was another incident-strewn race in a tour full of crashes, with Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) leading a break away group over the first few mountains.
Astana Procycling team rider Vincenzo Nibali of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the 10th stage of the 101st Tour de France 2014 cycling race, over 161.5 km from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles, in France, 14 July: photo - EPA/NICOLAS BOUVY
Kwiatkowski, who started the day in the leading young rider's prestigious 'white jersey', was so far ahead of the pack that he was the 'virtual' leader of the 2014 Tour de France at one point, only for the Polish national road race champion to fade during the final section of the stage.
Omega Pharma Quick Step Procycling team rider Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland reacts crossing the finnish line after the 10th stage of the 101st Tour de France 2014 cycling race, over 161.5 km from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles, in France, 14 July: photo - EPA/NICOLAS BOUVY
The 24 year-old Kwaitkowski, tipped as a possible tour winner in the future, has now dropped to 13 in the overall classification – 04.39 behind leader Nibali, and third in the white jersey competition, 01.38 behind leader of the young riders' competition Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale). (pg)