‘The Pate’ 3rd after epic battle; Vande Velde 10th on stage, moves to 5th overall
Author: Woody20 Jul
Just 12 km into today’s stage, Danny Pate (above) jumped in on a four-man breakaway that managed to hold off the wet, crash-weary peloton over the hors categorie Col d’Agnel climb and the steep final category 1 climb to the finish at Prato Nevoso. Pate dug deep today on the first of a series of Alpine stages to stick with and challenge Euskatel climber Egoi Martinez and finished third on the stage.
Meanwhile, behind Danny’s drama, the race for the yellow was heating up. Multiple attacks and counters splintered the 10-man group Maillot Jaune in the final kilometers of the finish climb. Christian Vande Velde (right with Frank Schleck) held his own in the intese battle, finishing tenth on the stage and moving into fifth overall. Today’s events only tightened the race for the yellow with less than 49 seconds separating the top six.
Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O stage 15 results
1. Simon Gerrans 4h50′44″
3. Danny Pate +10″
10. Christian Vande Velde +4′43″
63. Ryder Hesjedal +16′29″
96. Trent Lowe +20′46″
105. David Millar +21′57″
115. Martijn Maaskant +25′33″
136. Julian Dean +25′33″
137. Will Frischkorn +25′33″
Team Garmin-Chipotle H3O GC
1. Frank Schleck +63h57′21″
2. Bernhard Kohl +7″
3. Cadel Evans +8″
4. Denis Menchov +38″
5. Christian Vande Velde +39″
51. David Millar +52′37″
69. Ryder Hesjedal +1h12′41″
71. Trent Lowe +1h13′17″
89. Danny Pate +1h29′57″
110. Julian Dean +1h53′22″
138. Martijn Maaskant +2h15′02″
139. Will Frischkorn +2h17′05″
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51 Responses for "‘The Pate’ 3rd after epic battle; Vande Velde 10th on stage, moves to 5th overall"
Today was A-MAZING!! I love unproductive mornings!! I was rockin’ my Twin-Six Argyle socks!! Way to go DANNY!!! What a great performance!! Great work Christian!!! Way to hang in on the climbs!
Great ride today Danny. Congrats on the super heart you showed. VdV - way to do. Keepp givin em’ hell.
Congrats to Danny today! Stuck it out and showed what a true Mid-Westerner is capable of!
Michael
What impresses the crap out of me with this team is that not only are they in the thick of every stage, but it’s never enough. Danny showed the fire in his belly today that is the attitude of this team. They want to win. The third was impressive, but they want more.
Danny Pate is f…… G-R-E-A-T!
Danny, I know you’re disappointed now, but by tomorrow you will see that your ride was outstanding. You hung with top notch climbers and rode out of your mind. CVV, you rode fantastically. You took time on Cadel and are within striking distance in the TT. Unfortunately, you will NEVER be allowed to go up the road again.
hat’s off to danny, and christian keeps surprising everyone. u.s. cycling has a lot to be proud of this july. keep up the good work.
Danny!!!! Great ride!!! Come on Christian !!!!! You can win this race! I will be pulling for ya’ll while I am in St. Lucia on my honeymoon!!!! Go Garmin Go!!!!
You guys are making a great impression on young American kids. Great to see Danny and CVV getting a chance to show their potential.
Way to go Dan! The Springs Loves Ya!
JV has been saying all along how he wanted Pate in the TDF, and today Danny showed exactly why. Great job today, I know you wanted that win, but you showed the heart a of great competitor. VDV, keep riding your race. The opportunities will show themselves soon.
Awesome job today guys!!!!
It was pretty obvious that Cadel and his team could do little to slow down CVV. The only one that will slow down CVV is himself and he’s still looking pretty comfortable. Think happy thoughts.
Great Job Danny, i was so thrilled when Egoi attacked on the final climb and you closed the gap. That was an amazing performance. Great ride.
Christian also road great today while sticking with the main favorites in the final climb. Who in the world would have thought that Christian would actually lie just 39 secs behind the maillot jaune at this stage of the Tour. Amazing!
fantastic ride today from Danny and Christian and the whole team to keep Christian protected to the final climb. enjoy the rest day tomorrow…wednesday will be here quickly!
If anyone asks, US Cycling is alive and kicking the S**T out of the world. Between le Tour and Mini Phinney lookout world.
Keep up the great work team Argyle we will be with you this week as you stomp the Alps and return the Yellow to the States.
GO CVV and the best support team in the World.
Way to go Danny, Christian, and the whole team! So much fun watching you guys race today. I hope no one had any serious after effects from that crash today. Have a nice rest/recovery day and good luck on Tues/Wed…I’ll be up bright and early rooting for you climbing up those “speed bumps”!
Great ride Danny, and fantastic interview. I know you are disappointed, but you are phenomenal. I love your sincerity. You have a great heart, and we love you!
CVV-Wow! I can’t wait for the time trial!
Outstanding!
My husband had to remind me that Danny and Christian couldn’t hear me yell for them as they made their way up the final climb. Congratulations to the entire team. They guys should make the front sports page of every paper in the USA but sadly, they won’t. Sport just doesn’t get much better that this!
Note to self: if you can ride with a heart as big as the Pate’s, then you will have learned something about suffering and everything about the spirit of competitive cycling. Mr. Pate, you are an inspiring rider for all of us back home.
Keep putting the hurt on ‘em. Congratulations on a sensational day!
Wow. I sat and watched the drama unfold this morning with my 4 year-old son–yes, he’s already hooked, I think–and at the end when Danny was being interviewed I told him, “it doesn’t always matter whether you win, son, because that man right there is a champion.” Well done, boys!
Great final surge by CVV to pick up important time on Evans. If CVV can pick up a little more on Evans and Menchov in the Alps, he could take yellow at the time trial. Inspirational ride by Mr. Pate. Hope everyone is OK after team ice rink slide through the round about.
Wow! Great job today, Danny, and all the other days too. You’ve been working hard and deserved some attention today with your fantastic ride. Good luck to Christain and the whole team. It’s so great that you’re showing the world that clean riders can truly compete. Colorado Springs is rooting for Team Garmin/Chipotle!
Danny, Danny, Danny…that was so cool. Great job. Congratulations!!!
I’m absolutely glued to the coverage of the Tour because of you guys! It’s absolutely fantastic what you’re doing. Best of luck team!
Well, Christian and Danny what can I say? I say “walka proud”
What a joy to be a fan of Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30!
I’m so proud of you guys. Keep it going all the way to Paris!
Incredible ride, like tearing the field up at Athen Twighlight!!!
Danny, CVV and Slipstream,
Thanks for making me believe again.
You guys rock.
J Chase
Austin TX
USA
Vaughters - Fans need you to be a bit less pragmatic and a bit more celebratory of your teams efforts when talking to Velonews. Less “he needed to do this or that to win.” And more “he almost had it and we were all with him.” They are kicking ass. Every stage Garmin is a big part of the story line. And we (the fans) are loving every minute.
There is no way that I can adequately express the pride I feel in being your fan-especially you Danny, so I found a quote that does it for me.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ”
–Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”, 1992
Thank you guys for giving us, all of your fans, inspiration to let our own light shine.
Love it Danny…watching the full stage on vs really showed how everyone wanted to get into that first move and just how hard it must have been to get there.
I know you wanted to win, but you all should know how nice it is to be able to cheer an effort and know that I won’t wake up tomorrow to the news story a la Ricco. The effort was pure heart and you can be proud.
Now let’s go Argyle…Christian is up there…support him over the next few days by riding hard.
Class performaces by Danny and CVV.
Scared me senseless when I saw Garmin riders all over the road at the roundabout - thankfully all appeared to be OK though, CVV certainly was.
CVV can only do what he does with the support of the rest of the team so keep on doing what you’re doing guys, it certainly looks like it’s working.
Valuable few seconds taken out of Evans, let’s hope losses to the CSC guys can be limited in the Alps.
Nice work. Christian, please attack Evans and Menchov, you can do it. YOU CAN DO IT!
in only his 2nd grand tour, what a ride !. he’ll be proud
for ever!
What a stage; you guys rock! All of Detroit was screaming for you yesterday!
Great ride by Danny. I couldn’t believe he held it up the last climb, and thought he had at least 2nd locked. Still a stellar day highlighting a rider the Tour hadn’t heard too much from yet.
From my point of view (on the couch), Christian’s climb looked a lot like Hautacam. He hung in second or third from last, didn’t go with the split, instead had to deal with the slow/fast/slow pace, and then finished with a burst looking incredibly fresh. I think the picture of him in this article is the only time he looked like he was working, where as Cadel and the rest had discomfort writ large all over their faces.
It’s good to see he’s got a lot more, but I can’t help but worry that he’s being too conservative and is missing opportunities to put time on rivals. I just keep telling myself these guys know what they are doing, and playing it safe indicates to me that he’s not thinking of stealing yellow for a day, he has his eyes set on the podium in Paris.
A great day. The most interesting tour in a long time. Congrats to the entire team. CJ - Good luck. You are in a great spot….and have earned it.
Danny - you rode that stage with honor. Your ride is one of the reasons I love this sport.
Interesting comments Martinez made after the stage yesterday posted on Cycling News
“Spaniard Egoi Martínez was left wondering what might have been after spending all day in the break on stage 15 of the Tour de France and then losing the final sprint to Australian Simon Gerrans. Martínez was widely tipped as the strongest of the quartet that escaped on the road to Prato Nevoso, but the seventh year professional couldn’t shake Gerrans or American Danny Pate on the final climb.
The Euskaltel rider was given the most aggressive award for the stage, but after descending from the podium with tears in his eyes claimed that Gerrans had said he would not contest the victory if they arrived in Prato Nevoso together. “Fifty kilometres before the finish Gerrans began to say that he was not in good form, that he lacked strength, and that he would not be able to fight for the stage victory,” Martínez told Spanish newspaper Marca.
“Gerrans said that he would settle for reaching the finish line with me and being second. So when he was not able to follow on the ascent to the Prato Nevoso, we waited for him.”
Regardless of whether any deal existed between the breakaway riders, as Martínez claimed, the Spaniard realised that such a great chance to win a Tour de France stage was unlikely to come his way again. “I committed a fatal error, and I have paid for it very dearly,” he said.
What a stage! I loved seeing Danny and CVV grinding it out, and I don’t question either of their choice of tactics. I think that when you’re riding at the limit, in pain, suffering on these great climbs, it’s beyond belief that you can even survive, let alone calculate what the best thing to do is. I know it’s their job, but I think they’ve done great!
Just know that being able to root for you guys without having any doubts that it’s anything more than your heart and grit lying on the line out there makes us enjoy the competition all the more. Danny’s frustration just shows what a great competitor he is, and I know CVV is holding out for the time trial. This is the kind of Tour we’ve all been waiting for, and you’ve already given your fans more than we ever dreamed of two weeks ago.
Danny…what a ride!!!! All of Pueblo is cheering you on. Like Amy said, it is difficult to find the right words to express how we are all feeling. Enjoy this experience and be proud of yourself. You have accomplished so much.
(Cousin) Tracy
A Canadian shout-out for Ryder Hesjedal, lone Canadian on the Tour, third rider to cross the line for Garmin-Chipotle on stage 15, and moving up nicely in the overall standings? Great climb!
I can’t tell you how much it means to see an American team riding so well. I sat on the edge of my chair watching Danny ride yesterday and then topped it off with a ride of my own, nothing near as hard or dramatic, but I chose the hilly route just to honor your team. I’ll be paying attention all year long as team Garmin Chipotle rides and riding along for emotional support.
Please pass some of these comments onto Danny. His heart and grit and words after the stage were more poignant than anything I’ve ever seen. That was an effort that he should be forever proud of.
Good luck to the team.
keep that head high Danny! this can only be a great start for you. I was saying ok he needs to stay on, but when you tested the legs they reacted.. epic day for you realize
that..lotta critics in this sport.
congrats/peace.
Joe
Question for Vaughters:
Did Christian allow Menchov to go (marking Cadel), or was Christian already at his limit?
Danny Pate - awesome ride! I hope your initial disappointment has worn off because we think it was a spectacular ride.
VdV - (monday morning quarterbacking here) - Stick with Kohl’s moves within the last 5k or on the final climb. Hopefully this will separate you from Evans, Schleck and Menchov and then you can take the yellow from Kohl in the ITT. Your riding great and you’re going to finish on the podium. Hell, you can win it all!
I can’t wait for the next 2 days in the alps! Go team Garmin!!!!!!!
AWESOME rides, Danny and Christian! You guys are making this race and putting joy and hope back into the hearts of cycling fans all over the U.S.
BTW, what happened to the link to that great newspaper article on Christian? I read it yesterday but it’s mysteriously missing today.
Awesome!! in Pate we trust!
Awe inspiring! Great ride, Danny. Chin up/Be proud.
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