The Prologue
In a shocking twist, something bad happened to David Millar. Millar's a really good rider, and if he wasn't David Millar, he might have a chance to win something. But, I swear I have never seen a rider who seemed more cursed by fate. Whatever happens, its never Millar's fault, it just happens. It's like God hates him or something. Or at least doesn't want him riding a bicycle. He had a 5 second lead at the first split, and Millar was absolutely tearing up the course. He was going to wear the yellow jersey, even if only for a day. But as he neared the finish line, he blew a chain. He slowed and switched gears, so he only lost a few seconds, but he lost the Prologue by 0.14 seconds. A pretty typical day for Millar.
Jason's right, you can't win anything in the first week, only lose. But the first day is a nice day to make a statement. Brad McGee's winning ride puts him in yellow, and maybe he'll keep that honor for a few days. He's a good enough sprinter to thrive in these flat stages. He's not in the race to win yellow, but he's got to be thrilled to at least have a day in the maillot jaune. However, what is important for McGee is that he won 15 points in the Points standings. None of the other contenders for the Green took any points, most went to riders like Ullrich, Beloki, and Armstrong. Those guys certainly aren't going to kill themselves on the sprints. So McGee just got himself a nice 15 point lead over Zabel et al. McEwen needed 280 to win last year, so 15 points is not a difference maker, but his final margin was only 19 points over Zabel. Those 15 points will certainly come in handy, primarily because no other sprinter won any. A big win for McGee, and already a successful Tour for FDJ.
As for other riders, the big guns all made their presence felt. First off, here's who had a bad day, finishing over 30 seconds out:
Heras Doesn't mean anything. Conserve energy in the first week, and we already knew US Postal war riding for Lance. There is no backup plan.
Mancebo Banesto can't be pleased with this. Their captain is already down half a minute and the race is only 7 kilometers run.
McEwen, Zabel, and Pettachi They need to show they can come within half a minute on a 7k course to McGee. We're not asking for much. I don't think it means anything, but you like to at least make a decent showing on the first day. These sprinters didn't.
Outside of McGee, the big winner was clearly Jan Ullrich, Unlike the other top riders, Ullrich needed a good first day just to dispel any doubts about his racing condition. He had a fabulous ride, and now sits in fourth just 2 seconds off the pace. He has an insignifigant 5 second lead over Armstrong, but it is worth noting, Ullrich is the early pace-setter. He looked good.
It's just the Prologue, though. Real racing begins tommorrow when the sprinters should reign supreme for about a week. Enjoy.
In a shocking twist, something bad happened to David Millar. Millar's a really good rider, and if he wasn't David Millar, he might have a chance to win something. But, I swear I have never seen a rider who seemed more cursed by fate. Whatever happens, its never Millar's fault, it just happens. It's like God hates him or something. Or at least doesn't want him riding a bicycle. He had a 5 second lead at the first split, and Millar was absolutely tearing up the course. He was going to wear the yellow jersey, even if only for a day. But as he neared the finish line, he blew a chain. He slowed and switched gears, so he only lost a few seconds, but he lost the Prologue by 0.14 seconds. A pretty typical day for Millar.
Jason's right, you can't win anything in the first week, only lose. But the first day is a nice day to make a statement. Brad McGee's winning ride puts him in yellow, and maybe he'll keep that honor for a few days. He's a good enough sprinter to thrive in these flat stages. He's not in the race to win yellow, but he's got to be thrilled to at least have a day in the maillot jaune. However, what is important for McGee is that he won 15 points in the Points standings. None of the other contenders for the Green took any points, most went to riders like Ullrich, Beloki, and Armstrong. Those guys certainly aren't going to kill themselves on the sprints. So McGee just got himself a nice 15 point lead over Zabel et al. McEwen needed 280 to win last year, so 15 points is not a difference maker, but his final margin was only 19 points over Zabel. Those 15 points will certainly come in handy, primarily because no other sprinter won any. A big win for McGee, and already a successful Tour for FDJ.
As for other riders, the big guns all made their presence felt. First off, here's who had a bad day, finishing over 30 seconds out:
Heras Doesn't mean anything. Conserve energy in the first week, and we already knew US Postal war riding for Lance. There is no backup plan.
Mancebo Banesto can't be pleased with this. Their captain is already down half a minute and the race is only 7 kilometers run.
McEwen, Zabel, and Pettachi They need to show they can come within half a minute on a 7k course to McGee. We're not asking for much. I don't think it means anything, but you like to at least make a decent showing on the first day. These sprinters didn't.
Outside of McGee, the big winner was clearly Jan Ullrich, Unlike the other top riders, Ullrich needed a good first day just to dispel any doubts about his racing condition. He had a fabulous ride, and now sits in fourth just 2 seconds off the pace. He has an insignifigant 5 second lead over Armstrong, but it is worth noting, Ullrich is the early pace-setter. He looked good.
It's just the Prologue, though. Real racing begins tommorrow when the sprinters should reign supreme for about a week. Enjoy.
posted by Poseur at 10:16 PM
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