STAGE SIX
Petacchi and Cipo dropped out? Say it isn't so! I didn't think Petacchi would drop out until the mountains, but this is really overacheiving on his part, dropping out at the first hill. I'm sick of this. Riders with no intention of finishing the Tour shouldn't be invited. I don't care that Petacchi is probably the best sprinter in the world, his blatant disrepect of this race makes it a mockery. Let someone who gives a damn ride in his place.
These first stages are what we like to call the sprinter's stages. By Stage 10, there just won't be a whole lot of opportunity for anyone to earn any points in the Green Jersey classification. So it may only be stage six, but the race for green is almost over. You better be within at worst 20 points of the leader by the time we hit the mountains or you can play the better luck next year game. Right now, all five riders in the top five are within striking distance, and there are two darkhorses just outside that still can make a move. So we're down to seven riders who have any chance whatsoever. Gioia's already told you about their move, so let's break 'em down a little bit more.
Stuart O'Grady His whole Tour has changed in just 48 hours. Two days ago, O'Grady has 32 points, over 60 points off the lead. He had crashed three seperate times, and had finished in the double digits in stage rankings three times. Since then, he's won a stage, finished second in the other, earned 82 points in the sprinters classification, and taken the Green Jersey. He's got a decent team and he's ridiculously agressive.
Robbie McEwen Yesterday, he had a 12 point lead on Nazon, and 25 points on Kirsipuu and Hushovd. We like to call that insurmountable, especially for the guy we concede is the best sprinter in the race. Today's crash cost him his entire cushion, and though he's out of green right now, he won the jersey with authority, he's got to be the favorite to get it back.
Danilo Hondo He's still in this by virtue of staying upright. O'Grady and Hushovd have crashed twice on stages they could have earned points, McEwen and Nazon once. Yet he's still losing? Yeah, it's by four points, but everything possible has gone his way, and he's still not in Green. He hasn't finished better than fourth in a single stage. He's in the hunt, but I don't think he has a real chance.
Erik Zabel The old master is 8 points down and he's in the same boat as Hondo. congratualtions for managing to stay on your bike. However, he's at least shown flashes that he can win a stage, finishing third today, and 2nd in Stage Three. You can never write off perhaps the greatest sprinter in cycling history, but he needs the favorites to keep making mistakes. Because Zabel won't make them.
Jean-Patrick Nazon Down by 14, he's about the only man who did not benefit from McEwen's fall, since he was caught in the same accident. The fall, while bad for McEwen, was even worse for Nazon. A day ago, this was a two-man race with the chance of someone else making a run. Now, it's a free-for-all.
Jaan Kirsipuu I like Kirsipuu, but since that Stage One victory, he's finished 6th, 7th, 12th, and now 25th. See a trend? How does he avoid the crash and manage only one measley point at the final line? I hate to say he's done, but... he's done.
Thor Hushovd Whenever Gioia dishes out criticism of someone, they do great the next day. Whenever I give praise, they repsond with a miserbale day. I'm just happy Piil didn't get struck by lightning today. Hushovd's had the exact opposite Tour as O'Grady. When things go wrong for one, they go right for the other. hushovd was the first to lose serious time due to a crash, and today he had a chance to make up lost points when McEwen went down. Only Hushovd went down as well. He's 27 points behind O'Grady, not insurmountable for a guy who looks like one of the best two or three sprinters out there. But he's got to do something fanatastic over the next three days.
Oh, and because I know you're curious, Erik Dekker was involved in the crash. He also was assessed a minute and half penalty, so while everyone else kept the same time, Dekker managed to drop to 17:09 back overall. The law of the Tour is still in effect, when there is disaster, there is Erik Dekker.
Petacchi and Cipo dropped out? Say it isn't so! I didn't think Petacchi would drop out until the mountains, but this is really overacheiving on his part, dropping out at the first hill. I'm sick of this. Riders with no intention of finishing the Tour shouldn't be invited. I don't care that Petacchi is probably the best sprinter in the world, his blatant disrepect of this race makes it a mockery. Let someone who gives a damn ride in his place.
These first stages are what we like to call the sprinter's stages. By Stage 10, there just won't be a whole lot of opportunity for anyone to earn any points in the Green Jersey classification. So it may only be stage six, but the race for green is almost over. You better be within at worst 20 points of the leader by the time we hit the mountains or you can play the better luck next year game. Right now, all five riders in the top five are within striking distance, and there are two darkhorses just outside that still can make a move. So we're down to seven riders who have any chance whatsoever. Gioia's already told you about their move, so let's break 'em down a little bit more.
Stuart O'Grady His whole Tour has changed in just 48 hours. Two days ago, O'Grady has 32 points, over 60 points off the lead. He had crashed three seperate times, and had finished in the double digits in stage rankings three times. Since then, he's won a stage, finished second in the other, earned 82 points in the sprinters classification, and taken the Green Jersey. He's got a decent team and he's ridiculously agressive.
Robbie McEwen Yesterday, he had a 12 point lead on Nazon, and 25 points on Kirsipuu and Hushovd. We like to call that insurmountable, especially for the guy we concede is the best sprinter in the race. Today's crash cost him his entire cushion, and though he's out of green right now, he won the jersey with authority, he's got to be the favorite to get it back.
Danilo Hondo He's still in this by virtue of staying upright. O'Grady and Hushovd have crashed twice on stages they could have earned points, McEwen and Nazon once. Yet he's still losing? Yeah, it's by four points, but everything possible has gone his way, and he's still not in Green. He hasn't finished better than fourth in a single stage. He's in the hunt, but I don't think he has a real chance.
Erik Zabel The old master is 8 points down and he's in the same boat as Hondo. congratualtions for managing to stay on your bike. However, he's at least shown flashes that he can win a stage, finishing third today, and 2nd in Stage Three. You can never write off perhaps the greatest sprinter in cycling history, but he needs the favorites to keep making mistakes. Because Zabel won't make them.
Jean-Patrick Nazon Down by 14, he's about the only man who did not benefit from McEwen's fall, since he was caught in the same accident. The fall, while bad for McEwen, was even worse for Nazon. A day ago, this was a two-man race with the chance of someone else making a run. Now, it's a free-for-all.
Jaan Kirsipuu I like Kirsipuu, but since that Stage One victory, he's finished 6th, 7th, 12th, and now 25th. See a trend? How does he avoid the crash and manage only one measley point at the final line? I hate to say he's done, but... he's done.
Thor Hushovd Whenever Gioia dishes out criticism of someone, they do great the next day. Whenever I give praise, they repsond with a miserbale day. I'm just happy Piil didn't get struck by lightning today. Hushovd's had the exact opposite Tour as O'Grady. When things go wrong for one, they go right for the other. hushovd was the first to lose serious time due to a crash, and today he had a chance to make up lost points when McEwen went down. Only Hushovd went down as well. He's 27 points behind O'Grady, not insurmountable for a guy who looks like one of the best two or three sprinters out there. But he's got to do something fanatastic over the next three days.
Oh, and because I know you're curious, Erik Dekker was involved in the crash. He also was assessed a minute and half penalty, so while everyone else kept the same time, Dekker managed to drop to 17:09 back overall. The law of the Tour is still in effect, when there is disaster, there is Erik Dekker.
posted by Poseur at 8:57 PM
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