Bastille Day Fun
All of France can be happy that a Frenchman got the stage win on Bastille Day. Even I'm happy for them. They host the coolest race in the world, but they suck at it. It's been 20 years since one of their own won and I think they've only had one guy finish on the podium in the last decade (I'll check on that). So, congrats to France, and I'm really glad it wasn't Virenque.
David Moncoutie is a pretty good stage rider. He has no chance in the GC, not even the French build him up as such. This is his third stage win, which doesn't seem like a ton, but don't forget about the quality of French cycling (see above). On the one hand, it was a good time to strike because it was a non-dramatic course set between the big mountain stages. A breakaway was bound to get loose. On the other hand, to beat the dozen guys in the breakaway he had to ride smart enough to get rid of the sprinters, then, everyone else, but not too soon. Nice race!
The green jersey race metamorphosized today with the withdrawl of Boonen. Unlike Petacchi, he had a real reason to quit. Last week he hurt his back in a crash, and he busted his knee in a fall during one of the climbs. OK, we'll cut Tom a little slack. Thor Hushovd inherits the green jersey now, and he's earned it after busting his butt the last couple stages. I figured his solo ride in the Alps would destroy his legs, but he came back for more today. Thor and O'Grady both struggled through the hills to join the breakaway, but they got the reward of picking up more points at the finish than McEwen. Now Thor has a 22 point lead on O'Grady and a 35 point lead on McEwen.
1) Scrambling for points makes a difference. See above.
2) McEwen had to feel like a moron when he sent his team up to chase Thor & O'Grady, only to find that they couldn't reel 'em in. Doh!
3) In the remaining bunch sprints McEwen will probably beat Thor & O'Grady every time, but so long as they are close behind, they'll score enough to keep ahead.
4) Besides, there are a couple more rolling hill stages just like stage 12 in the final week. If McEwen doesn't show an interest but Thor & O'Grady do, he'll never catch up.
5) My wife wants to name our first boy Thor. She also wants to give him an Indian middle name. I think she smokes crack.
Juan Garate finally showed up. His disappearing act in the Alps made me look bad. He picked up a handful of points on the little climbs today, but he's so far down it's not funny. Where were you man? It's a bit late now.
Manuel Beltran crashed out today. It's been years since Lance's team lost a guy. This won't make the difference in the race, but that's an excellent domestique going down. If any team can make up for it, this is the one.
David Moncoutie is a pretty good stage rider. He has no chance in the GC, not even the French build him up as such. This is his third stage win, which doesn't seem like a ton, but don't forget about the quality of French cycling (see above). On the one hand, it was a good time to strike because it was a non-dramatic course set between the big mountain stages. A breakaway was bound to get loose. On the other hand, to beat the dozen guys in the breakaway he had to ride smart enough to get rid of the sprinters, then, everyone else, but not too soon. Nice race!
The green jersey race metamorphosized today with the withdrawl of Boonen. Unlike Petacchi, he had a real reason to quit. Last week he hurt his back in a crash, and he busted his knee in a fall during one of the climbs. OK, we'll cut Tom a little slack. Thor Hushovd inherits the green jersey now, and he's earned it after busting his butt the last couple stages. I figured his solo ride in the Alps would destroy his legs, but he came back for more today. Thor and O'Grady both struggled through the hills to join the breakaway, but they got the reward of picking up more points at the finish than McEwen. Now Thor has a 22 point lead on O'Grady and a 35 point lead on McEwen.
1) Scrambling for points makes a difference. See above.
2) McEwen had to feel like a moron when he sent his team up to chase Thor & O'Grady, only to find that they couldn't reel 'em in. Doh!
3) In the remaining bunch sprints McEwen will probably beat Thor & O'Grady every time, but so long as they are close behind, they'll score enough to keep ahead.
4) Besides, there are a couple more rolling hill stages just like stage 12 in the final week. If McEwen doesn't show an interest but Thor & O'Grady do, he'll never catch up.
5) My wife wants to name our first boy Thor. She also wants to give him an Indian middle name. I think she smokes crack.
Juan Garate finally showed up. His disappearing act in the Alps made me look bad. He picked up a handful of points on the little climbs today, but he's so far down it's not funny. Where were you man? It's a bit late now.
Manuel Beltran crashed out today. It's been years since Lance's team lost a guy. This won't make the difference in the race, but that's an excellent domestique going down. If any team can make up for it, this is the one.
posted by uberschuck at 4:41 PM
1 Comments:
One more thing...
because of the breakaway Banesto picked up 2 minutes on CSC in the team competition. It's close enough now that they might take the lead in the mountains, only to lose it in the time trial, which they suck at. CSC can beat 'em like a red-headed stepchild without Zabriskie.
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