Prologue: We're Off
Well, thank God the race is underway. And, even better, David Millar didn't win the Prologue which would have been uncomfortable for everybody. I think the organizers were praying to God that Millar, returning from a drug suspension, wouldn't be among the leaders in a Tour already marred by a drug scandal. Millar helpfully complied.
Prologues are kind of a waste of time. Nothing that important happens usually, as the course is not long enough to build any lead in the GC. However, Thor Hushovd is trying to win a Green Jersey. He won one last year despite his failure to win a stage, so he has already fixed that problem in this year's Tour. Even bigger for Hushovd is that he picked up 15 points for his stage victory and only one other sprinter picked up a single point (O'Grady got 5 for finishing 6th). It is entirely conceivable that the Green will come down to 15 points, so this is a huge edge for Hushovd. And let's face it, Boonen and McEwen are better sprinters so Hushovd needs the edge. It's not just 15 points, it's 15 points while your rivals got 0. Big win for Hushovd. Go Thor!
As for the GC, I'm not sure how much of a statement it is for Hincapie to have finished second. I mean, he put a whopping 4 seconds into Valverde. That's got to keep a guy up at nights. Maybe it means something within the team dynamics of Discovery, but I highly doubt it. Some interesting names did lay an egg today, losing nearly a minute in a 7km race, which is tough to do: Caucchioli, Totschnig, Cunego, DiLuca, and Rasmussen all had pretty lousy days (defined as finishing behind Mayo in a time trial). But the damage is minimal.
Real racing starts tomorrow with Thor in yellow.
Prologues are kind of a waste of time. Nothing that important happens usually, as the course is not long enough to build any lead in the GC. However, Thor Hushovd is trying to win a Green Jersey. He won one last year despite his failure to win a stage, so he has already fixed that problem in this year's Tour. Even bigger for Hushovd is that he picked up 15 points for his stage victory and only one other sprinter picked up a single point (O'Grady got 5 for finishing 6th). It is entirely conceivable that the Green will come down to 15 points, so this is a huge edge for Hushovd. And let's face it, Boonen and McEwen are better sprinters so Hushovd needs the edge. It's not just 15 points, it's 15 points while your rivals got 0. Big win for Hushovd. Go Thor!
As for the GC, I'm not sure how much of a statement it is for Hincapie to have finished second. I mean, he put a whopping 4 seconds into Valverde. That's got to keep a guy up at nights. Maybe it means something within the team dynamics of Discovery, but I highly doubt it. Some interesting names did lay an egg today, losing nearly a minute in a 7km race, which is tough to do: Caucchioli, Totschnig, Cunego, DiLuca, and Rasmussen all had pretty lousy days (defined as finishing behind Mayo in a time trial). But the damage is minimal.
Real racing starts tomorrow with Thor in yellow.
posted by Poseur at 11:30 AM
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