Stage 20: D-Day
Thud.
This was the day Cadel Evans was supposed to dominate. He hung on the mountain, stayed within striking distance of the Yellow Jersey, all so he could crush the field in the final ITT. This was the plan against Contador last year, but he ultimately fell short.
Thud.
He fell short again. This wasn't that Evans rode a poor time trial. He didn't have an epic ride, but he was top ten. He put time into all of the top riders except VandeVelde, who has to think that if he doesn't crash on the descent on stage 16, he's not just standing on the podium, but standing on the podium in Yellow. But Evans did ride a good to very good time trial. But Sastre rode the time trial of his life.
Something happens to riders when they put on that jersey. They find something extra, and they will do almost anything to protect the honor. It's why everyone still likes Thomas Voeckler. Carlos Sastre, who has spent so much of his career coming up just short, didn't want to be the bridesmaid again. So he dug deep inside of himself and busted out a time trial that, frankly, no one thought he had in him. He lost less than 30 seconds to Evans. He overtook Schleck in the final few km. He won so comfortably, he was even able to pull up in the final sprint. Sastre won this through the inspiration of wearing Yellow.
I don't want to pile on Evans. He's going to finish in his second straight Tour de France and he's obviously a gifted rider. He didn't lose this race so much as Sastre won it. Sastre attacked on Alpe d'Huez and followed it up with the greatest time trial of his career. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and congratulate the other guy for his effort. But the contrast between the two is fairly apparent.
Sastre attacked. Evans defended and had others attack him. Sastre's team was absolutely brilliant, as members gave up individual goals in pursuit of the team goal (and still ended up with an impressive haul). Evans' team gave him no support, and he even publicly wished for McEwen not to be there to contest the sprints. Sastre embraced the Yellow Jersey. Evans wore it like a millstone and couldn't wait to get out of it. Sastre only worried about the moment. Evans seemed to try to win the whole Tour every day. The pressure beat him down.
Attacking cycling won the day. A great team with a perfectly executed plan won. These are good things for cycling. I didn't want to see someone win the Tour by not attacking and just waiting for the time trial. But I still feel bad for Evans. He rode a tough, gritty race against what seemed like the entire peloton. Everyone was against him it seemed, and he still almost managed to win. He's a terrific competitor and while I was rooting for Sastre, I do feel like Evans would have been a worthy champion. And I don't enjoy his disappointment.
This was the day Cadel Evans was supposed to dominate. He hung on the mountain, stayed within striking distance of the Yellow Jersey, all so he could crush the field in the final ITT. This was the plan against Contador last year, but he ultimately fell short.
Thud.
He fell short again. This wasn't that Evans rode a poor time trial. He didn't have an epic ride, but he was top ten. He put time into all of the top riders except VandeVelde, who has to think that if he doesn't crash on the descent on stage 16, he's not just standing on the podium, but standing on the podium in Yellow. But Evans did ride a good to very good time trial. But Sastre rode the time trial of his life.
Something happens to riders when they put on that jersey. They find something extra, and they will do almost anything to protect the honor. It's why everyone still likes Thomas Voeckler. Carlos Sastre, who has spent so much of his career coming up just short, didn't want to be the bridesmaid again. So he dug deep inside of himself and busted out a time trial that, frankly, no one thought he had in him. He lost less than 30 seconds to Evans. He overtook Schleck in the final few km. He won so comfortably, he was even able to pull up in the final sprint. Sastre won this through the inspiration of wearing Yellow.
I don't want to pile on Evans. He's going to finish in his second straight Tour de France and he's obviously a gifted rider. He didn't lose this race so much as Sastre won it. Sastre attacked on Alpe d'Huez and followed it up with the greatest time trial of his career. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and congratulate the other guy for his effort. But the contrast between the two is fairly apparent.
Sastre attacked. Evans defended and had others attack him. Sastre's team was absolutely brilliant, as members gave up individual goals in pursuit of the team goal (and still ended up with an impressive haul). Evans' team gave him no support, and he even publicly wished for McEwen not to be there to contest the sprints. Sastre embraced the Yellow Jersey. Evans wore it like a millstone and couldn't wait to get out of it. Sastre only worried about the moment. Evans seemed to try to win the whole Tour every day. The pressure beat him down.
Attacking cycling won the day. A great team with a perfectly executed plan won. These are good things for cycling. I didn't want to see someone win the Tour by not attacking and just waiting for the time trial. But I still feel bad for Evans. He rode a tough, gritty race against what seemed like the entire peloton. Everyone was against him it seemed, and he still almost managed to win. He's a terrific competitor and while I was rooting for Sastre, I do feel like Evans would have been a worthy champion. And I don't enjoy his disappointment.
posted by Poseur at 3:07 PM
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