Weird stage today. Magnificent, but the ending left me feeling... deflated. It was an epic act of coitus interruptus, that neither AC nor AS could do something decisive. Instead, they punted to the TT, where Contador will likely turn in a good (but not stage winning) performance to beat Schleck in an okay (but not great) ride. Sad, in a way... what could have been.
But there were some amazing things that made the day rival the Strade Bianchi stage of this year's Giro.
First, Sammy Sanchez rode incredibly bravely. Ever had a bruised sternum? It sounds about as fun as it is. I don't think anybody bitched about the peloton dishonoring the race by slowing for him, did they?
Russia produces magnificent, tough, suffering cyclists. They may not be fastest on a give day but you can bet your borscht there will be a Russian in the long break, taking a flyer, or gutting it out in an attack. I'm surprised they don't win more classics.
Flecha rode great. He spent the day in the break, got dropped, recovered, and finished with an elite group. 'Cuz he's the arrow!
Sastre had the ballsiest performance of the tour. Win the stage or finish well, it's into the top 5 or onto the podium, when he attempted - for three hours - to bridge up to the 7 man break. Blow up, and it's slinking up the Tourmalet with McEwen. Sastre, sadly, blew up. Sherwen nailed it when he said, "you expect Merckx to make a move like that in 1968, but not Sastre in 2010." Bravo, Sastre! You're my hero.
So's Jens Voigt, AKA the Human Bandage Factory. The camera didn't linger on Jens much because it's R-rated to show somebody who has been chopped up that badly. As he said yesterday, he's going to finish the race. Tough.
So is Cadel Evans. The World Championship jersey has this effect on racers - they are either cursed, or they become great. I never liked Cadel before, but now, he's riding in a way that brings tremendous honor to the jersey, and I have gained immense respect for him. He's grown into it, riding toward Paris on a broken elbow. Even writing that phrase makes me shiver a little. Chapeaux, Cadel!
Lotto is riding great for their young star, Juergen Vandenbroeke. He's riding great, sitting in fifth. I'm thinking it's nice for Flanders to have something in cycling to looking forward to in July, other than 'cross season.
The sheep holding up Astana were a nice touch. Basque bandits would have been nicer, but I'll settle for a herd of Basco-Bearnais.
Ale Jet was suffering like a freaking pig at the bottom of the first climb, bent over, clutching the bars, bobbing up and down. Meanwhile, Thor Hushovd, a pretty serious climber for a big dude, was soft pedaling next to him, hands on the flats, chatting him up.
Saxo Bank, like its predecessor CSC, has a ton of great riders who are very strong in their own way. And like CSC, Saxo doesn't have anybody who can get it done decisively in the grand tours. I was rooting for Schleck when he turned around repeatedly and taunted Contador, but he too was unable to git 'er done. It's like that brilliant kid you knew in college who bagged it and got a job as a barista... total wasted potential. Their pacemaking, particularly Stewies and Spartacus's, was a thing of beauty... Andy just wasn't able to line up the kill shot.
Finally, I've been a harsh critic of Phil Liggett's voiceover, but I taped the morning broadcast, and Phil was pretty much on top of his game. There was something about Thanksgiving games that brought out the best in Madden, Michigan-Ohio State always caused Keith Jackson to shine, and the Queen Stage of the TdF brings out the best in Phil. He may have lost a step, but he still closed real strong.
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I don't have a lot of music for you 'cuz it's late as hell and I just stopped watching the Tour. I got a little though. This one seemed appropriate.
That is all.
4 comments:
you are sleeping on the performance of Ryder Hesjedal. He lost time on 8 and 9 but he was in the definitive move on 3 and involved in some long breaks.
Just wondering if Frank was there if he could have led up the hill allowing Andy to attack more. Andy would then have the confidence that Frank could pull him back if AC attacked.
Sastre refused to wait for Sanchez and complained that the peloton was turning the sport into a "baby's playpen".
StevieD - yeah, and I didn't blow Chris Horner either. There's a lot of good performances I didn't talk about.
Terry - I think it's more likely that Andy would have spent time worrying about Frank. He seems to ride worse when Frank is around.
Steve - there's some nuances here. Sastre (in 9th) had just started his unlikely-to-succeed and frankly insane flyer an hour or so into the race (as opposed to at the critical point in the stage) when news of contender Sanchez being down hit the front. Contador spoke to Schleck and made the "slow down" sign to Vino and the rest of his team. What Contador did was classy, and good; more is expected of a leader. What Sastre did was maybe a tick north of "meh". A guy 9 minutes back simply isn't judged the way that one of the serious contenders is. With great positioning in the GC standings, comes great responsibility. Seriously. If the Lanterne Rouge launches an attack just then, nobody cares. If the guy in 100th goes, it's straight "meh." The guy in 10th, 9 minutes back - "hmm." The guy in 1st - "WTF?" That's my ethos and I'm sticking to it.
Besides, the Gods of Racing boned Sastre at the end for either attacking just then, or for his bad judgment. The brave Sanchez, on the other hand, was favored with supple legs and a great result.
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