Stage 21 is done and done. Kristoff wins a CLOSE sprint on the Champs. Sagan looked to be in contention but didn't really even mix it up in the last few hundred meters. That crash took a lot out of him, including a new points record he would have EASILY shattered. Then we had Taylor Phinney, sheepishly (in the morning interview before the stage) acting like he was out of it, and then BAM he's in the breakaway, and not just IN it but an integral part of it! It was looking real good, but you just knew 6 guys can't hold that pace for 7 laps, and they couldn't.
Sky safely brought G across the line, continuing the Sky dynasty. "Anybody but Foome" did win. And yet I kind of feel bad for him .We will never know how this would have turned out if he hadn't tried for the Giro/Tour double. And it's funny but proven true once again (that old saying that "you can't win the Tour today, but you can lose it"). Froome lost it in Stage 1 of all places. That errant 'off the road' crash that wasn't even his fault...he was forced off the road on that left turn, SO very nearly clipping that post (boy did he dodge a bullet there!) Giving credit where credit is due, he never whined or cried or threw blame around at his misfortune...yet his only fault in the situation was his position on the outside. And it cost him any chance of his 5th Tour victory by losing time he could never make up, on his own team-mate of all people.
So where does Sky go from here? Is G the New Steve Young, Montana suddenly put out to pasture even though he still has playing years left? (come on...he lost the final TT to Dumolin, the WORLD CHAMP, by ONE SECOND!) (ooh..and I'm sorry to throw an NFL comparison out there, considering that I'm still boycotting them until they get their ducks in a row w/ the National Anthem....like Baseball, or Hockey..do you see ANY of those guys staying in the locker room, or taking a knee? NO!) But I guess it's the NEW NFL that I have a problem with, not the old. Froome cracked back on Stage 17 when it was on the line, and G did not. G won on the Alp (that is HUGE! And Phil said it over and over....you win on the Alp d'Huez, you win in Paris...and turns out he was RIGHT!)
Lots of great memories from this Tour (I'm currently compiling a post of pictures from all stages to post in the next few days). I have to say I TRULY enjoyed it...ALL of it. There's just no greater sporting event in the world...the spectacle, the drama, the action, the danger, the glory...and the SCENERY! I did love during the Stage 21 broadcast they finally gave us a taste of showing what it takes to put on the NBCSports Tour for 21 days...showed inside their control booth, the TWO mobile studios, the miles and miles of cables...all the PEOPLE! SO much work...all to put in a couple hours of TV for 3 weeks. If I had faster internet (we only have lame DSL but it's cheap) I'd opt for the
NBC Gold for a year...I could watch OTHER races (GASP! Is that LEGAL?) But hey...I get a years worth out of these 3 weeks...I don't miss much I can tell you. And now that it's over, I regret any FF'ing thru the stages...who knows what pearls of wisdom I missed from the fantastic broadcasting crew they've assembled! P&P, Paul, Bobke, Christian, Jens, and Steve and Steve...truly the A team of sports broadcasting...and I have to give it to NBC for the rest of the people behind the scenes that we will never know...kudso and well done NBC! It was another fantastic broadcast in it's entirety!
So begins the PTDS for another year...but I can get my LIFE back and get back on the bike(s) again too. Along w/ the annual PTDS is the PJDS..(Post July Depression Syndrome)...as July is also gone. We started the Tour a week late this year, and It will be August on Wednesday! Summer is just about gone all of a sudden!
Please post your memories...good and bad. My fav is I think also the Dumolin stage win and his interview after...if THAT didn't bring tears to your eyes, nothing will. The bad? I think the Gilbert crash was one of them...and then there's the interview w/ Lawson Craddock right after Stage 1...when he was so broken up he couldn't talk...and then finally eeks out "I worked so hard to get here"...man, that also brings tears to my eyes. That he FINISHED in Paris turned one of the worst moments into one of the best! Then there is the awesome memories of Dan the MAN attacking to his solo win! Never seen anybody try harder, that's for sure. I LOVE it that he was awarded the "Most Aggressive Rider" for the entire Tour, how fitting! Movistar wins the Team award, and IF there was an award for "Most Aggressive Team", I'd give that to them also! Can't take anything away from Valverde...he gave his all for his teammates Landa and Quintana!
I Still give the "lame ass" award to BMC and Ochowitz (sp?) in NOT protecting Richie Porte in Stage 9. I'd have had GVA RIGHT IN FRONT of Porte w/ TJ right behind Richie. But no...he let GVA fly to TRY to win a stage, and to also try to keep yellow (which he did...for ONE more day). BOO HISS! Why did you even BRING Porte then? You THREW HIM to the wolves when you needed GVA's guidance and experience the MOST, and lost your BEST chance at a podium finish (actually lost BOTH chances at a podium finish). We will NEVER know how Richie might have fared had he gotten thru the stage unscathed. Hell, Quintana even got thru, and he's TINY! He had Valverde with him most of the Tour. THAT whole thing still sticks in my craw, and I'll NOT be rooting for BMC next year (and seriously, does he think GVA is a true Tour GC contender? I just don't really see it).
OK. I'm tired. I can start to catch up on sleep. And getting things done that I've neglected or flat out ignored. And ride. A LOT.
Viva le Tour!
Cheers
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Saturday, July 21, 2018
14 down, 7 to go!
Can you believe the Tour is 2/3rds done all of a sudden? It happens SO FAST! I'm aging myself just a TEENSY bit here...but Carol Burnett into my mind..."seems we just started, and before you know it, comes the time we have to say....so long." (Isn't Carol AWESOME? Yes, she is)
Today's stage 14 was a good one but no change at the very front. I was again yelling at Dumolin to gap G and F...but he just didn't have it. Thankfully they didn't have it either, as F would totally like a bit more cushion. I can't help but wonder how the dinner table is at Sky...sure the team is happy to have 1 and 2...but you can't tell me F isn't ticked...this is HIS team and HIS tour...I guarantee he wants (VERY BADLY) to join the TINY list of 5 Tour winners. He may be calm on the surface but you really have to wonder what's going on inside...a quote from Gene Hackman (from the movie The Replacements) comes to mind..."Like a duck on the pond. On the surface everything looks calm, but beneath the water those little feet are churning a mile a minute." I have to think that's F right now. Will he and G attack each other at some point? I think F has to if he wants to win....he certainly can't hope to take that much back in the Stage 20 TT....at least I don't think he can. And w/ Dumolin...the WORLD CHAMPION TT'er 10 seconds or so behind him, THAT has to put fear in his heart!
And then there's Sagan. Can you BELIEVE he held on for FOURTH today? He was off the back, as that was a really nasty little climb...and then suddenly there he is coming around the corner, and if the run-out to the finish had been another 500m he might have pulled them back! Only 12 seconds behind the winner! He is an enigma, a paradox, a conundrum...a rubix cube with 10 x 10 rows on each side....he's SO very hard to figure out. And just when you count him out, there he is. He can win against the PURE sprinters, win in the punchy intermediate stages, and today held on in a very difficult finish.
OK...what else...OH! The scenery early today....up on that limestone bluff w/ the river down below...MAN did that look amazing! And the stone arch the river flowed under...WHEN I follow le Tour one day I'm swinging by there one way or another and canoeing/kayaking on that river! It just looked FABULOUS! Just some beautiful scenery today for sure! I wonder if the French tourism dept (if there is such a thing) contributes to the ASO....cuz I swear there is no better advertisements to visit France than to watch the country flow by during the TDF! And every year we see almost the entire country...yet when you think you've seen it all, next year we see something totally new! And hey....did you see me during the broadcast? I was everywhere (in my mind)! One day....one day.
Alright...enough on that...one week. Man...it's almost time to start getting sad. Every year it happens...living the Tour dream one minute, and suddenly like a fine vacation coming to an end, you realize it's almost over. At least I HOPE to get back on my annual post-Tour riding comeback...where I HOPE to go from 2 rides a week to 4 or 5....and by late August I'll be posting PR's (Personal Records) in Strava again. Haven't seen many of those in a while now...still trying to turn my all-day-endurance into 2 to 3 hour speed and power. Todays group road ride was crushing (to me)...I was off the back as the group was flying on flats and rollers. And yes...even the GIRLS were killing me. Hey... I'm not too proud to draft on girls...it was Elizabeth who pulled a small line of us (all guys) back to the group after a gap had formed. I couldn't close it, and she had me "on the rivet" holding her wheel for what seemed like FOREVER! And just as she faltered our resident LONG DISTANCE and VERY STRONG man John St John rolled up, pulled in front of her and finished the job. I thanked her profusely...I would have been left for dead if not for her. However I think I deserved that...as her husband left me out in the wind for miles...he was right in front of me as we were flying towards the small town of Guadalupe in a 2-wide paceline...and every time I'd get on his wheel to get a tiny shred of draft he'd pull out into the road on the left (echelon) as there was some cross wind. I'd be left totally exposed and start to drop back (I had 2 guys behind me holding MY wheel)...and then he'd pull back where he SHOULD be....and I'd bury myself to get his wheel only to have him pull out again....over and over. So by the time we got to Guadalupe I was shelled...toast....road-kill. So I actually feel like he owed it to me to have his wife pull me back to the group. Yep...that's how I see it.
OK....happy Saturday, and Viva le Tour! Stage 15 is tomorrow....and guess what? MORE MOUNTAINS!! YAY!!!
Here's Phillipe Gilbert being helped back up over the wall he crashed into and flew over in Stage 17! WOW! That's quite a fall! He finished the stage but withdrew on Tuesday due to a broken knee cap.
(Photo copied from Velo News, credit to Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Today's stage 14 was a good one but no change at the very front. I was again yelling at Dumolin to gap G and F...but he just didn't have it. Thankfully they didn't have it either, as F would totally like a bit more cushion. I can't help but wonder how the dinner table is at Sky...sure the team is happy to have 1 and 2...but you can't tell me F isn't ticked...this is HIS team and HIS tour...I guarantee he wants (VERY BADLY) to join the TINY list of 5 Tour winners. He may be calm on the surface but you really have to wonder what's going on inside...a quote from Gene Hackman (from the movie The Replacements) comes to mind..."Like a duck on the pond. On the surface everything looks calm, but beneath the water those little feet are churning a mile a minute." I have to think that's F right now. Will he and G attack each other at some point? I think F has to if he wants to win....he certainly can't hope to take that much back in the Stage 20 TT....at least I don't think he can. And w/ Dumolin...the WORLD CHAMPION TT'er 10 seconds or so behind him, THAT has to put fear in his heart!
And then there's Sagan. Can you BELIEVE he held on for FOURTH today? He was off the back, as that was a really nasty little climb...and then suddenly there he is coming around the corner, and if the run-out to the finish had been another 500m he might have pulled them back! Only 12 seconds behind the winner! He is an enigma, a paradox, a conundrum...a rubix cube with 10 x 10 rows on each side....he's SO very hard to figure out. And just when you count him out, there he is. He can win against the PURE sprinters, win in the punchy intermediate stages, and today held on in a very difficult finish.
OK...what else...OH! The scenery early today....up on that limestone bluff w/ the river down below...MAN did that look amazing! And the stone arch the river flowed under...WHEN I follow le Tour one day I'm swinging by there one way or another and canoeing/kayaking on that river! It just looked FABULOUS! Just some beautiful scenery today for sure! I wonder if the French tourism dept (if there is such a thing) contributes to the ASO....cuz I swear there is no better advertisements to visit France than to watch the country flow by during the TDF! And every year we see almost the entire country...yet when you think you've seen it all, next year we see something totally new! And hey....did you see me during the broadcast? I was everywhere (in my mind)! One day....one day.
Alright...enough on that...one week. Man...it's almost time to start getting sad. Every year it happens...living the Tour dream one minute, and suddenly like a fine vacation coming to an end, you realize it's almost over. At least I HOPE to get back on my annual post-Tour riding comeback...where I HOPE to go from 2 rides a week to 4 or 5....and by late August I'll be posting PR's (Personal Records) in Strava again. Haven't seen many of those in a while now...still trying to turn my all-day-endurance into 2 to 3 hour speed and power. Todays group road ride was crushing (to me)...I was off the back as the group was flying on flats and rollers. And yes...even the GIRLS were killing me. Hey... I'm not too proud to draft on girls...it was Elizabeth who pulled a small line of us (all guys) back to the group after a gap had formed. I couldn't close it, and she had me "on the rivet" holding her wheel for what seemed like FOREVER! And just as she faltered our resident LONG DISTANCE and VERY STRONG man John St John rolled up, pulled in front of her and finished the job. I thanked her profusely...I would have been left for dead if not for her. However I think I deserved that...as her husband left me out in the wind for miles...he was right in front of me as we were flying towards the small town of Guadalupe in a 2-wide paceline...and every time I'd get on his wheel to get a tiny shred of draft he'd pull out into the road on the left (echelon) as there was some cross wind. I'd be left totally exposed and start to drop back (I had 2 guys behind me holding MY wheel)...and then he'd pull back where he SHOULD be....and I'd bury myself to get his wheel only to have him pull out again....over and over. So by the time we got to Guadalupe I was shelled...toast....road-kill. So I actually feel like he owed it to me to have his wife pull me back to the group. Yep...that's how I see it.
OK....happy Saturday, and Viva le Tour! Stage 15 is tomorrow....and guess what? MORE MOUNTAINS!! YAY!!!
(Photo copied from Velo News, credit to Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Half way gone (BOO HOO!)
Yes, today is stage 11...can you believe it? Yesterdays long mountain stage was somewhat of a snoozer for fans...certainly not for the riders. However TODAY's stage should be a real shootout....at least we can hope. Sky is looking much like the indomitable superpower of old...again. And they weren't even in Yellow! Gotta give credit to GVA...he honored the Yellow yesterday...and we will see how / if he pays for that today.
Still daydreaming of being there in a camper with my travel road bike (the frame comes apart and the whole thing wheels and all fits into a 26"x26"x10" hard-shell suitcase, so it ships on the airlines as a regular suitcase, not a bike). Ahh...I'd be riding the big climbs, the cobbles, and anything even remotely interesting. Riding thru the throngs of fans already there...getting a tiny glimpse of the madness the riders endure. And of COURSE, at the very top of the bucket-list of climbs is Alp d' Huez...who doesn't want to say they've climbed THAT?
OK...gotta scoot...just wanted to get up a new page for the next few stages.
Viva le Tour!
Cheers!
Still daydreaming of being there in a camper with my travel road bike (the frame comes apart and the whole thing wheels and all fits into a 26"x26"x10" hard-shell suitcase, so it ships on the airlines as a regular suitcase, not a bike). Ahh...I'd be riding the big climbs, the cobbles, and anything even remotely interesting. Riding thru the throngs of fans already there...getting a tiny glimpse of the madness the riders endure. And of COURSE, at the very top of the bucket-list of climbs is Alp d' Huez...who doesn't want to say they've climbed THAT?
OK...gotta scoot...just wanted to get up a new page for the next few stages.
Viva le Tour!
Cheers!
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Five stages down, WOW!
Can you believe it's already Stage SIX tomorrow?? Five stages are in the books already....we are a quarter of the way thru! I think it's been a pretty fun race so far...and yes, there's been some carnage, but not as much as I seem to remember in recent years (though wait for Stage 9...I think that could be UGLY!)
I had picked Sagan to win today (along w/ Paul)....but boy, it was CLOSE! I figured he'd be able to stay up near the front unless they were going all out, which I didn't really see happening this early in the race (but you never know). Looking at my team for the day (fantasy) I didn't have Valverde active...he was on the bench! WTH?? I'd swear that sometimes I set up my team and then go back later and it's different...I totally expected him to be in the mix today (especially if it was faster and Sagan was dropped), and I missed out on like 75 points! Man, I really have to be careful and look over my picks better.
So, what else...I haven't heard yet but I assume Lawson will live to ride another day...he was back in the Grupetto, and he certainly won't be slower than Cav today (I think)...Cav is typically the driver of the AutoBus and rules w/ an iron fist back there (like Robbie McEwen used to do). I'd think Lawson would sit back there and enjoy the spin (if he IS able to enjoy being on the bike at this time)...hopefully he's way more healed when they hit the cobbles...can you imagine having a cracked scapula and riding COBBLES?? I'm afraid for him on that day...getting better a bit day by day but he won't be THAT much better in 4 more days. THAT will be his test of fire....if he can finish in the time cut there he's a real iron man for sure!
One thing new this year (and I think Susie didn't you meniton this in years past?)...the Picture in Picture...not during the race but at least during the commercials. No audio tho...but still I've noticed sometimes I'll let my video roll (if I"m doing something and not totally paying attention) thru the commercials and can still see if something important happens. Nice. NOW if they'd just get the PIP going during the race...keeping a feed up on what's important while they go to whatever they are talking about.
Hmm...what else...no real surprise that Van Avarmaet is holding the yellow...I thought he'd be able to do it (doesn't need to win, just stay near the front and finish w/ the group mostly). He picked up 2 seconds in that time bonus sprint near the finish, that was sweet!
As to the Soccer (footbal) match, I'm rooting for Croatia...(my neighbors are from there, and they are really great people)...however I've spent some time in the UK and would be quite fine if they win too...so I can't lose that match! (if this were Rugby world teams I'd be rooting for Wales, but England always has an AMAZING team!)
OK...tomorrow is Thursday. Coming up FAST on the weekend. This week is zooming by (as "Tour Time" always does). Between work, trying to slip in rides, and home life, something has to give...and it's usually SLEEP! So far so good tho....I'm getting to bed almost early tonight...sweet! But just like riding in le Tour, WATCHING it is also a game of attrition...and by the last week I'll be hurting for sure. That's when either I start FF'ing thru stages, OR start skipping stuff like bike rides. It seems I always have a "comeback" after the Tour is over....when I've lost quite a bit of hard-earned winter/spring fitness and fight hard to get it back. Seems like I"m already there...but this year it's mostly travel related....I've been away four times already this year for work! Almost 2 months of total travel in just 6 months...that hurts. But hey...it's life.
Gotta scoot...tomorrow is another big day!
Cheers!
I had picked Sagan to win today (along w/ Paul)....but boy, it was CLOSE! I figured he'd be able to stay up near the front unless they were going all out, which I didn't really see happening this early in the race (but you never know). Looking at my team for the day (fantasy) I didn't have Valverde active...he was on the bench! WTH?? I'd swear that sometimes I set up my team and then go back later and it's different...I totally expected him to be in the mix today (especially if it was faster and Sagan was dropped), and I missed out on like 75 points! Man, I really have to be careful and look over my picks better.
So, what else...I haven't heard yet but I assume Lawson will live to ride another day...he was back in the Grupetto, and he certainly won't be slower than Cav today (I think)...Cav is typically the driver of the AutoBus and rules w/ an iron fist back there (like Robbie McEwen used to do). I'd think Lawson would sit back there and enjoy the spin (if he IS able to enjoy being on the bike at this time)...hopefully he's way more healed when they hit the cobbles...can you imagine having a cracked scapula and riding COBBLES?? I'm afraid for him on that day...getting better a bit day by day but he won't be THAT much better in 4 more days. THAT will be his test of fire....if he can finish in the time cut there he's a real iron man for sure!
One thing new this year (and I think Susie didn't you meniton this in years past?)...the Picture in Picture...not during the race but at least during the commercials. No audio tho...but still I've noticed sometimes I'll let my video roll (if I"m doing something and not totally paying attention) thru the commercials and can still see if something important happens. Nice. NOW if they'd just get the PIP going during the race...keeping a feed up on what's important while they go to whatever they are talking about.
Hmm...what else...no real surprise that Van Avarmaet is holding the yellow...I thought he'd be able to do it (doesn't need to win, just stay near the front and finish w/ the group mostly). He picked up 2 seconds in that time bonus sprint near the finish, that was sweet!
As to the Soccer (footbal) match, I'm rooting for Croatia...(my neighbors are from there, and they are really great people)...however I've spent some time in the UK and would be quite fine if they win too...so I can't lose that match! (if this were Rugby world teams I'd be rooting for Wales, but England always has an AMAZING team!)
OK...tomorrow is Thursday. Coming up FAST on the weekend. This week is zooming by (as "Tour Time" always does). Between work, trying to slip in rides, and home life, something has to give...and it's usually SLEEP! So far so good tho....I'm getting to bed almost early tonight...sweet! But just like riding in le Tour, WATCHING it is also a game of attrition...and by the last week I'll be hurting for sure. That's when either I start FF'ing thru stages, OR start skipping stuff like bike rides. It seems I always have a "comeback" after the Tour is over....when I've lost quite a bit of hard-earned winter/spring fitness and fight hard to get it back. Seems like I"m already there...but this year it's mostly travel related....I've been away four times already this year for work! Almost 2 months of total travel in just 6 months...that hurts. But hey...it's life.
Gotta scoot...tomorrow is another big day!
Cheers!
Sunday, July 8, 2018
It's TOUR TIME!
Yes, it's THAT time of year again...HOORAY! (that coincidentally it's deep into summer and HEAT, not so much hooray).
Stage 1 and 2 are in the history books. Gosh...so much to talk about. First...did everybody make your NBC Sports fantasy team? I did...and then after watching Stage 1 I made 2 changes: first I picked Fernando Gavria as one of my sprinters (I knew I should have picked him at the start but didn't for some odd reason). Second, I HAD selected Cav, and I dropped him for Gavria. Why you ask?
Well...during the stage they showed an interview and he STILL blames Sagan for his crash last year! Hell Bells man...even the UCI (arguably one of the most screwed up organizations I know of ) admits they made a mistake DQ'ing him last year, that it was just part of racing and not intentional. Take some responsibility for your own actions and grow up Cav! Then on Todays stage (2) they showed a clip from a number of years ago when it was Cav and another sprinter who was trying to edge past Cav on the wall, and when he was squeezed out Cav said that no sprinter should ever try to pass along the wall, that it's irresponsible and his own fault whatever happens. Isn't that interesting. But when HE does it, it's not his fault, it's the other guys. Yep...lost my respect for Cav yesterday...last year during the heat of the moment I can forgive that...but after all this time, no. I WAS hoping he'd get some more wins this year and challenge for the all time record...but now, not so much. He's a whiner, pure and simple. Nothing is ever his fault. Not a fan of that attitude at all. I mean, hey, even Froome (who was driven off the edge of the road yesterday close to the end of the stage, costing him over a minute on some of his key rivals in Stage ONE of all places) didn't throw ANY blame out whatsoever, even tho he did nothing wrong that I could see. Watching that video taken from one of the motorbikes behind him, he came w/in inches of hitting one of those immovable white poles as he shot off the road on that corner! Goodness gracious....THAT would have been the end of his Tour for sure and who knows how hurt he'd be! It was just a miracle he missed it, as it happened so fast.
And so... moving on...Gavria and Sagan 1/2 yesterday in a wide open bunch sprint. Wow! I think Sagan will light up this years Tour in so many ways! And that Gavria is built much like Sagan...not necessarily a pure sprinter but able to climb too...those 2 guys will really be something to watch as they battle for the overall Green jersey this year! And hey...let's talk about Lawson Craddock! Not a sport for sissies, that's for sure! That he finished yesterday AND today, way to go! I'm a fan for sure!
Today (stage 2) was more carnage and excitement as expected. Crashes, yep. Even w/ less riders, the narrow roads and fighting for position take their toll once again. A few crashes resulting in riders dropping out....Luis Leon Sanchez comes to mind, which was a huge blow for his team. Then the crash close to the finish, splitting off some of the main sprinters (including Gavria) from the final run. How Sagan made it by that is beyond me...Gavria was right on his wheel last I had seen...and then he's on the ground and Sagan is free and clear somehow! And poor Kittel wearing the green w/ a flat lost his chance even before the crash...that's just bad luck there. Also early in the stage they showed Sagan NOT wearing the green...and they explained the World Champ has a choice, and he chose to wear his Rainbow Stripes (thus #3 Kittel wore it)...GOOD DECISION! Pretty amazing that the last time a stage finished in that city it was the world champ who won it (in 1938 I think they said?)....what are the odds of the CURRENT World Champ winning again?? AMAZING!! (and boy was it close at the end too!)
So tomorrow is the TTT...always a great event for SOME of the GC guys, and a complete disaster for others. Speaking of disaster for GC guys...how about Quintana in Stage 1? Ran over a curb or something he said, wrecked both wheels...lost what, 1:25 overall? I think that spells the end of HIS GC chance...if he had any chance to make up time in the TT's I say he has a shot still, but he will lose MORE in the TT's...and w/ Landa on his squad AND Valverde, I think his chance once again evaporated in a moment. I"m rooting (and had picked in my original fantasy team) Landa to podium. He was AMAZING last year on Sky, leading the way for Froome in the mountains, AND he can TT w/ the best of them! I think he's a real threat to podium.
Loved seeing Sylvian on the front the whole way today, even after the other 2 guys chickened out and pulled back into the peleton WAY too early...(that's NOT how you make a name for yourself young guys!) Riding a record 18th Tour, and in front almost the entire way, almost all of it solo. That will be remembered, and is a nice way to end it IF this is indeed his final tour.
What else...sheesh, at the moment I can't think of anything, even tho there's a TON to talk about!
I'll add more or put it in the comments when I think of it.
Happy Tour everybody!
Game ON!
Stage 1 and 2 are in the history books. Gosh...so much to talk about. First...did everybody make your NBC Sports fantasy team? I did...and then after watching Stage 1 I made 2 changes: first I picked Fernando Gavria as one of my sprinters (I knew I should have picked him at the start but didn't for some odd reason). Second, I HAD selected Cav, and I dropped him for Gavria. Why you ask?
Well...during the stage they showed an interview and he STILL blames Sagan for his crash last year! Hell Bells man...even the UCI (arguably one of the most screwed up organizations I know of ) admits they made a mistake DQ'ing him last year, that it was just part of racing and not intentional. Take some responsibility for your own actions and grow up Cav! Then on Todays stage (2) they showed a clip from a number of years ago when it was Cav and another sprinter who was trying to edge past Cav on the wall, and when he was squeezed out Cav said that no sprinter should ever try to pass along the wall, that it's irresponsible and his own fault whatever happens. Isn't that interesting. But when HE does it, it's not his fault, it's the other guys. Yep...lost my respect for Cav yesterday...last year during the heat of the moment I can forgive that...but after all this time, no. I WAS hoping he'd get some more wins this year and challenge for the all time record...but now, not so much. He's a whiner, pure and simple. Nothing is ever his fault. Not a fan of that attitude at all. I mean, hey, even Froome (who was driven off the edge of the road yesterday close to the end of the stage, costing him over a minute on some of his key rivals in Stage ONE of all places) didn't throw ANY blame out whatsoever, even tho he did nothing wrong that I could see. Watching that video taken from one of the motorbikes behind him, he came w/in inches of hitting one of those immovable white poles as he shot off the road on that corner! Goodness gracious....THAT would have been the end of his Tour for sure and who knows how hurt he'd be! It was just a miracle he missed it, as it happened so fast.
And so... moving on...Gavria and Sagan 1/2 yesterday in a wide open bunch sprint. Wow! I think Sagan will light up this years Tour in so many ways! And that Gavria is built much like Sagan...not necessarily a pure sprinter but able to climb too...those 2 guys will really be something to watch as they battle for the overall Green jersey this year! And hey...let's talk about Lawson Craddock! Not a sport for sissies, that's for sure! That he finished yesterday AND today, way to go! I'm a fan for sure!
Today (stage 2) was more carnage and excitement as expected. Crashes, yep. Even w/ less riders, the narrow roads and fighting for position take their toll once again. A few crashes resulting in riders dropping out....Luis Leon Sanchez comes to mind, which was a huge blow for his team. Then the crash close to the finish, splitting off some of the main sprinters (including Gavria) from the final run. How Sagan made it by that is beyond me...Gavria was right on his wheel last I had seen...and then he's on the ground and Sagan is free and clear somehow! And poor Kittel wearing the green w/ a flat lost his chance even before the crash...that's just bad luck there. Also early in the stage they showed Sagan NOT wearing the green...and they explained the World Champ has a choice, and he chose to wear his Rainbow Stripes (thus #3 Kittel wore it)...GOOD DECISION! Pretty amazing that the last time a stage finished in that city it was the world champ who won it (in 1938 I think they said?)....what are the odds of the CURRENT World Champ winning again?? AMAZING!! (and boy was it close at the end too!)
So tomorrow is the TTT...always a great event for SOME of the GC guys, and a complete disaster for others. Speaking of disaster for GC guys...how about Quintana in Stage 1? Ran over a curb or something he said, wrecked both wheels...lost what, 1:25 overall? I think that spells the end of HIS GC chance...if he had any chance to make up time in the TT's I say he has a shot still, but he will lose MORE in the TT's...and w/ Landa on his squad AND Valverde, I think his chance once again evaporated in a moment. I"m rooting (and had picked in my original fantasy team) Landa to podium. He was AMAZING last year on Sky, leading the way for Froome in the mountains, AND he can TT w/ the best of them! I think he's a real threat to podium.
Loved seeing Sylvian on the front the whole way today, even after the other 2 guys chickened out and pulled back into the peleton WAY too early...(that's NOT how you make a name for yourself young guys!) Riding a record 18th Tour, and in front almost the entire way, almost all of it solo. That will be remembered, and is a nice way to end it IF this is indeed his final tour.
What else...sheesh, at the moment I can't think of anything, even tho there's a TON to talk about!
I'll add more or put it in the comments when I think of it.
Happy Tour everybody!
Game ON!
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