The First 100 Miles

Tour Talk

As I mentioned in my earlier post today (scroll way down), I'm heading out of town tomorrow morning to take the kids up to the cottage of a friend of ours.  I won't be home until Sunday night so my PVR is already set to record the last four stages of the Tour.  But, like any good host, I want to make sure that my guests have a place where they can visit and feel comfortable so, I've set up empty posts for each of the next four stages so that you guys can continue to conversation.

My thougths for Sunday: I would like to see Cadel win over Sastre and I think he's going to do it.  I'd LOVE to see CVV on the podium in Paris, and I hope that Andy Schleck rides away with the white jersey.

Have fun!

Stage 21

Stage 20

Stage 19

Stage 18

21 Corners to Heaven

L'Alpe d'Huez - what a stage! 

Great ride by Sastre.  I can't say that he's my favorite rider - mostly because I just have never felt like I really know that much about him - but you have to give him credit for delivering after his team worked so hard for him all day.

But more impressive that Sastre to me is Andy Schleck.  Did you see Stuart O'Grady's interview when he said that when he's old and retired and Andy Schleck is winning his fifth Tour, he'll be able to look back and say, "I raced with that guy."  Phil and Paul both predicted that it won't be long before we start to see the young Schleck start taking yellow jerseys of his own in future Tours.

It was like he was enjoying himself on l'Alpe d'Huez.  I swear he was smiling half the time.  I loved Phil and Paul's comment, "Every time someone tries to get away there's a Schleck brother behind them!"  Great tactic by CSC to have the Schleck boys cause so much confusion and disorganization among the leaders while Sastre took off on his own.  But part of me wonders if Andy couldn't have easily taken that stage on his own but instead just did his job, marking the moves of his boss's opponents.

Great to see CVV come back today and do so well.  He showed today that the earlier part of the Tour wasn't a fluke.  He has the skill and yesterday was just one crappy day.

It's all going to come down to the TT.  I can't wait!  Sadly I'm heading off to a friend's cottage tomorrow morning and I won't be back until Sunday night so I'll have to tape the next four stages and try not to hear anything about who won until I can get back and watch.  I want to enjoy every second of that TT.

I have to say that this is up there among the most exciting Tours I've seen.

Quick Thoughts

Jens Voigt is a machine.

Andy Schleck rocks! Frank Schleck is adorable. Mrs. Schleck must be a proud mama.

My heart breaks for CVV.  Fingers crossed for Alpe d'Huez and the TT.

Poor South African kid.  Perhaps a little inexperience showing there.  Glad he didn't look hurt.

Really wanted to see Big George get the stage win.  Too bad.

Wondering if Phil and Paul ever think about kissing when they sit so close there in the booth and turn to talk to one another.

Anyone else really missing the Horner Diaries?

Still wondering what's up with the yellow shoes.

Of all the national champion outfits, Julian Dean's is by far the coolest.

On the edge of my seat wondering what Greg Lemond will have to say in Part 48 of his video interview over at Velo News.  Do you think he's still there outside the Cofids bus talking?

Oops He Did It Again

And that makes four.

Wow, he's untouchable that boy.  I wonder how the other sprinters feel knowing that this is the guy they're going to have to contend with for the rest of their careers.  Did you guys see the little segment with Robbie Hunter where he was talking about his goal of one day taking the green jersey at the Tour?  After Cavendish's fourth win today I thought of poor Hunter and the other guys and I think they'd better pick up their green jerseys fast because pretty soon, all their dreams of green are going to go down the toilet for as long as this kid is racing.

I agree though, he looks really tired.  At the line there he looked like he held up just the one finger because he was too tired to raise the other three.  And in his post-race interview with Robbie he just looked done.  I can't imagine that he's going to finish.  He needs to keep Beijing in mind and not totally kill himself here.  Plus, the more tired he gets and the more time he spends dangling out there at the back of the pack, the more risk he puts himself in in terms of crashes and Britain is not going to be happy if he cracks himself up before the Olympics.  Something tells me he has visions of a Champs d'Elysee win in the back of his mind though.

I thought he made a really interesting point though in his interview about how people think the sprinters just sit back until the end but really, they have to work every day.  The climbers get to rest on a day like today, but the sprinters have to work on days like today and they also have to go full gas on the mountain days just to finish.

Sadly it looks as though Piepoli was doping too.  Saunier Duval has fired both riders according to Velo News for violating the team's anti-doping code of conduct.  I know we're supposed to stay positive but when I hear that and I think back to their first and second place finish after their final break away together on stage 10, I can't help but question all the other breaks that stay away and seem to have that something extra.  One always hopes it's heart, guts, determination, something like that that lets them do it.  But news like this fuels those nagging little voices in one's head.

Friggin' Kick Ass Apples

(Two posts for the price of one today.)

I actually jumped straight off my couch at the end of today's stage.  There's a new "rocket" in town and I just can't get enough of that kid this year.  Can anything stop that boy once he's in sight of the finish line?  And watching the strategy, skill and sheer power of team Columbia as they control the pack and lead Cavendish out is very reminiscent of a big blue train that we all knew and loved in the past.

Bad Apples

So Ricardo Ricco tests positive for EPO and Saunier Duval has left the Tour.

God, it's just so frustrating. 

I have no idea what the situation is with the rest of the team, but assuming that this was a personal decision on Ricco's part to cheat, I feel so sorry for the rest of his team.  According to VeloNews the team had no idea about the positive result until they all showed up to sign in this morning for stage 12.  The team director and Ricco were given the news and the decision was made to pull the entire team out of the race.  Talk about having the rug pulled out from under you.  Here you are thinking that you're working your guts out for a great team that's having a fantastic Tour with two stage wins already under their belt and then you suddenly find out that your team leader has been cheating, your Tour is over and you're on a plane back home.

The first two positives were bad but they were relatively unknown names in the peloton.  Given that Ricco is a team leader and a winner of two stages at this year's race, today's news packs a harder punch.