What a crazy finish.
Jul. 7th, 2005 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysobelleHours of calculating, maneuvering, pushing, testing, and sheer guts in a persistent, soaking rain-- and then, seven hundred metres from the finish, a massive crash at a right angle turn on the wet, slick road takes out all the sprinters, and very nearly the rest of the peloton. Out of absolutely nowhere, Lorenzo Bernucci of the small Fassa Bortolo Team-- a young Italian rider, who has never personally won a race-- finds himself very nearly all alone, crossing the line with an expression of ecstatic disbelief on his face.
Sadly, the rider who had been winning, Christophe Mengin of Francaise des Jeux, was the first down. He'd planned his breakaway perfectly a few kilometres back, and it looked like he was about to win the stage that ended in-- hey, my favourite name!-- Nancy, not 20km from his own home. It would have been a great story: the hometown kid makes good. But he took that last sharp turn just a little too fast, tried to compensate, and wound up straight into the barriers, scoring himself some serious bruises and a nasty black eye. Of course, the rest of the peloton was hopelessly unable to stop, and one rider after another laid down his bike and slid in after him. Thankfully, no serious injuries, and as the accident happened so close to the end-- within the final 3km-- the rules state that all riders in the peloton will receive the same finishing time. That way, there's no mad scramble to get up and move on, which probably saves the men from further injury. The sprinters, instead of a heart-pounding, muscle-screaming fight to the line, rolled in in groups of two or four or five, chatting and grumbling and recounting and, thankfully, under their own power.
So. No change in the standings today. Lance still leads, with his long-time close friend and teammate George Hincapie 55 seconds behind him. He retains the yellow jersey, Tom Boonen retains the green points jersey.
Still, there's one very happy Italian rider in France tonight.
Sadly, the rider who had been winning, Christophe Mengin of Francaise des Jeux, was the first down. He'd planned his breakaway perfectly a few kilometres back, and it looked like he was about to win the stage that ended in-- hey, my favourite name!-- Nancy, not 20km from his own home. It would have been a great story: the hometown kid makes good. But he took that last sharp turn just a little too fast, tried to compensate, and wound up straight into the barriers, scoring himself some serious bruises and a nasty black eye. Of course, the rest of the peloton was hopelessly unable to stop, and one rider after another laid down his bike and slid in after him. Thankfully, no serious injuries, and as the accident happened so close to the end-- within the final 3km-- the rules state that all riders in the peloton will receive the same finishing time. That way, there's no mad scramble to get up and move on, which probably saves the men from further injury. The sprinters, instead of a heart-pounding, muscle-screaming fight to the line, rolled in in groups of two or four or five, chatting and grumbling and recounting and, thankfully, under their own power.
So. No change in the standings today. Lance still leads, with his long-time close friend and teammate George Hincapie 55 seconds behind him. He retains the yellow jersey, Tom Boonen retains the green points jersey.
Still, there's one very happy Italian rider in France tonight.