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ysobelleI’m watching the time trial live this morning, and my heart’s just throttling my stomach.
It’s a time-trial, so each rider sets off individually, four minutes apart. Lance, being in first place, goes last, and is still on the course, so we’re closing in on the end. He’s doing well—a few seconds down, but he doesn’t need to win the trial to win the race.
The rider who’s got me covering my eyes, though, is Michael Rasmussen, King of the Mountain and third-placed going in. He’s having possibly the worst stage I’ve ever seen ANY rider have in ANY race. He’s crashed not once, but twice. He’s gotten a bike change not once, not twice, but FOUR TIMES so far. It’s absolutely agonizing to watch—I just groan every time I see him pull over or slow or wobble.
Jan Ullrich, on the other hand, is showing the form that got him into the cycling stratosphere in the first place. He’s determined, and it shows. Now, Lance has the advantage of knowing exactly what everyone has done before him, and he’s battling it out. He’s put six minutes on Rasmussen, and is about to pass him. Next is a climb, at which Lance excels. Up ahead, Vinokourov, crosses the line with the best time.
Ivan Basso is pushing for second now, and just starting to show some strain. When the cameras cut to Lance, he’s looking like a yellow-clad machine. It’s amazing. I’m not any kind of an expert, but even I can see how much better his form is.
Jesus. He is 32 seconds up! Ivan Basso is into a part of the course at which he’ll do very well, so the next time check should be VERY interesting.
Levi Leipheimer, the American on the Gerolsteiner team, comes in after a good ride. For the moment, he’s in tenth place, but with the bigger riders coming in, he’ll move down a bit. This has been a good year for Americans. Now, if only we could get more of them to WATCH the race…well, okay. In the grande scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, but hey.
Jan Ullrich crosses the line, and at 1.12.09.09, he’s moved commandingly into the lead. Basso, who started the stage with a very powerful look, seems to have ridden too conservatively and even nervously, and hasn’t continued in the same vein. Lance, on the other hand, has come to the next time trial and is actually SPRINTING for it! Holy cow! He’s now 35 seconds faster! He is going faster and faster—55kmph, possibly—and he’s only getting better and better. He knows what he’s doing—he’s got a radio in his ear. OLN is saying his time at his current rate may be 1.10.59.
Ivan Basso, who’s still further down the course, crosses the line in decent time, and will prolly keep 4th.
Here he comes! He’s done it! 1.11.46! It’s his stage win, and assurance that he has his seventh Tour de France win. He has moved up so far in the standings that he could practically go backwards and still win. It’s exactly what he wanted, and an amazing showing.
His three small kids are there at the line, and—whoa. His mom, who I mistook for his ex-wife. Well, we know where he gets those handsome genes, then. Girlfriend Sheryl Crow is there as well, widely grinning.
(OLN is showing highlights of the stage while we wait for the podium presentations. What this means is we see Michael Rasmussen, who’s plummeted from third to seventh, endlessly falling, ditching bikes, running into horrendous trouble at corners. Oh, ugh. But we also see the crowd at the top of the main climb of the stage as lance goes by, and almost every single one of them has on a bright yellow t-shirt, to support Lance. Amazing, even if it is doing horrible things to my TV.)
Aw, man. Luke, and Grace and Isabelle are all over him at the closing-line interview. Luke looks to be about six, and the girls—twins—three or four-ish. They’re adorable. I hope they remember this. And again, their Dad makes note of the fact that while the stage, and the race, and his career have been great, the kids are what’s really important.
It’s so very, very odd to see him on the podium in a blue and white Discovery jersey. He’s now an amazing 4.40 in the lead of the race. We take a break, and he’s back on the podium again to receive the final Maillot Jaune as race leader—tomorrow, barring unforseens, he’ll be the winner. It’s a moment to savor, but he’s more interested in waving the stuffed lion as his little girls. Indeed, before he goes to shake hands with the race officials, he steps down to the front of the stage to give the flowers to Sheryl, and, more importantly, of course!, the lion to his kids. Good G-d, it’s as big as she is! (They’re twins, so I have no idea which is which.)
Well, that’s definitely the way to start the day. I may just have to get a tape for tonight’s expanded coverage.
It’s a time-trial, so each rider sets off individually, four minutes apart. Lance, being in first place, goes last, and is still on the course, so we’re closing in on the end. He’s doing well—a few seconds down, but he doesn’t need to win the trial to win the race.
The rider who’s got me covering my eyes, though, is Michael Rasmussen, King of the Mountain and third-placed going in. He’s having possibly the worst stage I’ve ever seen ANY rider have in ANY race. He’s crashed not once, but twice. He’s gotten a bike change not once, not twice, but FOUR TIMES so far. It’s absolutely agonizing to watch—I just groan every time I see him pull over or slow or wobble.
Jan Ullrich, on the other hand, is showing the form that got him into the cycling stratosphere in the first place. He’s determined, and it shows. Now, Lance has the advantage of knowing exactly what everyone has done before him, and he’s battling it out. He’s put six minutes on Rasmussen, and is about to pass him. Next is a climb, at which Lance excels. Up ahead, Vinokourov, crosses the line with the best time.
Ivan Basso is pushing for second now, and just starting to show some strain. When the cameras cut to Lance, he’s looking like a yellow-clad machine. It’s amazing. I’m not any kind of an expert, but even I can see how much better his form is.
Jesus. He is 32 seconds up! Ivan Basso is into a part of the course at which he’ll do very well, so the next time check should be VERY interesting.
Levi Leipheimer, the American on the Gerolsteiner team, comes in after a good ride. For the moment, he’s in tenth place, but with the bigger riders coming in, he’ll move down a bit. This has been a good year for Americans. Now, if only we could get more of them to WATCH the race…well, okay. In the grande scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, but hey.
Jan Ullrich crosses the line, and at 1.12.09.09, he’s moved commandingly into the lead. Basso, who started the stage with a very powerful look, seems to have ridden too conservatively and even nervously, and hasn’t continued in the same vein. Lance, on the other hand, has come to the next time trial and is actually SPRINTING for it! Holy cow! He’s now 35 seconds faster! He is going faster and faster—55kmph, possibly—and he’s only getting better and better. He knows what he’s doing—he’s got a radio in his ear. OLN is saying his time at his current rate may be 1.10.59.
Ivan Basso, who’s still further down the course, crosses the line in decent time, and will prolly keep 4th.
Here he comes! He’s done it! 1.11.46! It’s his stage win, and assurance that he has his seventh Tour de France win. He has moved up so far in the standings that he could practically go backwards and still win. It’s exactly what he wanted, and an amazing showing.
His three small kids are there at the line, and—whoa. His mom, who I mistook for his ex-wife. Well, we know where he gets those handsome genes, then. Girlfriend Sheryl Crow is there as well, widely grinning.
(OLN is showing highlights of the stage while we wait for the podium presentations. What this means is we see Michael Rasmussen, who’s plummeted from third to seventh, endlessly falling, ditching bikes, running into horrendous trouble at corners. Oh, ugh. But we also see the crowd at the top of the main climb of the stage as lance goes by, and almost every single one of them has on a bright yellow t-shirt, to support Lance. Amazing, even if it is doing horrible things to my TV.)
Aw, man. Luke, and Grace and Isabelle are all over him at the closing-line interview. Luke looks to be about six, and the girls—twins—three or four-ish. They’re adorable. I hope they remember this. And again, their Dad makes note of the fact that while the stage, and the race, and his career have been great, the kids are what’s really important.
It’s so very, very odd to see him on the podium in a blue and white Discovery jersey. He’s now an amazing 4.40 in the lead of the race. We take a break, and he’s back on the podium again to receive the final Maillot Jaune as race leader—tomorrow, barring unforseens, he’ll be the winner. It’s a moment to savor, but he’s more interested in waving the stuffed lion as his little girls. Indeed, before he goes to shake hands with the race officials, he steps down to the front of the stage to give the flowers to Sheryl, and, more importantly, of course!, the lion to his kids. Good G-d, it’s as big as she is! (They’re twins, so I have no idea which is which.)
Well, that’s definitely the way to start the day. I may just have to get a tape for tonight’s expanded coverage.