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Tour Prologue
Jul. 1st, 2006 11:11 pmWhat's the most important thing when starting out of the timed gate for the time trial the very first day of the Tour de France?
Show up.
Floyd Landis of Phonak, one of the top-ranked riders left in the Tour, was set to start near the end of the queue this morning. Only when the bell rang for him to come down the ramp and shoot out of the gate, he wasn't there. Tick, tick, tick...where the hell...? It wasn't until quite some time later it was revealed that no, he hadn't slept in, gotten stuck in traffic, or just written the wrong date down. Just before starting, a wheel on his bike went wrong, and had to be replaced. Taken in that context, it's amazing that he only missed 8 seconds. Even better, he still finished in ninth-- eight seconds off the lead.
This prologue, a mere 7.14km in Strasbourg, France, is mostly a set-up for the race. Everyone is ordered for time according to how they're riding. It gives everyone a chance to see how everyone else is riding. Who goes where, who has to shape up, who gets to start breathing again. This year, especially, it's going to be important, with nine riders-- some of them formerly favoured to win the race, some of them team captains-- withdrawn just a few hours before. For one rider, David Millar, it's especially pertinent: this is his first day back after a two year suspension for blood doping.
In the end, it's party time in Norway as last year's winner of the green jersey, Thor Hushovd. My beloved Dave Zabriskie did well, too, finishing in third place. And missing first by seventy-three hundredths of a second was George Hincapie, this year taking over for his team leader, Lance Armstrong.
It's great to be watching these racers again. Last night was horrific for reasons I'm still not sure I want to write about. This race, this intensity, this complexity and strategy and excitement-- this is my comforting.
Vive le Tour!
Show up.
Floyd Landis of Phonak, one of the top-ranked riders left in the Tour, was set to start near the end of the queue this morning. Only when the bell rang for him to come down the ramp and shoot out of the gate, he wasn't there. Tick, tick, tick...where the hell...? It wasn't until quite some time later it was revealed that no, he hadn't slept in, gotten stuck in traffic, or just written the wrong date down. Just before starting, a wheel on his bike went wrong, and had to be replaced. Taken in that context, it's amazing that he only missed 8 seconds. Even better, he still finished in ninth-- eight seconds off the lead.
This prologue, a mere 7.14km in Strasbourg, France, is mostly a set-up for the race. Everyone is ordered for time according to how they're riding. It gives everyone a chance to see how everyone else is riding. Who goes where, who has to shape up, who gets to start breathing again. This year, especially, it's going to be important, with nine riders-- some of them formerly favoured to win the race, some of them team captains-- withdrawn just a few hours before. For one rider, David Millar, it's especially pertinent: this is his first day back after a two year suspension for blood doping.
In the end, it's party time in Norway as last year's winner of the green jersey, Thor Hushovd. My beloved Dave Zabriskie did well, too, finishing in third place. And missing first by seventy-three hundredths of a second was George Hincapie, this year taking over for his team leader, Lance Armstrong.
It's great to be watching these racers again. Last night was horrific for reasons I'm still not sure I want to write about. This race, this intensity, this complexity and strategy and excitement-- this is my comforting.
Vive le Tour!