Tour de France Stage Four

Stage 4
4th of July, 2012
Abbeville to Rouen, 214.5k, 133.3m


There is one thing about the Tour de France that makes me crazy. Not just a little crazy-- I mean flat-out, googly-eyed, batshit crazy:

The scenery.

I’ve watched the Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a España, and other scattered races throughout the year (moreso when I had more channels) and experienced the agony of the foreign camera operators lingering on breathtaking, jaw-dropping castles and chateaux and villas while the commentators, excellent on riders’ stats and race history, chatted on about what was going on on the road without even acknowledging the view. Or, worse, pausing a moment to say, “Wow. Isn’t that impressive?” And then going on as if nothing had happened. As if there’d been no masterpiece of architecture flashing before us. 


Tour de France coverage, of course, is a little different. Currently carried by NBC Sports (which bought Versus), it features, as it has for years, the incomparable and exceedingly well-travelled Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett. And, one presumes, a very good research team. Sherwin and Liggett, along with Bob Roll and an impressive cast of supporting characters-- have been doing this for as long as I can remember. They are, rightfully so, considered the Voices of The Tour. The Voices of Cycling, really. And they absolutely positively, know their stuff. All of it. So when the helicopter camera lingers lovingly on, say, the Benedictine Palace in Fecamp, just off the Channel in Northwestern France, I actually know that it’s the Benedictine Palace. And that gives me a name for my bitter, bitter longing.

Today’s stage, from Abbeville to Rouen, is a typical first-week stage. No big climbs, and a sprint finish. Also normal, an early breakaway that stays away for most of the day. Today, it’s three riders: Two French, David Moncoutie of Cofidis and Anthony Delaplace of Saur-Sojasun, and a Japanese rider, Yukia Arishiro of Europcar, who began the breakaway off the flag indicating the end of the neutral zone this morning. I’m still not used to seeing the Asian riders, but I shouldn’t be surprised: cycling’s taken off worldwide as a sport over the last few years, and it’s only a matter of time until we see riders from the Middle East, China, and the rest of Africa. (We have two South African riders in the race this year already, and one, Daryl Impey, will come in 7th today.) Every year, we hear, “This is the first time a rider from X has won a stage!” It’s wonderful.

As we leave the coast, the lead of the three riders has begun to fall from over seven and a half minutes. There’s a huge sprint in the middle of the day, and while the big prize of twenty points will obviously go to one of these leaders, they’re not high enough in the points competition to really worry the serious Green Jersey competitors. But when the peloton comes to the sprint point, there’s quite a battle. And surprise, surprise, it’s Mark Cavendish by half a wheel. It’s strange to see him not in a Columbia Highroad kit. Stranger still to see him competing against Mark Renshaw, his former teammate and pitch-perfect lead-out man for many years.

Less than 8km from the finish, the three riders are caught. It’s been over 200km of power, but the field is all together for the brief climb before the drop to the line.

Interestingly, there are three new riders, now, attempting a new breakaway. But the peloton is fracturing and expanding, and soon enough, less than 5km to go, and they, too, are swept up. Fabian Cancellara in his race leader’s Maillot Jaune, is making sure to stay out of trouble near the front.

And a crash! Mark Cavendish, Edvald Boassen-Hagen, Robbie Hunter-- all gone! A terrible sight-- Cav sitting on the ground, helmet askew, looking slightly stunned, and entirely mutinous.

Across the Seine on the bridge, and a sharp left towards the line. Peter Sagan is in there, Andre Greipel, Alessandro Petacchi, but who’ll make the move?

And Andre Greipel of Lotto-Belisol comes around Greg Henderson, his lead-out man, to take the stage! It’s his fifteenth career win! Green Jersey Peter Sagan, who won yesterday’s stage and did-- no lie-- the Forrest Gump whilst crossing the line-- takes fourth. Fabian Cancellara maintains Yellow.

The rest of the peloton comes in safely-- with Mark Cavendish following some minutes later. His helmet is smashed, his World Sprint Champion rainbow jersey scuffed, and the look on his face spells trouble for someone. The crash happened inside the 3k mark, so everyone involved will get the same time as the leaders. Later that afternoon, Cav’s teammate Bernhard Eisel tweets a photo of himself in the tour bus, a surgical sheet over his face, with a circle exposing his eye, and the bloody eyebrow that’s getting four stitches.

147 points in the Green Jersey competition now for Peter Sagan, and only 68 for Mark. Can he fight back, as he’s done so often before?

One look at the replay of his face as he rode home four minutes after the leaders says, “You bet your ass.”