The End: Stage 19
Jul. 29th, 2007 01:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysobelleYes, I know there are 20 stages to Le Tour. But one thing you have to understand is that after 104 years, and 94 races (what with world wars and all), there are certain levels of tradition and sportsmanship that might seem weird. One of them is that the entrance into Paris is the reward the winner gets for surviving best the previous three weeks and two thousand miles of brutal punishment on the road. It's mostly for show for the General Classification men, and unless the sprinters are close, for the prestigious Green Jersey competitors as well.
Today was, therefore, the deciding factor in who wins the 2007 Tour de France. A 55.5km time trial from Cognac to Angoulême, it went beautifully, with almost no falls or accidents save poor Scotsman David Millar of Saunier Duval, whose bike chain broke practically out of the starting gate, and whose replacement bike's wheel exploded shortly thereafter. He'd started so powerfully, too. But he's not retiring yet, so I'm quite sure we'll see him back out on the road. On the whole, it was a magnificent race: the fifth-fastest in Tour history.
But in my own admittedly biased opinion, the best rider of the day was my beloved Levi Leipheimer. Third in the GC, he was third-to-last starting, but came out of the gate so strongly and smoothly it was obvious from the first he was in fabulous form, and would have a great stage. Sure enough, he soon managed one of the rarest feats in all of time-trialling: overtaking and quickly leaving behind the rider who began three minutes before him: Carlos Sastre of CSC. His average speed was over 50k per hour. It was all but inevitable that he won today's stage in a most commanding fashion.
I had fantasies of him going so very fast he'd actually take the Maillot Jaune, but alas, that was not to be. Impressively, however, between him, second-placed Cadel Evans of Predictor-Lotto, and Tour leader Alberto Contador, also of Discovery, there are now but thirty one seconds between the top three riders.
Bill, who came over and watched the stage with me, was incredibly excited for tomorrow until he heard Levi say in a post-podium interview that he wouldn't "pull a Vinokourov" and challenge for the yellow jersey tomorrow. That refers to the 2006 (?) Tour, when Alexandre Vinokourov-- yes, him-- violated the gentleman's agreement that the final stage is pomp and circumstance for the GC, and challenged on the final day. It's just one of those things the riders all respect, like not attacking in a feed zone or when a major player has fallen. It's the same sense of sportsmanship that saw Alberto Contador refusing to wear Yellow the day after Rasmussen (and not, incidentally, his team, which will finish tomorrow without him) was pulled from the race. Contador raced that day in his Discovery jersey until he'd completed the stage as the winner in his own right. Even then, I'm not sure how happy he looked about it-- though that certainly changed today. He was beaming. He not only has the White Jersey of Best Young Rider (though technically, another rider actually gets to wear it as Carlos can't wear two jerseys), but the most coveted piece of sportswear in all of cycling. And he did it with co-team-owner Lance Armstrong watching approvingly from the support car behind him.
It'll be champagne and croissants on the road tomorrow. And lots of pretty photo-ops.
Today was, therefore, the deciding factor in who wins the 2007 Tour de France. A 55.5km time trial from Cognac to Angoulême, it went beautifully, with almost no falls or accidents save poor Scotsman David Millar of Saunier Duval, whose bike chain broke practically out of the starting gate, and whose replacement bike's wheel exploded shortly thereafter. He'd started so powerfully, too. But he's not retiring yet, so I'm quite sure we'll see him back out on the road. On the whole, it was a magnificent race: the fifth-fastest in Tour history.
But in my own admittedly biased opinion, the best rider of the day was my beloved Levi Leipheimer. Third in the GC, he was third-to-last starting, but came out of the gate so strongly and smoothly it was obvious from the first he was in fabulous form, and would have a great stage. Sure enough, he soon managed one of the rarest feats in all of time-trialling: overtaking and quickly leaving behind the rider who began three minutes before him: Carlos Sastre of CSC. His average speed was over 50k per hour. It was all but inevitable that he won today's stage in a most commanding fashion.
I had fantasies of him going so very fast he'd actually take the Maillot Jaune, but alas, that was not to be. Impressively, however, between him, second-placed Cadel Evans of Predictor-Lotto, and Tour leader Alberto Contador, also of Discovery, there are now but thirty one seconds between the top three riders.
Bill, who came over and watched the stage with me, was incredibly excited for tomorrow until he heard Levi say in a post-podium interview that he wouldn't "pull a Vinokourov" and challenge for the yellow jersey tomorrow. That refers to the 2006 (?) Tour, when Alexandre Vinokourov-- yes, him-- violated the gentleman's agreement that the final stage is pomp and circumstance for the GC, and challenged on the final day. It's just one of those things the riders all respect, like not attacking in a feed zone or when a major player has fallen. It's the same sense of sportsmanship that saw Alberto Contador refusing to wear Yellow the day after Rasmussen (and not, incidentally, his team, which will finish tomorrow without him) was pulled from the race. Contador raced that day in his Discovery jersey until he'd completed the stage as the winner in his own right. Even then, I'm not sure how happy he looked about it-- though that certainly changed today. He was beaming. He not only has the White Jersey of Best Young Rider (though technically, another rider actually gets to wear it as Carlos can't wear two jerseys), but the most coveted piece of sportswear in all of cycling. And he did it with co-team-owner Lance Armstrong watching approvingly from the support car behind him.
It'll be champagne and croissants on the road tomorrow. And lots of pretty photo-ops.