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ysobelleSo today, at last, I'm enough into the groove to really hang on the television coverage. Watching The Tour is, for me, a little like watching Shakespeare: the first ten minutes or so, I'm getting into the rhythm of the speech, and not really following the plot. This year, though, I'm up to speed a little faster-- probably because I spent those weeks with the Giro, and because I've spent so much time following other races and cycling news in general. This year, by G-d, I was ready!
I'm watching coverage of the third stage now. The peloton's been battling a nasty crosswind for a while now, and chasing a four-man breakaway. Nearly to the end, unsurprisingly, the breakaway got gobbled up-- but not by the peloton. Instead, perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the terrain and the wind, 23 or so men went off the front with their own breakaway and overtook them. The entire Columbia/Highroad team is there, intent on delivering their man, and yesterday's stage winner, Mark Cavendish, to the line. They've already been warned from the team car to stay to the right and keep him out of the wind that's tearing the rest of the peloton apart. But who else is in this breakaway? Race leader Fabian Cancellara. Sprinter Thor Hushovd. And, with teammate Gregory Rast, Lance Armstrong.
These 30 (?) men are NOT fucking around. They know exactly what will happen to the overall standings if this breakaway, currently at 35 seconds, stays away or even manages to increase a few seconds. Tomorrow is the Team Time Trial-- a very exciting event we haven't seen the Tour in years. If Astana does well-- and they're already the leading team in the race-- this will possibly put Armstrong into the Maillot Jaune. Of course, anything could happen in the mountains. That's when the whole race goes into a blender, and whatever happened on the flats goes out the window. But Contador's not as good in the mountains as Armstrong. As it is, if this continues these last few kilometers, Armstrong will leap from tenth to third. In other words, if anyone doubted that Lance is in it to win it, well, today's your answer.
Final sprint. Columbia's pushing hard. Hushovd can't get around-- no, it's Mark Cavendish yet again! What the heck-- is this his eight-millionth Tour Stage win? And the peloton comes in 39 seconds later-- yes, Armstrong leaps up to third.
I can't say this is specifically by design. I can't say that all the selfless and gracious Armstrong/Contador mutual support's been a front-- I honestly think it was genuine. That it IS genuine. But I think it's foolish for anyone to have expected Lance to show he's in top form, and then expect him to acquiesce to second-place in a race he decisively controlled for seven years. I noticed the language of the team changed the last week, from coach Johan Bruyneel saying Lance would be third man to hearing he pretty much flipped a coin to see who'd get #21 and who'd get #22. Even Levi Leipheimer's been especially, carefully neutral-- though that's not unusual for him, with his excellent manners and sense of professionalism.
What it's going to come down to, I'm sure, is simple: no one's going to need to say anything. These men are going to do all their talking on their bikes, and we'll see who the team leader is in black and white every afternoon.
Tomorrow, an always-exciting, long-missed event: a team time trial: the first since 2005. As the cliche goes, anything can happen, and usually does. This should be good.
I'm watching coverage of the third stage now. The peloton's been battling a nasty crosswind for a while now, and chasing a four-man breakaway. Nearly to the end, unsurprisingly, the breakaway got gobbled up-- but not by the peloton. Instead, perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the terrain and the wind, 23 or so men went off the front with their own breakaway and overtook them. The entire Columbia/Highroad team is there, intent on delivering their man, and yesterday's stage winner, Mark Cavendish, to the line. They've already been warned from the team car to stay to the right and keep him out of the wind that's tearing the rest of the peloton apart. But who else is in this breakaway? Race leader Fabian Cancellara. Sprinter Thor Hushovd. And, with teammate Gregory Rast, Lance Armstrong.
These 30 (?) men are NOT fucking around. They know exactly what will happen to the overall standings if this breakaway, currently at 35 seconds, stays away or even manages to increase a few seconds. Tomorrow is the Team Time Trial-- a very exciting event we haven't seen the Tour in years. If Astana does well-- and they're already the leading team in the race-- this will possibly put Armstrong into the Maillot Jaune. Of course, anything could happen in the mountains. That's when the whole race goes into a blender, and whatever happened on the flats goes out the window. But Contador's not as good in the mountains as Armstrong. As it is, if this continues these last few kilometers, Armstrong will leap from tenth to third. In other words, if anyone doubted that Lance is in it to win it, well, today's your answer.
Final sprint. Columbia's pushing hard. Hushovd can't get around-- no, it's Mark Cavendish yet again! What the heck-- is this his eight-millionth Tour Stage win? And the peloton comes in 39 seconds later-- yes, Armstrong leaps up to third.
I can't say this is specifically by design. I can't say that all the selfless and gracious Armstrong/Contador mutual support's been a front-- I honestly think it was genuine. That it IS genuine. But I think it's foolish for anyone to have expected Lance to show he's in top form, and then expect him to acquiesce to second-place in a race he decisively controlled for seven years. I noticed the language of the team changed the last week, from coach Johan Bruyneel saying Lance would be third man to hearing he pretty much flipped a coin to see who'd get #21 and who'd get #22. Even Levi Leipheimer's been especially, carefully neutral-- though that's not unusual for him, with his excellent manners and sense of professionalism.
What it's going to come down to, I'm sure, is simple: no one's going to need to say anything. These men are going to do all their talking on their bikes, and we'll see who the team leader is in black and white every afternoon.
Tomorrow, an always-exciting, long-missed event: a team time trial: the first since 2005. As the cliche goes, anything can happen, and usually does. This should be good.