Stage 13: Vittel to Colmar (200km)
Jul. 17th, 2009 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysobelleHeartbroken.
I got a Google Alerts email this morning that made me sit up in bed, rub my bleary eyes, and say, "Are you KIDDING ME??" It said a rider had abandoned this morning. One I'd never expected.
Levi Leipheimer.
Remember yesterday, when I wrote about the minor crash off the back? The one that happened within the 3km safe zone? Not so minor, it seems. Overnight, Levi's wrist began to hurt more and more, and the x-rays thought unneeded last night were done this morning. According to the Astana website:
"Doc has confirmed that Levi has a transverse fracture of the right scaphoid (in wrist). Will not be able to start."
I know everyone talks about Lance, me amongst them. But I've been absolutely a fan of Levi since his '05-'06 days on the now-disgraced and disbanded Gerolsteiner team. He was third overall in the Tour two years ago. He won the Tour of the Gila in May. I jumped up and cheered when he won the Tour of California in February. He's always been a consummate gentleman and sportsman. A team player who can step up and take the decisive win.
So I really didn't want to believe my iPhone this morning. No way. Even Levi said last night that he saw the curb coming at him and thought, "This could be bad," but then shrugged it off with a sigh of relief. I didn't want to believe it, and I was still hoping it was a sensationalised mistake, despite my respect for the Washington Post. But then I saw this morning's interview with Levi himself, standing there in civvies, his arm immobilised in a sling. He said he didn't quite remember the specifics, but he realised he must have put his hand out when he saw the curb coming.
"The pain of a broken wrist is one thing," he said. "But the pain of seeing the Tour roll off without you is immeasurable."
Today's stage was brutal. Multiple climbs. In the rain. And cold. And the rain. Did I mention the rain?
A breakaway this morning, again, but this time, as often happens in the mountain stages, it spawned a few chase groups. Brice Feillu made a good name for himself, especially considering his brother Romain dropped out today, citing respiratory problems. I heard he pretty much had no choice, since officials wouldn't allow him to use his inhaler, which I would imagine might have steroids in it. If that's true, it's pretty dickish on their part. Egoi Martinez and Franco Pellizotti battled it out for point in the King of the Mountains competition. And Mark Cavendish seemed to want to prove to the world that he wasn't joking when he said he wasn't a mountain guy-- he's in the group they call "l'autobus," the guys at the back of the back, behind the peloton, just trying to avoid death.
The hero of the day, however, is a young Cervélo rider by the name of Heinrich Haussler. He's a German-Australian rider who will officially ride as an Australian next year, though the Tour passed today within a few miles of where he lived as a young teen in Germany. (http://in.reuters.com/article/worldOfSport/idINIndia-41127920090717) After all day in the breakaway, he manages to do a solo, and pull out away from everyone. By the time we hit the nasty, turn- and cobblestone-beset streets of Colmar, it's obvious he'd have to ride into a ditch or get into an argument about quantum physics or get stuck in a vat of peanut butter to even have to think about worrying. The rain-blurred motorbike camera comes up behind him, and he grins and blows a kiss. He's done an amazing job, and is about to get a very sweet reward. Sure enough, he comes up to the line without another rider in sight. He's four minutes ahead of the next cyclist, Amets Txurruka of Euskatel Euskadi, and is obviously just stunned. This will be his best finish ever, and only his second Tour. Not only does he sit up, he covers his face with his hands and cries. Sappy, maybe, but it's pretty awesome.
It's almost half an hour before the last riders come over the line. Mark Cavendish is amongst them, and by a few points, he's lost the Maillot Vert again, back to Thor Hushovd. Which is amusing, considering Thor yesterday said he was giving up the pursuit of said jersey, and concentrating on stage wins to Paris. There's one comparatively flat stage tomorrow, so we'll see just who gets what. And it's not over by a long shot for some other big, big names. Garmin's Brad Wiggins is now in fourth place, only 46" off the lead. And Saxo Bank, team of the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, now wear the yellow numbers of the leading team, a quality they showed near the end of the stage when they executed one of the fastest, smoothest bike changes I've ever seen. Andy Schleck must have radioed back that he had a flat. Three teammates dropped back to him as he swung a leg over his still-moving bike. The team car swept up beside him at the same time, had him on the new bike instantly, and his teammates paced him back into the race. Honestly, if the cameras hadn't been there, no one but the spectators on the street would ever have known it had happened, it was so fast and so smoothly, beautifully done.
Tomorrow will also most likely see many teams hitting Astana hard. The loss of Levi is an incredibly blow to them, not just because he was fourth in the GC, but because as everyone has been saying all along, the real race begins in the mountains, and they were counting on him. Will it destroy them? No. Will it make things interesting? Oh, I hope so. Not that I've been bored yet.
I got a Google Alerts email this morning that made me sit up in bed, rub my bleary eyes, and say, "Are you KIDDING ME??" It said a rider had abandoned this morning. One I'd never expected.
Levi Leipheimer.
Remember yesterday, when I wrote about the minor crash off the back? The one that happened within the 3km safe zone? Not so minor, it seems. Overnight, Levi's wrist began to hurt more and more, and the x-rays thought unneeded last night were done this morning. According to the Astana website:
"Doc has confirmed that Levi has a transverse fracture of the right scaphoid (in wrist). Will not be able to start."
I know everyone talks about Lance, me amongst them. But I've been absolutely a fan of Levi since his '05-'06 days on the now-disgraced and disbanded Gerolsteiner team. He was third overall in the Tour two years ago. He won the Tour of the Gila in May. I jumped up and cheered when he won the Tour of California in February. He's always been a consummate gentleman and sportsman. A team player who can step up and take the decisive win.
So I really didn't want to believe my iPhone this morning. No way. Even Levi said last night that he saw the curb coming at him and thought, "This could be bad," but then shrugged it off with a sigh of relief. I didn't want to believe it, and I was still hoping it was a sensationalised mistake, despite my respect for the Washington Post. But then I saw this morning's interview with Levi himself, standing there in civvies, his arm immobilised in a sling. He said he didn't quite remember the specifics, but he realised he must have put his hand out when he saw the curb coming.
"The pain of a broken wrist is one thing," he said. "But the pain of seeing the Tour roll off without you is immeasurable."
Today's stage was brutal. Multiple climbs. In the rain. And cold. And the rain. Did I mention the rain?
A breakaway this morning, again, but this time, as often happens in the mountain stages, it spawned a few chase groups. Brice Feillu made a good name for himself, especially considering his brother Romain dropped out today, citing respiratory problems. I heard he pretty much had no choice, since officials wouldn't allow him to use his inhaler, which I would imagine might have steroids in it. If that's true, it's pretty dickish on their part. Egoi Martinez and Franco Pellizotti battled it out for point in the King of the Mountains competition. And Mark Cavendish seemed to want to prove to the world that he wasn't joking when he said he wasn't a mountain guy-- he's in the group they call "l'autobus," the guys at the back of the back, behind the peloton, just trying to avoid death.
The hero of the day, however, is a young Cervélo rider by the name of Heinrich Haussler. He's a German-Australian rider who will officially ride as an Australian next year, though the Tour passed today within a few miles of where he lived as a young teen in Germany. (http://in.reuters.com/article/worldOfSport/idINIndia-41127920090717) After all day in the breakaway, he manages to do a solo, and pull out away from everyone. By the time we hit the nasty, turn- and cobblestone-beset streets of Colmar, it's obvious he'd have to ride into a ditch or get into an argument about quantum physics or get stuck in a vat of peanut butter to even have to think about worrying. The rain-blurred motorbike camera comes up behind him, and he grins and blows a kiss. He's done an amazing job, and is about to get a very sweet reward. Sure enough, he comes up to the line without another rider in sight. He's four minutes ahead of the next cyclist, Amets Txurruka of Euskatel Euskadi, and is obviously just stunned. This will be his best finish ever, and only his second Tour. Not only does he sit up, he covers his face with his hands and cries. Sappy, maybe, but it's pretty awesome.
It's almost half an hour before the last riders come over the line. Mark Cavendish is amongst them, and by a few points, he's lost the Maillot Vert again, back to Thor Hushovd. Which is amusing, considering Thor yesterday said he was giving up the pursuit of said jersey, and concentrating on stage wins to Paris. There's one comparatively flat stage tomorrow, so we'll see just who gets what. And it's not over by a long shot for some other big, big names. Garmin's Brad Wiggins is now in fourth place, only 46" off the lead. And Saxo Bank, team of the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, now wear the yellow numbers of the leading team, a quality they showed near the end of the stage when they executed one of the fastest, smoothest bike changes I've ever seen. Andy Schleck must have radioed back that he had a flat. Three teammates dropped back to him as he swung a leg over his still-moving bike. The team car swept up beside him at the same time, had him on the new bike instantly, and his teammates paced him back into the race. Honestly, if the cameras hadn't been there, no one but the spectators on the street would ever have known it had happened, it was so fast and so smoothly, beautifully done.
Tomorrow will also most likely see many teams hitting Astana hard. The loss of Levi is an incredibly blow to them, not just because he was fourth in the GC, but because as everyone has been saying all along, the real race begins in the mountains, and they were counting on him. Will it destroy them? No. Will it make things interesting? Oh, I hope so. Not that I've been bored yet.