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ysobelleAnother flat stage, but this one quite a bit longer, and oh-my-G-d hotter. It makes for beautiful television, the browning fields interspersed with masses upon masses of sunflowers. It's an icon of the Tour. I'm not sure the riders even notice.
A three-man breakaway today, reeled in by the end, as expected. It was another day set up perfectly for the sprinters, and so of course every news outlet was focussed like a laser on Mark Cavendish. Would he sprint? Would he be in the right place? Would his lead-out man, Mark Renshaw, get him to the line? Would his team? And once there, would he prevail?
Well, yes. I mean, I could write for pages about the stage, but it was an easy day. The sprint finish was the most exciting part. Mark Renshaw did indeed get him to the line, and when he swung off, we saw the Mark Cavendish of last year: the Manx Missile. Off he went, and no one could touch him. It was beautiful.
Somehow, I missed exactly how chaotic a year it's been for him: a disqualification here, a crash there, a spate of rudeness over there. It's been bad, and though he himself said some of it was taken out of context, he also admitted "there's no smoke without fire." The pressure on him to win was unbearable, and every time he couldn't deliver, he felt like he was devaluing the incredible work of his team. So perhaps it wasn't the least surprising to see him today up on the podium, getting his award for another stage win and crying his eyes out. Hell, I cried, too.
Other positive news today was the sight of Tyler Farrar contesting the sprint. Tyler, as you might remember, had a nasty crash on Monday, and injured his elbow and wrist. He BROKE his wrist, as a matter of fact. And the very next day, rode a full stage over cobblestones. On one arm. As his team director said, "Well, you don't win stages sitting at home watching on TV." No, but you don't win them from a hospital bed, either. Still, Tyler refuses to sit it out, and after a fairly calm day yesterday and again today, felt good enough to go for it. His teammate, and one of Garmin's biggest lights, Christian Vande Velde, is gone, so the team will take what it can get. Tyler's a huge chunk of their program, so the pressure's on him, if not on his left arm. He says it's feeling better. He even claimed that when the sprint started, with all the adrenaline, he didn't even feel it. Again, these aren't normal humans. It's slightly creepy sometimes.
Once more, no change in the overall standings, nor in the jerseys. Cancellara remains in yellow, Hushovd in green. And no points to contest the King of the Mountain, so that fashion-beknighted jersey stays upon Jerome Pineau of QuickStep. Tomorrow, another mostly flat stage as we continue on our march to the mountains on Sunday.
A three-man breakaway today, reeled in by the end, as expected. It was another day set up perfectly for the sprinters, and so of course every news outlet was focussed like a laser on Mark Cavendish. Would he sprint? Would he be in the right place? Would his lead-out man, Mark Renshaw, get him to the line? Would his team? And once there, would he prevail?
Well, yes. I mean, I could write for pages about the stage, but it was an easy day. The sprint finish was the most exciting part. Mark Renshaw did indeed get him to the line, and when he swung off, we saw the Mark Cavendish of last year: the Manx Missile. Off he went, and no one could touch him. It was beautiful.
Somehow, I missed exactly how chaotic a year it's been for him: a disqualification here, a crash there, a spate of rudeness over there. It's been bad, and though he himself said some of it was taken out of context, he also admitted "there's no smoke without fire." The pressure on him to win was unbearable, and every time he couldn't deliver, he felt like he was devaluing the incredible work of his team. So perhaps it wasn't the least surprising to see him today up on the podium, getting his award for another stage win and crying his eyes out. Hell, I cried, too.
Other positive news today was the sight of Tyler Farrar contesting the sprint. Tyler, as you might remember, had a nasty crash on Monday, and injured his elbow and wrist. He BROKE his wrist, as a matter of fact. And the very next day, rode a full stage over cobblestones. On one arm. As his team director said, "Well, you don't win stages sitting at home watching on TV." No, but you don't win them from a hospital bed, either. Still, Tyler refuses to sit it out, and after a fairly calm day yesterday and again today, felt good enough to go for it. His teammate, and one of Garmin's biggest lights, Christian Vande Velde, is gone, so the team will take what it can get. Tyler's a huge chunk of their program, so the pressure's on him, if not on his left arm. He says it's feeling better. He even claimed that when the sprint started, with all the adrenaline, he didn't even feel it. Again, these aren't normal humans. It's slightly creepy sometimes.
Once more, no change in the overall standings, nor in the jerseys. Cancellara remains in yellow, Hushovd in green. And no points to contest the King of the Mountain, so that fashion-beknighted jersey stays upon Jerome Pineau of QuickStep. Tomorrow, another mostly flat stage as we continue on our march to the mountains on Sunday.