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ysobelleI've been away for a few days. I missed an entire mountain range. And crazy things happen in mountains. But I come back, and I find Vincenzo Nibali is STILL in yellow. It's a vastly different race from what anyone expected-- We've lost Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome, and Alberto Contador. I saw one newspaper report saying, "Anyone who wins this year will always have a shadow over their victory." I think that's a horrible thing to say, and I think it's bullshit.
One thing anyone who watches cycling regularly knows is that riders ALWAYS crash. And riders retire. And riders get sick. And riders have bad days. Say what you want about cheating, but every year, it gets harder and harder to even THINK about doping, and there is no way to guarantee anything. ANYTHING.
Team Sky thought they were pretty well set by having Froome out there. They were so confident, in fact, that they elected to leave champion Sir Bradley Wiggins off their squad. Five days in, well, they found out how hubristic that was. And now, Richie Porte, their last hope-- and a damned good but very young rider-- got dropped halfway up an Alp today. He went into today's stage in second place, and the last eleven kilometers-- a big climb-- sent him toppling down the standings. He lost eight minutes to Nibali, and he's essentially out of the race.
What's my point? Vincenzo Nibali is the champion of Italy, and he's been in yellow more days than he's been out. Anyone saying he's only there because Contador and Froome are gone needs a Super Big Gulp of STFU. He's been amazing on the flats, he's been amazing (so far) on the climbs. He has no time to rest, of course, and he's got more climbs ahead. but screw it: he knows what he's doing, he's being a consummate professional, he's got the tactical side down cold, and he's leading the race because he's a top-notch rider. Still not convinced? Today, he won the polka-dot jersey of King of the Mountain. So there: take THAT.
We're in the Alps now, and as I think Phil Liggett said once, you can take the playbook and throw it out the team car window now. (Or if he didn't say it, let's pretend he did.) Everything changes in the mountains, and it's where the race gets more brutal, and more finessed. We also have BMC's Tejay Van Garderen up from sixth to fifth position, which is pretty great if you're rooting for the Americans. Could he podium in Paris? he's a good time trialler, and there's a long one coming up. So let's see.
Well, everyone's hopefully sleeping in their hotel beds tonight, recovering for tomorrow. More mountains: a Cat One climb at the beginning, and a Hors Categorie at the end. OWWWWW.
PS: I FINALLY SAW DIDI! I haven't seen him at all the last couple of years, but there he was today!
One thing anyone who watches cycling regularly knows is that riders ALWAYS crash. And riders retire. And riders get sick. And riders have bad days. Say what you want about cheating, but every year, it gets harder and harder to even THINK about doping, and there is no way to guarantee anything. ANYTHING.
Team Sky thought they were pretty well set by having Froome out there. They were so confident, in fact, that they elected to leave champion Sir Bradley Wiggins off their squad. Five days in, well, they found out how hubristic that was. And now, Richie Porte, their last hope-- and a damned good but very young rider-- got dropped halfway up an Alp today. He went into today's stage in second place, and the last eleven kilometers-- a big climb-- sent him toppling down the standings. He lost eight minutes to Nibali, and he's essentially out of the race.
What's my point? Vincenzo Nibali is the champion of Italy, and he's been in yellow more days than he's been out. Anyone saying he's only there because Contador and Froome are gone needs a Super Big Gulp of STFU. He's been amazing on the flats, he's been amazing (so far) on the climbs. He has no time to rest, of course, and he's got more climbs ahead. but screw it: he knows what he's doing, he's being a consummate professional, he's got the tactical side down cold, and he's leading the race because he's a top-notch rider. Still not convinced? Today, he won the polka-dot jersey of King of the Mountain. So there: take THAT.
We're in the Alps now, and as I think Phil Liggett said once, you can take the playbook and throw it out the team car window now. (Or if he didn't say it, let's pretend he did.) Everything changes in the mountains, and it's where the race gets more brutal, and more finessed. We also have BMC's Tejay Van Garderen up from sixth to fifth position, which is pretty great if you're rooting for the Americans. Could he podium in Paris? he's a good time trialler, and there's a long one coming up. So let's see.
Well, everyone's hopefully sleeping in their hotel beds tonight, recovering for tomorrow. More mountains: a Cat One climb at the beginning, and a Hors Categorie at the end. OWWWWW.
PS: I FINALLY SAW DIDI! I haven't seen him at all the last couple of years, but there he was today!