I was up at 6 friggin’ am this morning to watch the longest stage of the Tour and that, my friends, is cycle watching dedication. My training regime to watch this event included the Giro d’Italia and all the spring classics that were shown. I even cross-trained by viewing women’s cycling and BMX racing. All that hard television watching paid off, and I woke at two minutes to six without an alarm clock. Two minutes is barely enough time to nudge the husband, hit the bathroom, open the iBook, fire up em@iler, pour the coffee, grab the newspaper, feed the dog, and get the teevee turned on, but I was in the sprint of my life and made it to the couch just in time for the opening shot of the pre-race show.
Bob Roll disagreed with my comment about the Domina Vacanze rider in yesterday’s stage who went to the front to try to slow down the peloton to help his teammate who was out on the breakaway. Bob though it was bad form for the Domina Vacanze rider to do that. Maybe so, but I think it is worse form to shove. Guess those old playground rules smacked into my brain by the nuns have never left.
The tour finally made it to the first mountain stage and today’s race did not disappoint. Richard Virenque of Quick Step-Davitamon and Axel Merckz of Lotto Domo left the peloton at around the 34 kilometer mark and raced together for 135 kilometers. (You have to wonder if Eddie Merckz loved cycling so much that he named his kid after a bike part. Oh well, I guess Axel is better than Pedal or Handlebars or Brake, and the two vowels in his first name make up for the lack of vowels in his last.) Viernque is one of my favorite cyclists to watch. He makes bike riding look effortless, and I love the way he dances on the pedals up the mountain grades. Plus, he’s handsome.
Virenque was a major player in the Festina doping scandal of 1998 and despite my feelings about athletes doping I believe he’s paid his dues and deserves all the accolades he now receives. He’s tested clean since his suspension. Bob Roll made the comment that cycling is a sport that takes the participants close to the fans, closer than a stadium sport would. Children attend the events and in Europe especially, idolize their favorite riders. I agree with his assessment that the rules have to be hard to get the sport cleaned up.
Merckz couldn’t keep up on the first category one climb of the tour. Virenque pedaled ahead and maintained his lead alone for the final 64 kilometers of the race. He finished five minutes nineteen seconds ahead of the main peloton. Not only did he take the King of the Mountain jersey today, but won the stage. This was especially sweet for the French rider on Bastille Day. If Virenque can keep the King of the Mountain jersey throughout the remainder of this race, he will set a new record for seven times won.
Thomas Voeckler rode an astounding race today to keep the yellow jersey. He admits that he’s not known as a climber yet he stayed with the main peloton to cross the finish line in fifth place, right ahead of Lance Armstrong. Iban Mayo had dropped way back at one point when he had to have a wheel replaced on his machine but surprised everyone by catching up to the main peloton to finish eleventh. Even though Mayo has a lot of time to make up if he wants to be a contender for the yellow jersey, today he showed everyone that he has the strength to try. Ullrich and Hamilton also finished with the main peloton. Virenque moved up to fourth place in the GC, Armstrong, Ullrich, Heras and Hamilton maintained their prior places. The remainder of the riders straggled in twenty four minutes after Virenque.
Angel Vicioso of Liberty Seguros, Sebastien Hinault of Credit Agricole and Mirko Selestino of Saeco retired today. Hinault went into a ditch and had to be airlifted to the hospital, where it was reported he fractured a vertebra. Matthias Kessler of T Mobile took a nasty fall into a fencepost which resulted in a broken rib and lung problems. He finished the race but it is spectulated that he will not start tomorrow, and that is bad news for Jan Ullrich’s T Mobile team. Eight teams remain intact.
Condolences to Tyler Hamilton whose dog Tugboat had to be put down because of cancer. I know how tough it is to lose a dog. Tyler is a professional who will carry on despite his grief I’m sure.
Today’s Tune to the Tour contest word is “Switchbacks”.
CKS/bl Tridiot Rating calculated out to 122.933% plus the 5% penalty for a final total of 127.993%
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