After Stage V there was Stage 9, where the World TT champion earned the dotty jumper. In case you missed it, Stage 9 was a trip into the Vosges mountains, 170km with six categorized climbs. This was a stage for a breakaway to stay away. A large group did escape and with 152km remaining to the finish Alessandro De Marchi of Cannondale bolted off the front…followed by Tony Martin. What happened over the next few climbs was awe-inspiring and awful. Awe-inspiring because this break of two kept gaining time over the large group of hard working escapers; awful because poor Alessandro was getting worked over like no cyclist should ever get worked over. He killed himself at the front, just trying to keep Martin behind him and he killed himself again when he deserved to be resting on Tony Martin’s wheel. Alessandro was in the saddle, out of the saddle, fighting just to stay in contact. It was equally fun and painful to watch.
Tony Martin learned very early about making a successful escape. As a youth he escaped East Germany with his family. He does not fuck around when escaping. A bee stung the Cannondale rider on the hand; a welcome distraction from the beating he was taking trying to survive a ride with Martin. Besides putting De Marchi in a spot of bother on the climbs, Martin is a demon on descents and obviously horrendous on the flats. It was Mr Martin’s wild ride.
With 59km to go, as they climbed the biggest mountain of the day, Martin decided it was time to take it up a notch. One could see De Marchi’s thought bubble when it happened, “oh FFS, thank you, you broke me, are you happy now?” As they crested each climb Tony had let Alessandro collect the KOM points, yet guess who ended up in the Jersey? I’ve looked in vain for a post-race interview with De Marchi. At least he earned the the Most Combative jersey in Paris. One of Quick-Step’s directors quipped De Marchi was going to need a therapist after that ride.
How awesome is Tony “Whale Shark” Martin? He leads out Cav like a good team player. He is the World Time Trial Champion. He is hot to attempt the Hour Record, whatever the rules are. He can crush a 58 tooth chainring. He can also win a climbing stage in the Tour and pull on the dotty jumper wearing his Panzerwagen old-school cap on the podium.
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The man is both Devil and God rolled in to one. I developed a Man Crush on TM last year on stage 6 of La Vuelta when his solo breakaway was caught 3m from the line by a merciless peloton. I was roaring at the TV during THAT STAGE on the TdF this year and raised a glass or 5 in his honour when he succeeded only to see him go out again next day and start laying down V as if he wanted to pave the whole fucking Tour route in it! He can point his guns in any direction, up, down, flat, solo, leadout and when they fire the rest just shrink at the power he lays down. A man who can suffer like few others....Chapeau (Like Jensy being reborn!)
@Deakus
Like Jens, but with race-winning ability... but probably not as funny.
@brett
@brett
And maybe without the (denied, of course) suspicion of dopage. Maybe.
@brett
He pretty much does his talking with his guns....
Der Panzerwagon is fast becoming one of my favourite riders, and the way he animated this years tour was really special.
I was one the cat 1 Markstein climb on stage 9 and the speed he came past us at was breathtaking. Absolutely awesome, and visibly quicker than the chasing riders.
And to think, had Cav not crashed out it probably wouldn't have happened.
Nor would Majka and Rogers if it weren't for the absence of Contador.
Silver linings and all that.
I think the UCI need to bring in a 1000 CHF fine for anyone stepping foot on the podium with a baseball style cap, classic cap all the way from one of the classiest riders around. Amazing POW POW.
@ChrisO
I wonder if domestiques celebrate just a little when the boss goes home and their role changes completely?
@Deakus TM is a one man peloton. A day after out V-ing everyone, he singlehandedly pulls back the day's the break to set it up for Kwiatkovski. Then there was that final TT...
These are the guys I like to watch. Scraping the barrel for every success and failing often. They have no excuses- they have it or they don't. Time trial specialists, the mad men of breakaways, and the classics riders exemplify cycling and is beauty. Sure it's impressive to see the fly weights soaring up mountains at impossible speeds while the peloton lags behind, but its even more impressive when some big (er) man is on the front laying down serious V.