The beginning of so many ends
A lot has happened in the last ten years of le Tour, and a lot of it stemmed from the race that took place in 2006. At the time it seemed like yet another “Tour of Redemption” as the organisers liked to claim every few years after something had happened to tarnish the race’s image, yet again. In 06, we were coming off the back of a seven year reign of very little in the way of competition, with most of those races decided in the Prologue and followed by a three week procession. 06 was anticipated as the start of a new era, we just didn’t know at the time how significant it would become many years further down the track.
The pre-Tour build-up had fans frothing with anticipation of an Ullrich vs Basso battle, but that was scuppered at the 11th hour by Operacion Puerto, just what incoming Director Christian Prudhomme didn’t need. Also ditched were Fransisco Mancebo, a young Alberto Contador (yet to be considered a GC contender), and one Alexandre Vinokourov (while not one of the Puerto accused, still unable to start as most of his Astana teammates were pulled, leaving him without a sufficient team). With the two favourites out, the race was anyone’s for the taking. Of course, there was more drama to come.
A crazy break was let go and produced a surprise leader in Oscar Pereiro, who then conceded the yellow to Floyd Landis, who then blew to bits and handed it back to Pereiro, before making the biggest comeback since Lazarus the next day and riding away from the race in a solo effort that still ranks as one of the best ever, no matter how juiced he was. I remember watching the stage live and talking to a mate on the phone, and his incredulity at what we were witnessing. As Landis drank with the fervour of an alcoholic and manically poured water over his head during his escapade, my friend (an ex-road racer at a high level himself) professed that Landis was “cooking” from some sort of drug cocktail and was doing his best to dilute whatever concoction he’d taken, and not blow a positive or do a Tommy Simpson on live tv. How prophetic his words proved.
Of course, that was just the beginning, and the resulting fallout became one of the biggest sporting stories of all time. Landis just about brought down the entire sport with his revelations, and no Tour since has been without some form of scuttlebutt, yet not on that scale. The last few years, while tame by comparison to those preceding them, have been pretty well dominated by each winner and not offering too much in the way of exciting competition; although last year’s end result was closer on paper than the actual race was… which once again leaves us in the same state of anticipation that grips us every year in the month leading up to the start, and then promptly lets us down about two weeks after that, and wondering when the Vuelta starts.
This Tour has all the hallmarks of potentially being a great one, with three guys who have to be considered genuine contenders, yet just one who is most likely to win. We really do need a positive test to liven this one up, or someone to juice themselves so comprehensively that the motor in their seat-tube can’t handle the power from their legs and melts the carbon around the bottom bracket and drops onto the road at the summit of Mont Ventoux. Maybe try and blame it on a chimera twin that drank too many whiskeys the night before and left their bike in the team truck with a bag of someone else’s piss strapped to it. That would bring the crowds back. But seriously, if each of the contenders is on form, we could have one of the best races of the last ten years with some real proper drama played out on the roads, not in the labs or courts and not two, three or seven years from now.
We’re giving you plenty of time to ponder the possibilities, and maybe come up with your own hare-brained scenarios as to what may unfold, or what will most likely bring you those precious VSP points and the honour of wearing the Maillot Jaune for the next year. Will you be daring and go out on a limb that doesn’t resemble that of an anorexic spider? Will you take short odds on a short-ass? Will you stake your claims on claims of a steak? Or will you tear yourself apart with internal conflict like a couple of bitchy Italians?
Whatever you do, there is absolutely no excuse to Delgado this one, we’re giving you plenty of time and it’s not like you can claim you didn’t realise that the race was this week… and don’t whinge if this Start List changes before the racing gets underway, it is provisional after all. Good luck and may the best, or second best, man win.
[vsp_results id=”49193″/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@chris
I am doing back of the envelope math to get the seven seconds. If I am not mistaken the first results with Froome back in yellow showed Nairo 1:01 back. He started today only 54 seconds back.
I agree that Froome stopping violated no rules. Cancellara helped neutralize the group but Movistar was not obligated by any racing rule to obey Spartacus. However, given the end results, I think Movistar has nothing to complain about.
Something thrown at Porte today?
@Rick
You're starting in the wrong place. You need a fag packet and a short carpenter's pencil for this sort of calculation.
At the point where it all went wrong Froome, Mollema and Porte were together.
Froome and Porte were subsequently given the same time as Mollema. Which would have been fine if Mollema had been unimpeded. He wasn't he fell off, had to gather up his bike, remount and get back up to speed. David Millar put that about 15 seconds. In effect Froome has lost 15 seconds on where he should have been if he'd continued to the finish without any impediment.
At the time of the incident, Quintana had been dropped by Yates, lets say 15 seconds for symmetry.
If the crowd hadn't disrupted the race and nothing else had happened, the Undisrupted Froome would have crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of the Actual Mollema, the Actual Yates was 19 seconds behind him and Sticky Moto would have been a further 15 seconds behind. Using a calculator because its Friday, I make that a 49 second time loss for Nairo. In the GC, though, he only lost the 19 seconds between Mollema and Yates.
On that basis you're totally correct saying that Moviestar have nothing to complain about. They've just benefited by 30 seconds. More if you were inclined to consider what he might have lost had Froome been unimpeded and been free to continue attacking. But that's a what if.
@chris
Thanks for the mathematics, even on a Friday. I don't disagree with any of that calculation, it seems about right. I would point out that Porte was really drilling it when he hit the moto and likely would have put more time into those behind him as well.
@Rick
That also explains why Trek were so unhappy, the incident clearly cost Mollema a podium spot on GC. Movistar need to zip it for a few days methinks.
@Teocalli
It looked like someone just threw or flicked something at Froome.
Well, Quintana has a lot of "getting stronger in the last week" to do now.
@Steve Trice
Makes any gripes they might have over yesterday a bit academic.
@Steve Trice
Mollema came out of that much worse than anyone else. Sucks. But he's put time into everyone today. Apart from CF. Well done him.
Well, Mollema is now 2nd in GC so Trek should be fine and Tooooooooom D did what he was supposed to do. Let's see him repeat that in Rio. And again, Froome continues to impress me.