More than two of the three weeks of this Tour lie in the rearview mirror and the race is impossible to call; nearly every GC Contender has shown some kind of weakness or given something away that makes them look beatable. Contador was dropped on the first uphill finish. The Schlecks have been on the attack but have been unable to make the gains they need to insure a final victory. They’ve also reminded us that what goes up doesn’t always come down as easily. Evans has been the most consistent and oportunistic, but has been racing hard since day one and, while he’s been close, he’s done little to stamp his authority on the race. Voekler has been defying the odds for nine days and continues to hang on to a lead which looks more tenable with each passing day.
So far, the “minor” mountain stages – those without uphill finishes – have proven to be as decisive as those with uphill finishes. Normally reserved for the opportunist breakaway and a non-issue for the GC riders, Stage 17’s rain-slicked descent saw some of the best racing we’ve seen this year buddied up with the biggest impact on the GC since Tommy V took the Maillot Jaune.
Indeed, this year has everyone sitting around the table, questioning the accepted tactics of the recent past. The riders who go fast uphill will need to do something more than just attack a few k’s from the finish. Perhaps they are considering an Hinaultesque attack on a descent before the finishing climb. Or perhaps a Merckxian attack on the first pass, going long to take a huge advantage.
One thing is for certain: the rider who wins this Tour will not necessarily be the strongest one, for we’ve seen they are all closely matched. No, the winner will be the one who decides the old rulebook is better suited for toilet paper than a race manual. The winner will be the one who thinks creatively, leaves caution in the parking lot where Voekler punched his ticket today, and takes an extra dose of Rule #5 (I’m looking at you, Andy).
At this point, whomever rolls into Paris with the Yellow jersey on their shoulders will get the nod of approval from this guy. (Except Contador, obvs.) Vive le Tour, bitches.
Get your picks in by 5am Pacific tomorrow morning for the chance to win 3, 2, or 1 points for the podium spots, and 1 point for 4th and 5th places. Good luck.
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View Comments
@Ron
Slip him 100 of benadryl. He'll sleep like a baby, you can watch one of the best stages of the tour in a long time.
Holy Crap, that was fantastic! TV looked devistated, hope he can recover and put in a good effort tomorrow. Cuddles was amazing.
HOLY SHIT, Tomorrow's going to be awesome!!!
How much time do the Schlecks need on Cuddles going into the ITT on Saturday???
I hope that Cuddles does something tomorrow and wins it overall on Saturday!!!
Fucking brilliant, just FUCKING brilliant!
Grimp Jr, (Good) Cadel, Tommy V - epic grinta. Chapeau!
Still absolutely all to play for between cadel and the schleckles tomorrow though, there's the real win!
Cannot wait to watch that this evening...
Chapeau Andy, Tommy The V and the very Good Cadel
Seems slightly irrelevant that rain has stopped play in the cricket!
The Schlecks will need a lead on Cadel going into the TT, but the TT course has a fair amount of vertical, which might possibly negate a bit of Cadel's TT-ing prowess...
Sean Kelly doing an on-camera interview. He's got those really narrow shoulders from all the broken collarbones...
What bike race were u guys watching? Voeckler rode like a turd. If he helped Cadel a bit they would have got a LOT closer - but ok you say he couldn't help. Well what the fuck was his teammate there for? He did nothing.
Cuddles rode 'em all off his wheel. I still think Evans wins.
Great ride from Andy. Great rode
@Buck Rogers
And Spain just imploded. Clenbutador and Sammy are going to have to go do a couple laps around the rosary with Big Mig up in the Basque Country.
Could that have been better?! The three guys we hope can impress did so with panache for days. Schlecklette blasting off the front, The Train Diesel Engine Evans dragging the whole bunch behind him up a mountain, and Tommy V riding so far outside himself he's in a different galaxy. All the while Bertie dropped off the back.
Epic, indeed!