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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@Ron
Adonis D - Ron - A all round
@il ciclista medio
Agreed. Giddy school girl at a Beiber concert right here for that last fourty minutes of the stage, esp when Contodor cracked. I think that's going to have a more profound effect on the rest of the peloton than on Bert.
@eightzero
Not really, because this was the type of ride people had ben expecting of the Schlecks so it's not completely out of left field. And the drugs, for a while changed race tactics (Put the Disco train on the front, and have Lance belt the crap out of other riders in the mountains) what I think we're seeing is probably less cheating with drugs, and other attributes are becoming prominent. Like the third leg little Tommy grew when he put the yellow jersey on for instance, and the tactical nous and incredible mental toughness of Cadel. It's a more level playing field for sure, and for some reason Bjarne and Johann aren't featuring in the race so much, or being praised as master tacticians. Fuckers.
@Alpin
you are a very lucky man indeed. and the 35 hour work week must do wonders for your riding.
@minion
To be honest, I thought the reference was to TV's performance. And I agreed with it.
Oh, and major chapeau to Pierre Rolland.
Talk about a guy you want on your side when the going gets tough! He's been an animal.
@Mikael Liddy
you sure? I thought that was Santaromita?
@minion
@Blah
Yep, I thought that, I just took the long road round: tl:dr summary Fewer fully juiced up riders, flatter playing field means smarter, tougher, tactical riders can exploit their abilities. Like TV, Cuddles, Gilbert, et al. That's my semi paranoid conspiracy theory and I'm sticking to it.
@brett
They've had smoke blown up their backsides for years. CSC, Saxo Bank, people have always recognised they have buckets of natural talent, a strong team, and good managemnt. Leopard Trek, they pretty much put themselves centre stage and expectations went up again. Of course people EXPECTED them to do it, they just never came to the party till now.
Course if you had Eddy yelling at you out the top of the UCI car you'd f**ken go as well.
I had the top three backwards! Who knew Andy was going to show his cajones today? I love it!!