Velominati Super Prestige: Le Tour de France, Stage 18
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.
If Evans wins the tour, there’ll be a choice between two kinds of national holiday: Or everyone should go to work via bicycle OR it will be a national ‘resting day’.
@MIkael Liddy
Wow! Respect! In the close-up shots of Grimplette, he’s looking VERY fresh…
nice tele-tubbie riding a stationary! Crazy, crazy French………
Has Andy been playing poker with everyone and bluffing about descending and secretly practicing ?? And if so does that mean he can now time trial like a demon?
I was at the TOC TT and when he crossed the line and looked at the clock he smiled a wry smile of someone who knows something…….
@Netraam
That statement may be an insult or a compliment – depending on how fast your sister goes down
@Marcus
Well, that was written at the start. First corner: he almost fell down the mountain.
My sister is 12 years old and has only broken one arm this year falling, so she’s improving.
@Chris
Nah, he’s just getting his bike that’s been rubbed with raw spanish steak. No UCI rules against that.
@Chris
Nah, he’s on Riis’s team now, so he just changed to a bike with a motor.
@scaler911
Ha!
@scaler911
I think there are rules but any complaint that he’s been molesting livestock will be overlooked by the UCI for at least five years.
He has two virtual minutes on Evans. Even if he doesn’t timetrial he’ll win the tour with this difference.
“Sooooo, Sammy…wanna’ have a sleepover after this tour? I could show you my birds. They’re awesome.”
Hmmm, a couple of my comments haven’t shown up here… anyway, Grimplette looking very fresh in the camera close-ups…
GO ANDY GO!!!
Andy Schleck has some real power now.
@netraam – a virtual 2 minutes that he needs to defend on the TT AND Huez the day after the biggest attack of his career? I’d like to see it but I reckon this could be Stage wine, yellow jersey for Andy but a pyrhic victory as he pops on the Huez tomorrow….I’m so glad to see him have a go though, properly exciting attack!
Love Uncle Phil, I reckon that’s about the 5th time he’s called Nicholas Roche “Stephen”!
Sorry make that 6!
@Mikeweb
Not sure why, but they landed in the spam queue. I’ll keep my eye on it.
@Mikeweb
@Marcus
What’s all this about your sister going down? Those are fighting words where I come from! :)
@frank
Thanks Frank! Unlike Spanish Steak, my Spam is untainted…
@frank
Touche’!
@Buck Rogers….arf arf ;)
Man! Can he hold this or is he going to blow?!?!?!? What a stage! Glad to see that he actually has a pair, though, no matter what happens.
WTF just happened to Bertie???
This has GOT to be a set up for Frank. Andy goes a bloc and forces Cuntador and Cuddles to kill themselves to keep him in sight, then Frank takes it on the Galiber. Great tactics, if they work!
@Buck Rogers
I dont see that. He has a huge gap and just 10km to go.
@Netraam
You put Schleck in 3rd and 4th; can you tell me which Schleck for each of those?
@Buck Rogers
Could be… I don’t think Frank will take back 4 1/2 minutes, unless Andy stops on the road to play with his Transformers action figures, but this could definitely set up a 1-2 finish for Frandy.
I am just amazed to see Tommy V still with the big boys.
Damn, can’t get the live feed of Eurosport to work. I hate it when working gets in the way of my cycling habit!
But, following along on the tracker & this sounds incredible! Can’t wait to watch it later tonight. Man…Schleck 4:30 up the road!
Well, these developments definitely don’t play into my picks for today, but for the GC… mmm, hmm.
Time to go into the hurt locker boys………
@redranger
Pretty sure that was plan B, but at this point plan a is working pretty nicely it has to be said!
Cuddles ain’t lookin good
Conberto is awful far back…waiting to make a move, or in the hurt locker?
@redranger
Good point there. I would bet that they never thought that Cuddles and Cuntador would let him get that far up the road, though. And the real kick is the last 8.5 k. When you blow on roads like that, you can easily lose 1 minute a kilometer (although I do not have live feed and am only following it by ticker–cannot see how Andy looks at all).
Huge respect to the Good Cadelephant trying to push the pack back to Schecklette.
Cmon Cuddles get up to the fucker!
@Mikael Liddy
AMEN to that!!! Come on Cuddles!!!
Dirty Sammy has got the yo-yo out…
Evans looks to be hurting big time.
That gap is comming down, could it all fade away?
@frank
Oh. Well, that was a dissapointment. Just put A. on 3th and F. on 4th.
Andy’s smile right now shows some real malicious pleasure…
Wow! Cadel pulling the pain train a very long time… he’s got to be so close to popping.
Andy still looking fresh. When he hits 3 or 2 k to go he really should drop the hammer again…
Fuck, I wish I was there!!
Szmyd is still in the yellow group, eh. How many Poles riding Le Tour this year? Fewer or more than the number of Norwegians?
The Prophet standing half out of the sunroof of the race director’s car cheering Andy on…now there’s some inspiration!!!
Cuddles is riding impressively. Bertie opening up gaps. Andy’s cadence is slowing, but he’s still doing well to hold them off.
Andy is looking good!