Favorites ascending. Photo: Gruber Images.
As many of you know, I write a monthly column for Cyclist Magazine where I answer Dear Abby-esque questions, and the most recent query pertained to whether I consider the Tour the best race of the year, or whether it’s an over-publicized circus. The question made me realize something about myself: I have a weariness around the Tour de France not unlike a romantic whose heart has been broken one too many times.
The fact is, as much as I prefer a race like Paris-Roubaix or the Giro d’Italia to the mid-summer shit show that is the Tour de France, nothing gets my anticipation going quite the way the Tour does, which is undeniably the pinnacle of the season; all the classifications and stages are prestigious enough that racers of all sorts are all arriving at the start in peak form. There is a promise of hard racing from day one, but the first week consists mostly of me worrying about the big favorites crashing out. As soon as we get through that mess, my heart is usually broken on the first day in the mountains, when the favorite takes a decisive lead and the rest of the race is most about stages than the GC.
At least, these are the dreads of a man who lived through the Indurain and Armstrong eras of racing.
Nevertheless, the Tour always manages to seduce me, and this year is no different. Maybe this year, she won’t be such a cruel lover. And, maybe this year, I won’t make horrible picks in the VSP. Just maybe, just maybe. You know the drill; get your picks in by the time the clock goes to zero, and you get some swap options on the rest day. Good luck!
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Aru - cool as a cucumber today.
@stooge
Ging to be tough when he becomes isolated so easily. Getting to be a lot of people he can't ignore. Landa coming into the frame sets things up interestingly. Could be a good 3rd week for a change.
@Ron
I was thinking the same thing. While everyone else was humping light bulbs and inhaling wasps, Landa was putting on a master class how to pedal with a magnificent stroke.
Oh man… just watched the stage and what a great last 10k or so. And up till then was Sunweb, BMC, Sunweb, BMC… all for obvious reason and then wha la… the Sky Train up front and Astana / Aru ??? Oooops… Great teamwork by Sky Train.
So, we have a brutal, brutal uphill sprint finish with Bling, GVA, EBH and Gilbert ! Could it get better ??? Yes of course, there coulda been the World Champ in the mix. But just watching those dudes come around the corner and start their sprint from so far back you just know they had to be feeling much pain near the top to mash it up the hill from so far back.
That was fun to watch for sure. Cheers all
C'mon the Whale Shark! All the way!
Another mechanical for Froome? Sounds like Sky need some new mechanics. I don't know of anyone else who has so many mechanicals - and at such critical times . . .
@wiscot
Puncture seemingly - tough to name on the mechanics.
newfound respect for Dan Martin
@BaltoSteve
Pure fucking Class Act! He is my new favorite rider hands down.
Here's his quote at the finish today: Reporter says--You would be in yellow if not for that stage 9 crash. Martin replies: It's all 'What if', you know? I might have been in yellow and then lost five minutes because everyone attacks the hell out of me. The situation is the situation, and we're always going to wonder 'What if?' but this is the hand we've been dealt. Maybe all these seconds I've been picking up, they would never have let me go."
No excuses. Racing day to day. Man I hope that he can make the podium but not too sure how he time trials compared to the others (I know he is no Froomie but not sure about compared to Aru, Bardet and Uran).
@Teocalli
Comment was posted in haste when I heard he had a "wheel problem." Apologies.
@wiscot
On the highlights Froome did say he had a wheel problem - so you were not wrong.