Yesterday evening miss Fede decided not to write anything about the TdF stage won by LL Sanchez. In fact she was too angry for what happened to Flecha and Hoogerland and too sad after hearing about Vinokourov's broken femur, so she went out to try to distract herself. Unfortunately, it didn't work. In fact, it's hard to forget that one of my favourite riders (remember that I'm a member of the AAVL!) probably ended his career yesterday, although he still had lots of plans for the future. Moreover, another rider who I really like (Hoogerland) had to abandon all his dreams of glory after being hit by a car and landing on a barbed wire fence, so you can understand why yesterday I wasn't in the right mood for writing a post. And even today, almost 24 hours after the end of the 9th stage, I'm having problems in writing down something decent.
As written, Hoogerland yesterday was badly injured because of a car who caused him and Flecha to fall off their bikes. If the riders threatened to boycott the Zoncolan stage of the Giro because of the presence of Crostis, I wonder what they should do tomorrow to protest against what happened to poor Hoogerland and Flecha. Moreover, if the riders once said that the Tour organisers were 'Assassins' (TdF 1910, if my memory doesn't fail me), I wonder what they should have said about the Tour's car drivers after yesterday stage.
Anyway, what happened during yesterday's stage? First of all, Contador crashed. Again. He hurt his right knee and, apparently, this is creating him some problems.
Secondly, after 45 kms of race a breakaway was created. Said breakaway was formed by very strong guys: Voeckler, LL Sanchez, Casar, Hoogerland and Flecha (at the beginning there was also Terpstra, but then he got dropped). Talking about Sanchez: until yesterday Luis Leon (whose brother is a soccer player that Inter tifosi learned to love some time ago) had won two stages of the Tour - and both those stages had taken place on the 11th of July. Considering that this year on the 11th of July (aka today) there isn't any stage, Sanchez thought it would have been better to go on a breakaway on the 10th. And, in case you're wondering, yes, in the end he did win yesterday's stage.
With about 85 kms to go, supporters had to stand the sight of a dramatic and surreal scene: an Omega Pharma Lotto rider (GC contender Van Den Broeck) was lying on the asphalt, in the middle of the road. Two riders from Astana, instead, were running in the woods, looking for something - or someone. In fact, their leader Vinokourov had crashed as well and he had ended up straight into the forest, thus breaking his femur.
The following scenes were even more dramatic: while Van Den Broeck hopped back on his bike in spite of a collapsed lung and other injuries (he rode for just a few meters before giving in) , some Astana riders had to help Vino (who couldn't even walk) to get out of the forest and back to the asphalt, where the whole team was waiting for the Kazakh rider, who was forced to abandon the race because of a broken femur.
As predictable, Vino's retire made me (and Rolf Sorensen) really sad. Love him or hate him, one can't deny that Alexander is a very brave and attacking guy, one that can make an interesting stage out of a boring parcours. The Astana leader had great plans for this year Tour, in which he wanted to end up in the Top 3. Moreover, this should have been Vino's last Grande Boucle, although he had recently stated that, perhaps, he would have taken part in the London Olympics too. Unfortunately, considering that it takes about a year to recover from a femur fracture, I'm afraid the Kazakhstani won't be able to come back racing at the top level anymore. And this really hurts me, because since last April I became a supporter of Vino and I really hoped that this year he would manage to wear the maillot jaune for at least one day. And instead no, the dreams of Vino and of his supporters ended in that curve. Broken bone, broken dreams and, probably, broken career (*girls of AAVL sigh and cry*).
Unfortunately, Vino and VDB weren't the only riders who fell in that point. In fact also David Zabriskie and Fredrik Willems crashed and they both had to retire from the race. DZ broke his wrist, whereas Willems became another fan of the 'Broke your collarbone!' movement.
Also Brent Bookwalter crashed and felt dizzy during the last part of the stage, but tomorrow he's likely to start. Another guy who fell off his bike during yesterday's stage was Andreas Kloden, who right now has problems with his back.
As predictable, Vino's retire made me (and Rolf Sorensen) really sad. Love him or hate him, one can't deny that Alexander is a very brave and attacking guy, one that can make an interesting stage out of a boring parcours. The Astana leader had great plans for this year Tour, in which he wanted to end up in the Top 3. Moreover, this should have been Vino's last Grande Boucle, although he had recently stated that, perhaps, he would have taken part in the London Olympics too. Unfortunately, considering that it takes about a year to recover from a femur fracture, I'm afraid the Kazakhstani won't be able to come back racing at the top level anymore. And this really hurts me, because since last April I became a supporter of Vino and I really hoped that this year he would manage to wear the maillot jaune for at least one day. And instead no, the dreams of Vino and of his supporters ended in that curve. Broken bone, broken dreams and, probably, broken career (*girls of AAVL sigh and cry*).
Unfortunately, Vino and VDB weren't the only riders who fell in that point. In fact also David Zabriskie and Fredrik Willems crashed and they both had to retire from the race. DZ broke his wrist, whereas Willems became another fan of the 'Broke your collarbone!' movement.
Also Brent Bookwalter crashed and felt dizzy during the last part of the stage, but tomorrow he's likely to start. Another guy who fell off his bike during yesterday's stage was Andreas Kloden, who right now has problems with his back.
Unfortunately, the guys mentioned above are just the ones who crashed with 85 kms to go. In fact, supporters had to stand one last surreal scene before the end of the stage - and said scene was probably one of the most shocking I've ever seen.
Right after Vino/VDB/DZ/Willems' crash, the peloton slowed down a lot because everyone wanted to be sure that no one had got badly injured. In the meanwhile the 5 breakawayers du jour kept on racing at a normal speed, so that they soon reached 8 minutes of advantage on the chasers. Omega Pharma Lotto chased for some kms because Gilbert wanted the stage win, but then they gave in and it was Garmin's turn to work at the front. However, at that time Hushovd had already abandoned every hope of keeping the yellow jersey, so his teammates didn't make lots of efforts in chasing the 5 men at the front. Therefore, with 40 kms to go, Sanchez, Flecha, Voeckler, Hoogerland and Casar already suspected that they would have made it to the finish-line (at the time in fact they still had an advantage of 5 minutes) and Thomas probably began to dream about the yellow jersey.
Unfortunately, with 36 kms to go, Hoogerland and Flecha's dreams of glory were shattered by a terrible crash. In fact the Spaniard was riding quietly when, all of a sudden, a car (yes, a car) hit him, making him land on the asphalt. On the other hand, Johnny Hoogerland (who, at the moment of the crash, was behind the Sky rider) flew over his bike and landed on a barbed wire fence, thus having his legs cut in different places. The car (which, according to Italian tv, belongs to the French press) didn't even stop to check the riders' conditions, but continued its travel towards the finish-line. Voeckler, LLS and Casar couldn't help but keep on riding.
In spite of the terrible injuries and the broken bikes, Flecha and Hoogerland luckily managed to get back on their bikes. The Dutchman hopped back on his vehicle a few minutes after the Spaniard and he soon found himself at the back of the peloton. The Vacansoleil rider had blood all over his legs, looked very shocked and gave it all to reach the finish-line, so that he could wear the polka dots jersey during the podium ceremony (in fact, the poor thing had spent the whole day collecting points at the GPM).
He eventually ended the stage 16 minutes after the winner and 6" after Flecha, who soon found himself at the back of the peloton too and who stood side by side with Hoogerland in the last kms of race.
The Spaniard looked much more pissed off than the Dutchman and he clapped his hands ironically as the peloton overtook him. Johnny Hoogerland would have probably done the same, if only had he had the strength.
Of course, as Flecha and Hoogerland were riding slowly to the finish-line, the show had to go on so that, at the end of the day, Voeckler (who, in the morning, was just 1'30" down in the GC) got the yellow jersey, whereas Sanchez won the stage and dedicated it to his pregnant wife.
Although the GC contenders didn't attack each other in the last little climb, Ivan Basso lost 8" and Contador had problems in following the wheels of the best riders. If someone had attacked, the consequences could have been much worse.
After the stage, Flecha and Hoogerland were awarded with the 'most combative rider' award. Johnny also received the polka dots jersey and burst into tears on the podium.
I thought of Wouter Weylandt very often yesterday and I'm sure that, in that moment, the Vacansoleil rider probably did the same.
A few hours after the end of the stage, the car that caused Flecha's crash was expelled from the race. People keep on talking about safety in races, but now I really wonder why there are so many cars at the Tour. The team cars, the press cars, the motorbikes of the photographers, the Mavic cars, the motorbikes of the doctors, the ambulances: they all have the right to stay in the group. Unfortunately (according to Italian tv), the car that caused yesterday's crash was a car carrying some guests to the finish-line of the race. Now, can't these fucking guests get to the finish-line by driving their own fucking cars, like every other mortals do? If they want to watch both the start and the end of a stage ,they can go watching a TT- or they can go to Liége - Bastogne - Liége. But really, the guest cars are the most absurd thing on Earth. Especially when they follow the riders like they did yesterday - a thing that they couldn't actually do. I understand that some cars are necessary inside the peloton, but I really can't understand the existence of the guests cars (sorry for the use of the f*** word, I had a little 'Gordon Ramsay moment' there).
Still talking about yesterday's stage, let's focus for a while on the competitive aspect of this year Tour (yes, it may shock you, but the Tour also has a sportive aspect).
As you all know, on Saturday there was the first uphill finish of the race and the victory went to the brave Rui Costa. Vinokourov (sigh!) tried to get the yellow jersey but he failed, since Hushovd kept the wheels of the main GC contenders in a superb way. Considering his form and the fact that almost everyone is crashing, I think that the Norwegian can make it to the top 30 of the race.
Anyway. In the last two days we've also had the chance to see how Andy (and Frank) Schleck have decided to race. And in both those days, their main concern seemed to be Contador.
The brothers both looked great in the last two stages, but I think that they'd better pay a lot of attention to Evans right now. In fact, Cadel is feeling much better than Contador, has a strong team, a winning mentality and is a super time trialist. Contador, on the other hand, doesn't look as strong as he was in the Giro. Andy has focused on him so far and that is good - but he must remember that he has other contenders apart from the Spaniard.
And then, dear Andy, a little question: why didn't you attack yesterday, in the last km of race? Today it's the rest day, so I don't think it would have taken you too much to recover. And then, Ivan Basso lost 8" although no one attacked. What if you had made a little move? Perhaps the seconds would have become a bit more - and this is important, considering the 39" that cost you the 2010 Tour.
Of course this is just a random suggestion by a supporter, but I'm tired of having my uncles asking me 'Why didn't Schleck attack?' after every stage featuring a final climb!
PS: Given that you've been so kind to bear all my Maturità talks in the last few weeks, miss Fede is glad to tell you that she received her mark two days ago: 100 out of 100 (yes, the teachers gave him the 5 points bonus that those who do well in the written parts of the proves deserve). I don't say this to blow my own trumpet, but because I think you deserve to know this fact. And that's all from me for today.
Right after Vino/VDB/DZ/Willems' crash, the peloton slowed down a lot because everyone wanted to be sure that no one had got badly injured. In the meanwhile the 5 breakawayers du jour kept on racing at a normal speed, so that they soon reached 8 minutes of advantage on the chasers. Omega Pharma Lotto chased for some kms because Gilbert wanted the stage win, but then they gave in and it was Garmin's turn to work at the front. However, at that time Hushovd had already abandoned every hope of keeping the yellow jersey, so his teammates didn't make lots of efforts in chasing the 5 men at the front. Therefore, with 40 kms to go, Sanchez, Flecha, Voeckler, Hoogerland and Casar already suspected that they would have made it to the finish-line (at the time in fact they still had an advantage of 5 minutes) and Thomas probably began to dream about the yellow jersey.
Unfortunately, with 36 kms to go, Hoogerland and Flecha's dreams of glory were shattered by a terrible crash. In fact the Spaniard was riding quietly when, all of a sudden, a car (yes, a car) hit him, making him land on the asphalt. On the other hand, Johnny Hoogerland (who, at the moment of the crash, was behind the Sky rider) flew over his bike and landed on a barbed wire fence, thus having his legs cut in different places. The car (which, according to Italian tv, belongs to the French press) didn't even stop to check the riders' conditions, but continued its travel towards the finish-line. Voeckler, LLS and Casar couldn't help but keep on riding.
In spite of the terrible injuries and the broken bikes, Flecha and Hoogerland luckily managed to get back on their bikes. The Dutchman hopped back on his vehicle a few minutes after the Spaniard and he soon found himself at the back of the peloton. The Vacansoleil rider had blood all over his legs, looked very shocked and gave it all to reach the finish-line, so that he could wear the polka dots jersey during the podium ceremony (in fact, the poor thing had spent the whole day collecting points at the GPM).
He eventually ended the stage 16 minutes after the winner and 6" after Flecha, who soon found himself at the back of the peloton too and who stood side by side with Hoogerland in the last kms of race.
The Spaniard looked much more pissed off than the Dutchman and he clapped his hands ironically as the peloton overtook him. Johnny Hoogerland would have probably done the same, if only had he had the strength.
Of course, as Flecha and Hoogerland were riding slowly to the finish-line, the show had to go on so that, at the end of the day, Voeckler (who, in the morning, was just 1'30" down in the GC) got the yellow jersey, whereas Sanchez won the stage and dedicated it to his pregnant wife.
Although the GC contenders didn't attack each other in the last little climb, Ivan Basso lost 8" and Contador had problems in following the wheels of the best riders. If someone had attacked, the consequences could have been much worse.
After the stage, Flecha and Hoogerland were awarded with the 'most combative rider' award. Johnny also received the polka dots jersey and burst into tears on the podium.
I thought of Wouter Weylandt very often yesterday and I'm sure that, in that moment, the Vacansoleil rider probably did the same.
A few hours after the end of the stage, the car that caused Flecha's crash was expelled from the race. People keep on talking about safety in races, but now I really wonder why there are so many cars at the Tour. The team cars, the press cars, the motorbikes of the photographers, the Mavic cars, the motorbikes of the doctors, the ambulances: they all have the right to stay in the group. Unfortunately (according to Italian tv), the car that caused yesterday's crash was a car carrying some guests to the finish-line of the race. Now, can't these fucking guests get to the finish-line by driving their own fucking cars, like every other mortals do? If they want to watch both the start and the end of a stage ,they can go watching a TT- or they can go to Liége - Bastogne - Liége. But really, the guest cars are the most absurd thing on Earth. Especially when they follow the riders like they did yesterday - a thing that they couldn't actually do. I understand that some cars are necessary inside the peloton, but I really can't understand the existence of the guests cars (sorry for the use of the f*** word, I had a little 'Gordon Ramsay moment' there).
Still talking about yesterday's stage, let's focus for a while on the competitive aspect of this year Tour (yes, it may shock you, but the Tour also has a sportive aspect).
As you all know, on Saturday there was the first uphill finish of the race and the victory went to the brave Rui Costa. Vinokourov (sigh!) tried to get the yellow jersey but he failed, since Hushovd kept the wheels of the main GC contenders in a superb way. Considering his form and the fact that almost everyone is crashing, I think that the Norwegian can make it to the top 30 of the race.
Anyway. In the last two days we've also had the chance to see how Andy (and Frank) Schleck have decided to race. And in both those days, their main concern seemed to be Contador.
The brothers both looked great in the last two stages, but I think that they'd better pay a lot of attention to Evans right now. In fact, Cadel is feeling much better than Contador, has a strong team, a winning mentality and is a super time trialist. Contador, on the other hand, doesn't look as strong as he was in the Giro. Andy has focused on him so far and that is good - but he must remember that he has other contenders apart from the Spaniard.
And then, dear Andy, a little question: why didn't you attack yesterday, in the last km of race? Today it's the rest day, so I don't think it would have taken you too much to recover. And then, Ivan Basso lost 8" although no one attacked. What if you had made a little move? Perhaps the seconds would have become a bit more - and this is important, considering the 39" that cost you the 2010 Tour.
Of course this is just a random suggestion by a supporter, but I'm tired of having my uncles asking me 'Why didn't Schleck attack?' after every stage featuring a final climb!
PS: Given that you've been so kind to bear all my Maturità talks in the last few weeks, miss Fede is glad to tell you that she received her mark two days ago: 100 out of 100 (yes, the teachers gave him the 5 points bonus that those who do well in the written parts of the proves deserve). I don't say this to blow my own trumpet, but because I think you deserve to know this fact. And that's all from me for today.
Yesterday was so UNREAL. It's like "did that really happen?" - yeah, it did.. I don't really know what to say.. you described it very well, Fede.. it was just terrible. Johnny is now a hero here in The Netherlands, everyone knows him now - cycling fan or not ;) Soo amazing that he's determined to start tomorrow - I hope he can make it to the finish (and end the Tour in Paris). Vino.. as a member of the AAVL, I also sigh and cry :( I hope he decides to ride for another year..
RispondiEliminaPS: 100 out of 100, that's amazing girl!! Woohoo, congrats :D
I think fans needed the rest day as much as the cyclists--watching this tour has been exhausting! Seeing Hoogerland's body hurled into the air, was one of the most horrific things I've ever seen--I'm a tennis person, so I'm not used to seeing this much carnage in sport.
RispondiEliminaAt a minimum, the driver needs to have his license revoked. What kind of thought process was going on there? "I could lightly crash into a tree, and cause some damage to a car, OR, I could sideswipe an utterly defenseless human being". Who the hell chooses the latter option? My apologies for the language.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jul/10/tour-de-france-johnny-hoogerland
Apparently, the offending TV station is attempting to deflect all of this unwanted attention by not showing the incident on their own channel, and quietly dismissing the driver. Probably a wise choice--this is France after all, land of angry mobs, and madame guillotine.
I too am running out of excuses for Andy. My mum has also asked why he doesn't attack on the uphill finishes, and really, I can only guess that he's confident that he can gain back time on the Pyrenees, and Alps. Paul Sherwen and Phil Ligett, MBE, put some fear in my heart yesterday. They suggested that whoever takes the maillot jaune in the breakaway group, would benefit from the slightly neutralised peloton, which slowed after the crash that took out Vinokourov, Van den Broeck, and Zabriskie. They even suggested it would be difficult to wrest the jersey away from Voeckler. HELL NO, I'm not waiting in the sweltering French sun for ages, and tolerating the disgusting sight of men using the Tuileries as a makeshift lavatory, to see Voeckler in yellow at Paris. I'll just go to Versailles to mope, and hate Andy Schleck for ruining my vacation.
Fede, CONGRATULATIONS on your incredible, and much deserved Maturità results. Though, if you're going to be this modest about a PERFECT 100 score, I'll be forced to tour the world with a travelling jazz band, to sing your praises *hires a trumpet section* :P
-susan
It just shouldn't have happened, it was horrible! And the interview with Hoogerland afterwards was heartbreaking.
RispondiEliminaI'm not a Vino-fan but no one deserves to end their career like that. (Rolf was, of course, completely devastated!)
I also found too many horrific pictures in the paper this morning which I find completely disrespectful towards the poor riders. I'm sure Hoogerland didn't want his naked butt on the front page today :/
I'm really, really not worried about Andy. Really. There are still plenty of opportunities left and I wasn't expecting any of the favourites to attack the last couple of days. Of course, an attack could have sent a message but he doesn't have to be that aggressive just yet. Furthermore, those finishes haven't really been for him, being short and steep.
To cheer us all up (or at least Fede :P) I give you Chris who managed to cheer me up considerably!
This little video is about the Danes in the Tour so there's some Jakob if you feel like it but the best part is at 1:40 when Chris comes out of the bus: http://tour.tv2.dk/video/index.php/nodeId-41623464.html
There was another video with Chris I wanted you to see but I can't find it D: I'll keep looking tomorrow, though, because it made me and my brother laugh so much today! (Some of the fun will be lost in the translation, I think, but I'll do my best.)
And of course, Chris' blog! Today, he's convinced Richie to side with FC Midtjylland (Chris' favourite football team) in the Danish league :P
RispondiEliminaGirls, as if the crashes weren't enough to ruin this year Tour, here we go with the first doping case: Kolobnev.
RispondiEliminaThe Russian rider resulted positive to a diuretic - which doesn't sound that terrible. Unfortunately, things begin to sound awful when one discovers that said diuretic is used to hide the use of other doping products.
@ Marleen: Thank you very much for the congratulations, dear :)
Yesterday was extremely unreal... When I saw Johnny crossing the finish-line 16 minutes after Voeckler, I kept on thinking that they would have neutralised the stage, that they would have given him something special, that they would have given him another jersey as well as the polka dots one... But then, I realised it was impossible. The only thing that Johnny received yesterday evening were lots of stitches.
I've watched the video of him getting the polka dots jersey a few times and every time I'd like to be there with him and hug him. Really, yesterday the poor thing looked like a little child in need of his mother! I really did feel relieved when I discovered that he spent the rest day with his father. At least, he could spend some good time with a relative.
Johnny really deserves to be considered as a hero. Ok, he didn't save anyone's life, but what he did is simply amazing. And tonight he couldn't even sleep because he kept on having nightmares in which he ended up on a wheelchair as a consequence of his crash, how dreadful!
I hope that Vino will go on racing too. He's a tough guy who always surprises everyone, what if he surprised us also this time by making a great comeback?
@ Figbash: That crash is the most horrific thing I've ever seen. The problem was the presence of the barbed wire, otherwise Johnny might have got it away with just a few bruises. He was so unlucky!
The awful thing about that driver is that he didn't even respect the TdF rules at the moment of overtaking the riders. In fact, he should have asked for the permission to ride past them but, as far as I know, he didn't.
Someone like that driver should end up in prison as well as having his license revoked, I don't care if he says he feels guilty or things like that! He should have thought about the consequences of his actions before, and not after, trying to overtake his riders.
And the awful thing is that the tv that owns that car apologised just at 22.17 of yesterday, a thing that is really disgusting.
Vacansoleil isn't going to sue that driver, but I hope someone else does.
If I were the Tour organiser, I'd actually ban all the cars belonging to that tv. Do they want to follow the Tour anyway? Well, take the train then!
From the tactical point of view, Andy is racing perfectly. But as a supporter, I'm not happy with how he's doing. In fact, I think he could have attacked in the last km of yesterday's stage. I don't think I'm asking too much, just a little punch with which he could have dropped Contador!
Now I really do hope Andy and his team have a plan for dropping Evans. The last TT is 42 kms long and he'd need at least three minutes of advantage on Cadel to be sure to arrive in Paris ahead of him.
As far as your Voeckler fear is concerned, don't worry. Unless anyone else crashes, I don't think Thomas can actually win the Tour :P
Noooo, the travelling jazz band no! D:
I wanted to keep my result secret because then someone may think I'd written about it just because I wanted to receive some compliments, but then I thought to share it with you all anyway. After all, sharing with you my Maturità tales and avoiding to tell you my result wouldn't have been correct.
@ Susanne: Thank you so, so much for the Chris Anker fun tonight! It was very much needed :)
RispondiEliminaPoor Rolf, I can understand why he was devastated! He should join the AAVL, if he hasn't done it yet!
Apart from jokes, Vino's crash was terrible. Tiralongo said: 'I saw him flying and I started to pray'. A few words, but that manage to convey the horror of that crash.
The butt picture has become a classic, unfortunately. It was also on today's Gazzetta!
Poor Johnny didn't deserve that last humiliation. He even had to undress in order to wear a new kit and I'm sure he didn't like that experience either!
Luckily Andy will have plenty of occasions in the next days, I'm looking forward to them (and I'm also hoping he'll manage to drop Evans several times :P)!
Aaawh, Chris Anker <3
Ahah, in that first vid Brian is in a total 'I feel a strange presence behind me!' mood, it's hilarious!
I had read something about football in Chris' blog, but I couldn't actually get it (stupid Google Translator!). I'm so lucky to have my personal Danish translater! :)
Talking about Chris' blog: I couldn't stop laughing when I read about Jesus Hernandez freely interpreting 'It's raining men!' on the team bus, shortly before the start of a rainy stage. Especially because I tend to give a free interpretation of that song (and of Gloria Gaynor's 'I will survive!') very very often too!
Fede, I've been worried about Cadel Evans since his second place finish on the Passage du Gois to Mont des Alouettes stage--to me, his effort was a declaration of intent, like throwing down the gauntlet.
RispondiEliminaFrom what I gather from the commentators, who I assume know what they're talking about when they're not getting the cyclist's names, and flags wrong, no news is good news. So I hope Leopard Trek continue to keep a low profile at the Tour. I don't pretend to have a nuanced understanding of cycling, or the tactics involved, but sometimes, from a beginner's perspective, it does seem like they're being passive, rather than consistent--although I realise that in a long stage race, you have to pick your battles carefully, and not overextend your physical limit. Still, I do hope to see a stage win on the mountains!
Voeckler, and his tongue, need to be exorcised by a priest. I don't wish him ill, but I'm glad to hear that you're not optimistic about his chances.
European media outlets seem to be a lot more liberal than the Canadian press. There were some gruesome pictures of Hoogerland's injuries, but nothing exploitative, or invasive in the major newspapers. Except for the Toronto Sun, which has always been a gutter trash paper, with editors that have no concept of human dignity.
In breaking news, it does seem that Team Sky are now looking to file a lawsuit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jul/11/team-sky-flecha
I hope that Amaury and France Télévisions cooperate with the police, and don't obstruct the investigation. This was a crime. If it happened to an ordinary citizen, there would be no question of prosecuting the driver. The New York Times published an interesting article about the accident (please excuse the unfortunate photo they've chosen to accompany it):
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/sports/cycling/12iht-CYCLING12.html
-susan
Hello Fede!
RispondiEliminaI too am beyond baffled with yesterday's stage.
Poor Vino! I like him personally and I like the type of rider he is. Makes for some quality racing. First the yellow literally slipped through his fingers and now this. :( I hope he recovers soon.
And then the poor Hoogerland and Flecha. Kicking that driver out of the Tour was the very least they could've done. What was he even doing at that particular spot, at that particular moment?!
I understand that what he did was most likely purely reflexive - avoid collision at any cost. As a driver, I understand that part. Then again, if he'd waited for a wider road to pass the breakaway group, then he wouldn't have anything to hit. That car had no business then and there, period.
About the excessive number of cars... I have an inner battle on that subject. From a common-sense, human being side - I completely agree that there are too many, and that it's most likely making the race much more dangerous than it needs to be. However, the real-world side of me also understands the need for them. More likely than not, those "guests" deliver major money. No money, no race. It's not complicated. Just very sad that the riders have to pay the price for that.
On to the Schlecks, I'm not really worried about them. I am, however, beginning to consider Cadel Evans, whom I'd completely ignored as a serious contender before the start of the Tour.
And finally, congratulations on your amazing score!
Congrats on your fabolous mark! Yay! You must be so happy about it :D
RispondiEliminaI was shocked when I was watching that stage. It was unbelieveble. I didn't even know what to say about it :| and I can't believe the car that hit Flecha and Hoogerland didn't even stop to see if they are okay... and it was so sad to see Vino (I have to admit I like him too) and VDB leave with such bad injuries :(
I actually think Andy (and Fränk) are racing really well. I think they were right to stay on Contadors weel in that stage on Saturday because the "real" mountain stages are still to come. But I have to admit I am surprised with Cadel Evans. He is really strong at the moment. Although he sometimes looks a bit nervous to me but maybe that's normal... And I think that if the Schlecks want to win they have take a lot more time on Evans because of the Time trial on the last Saturday.
(I'm here to stay btw :P I have been reading your blog the past months but didn't leave any comments but I have more time from now to leave comments haha!)
@ Figbash: I didn't think of Evans as a serious GC contender at the start of the Tour, but now I've completely changed my mind! However, Cadel has been racing in a very attacking way and he's already exploited his whole team in these first stages. And, perhaps, this may influence his performances in the mountains.
RispondiEliminaAs I already said, from the tactical point of view LT has been flawless in these stages. Unfortunately, from a supporter's point of view, I was a bit disappointed when Andy didn't try to attack in the last km of Sunday's stage. But after all, it's true he'll have plenty of other occasions for attacking!
Sky and Vacansoleil had two very different reactions after the accident: Vacansoleil decided that the apologies of French tv were enough and Hoogerland said that, after all, the driver didn't hit him intentionally; Flecha, on the other hand, is terribly angry and his team is going to sue that driver.
I really do hope that Sky eventually decides to sue him, because both Hoogerland and Flecha could have died in that crash. I don't want to sound too tragical, but if Flecha had ended up under the tyres of the car and Hoogerland's neck had landed on the barbed wire, the consequences would have been way more serious.
That driver was lucky not to kill anyone, but I think that now he must face the consequences of what he did. As you say, if something like that happened to a normal citizen, the driver would surely be prosecuted.
@ Cristin: Thank you very much for the congratulations, dear!
Vino said that, as soon as he got into the ambulance, he thought that he couldn't abandon the Tour in that way and that he would have tried to come back. Finally a good news for the members of AAVL!
I completely agree with you about that driver. And then, that tree wasn't actually that little, so he probably saw it before overtaking the riders. And if he didn't, well, then I start to wonder who gave him a driving license.
You're right about the guests bringing more money to the Tour. But still, I think there are some other ways to make them see the race from an exclusive spot. For example, they could follow the race from a team car. Perhaps it's a stupid idea, but I think cyclists would prefer having a stranger inside their team car rather than having cars driving past them at full speed at every hour of the day.
Ahah, it looks like we both made the same mistake with Cadel ;)
@ Marleen: Thank you very much for the congratulations dear and welcome back on my blog! I missed you! :)
Sunday' stage was one of the most surreal things I've ever seen. Cyclists risk their lives everyday, even without cars who knock them down. Outside of the races it can happen to have problems between drivers and cyclists (some drivers are criminals, but also some cyclists aren't very correct when they ride), but something like that, in a race like the Tour, is really unforgivable. 'The Tour de France crashed', Pastonesi wrote on yesterday's Gazzetta. So true!
Cadel has problems every time he wears a leader jersey in a GT (last year he broke his elbow, in the Giro he once had a terrible bonk) and that's why I didn't consider him as a serious threat either. But I must admit that I'm very impressed by how he's raced so far... Although, perhaps, he's spent too much energy in useless stages like the first one or the one to Mur de Bretagne.
If he wants to win the Tour, I think that Andy needs to have at least 3 minutes of advantage on Cadel before of the final TT. As far as Frankie is concerned, I'm afraid he'd need at least 5 minutes.
I agree with you that Andy and Fränk both need to take more time to overcome the time trial. And I also think Fränk needs to take more time then Andy... I have to admit I think the Pyrenees where a little boring, so I hope that the alps will be more exciting :)
RispondiEliminaMay Its Royal Toughness le Galibier give us a good show in the next days and may it allow the brothers to win this Tour!!
RispondiElimina