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.
