Tour de Crash, 6th stage (plus three random links):

Today's stage of the TdF was won by Mark Cavendish, who found his second victory of this year Tour in the same place where he got his first win at the Grande Boucle. Cav was amazingly helped by his whole team (P. Velits, Martin, Goss, Renshaw, Goss, Van Garderen, Bak and Eisel) and managed to outsprint Petacchi and his old nemesis Greipel, who had tried to anticipate the sprint.

The Italian sprinter was particularly down after the stage: in an interview with Italian tv, not only did he sound sadder than usual (if you can imagine that...), but from his voice it sounded as if he was going to burst into tears. 'Ale, what is happening to you?', a RAI journalist asked him. Petacchi didn't answer immediately, but then he said: 'I don't know'. A few seconds later, the journalist ended the interview by saying: 'Sorry, but this is a very hard moment for Alessandro'. We couldn't see the images of what was happening, but I suspect that Ale actually started to cry. And all because of that stupid rule approved by the Italian Cycling Federation. Absurd.

Back to the sprint, it must be said that Chateauroux is a friendly pace for sprinters. In 1998 it was Cipollini who won a stage there, whereas in 2008 the French town witnessed the rise of Mark Cavendish. On both occasions, Erik Zabel was one of the toughest adversaries for the two eventual winners (he was 2nd in 1998 and 3rd in 2008).

Unfortunately, this stage gave us strong emotions not only during the sprint, but also in the last 35 kms of race. ''How nice! Why do you say 'unfortunately', then?'', I hear some of you ask. Well, the problem is that those emotions were produced by different crashes which involved many different riders.

A few kms after the beginning of the race, the first sad moment arrived when Boonen decided to give in and abandon the Tour. Too much sufference for the Belgian, who was really down when he had to leave the race. Hopefully, he'll be back in his top shape soon.

Then, with 35 kms to go, a very big crash (caused by the riders' lack of attention) put an end to Bradley Wiggins' dreams of glory. The English champion looked great at the start of the race, since I had never seen him so skinny (this year he weighted 2 kgs less than in 2009) and motivated. Unfortunately, for him the Grande Boucle ended on the way to Chateauroux.

Also Remi Pauriol was involved in the same crash as Wiggo and had to abandon the race. Horner, on the other hand, managed to keep on riding, although he crossed the finish-line with 12 minutes of delay. Levi Leipheimer instead had a mechanical after being involved in the crash and lost about 3 minutes in the GC. The same happened to Kreuziger.
As you can see, it was another bloody day at the office for some of the Tour riders.

Hoping to cheer you up a bit (this evening I'm in hurry), here I share with you some useful links.

http://blog.tv2.dk/chris.anker.ol/entry405528.html : as my most faithful readers already know, in July Chris Anker Sorensen writes on his blog more often than usual. Therefore, me links his blog to mine much more often than usual. In his last two posts Chris revealed us that he's rooming with Richie Porte, who teaches him a lot of Australian slang and snores a bit. Nicki Sorensen, on the other hand, is sharing a room with Brian Vandborg.

http://sansenmag.livejournal.com/: if you want to have some fun during the Tour, I suggest you taking a daily look at miss Sansen's blog. On it you can even find an exclusive list of 'who is rooming with whom' during the Tour :)

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/nicolas-roche-robbie-williams-was-in-my-room-giving-it-socks-2812834.html : thanks to miss Sansen, miss Fede has recently come across the blog of Nicolas Roche. The guy is not only good-looking - he's also very good at blogging. And yes, he can ride bikes too. In this post, Nicolas tells us about a misadventure that he had after watching 'Finding Nemo' the other evening.

Enjoy!

It's Giro time!

Ok,I have to admit that I didn't watch the last part of yesterday's TT, a thing that I pretty regret right now.Anyway,it was for a good cause: I've told you about the Alpini Meeting in my town,right? Well,yesterday some relatives were going to see the city all covered in Tricolore,and they asked me whether I wanted to go as well. "There's the Giro",I said,and by doing so I made a revolt against me explode.My relatives said all the usual things they always tell me every time we have to go somewhere and I don't want to go with them because of a cycling race (those things are: "You're a girl,you're 17,all your friends are around and you're here lying on the couch, you'll regret not coming,ecc ecc") and when also another relative who didn't want to come told me that 1.the national meeting has taken place in my town just twice over the last 30 years and 2.that time trials are boring,well,I surrendered.In that very same moment,Bookwalter crossed the finish line of the TT and took the lead of the race,in front of Gustav Larsson.I took it as a divine sign that wanted me to go to Bergamo,so I got ready and went.My last words to the only familiar who was going to keep on watching the race was: "Look out for Richie Porte.He's young, but he seriously rocks".Prophetic words,I'd dare to say.

After leaving my house (and my tv) my mood was very bad for some minutes.Then however I found myself on a bus together with a bunch of Alpini singing their traditional songs and there I understood that perhaps I could have had fun in the city.And I did have fun,in the end.My good mood was eventually destroyed completely by ATB (the bus transport of the city),but that's another story.

Obviously,as soon as I saw my dad in the evening I asked him who had won the TT. "Things have remained the same since you left the house this afternoon", he told me."Oooh,Bookwalter has won? That's nice! And how was Porte?",I asked. "He was strong,really strong". Then I asked other information about the race and started to cheer for Bookwalter's victory. "Bookwalter?",my father asked me in a surprised way."It's Wiggins who won,not Bookwalter!",he continued to my surprise."But you had said..." "Ok,I got confused.Wiggins won."
This news didn't actually change my mood at all,since I'm happy with Wiggo's victory.In fact, I would have hated it if one of the main GC contenders (Evans,Basso,Vinokourov) got the jersey already on the first day.Wiggo instead is racing the Giro just to train (at least,that's what he said),so I'm happy it ended up this way.

"It kind of sounds corny, but I'm such a fan of the Giro and always have been since I was a kid. I know a lot about the history of cycling. To wear the pink jersey in the Giro is special. It's such an iconic jersey," Wiggins told Cyclingnews after the prologue. "I grew up watching videos of the Giro, seeing [Maurizio] Fondriest and [Gianni] Bugno wearing it.I realise what I have on my shoulders. And that's quite special in itself because it will hang on my wall for the rest of my life. It means a lot to me. To be able to enjoy that moment tomorrow, whether it’s for a day, two days, or however long, it's very special. To take it in such style in Amsterdam,is probably even more special."

Second was 26 year old Bookwalter,who made the same time as his teammate Evans.3" behind them was Vinokourov,who got the same time as Henderson (look out for him in the sprints!) and as Richie Porte,the very impressive SB neo pro.Talking about his result,Richie told Cyclingnews: "I don't know why there is such a difference (ndr; between me and the other riders).I was a bit nervous at the start.It might be because of my crash last week (ndr;in Tour of Romandie).Or maybe I rode too conservative. I guess I have to bang my head against the wall." Anyway then Richie said he's incredibly happy for being able to wear the first Maglia Bianca of 2010 Giro.
Going on with the placements,7th was Millar and 8th was Gustav Larsson.9th was Van Emden and 10th was Marco Pinotti.11th was Nibali,who during his ride had a problem with a pidgeon (and this demonstrated once again that pidgeons are the most stupid animals on the earth after human beings).Konovalovas was 18th,while Morkov was 19th.
Chris Sorensen was 176th and said he was really unhappy with his placement,and that he rode slowly because he was afraid of falling. Understandable,if you also consider that Chris rode when the asphalt was still wet.Worse than him was Capelli, Footon Servetto's man for the GC (at least according to the newspaper of my town,while me thinks that the GC man for Footon is probably Capecchi...).
Since Chris is the rider I'm going to support most during this Giro,here's the link to his last blog entry: http://blog.tv2.dk/chris.anker.ol/entry369687.html .Surprisingly,in this year Giro he's sharing a room with Morkov,and not with Nicki Sorensen.Talking about that,he thanks not being roommate with Porte and accuses him of snoring too much during the night.
On to today's Giro stage,it is a flat one and should end up in a bunch sprint.I fear that, however, some of the riders are most worried for their comeback to Italy than for today's stage.In fact our beloved Arthur (the big ash cloud produced by that Icelandic volcano) is creating problems once again,many airports in Italy are closed and so the riders (but also the mechanics,the soigneurs,etc.) could be forced to get to Italy by bus (or by car or by train) rather than by plane. Hoping that this won't happen,I go to see the second stage of the race (this time without interruption,hopefully) and pay a lot of attention to time bonuses.

(Wiggo's pic by Bettini,Porte's one by Ispa)

Worlds Men TT race = More Faboulous Than Usual Fabian!!!

So,today there was the Worlds Championship TT race in Mendrisio.
Italian tv started to broadcast the race at 3.30 pm.At that time the best time was Tom Zirbel's one and Pinotti hadn't finished his race yet.The Professor's timechecks were all better than Zirbel's ones,so me was really hoping for a good placement for him.Unfortunately the Professor slowed down in the last part of the parcours and placed himself few seconds behind Zirbel.
At the beginning I didn't think that Pinotti's time was a very good one,but then I turned out to be wrong.The Italian rider in fact rode better than guys like Konovalovas,Vinokourov, Rabon, Brajkovic,Tuft and Rosseler.
The problems for the Professor (and also for USA's Zirbel) began when Toni Martin, Bradley Wiggins,Gustav Larsson,Fabian Cancellara and Bert Grabsch started their own races.
Toni immediately set the best time at the first timecheck,while Cancellara rode in a very aggressive way since the beginning.Anyway,Pinotti's time at the first timecheck was better than Larsson's,Wiggo's and Grabsch's ones-and of course me was very happy about this.
Then the Cancellara show began.Fabian firstly caught Larsson,who stayed behind him for some kms.After some time the Swiss rider caught also Bradley Wiggins and Sebastian Rosseler (who had already been caught by Toni Martin as well).
The gold medal soon started to look out of reach for everyone but Cancellara,while Larsson seemed to be heading towards the silver medal.Wiggo and Martin instead were fighting hard to get the bronze medal.
At the top of the hardest climb of the parcours,Wiggo suddenly had a mechanical problem.He got off the saddle,saw that the team car wasn't behind him,grabbed his bike and threw it on the road,looking very angry and disappointed.
I felt very sorry for Wiggo in that moment and I have to admit that,if I were him,I would have grabbed my bike and throw it over the barriers in David Millar's style (see this vid-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIW1MAvyPD4-if you want to understand what I mean).But unfortunately,bad luck happens,and it usually happens when you less expect it.
Anyway,as old Latin used to say,"mors tua vita mea".Thanks to Wiggo's mechanical problem,Toni Martin could eventually get the bronze medal.The young German rider sat on the ground as soon as he crossed the finish-line and looked completely worn out.
Few seconds after him,Cancellara arrived.Lots of people were supporting him and he raised his arms before of crossing the finish-line.Then Larsson arrived and got his silver medal,coming in 2nd place.
Wiggo arrived after Gustav and finally came in 20th,while Grabsch was the last rider to finish the race.
The final top 10 was the following:
1 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) 0:57:55.74
2 Gustav Larsson (Sweden) 0:01:27.13
3 Tony Martin (Germany) 0:02:30.18
4 Tom Zirbel (United States Of America) 0:02:47.12
5 Marco Pinotti (Italy) 0:03:02.88
6 Janez Brajkovic (Slovenia) 0:03:08.49
7 Koos Moerenhout (Netherlands) 0:03:11.59
8 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) 0:03:20.95
9 Ignatas Konovalovas (Lithuania) 0:03:33.88
10 Bert Grabsch (Germany) 0:03:37.39 .

Before of talking a bit about some of the best riders of the race,I'd like to talk a bit about Eduard Novak,a Romanian rider who finally came in 63th and took 11 minutes more than Cancellara to finish the race.This incredible rider in fact has just one leg and won the Worlds for people with physical handicap 10 days ago.Eduard had a car accident in 1996 and since then he has lived without a leg.Today he's said that he "didn't want to finish last" and achieved his goal.To read more about Novak,here's a 2008 interview about him: http://www.gsp.ro/english/gsp-special/superreportaje/read-here-eduard-novak-s-story-the-champion-without-leg-a-hero-in-the-saddle-109380.html .

Post race comments:
BRADLEY WIGGINS_"I dropped my chain at the bottom of the climb but I did the climb anyway,I did not want to change the wheel at the bottom.I jumped off my bike at the top without knowing the car wasn't there."
Prior to the mechanical issues on the final climb, Wiggins admitted that had eased off after being passed by Cancellara.He said he was by the the Swiss rider's slipstream although he was following at distance considered fair by race commissares.
"I thought 'I am just going to sit up,this is no way to win the bronze.'I felt like I was cheating a bit. ...The same thing with Larsson,I don't think he is a worthy silver medallist.Tony Martin is a silver medallist for me."

Also MARCO PINOTTI talked about Larsson."I'm a bit disappointed about my race,since I hoped to get better in the last part of the parcours but I couldn't.Anyway today's placement means that in the future I may even get better.Larsson? He was helped by Cancellara,that didn't realise it.To see another rider in front of you while you're riding a TT really helps you.In my opinon,Tony Martin was the true silver medallist".The Professor is becoming father in 2 months time and,when asked about this,he replied: "I'm very happy about this.There isn't just cycling in life.Today was just a TT,a race,there are nicer and most important things in life".

GUSTAV LARSSON said that he wasn’t surprised to be caught by Cancellara."Like he said himself,he was going out really,really hard,"said the Swede."I was going hard, but not super hard.I thought he would come from behind;he has won by big margins before,so I wasn’t frightened.I saw as I crossed the line after one lap that I was five seconds faster than everyone else and I was going fast.Anyway,I don’t think that a minute gap between the riders is enough.It should be two minutes and usually it is two minutes in big time trials.I think that’s how it should be.It’s really hard with so many riders, and there were five groups today,but I think it’s important."
Catching Wiggo was a surprise for Gustav."It was a good feeling.I know one minute is not that far,but I was a little bit surprised that I caught him.On the first lap I saw his car ahead of me so I already felt that he was getting closer to me.I was a bit surprised,but it was a good sign for me,it confirmed I was going well."
As for Cancellara,Larsson could only say:"You have to give it him–he’s the better man.I don’t think it’s impossible to beat him some day in the future,but I really need to step up my game.I need to work on my own performance.Everybody can improve on everything.But it will be really hard to do.I know when he gets it right he has phenomenal power."

FABIAN CANCELLARA said: "It was a perfect day,a perfect time trial,but it's difficult to say if it's my best.Beijing and today were the most beautiful ones.The Olympics and the worlds are very different.The Olympics are the biggest thing an athlete can do,but winning at home is also a fantastic experience.The support from the crowd, and the Swiss flags-it helpe.Above all, I had prepared mentally. My tactic was to give it my maximum.Larsson was one of the favourites and I had the advantage starting behind him.To take so much time out of him demonstrates that I did everything right".
"Last year I prepared well for Beijing, but I didn't have the confidence for the road race" said Cancellara."This year I am confident;I have the mental strength.My legs are ready but so is my head.I dream of doing the double.I said during the Vuelta that I think I can do it.I have the motivation,the determination,and the confidence. always achieve what I say is a target,but of course the World Championship road race has its own rules.We have a six-man team.Others have nine, and the race will be very hard.But I have set the bar high,and I have the belief.If I didn't,I would stay at home."

Tomorrow there is the rest day at the Worlds,then on Saturday there will be the U-23 and the women road race.