Well that’s it over for another year. Normally after the Tour has finished I’m usually trying to fill a vacuum left by TV coverage of cycling, but this year it feels a bit different, well come on to that later.
Congratulations go to Carlos Sastre, he has finished high in the ratings previously. He did the miles and the best time on the bike, but I think like many the better cyclist finished second. Poor old Cadel, as a French friend of mine put it ’Il est complet’ referring to him being a complete cyclist. He has ability to do well in all cycling disciplines particularly where it matters e.g. time trial and climbing. There were factors against him winning despite being the general favourite before the Tour left Brest just over 3 weeks ago.
Firstly he was in an ambitious team with di-polar goals, McEwen, albeit toward the end of his career, was still hungry for stage wins. For McEwen do this he requires some key team players to get him into a position to deliver. Ultimately this means less resource to support Cadel in the mountains, sprinters don’t do mountains!
The tour passing our campsite
The Tour outcome was decided ultimately in stage 17 and on one mountain the Alpe-d’Huez. But Evans was beat before he even started climbing the Alpe. Whether it was pre-planned or it just unfolded that way CSC had options on the Alpe. At the foot Frank Schleck in yellow he was the key threat for Cadel to manage. Sastre attacks and any counter attack is managed by Schleck junior. Sastre gets some distance and settles into a good steady rhythm. The chasing group collectively accelerate, regroup, recuperate and repeat each time there gradually reducing the contenders, but tiring themselves too. Sastre continues to make hay. Schleck senior attacks but does not have the legs or is he fooling Evans? For Evans the penny finally drops the threat is now almost 2 minutes up the road and not the guy wearing yellow riding by his side. No choice but to attack, who helps him? No one, why should they? Evans has no team support – contrasting the CSC teams 3 riders in the top 5 at the end of the stage with that of Evans his next two supporting riders finishing 21st and 35th positions!
Alas tired from the mountains Cadel has too much time to make up on the final time trial. The result is confirmed in Paris a few days later.
I managed to get to see stage 6. We found a campsite literally on the route the tour would follow that day. After spending a few hours in a superb spot we got our fair share of caravan freebies before the cyclists rode by us in a matter of seconds. The stage was won by Riccardo Ricco who had showed a remarkable climbing ability, not unlike his fellow countryman the late Marco Pantani, as it would unfold a few days later he had more in common with the Pirate than we thought.
Another of my cycling colleagues claims that there 3rd and 4th generation EPO compounds used nowadays he pointed the finger at one high profile team, not that of Evans team I may add. The new compounds not yet detectable. I feel deflated like recent years, I just want a clean tour! I feel no sorrow that its over, no vacuum. But drugs and doping are not the real reason there is no void the real reason is because…………. its time to get back to the bike, theres a race to prepare for next weekend!
