We continue with our special coverage of the 2005 Tour de France. Click here to see all of Independent Sources’ TdF posts. Other subjects are covered in the categories on the right grouped by topic.

THE BOYS IN ORANGE KEPT US ENTERTAINED THIS WEEKEND WHILE THE REAL CLIMBERS BID THEIR TIME WAITING FOR THE REAL MOUNTAINS TO APPEAR

 The Dutch team Rabobank had a great weekend with a pair of stage wins in as many days.  Gawky & unheralded Pieter Weening bested his breakaway partner yesterday by a razor-thin margin (looked like a dead heat to me).  Today his Danish teammate Michael Rasmussen set out from the gun chasing clown jersey points and ended up holding his lead until the finish.  Early mountain stage breakaways rarely stay away and Rasmussen rode extremely well.  Now that he’s well placed in the GC and way ahead in the clown derby, Rasmussen may want to start riding with an eye towards the podium and stop hammering the mountain stages from the gun.  If he falls back in the GC he can always revert to being the first rider atop the early climbs.  Who cares about the clown jersey, anyway?

REJOICE ALL YE FRENCHIES!

Well, the Frenchies care about the clown jersey, come to think of it.  That’s all they’ve won in recent years.   Christophe Moreau survived a breakaway to move up to 2nd in the GC and 2nd in the clown derby.  Time to celebrate is now as Moreau, once France’s ‘rider of the future’ has a long history of disappointing.  Moreau will be forgotten by Paris.

I WAS WRONG WHEN I THOUGHT TODAY’S STAGE WOULD HAVE FIREWORKS

No separation of pretenders and contenders today, everyone who counts was content to remora themselves to the Blue Train today.  In fact, I’ve added Rasmussen to my contenders list.  He won’t challenge Lance for yellow in Paris, but he could podium if he changes his tactics.

After some unthreatening-to-the-GC riders got away early it was the Blue Train riding like a TTT at the head of the peloton all day.  No one dared attack Lance today.  I wonder why?  Fried after attacks during yesterday’s big ring climb?  Intimidated by eight highly-disciplined men in blue and one in yellow?  I suspect a combination of the two.   The T-Mobs won’t attack the Blue Train, it seems, just a lone Lance.

Am I worried that Lance has dropped from first to third?  Are you kidding?  Lance is in third today because he and Johan want him to be in third today.  Like I said, the Disco boys always have a plan and always execute to plan.  I expected drama today but in retrospect the climbs were pedestrian compared to what’s ahead and Disco kept their powder dry and their legs fresh (well, as fresh as one can be pulling the peloton all day).

I predict that the Blue Train will be in firm control of Tuesday’s stage to Courchevel.  Lance has not put the hammer down since the TTT and is showing impressive restraint.  But I can’t imagine he’ll be satisfied with just marking his GC competition on the tour’s first HC (above category, i.e., really f-ing long & steep) climb.

Luke

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 10th, 2005 at 12:15 pm by Luke the Drifter and is filed under Cycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.