Ah, the tour is in full swing and we have just entered the mountains. July in Mn has brought cooler temperatures the last few days. Perfect for riding. My Daughter was born on Wednesday and The family is under the same roof for the first time tonight. What a glourious month July truly is!
As for the tour, Cancellara has truly dominated up to this point and finally gave the jersey back to the peloton so that the true podium contenders could fight it out. I like Fabian. It is a shame he cannot climb. He would make a fine champion but when you cannot climb in the tour, you cannot wear yellow on the podium in Paris. Vino and Kloeden are already beaten up. Did you notice how long it took Astana to get together riders to pull vino back to the pack. Too many GC guys. Ultimately, you have to have one rider that the whole team supports. During the postal days, you would have had five riders pulling Lance back if he crashed like that. Who do you ask on Astana to do the grunt work. Salvodelli? Kaschekin? Kloeden? These guys all have GC potential. No matter how strong they are, they are not domestiques and will not ride that way. This represents why team structure is so important in cycling, yet so underappreciated. Salvodelli did eventually go back and help vino out. I would have loved to have heard that radio conversation. I still think Valverde has the best shot. Disco is showing it's experience by staying out of the mess and letting the other teams do the work on the front. They will be much fresher going into the Pyrenees. That is where everybody will have to be at the top of their game.
The hilly stage yesterday was one of the most enjoyable stages I have ever watched in the tour. I thought I would see Voigt on the front for sure. The parcours really suited him. Again, I think CSC is conserving after defending Cancellara the first week.
So there is my first week analysis. It has been great having cable. Versus should cover the other great races this way. I never miss a minute with all the coverage. Have a good week and enjoy the tour!
Ciao for Now!
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