OT - TDF stage 14 (Sunday)
This stage is basically the mirror image of stage 12, where the two climbs were near the beginning. I like this setup better:
The climbs are pretty steep. Here's the Port de Lers:
Then the Mur de Péguère, which checks in at just under 8% gradient overall and gets pretty nasty the closer you get to the summit:
Then there are about 20 km to the finish. That's a lot - 10 km would have been just about right. Can an attack up the mountains succeed? Nibali, Evans, and really anyone not named Wiggins or Froome is going to have to try, at least.
It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Evans or Nibali attack and perhaps take some time on the descent, but there's too much flat to the line for anything to stick.
...but the tour has always included a variety of different type of stages that allow different types of riders to zip up and get their jersey photographed at the finish line. It would be a drag if for three weeks we only heard the names of the climbers and GC contenders - the stage mix lets the other 180-some guys in the peloton get a chance at glory.
It's quite incredible that Peter Sagan can hang with the climbers like he is.
...that whomever is responsible for the hardware on the road gets chewed vigorously by the French justice system. While everyone is fortunate it didn't effect the GC and put a cloud over the yellow jersey, Kessiakoff (sic) has lost both the polka dot jersey and the rest of his season. [Edit: check that as I must have misheard Sherwin. It was Kiserlovski that broke his collar bone. Kessiakoff remains in the maillot a pois rouge]
This is the unfortunate side of letting spectators so close to the action. What a jackass. It's terrible to see anyone's race ruined because of something malicious like that.
Nice gesture by the GC guys to neutralize and let Evans catch up. (I think Rolland eventually slowed on his own, too, since the GC group caught him even while going slow to let Evans back.) Throw the book at the idiot(s) who threw the tacks. Pathetic.
Van Garderen's reaction to Evans's first puncture was odd. I guess he didn't hear but it was odd that he didn't come to his teammate right then.
He said after the race that he saw another teamate pulling over so he didn't stop, unfortounatly that temate also had a flat so he could't give his rear wheel to Cadel
Crazy day. Saw the rain at the top of the first cat 1 and got excited there might be a move to take advantage of the sketchy descent. Then bored to tears and almost turned it off. Then the tacks. Classy move by wiggins and the other gc guys to nuetralize the rest of the stage. Rolland better watch his bike the next time had to take a piss break. Really shitty for the Astana rider that went down because of the tacks. I hope they find the guy and put him in jail and the Astana rider sues the shit out of him.
Edit: almost forgot, excellent move by Sanchez to break free and time trail alone to victory. None of them had a chance with Sagan in the group and he knew it.Unfuckingbelievable that people threw nails on the course today. Bad enough to have the usual idiots who run alongside the riders (to say nothing of those jerks w/the flares who burned Wiggins on the arm), but this could've been really dangerous. If they find the perpetrators, I think their punishment ought to be to get the shit kicked out of them by the entire Astana team. And maybe some Aussies, too, for good measure. Maybe Evans and Nibali couldn't have gotten much done today, but no reason to take away one of their chances.
Looking forward to Wednesday...
I can't believe that someone throwing nails onto the course wouldn't be seen by at least several people. I hope the gendarmerie find those responsible and invent the slow-motion guillotine to deal with them.
One of the tacks: