Professional Cycling - STAGE 6, July 13, Semur-en-Auxois - Bourg-en-Bresse, 199.5km

this is about the point where I don't care who wins the day because I'm bored to tears with flat stages.

I think it will be Tom's day to cash in karma points for helping Vino out today. :)

hunter

this is about the point where I don't care who wins the day because I'm bored to tears with flat stages.


True that. As much as I love seeing the sprinters do their thing the 160km+ to get to that point is boring as all ****. Stage 5 was the first stage I was actually able to stay awake for since Stage 1. I never thought throwing a couple of hills into the mix would be so exciting. Maybe I'm just easy pleased at this point.

Freire has been getting up there the last couple of days, I think it's his turn, because you know it's going to be a sprint.

I think Freire needs a better leadout and Boogard just isn't up to it. McEwen.

i just hope zabel holds the green jersey. if he keeps it tomoro, he'll have a good shot of going all the way to paris in it, since boonen and Mcewen are more prone to abandoning once the mountains come.

Right now, I just watch the final 30 minutes. When they reach the mountains, I'll be more interested.

Boonen or Hunter. Preferably Hunter.

this is about the point where I don't care who wins the day because I'm bored to tears with flat stages.

It takes you until stage 6 to reach that point? Wow. I get bored to tears with flat stages before the Tour even begins. Spend three weeks in the Alps! :)

Vino and Kloden are both riding. That's good news.

EDIT: Just saw Vino on TV. He has tons of bandages, especially on the right knee.

I haven't been paying attention - has anyone heard X-ray results, etc, for Kloden? Or Vino, for that matter?

They must have checked out OK... right? Or are they Floyd-ing it?

I haven't been paying attention - has anyone heard X-ray results, etc, for Kloden? Or Vino, for that matter?

They must have checked out OK... right? Or are they Floyd-ing it?

I'm pretty sure Kloden's tailbone has a hairline fracture.

Vino had to get stitches on his knee and elbow, I think.

From letour.com-
"Riders from the Astana squad have spend most of the day hovering around the rear of the peloton. Vinokourov was in hospital until late yesterday evening having his wounds stitched and dressed. He is covered in bandages today but, according to a team official, was in good spirits at breakfast this morning."

Apparently Kloden was dropped earlier on, and has now struggled back to the peloton, but does not look good.

I hope Vino does not crash again.

Vino & Kloden better hope theres no big crash at the end of this stage if they're gonna hang out back in the back like that. If they hit the deck again today...

Am I the only one that LOVES to see a breakaway succeed?

I know the chances of today's breakaway by Wiggins has a snowball's chance in Hades, but I always root for the breakaway. I guess it's the underdog mentality.

I'm not a Canchellara fan either, but if the breakaway isn't going to succeed, I like to see Fabian show some character and say, "I may not win the GC in the end, and my manager may not protect my yellow jersey, but I'll be damned if I'm going to lay down and let some tool take it from me."

I guess I'm saying I love the conflict. Whether it's instigated by the breakaway or the chase.

Anything going on right now?
L'equipe's updates are few and far between and pretty uninformative at that....

Courtesy of letour.com:

The winner of this year’s Gent-Wevelgem, Marcus Burghardt is now setting the pace of the head of the peloton which is now 2’40" behind Wiggins. The manager of the T-Mobile squad Bob Stapleton told LeTour.fr recently that the protected rider for a sprint today will be the Austrian recruit Bernhard Eisel.

At the 166km mark, the peloton is 2’30" behind Bradley Wiggins who has been baking at the front of the bunch for 164km. He’s just about cooked although he still appears to be composed even if the stage win is slipping out of his grip.

30km (19mi) to go...

When will the bunch catch him?

ZZZzzzzzz.

Wiggans just about caught, under a minute. This may start heating up now.



EDIT


76 seconds gap. 25 KM to go

Up to almost 1:40 now. The peloton is pulling the wings off of flys. Just letting him dangle.

Wiggins is dying a thousand deaths out there. The peloton isn't even chasing an the gap is moving down again.

So I guess the real question is who will win the sprint....

Zabel? ;)

not a bad sprint considering he had a broken RD.

who?

wow his rd was broken? What happened there?

I see in looking over the stage standings that Cavendish is placed 181, despite having a faster time than rider 180. I presume this reflects some relegation of a number of positions. Has anyone heard what he did to gain this distinction?

I'm so scared. What if Kloden is badly hurt? He had trouble standing on the pedals today and got dropped on a cat 4 climb.

I'm so scared. What if Kloden is badly hurt?

He is -fractured coccyx (tailbone). :( He will race on though.

... Brad

His hip hurts too. So sad.

I see in looking over the stage standings that Cavendish is placed 181, despite having a faster time than rider 180. I presume this reflects some relegation of a number of positions. Has anyone heard what he did to gain this distinction?


Well, Boonen's RD was trashed because Cavendish used it to shred his own front wheel, so possibly that led to relegation.

Well, Boonen's RD was trashed because Cavendish used it to shred his own front wheel, so possibly that led to relegation.


I found the answer. He crossed the line 3rd from last, but he got the same time because he was with the lead group at 3K.

What makes you think Boogerd is his lead out man? Pace setter, and set up man if it's an up hill sprint, but he's not a lead out.

nss

Nice win for Boonen, I could feel it coming. He seems to be enjoying the tour this year as opposed to banging his fist on his handlebars of last year.

wow his rd was broken? What happened there?

He said the rider behind him touched wheels and crashed, taking it out in the process. He rode the last 1000 meters in 53x11.