Professional Cycling For the Fans - TdF Stage 5 - Wednesday July 8 - 197 km - Le Cap d'Agde → Perpignan

I dont understand why Astana came to the front to work, nor do I understand Cancellera's team doing damage either.
Very bizarre tactics to me.

First off, They could have risked dropping those Scleck monkeys, their own GC favs. You dont split the peleton into echelons when you have skinny non flat riding dudes as your favs, they can slip to the back of the bunch very easily while their big boys are up front trying to cause havoc, and snap the elestic, finding themselves out the back door; what you do is surround them and protect them making sure you are sheltering their skinny-ass weak little legs.
Secondly Astana had no chance of winning the stage, Cavi would have scooped it up, and if they failed, Cervelo would have scooped it, and if they failed, Garmin would grab it. Im not sure if they came to the front AFTER they heard Menchov was in the second group, to me, that would make a little more sense, but it seemed to me, they also worked very hard AFTER that second group with Menchov returned. Very bizarre. On top of that, they should be saving energy for the bigger days, the mountains, the upcoming time trials and so on. SURELY, they werent expecting to drop all the GC favs like what happened a few days ago. That would be foolish waste of energy, and arrogant to think it would work. (Although Menchov did get caught out for a while).
Thirdly, non of the guys in the breakaway warranted Astana to come and put in all that energy into a chase.
Lastly, like it or not, the sprinter's teams would ultimately had to have to come to the front to chase the breakaway down. So again, Im not sure what all that waste of energy was about from Astana.
Maybe a little over confidence?

Cool stage though. Great to see a Frenchman do the hero thing off the front with a small group and then just pedal away for a much deserved victory. Awesome!

With regard to Astana: I imagine that today marked the day where they wanted to start and show that they do, and will, control the peleton. For all intent and purpose Lance is currently wearing the yellow. Saxobank has little reason to defend what they know Fabian will loose the day after tomorrow. So, it falls to Astana to demostrate that they are in effect defending/controlling the lead. I was somewhat surprised to see them together at this. As, I initially thought they would circulate, in groupd of 3-4, more or less daring others to break and assuring that they would have a support GC contender in any break. Subsequently gaining the MJ outright today.

Still, the big question is: Who amongst the climbers will draw first blood two days from now?

Too bad, but I'm not surprised. He was looking like he was hurting pretty bad after his spill.

That stinks. I was looking forward to him mixing it up on the climbs. Hope he recovers quickly and is back next year with better luck.

Ignatiev and Timmers were unlucky. FdJ will be kicking themselves though. They had two riders in that break, Geslin and the Belorussian guy....

Cool stage though. Great to see a Frenchman do the hero thing off the front with a small group and then just pedal away for a much deserved victory. Awesome!

With regard to Astana: I imagine that today marked the day where they wanted to start and show that they do, and will, control the peleton. For all intent and purpose Lance is currently wearing the yellow. Saxobank has little reason to defend what they know Fabian will loose the day after tomorrow. So, it falls to Astana to demostrate that they are in effect defending/controlling the lead. I was somewhat surprised to see them together at this. As, I initially thought they would circulate, in groupd of 3-4, more or less daring others to break and assuring that they would have a support GC contender in any break. Subsequently gaining the MJ outright today.

Still, the big question is: Who amongst the climbers will draw first blood two days from now?

I think Popovych will be the first Astana rider to go on the attack. Contador, Armstrong, Kloden, Leipheimer and Zubeldia (and Paulinho for as long as he can hang) will follow the group that has to chase down Popo, and then possibly counter attack them if they see weakness.

Ya' really think Astana will throw the gautlet down first? Hmm, we'll see.

Ya' really think Astana will throw the gautlet down first? Hmm, we'll see.

Until they hold the Maillot Jaune, yes. I think they would like to hold it with as big an advantage over the field as they can manage. - This not until Friday though.

Ya' really think Astana will throw the gautlet down first? Hmm, we'll see.

Oh yes. If you have that much firepower, you shoot first. Why wait? Sending Levi or Kloeden up the road would be an effective shot across the bow. Let those two attack repeatedly, and Contador and Lance are just hanging out waiting for a weakness to show up in their competitors.

Oh yes. If you have that much firepower, you shoot first. Why wait? Sending Levi or Kloeden up the road would be an effective shot across the bow. Let those two attack repeatedly, and Contador and Lance are just hanging out waiting for a weakness to show up in their competitors.

Why waste those two first? Popovych is good enough, and positioned well enough to get a response now (thinking ahead to stage 7). The other riders could act as bait on another day.

Chapeu to TT. I looked it up, he took the maillot jaune on July 8th in 2004. Very satisfying coda to his exploit exactly 5 years before - O'Grady won that stage in '04.

You think any of the pre-stage team meetings ever include "I want somebody shadowing Voeckler early...you know he's going at some point and one of them will stick"?