La Jour du Superdomestique
By frank booth 18 July 2006
Voigt, Zubriskie, Merckx, Rasmussen.
Quel etage!
If you were to name the major teams over the past several seasons, all of them came out to play today except Discovery. The implosion there suggests that they still have recovered from Lance’s departure. Morale is obviously quite low. Meanwhile, the other well-drilled teams each put into play classic strategy. And this now includes Phonak.
Phonak opted to put a domestique up the road to help out on the final climb. And it was great to watch Merckx fils bury himself for his c.g. leader.
CSC went on offense as their Viking DS would have it; they made the stage today. Zubriskie has become my new favorite rider. It’s great to see an American riding on a fully European team and burying himself as part of a larger effort to spring a teammate for a win. Not since Greg Lemond has there been an American so truly integrated into the workings of a non-Americo-centric team. What else does one say about Voigt but that here’s a hard, hard man.
T-Mobile has always been a bit of an enigma: Vino, Kloden, Ullrich…it’s never been a clear situation. Kloden has been lucky to inherit full command but even still Massolini was never in it to help him up the mountain; he did his bit only after Damiano Cunego told him to fuck off. Still, Kloden looked better than good today while Menchov suffered. Will Menchov recover from the rest day? I’m not sure. He’s a big ring climber and needs to learn that F X V = W can result in a large value with a small F and a big V.
That said, Rasmussen’s effort to try to bring Menchov back into contention probably deserves the l’or du jour for the gutsiest contribution to a team. Rather than drop back to help, he rode his way to the front on L’Alpe. Enough said.
Tomorrow will be interesting. I stand by my previous predictions…although now I’m wondering if the podium will be Landis, Kloden, Leipheimer…with Menchov out of the picture. One thing is for sure…only two riders didn’t go to their limit today: one was Landis, can you guess who the other was?
Off-the-main-pack cycling gossip that we can’t publish on the front page.
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fausto
Posted 18 Jul 2006 at 9:10 pm | Permalink
I know you think it’s Leipheimer who did not go to his limit–and I agree–but that’s because Leapin’ Levi NEVER goes to his limit. He always holds something in reserve so that, well, he’ll have something in reserve in case the situation calls for holding something in reserve. Or, in other words, you need to be well rested in order rest up well for the moment when being well rested will spell the difference between those who have rested and those who are well rested. It’s all science; Levi doesn’t expect YOU to understand.
Obligatory Hincapie Rant. George Hincapie’s epitaph can be be spelled out in photo captions from Cyclingnews.com. Today’s edition: “George Hincapie (Discovery) was in the early break.” I have to second Frank’s earlier post: George, you have to FIGHT to be in the break that sticks.
Obviously, Landis only has to mark his rivals now. I think his stage win ambition is the final ITT. Anyone–and everyone–who goes down the ramp in Le Creusot will be just as tired as Landis will be. I don’t like to over-credit the back story, but it does seem that Landis is at peace with winning this Tour without a stage win. I would be, too, if they were going to replace my hip with a hunk of titanium in ten days time. Landis may win without what the French call “panache,” but the rider with (arguably) the greatest panache–Dessel–also isn’t going to win.
There is so much more to say about this beautiful stage today, but Frank said it well enough. Now let’s see if Frank’s dream comes true tomorrow: Landis and Leipheimer head-to-head on the final climb to La Toussuire.
littlered
Posted 18 Jul 2006 at 9:28 pm | Permalink
that is straight out of bobby j’s training bible. and you know who’s not reserving, the italians. i’m looking for some action from garzelli and cunego tomorrow.