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Tour de France, France

Stage 5, Chambord - Montargis, 183K

6 July

The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Grit and Nerve in Dodgy Conditions

Stages and Maps, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap

Well, today's stage played out almost to the letter of what I thought would happen. The only unknown variables being the cast of characters starring in the breakaway of the day.

I would've liked to see Juan Antonia Flecha prevail and stay away, to fire an arrow off in his victory salute. (For those of you who don't know, "Flecha" is Spanish for arrow). He's a rider who is surely on the verge of something seriously big. After the spring he's had, he deserves something tasty to come his way.

Very predictably the charging peloton swallowed the break up with 10K to go. Making way for the head-butting, elbowing and jockeying for wheels that could only be a mass sprint. Robbie McEwen came good with his word. He said he would beat Boonen and he did.

You know, a few years ago I did not care much for McEwen. I didn't find him to be a very sporting fellow. But, I must admit that I've come around to liking him. What do I like about him? For starters, his physical size. He's about 5'8" and 147 lbs. Pretty compact for a sprinter. I also greatly admire his bike handling. He is THE BEST under the MOST dodgy of conditions. To think about the kind of nerve required for his day at the office, it is incomprehensible to me. He appears to be absolutely fearless going through the pack, butting heads and seeking the tiniest sliver of daylight. And last, his grit. He's a punchy little guy with an explosive finishing kick. He's never had much of a lead out train working for him until recently. And he's managed to rack up quite a nice palmares by sheer street smarts.

Cycling is a spectator sport. What's more fun than watching a group of 70 or 80 full grown men riding their bikes 64KPH (40 MPH ), while leaning into each other and throwing elbows, trying to get to the line first?

Not a whole lot for me!
- The Dust Devil