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Tour de France, France

Stage 15, Lézat-sur-Lèze - Saint-Lary Soulan (Pla d'Adet), 205.5K

17 July

The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Big George-Big Victory

Stages and Maps, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap

What a stage! If you could distill the Tour de France down and extract it's very essence, you would have the pure nectar of a stage like today's. Thousands of screaming, insane fans crowding the roads, never ending Pyrenean climbs, attacking, mano a mano dueling ... Wow!

So, we see my predictions from yesterday proved to be off the mark. Lance Armstrong did not win today. He followed all the important moves never letting Ivan Basso out of his sight. Defending his yellow jersey with all the expert marksmanship we have come to expect. I'm sure we have seen the winner of next year's Tour de France in Ivan Basso. If you remove Armstrong from the equation, Basso will dominate in the mountains and defend in the TT's.

Let us not forget it was 10 years ago today that Fabio Casartelli crashed on the descent of the Peyresourde and lost his life. He left behind a wife and a baby boy. For all the glory and triumph that these men experience, it is always shadowed by danger and tragedy. It really makes me choke up when I think about it. I hope he was watching today. And my thoughts go out to his family.

All of Hincapie's disappointments in Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders, all his years of suffering like a dog were paid off today. His service to Lance Armstrong was handsomely paid 10 fold with his victory on the epic stage to Pla d'Adet. I would not have bet that the escape group would stay away to the finish. It was the sort of move that gets mopped up routinely in pro cycling. George is truly an amazing engine! What a powerhouse! The moment of truth came when Pereiro attacked and shook off everybody. However, George was able to comfortably ride up to take the Spaniard's wheel. As the two proceeded to climb to the finish, through a rabid crowd of spectators, I'm sure Hincapie couldn't believe his luck! It's what all of us amateur and recreational riders dream about. Riding the famed climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees, through impossibly tight openings of crazed fans!!!! It doesn't get any better!

Jan Ullrich gets the Dust Devil's award for courage. You have to admire the resilience of this man. The amount of misfortune he has, and just being plain outdrawn by Armstrong, he still hangs in there to the finish. He keeps coming back year after year, and never complaining. We all know how bad for morale it is when you can't follow the pace. It's hard to have the will to fight on. But Ullrich never gives up, and never stops fighting. In some ways, it's a lot more impressive than what Armstrong does winning so dominantly. Because Ullrich's position speaks a lot more to the common man, like you and me. We can't always win, and most of the time it's a struggle to stay in contention. You have 2 choices: You can pack it in and go home, or you can dig as deep as you can, finding out what you are really made of.
- The Dust Devil