Saturday, July 09, 2005
More abandons
Cyclingpost.com reports that Christophe Mengin, the brave Stage 6 breakaway rider from Française des Jeux, has decided to withdraw from the Tour prior to Stage 8. He was close to a solo stage win at that time but fell and fractured a bone near his left eye, and his eye subsequently swelled shut.
Procyclingnews reports on three more dropouts: "Ukraine’s Serhiy Honchar also abandoned, leaving the Domina Vacanze team without their leader. Ag2r’s Sylvain Calzati, victim of a series of crashes most notably on a set of damp railway tracks that crossed the course late in stage seven, was the first rider to abandon Saturday’s stage. Soon after, Illes Balears’ Isaac Galvez, who crashed in the finishing straight yesterday, also abandoned."
It was also announced that the Dutch Davitamon-Lotto rider Leon van Bon gave up due to an injury caused by a spectator in Friday's stage 7.
These losses leave a total of 180 cyclists remaining in the 2005 Tour de France peloton.
It does indeed seem that the dreaded Mountain Fever has struck down several riders already in the Tour!
At 172 km David Zabriskie was 28 minutes behind the peloton. Even if he finishes Stage 8, with that long of a time gap he may be eliminated by the judges.
Procyclingnews reports on three more dropouts: "Ukraine’s Serhiy Honchar also abandoned, leaving the Domina Vacanze team without their leader. Ag2r’s Sylvain Calzati, victim of a series of crashes most notably on a set of damp railway tracks that crossed the course late in stage seven, was the first rider to abandon Saturday’s stage. Soon after, Illes Balears’ Isaac Galvez, who crashed in the finishing straight yesterday, also abandoned."
It was also announced that the Dutch Davitamon-Lotto rider Leon van Bon gave up due to an injury caused by a spectator in Friday's stage 7.
These losses leave a total of 180 cyclists remaining in the 2005 Tour de France peloton.
It does indeed seem that the dreaded Mountain Fever has struck down several riders already in the Tour!
At 172 km David Zabriskie was 28 minutes behind the peloton. Even if he finishes Stage 8, with that long of a time gap he may be eliminated by the judges.
Labels: abandonments, Calzati, Galvez, Honchar, Mengin, Mountain Fever, van Bon, Zabriskie
