Monday, August 06, 2007
The post-Tour criteriums
Our two-time Lanterne Rouge, Wim Vansevenant, was paying the bills by participating in a post-Tour criterium in the Netherlands, the Profronde van Heerlen, along with Tom Boonen (DNF), Gert Steegmans, et al. Vansevenant was in a breakaway but was pulled back, and the win ultimately went to Thomas Dekker. (And he says his wife is a hairdresser, hmmm?)
Labels: Boonen, Dekker, Steegmans, Vansevenant
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Stage 20: Marcoussis to Paris Champs-Élysées
Things are winding down, and soon the 2007 Tour will be history.
In Lanterne Rouge news, ". . . Lilian Jegou, of Française des Jeux, states: 'You have more sporting credibility if you are at the back of the race.' To celebrate this new phenomenon, the paper Liberation announces that it is now supporting only the lanterne rouge, as the last rider in the race is nicknamed, after the red lantern that hangs on the back of a train. In the old days, cyclists in contention for this position would 'race' to lose time, without actually losing so much that they had to leave the race, because there was a certain notoriety - and lucrative appearance contracts - for the last man to finish the Tour. Acting no doubt on the biblical principle that the last shall be first and the first shall be last (in terms of credibility), Libe exhorts the current incumbent, the Belgian domestique Wim Vansevenant, to 'go slower!'"
After the Moreni incident, personally I'm not convinced that the unranked pro cyclists are any more or less likely to dope than the ones who have gained a few UCI points this year. The pressure to perform is there for every pro cyclist -- to move up in the rankings, ride faster, recover faster, hang with the peloton and not get dropped -- whether winning races or supporting their team leader. The leaders are just more likely to be drug-tested after they win races. For myself, I simply like to follow the back-of-the-packers because they all have interesting personal stories and the media is saturated with stories only of the leaders.
A bad translation of a brief piece on the Liberation site: "Wim fulfills its role: "Domestic." Man of the shade, it leaves the sun with the others. "My wife is a hairdresser. She says: There is much respect for you, always suffering when the others already arrived "After twenty years of career, the Belgian will hang up again the next year, at 37 years. "I am content with my career. Now, it is time for the young people.""
Elsewhere. . . . I just stumbled upon a fabulous French-language archive of Tour de France records. I've been filling out the past Lanternes Rouges in the right sidebar and will continue when time permits.
Rose Cantine reports on a TV interview with Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant, which seems to imply his finish position this year was indeed deliberate. But don't worry, Wim, we will remember you!
Details of the (probably) anticlimactic final stage 20 to follow later. I haven't heard of any riders leaving the Tour in stages 18, 19, or 20.
And it was a traditional bunch sprint from the peloton to finish this crazy Tour! No changes in most of the lineup, and even though Thor Hushovd was 2nd in the stage he didn't change his placement. It was nice to see that Tom Boonen was able to finally withstand the onslaught of mountain fever that has taken him out of the Tour in previous years in order to collect his green jersey.
Seven riders gained more than a minute in the final stage:
135. HINAULT Sébastien 108 CREDIT AGRICOLE 3h 52' 09" + 01' 06"
136. CHEULA Gianpaolo 213 BARLOWORLD 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
137. FISCHER Murilo Antoniobil 155 LIQUIGAS 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
138. BALLAN Alessandro 81 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
139. EFIMKIN Alexander 211 BARLOWORLD 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
140. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 3h 52' 37" + 01' 34"
with
141. VOECKLER Thomas 129 BOUYGUES TELECOM 3h 55' 11" + 04' 08"
the final rider over the finish line in the final stage of the Tour.
Which leaves the final five in the General Classification of the 2007 Tour de France unchanged from yesterday (apologies for messed-up spacing courtesy of Blogger). Our CONGRATULATIONS to each one of them for surviving a tough Tour de France!
137. KRAUSS Sven (Germany) 96 GEROLSTEINER 94h 41' 17" + 3h 40' 51"
138. STEEGMANS Gert (Belgium) 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 94h 42' 04" + 3h 41' 38"
139. HUSHOVD Thor (Norway) 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 94h 42' 23" + 3h 41' 57"
140. THOMAS Geraint (Wales) 215 BARLOWORLD 94h 47' 17" + 3h 46' 51"
and for the second consecutive time as the Lanterne Rouge of the Tour de France, we conclude with:
141. VANSEVENANT Wim (Belgium) 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 94h 53' 20" + 3h 52' 54"
In Lanterne Rouge news, ". . . Lilian Jegou, of Française des Jeux, states: 'You have more sporting credibility if you are at the back of the race.' To celebrate this new phenomenon, the paper Liberation announces that it is now supporting only the lanterne rouge, as the last rider in the race is nicknamed, after the red lantern that hangs on the back of a train. In the old days, cyclists in contention for this position would 'race' to lose time, without actually losing so much that they had to leave the race, because there was a certain notoriety - and lucrative appearance contracts - for the last man to finish the Tour. Acting no doubt on the biblical principle that the last shall be first and the first shall be last (in terms of credibility), Libe exhorts the current incumbent, the Belgian domestique Wim Vansevenant, to 'go slower!'"
After the Moreni incident, personally I'm not convinced that the unranked pro cyclists are any more or less likely to dope than the ones who have gained a few UCI points this year. The pressure to perform is there for every pro cyclist -- to move up in the rankings, ride faster, recover faster, hang with the peloton and not get dropped -- whether winning races or supporting their team leader. The leaders are just more likely to be drug-tested after they win races. For myself, I simply like to follow the back-of-the-packers because they all have interesting personal stories and the media is saturated with stories only of the leaders.
A bad translation of a brief piece on the Liberation site: "Wim fulfills its role: "Domestic." Man of the shade, it leaves the sun with the others. "My wife is a hairdresser. She says: There is much respect for you, always suffering when the others already arrived "After twenty years of career, the Belgian will hang up again the next year, at 37 years. "I am content with my career. Now, it is time for the young people.""
Elsewhere. . . . I just stumbled upon a fabulous French-language archive of Tour de France records. I've been filling out the past Lanternes Rouges in the right sidebar and will continue when time permits.
Rose Cantine reports on a TV interview with Lanterne Rouge Wim Vansevenant, which seems to imply his finish position this year was indeed deliberate. But don't worry, Wim, we will remember you!
Details of the (probably) anticlimactic final stage 20 to follow later. I haven't heard of any riders leaving the Tour in stages 18, 19, or 20.
And it was a traditional bunch sprint from the peloton to finish this crazy Tour! No changes in most of the lineup, and even though Thor Hushovd was 2nd in the stage he didn't change his placement. It was nice to see that Tom Boonen was able to finally withstand the onslaught of mountain fever that has taken him out of the Tour in previous years in order to collect his green jersey.
Seven riders gained more than a minute in the final stage:
135. HINAULT Sébastien 108 CREDIT AGRICOLE 3h 52' 09" + 01' 06"
136. CHEULA Gianpaolo 213 BARLOWORLD 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
137. FISCHER Murilo Antoniobil 155 LIQUIGAS 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
138. BALLAN Alessandro 81 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
139. EFIMKIN Alexander 211 BARLOWORLD 3h 52' 15" + 01' 12"
140. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 3h 52' 37" + 01' 34"
with
141. VOECKLER Thomas 129 BOUYGUES TELECOM 3h 55' 11" + 04' 08"
the final rider over the finish line in the final stage of the Tour.
Which leaves the final five in the General Classification of the 2007 Tour de France unchanged from yesterday (apologies for messed-up spacing courtesy of Blogger). Our CONGRATULATIONS to each one of them for surviving a tough Tour de France!
137. KRAUSS Sven (Germany) 96 GEROLSTEINER 94h 41' 17" + 3h 40' 51"
138. STEEGMANS Gert (Belgium) 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 94h 42' 04" + 3h 41' 38"
139. HUSHOVD Thor (Norway) 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 94h 42' 23" + 3h 41' 57"
140. THOMAS Geraint (Wales) 215 BARLOWORLD 94h 47' 17" + 3h 46' 51""Everyone dreams of riding down the Champs-Elysee and finishing the Tour, I'm happy to get here but feeling it," the Cardiff rider told the BBC. "I was always going to go as far as I could. I couldn't see the point in going home after a few days, it was always in my mind to try to finish and it's awesome to be at the end."
and for the second consecutive time as the Lanterne Rouge of the Tour de France, we conclude with:
141. VANSEVENANT Wim (Belgium) 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 94h 53' 20" + 3h 52' 54"Labels: Hushovd, Jegou, Krauss, Steegmans, Thomas, Vansevenant
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Stage 19: Cognac to Angoulême ITT
No withdrawals prior to the stage, despite false rumors circulating last night.
There were 8 time trials more than 10 minutes slower than from the stage winner - if Levi Leipheimer had ridden behind them he would have passed three riders on the course! Forster had the slowest ITT of the day - at an average speed of 45.12 kph or 28.04 mph. Incredible!
134. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 1h 12' 45" + 10' 01"
135. BENNATI Daniele 82 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 1h 12' 55" + 10' 11"
136. SALMON Benoit 138 AGRITUBEL 1h 13' 02" + 10' 18"
137. CARDENAS Félix 212 BARLOWORLD 1h 13' 10" + 10' 26"
138. BURGHARDT Marcus 22 T-MOBILE TEAM 1h 13' 19" + 10' 35"
139. TSCHOPP Johann 128 BOUYGUES TELECOM 1h 13' 26" + 10' 42"
140. WROLICH Peter 99 GEROLSTEINER 1h 13' 44" + 11' 00"
141. FÖRSTER Robert 92 GEROLSTEINER 1h 13' 48" + 11' 04"
The final five in the overall standings at the end of Stage 19 are as follows, which is unlikely to change tomorrow on the ride into Paris, unless some of the sprinters finish in a fast breakaway (such as Thor Hushovd, who won the final stage last year):
137. KRAUSS Sven 96 GEROLSTEINER 90h 50' 14" + 3h 40' 56"
138. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 90h 51' 01" + 3h 41' 43"
139. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 90h 51' 32" + 3h 42' 14"
140. THOMAS Geraint 215 BARLOWORLD 90h 55' 23" + 3h 46' 05"
141. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 91h 02' 02" + 3h 52' 44"
Bram DeGroot moved out of the final five with an excellent 39th-place time trial. Sven Krauss (49th place ITT) moved up relative to Thor Hushovd (123rd place ITT), and 2007 stage winner Gert Steegmans (127th place ITT) dropped down into the final five. They encompass a span of 12 minutes in aggregate time over the 19 stages.
They've switched around young Welshman Geraint Thomas's name and gotten it correct on the official Tour website finally, just in time for the end of the Tour! He rode a very respectable ITT, finishing 107th for the stage.
The only former Lanterne Rouge of this Tour other than Vansevenant who is still riding, Aleksandr Kuschynski of Liquigas, finished 38th for this ITT stage which puts him 89th overall in the Tour General Classification.
Wim Vansevenant's second consecutive finish as the Lanterne Rouge in the 2007 Tour de France is virtually assured, while he has ably assisted his Predictor-Lotto team leader Cadel Evans into a 2nd place finish on the podium. Gert Steegmans finished 137th and 3rd from last in the 2006 Tour de France, and if there are no withdrawals overnight he will probably finish 138th and 4th from last in 2007.
Along the way in the 2007 Tour, 48 cyclists have left the Tour. The Belgian rider Vansevenant will finish ahead of every one of them.
And chapeau to Bob Mina for calling the finish! Yes, I'd guess that having both Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong shouting in your ear over an hour ride might be worth 20 seconds in the finish time. Well, count me as a new big fan of Alberto Contador. I'll enjoy watching him as his career progresses, hopefully for many years.
There were 8 time trials more than 10 minutes slower than from the stage winner - if Levi Leipheimer had ridden behind them he would have passed three riders on the course! Forster had the slowest ITT of the day - at an average speed of 45.12 kph or 28.04 mph. Incredible!
134. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 1h 12' 45" + 10' 01"
135. BENNATI Daniele 82 LAMPRE-FONDITAL 1h 12' 55" + 10' 11"
136. SALMON Benoit 138 AGRITUBEL 1h 13' 02" + 10' 18"
137. CARDENAS Félix 212 BARLOWORLD 1h 13' 10" + 10' 26"
138. BURGHARDT Marcus 22 T-MOBILE TEAM 1h 13' 19" + 10' 35"
139. TSCHOPP Johann 128 BOUYGUES TELECOM 1h 13' 26" + 10' 42"
140. WROLICH Peter 99 GEROLSTEINER 1h 13' 44" + 11' 00"
141. FÖRSTER Robert 92 GEROLSTEINER 1h 13' 48" + 11' 04"
The final five in the overall standings at the end of Stage 19 are as follows, which is unlikely to change tomorrow on the ride into Paris, unless some of the sprinters finish in a fast breakaway (such as Thor Hushovd, who won the final stage last year):
137. KRAUSS Sven 96 GEROLSTEINER 90h 50' 14" + 3h 40' 56"
138. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 90h 51' 01" + 3h 41' 43"
139. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 90h 51' 32" + 3h 42' 14"
140. THOMAS Geraint 215 BARLOWORLD 90h 55' 23" + 3h 46' 05"
141. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 91h 02' 02" + 3h 52' 44"
Bram DeGroot moved out of the final five with an excellent 39th-place time trial. Sven Krauss (49th place ITT) moved up relative to Thor Hushovd (123rd place ITT), and 2007 stage winner Gert Steegmans (127th place ITT) dropped down into the final five. They encompass a span of 12 minutes in aggregate time over the 19 stages.
They've switched around young Welshman Geraint Thomas's name and gotten it correct on the official Tour website finally, just in time for the end of the Tour! He rode a very respectable ITT, finishing 107th for the stage.
The only former Lanterne Rouge of this Tour other than Vansevenant who is still riding, Aleksandr Kuschynski of Liquigas, finished 38th for this ITT stage which puts him 89th overall in the Tour General Classification.
Wim Vansevenant's second consecutive finish as the Lanterne Rouge in the 2007 Tour de France is virtually assured, while he has ably assisted his Predictor-Lotto team leader Cadel Evans into a 2nd place finish on the podium. Gert Steegmans finished 137th and 3rd from last in the 2006 Tour de France, and if there are no withdrawals overnight he will probably finish 138th and 4th from last in 2007.
Along the way in the 2007 Tour, 48 cyclists have left the Tour. The Belgian rider Vansevenant will finish ahead of every one of them.
And chapeau to Bob Mina for calling the finish! Yes, I'd guess that having both Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong shouting in your ear over an hour ride might be worth 20 seconds in the finish time. Well, count me as a new big fan of Alberto Contador. I'll enjoy watching him as his career progresses, hopefully for many years.
Labels: De Groot, Evans, Hushovd, Krauss, Leipheimer, Steegmans, Thomas, Vansevenant
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Stage 10: Tallard to Marseille
All 171 finishers and survivors of the Alps from yesterday appear to be riding today's flatter stage, in progress.
Former Lanterne Rouge Aleksandr Kuschynski (stages 1-3) of Liquigas is a member of the breakaway, which will significantly boost him in the standings if it survives. Fly!
Later. . . .
Yes! Aleksandr Kuschynski finished 9th in the stage, which moves him well up in the GC to 150th overall.
Here are all the riders that came to the finish line today after the arrival of the 10:36 autobus:
165. CORTINOVIS Alessandro 182 TEAM MILRAM 5h 31' 49" + 11' 25"
166. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 5h 32' 34" + 12' 10"
167. FÖRSTER Robert 92 GEROLSTEINER 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
168. KRAUSS Sven 96 GEROLSTEINER 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
169. WROLICH Peter 99 GEROLSTEINER 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
170. GERAINT Thomas 215 BARLOWORLD 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
171. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 5h 35' 34" + 15' 10"
Apparently the Welshman Geraint Thomas suffered from the heat today. "It's not like this back in Cardiff." Uh, no, Geraint, welcome to the French-freakin'-Riviera.
So clearly Vansevenant will retain his position as Lanterne Rouge for another day. These hard-working riders are not strangers to the tail end of the peleton. We've seen Forster before on this blog, with a 5th from last finish overall in the 2005 Tour. Wrolich finished 5th from last overall in the 2006 Tour, the year that Steegmans was 3rd from last (and Charteau spent a lot of time toward the end of the standings that year too). By his late finish today, stage 3 winner Gert Steegmans was pulled down right into Kuschinski's spot from yesterday, with no other significant changes:
167. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 51h 05' 34" + 1h 41' 46"
168. HOSTE Leif 45 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 51h 05' 43" + 1h 41' 55"
169. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 51h 05' 48" + 1h 42' 00"
170. ZABRISKIE David 39 TEAM CSC 51h 06' 37" + 1h 42' 49"
171. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 51h 10' 45" + 1h 46' 57"
Former Lanterne Rouge Aleksandr Kuschynski (stages 1-3) of Liquigas is a member of the breakaway, which will significantly boost him in the standings if it survives. Fly!
Later. . . .
Yes! Aleksandr Kuschynski finished 9th in the stage, which moves him well up in the GC to 150th overall.
Here are all the riders that came to the finish line today after the arrival of the 10:36 autobus:
165. CORTINOVIS Alessandro 182 TEAM MILRAM 5h 31' 49" + 11' 25"
166. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 5h 32' 34" + 12' 10"
167. FÖRSTER Robert 92 GEROLSTEINER 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
168. KRAUSS Sven 96 GEROLSTEINER 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
169. WROLICH Peter 99 GEROLSTEINER 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
170. GERAINT Thomas 215 BARLOWORLD 5h 34' 03" + 13' 39"
171. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 5h 35' 34" + 15' 10"
Apparently the Welshman Geraint Thomas suffered from the heat today. "It's not like this back in Cardiff." Uh, no, Geraint, welcome to the French-freakin'-Riviera.
So clearly Vansevenant will retain his position as Lanterne Rouge for another day. These hard-working riders are not strangers to the tail end of the peleton. We've seen Forster before on this blog, with a 5th from last finish overall in the 2005 Tour. Wrolich finished 5th from last overall in the 2006 Tour, the year that Steegmans was 3rd from last (and Charteau spent a lot of time toward the end of the standings that year too). By his late finish today, stage 3 winner Gert Steegmans was pulled down right into Kuschinski's spot from yesterday, with no other significant changes:
167. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 51h 05' 34" + 1h 41' 46"
168. HOSTE Leif 45 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 51h 05' 43" + 1h 41' 55"
169. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 51h 05' 48" + 1h 42' 00"
170. ZABRISKIE David 39 TEAM CSC 51h 06' 37" + 1h 42' 49"
171. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 51h 10' 45" + 1h 46' 57"
Labels: Charteau, Cortinovis, Forster, Hoste, Krauss, Kuschynski, Steegmans, Thomas, Vansevenant, Wrolich, Zagbriskie
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Stage 9: Val-d’Isère - Briançon
No reports yet of any unexpected withdrawals in the starting lineup, so I believe we should have 171 riders on the road. And hooray, everyone finished the stage today!
And Zabriskie does it again!! He's listed as the final rider in the stage today!!!!! That's fine - there is no need for him to expend a single extra calorie of effort in this stage doing anything that's not directly related to support of the team leader or making it over the line in front of the cutoff. Final five listed in the stage standings are:
167. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
168. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
169. CHAVANEL Sébastien 162 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
170. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
171. ZABRISKIE David 39 TEAM CSC 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
But that belies the fact that 72 riders arrived in the enormous autobus at the end of the stage and were assigned the same time. Wim Vansevenant arrived at the finish line as one of those riders in the autobus and so he does not move up in the overall standings, remaining in the Lanterne Rouge position for another day.
The final five riders in the General Classification are now:
167. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 45h 34' 34" + 1h 41' 46"
168. HOSTE Leif 45 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 45h 34' 43" + 1h 41' 55"
169. KUSCHYNSKI Aleksandr 156 LIQUIGAS 45h 35' 11" + 1h 42' 23"
170. ZABRISKIE David 39 TEAM CSC 45h 35' 37" + 1h 42' 49"
171. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 45h 38' 11" + 1h 45' 23"
And Zabriskie does it again!! He's listed as the final rider in the stage today!!!!! That's fine - there is no need for him to expend a single extra calorie of effort in this stage doing anything that's not directly related to support of the team leader or making it over the line in front of the cutoff. Final five listed in the stage standings are:167. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
168. STEEGMANS Gert 176 QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
169. CHAVANEL Sébastien 162 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
170. HUSHOVD Thor 101 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
171. ZABRISKIE David 39 TEAM CSC 4h 43' 15" + 28' 51"
But that belies the fact that 72 riders arrived in the enormous autobus at the end of the stage and were assigned the same time. Wim Vansevenant arrived at the finish line as one of those riders in the autobus and so he does not move up in the overall standings, remaining in the Lanterne Rouge position for another day.
The final five riders in the General Classification are now:
167. CHARTEAU Anthony 104 CREDIT AGRICOLE 45h 34' 34" + 1h 41' 46"
168. HOSTE Leif 45 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 45h 34' 43" + 1h 41' 55"
169. KUSCHYNSKI Aleksandr 156 LIQUIGAS 45h 35' 11" + 1h 42' 23"
170. ZABRISKIE David 39 TEAM CSC 45h 35' 37" + 1h 42' 49"
171. VANSEVENANT Wim 49 PREDICTOR - LOTTO 45h 38' 11" + 1h 45' 23"
Labels: Charteau, Chavanel, Hoste, Hushovd, Kuschynski, Steegmans, Zabriskie
Monday, July 09, 2007
Stage 2: First major pileup of the Tour
Since the colossal pileup of riders occurred in the last 3 km of the course, everyone in the entire peleton was awarded the same finish time today, and there were no stragglers. The standings for the Lanterne Rouge are the same as yesterday. Aleksandr Kuschynski, the Liquigas rider from Belarus, remains Lanterne Rouge. Photo of Kuschynski at left is from yesterday's breakaway, taken from theladsweekend's at Flickr. (Inspired by TdFBlog).
That crash affected a lot of riders and caused numerous injuries, and will likely result in a few DNSs tomorrow morning. As always, TDFBlog is right on top of the situation.
Gert Steegmans, today's Belgian stage winner for Quickstep-Innergetic, finished the 2006 Tour de France in the third from last position, 137th place out of 139 finishers. Yet more evidence that position in the general classification of the Tour is no indication of the quality nor talent of the cyclist. They're all incredible athletes. You never know, we could see Kuschynski winning a stage some day, too.Labels: Kuschynski, Steegmans
