Wow, looked like a Classic today, over 200k and hilly or should I say climb(y). Rough day none the less.
Cav is out, suffering at his own hands in a stage 1 sprint, glad everyone else was okay enough to continue on today. Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, especially two objects that are moving 60+ kph. The pure sprinters did not get to have a go today due to the nature of the par course and Kittel handed over the Yellow to Nibali. Ah le Tour how we all adore you. I know it is not Spring, but I love seeing Greg Van Avermaet mixing it up in a stage of le Tour that was akin to L-B-L.
I hope to see a lot more of Michal Kwiatkowski "flower man" this Tour, not sure if he has the legs for the whole month, but he looks good and I would love to make him my pick. Can't rule out Wiggins, oops Sky didn't bring Wiggo, so I mean Froome, Contador, after today Nibali looks like a contender. There are others that I am overlooking, but it is a long race. Great to see Horner back on the bike and in the biggest race of the year, just a few months ago no one would have guessed he would be here.
O to the M to the Gosh, did I see Frank Schleck and Andy? And they both finished a race? I would love to see a "healthy" Frank and Andy Tour. And by "healthy" I mean whatever they were on or not on just a few Tours ago. Now that would be a huge darkhorse if Frank or Andy could be a contender this year. Choke artist Joaquim Rodriquez could and should be a threat as should Valverde and Costa. I am a Lotto Belisol fan and love my man Adam Hansen the super domestique and would like to see Van Den Broeck challenge for a top spot.
And now for a little flag waving. One word. Andrew Talansky. How awesome would it be if Talansky kicked some @s$ this Tour? It's possible. Ted King, not a contender but awesome to see him in his second Tour, hope it lasts longer than last year (stupid UCI not letting him stay after missing the timecut). Always a favorite, and with Cadel Evans out Tejay Van Garderen could actually get the support he needs to make an impact in France. A name that we should hear pronounced wrongly is Busche. Matt Busche. Never heard of him? Well hope to hear a lot more from him in the next couple of weeks.
