Tour de France: Stage 5 Live Thread (Thursday, July 6, 2006)

VeloNews.com ^ | July 6, 2006 | VeloNews.com

[nutmeg]

[nutmeg]

Hushovd relegated for irregular sprint

This report filed July 5, 2006

Defending Tour de France points champion Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole)was relegated from his fourth-place finish in Stage 4 of the Tour de France Wednesday after officials ruled him guilty of irregular sprinting.

Hushovd, who wore the yellow jersey after winning the race prologue and again two days later, was ruled to have blocked Austrian sprinter Bernhard Eisel as both riders raced to the finish line in a bunch sprint.

Robbie McEwen, of Davitamon, won the sprint well ahead of his rivals to claim his second stage of the race and tenth of his career, allowing him to reclaim the race's green jersey for the points competition.

[nutmeg]

Stage 4 results, stats, injury reports, etc.:

VeloNews.com

CyclingNews.com

[nutmeg]

I took your advice and went back to the Cycling News graphics. :o)

Although I do like VeloNews' detailed mountain/hill profile in #2...

[nutmeg]

Tour de France ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2006 list.

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

Conversion:
225 kilometers = 140 miles

~ Blue Jays ~

[Ready4Freddy]

Agreed - I see no reason why we cannot have both the lobster and the cracked crab!

I do like the fact that the VeloNews' profile (actually the www.letour.fr profile) has the length & gradient of each climb, but I grow tired of Orbit & Pluto (father/son orange tabby bruisers) looking at me funny when I cant my head 45 deg to read the labels on the profile! ;>)

Although I do like VeloNews' detailed mountain/hill profile in #2...

[Ready4Freddy]

Ah, Calvados, it's the 'county' within the 'state' of Normandie known worldwide for its apple cider. When we accompanied my Uncle to Normandie for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day, my sisters, nieces, girlfriend & I stayed at a 'bed & breakfast' along the coast near Deauville that was actually the upper floors of the manor house of a cidery, in the middle of ~800 acres of apple orchards. The town of Honfleur became our go-to dining area, and the drive to Honfleur was awesome! - a little 2 lane road that hugged the cliffs along the coast, passing more than a few German gun emplacements set to protect the harbor at Le Havre (Honfleur is just across the Seine estuary from Le Havre). Honfleur is the birthplace of the Impressionist movement. The restaurants along the harbor there left quite an impression on us *groan*.

Since we based our festivities in St Mere-Eglise (of 82nd Airborne, Red Buttons / church steeple fame :) near the American beaches we had quite a drive across the length of Normandie all week. Beautiful drive, we skirted Caen each day, even trying to visit/cross Pegasus Bridge one day but the bridge was closed due to traffic most if not all of the week.

As un-PC as it is to say on this board, I'd love to go back! Didn't get to see the museum at Caen, or spend enough time at the cemeteries above Utah & Omaha beaches. Hopefully will make it in the Fall next year....

OK, enough colour, now back to the Tour DAY France! LOL!! (w/ apologies to LK44-40 :)

[Ready4Freddy]

Another good map of the course today:

Whoa!! Lookie there, heheheh, you'll never see the term 'English Channel' on a French-sourced graphic that includes 'La Manche', LOL!!

[Eurotwit]

Thanks for the travellogue.

Now, I want to go as well :-)



But, back to the race. Todays stage is underway.

There are two riders who are riders in an escape group a couple of minutes ahead of the peloton.

Pity about Hushovd, but sprinting cleanly (and staying on the bike) is part of the game. Last year, Hushovd arguebly won the Green Jersey in part because Boonen hit the ground, and McEwen lost points due to a dirty sprint.

Hushovd, however, is very angry with the organisers for beeing DQ'd yesterday.

Hopefully he can channel his anger into something positive, such as winning the stage :-)

Cheers.

[PeteB570]

I was digging on the OLN site but couldn't find which stages were the individual time trials.

Anybody know which ones they are?

I would think, not being and expert on bike racing, that the times would start to spread out more at the first one.

[Ready4Freddy]

Stages 7 & 19 are the ITTs this year, PeteB570. The Prologue was also an ITT, but not long enough (only 7km, I think) to spread the field.

[Ready4Freddy]

My guess is that the course today is too long, and too flat, for an early or intermediate breakaway to succeed. Something tells me it's gonna be real crowded when they hit Caen!

The sprinters like Thor have ~1 more week before they disappear from the top of the GC.

[Ready4Freddy]

I meant to add - you're entirely correct, PeteB570. We should see a large split in the GC after the 1st ITT this Saturday. The ITTs remaining are 52 & 57km, respectively, more than long enough to 'put the sprinters in their place'. The typical sprinter just can't maintain the crushing pace that an Armstrong, Ullrich, or (hopefully!!!) Hincapie can.

[PeteB570]

I find it amazing how a breakaway group can get 9:40 in front of the main group and then within sight (few miles) of the finish line see it chewed down to nothing and then passed like they were standing still just a few 100 meters from the finish line.

The whole team effort to keep their GC guy near the top, team and individual tactics, accidents and the crowds make for some good viewing.

I liked the big straw horses from yesterday.

[Ready4Freddy]

Yeow!!!, that's quite a pace!!

13:56 - Average Speed For 2nd Hour

The leaders covered 39.9km in the second hour of racing. The average speed for the first two hours is 42.9km/h. The peloton has just reached the 68km mark... 12’10" behind Dumoulin and Schroder.

[Mercat]

Don't have much to add to this thread but had to try out my new tag line from Bob.

[Ready4Freddy]

LOL Who knew!? ;>)

[PeteB570]

Another Bobiz-um??
:-)