Posted on 07/12/2004 9:34:43 AM PDT by nutmeg
Tyler's ready for a rest
By Reuters
This report filed July 11, 2004
Tyler Hamilton, suffering from back pains after a crash on Friday, says he is relieved to be taking a day's rest before the Tour de France battle starts in earnest this week.
The American, who finished fourth last year behind five-time champion Lance Armstrong, despite breaking his collarbone, said on Sunday he was not afraid of suffering. The many crashes during the wet and windy conditions of the first week had made him nervous, however.
"Considered all the problems we had in the last couple of days, I'm happy we finished today," the Phonak team leader said at the end of the 168km eighth stage from Lamballe to Quimper after finishing with the peloton behind stage winner Thor Hushovd. He sits 11th overall, 10 minutes and 11 seconds behind leader Thomas Voeckler of France.
The 31-year-old was involved in a pile-up near the end of Friday's stage, when he collided with the other riders and went over the handlebars, landing on his back.
"A couple of days ago, we had problems with the crash. I was lucky we had a couple of flat stages to recover. The team was fantastic as usual," he said.
"The rest day starts now, not in the stage. If you relax, if you start to think about the rest day, it can make the stage very difficult. I told the guys to keep fighting until the end of the stage. Now it's the rest day."
Hamilton will use the break in Limoges to try to ease the pain in his back, knowing the first really demanding stage in this year's Tour takes place on Wednesday over 237km between Limoges and St Flour.
"Tuesday's stage is similar to today's. Wednesday, the second half of the Tour starts, so hopefully the team and I can recover well. For me and my back, after a nice day tomorrow, it'll be better. I hope so," he said.
Very cool picture on your homepage.
I hope Tyler's back is ok for Wednesday, when the fun really begins.
Tyler Hamilton comes through the finish showing some blood from a crash.
Photo ©: Jon Devich/www.epicimages.us
Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) ever obliging
Photo ©: Fotoreporter Sirotti
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2004 list. *Warning: This may be a high-volume ping list at times during July 2004.
A Tour de France supporter hangs with his bike above the pack as the competitors cycle towards the finish line in Namur, Belgium, during the second stage of the cycling race.
If Tyler wins will Lance be forced to eat crow?
Wait, I thought Europeans hated Americans...why are they mobbing Hamilton (and why do they mob Armstrong)?
I'm in withdrawel today. Can't wait for tomorrow morning again and especially for the mountains. I wish we had something like this here. I could name some excellent routes right here in east Texas. Would be perfect.
According to what I've heard from Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen on OLN, the cycling fans of France and Belgium really love Lance (and I think Tyler), it's the members of the French media that hates him.
Yes, I heard them say the same thing.
I made a similar comment on a thread where there was a picture of Tyler Hamilton being mobbed by fans, both young and old.
Duh, this is the same thread.
I miss the Tour. And no baseball on either. There is nothing to do, and I'm not going to cut the grass.
Yes, hard to believe that was taken in France! (Actually, I think it may have been Belgium)
There's the home run derby on ESPN right now... My husband was just watching it. But you're right... there's no actual game on right now.
Sheesh, I turned that on and saw Roger Clemens introducing some country music singer.
Puke.
Do you have the picture, of the same flag carrying horseman, where Lance is looking straight at him?
We saw Lance "race" in a one-day cycling charity event in lower Manhattan back after the 2002 TDF. It was cool to see him in person, along with a bunch of elite cyclists, but all the "peloton" did was go around the same blocks, over and over again.
There's a "Tour of Georgia", isn't there? I thought Lance did some annual race in Texas every year...?
Oops, sorry! We saw the beginning of the show with the old-timers: Willie Mays, Willy McCovey, Harmon Killebrew, Mark McGuire, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Reggie Jackson, Ernie Banks, Eddy Murray...
Sammy Sosa, Frank Robinson...
I'll look for that... I remember "concentric circles" posted that on one of the TDF threads. That was actually the coolest pic of all!
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