Tour de France, Stage 16. Andy Schleck loses time as we hit the mountains
Today, I think, we saw a fragility of the mind that is not something you like to expose in the last week of a grand tour. Shortly after being beat fair and square, and after losing several seconds to his nearest competitors, Andy Schleck felt the need to complain about today’s route, and to as good as suggest that fast descents should not be included in the Tour de France.
“It was a dangerous finish. I was not feeling great when he attacked and I did a bad descent. People don’t want a race that is decided in a downhill. We don’t want crashes or thoughtless risks.”
The problem with this is that his competitors got down that hill just fine; hell, some of them even seemed to enjoy it! It seems that Schleck Jnr is struggling at the moment, and trying to find someone or something to blame, when really he should work on his bike handling and descending skills.
“I must do something” always solves more problems than “Something must be done”.
Aside from all this, a stage was won! And it was won by The God of Thunder, Thor Hushovd, edging out his younger countryman, Edvald Boassan Hagan after a short sprint. I actually think Eddy the Boss could’ve beaten Thor if he’d been paying attention to Thor when he made his attack. Instead, he was staring off into middle distance, perhaps thinking of his and Geraint Thomas’ next video offering.
Evans, Contador and well, just about everyone made time on the Schlecks, meaning that the GC table looks a little different this evening. Evans is now into 2nd, taking 20-odd seconds out of Voeckler.
I would suggest that Evans is now the favourite, although Contador’s form today suggests he’s got something to bring into the Alps. Outsiders? Well, Sanchez is looking decent and he’s closer to Voeckler than Contador.
Everything will be decided in the mountains. Or, if not, perhaps in the Individual Time Trial on Saturday.
