Monday, July 03, 2006
STAGE 2: McEWEN AT THE LINE
AUSSIE EDGES BOONEN & HUSHOVD. Monday's Stage 2 marathon--over 228 km of racing--ended as most flat stages end: with a bunch sprint featuring the best of the best sprinters forcing their way at the line. This round goes to Australian Robbie McEwen. He nosed out reigning world sprint champ Tom Boonen and Prologue winner Thor Hushovd. Hushovd claims McEwen drifted maliciously into him, but race officials did not agree. McEwen dons the Green Jersey...for now.A few notes:
- Thor Hushovd will wear the Yellow Jersey again, having gained points in an intermediate sprint and at the finish line. He's up a few seconds on George Hincapie.
- Expect the Yellow Jersey to shift from one leader to another quite a few times during this Tour. There are no dominant riders. That's not to say the riders are not great, it's just that the greatness is well spread. This should make for a gut-wrenching ordeal all the way to Paris.
- Stage 2 was the second longest stage of this year's classic. Imagine riding 142 miles at high speed in searing heat and still having enough energy at the end to muster a competitive sprint to the line.
- Robbie has previously won Tour de France stages in vicious sprints at the line and had the win disqualified because of his over-aggressive pushes, nudges, leans, elbows, etc. No one epitomizes combatitivity in a bunch sprint like this foul-mouthed Aussie.
- Check out great photos of this bunch sprint finish at Yahoo and Cyclingnews. Photo credit: Sebastien Berda/AFP/Getty Photos @ Yahoo.
# posted by John Franklin Hay @ 11:17 AM 
