Cavendish Sprint Wins “Little Giro” Second Stage

1 comment | August 24th, 2007 | Trackback

This Eneco Tour has been very exciting. I’ve decided to nickname it “The Little Giro” because the twisting, confining roads are generating exciting races and finishes similar to those witnessed in the Giro d’Italia. Today’s second stage did not disappoint.

Cofidis set pace on the front almost all day protecting the red (GC leader’s) jersey. With about 30 km to go, the sprinters teams eventually decided to bring back the four riders who had been on break away for about 100 km. Even in the urban areas the Belgian roads make frequent, sharp turns and squeeze down into narrow lanes of traffic. The ferocity of the Pelaton’s chase during the last 30 km frequently squeezed a fattened group of leaders into very narrow spaces. Everyone not on the very front was in danger of being pushed back or crashed every time this happened; and it happened frequently.

Pro Tour riders evidently are as creative as they are skilled. They used every device imaginable to avoid the consequences of being caught in the middle of the pack every time the road narrowed. They jumped onto the ever-present bike paths. (Several of these encountered trucks and concessions stands that had been parked in the bike paths before the race came through the area.) They detoured into the on-coming traffic lanes. (Sometimes they encountered on-coming traffic, but most of that was parked.) They skirted over grass medians. (They usually made it back onto the road without incident.) They cut across sidewalks. (Rubens Bertogliati took out an elderly fan and her bike doing this after they got into town.) And some of them hit the barricades and street curbs, much to their chagrin.

All of those conditions produced extreme hazards for the riders but made for a very exciting race.

The 20 km finishing circuit reminded of South Baldwin County, Alabama, and of many coastal Florida communities. The beaches were covered with swimmers and beautiful high-rise hotels and condominiums. The area just inland of those resembled any typical resort community: covered with homes, shops, and a relatively bustling community. Then not more than two or three miles outside of town the Pelaton sped past fields littered cud-chewing cattle, wooded fields, and farm lands. It smelled like home.

The entire group came back together with about 10 km to go. A Lampre rider was taken out by the curb “protecting” the next to last turn as all the potential winners sprinted to be at the front heading into the last turn about 200 km before the finish.

America’s Fast Freddie Rodriquez (Predictor-Lotto) was in a perfect spot to win the stage when Skil-Shimano’s Kenny Van Hummel swung far right out of the curve and appeared to have the burst of speed necessary to jump in front of the pack. A Quickstep rider who could not accelerate quit quicksteply enough also swung far right (apparently inadvertently) and cut off Van Hummel (His annoyed look is apparent in the above photo, courtesy of VeloNews). Brit Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) did have the burst necessary to pass the pack and he took the stage. Rodriguez finished second and Van Hummel third.

Nick Nuyens continues as the GC leader and Predictor-Lotto leads the Team Classification.

I can hardly wait for tomorrow!