Today’s stage finished a bit ahead of schedule; the riders must want to rest-up for tomorrow’s slog up Mont Ventoux. If you caught it, here’s what you might have noticed:
1. Did you notice Carlos Sastre in a small group off the back of the peloton today? Look for him to win tomorrow; he has one of the fiercest uphill accelerations in the race and he has enough time between himself and the yellow jersey to warrant a longer leash.
2. Did you notice the Liquigas riders with him? Could tomorrow be a day for Roman Kreuziger? Could Roman at least partially validate Pavé’s pre-Tour expectations with a win on Ventoux?
3. Did you notice the rider (Rabobank?) hop the grassy roundabout to keep his position near the front of the peloton with 1.3km left? I think it was Freire; he’s been known to make such moves in the past.
4. Did you notice Greg Van Avermaet coming home in 4th place? Too little, too late for the Silence-Lotto rider.
5. Did you notice Lance Armstrong stealing 4 seconds over the other GC men? Will someone be kicking himself this time tomorrow?
6. And finally, did you notice the new Shimano 10-tooth cog on Cavendish’s bike? Must be a prototype or something—he clearly has a gear the others don’t. He won’t get the green he so desires (see below), but will 6 stage wins for Mark be a reality come Paris?
What about you? What did you notice? Share your comments—and predictions for tomorrow—below.
