Fotoreporter Sirotti
Sometimes just staying upright is all you need to take a big win. With Oscar Freire, Mark Cavendish, and Tyler Farrar all crashing inside the final few kilometers, it was Alessandro Petacchi’s day in the Tour de France. With a win eerily similar to the stage he took in Stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse, Petacchi survived the carnage to take his fifth Tour stage win—his first since 2003.
It was a crash-filled finish to an otherwise uneventful stage–we’ll have to see who made it through the carnage unscathed. Of those to fall, Tyler Farrar has to be the most disappointed—the race looked to be his going into the final 500 meters.
Tomorrow looks to be the first day for a real shake-up, as the race heads to the Belgian Ardennes. With 6 climbs on the day, a breakaway could go clear to fight for the win in Spa. Men like Thomas Voeckler and Maxim Iglinsky come to mind here—and never forget Damiano Cunego. With the pavé lurking in Tuesday’s Stage 3, will the favorites try and give themselves a cushion?
I’ll be hosting Bicycling’s Live Blog tomorrow beginning at about 8:30EST—come over and say hello.
For now, enjoy your Sunday—have a terrific 4th of July if you’re celebrating.
As always, share your comments below.
