Categories: Racing

Assembly-Line Racing

Astana on the front

I haven’t seen a Tour de France stage as uninteresting as today’s stage to Arcalis since, well, since 2005. What was special about 2005? The Bruyneel/Armstrong team. Different teammates and different color jerseys, but what we got was the same uninteresting racing we endured for the 7 years between 1999 and 2005.

One of the most anticipated stages of the race ended up being one of the most anti-climactic days of racing of the season (or two). The Astana team simply went to the front of the bunch and burned through their Tour-winner-caliber domestiques who rode in an assembly-line to set such a high pace that no riders (except Cadel Evens, interestingly enough) were willing or able to attack.

That is, until Contador motored off the front to serve up some un-authorized carnage. The only problem with that was the team didn’t tell him to attack – he just did. I’m guessing there will be some strong words from Bruyneel and Mr. Armstrong at dinner tonight.

Bruyneel:

There were no instructions from the car (to attack). We wanted to try to maintain our collective strength and wait for the attacks to come. Those attacks didn’t come.

Armstrong:

It wasn’t really to the plan, I didn’t expect him to go with the plan, so that was no surprise. It was windy, so it was hard to go alone. Like I said, I wasn’t surprised.

To the rest of the contenders: sleeping, gents? The last time I checked, there are not a lot of mountains and mountain-top finishes in this race, so where, exactly, are you planning to make up time? The Flux-Capacitor doesn’t actually exist, so I’m afraid that option is out.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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Ron says:

Apr 13 2012 at 5:39 pm

Zero comments? That's not right.

A few years later - interesting to see how things have gone from Armstrong, Bruyneel, and Contador in that time...