Tour de France Stage 4: Cambrai - Reims 153.5km

[Cobblestones]

Hushovd gets crushed by another of former leadout man. He looked sloooow today. If he doesn't up his game I think Ale Jet will steal the green. Tho he was probably tired from yesterday.

Petacchi gives a good post stage interview. Talking about getting a good massage on the cobbles yesterday and being prepared to eat some bar tape to get over the mountains.

Hushovd didn't look too good in stage 1 either. He doesn't have his form back.

A question about Petacchi: when did he finish his last GT? I know he won the points jersey in the Giro and the Vuelta, but that's quite a few years ago. He dropped out of the Giro last year. Will he be motivated by the possibility of Green to drag himself over the Alpes and Pyrenees?

 

[Barrus]

Radio Euskadi says Txurruka breaks collarbone.

I cry.

To be honest that is the rider I'm going to miss the most out of those that are out of competition at the moment. Really like his riding style

 

[Beech Mtn]

Radio Euskadi says Txurruka breaks collarbone.

I cry.

Terrible news. He's on my Tour team.

 

[abbaskip]

Not sure why everyone says Hushovd not being up there is such a big suprise. I really can't remember him winning a true bunch sprint. He simply isn't as fast as the true sprinters.

What was suprising. was Cav! He was thrashed, and the commentators here blamed the team, but Renshaw was still leading when Ale Jet went...To me that says Cav was right where he needed to be?!

If I was Renshaw, I'd be pretty frustrated right now-esp. after Dean and Hunter did well today! And if I was Greipel, even more so!!

Cav just had no legs, he kicked to pull level with Petacchi, then just went further and further backwards, until he realised, spat the dummy, and sat up.

 

[180mmCrank]

Cav is not 100% - he's sick or the last few days have really taken it out of him. In his interview pre-race he was really down beat. It will be interesting to see if he can recover over the next couple of days...

 

[Arnout]

Radio Euskadi says Txurruka breaks collarbone.

I cry.

Nooo The guy is born for misfortune. Is it the same collarbone he broke in Pais Vasco (when wearing the polka dot)?

He doesn't deserve this.

 

[Michele]

Donno if mentioned already, but why Farrar has been placed 23rd instead of 4th? At least on cyclingnews appears so.

 

[therhodeo]

Donno if mentioned already, but why Farrar has been placed 23rd instead of 4th? At least on cyclingnews appears so.

That was Hunter not Farrar.

 

[The Hitch]

Donno if mentioned already, but why Farrar has been placed 23rd instead of 4th? At least on cyclingnews appears so.

because he came 23rd

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Terrible news. He's on my Tour team.

I had tepstra in mine

But yeah sad news, very entertaining rider.

 

[slowoldman]

4 stages and we haven't had any Karpets puns so far. And now the mullet is gone, too. I miss the Giro already.

It's 2010 and apparently Shag Karpets is no longer in style..

 

[BeachBum]

That was Hunter not Farrar.

Exactly, Dean-2, Hunter-4, Farrar-23. Robbie V interviewed Hunter post race, he was on Dean's wheel but lost it in the final K.

My take on Thor was that he was following the Boy Racer and couldn't move over to Ale-jet's wheel when he came flying past.

 

[Weapons of @ss Destruction]

what do you think could have happened if they found him out? How would they have found him out?

Like in most things it seems, Conti just played it straight up. No trickery needed.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/07/07/paisvasco/1278528075.html

Seems Radio Euskadi jumped the gun; they've sent the little guy to hospital to check his collarbone - it is his recently-healed clavicle, which he broke at País Vasco and had to surrender his KOM jersey, despite scoring three times as many points as the eventual winner. Expectation is not good, however.

 

[stefrees]

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/07/07/paisvasco/1278528075.html

Seems Radio Euskadi jumped the gun; they've sent the little guy to hospital to check his collarbone - it is his recently-healed clavicle, which he broke at País Vasco and had to surrender his KOM jersey, despite scoring three times as many points as the eventual winner. Expectation is not good, however.

Hope he's ok, I really like him as a rider

 

[Beech Mtn]

Exactly, Dean-2, Hunter-4, Farrar-23. Robbie V interviewed Hunter post race, he was on Dean's wheel but lost it in the final K.

My take on Thor was that he was following the Boy Racer and couldn't move over to Ale-jet's wheel when he came flying past.

Donno if mentioned already, but why Farrar has been placed 23rd instead of 4th? At least on cyclingnews appears so.

Remember Farrar is riding injured - he crashed early on the day of the rider protest and managed to finish the stage through massive effort. He is riding with a broken wrist and said:

"I still don't know if I'll be able to sprint yet. I barely survived [Tuesday],” he said. "I'm taking it one day at the time. I hope to be able to sprint again by the second week of racing. I think I'll need a few more days to let the swelling go down and everything, before being competitive again."

So he's not the last guy in the Garmin sprint train right now. Maybe later.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Rewatching the sprint today, even before Cavendish gave up he was already going backwards, HARD.

He didnt even match the speed Renshaw had before he stopped working.
Cavendish completely lost his speed

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Now official from Euskaltel-Euskadi on twitter:

Amets Txurruka abandona el Tour con rotura de clavícula

thanks, Prudhomme and your lame plans. Not only do you provide a stage entirely devoid of entertainment, but you devise a route designed to punish the kind of rider who creates entertainment.

Looks like another season will end without a first Txurruka career victory.

 

[hamperium]

and thats 2
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamperium_espana/4759752614/

 

[Barrus]

Now official from Euskaltel-Euskadi on twitter:

Amets Txurruka abandona el Tour con rotura de clavícula

thanks, Prudhomme and your lame plans. Not only do you provide a stage entirely devoid of entertainment, but you devise a route designed to punish the kind of rider who creates entertainment.

Looks like another season will end without a first Txurruka career victory.

Please let him be back in time of the Vuelta

 

[stefrees]

Rewatching the sprint today, even before Cavendish gave up he was already going backwards, HARD.

He didnt even match the speed Renshaw had before he stopped working.
Cavendish completely lost his speed

Going backwards HARD? Pettachi was just outright quicker than him TODAY, simple, plus the htc lead out was a man light coming inti final k.

Hushovd and friere didn't exactly go forward at a thousand miles an hour

 

[Michele]

That was Hunter not Farrar.

Thanks.


I hate the 10 min caracters.

 

[stefrees]

Now official from Euskaltel-Euskadi on twitter:

Amets Txurruka abandona el Tour con rotura de clavícula

thanks, Prudhomme and your lame plans. Not only do you provide a stage entirely devoid of entertainment, but you devise a route designed to punish the kind of rider who creates entertainment.

Looks like another season will end without a first Txurruka career victory.

Was it today he crashed? If so can't see what prudhomme can do, it was an easy stage

 

[tgsgirl]

Was it today he crashed? If so can't see what prudhomme can do, it was an easy stage

We need someone to blame for the loss of the greatest rider in the Tour. Poor Ametxa, he has too much bad luck

 

[stefrees]

We need someone to blame for the loss of the greatest rider in the Tour. Poor Ametxa, he has too much bad luck

I like him, ever since 07 tour, but can't blame aso if it was today