See Me Squeegee

Alright…now that I have confirmation that I have at least one reader for these weekly TdF recaps, let’s do it!  Everyone else, you’re welcome to join Katie and me in this pen-pal-peloton.  Thoughts on week one:

The Course

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…  The Tour organizers put together an unbelievable course this year – even in just the first week we had great attacks in the Pyrenees, a really cool tour of Corsica with some hills, a Team Time Trial to shake up GC…  And that’s well, well before the Individual Time Trial at Mont Ste. Michel, the double-loop of l’Alp d’Huez, the ride up Ventoux, and the longer-than-usual flat stages between the ITT and the Alps to get from Brittany to the Alps in a few days.  Should be amazing.

But then again…that team bus getting stuck under the finish banner was stolen straight out of George Michael Bluth’s playbook from the new season of Arrested Development.  While none of the major competitors abandoned due to the crashes that ensued, several big names were affected – Contador had to hit the hospital (and hasn’t seemed himself in the mountains), Cavendish was dinged up (and other than his one stage win he’s been noticeably absent on several sprint finishes).  Tricky beginning for sure, and hopefully today’s rest day clears guys up for a great week two and an epic week three.

Jan Bakelants in Yellow

That goofy Belgian was a beneficiary of the scattered finish to stage one, the everyone-gets-the-same-GC-time aftermath, and all that, and spent a couple glorious days in yellow.  The jersey really does give you wings, too – so fun to watch that guy, I think in his first Tour, at the top of the world.  The first week of the Tour is always fun because of the unusual suspects in yellow.  This year’s didn’t disappoint at all.

Tommy Voeckler at it Again

This guy – every damn year he attacks with that same open-mouthed smile and open-jersey pedal dance.  If it’s a mountain stage on Bastille Day he’s attacking, and even if not, he just goes for it.  He’ll never win the polka dot jersey and he can’t time trial to save his life for GC, but he’s one of those fun traditions…he’ll happily attack, happily get caught, earn some respect for France and just add color to the Tour.  Love that guy.

Team Sky at it Again…

Here’s where I may get controversial. How is it that last year Team Sky not only wins yellow but has its top domestique (Chris Froome) look like the best guy in the race *even* while doing so much pacemaking; and then does it again this year only with Froome in yellow and Richie Porte playing the Froome role on the first Pyreneean stage?  More on the post-doping Tour era in a second, but doesn’t this give us a little pause?  What’s Sky doing that the others aren’t?  How can a guy do a ton of uphill pacemaking – at a heavy enough pace that the entire peloton drops off – and then keep up almost that same exact pace, faster than the rest of the field that’s been in his slipstream, to comfortably get second on the day?  It’s insane.  And I’m not even accusing Sky of anything…it’s just one of those lag effects from all the doping lately. You just have to question stuff now, which I think is sad. I hope they’re clean – I like Froome a lot – but with all the emphasis on doping and so many of the old guard guys out there (Schleck, Evans, Contador, Zubeldia) in somewhat of contention but with so much more to lose in terms of lifetime bans and legacy, can these upstarts just afford to risk a little more?  What’s going on?

…But then again maybe not

But then Sky gets outclassed yesterday, leaving Froome to admirably fend for himself against a few attacks while he was isolated.  So what do I know?  Maybe Sky just left it all out there on Pyrenees #1 and didn’t have anything left in this post-dope world.  What remains to be seen, though, is:

Is it World v. Froome?

I mean…the media have already crowned Froome the heir apparent to Wiggins (who…let’s just be honest, was just a far less than charismatic champion, making this Tour much more engaging than last year’s), and now Froome has a comfortable GC lead and pretty clearly the strongest team.  He got attacked a little yesterday but why doesn’t the entire peloton just go after him to shake things up?  Quintana obviously has strong legs based on his attacks Saturday; Contador has to have some kick in him; Schleck should have something; Valverde has a lot to lose right now in second but then again the status quo leaves him still in second; and Evans, Rogers, Kloden, Cunego, Hesjedal…these are all legit names with legit ability and absolutely nothing to lose right now.  Stage wins, fellas.  Polka dot points.  Interest levels.  Let’s go!

And what about this – doesn’t Contador owe Schleck something after 2010?  Remember – Schleck is listed as the TdF champion that year only because Contador was stripped for  doping, but Schleck may have actually beaten Contador had Alberto not attacked when Andy’s chain popped on his attack and Alberto countered.  So he may owe him twice.  Now…Andy doesn’t seem to have GC form thus far, but if he picks it up doesn’t AC owe him some effort?  Or a chance to shake up the GC race and get Sky out of control at least?

I like Froome…but I want some drama here.  Fortunately the final week’s course all but ensures we’ll get it.

 Apres-Dope

So Contador was the last of the stripped titles; 2011 Cadel Evans got his and 2012 Bradley Wiggins won.  And both were pretty boring champions – partially because some of the top would-be contenders were suspended for drugs, partially because they were both style-less guys (Contador has swagger on the pedals; Armstrong had swagger on the pedals; they stood up, rocked the bike, danced a little, attacked ferociously.  Wiggins and Evans just sit and grind…not nearly as stylish).  And partially because we had been spoiled by the doped-up attacks and solos.  Floyd Landis might as well have been Amy Winehouse he was so drugged up, but that one epic day he had was so much fun to watch.  Contador and Armstrong were Motley Crue in their “we’re on the same team but we’re juiced up on so much natural and synthetic testosterone that we’ll duke it out” Astana phase.  And it was fun.  But now?

Evans is a shade of himself only two years after winning it all.  Wiggins is gone.  Schleck is, at least in name (he doesn’t even consider himself the ’10 champ since he didn’t wear yellow into Paris), a defending champ but even at a still-young age he doesn’t seem to have the kick anymore. Clean-tador is a lot less dynamic than Contador.  It may just be that the Tour needs another couple years to fully erase the names and shadows of the dope era, but at least right now the lack of consistent contenders is a little disappointing.  At least for week one – but let’s see if Contador summons the magic, if Quintana and Movistar get organized, if the field attacks.  This Tour has a ton of potential and maybe this rush to all new blood – both literally and figuratively – happens quickly enough to make the last week one of the all-time greats.

In the meantime, this week I’m keeping my eye on:

• How much pacemaking does Sky have to do in the middle stages, and how well do they respond to the task?
• Does Cavendish live up to his comments today and make the green jersey a real competition?
• Does Voeckler go crazy on Ventoux on Bastille Day this coming Sunday (I may wake up at 3:30am to watch live, I’m that psyched…that’s the stage I attended in 2009 when Armstrong, Contador, and the Schleck brothers ascended in the lead together)
• Does Wednesday’s Time Trial shake up GC?  Do any of the mountain contenders – the Movistar guys, Quintana and Valverde, perhaps – surprise us with a TT that keeps the pressure on Sky and Froome?
• How much of a toll do the long Thursday-Sunday stages that lead to Ventoux take?  The Ventoux stage itself is almost 150 miles with that insane climb at the end.  Should be a punishing week with plenty of opportunities for things to get interesting…and that’s even before we see our first Alp!

 

Vive le Tour…