Top dog won

I remember watching Cadel Evans crumble under the pressure of being the favourite in the 2008 Tour de France, including delivering the great line "don't stand on my dog or I will cut your head of" to a journalist.

This year I was silently hoping he would win, but did not believe he would be able to live with Schlecks or Contador in the mountains, or would crack again if he had defend the yellow jersey. I was so happy watching him trounce all the GC contenders in the Grenoble time trial.

I use to feel pretty good about the Schlecks certainly in when compared to Contador, but after learning that Frank had paid about 7000 euros to operacion puerto doctor Eufemiano Fuentes I have felt uneasy about them. Okay so no doping was proven, but 7000 euros for 'training advice'! And I know Andy is not Frank but they do seem to be carbon copies in many ways.

The redemption of Cadel Evans from being the moaning so and so of 2008 was that he developed a sense of humour about that Tour. On his website you could buy the following "don't stand on my dog" t-shirt until it sold out. He even models it!

Warning: Dead sheep can bite!

I can only assume that Andy Schleck reads my blog. Only a couple of days after I called said that the Schlecks were underwhelming at delivering killer blows the boy Andy goes on an epic solo effort and pulls it off. This was stuff of Tour legend. In 1947 Tour Albert Bourlon (below) launched a solo attack of 253km on the road from Carcassone to Luchon, then there was Hugo Koblet's legendary stage from Brive to Agen in 1951.



But just because there has been a long solo ride it does not mean it is a commanding one. If you want a big time gap between the winner and the next finisher then Jose Luis Viejo is the king. In 1976 he finished 22 minutes and 50 seconds ahead of the next man. Then there are stage wins in terrible conditions such as Charly Gaul (below...believe it or not. He lived life as a hermit in a forest for years before coming back to the sport as a VIP) heading to Bourget-en-Aix in 1958. L'Equipe described the conditions as "a curtain of water, a deluge without an ark".

So okay Andy Schleck is not going to enter the Tour records for his effort but the panache and sheer unexpectedness of it makes it the most exciting Tour move I can remember. And hats off to Cadel Evans for his determination to pull as much time back as he good. As for Voeckler keep going, I hope you make it...somehow!

Being Savaged by a Dead Sheep on the road to Gap

Back in the late 1970s the then Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer claimed that being attacked by his Tory counterpart Geoffrey Howe was "like being savaged by a dead sheep". I somehow doubt that Contador reads up on great quotes from British political history, but I wonder if he feels that the dual Schleck attack is a bit like that most of the time. Watching the Schlecks try to launch a convincing attack is a bit like watching Rupert Murdoch trying to give a convincing answer before a Select Committee. And watching Andy Schleck trying to descend on the road to Gap was a real Bambi on ice moment. Oh, and listening to Schlecks whinging at the end about the descent being too dangerous was plain embarrassing.

On a more positive note today's stage was a pleasant surprise. I had spent most of the day writing a dull report for a client who I know is not interested in what I have to say, so I welcomed the distraction of what was unfolding to be an hour of excitement. A technical descent to Gap in the pouring rain meant that what should have been a run on a mill stage a must watch. So bravo to Cadel Evans, Thor Hushvod and Thomas Voeckler. The latter for still battling, Evans for spanking Contador and Hushvod for being so much fun for the last 2 weeks. And raspberries for the Schlecks. I hope they prove me wrong in the Alps.  My early podium prediction is (1) Evans; (2) Contador; and (3) Voeckler. What odds?

Chapeau Thomas Voeckler

In the Tour in 2004 when the widely unknown Voeckler was allowed to escape with 5 others and finish 12'36" ahead of the peloton with a 9'35" lead over Lance Armstrong. It took another 10 days before the yellow jersey was taken from him. He was compelling to watch, struggling to stay with the favourites on the climbs but some how always finding a way to stay in touch.
At the start of today's stage to Plateau de Beille nobody was talking about Voeckler, it was all about whether Contador was bluffing and if the Schlecks knew how to get nasty and put him out of contention. Oh and Cadel Evans seemed to be doing well. Why is he always mentioned as an afterthought?

As the peloton splintered on the final climb Voeckler looked comfortable with the Andy Schleck's rather underwhelming attacks. At times looked like he fancied having a go himself before remembering that all he had to do was defend his position. What does this say about him going into the Alps next week? Either he has hit an unheralded bit of form, or the others are not so special, or a bit of both. I fancy that nobody has commanding form and that Voeckler is growing in confidence and finding that he is not so far behind in ability.

Before the race started I was hoping that Wiggins would surprise everyone and then after he crashed swapped horses and supported Evans, but that was because I never though the plucky Voeckler was in with a shout. The last Frenchman to win the Tour was Hinault in 1985, I think more than 25 years later it is right that they have a decent shout again. At the moment it's hard to see how the others are going to shake him off. They don't seem to be able to the Armstrong thing of hit hard early on a climb and sustain it. As Voeckler said after today's stage if the attacks are not sustained he has the chance to catch his breath and survive. Chapeau Tommy!