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STAGE 11: BOBKE'S DAILY CALL IN
Bob Roll
July 16, 2008
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Today was a gorgeous day, one of the most beautiful of the 2008 Tour. The sun was out, the necklines were plunging, it’s all muy bueno! And what a good day for racing. It was an exiting finale because no one wanted to give up because it was everyone’s one big chance to win a stage in the Tour. In the end was Kurt Asle Arvesen taking the win which I’m sure will cause a ratings spike in Norway!
There are basically only two ways for a break to get away; 1. The course is so hard that only the best riders will get to the front, 2. When the GC is has been figured out and the breakaway is allowed to get away and that’s what happened today. Its stages like today’s that give us the chance to see some of the greatest exploits in the Tour like today when Amael Moinard broke away at 50k from the finish. It was foolish for him to think he could get away and hold them off, but that’s the gamblers spirit that keeps the Tour so interesting. The only guy that could’ve pulled something like that off was Eddy Merckx who could slaughter the peloton at will.
Right now I think Cadel’s lead looks tenuous at best. I figure he’ll lose the jersey, but he will get it back. You can’t imagine how wasted you can get by having to defend the yellow jersey and to do so for 11 days is an eternity! If Schleck and Evans have a bad day perhaps Vandevelde can get yellow – and how delicious would that be? Still, it’s a hard thing to give it up and that’s the reality.
For the rest day we were staying in an absolutely schmockey hotel in this medieval village and after drinking myself into oblivion the night before I slept in, had a late breakfast, then went back to sleep. Eventually I got up and went down to the pool for a nap, woke up and a little cocktail poolside. The funny thing is that today was the first time that I can remember wanting to get back to work so badly!
Bobke’s Inside Line: Strange things happen on the rest days. I think they should ban rest days. All the riders were out doing easy rides and me – zero to no pedal strokes! We’re half way through, but I have to say I don’t know which I look more forward to, Paris or getting back home to sweet D-Town, seeing my daughter and riding my Ducati in valley.
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