Stage 8 and the Tour arrived in the Jura for a weekend of
mountain racing from Dole to Station des Rousses.
Gabs was off sampling the very best ‘waiyne and chises’ the
lovely Jura region has to offer. Looks like he’s hung up his chef’s hat and
left the catering to the NBC. I bet the NBC caterers hadn’t banked on
having another 193 mouths to feed.
Speaking of NBC Phil and Paul took some time out to chat with
Tommo and the SBS team. Paul compared the day’s stage to tomorrows as the, “hors
d'ouevres to hors categorie climbs”. Nice to see the Sherliggetts haven’t
changed. Phil and Paul revealed they have started commentating on their drives
to get to the next stage. Oh to be a fly on the windscreen.
Out on the road and several attempts to form breakaways were
short lived.
Robbie seemed to have his mind on his new passion, golf,
which is the new cycling for Robbie.
At the 75 km mark Robbie reported a 50 rider breakaway.
What? Um, isn't that a split Robbie? One week in to the Tour and already Matt
and Robbie's brains are going soft.
Over at the finish line Tommo was with an old friend of his
and of the couch peloton, Rupert Guinness and OMG RUPE'S TROLL SHIRT IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A peak into Rupe's wardrobe. Don't forget the sunnies.
We haven’t seen the troll shirt for a few Tours by now and
Twitter lost its mind as it appeared on our screens in all it garish glory.
No time for dancing for Dr Leo Sayer, who was kept busy
patching up riders and applying magic spray from the medical convertible.
The riders hit the hills and the ‘laughing group’ of the big
sprinters was way down the back struggling to stay within the cut off time.
Strength and stamina was put to the test and you needed to be a... *lowers
shades* ...Juracell bunny to survive the stage...
Robbie spotted Jan Bugalugs doing a job of work, and noted
he was an ‘interviewers dream’. Hmm Robbie, only if your idea of an interviewers
dream is enough idiotically controversial comments to feed the papers with.
Greg Van Avermaet was looking good for the stage but he was
in among an increasing number of
riders who in the words of Mattie were to, “pull the parachute” – which is the
opposite of throwing out the sandbags.
After the bidons were thrown out to gain height riders were seen
throwing out tiny sandbags in the form of energy gels.
More and more riders headed for ‘the exit aisle’ and all
there was left was Lilian Calmejane calmly riding up front with Robert Gesink
who looked to have thrown out the kitchen sink in bobbing pursuit.
The riding styles of Calmejane and Gesink couldn’t be any
different with the young Frenchman tapping out a rhythm compared to what Mattie
described as, “the knobby knees almost touching the top tube” style of the
older Dutchman.
The quad wrestle turned to a wrestle with cramp for
Calmejane at 5km to go and in an effort to fight through the pain it became,
according to Robbie, a battle between Calmejane and himself.
As Calmejane continued to solo up to the line there was a
tongue salute to teammate and Tour legend Thomas Voeckler and I could almost
cry.
It’s France’s second taste of victory at this year’s Tour and
as one legend rides off into retirement we may have seen the birth of another
at Station des Rousses.
Before I go, another poem:
Gesink threw a kitchen sink
Calmejane calm enough
To see off Van Avermaet
To Voeckler he paid tribute
With a stirling tongue salute.
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