La Chataigneraie - Tours : Stage 3 Spoiler

[limerickman]

Stage 3 looks like another stage where we can expect the sprinters to dominate.

The stage profile looks so flat that there is no chance of anyone have the opportunity of getting away in a breakaway.

My bet for today : Thor Husvod.

 

[limerickman]

Tom Boonen strikes again.

Another great performance by Boonen : but what was going on between Robbie and Stue ?
McEwan's head was buried in to O'Gradys left side ?
What was Robbie up to ?
Was he trying to stop O'Grady from finishing second ?

Boonen in his after race interview on ES said that the Green Jersey is his target
for Le Tour.

 

[MJtje]

Robbie relegated to last: he finished 186th. Rightly so in my opinion! This is why he is not really loved in the peloton.....always crazy sprinting.

For the rest what can you say: tom boonen did it again and he was far back, but somehow he stayed calm and just went past mcewen.

And lets not forget dekker.........it was a finish in tours so the dutch commentators were joking that dekker should win here with 2 sec in front of the peloton (a la paris-tours 2004). Too bad it wasn't, still he got the polka dot jersey. However the pressure will keep growing for rabo.....they have more chances on the flat stages then on the mountain stages!

Tom Boonen strikes again.

Another great performance by Boonen : but what was going on between Robbie and Stue ?
McEwan's head was buried in to O'Gradys left side ?
What was Robbie up to ?
Was he trying to stop O'Grady from finishing second ?

Boonen in his after race interview on ES said that the Green Jersey is his target
for Le Tour.

 

[tcklyde]

What can say about Boonen? He's as smart as he is fast.

FdJ has been doing a lot at the work at the end. And good camera time for Dekker and a hard fight in the last kms.

 

[limerickman]

Robbie relegated to last: he finished 186th. Rightly so in my opinion! This is why he is not really loved in the peloton.....always crazy sprinting.

For the rest what can you say: tom boonen did it again and he was far back, but somehow he stayed calm and just went past mcewen.

And lets not forget dekker.........it was a finish in tours so the dutch commentators were joking that dekker should win here with 2 sec in front of the peloton (a la paris-tours 2004). Too bad it wasn't, still he got the polka dot jersey. However the pressure will keep growing for rabo.....they have more chances on the flat stages then on the mountain stages!

Dekker is a classy rider - I was hoping that he might stay away but it wasn't to be.
Dekkers been around for a long time and he fought well today.

It is only right that McEwen be demoted, it was bloody dangerous what he did
as well as unfair to O'Grady.
What was he thinking ?
Stue wasn't going to get past Boonen - so why impede him ?
McEwen is living up to his reputation as a loose cannon.

 

[steve]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/tour05/?id=tour053/BOONEN22


Stu handled the headbut like any good trackie would by the looks of that photo McEwen only impeded himself!

 

[limerickman]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/tour05/?id=tour053/BOONEN22


Stu handled the headbut like any good trackie would by the looks of that photo McEwen only impeded himself!

Steve on Eurosport today, the overhead (no pun intended !) shot, clearly showed O'Grady acclerating as he went by McEwan, with Boonen already in front of both McEwan and O'Grady.

So what was McEwan doing ? trying to stop O'grady from finishing second ?????
Daft.

 

[Ullefan]

Steve on Eurosport today, the overhead (no pun intended !) shot, clearly showed O'Grady acclerating as he went by McEwan, with Boonen already in front of both McEwan and O'Grady.

So what was McEwan doing ? trying to stop O'grady from finishing second ?????
Daft.

I thought O'grady boxed in McEwen. There was space on the right of Stue for him to go, so as to give Robbie some room. I think it was just unfortunate that Robbie got boxed in, it wasn't anything Stue did deliberately, that's just the way sprints go. But he couldn't have stopped Boonen today.

 

[mocka58]

I didn't think there was much in it actually. Boonen was too good in any case.
McEwan has really misjudged the first couple of finishes. Boonen actually got around him and he found himself boxed in by Wrolich and O'Grady. He was just trying to get out and O'Grady was leaning on him just as much, McEwan's action just looked worse. You can see that sort of thing every Saturday night down the track during an Australian summer. It didn't change the final result. Relegation was harsh.