Taken from the Cyclelab website, from Robbie Hunter. Very interseting indeed:
"Sheesh… What a job it was trying to keep Tom Steels in this race!
With bottles galore on my back there I was, nursing the big boy back into the bunch time after time. And as we got back I firmly said he should now just stay there while I go and give the other guys their refreshments. “And just don’t go anywhere now,” I said.
Well, as it turned out he was headed home and it was going to be the last stage Steels would finish.
All things considered, I’ve had an okay week in my second attempt at this great race and my sprinting legs aren’t in such bad shape.
I was at the front in the bunch sprint on Thursday and in a good position. I had the perfect line to Zabel’s wheel when I heard someone with an Aussie accent plead: “Please Robbie, let me onto his wheel.”
It was Robbie McEwan, desperate for some points to rival Zabel for the grebe jersey competition.
With a group having escaped, taking the first four positions, there wasn’t much in it for me, so I let him have the wheel. He owes me one now. Besides a slight hamstring ****le, I’m in great physical condition and looking forward to the second week of the Tour.
My daily massages are taking care of the worst pain in the hamstring and it really isn’t bothering me.
Over the weekend I’ll have lots of opportunity to hopefully slip into some moves again and try and see the wonderful solid white finish line first in a stage.
On Monday it’s the time trial, when Lance Armstrong will have his first opportunity to show his real mettle. For my money he is going to pull on the yellow jersey after the stage and it’s going to be damn hard to take it off him."
"Sheesh… What a job it was trying to keep Tom Steels in this race!
With bottles galore on my back there I was, nursing the big boy back into the bunch time after time. And as we got back I firmly said he should now just stay there while I go and give the other guys their refreshments. “And just don’t go anywhere now,” I said.
Well, as it turned out he was headed home and it was going to be the last stage Steels would finish.
All things considered, I’ve had an okay week in my second attempt at this great race and my sprinting legs aren’t in such bad shape.
I was at the front in the bunch sprint on Thursday and in a good position. I had the perfect line to Zabel’s wheel when I heard someone with an Aussie accent plead: “Please Robbie, let me onto his wheel.”
It was Robbie McEwan, desperate for some points to rival Zabel for the grebe jersey competition.
With a group having escaped, taking the first four positions, there wasn’t much in it for me, so I let him have the wheel. He owes me one now. Besides a slight hamstring ****le, I’m in great physical condition and looking forward to the second week of the Tour.
My daily massages are taking care of the worst pain in the hamstring and it really isn’t bothering me.
Over the weekend I’ll have lots of opportunity to hopefully slip into some moves again and try and see the wonderful solid white finish line first in a stage.
On Monday it’s the time trial, when Lance Armstrong will have his first opportunity to show his real mettle. For my money he is going to pull on the yellow jersey after the stage and it’s going to be damn hard to take it off him."
