Bunch sprint fails to form on nasty uphill

Score one for print journalism. My VeloNews Tour de France preview issue opined that today's stage had a bit of uphill nastiness just before the end and that as a result it would not be a day for the pure sprinters. The Versus coverage, on the other hand, openly worshiped at the Cavendish shrine, calling today's stage a certain bunch sprint with only one possible victor, the Manx Missile.

Well, there was more than a few at the line so I guess it might be loosely described as a bunch but Cavendish was nowhere to be found. Instead a new giant Norwegian surged ahead of the old giant Norwegian and the Belgian national champion that Versus seems so enamored of and looked pretty decisively the strongest at the end. It reminds me of an old joke only part of which I remember, the punch line. My version of the punch line for today is that I didn't even used to know what a Boasson Hagen was and now I am expected to be able to pronounce it. Cavendish later complained that le Tour this year "has no sprint finishes".

So it rained overnight and rain was given about a 20 percent chance for the rest of today. In fact it was overcast all morning and truth be told I rode through tiny bits of moisture hitting me in the face and bare arms for the first couple of miles of my early afternoon ride. But the threat disappeared, it was nice while I was out, it is still nice right now. Clouds DO appear to be gathering to the northwest.

Here is a picture of a nice yard garden I came across fairly early in the ride but after the sun had fully emerged.I am going to go political again. I watched some Morning Joe on MSNBC while waiting for le Tour to come on this morning. They were interviewing Kantor. He is good looking, glib and almost certainly a successful spokesman for the party line as of this moment.

I just don't think the near smirk is going to play well in the long run.

That's all for this time.