Unfortunate for Cunego

While he may not have had a great chance at getting on the podium, a crash has all but taken Cunego out of the race.

According to a dispatch at letour.fr...

13:38 - Cunego Was 14th Overall...

After 3,000.5km of racing, Damiano Cunego was ranked 14th overall. His deficit to Sastre was 12’26" at the start of the day. He crashed at the 28km mark and is racing again with the help of three Lampre team-mates but the last time check had him 9’40" behind a fast moving peloton.

Supreme BUMMER.

After 63KM - Update

The riders have gone 63KM so far in the 18th stage of the 2008 Tour de France and the peloton is all together.

There was a breakaway early on in the race and seven riders were clear by about 48 seconds.

There were also two major crashes - not in terms of numbers but in terms of severity. In one crash Sandy Casar was knocked out of the lead group and rejoined the peloton.

In the other, Damiano Cunego fell and was slow to get up. It took him nearly six minutes to get rolling again and is off the back of the race by seven minutes at this point.

Col du Galiber

At the top of this first hors category climb the results were as follows...

1. Stefan Schumacher (GST) 20pts - and 5,000 Euros for ’Souvenir Henri Desgrange’
2. Remy Di Gregorio (FDJ) 18pts
3. Peter Velits (MRM) 16pts
4. Ruben Perez (EUS) 14pts
5. Bernhard Kohl (GST) 12pts - at 4’45"
6. Thomas Voeckler (BTL) 10pts
7. John-Lee Augustyn (BAR) 8pts
8. Amets Txurruka (EUS) 7pts - at 4’55"
9. Kantstantin Siutsou (COL) 6pts
10. Carlos Barredo (QST) 5pts - at 5’00"

Schumacher, Perez, Velits and Di Gregorio lead the yellow jersey's peloton by four minutes on the descent.

Even after Perez crashed over the side of the mountain!

Kohl has broken away and is the virtual leader on the road as of right now at the top of Galiber. More in a second, I don't think the Kohl lead can last.

Watching the Tour with Friends

This morning I spent about two hours with 50 of my closest friends. OK. These other 49 people and I had four things in common...

We like cycling.
We watch the Tour de France as much as we can.
We like breakfast.
We were willing to jet into Somerville, MA at 9AM on a Tuesday to eat breakfast with strangers while watching the Tour.

I’ve been blogging the race for the past 15 stages (today is stage 16) and I’ve been doing it practically solo.

This blog entry will run both at TDF08.com and here on Bowl of Cheese. But that’s because while I was watching the Tour I met some riders and took some photos.

In order for them to find the photos, they’re going to look at my Tour de France blog and not here.

The interesting thing was that so many people were up, coherent and willing to spend social time with other people while watching TV.

Social and community norms were followed. No serious topics, no seriously blatant cheering, and a generous respect for ‘morning’ moods.

As an article, the slant would be going after a bunch of cyclists and finding out how far they rode to be with other like-minded riders.

I’d find out what types of bikes were in the complimentary bike parking lot (bike valets took bikes at the door and stored them in the basement while people ate).

And I’d find out who had been to a stage of the Tour in person.

With this group, I found that many had ridden long distances and had nice bikes. They also harbor a healthy respect for the skills of the riders, are angered by the repeated doping, and hope that each stage is as exciting as this one.

From a rider almost flinging himself 2800 meters down a mountain, to a breakaway that lasted all the way to the finish, to the very real possibility that yellow would change hands again - this was a really great morning.

By next year I’ll have another road bike - or more likely a cross bike - and will make an effort to attend on the proper two wheels.

Today I scooted to the city to be with my brethren and I realized what I’ve been missing by being off the bike.

I guess I’ll have to find a way to fit the dirt, pavement and scooter into my recreational life.

As I type this I’m still grinning about the colorful kits (these are biking uniforms), the fun stories people shared (the worst muscle cramps anyone has had), and the tasty buffet-style breakfast provided by Redbones (eggs, sausage, home fries and pulled pork hash).

What a ride!

Updates and standings to come. Also, maybe a change in the format of how things are presented here at TDF08.com.

Better Diagnosis for Pereiro

From letour.com,

Despite early diagnosis of a possible broken femur for Pereiro, the race director Christian Prudhomme has just confirmed that the 2006 Tour champion has sustained a broken shoulder; nothing else. He is on his way to hospital in Cuneo.

CRASH on the descent

Oscar Pereiro crashed at the 80KM point of the race, during the descent on the back side of col Agnel.

According to race radio, Pereiro slammed into the guardrail and launched down to the road below. He broke his femur and his shoulder and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Accounts say that he was conscious the entire time.

The crash - on wet roads - has dramatically slowed the rest of the peloton and the breakaway bunch is now up around 15 minutes ahead.

As noted, Pereiro was given the status of winner of the 2006 Tour de France after Floyd Landis' appeal fell flat. So the 2006 champion is out of the 2008 race.

Now there are 154 riders in the race. If this keeps up, we'll barely have enough riders to make a peloton by the end of Stage 15.

St-Girons

When this town last hosted a stage start of the Tour de France it was 1995, stage 15.

During that stage there was a crash on the road and Fabio Casartelli died.

Each year when the riders pass through this town they remember Casartelli. He was the Olympic road race champion in 1992.

Cadel's Crash

YESTERDAY, don't get all riled up.

Reportedly, when Cadel Evans crashed in stage 9, he smashed his helmet to bits and skinned himself from head to toe.

He's still in second place overall and DID start stage 10.

Crash info, no other spoiler

Gomez Marchante (SDV) has abanonded the Tour de France after the crash. He is on his way to the hospital now in an ambulance.

This is from the TDF official site at LeTour.

SPOILER - CRASH ETC.

The breakaway is still ahead by four minutes and 17 seconds.

There has been a crash in the peloton breaking it into three parts.

So now there is 17.4KM to go.

The yellow jersey is in the first peloton.

Tail wind section is coming up...gap is now only 4:13.

In the crash, one rider is still down and will likely abandon. I'll post his name soon or will give that info during the stage 3 wrap-up.