Fantastisk live reportasje fra i går:
http://vcn.nyvelocity2.com/content/features/2009/tour-day-schmalz-stage-17117k to go, and I tune in to the delightful sight of Thor SMASHing his way off the front of the race. Will this year's Tour ever stop enchanting me?
Thor SMASH is off the front of the race to get the few green jersey points in the valley after this climb which is something that you would see Cav do if he were in green, I'm sure...
I can't wait to see Thor SMASH his way down the descent here.
The Cervelo team car comes up to Thor SMASH, he tells them, "I am to the SMASHing right now, can you the hand to me my bottle of herring juice?"
113k to go, the group behind is arriving at the summit, but I've been so transfixed by Thor SMASHing up front, I have no idea who they are.
Thor SMASH is on the descent now, the roads are straining under the weight of the SMASHing.
VDV moves to the front of the pack on the climb.
106k to go, Thor SMASHing the descent. He radios back to the team car, "I am dropping the Cadel like the goat drops the used grass."
97k to go, Columbia complaining that Thor SMASH isn't chasing enough today.
96k to go, I am so enthralled by this Thor SMASH descent that I am forgoing using the bathroom.
They show an overhead shot of the pack moving through a snaking descent, which does not help with the forgoing of the bathroom usage.
94k to go, Thor SMASH is at the green jersey sprint line. The SMASHing is complete, he looks at the camera, grabs his green jersey and says, "I have to achieved the maximum points, now I shall ride through the next hill as a time of resting."
It looks as if Thor SMASH will try to stay out and get the next green jersey sprint. He's not going to fall back and let the race dictate his success George, did you hear that?
So if you had said a few days ago that Thor SMASH would be off the front solo for about half of stage 17, you would've assumed that Bob Roll had said it while on a Ripple binge, no?
VDV interview he says that Wiggo will be looking to crush people in the ITT tomorrow.
82k to go, and look who's still SMASHing.
81k to go. Whoooooa! Thor SMASH almost Schlecks it on the wet descent! He leaves a divot on the road where he put his foot down which he will have to go back and replace, bike racing is like golf in that way.
The break gets to Thor's SMASH divot and guys hit the deck, Menchov falls, as does Txurruka making a noise with his bike that sounds like his name?
77k to go, Thor SMASHing gingerly - is that possible?
76k to go, Menchov is taken out by a white line Tom Boonen.
Thor SMASH has two minutes on the chase group. Incredible!
71k to go, Menchov Tchmils the road furniture. Can he see more than 15 feet in front of him?
Here's an Andy Schleck interview - how is it that he sounds more like my mental Thor SMASH than Thor SMASH himself does?
Sastre falls back to the team car, to get his rear derailleur lubed, and just happens to get to hold onto the car for a long time, those two facts are just a coincidence, of course.
67k to go, Thor SMASH has 2 minutes on the chase and 5:44 on the main field. He's got one cat 2 climb to go before the last sprint points of the day.
Has Menchov crashed again? Is Razzy in the team car directing him?
63k to go, Thor SMASH still holding his advantage, I doubt he'll hold off the pack on the last two cat 1 climbs of the day.
Here's a Lance interview Frankie asks about when Lance beat Kloden in 2005 on the same finishing climb as today. We hear a whimper off camera.
61k to go, Astana take over the pacemaking, trying to reel in the SMASHing. That sentence makes me giggle.
Cadel slipping off back again, unable to match the SMASH?
60k to go, Thor SMASH 2k away from the top of the climb, he's starting to look like he going to pass a stone. And a Thor SMASH stone is the size of Gorka Marcotegui.
58k to go, Thor SMASH gets the maximum mountain points. He radios back to the team car to have them tell Pellizotti Bawn Chicka Bawm Bawm that he's his spotted lady llama.
Thor SMASH gets one more descent off the front before the grim reality of gravity takes over on the last two climbs.
The Schlecks will have to try to dislodge Wiggo today, as they TT like Germans break dance slowly and sometimes disastrously.
The SMASHing is back on the descent. Menchov is chasing back on to the back of the break, just in time to eat it again on the descent?
45k to go, Thor SMASH has a few kilometers to go until the green jersey line. Which might signal the end of the day's SMASHing.
Thor SMASH goes over the green jersey line, his gap to the chase and the pack has been drastically reduced. He turns to the camera and gives a thumbs up as Levi drones on about crashing and such.
41k to go, Thor SMASH still SMASHing, the break is going to catch him soon.
Barredo catches up to Thor SMASH, you may remember Barredo from his desperate attempt to try and drop Marcus Burghardt as he fiddled with his zipper on stage 18 of last year's Tour, yeah that didn't work out so well...
37k to go, Sastre jumps on the climb, and the race begins.
36 k to go, Sastre passes Thor SMASH.