There's A Word For That

Yes , It somehow escapes me right now but I know there's a word for what happened today . Just wait , I'm sure it will come to me .

So if you don't know by now , you should find out . High drama today . Yellow jersey changing hands . Hurt feelings . Oaths of revenge . What more could you ask for .

So let's recap some key points of the race so far ...

Stage two : On a wet decent before the finish , lots of riders fall of , including the two Saxo Bank team leaders . This causes the then yellow jersey wearing Big Swiss Time Machine to "neutralize" the field so that all the fallen riders ( read "his teammates") could get back on . The idea was that it isn't fair to attack someone who has had a crash or mechanical problem . This leads to the obvious question of whether on the next stage over the bricks , if one of the potential winners had a mechanical or a crash or just got stuck behind someone elses crash , would they neutralize that stage too ? Only seems fair right ?

Well ...

Stage Three : Now we're on the bricks . Saxo Bank has obviously got the best team for this stage . They're on the front , hammering along , keeping their guys placed up front and out of danger . Then , the inevitable , crash near the front of the peloton . Several potential tour winners are delayed behind the blocked road . So Saxo Bank politly waits for the delayed riders , right ? ...

Not on your life . Having manipulated the field into waiting for their guys the previous day , on this day they realize they have the advantage with their top guy in front of the chaos , and they hammer for all they're worth for the finish . Wait for guys with flats or other mechanicals ? No . Wait for guys who have crashed or got stuck behind someone elses crash ... doubt it . They had pulled a fast one on the rest of the field and got away with it .

The Tall Skinny Dudes entire lead was built on this day . And the explanation ... that's just the way it goes . It was a hard day , blah blah blah . Even Not As Big As He Used To Be Tex played right into their hands by saying " Some days you're the hammer and some days you're the nail ".

It was my firm belief though that after the underhanded manipulation of stages two and three , there would no longer be any quarter given to anyone with a problem .

Then today , stage fifteen : There they were again , The Tall Skinny Dude , La Pistolero , The Feerless Decender and The Russian , slugging it out on a big climb . Nearing the top it seemed like another stalemate . Several attacks had lead to nothing . Then almost at the same time , first The Tall Skinny Dude slows , then La Pistolero attacks . This time there's a gap and he's gone to the finish with the other two in tow . The Tall Skinny Dude is on the side of the road and like most clueless bike racers , can't figure out how to fix his chain . One hair raising decent later and we've got a new leader .

Oaths of revenge are taken , anger is evident ... how could this be fair ... the unwritten rules ... Blah , Blah , Blah ...

It suited Saxo Bank to leave guys behind when they had the advantage , but they expected everyone to wait when they had a problem . All I know is what I had been saying ... ask anyone I've spoken to since stage three , even read past posts for evidence of this ... there will be no more quarter given , and none asked (from anyone except whiney racers who think it's unfair for them to lose time ) . Sometimes it goes that way and one very glaring fact I've learned from watching motorsports is when you can't keep up , for whatever reason , no one waits for you .

I know there's a word for it . Wait , it will come to me ...

Oh yeah , now I remember , it's called ...



Racing .