Tour de France 2014 Stage 7

Hernandez is a loss for Tinkoff

Clement is out for Belkin

John Degenkolb has a sore butt

T J's fine if sulkin'

Cannondale wants the win today

A long slog into Nancy 

This stage is made for Peter S

To win it plain or fancy

Alberto and Nibali 

both finished drama free

Not so for TJ and BMC

TJ lost three minutes of time

Mateo Trentin wins for OP

Sagan a hairs' breath behind

For him today fortune unkind

Pete went early and almost won 

Cannondale worked all day 

to keep all on the run

Andrew Talansky crashed 

At Gerrans he lashed

Phil thinks it was Andy's own fault

Andy was not looking straight ahead as he ought

TJ also caused his own crash

Crowded conditions was part of the mash

Tho he got up and finished on Velits' bike

He now has a bigger, badder fight

Omega Pharma has bragging rights

There will be much second guessing tonight

Pete did not get the stage win

An unusual disappointment for him

Tour de France 2014 Stage 4

The fickle finger of Tour de France fate

Flicked at Chris Froome his day complicate

It was slo mo just 5 km in

He fell hard and lost some skin

Jumping up like Jack-in-the-Box

He carries on  pulls up his sox

If Chris fails to pull his weight

This crash will be said to have sealed his fate

At least his race to complicate

On stage four right out the gate

Tommy Voeckler and Confidis' Mate

Form the stage four breakaway

Tommy leads all the way to Lille

He has no chance

For him we feel

His brave attempt to power through

Makes me proud

How about you?

Greg Henderson crashes out

Greipel's man down

Lotto now has reason to frown

Garmin, Tinkoff, and Orica-Green

Stay to the front to try to keep clean

Omega P steps up at 5 K

Will Mark Renshaw have his day?

Giant-Shimano is also there

For Marcel Kittel and his hair 

A photo finish for Mr K

But Tommy V really takes the day

Honorable mention to Peter S

Who once again shows his specialness

Giant's German Mr Marcel

Brings his strength from a deep well

All eyes now turn to Chris F

Everyone wishes him the best

Tomorrow is a scary day

Let's see what happens on Pavé

Tour de France 2014 Stage 6

Tour de France 2014 Stage 6

The big question is Richie Porte for Sky

Now that he's their go to guy

A flat stage finishing at Reims

Seems tailor made for sprinting men

And the weather is rainy, dark and cold

Several crashes litter the road

Hernandez abandons--a blow for

Alberto

Also gone are Silin and Zandio

The break of four is still intact

With the pack on the attack

Eight miles left of a messy stage

Wind whips around

Maté is caught

Omega starts to gain ground

But Lotto's work is not in vain

Greipel sprints and wins the game

A big win for Andre

And his team who made the day

In the mix both Talansky and TJ

Kévin Reza of Europcar 

was in front

He will go far

Tour de France 2014 Stage 5

Weather causes the big wigs

To delete two parts of pavé

So non-specialists get a small break today

Wind is also a factor

Andrew Talansky  an eager actor

Tony Martin attacks from the get

Omega P does not mind the wet

Nine brave men break up front

Aggression in the stage 5 hunt

Both for honor and time gains

In this most dangerous of games

Two dozen riders hit the ground

Before the pavé comes around

Chris Froome crashes twice

 and must call it quits

A cautionary tale is this

Vincenzo Nibali wearing yellow

Fights mightily to keep what's his

Astana rallies around their guy

Taking the role oft played by Sky

Vestra and Fulsang fly like the wind

Talansky and TJ are still in

Contador is losing time to

Sagan and Fabian 

Lars Boom down on time

Still showing class 

Racing at the head of class

Two KM to go

Lars does it!

Fulsang two!

Nibali, Sagan, Cancellara ensue

Fab gives an in depth interview 

Says Astana managed to push on through

Despite wet, greasy Belgium roads

They seem poised to go for gold

The rain made the roads a cycling catastrophe

Will Richie Porte be able to loft? 

And what of Wiggo? Home in his

PJs

What must he be thinking 

after this stage? 

This was the carnage predicted by Fab

Drama for fans but the lads had it bad

Tour de France 2014 Stage 3

Sixty miles to Pall Mall

The crowds are cheering wall to wall

A two man break 

Will not escape 

The Pelotonal maw

Time for a sprint in Forest Epping

Bryan Coquard takes third 

15 points he's getting

Heads up Cannon

New gun in town

Bryan likes to get around 

Bideau and Barta still in front

But Lotto-Bell begins to hump

Nine miles out the rain begins

Watching on telly--Bradly Wiggins?

Kittel takes the sprint with an excellent team

Marcel, it 's true, is living the dream!

Sagan takes two

Mark Renshaw three

A good result for Omega P

Three great days of English fun

'Tho victory goes to a Giant German

Tour de France 2014 Stage 2

Nine categorized climbs dot todays' route

In other words--stage two--a brute

Cav is out

his shoulder trashed

His Tour hopes have turned to ash 

He took the blame

Told Gerrans he was sorry

For not a very happy story

Kittel is basking in his stage win

'Tho the chance to repeat today is thin

'Not just a haircut' someone opined

As he muscled his way to the finish line

Jens feeling groovy in polka dots

He retires this year--or maybe not!

A font of irrepressible glee

Adore-able is Jensy V

Narrow roads and a single sprint

Coquard took 8 points

Leaving a good footprint 

By the bye and by the way 

There are still seven men in the breakaway

Phil L intones at  6:21

That the race for the day has just begun

Tension rises as teams fight for the front

There are still mountains to hump

In the end the stage belongs to

Vincenzo Nibali

He was in the lead with the main GCs

He jumped on an opportunity

Everybody was marking Sagan

Chris Froome showing 'here I am!'

Pete paused for a sec on Jenkin Road

Nibali sparked and towed the load

Pete wears both white and green

Talansky rode clean 

says the stage was 'mean'

'Brutal' was the word used by TJ

Happy to survive the day

Nibali this Sunday is Boss

He who hesitates is lost! 

Lemoine stands up as KOM

As the press interviews Jens

Nibali Italian champion 

Makes Astana merry men

Two goes to Van Avermaet, G

Back up man for BMC

Third place goes to Kwiatkowski

A good result for Omega P

Four much laureled Pete Sagan

A high performing also ran

Everybody brought game A

Few in York will rue today

Tour de France 2014 Stage 1

Tour de France 2014 Stage 1

A sunny day

In Leeds UK 

Greets the pack

In full array

The crowd

Is hearty

Ready to party

Through the neutral start

They show the heart

Of English cycling

In full flower

(Save for Sir Brad--

Not in this bower)

Did Sky a grand faux pas commit

By leaving Bradly out of it? 

Mark Cav has skin into

Stage One

A brilliant day

Under rare sun

In which he is a favorite son

His mom lives where the race is won

A sprinter's fin at Harrogate

Can he succeed?

We'll have to wait ...

But first a glimpse of Duchess Kate

She'll give the prize in Harrogate

On the royal fam I won't digress

But Kate looks great in her green dress

Phil and Paul look chic in black

Sun lit scenery at their back

Yorkshire in best bib and tuck

We wish Le Tour the best of luck! 

Jens Voigt in the break of three

Leading the pack like Pied P

The merry ride of merry men

Was fated to come to a bad end

After a surprise move by Fabian

Cav moved left into Simon Gerrans

when both crashed hard and hit the ground

Marcel Kittel  worked his way around

And sprinted to win Stage One

For Cav the day was rough and rum

Sagan came two and Chris Froome six

But for Mark C no happiness