Tour de France 2014 Stage 10

Tour de France 2014 Stage 10

Today is a gnarly day in the Vosges

A day of climbing with seven peaks

Everyone has to shoulder the load

Their GC position to keep

Tinkoff is a danger team

Working for Alberto's dream

Purito and Sagan join the break

KOM points they would like to take

The weather sucks

Il pleut à verse

It's cold as well

Could it be worse?

Phil says ' these are flood conditions '

Will wet upset GC positions?

Peter S solos on the descent

Going for the intermediate sprint 

Adding 20 points to his haul

For sprints Sagan lays down the law

Alberto falls and loses time 

Astana hurries towards the line

Kwaitkowski is a big fave

It looks like Alberto is done for the race

We didn't 't get to see him crash

But his Tour flame has turned to ash

He abandoned his team

Wishing them well

We are watching a moment of cycling hell

Tony Martin and Kwaitkowski

play a game of cat and mouse-ie

Putting Astana on the defense

This is a bummer--no arguments

Team tactics usually made by committee 

Are up in the air now

This isn't pretty

Tony Martin again at the front

Rodriguez persists his KOM bump

So now Le Tour is 52 card pick-up

Der Panzerwagon refuses to stop

Tony G. may retain yellow

But Lotto B is far from mellow

One thing we've learned today

That best laid plans can go astray

No amount of training or pluck

Can keep you astride when you 

run out of luck

Tommy V loses the KOM to Purito

But there's still a lot of race to go

Astana and Nibali take the climb

It's short but steep Tony bonked

Not a fun time

His sacrifice for his young mate

Shows us Tony is truly great

Rodriguez lunges ahead of K

He thinks he can take the stage today

La Planche des Belles Filles looms ahead

Nibali thinks he can put it to bed

Nibali takes off  

Chasing Purito 

He takes the win

Astanas' hero

Andrew Talansky loses ten minutes

All you can say is that he's still in it

TJ does well 

he ends up seventh

For him a rest day is 

looking like heaven

The loss of Berto

Scars the proceedings

Le Tour could use a psychic reading

Nibali now looks the straight out star

Again wearing yellow, he will go far

Congrats to Vincenzo and Astana

Hope you get your rest mañana !

Tour de France 2014 Stage 9

The end of stage 8

showed the GC

Has a lot of energy

Alberto and Nibali

Dueled for a while

As did Porte and Valverde

Talansky went down

TJ recouped

All in all

A mighty group

Today's stage has ranked climbs six

Perhaps wet weather in the mix

Peter Sagan is first out the gate!

For his first stage win

He just can't wait

Much for us to contemplate

Today could be one for the break

Lots of high energy guys at the head

Tony Martin and De Marchi, A

Lead several parts of the breakaway

Tony Martin stays in front 

Takes the intermediate sprint

The rain starts to fall 

Soaking one and all

A sweet Sunday outing this isn't 

50 KM to the finish in Mulhouse

It's Tony Martins' race to lose

Purito takes a point for the KOM

But Tony Martin takes that too

Leaping up Le Grand Ballon

OP Martin descends like a hawk

A Panzerwagen with wings--real talk!

T. Gallopin puts down the gas

Dreams of jeune make his go fast

Tony Martin flies at 50 km per hour

A man of legendary power

Today two Tonys create the wind

Martin TTs for the stage

Yellow for Tony Gallopin

15 KM to go to the end

Bastille Day! How great for a yellow clad Frenchman

Panzerwagen marches on with aplomb

Tony Martin -- you are the bomb !

He wins!  And Gallopin takes yellow

That's a pair of happy fellows

Cancellara takes two

Three Van Avermaet

I'm pretty thrilled by all of that!

Tour de France 2014 Stage 8

Tour de France 2014 Stage 8

After a week best described as a brute

Stage 8 starts out with a relaxed group

Saving their legs with a lazy pace

A moment of respite in a crazy race

The break has ten minutes

no one seems distressed 

It's the last 30 KMs where they must  impress

Astana is first in the peloton 

Where no one feels like speeding along

Getting the message is NBC

This stage hasn't made it to TV

Sean Kelly is brilliant at filling dead air

Informed gibberish delivered with flair

A cloud burst descends on the break

Another derrière ache to navigate

Kadri looks good on the steep climb

The bell of French hopes begins to chime

Chapeau to the French!!!

Finally a stage win

Their cup of joie is filled to the brim

Ag2r-La Mondiale

Toff your cap and take a bow!  

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