Did anything exciting happen in Stage 8?
So, with one specific rider out of GC contention, there is a major shift in tactics. Cadel is wearing the golden fleece, but Andy Schleck is just 20 seconds down. Contador, who had trouble following Andy after being repeatedly attacked, is another 41 seconds back. The big surprise is Menchov is only 9 seconds off of that. Where did he come from? Last I saw him he was suffering otb last year. This was after a dramatic Giro victory, but still.
Stage 9 comes after a day of rest, but nearly all riders go out and ride to stay loose. Some even use the day to preview spots of the stage. They go Cat4, Cat1, Cat2, Cat1, a long recovery descent, then the HC Col de la Madeleine. This will break things up, and the true GC contenders will be vetted. Expect to see Basso, Levi, Sastre, Schleck, Evans, Contador, and Menchov goin at it. A mountain goat might try to get away and score a victory, but it is not a mountain top finish. In fact, it looks like the stage the Schlecks teamed up with Contador to doom both Armstrong and Kloden. With Frank gone, and Andy actually aspiring to win, not place, I don't expect that to happen.
I think a lot will come down to who can go downhill the fastest. But I don't really knwo who has the best chops. Used to be il Falco, but he isn't racing.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Basso. The climb is too steep for Cadel to hang if there are any attacks (Basso, Conti, Schleck), so he might even pass the maillot jaune on to Andy.
So, with one specific rider out of GC contention, there is a major shift in tactics. Cadel is wearing the golden fleece, but Andy Schleck is just 20 seconds down. Contador, who had trouble following Andy after being repeatedly attacked, is another 41 seconds back. The big surprise is Menchov is only 9 seconds off of that. Where did he come from? Last I saw him he was suffering otb last year. This was after a dramatic Giro victory, but still.
Stage 9 comes after a day of rest, but nearly all riders go out and ride to stay loose. Some even use the day to preview spots of the stage. They go Cat4, Cat1, Cat2, Cat1, a long recovery descent, then the HC Col de la Madeleine. This will break things up, and the true GC contenders will be vetted. Expect to see Basso, Levi, Sastre, Schleck, Evans, Contador, and Menchov goin at it. A mountain goat might try to get away and score a victory, but it is not a mountain top finish. In fact, it looks like the stage the Schlecks teamed up with Contador to doom both Armstrong and Kloden. With Frank gone, and Andy actually aspiring to win, not place, I don't expect that to happen.
I think a lot will come down to who can go downhill the fastest. But I don't really knwo who has the best chops. Used to be il Falco, but he isn't racing.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Basso. The climb is too steep for Cadel to hang if there are any attacks (Basso, Conti, Schleck), so he might even pass the maillot jaune on to Andy.