Stage 3 & 4 Review.

Stage 3.

One of the best tour stages you will ever see was ridden on the cobbles of Belgium and the Ardennes region of northern France.  Saxo Bank tore apart the peloton and towed Andy Schleck right back into the race and ahead of Contador and Armsrtong.  There was the expected carnage, multiple crashes, punctures and broken wheels, Saxo Bank did lose Frank Schleck in the process and managed to drag Cadel Evans along with them.  He should wear the yellow the first time the race goes vertical. Chavanel endured 2 punctures and lost a heap of time and his Yellow Jersey in the process, Cancellara took it back after being the leader of neutralising stage 2 and giving up the golden fleece. Justice i guess.

It was an absolute delight to watch this stage as the normally sedate first week was blown apart by Fabian Cancellara, with a little help from Jens Voight and Stu O'Grady.  These masters of the cobbles were right at home and now having time gaps between GC contenders - not caused by an early time trial - is fantastic. Christian Prudholme the race organiser must be applauded again. The contenders really have to work and show what the sport is all about. For those that only enjoy the TdF, they have seen part of what the spring classics - real one day racing is like. Thor Husovd was always going to win that stage once he was in the Cancellara group, big fabian was doing all the work, so Thor just waited for the sprint and more than made up for his 2 Paris-Roubaix placings with another TdF stage win - that is his 9th stage win since 2001.

Stage 4

Whats going on with the Manx Missile Mark Cavendish?  Stage 4 was the usual breakaway, chased down by sprinters, Cavendish lead out train, although tiring, delivers him to the 200m mark when Mark Renshaw drops off. That is the cue for the fastest man on two wheels to go to work and demolish his rivals.  Well that's what has happened the last 2 years.  Today Alesandro Petacchi got the jump and cruised away for his second stage win of this years TdF.  A man clearly in form.  Cav had not been able to sprint for a stage win yet as he was caught up in the pile up of Stage 1 so you would have thought he was primed for this. He just did not go a yard though.  Despite the best efforts of his key lead out men in Tony Martin, Bernard Eisel and Mark Renshaw Cavendish simply sat up at the end.  Last year no one could get close to him, here he could even  get close to being in the finish.  I did think the other teams did a good job of making HTC work, constantly attacking their lead out train, the fact is that in previous years no riders could attack the HTC lead out train, it was just too damn fast.  Cervelo and Lampre made a good go of it, HTC also possibly misjudged the line and pu tin too much too early leaving him with too much to do - Hushovd was on Cavendishs wheel and also could on ly manage 9th - they were all swamped by a flying Ale-Jet.  Petacchi and his bunch came from the other side to Hushovd and Cav and i guess that is where they got it right, came at him late and went away from Cav and Hushovd.  Two things come to mind.  Cavendish is injured from his 2 spills or they just plain got it wrong on the lead out.

Stage 5 should tell.