stage six

by callmecayce on May 12, 2006 11:24 AM EDT Comment 11 comments

I don't like Robbie McEwen, but holy cow. I sort of saw it, since cycling.tv doesn't actually work on my work computer I had to use RAI and the stream is inconsistent at best. But, wow. It's too bad about Vaitkus, though. It'd have been nice to see him win and Ag2r.

Also, Pollack, huh? Interesting. I believe he had the Maglia Rosa last year, while riding for Gerolsteiner.

Also, Cyclingnews says it was 71 km/h during the sprint.

Provisional
1 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 5.24.13
2 Olaf Pollack (Ger) T-Mobile Team
3 Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) AG2R Prevoyance
4 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
5 Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
6 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Phonak Hearing Systems
7 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step-Innergetic
8 Elia Rigotto (Ita) Team Milram
9 Axel Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare
10 Manuele Mori (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir
11 Robert Forster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
12 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears
13 Koen De Kort (Ned) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team
14 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Française des Jeux
15 Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank

General classification after stage 6
1 Olaf Pollack (Ger) T-Mobile Team
2 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile Team 0.02
3 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 0.18
4 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile Team
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 0.23
6 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.32
7 Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC 0.41
8 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner 0.43
9 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 0.45
10 José Luis Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.50

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If McEwen sticks around long enough

He might end up winning 5 or 6 stages.

by Drew on May 12, 2006 11:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's funny...

because I usually like to support the underdogs. Sprinters, even McEwen, is sort of the natural underdog because even when he wins people still hate him. And T-Mobile and Jan have been sort of the Richard Nixon of the cycling world for the last seven years.

And now suddenly they're both looking pretty strong. I mean, McEwen always wins, but usually he wins and people rant about what an ass he is. But these days, after his recent toasting of Ale-jet, even longtime McEwen-bashers like Sarah seem to be warming.

It's hard for me to imagine this is going to last. McEwen's time will be done soon, and he'll inevitably cut some slower poof off and send him into the barriers at the close of the next sprint stage and everybody will go back to hating him. And as for Jan, his luck is so bad, I'm sure he's going to crash hard or tear his achilles or something right in the middle of his Giro training ride (I can't even watch whenever they train the cameras on him -- I keep thinking the motorcycle is going to sideswipe him).

Anyway, hard to imagine a better day for those of us who are somehow both McEwen/Davitamon and T-Mobile supporters. Love to see the pink wearing the rosa.

by Tiki on May 12, 2006 12:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know ...

I might be warming, but I doubt it. I am suitable impressed with his skills (I know there are better words, but really it's more fun to call it that) than previously. And he hasn't had to headbutt anyone recently, so that's always a plus.

by callmecayce on May 12, 2006 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No headbutt

On the day in question: Stuart O'Grady came and boxed in McEwen. O'Grady doesn't show up, and McEwen powers past Thor for the win. I respect O'Grady for trying, except after he screwed over McEwen, he didn't win himself. That's unforgiveable if you ask me. He made a move which killed McEwen's chances, and the only guy he helped was Husvold. Dumb.

If I was McEwen, I'm not sure what I would have done, but trying to push the guy out of the way with my head is probably the least offensive thing I would have come up with.

by Tiki on May 12, 2006 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just a flat day...

Some of us don't hate McEwen just because he wins (and he's had his ass handed to him plenty of times), but because he's got a long history of pathetic whinging when he doesn't win, and plenty of documented dicey sprinting (anyone remember seeing his helmet imprint on O'Grady's arm?).

Anyway, for those of who think McEwen is evil and T-Mobile is cycling best example of underperformance, not a great day at all. But then, it didn't matter -- and tomorrow it gets interesting, and I'm pretty sure McEwen won't be there to marr the finish for me... 8-)

by TCWriter on May 12, 2006 3:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I cannot

wait until tomorrow.

And yeah, that pretty much sums up how I feel as well.

by callmecayce on May 12, 2006 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You all suck

McEwen is a badass. I actually like it that he's finally getting a week of spanking folks around. We can all explain it away by saying that Petacchi isn't there, but hey, the kid's on form. I'd be happy with winning one (let alone three) races in my lifetime, so to have him pull it off in one of the biggest races of the year is never something to sneeze at...

So there.

by ssmith on May 12, 2006 7:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nobody's...

saying McEwen isn't fast. We're saying he's been kind of a dick.

There is a difference.

by TCWriter on May 12, 2006 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You dink ;-)

I've been flying his banner on this blog since it started! I know he pisses people off, but those are mostly fans (and Stuey). As TC pointed out, and I have previously, in the old days I didn't like him because he constantly had excuses for why he didn't win. All that changed about 3 years ago and now he's pretty honest about when things go bad and thanks his teammates first and foremost when things go right. He's evolved or grown up or matured or whatever you want to call it. Now's he settled into his 'speedy and rambunctious phase.'

I'm so looking forward to his battles with Boonen and Thor in the Tour.

by Drew on May 13, 2006 7:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cippo Speaks!

From the great one himself:

Mario Cipollini explained today after today's Stage 6 the nuances of sprinting against a rider like Robbie McEwen, who appears to be unbeatable in the mass finishes at this year's Giro d'Italia. "To follow McEwen is almost impossible; if you just take his wheel and expect to come around him, you're already beaten. And even to jump him early is hard, because he's very explosive. Today was not that fast of a sprint; McEwen was at 71km/h, while I was at 75 km/h. And he totally works the other teams."

Robbie has been riding Alessandro Petacchi's strong Team Milram train to victory since the get-go at this Giro, saying, "Yes, Milram has the best train at this race", a fact the blue Milram milkmen are fully aware of. Today after Stage 6, after trying unsuccessfully to their launch young sprinter Elia Rigotto, Milram's most experienced riders Fabio Sacchi and Alberto Ongarato exploded with frustration about trying to beat the Magnificent McEwen. "We did a great job today, but maybe we need Ongarato to be our sprinter," declared Sacchi post-stage today. And Ongarato added that, "We can't beat McEwen like this; we have to find a way to beat him...you have to jump him from behind or something. Anyway, we'll try again when we get the chance.

by Drew on May 13, 2006 7:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Fascinating quotes

What a chess match these guys are all playing at 45 mph. Those Milram guys seem to be dangerously close to ripping their coach, but they're right, they've been leading out McEwen time after time. They need alternative tactics. I wonder if there's a rule against boxing McEwen in for the last 100 meters. You just get 150 meters from the finish, slide a guy to McEwen's right and left, and tell your sprinter to take off. All the contenders will be on McEwen's tail, and they'll be boxed in, too.

by Tiki on May 13, 2006 8:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs