2006 PR - April 9th, 2006 Part Two

12:17
RR: 4 riders with 10 seconds at 62.5K...

12:21
RR: riders have 12 sec at 65K...

12:23
RR: riders have :17... the day's break...?

12:29
RR: :20



Time for a banana Clif for me, Sean eats a second sandwich and a powerbar.

12:39
RR: :35

CSC van and car come by... Sean's old mates... Crazy Nor man jumps out and starts chatting Croc race and, "Man Sean, you putting on pounds? (incredibly taking the piss), croc yeah, but there is a new one (get this) 58 stages, 7000K, Paris south thru Pyrenees...I'll get you the info, only 30 people first one to see how it goes... Three months with all the traveling..."

Wicked. That would be the life.

Sean now doing disco/video shite... Did I mention they are following us? Yeah, the Texas crew in a van behind... He gives the American audience "you have been informed" per Roubaix, but I think we are still stupid



1:00
RR: avg speed is 47kph so far... They are 3K from Triosville, pave sect #27 (ah, the memories...) Can hear, now see helis... Sean and the boys start walking our sect 24... I take watch of the car from the drivers seat - still nodda on teli...

1:17
Q-step car just rolled up in my rear view, across the street...sneaky bastards...just spoke to Joe, they were at the first sections, 4 riders, then 3, the GH looking strong and fast in the bunch...



RR: peloton at 3:35

Getting out to check out the Q-step machines... Whatev
Forgot to mention the caravan came thru around 12:45... Got a yellow mussette for someone...
Helis have gone some time ago, but just came back briefly...
Did I mention is gorgeous weather? Amazing out. Sunny and crispy.

1:27
4 guys blast thru our pave #24, Rabo, T-M, Agrub, Ill-Bal..



1:30
3 guys thru... Agrub, Liqui, Eski, then a G-stein a few back

1:31
The main bunch with tommy on front - there is some shouting... See Roger, Gusav, Noval...

1:34 Sean runs back with the boys, he has a trek computer that bounced right to him... Young guy gave a bottle to GH...

Johan is now on the radio...2K to 2K sec, give GH food, missed feed, 4:20 to the break, stay together, move up...

They are :15 ahead of schedule...

Race Teli is now on... And I'm signing off, can't type and not get sick at the speed, corners, etc...

Until next section. Ta.

1:57
arrive at sec #19... Boonen is not in PT jersey, in WC. The rules have changes since they made Oscar wear it at MSR last year, thankfully...

2:01
Sean and boys take off up the road. I watch le car.



2:08
RR: Peloton has hit #21...

2:18
4 leaders come by... Ill-bal guy takes a digger on the 180 slopping corner in town... Helis are overhead... Lone G-steiner, Euski... Then the bunch on their heels... Big group... A cofidis rider eats it like the i-b rider

We are out - Sean, "Vamoose...

Benjamin and Mika were off the back but now we hear Johan congrat them on getting back... He asks GH how he is feeling... JB feels the team should rock it up before the next sec#18 and get the group smaller on that section, too big, so go fast on #18 - before the forest... #17... ARENBURG- "too many things can happen, we must take responsibility... Make sure we have all we need, food, drink... Ben and Mika will take up the pace at the front...

It's 2:30.

2:36
JB: come on a boys, come on, keep fighting... Everyone to the front, the next one is the forest...

2:38
Stuck in traffic, American guy chats with Sean, "driven this before?, blah blah... Sean is like yeah, few times... Comes back a few moments later, oh, you're Sean Yates!? I'm sorry and tries to shake his hand, Sean not so much and says no reason to be sorry, probably don't recognize me with all my grey hair, the man says yeah, ah, mistake again...what was I saying just earlier? We're stupid? Yeah... You've been informed ...

When Sean gets back in the car I apoligize for my country and he and the boys have a big laugh...

2:45
The forest... All hell breaks loose... Boonen to the front, Hoste is there, Cancellera is there, they catch the break as they leave the forest at 2:50... 15 or so guys... 3 discos... Boonen has a combo PT and WC jersey and not sure of his team mates in the front...

Out.

3:05
We are at sector #14...Sean: have some of these (Lu choc sticks) before I eat them all - good for the form...

The gruppe of 17 has :35... We think Boonen is without a teammate and Q-step has 5 guys on the front of the bunch working hard which solidiflies this notion a bit - GH has Hoste and Gusev... "Very good boys, crackles thru from JB... Come on a Roger... Stay with the Quicksteppers...:50... Eat and drink, stay in reserve, talk to one another...eat and drink! Eat and drink!

It's 3:14.

JB: stay in reserve, we do not have to do all the work (CSC has two)...1:00... Really slowing down back here... There is Van Petegem, etc. There is interest here, just keep it rolling, eat and drink... Roger, very good, watch van bon and pozzato here... 1:30 now... 2.5K cobbles, 500m road, 2.5K cobbles, don't work too hard there is a lot of interest in the group...

It's 3:20, I hear the helis...

JB: after the second sector, we have a feed zone...

Young guy just came back... 14 guys roll thru... The race is on. Nav guy says he fcuking tired, I'm running the next one... Sean got a bottle to Leif, Gusev got 2... JB: no need to be nervous boys, feed zone next.

3:27

4:02
FUCKSAKE!!! George's stem just broke! And he crashed wickedly...He is out.

Boonen has attacked with V-P and Cancell... No merci as Sean said

Shite.

I'm out.

4:22
We are at the end of sector 6 now, bummin, George was so strong and with two team mates...but Hoste, Gusev and Flecha caught on after a few minutes, so a group of 7 on the front. H+G will not work much in the group, time to bluff... JB: in flemish, Leif you can win it if you believe it...Everything is in Belgian at this point on the radio...

Sean thinks it was not the stem but the steerer that broke like Hammond at Gent and ToG... Ouch for Trek.

4:40
...after being almost dropped, the Goose takes off on sector 5, Cancellera is the only one who can stay with him!!!! No Booner!

They have :20!

They only have the Cd'L left...

Cancellera goes!

Gusev is dropped!

JB: Leif you must attack!

Leif goes!

Leif drops Boonen!

V-P joins Leif!

Goose is waiting for them... Boonen has blown!!!

Cancellera has :30 over the three chasers... He is flying, he is timetrialing to the win if he can hold on...

:33 with 10K to go!... Shite!

4:52...

5:19...Cancellara wins!

Hoste takes 2nd in the sprint from Van Petegem... Goose is 4th... Boonen easily takes next sprint for 5th...

Damn. Bad luck for GH again...

He would have beaten Cancel in the sprint I think ...

Next year...Next up, TdF. I hope he didn't hurt his shoulder...

Out.

5:26...UPDATE!

Officials rule that because Hoste, V-P and Gusev went around train posts
that were down before the train came they are disqualified! Boonen gets 2nd
now!

Fucking hell...

All the luck and more.



Brunyeel begins the task of debriefing Paul Sherwin and the rest of the press on George's crash and the decision to DQ Gusev and Leif.

Final Results

1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC 6.07.54 (42.239 km/h)
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic 1.49
3 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
4 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank
5 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Française des Jeux 3.25
6 Steffen Wesemann (Swi) T-Mobile Team 5.35
7 Frédéric Guesdon (Fra) Française des Jeux 6.31
8 Bert Roesems (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto 6.44
9 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Française des Jeux
10 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 6.45

Photo courtesy JS

Originally posted November 27, 2006 - 7:01 AM