Stage 9 is now in the history books. Michael Rasmussen launched off the front at 4km and never looked back. I am sure that his original plan was to sieze more “King of the Mountains” (KOM) points before the Alps. Mission accomplished. He took all the mountain points throughout the day – and just kept going. Apparently, he wanted even more glory. And he got it. He captured a stage win and a great deal of glory for CSC.
In the meantime, Jens Voigt and Christophe Moreau decided to take some glory as well. While Discovery controlled the peleton, CSC got one of its men off the front. By the end of the day, Lance would find himself 2:18 behind the new race leader (jens Voigt). Tomorrow will be a rest day for the riders. And Tuesday starts the big mountains. But Discovery looks good. After a tough Saturday, they took control on Sunday. And I think Lance is right where he wants to be.
Today was a great day for Rabobank and CSC! Rabobank got the glory of the stage. They had the lead cyclist throughout the entire stage. This meant a great deal of advertising time. As for CSC, they have the Maillot Jaune once again. With the current CSC sponsorship set to expire this year, TdF 2005 has been a great thing for Bjarne Riis and his merry band. CSC has certainly gotten its money’s worth in this Tour. CSC would be hard-pressed to abandon the team now.
With all the goodness being spread around today, there was one very large disappointment today. Dave Zabriskie, the rider who took the yellow jersey on the first day of the Tour did not finish the stage. He has never quite been the same since he crashed out on the TTT. That’s too bad. He was marvelous in yellow for three stages. While I am sad to see him depart, I know that we will be seeing him for many years to come. Bon chance, Monsieur Zabiskie.
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: Tour de France