Rest day comes early for peloton! There was a race of 10 riders while the peloton put on an exhibition ride.
Aitor Gonzalez Jimenez takes the stage win in Nimes. Where's Petacchi? Photo copyright Fotoreporter Sirotti.
After the usual attacks and counters by a bunch of racers I don’t even know, a group of ten was finally formed. Their current rankings in the Tour ranged from 43rd place to 102nd. I don’t think there was much to worry about. The race of ten established a gap of 13:50. At about 10 km to go, it was time to think about a stage win. Aitor Gonzalez had his timing down and established the gap. He pulls out his lucky charm from around his neck and kisses it while he crosses the finish to take the stage win. Now this writer can take a break while waiting for the Sunday group ride to finish.
Ok, I’m back (14 minutes later). While I was gone, I found out that Nazon crashed. That’s two days in a row for him! Today, he apparently fell in the laps of spectators who were having a picnic along side the road. Some guys will do anything for a free meal.
It was those bullies, Robbie McEwen, Thor Hushovd, Danilo Hondo, Stuart O’Grady, and Erik Zabel. Shame on you (especially Robbie for finishing in front of everyone) and I’m going to tell your mothers! Photo copyright Fotoreporter Sirotti.
Oh yeah, back to the group ride finish. Anyone who’s ever gone on a “friendly” group ride knows there’s always the guy who thinks it is a race. They have to show off in front of everybody thinking they are Lance Armstrong or something. Sure enough, it happened today. I’m even going to name names. It was those bullies, Robbie McEwen, Thor Hushovd, Danilo Hondo, Stuart O’Grady, and Erik Zabel. Shame on you (especially Robbie for finishing in front of everyone) and I’m going to tell your mothers! Because of your misbehavior, I’m making the entire group stay home tomorrow. I hope you learned your lesson!
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