Pau to Castelsarrasin 188.5 km
GNB Sports, 141 riders, stage 17. Drugs? Drama?
Stage results tonight. Open thread till then. Today's results are fine to report/comment on.
Your text is the below [edited] question, promoted from comments (thanks Laure):
Can we get back to saving the Republic, Doc?Is that what we've been writing? Or has something else been going on...
Now?
Huh? Can we? Please?
Cuz, Le Tour is just another business with The Man Holding Forth, and breaking the dreams of it's fans . . . and that just don't cut it any more.
The Reality Stakes are MUCH more real and important than sports, anymore
But, we need ya back for The Fight.
We really, really, need ya back, Doc.
Discuss.
WATCH THIS SPACE for very quick and dirty stage results tonight... a much faster read than GNB's normal Tour articles. Probably.
UPDATE: Middle of the night, early Sunday July 29...
What got updated: The photo at the top, the results at the bottom, and our quick & dirty stage results right here. We're only what, 3.5 days late? Whatever. Anyway, GNB Sports and a happy middle of the freaking night to you.
READY, SET, GO:
The Start: After yesterday's removals 142 riders left in the Tour. Menchov abandons leaving 141.
The Tour "Sans-Maillot Jaune"The Break: Daniele Bennati takes Markus Fothen at the line for his first stage and Lampre's first win this year in the Tour de France. Two other riders are with them.
There have been a few examples in the past few decades when there was no yellow jersey worn in a stage of the Tour de France. At the stage of stage five in 2005, Lance Armstrong said that he didn’t think it was right to wear the 'maillot jaune' because the former stage leader, Dave Zabriskie, lost it because of a crash at the end of the team time trial the day before. Armstrong did, however, stop at the 0km mark to put the leader’s jersey on at the request of Jean-Marie Leblanc.
There have been similar circumstances in the past. In 1971, when Luis Ocana crashed on the Col de Mente while in the yellow jersey. Eddy Merckx inherited the lead but did not wear yellow the next day.
In 1991 Rolf Sorensen broke his collarbone because of a crash in the final kilometer while wearing the yellow jersey. He was forced to abandon after the stage but no yellow jersey was presented that day.
In 1998 Chris Boardman crashed while wearing the yellow jersey in stage two. Erik Zabel inherited the lead and did wear yellow in stage three.
The Finish: The peloton comes in 9 min later, Tom Boonen wins the sprint, ninth in the stage. Alberto Contador wears yellow. Wow...
THE END.
Thank you for staying freaking GLUED TO YOUR REFRESH BUTTON for 3.5 days. *bows* This has been a GNB Sports update. We're going to bed before the stage-20 alarm wakes us up in less than two hours. Night-night.
Stage 18 LIVE in the U.S. on Versus: Friday, July 27, 8:30 - 11:30 AM ET/5:30 - 8:30 AM PT.
Today's video highlights -- Great Tour coverage at VeloNews
A Feast on Wheels: Behind the scenes Tour coverage by correspondent Bonnie DeSimone of ESPN, Boston Globe and the Oregonian.
Cyclelicious -- What's Your Source of News for Le Tour?
TDF Stage 17 Results -- Top 10:
The top 10 of the stage from Pau to Castelsarrasin is:
1. Daniele Bennati (ITA) LAM - 188.5km in 4h14’04" (44.515km/h)
2. Markus Fothen (GER) GST - at same time
3. Martin Elmiger (SUI) A2R) - at same time
4. Jens Voigt (GER) CSC) - at same time
5. David Millar (GBR) SDV - at 2’41"
6. Matteo Tosatto (ITA) QSI - at 2’43"
7. Manuel Quinziato (ITA) LIQ - at 3’20"
8. Daniele Righi (ITA) LAM - at 3’20"
9. Tom Boonen (BEL) QSI - at 9'37"
10. Sebastien Chavanel (FRA) FDJ - at 9'37"
TDF: Standings after Stage 17
| 1 | 112 | CONTADOR, Alberto | ESP | DSC | 80:42:08.000 | 00:00:00.000 |
| 2 | 041 | EVANS, Cadel | AUS | PRL | 80:44:01.000 | 00:01:53.000 |
| 3 | 111 | LEIPHEIMER, Levi | USA | DSC | 80:44:57.000 | 00:02:49.000 |
| 4 | 031 | SASTRE, Carlos | ESP | CSC | 80:48:10.000 | 00:06:02.000 |
| 5 | 071 | ZUBELDIA, Haimar | ESP | EUS | 80:48:37.000 | 00:06:29.000 |
| 6 | 018 | VALVERDE, Alejandro | ESP | GCE | 80:52:26.000 | 00:10:18.000 |
| 7 | 027 | KIRCHEN, Kim | LUX | TMO | 80:53:44.000 | 00:11:36.000 |
| 8 | 118 | POPOVYCH, Yaroslav | UKR | DSC | 80:54:58.000 | 00:12:50.000 |
| 9 | 219 | SOLER HERNANDEZ, Juan Mauricio | COL | BAR | 80:55:39.000 | 00:13:31.000 |
| 10 | 073 | ASTARLOZA, Mikel | ESP | EUS | 80:55:50.000 | 00:13:42.000 |
|