Bad Day, Mate
Today was a bad day for Aussie riders in the Tour de France as the continent lost three riders to the mountainous Stage 8, two to crashes and one to slowness.
Michael Rogers and Stuart O'Grady both crashed hard on mountain descents, with O'Grady's injuries being the most serious: five broken ribs and fractures to three vertebrae and a shoulder blade. Rogers was able to remount his bike after his crash (one in which another rider went over the guardrail and down the mountainside a bit; fortunately, he was able to climb back up and finish the stage) but later abandoned the Tour, in tears, after consulting with the team doctor.
Last but not least, Robbie McEwen, a perennial contender for the best sprinter's jersey, finished outside the time limit set by Tour officials and was forced to withdraw from the race. It's very rare that you'll see one of the top riders succumb to this longstanding race rule.
However, just to show how dangerous this sport can be, German rider Patrik Sinkewitz received facial injuries when he ran into an elderly spectator while cycling back to his hotel following the stage. The 78-year-old spectator was air lifted to a hospital and is said to be in serious condition.
If Sinkewitz can't start tomorrow, that will make three riders from the T-Mobile team who have been forced to drop out of the Tour – including their leader, Michael Rogers.
Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, Michael Rasmussen – the only Danish rider in the Tour – is the overall leader after today's stage. Tomorrow's a rest day.
Hat tip to the Tour de France 2007 blog for the information about Stuart O'Grady
Mark, my thought this morning after perusing all four pages was "what a pitiful excuse for a sports section." I also didn't notice any mention of the bike race.
Posted by: Eric at July 15, 2007 11:00 PMHooray for Rasmussen ..... Guds hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke!
I think the Tour - sans Lance - still holds plenty of appeal ..... though I'm not sure all American sports fans will agree ..... and elder son and I have enjoyed Versus' coverage.
With so much going on - worldwide and year-round - there really is no slow (or relatively slow) time for the sports section (desk, department whatever) anymore ..... here in America, major league baseball and soccer are in full swing, and don't forget auto racing. Outside America's borders, there's plenty more sports action to cover - as we saw in the Alps on Sunday.
Posted by: Jeff at July 16, 2007 10:42 AMAbout the publisher
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Nice update...you might want to make your reports available to the MRT...since there was no mention of it in today's Sunday edition. (At least none that I noticed).
Posted by: Mark at July 15, 2007 10:15 PM