Farrar Gets his First on the Fourth - Stage 3 Update

Hello Friends,

You have to be one cynical cycling fan not to feel moved by Tyler Farrar’s win today. The first American ever to triumph on the Fourth of July, Farrar hitched a ride with the Yellow Jersey itself, as teammate Thor Hushovd, who prizes his time in the Maillot Jaune, but not so much that he won’t fulfill his leadout train duty – and then flashed, for one risky moment, a look-ma-no-hands “W” – not signaling his first-ever Tour Win, but his memory of his dear friend Wouter Weylandt, a fellow sprinter who died in a crash in this year’s Giro d’Italia.

Contador’s on my team, but I’ll take Farrar’s “W” over “el Pistolero” any day.

A bit of controversy again laced the day’s stage, with Cavendish twice evidently getting the short end: Once he was “relegated” (his Green Jersey points were stripped) after he and Hushovd knocked shoulders going into the intermediate sprint, and later he was forced far from his line in the runup to the finish, slowing nearly to a stop as Farrar and his leadout men charged towards the finish line. That he could come back to take fifth place in the final sprint was impressive, but three stages in this just isn’t looking like Mark Cavendish’s Tour de France.

As to whose it is – that remains to be seen, of course, with 18 stages left to determine the jerseys, the podium and the tales we’ll tell about this Tour. Thus far we can say it’s Garmin Cervelo’s, as they hold two stage wins and the Yellow Jersey, and maybe the Northern Europeans, with Norway and Belgium(!) represented prominently across the results.

Today is another chance for those Scandinavian and Low Country warriors, as “lumpy” terrain towards the finish will again favor Gilbert and Hushovd, as well as the latter’s compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen – but by day’s end we may instead see a rider from Down Under in Yellow, as Cadel Evans continues to hover just a second off the overall lead, and seems keen to take it over.

In our game it’s Phil and Pete who lurk just outside Marissa’s lead, with a number of faithful American fans climbing the standings following Farrar’s victory. Nice to see myself tied with my mom with 13 points – and little Lucy Kho already with 10 points, which is 10 more than she earned in the entire game last year. Go Lucy!

A demain (or maybe aujourd’hui) –

Mike