The Poles Come Together - Stage 6 Recap

No – not the Polish riders (I don’t believe there are any in the Tour); I’m referring to today’s podium.

In first and third place were Edvald Boasson Hagen and Thor Hushovd (boing!), representing the Tour’s northernmost nation, Norway.

And in second place? Matty Goss, from…no, not Australia, but Tasmania, surely the southernmost point represented in the peloton.

I thought that was pretty cool.

And in thinking about two Norwegians in the top three after what Christian Vande Velde said was “not a day to enjoy,” a day replete with pissing rain, more crashes and 227 km of racing, I realized that in my gushing paean to Thor Hushovd a couple of days ago, I never mentioned his stock, that of the hardest folk on earth. Norway, I’ve learned, is a nation of tough people who come together to form an even thicker collective skin. I don’t have time to write about this – the Norwegians may be tough, but this mostly Irish American needs some sleep if he’s to keep up this schedule of watching stages early in the morning, riding in the evenings and healing at night – so I’ll let David Brooks illustrate it for you: this column relates a tale that makes any Sebastian Junger or John Krakauer survival story seem like a tough day at the office. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read it!

Somehow, though his stock has been rising in the cycling world for the last couple of years, Boasson Hagen is nowhere to be found in this game’s ranks, so our standings stay mostly the same. Players who named their teams all have now earned a bonus point, so a bit changed there, and Thor’s continued stretch in the Maillot Jaune buoys a number of us for another day.

We should remain buoyed for still another day, as tomorrow’s a flat stage, so we shouldn’t see the Jersey change torsos. But another win by Cavendish, who’s clearly coming into form (considering today’s intermediate sprint win), would grant us a new leader in Phil. But for now, Marissa edges one day closer to going wire-to-wire.

Tonight the riders transfer inland, and to the south, so the weather should be better, to everyone’s relief – everyone’s, that is, but those hard men of the north.

A demain –

Mike