Sastre rode great today, ultimately getting the victory atop Alpe d’Huez. But even more important was the work of the Schleck brothers. Andy and Frank’s attacking and subsequent covering of attacks essentially destroyed any chance of the chase group maintaining any contact with Mr. Sastre today. Furthermore, it appeared to me that Valverde and the Schleck brothers, while on different teams, were in “cahoots” together. There was certainly a lot of chatter and head nods between the three. Anyway, I guess the question is whether or not Evan can beat Sastre by enough time to take the jersey on Saturday.
My hopes for Christian Vande Velde breaking away and gaining some time after his crash yesterday proved to be futile. He did attack a couple of times, but for the most part he was glued to wheels all the way up Alpe d’Huez. I really question whether or not he can podium at this point, even with a good time trial. I hope he can, but it is looking tough at this point. But I guess that’s why they race.
