Friday, July 9, 2010

Stage 5 and 6: Emotional Sprinters





After handily winning the sprint, Cavendish stood atop the podium in happy tears. One of the things I love about this sport is that it so fires the passions of the riders that from time to time a winner will stand in triumph weeping like a beauty pageant contestant. Cav has that fierce little boy face. Such a sparkplug of a character.

Yesterday's stage started in Epernay, and the team cars rode out over the Boulevard de Champagne, which is over a massive cave housing more than 20k bottles of the stuff. Today they finish in Gueugnon, in Burgundy, a place which is famous for its beef. This is the longest stage of them all this year.

With that nice Charolais beef, made into a Boeuf Bourguignon, I would love to try a bottle of Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos St. Jacques--a nice big Burgundy red. Burgundy, is the part of France the race traverses today. Burgundy was an area that could very easily be its own nation today. It retained its independence from the French crown until the time of Louis XIV. The famous snail dish made with garlic, butter and parsley comes from Burgundy, and here you can find the richest selection of cheeses in France. Lots of overhead shots of rolling pastures and medieval villages. Wine country is always great bike-riding country.

Looks like Team HTC are angling to get Cav another victory as they climb through the rolling hills and forests about 20 miles from the finish line. Go Cav!!!

Vive le Tour! Vive la France!

A demain!

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