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Tag Archives: Manx Missile

Make That 25.

12 Jul

For those who think revenge was served yesterday, the Missile sure solved them today!

There he is, at the back left of the lead group.

In the latest trek du jour across flat central farmland that was meant to be an “easy” one, strong crosswinds dictated otherwise, breaking up the peloton into unexpected yet long-hammering groups that ultimately delivered the winner of stage 13.  Triumphantly reversing his bout of bad PR, Mark Cavendish powered across today’s finish line in an unquestioned first place, earning his 25th career Tour de France stage win!

Sagan was nowhere near him– relatively speaking of course.

 
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Posted by on July 12, 2013 in 2013 Tour de France

 

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A Matter of Inches.

11 Jul

Now more than halfway to Paris, Phil Liggett stands corrected.  You CAN catch the Manx Missile at the line, and the man now with three Tour stage wins for the year was just the one to do it today in stage 12.  As if Cavendish hasn’t already endured a difficult past couple days– being sprayed with urine and then uninvited to a post-Tour race event following his disputed role in that stage 10 near-finish-line wipeout– this chateau-dotted sprinter’s stage ended with what his critics surely consider the perfect revenge, even by a matter of inches.

Stage 12:  A “New Sheriff in Town” as Bobke puts it!

 

 

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2013 in 2013 Tour de France

 

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The Missile Does It (Again)!

03 Jul

Andre Greipel was right there, as was Peter Sagan of course.  Today however, I was cheering for a much-anticipated victory by the Manx Missile.  And sure enough, he came through!  The awesome Mark Cavendish won stage 5 in Marseille, his first stage win of this year’s Tour de France and his 24th overall.

July 3, 2013:  The Missile Takes It!

Meanwhile, after a crash about 10 miles from the finish line, let’s hope American veteran Christian Vande Velde is not too banged up to have to end his final Tour this soon.  Sadly– and some will say harshly– another American, the already-injured Ted King, is now out by rule of the Tour judges for finishing yesterday’s team time trial seven seconds outside the time limit, despite his best-though-crippled efforts.

Altogether, for a long 142 miles complete with another multiple-rider crash just yards from the end, along with raw emotions spanning victory to elimination, this riveting day– the second longest– has exemplified Le Tour in truest form.  From the making of winners to “the shattering of dreams and breaking of hearts” as Bob Roll reminds us, it’s on to tomorrow of course, still far from yet all the closer to Paris.

 

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2013 in 2013 Tour de France

 

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