Friday, July 11, 2014

200km on a 2 Minute Leash

I wasn't sure what to expect going into today's stage. It had been a tumultuous last two stages for me and I was admittedly feeling quite beaten up and sore. In the meeting before the stage we said today is a stage that had a small chance for the breakaway to arrive, so we wanted to be present. They asked me to try and help Jens, Rast, and Markel cover the breaks as best I could. It was a fast start and after a few kilometers I attacked and then followed a move and presto! I was in the break for the day with 5 others. We rode well together and hoped we would be given a chance, but our leash was kept short as Cannondale worked behind for Sagan. The terrain and wind were always rolling and making things a bit difficult, but I was still happy to be out front, staying out of trouble. Eventually our group began attacking itself and Elmiger made a solid move just as I pulled off. I was unable to catch his wheel, but Huzarski (NetApp) made it and those two made a solid last ditch effort as the peloton rolled the rest of us up. I tried to stay in the peloton to the base of the first finishing climbs and then save as best I could. After being dropped I found a sweet little surprise mini-Snickers that I had packed away at the start of the stage. It tasted quite nice! After I made it to the finish I was rewarded with doping control, but thankfully was able to provided a sample quickly and then jump on the bus for only a short transfer to the hotel for massage, rest, dinner, and sleep!

Bummer note from the day is the Danny had to retire from the race with knee pain. He's a tremendous talent and fun guy to have around, so he's definitely going to be missed. Tomorrow the climbing begins, so things should continue to be interesting. Hopefully the weather will stay dry and maybe even sunny for us. We shall see. 

10 comments:

KyleJ said...

Great work today! I can say I'm looking forward to the rest of the stages!!
Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Was awesome to see you attack like that today. Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Nice work today. I guess you're small reward was you avoided any crash today. Keep on going and you will be rewarded big time soon. Go, go, go.

Scott K said...

Very unfortunate for Danny. Glad to see that you had a full day with the rubber down. Best of luck in the mountains!

Jayson S said...

Sitting here in GĂ©rardmer ready to watch and cheer you on tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

You're doing a great job for the team, Matt, especially with the loss of Danny and Andy. Surviving the first week of the Tour is no simple thing, but here you are ready to go uphill! Best of luck the rest of the way!

vince said...

Those few of us from Milwaukee who have been watching the tour for years really enjoy hearing Phil and Paul talk about you on tv (the dvr is smoking) Enjoy your tour, and get to Paris in one piece. My wife and I hope you get to share a big lap at the end with Jens.

CH said...

Been watching the Tour for years and years. It is my July tradition.

Great to follow a fellow Luther Grad in the race and it's been fun seeing you on screen and mentioned in the various live feeds / twitter feeds. (Also enjoyed following your team in what turned out to be the best stage race of last year - the Vuelta - where you really persevered and battled through.)

Sending good vibes your way as you battle on!

Eric said...

You are making your Mark on this your, way to go!

Lee said...

I'm enjoying reading about the Tour from your vantage point - gives some extra insight on the race - which makes following the 'spectacle' much more interesting.