Ian ConstantineWellcome to Hell
July 14th 2008 06:12
The Tour de France heats up tonight with the first real mountain stage. What these cyclists are about to put their bodies through is beyond all rational thought. No normal person would want to ride the best part of 166km all up hill... Perhaps hill is the wrong word... because these guys are going to scale the Pyrenees mountains...
Stage 10 - Tour De France
The highest climb of the day a mind boggling summit that peaks at 2,110 metres! The climb starts after about 70km of riding and the riders won't reach the top until 20kms later... the pain these that is going to be rushing through these bodies is beyond description. Sheer determination will drag these men up the peak.
For the climbers and the real contenders it is the day to shine. This is where the Tour is won and lost. is is where the Mountain men come out to play and where everybody else just strives to survive.
For Cadel Evans, this is the moment of destiny, while there are more mountain stages to come, this could be the ultimate day of the Tour... This is judgment day.
And while Evans was masterful in last years tour pulling on reserves of energy he probably didn't know he had to chase down Contador, he will be the man getting attacked this year. And the fall yesterday will not have helped him at all (obviously)...
The climb is tough enough without having an injured shoulder and only his close training camp must know the extent of the injury. He will have a bullseye on his back all the way up the mountain. Any sign of weakness will be tested...
This could be Cadel's finest hour. If he survives today it will go a long way to deciding the Tour.
Hell awaits the tour, every second counts, every last drop of energy counts and for the main riders, it is now or never.
Stay tuned, things are heating up!
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