Talk about your bad luck

After working all day to make the break stick, David Millar broke a chain when he tried to respond to Pavel Brutt’s attack with 1 km to go.

Normally I would say he acted like a spoiled brat for throwing his bike over the barriers but I kind of think he had a right to be frustrated in this situation.

I wonder what the rule is on his time since he was with the break with only a click to go when he had his mechanical?

The results should be up soon so I guess we will find out then

Update 11:45:
Well it looks like they gave Millar the same time as the last member of the break at 25" down. At least he gained a few seconds on the leaders but that's all he saw out of it.

fashion faux pas?

some might argue that pink with orange and blue argyle is a pretty bad look, but I can think of at least one person who might argue with that:


Congrats slipstream and Christian Vande Velde on taking the maglia rosa.

and in one of the many things I love about the Giro...this year they aren't messing around. Here's day 2:

Brasstown Bald - OOPS addition

well, well, well....the self-described best team in the world and the new America's team have to be feeling a little foolish this evening.

Both Levi and Trent Lowe getting schooled by High Road's ace up their sleeve, Kanstantin Siutsou, on the climb that is supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Personally I do think that Astana played their cards right, getting a rider in the break and letting Slipstream do the work. I can't fathom however that Brunyeel missed the fact that the guy trailing Levi was so close in the GC. Supposedly they knew how close he was so Levi must have just been done.

Slipstream on the other hand was kind of confusing. Missed the big break and then drove the peloton faster than they needed to before leaving Trent Lowe without any teammates on the final climb practically immediately. I have to wonder if Lowe truly knew how close Siutsou was in the GC because he responded to all of Levi's attacks like they were nothing but he seemed to completely ignore Siutsou's attack at the end. You have to guess that he had the gas left in the tank because he jumped in the last 200 meters to get second, so it's questionable that he didn't follow what has to be the race winning move.

Tornado Warning and new kid on the block

Well unfortunately my pick did not win but 3rd is not too bad Ballan, especially considering that he was up against Boonen and Cancellara in the velodrome.

And if I must be wrong, I am happy that it is Tomke that proved me wrong to take his second win in the Hell of the North. I kept waiting for Cancellara to attack in the last couple of km but he was reportedly having cramps so that is understandable.

If there was a revelation in this year's Paris-Roubaix though it was Martijn Maaskant from Slipstream who hung on in the chasing group with the likes of O'Grady, Hoste, and Devolder then attacked and went on to get 4TH.

You could see O'grady and Devolder try to drop the other two and then it looked like Hoste was trying to shake him at one point in the run in but he held on. I somehow think that he is going to be taken a bit more serously after his spring campaign this year and I hope that Slipstream has him locked into a contract or they are goign to lose him.

Tornado Tom and the Argyle Armada

Surprising to no one paying attention, Quickstep once again dominated the Tour of Qatar and Boonen took the overall for the second time in three years.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come in the ToC later this month.


On the other hand Big props have to go out to Slipstream and CJ Sutton for his fourth place, that very easily could have been a podium spot if not for the crash in stage 5 that left Backstedt with a broken collarbone (hopefully it doesn't thro him too far off track in his classics training).

Even bigger props to Ryder Hesjedal for his third place in the GP La Marseillaise to open up the French calendar.