HTC Columbia did everything right, perfect setup, perfect leadoff, and perfect tempo to get Mark Cavendish his first win of the Tour, but it still was not enough. Alessandro "Ale-Jet" Petacchi blew the rest of the sprinters away when he kicked early and held the tempo all the way to the finish line. Cavendish, Hushovd, McEwen, Freire, and others were all waiting right behind him but their speed bursts simply were not enough. Petacchi is beginning to resemble his 2003 form, which he won 15 total stages in the 3 Grand Tours combined. Petacchi had a bit of help from teammate Danilo Hondo, who managed to disrupt HTC Columbia's train during Bernie Eisel's turn at the front and forced Mark Renshaw to do most of the work for Cavendish. Renshaw may as well have been Petacchi's leadoff, as Petacchi kicked as soon as he saw Renshaw beginning to tire. It was another smart sprint for Petacchi, who wins not only with his legs but with his brains as well. Beyond the last stretch, it was a somewhat uneventful day on the roads into Riems. There was one breakaway (Nicolas Vogondy, Iban Mayoz, Francis De Greef, Inaki Isasi, Dimitri Champion) that left just a few kilometers into the race and was not caught until the very end.
The stubborn group of riders refused to admit defeat, even when the mighty peloton was within 5 seconds of them. It was a great ride by all 5 of them, and they all deserve a reward for their ride. It was also a quiet day for Fabian Cancellara, who sat in the middle of the peloton for the entire day and kept his yellow jersey for yet another night.
HTC Columbia did everything right, perfect setup, perfect leadoff, and perfect tempo to get Mark Cavendish his first win of the Tour, but it still was not enough. Alessandro "Ale-Jet" Petacchi blew the rest of the sprinters away when he kicked early and held the tempo all the way to the finish line. Cavendish, Hushovd, McEwen, Freire, and others were all waiting right behind him but their speed bursts simply were not enough. Petacchi is beginning to resemble his 2003 form, which he won 15 total stages in the 3 Grand Tours combined. Petacchi had a bit of help from teammate Danilo Hondo, who managed to disrupt HTC Columbia's train during Bernie Eisel's turn at the front and forced Mark Renshaw to do most of the work for Cavendish. Renshaw may as well have been Petacchi's leadoff, as Petacchi kicked as soon as he saw Renshaw beginning to tire. It was another smart sprint for Petacchi, who wins not only with his legs but with his brains as well. Beyond the last stretch, it was a somewhat uneventful day on the roads into Riems. There was one breakaway (Nicolas Vogondy, Iban Mayoz, Francis De Greef, Inaki Isasi, Dimitri Champion) that left just a few kilometers into the race and was not caught until the very end.
The stubborn group of riders refused to admit defeat, even when the mighty peloton was within 5 seconds of them. It was a great ride by all 5 of them, and they all deserve a reward for their ride. It was also a quiet day for Fabian Cancellara, who sat in the middle of the peloton for the entire day and kept his yellow jersey for yet another night. 
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