Tyler Farrar got a much needed win on Wednesday to confirm to himself and all of his critics that he is still among the world's top sprinters. He flew clear past Cav in the final 150 and then held off a quick charging Koldo Fernandez to grab his first stage of the Vuelta. This victory was huge for Tyler, who had been accumulating some doubts about his abilities after his poor showing in the Tour. (though he did get hurt) Since the Tour, he has made a nice recovery but the Vuelta was the first real test of his skills against the world's best sprinters. Tyler was estatic to have beaten "the best sprinter in the world" (referring to Cav) and stressed how important it was for him to get a win at a grand tour. Beyond that, the stage really didn't have that many memorable moments leading up to the sprint. An early breakaway was easily caught, and the peloton seemed content to relax until the bunch finish. This pace also meant that Gilbert easily kept his lead and there wasn't much change in the general classification.
The most memorable thing of the day was the morning tribute to Laurent Fignon, who passed away yesterday afternoon. There was a moment of rememberance before hte stage started, and then the riders got going for another day of racing.
Tomorrow seems like a sprint, but there is one small but incredibly steep hill (the Cresta del Gallo) that can take out many of the traditional sprinters. I predict that we will be seeing a smaller peloton with riders not traditionally considered as sprinters having their own sprint to decide the stage. I believe Gilbert is in good enough form to stay with the leaders over the Crest, so he should keep his lead another day.
Tyler Farrar got a much needed win on Wednesday to confirm to himself and all of his critics that he is still among the world's top sprinters. He flew clear past Cav in the final 150 and then held off a quick charging Koldo Fernandez to grab his first stage of the Vuelta. This victory was huge for Tyler, who had been accumulating some doubts about his abilities after his poor showing in the Tour. (though he did get hurt) Since the Tour, he has made a nice recovery but the Vuelta was the first real test of his skills against the world's best sprinters. Tyler was estatic to have beaten "the best sprinter in the world" (referring to Cav) and stressed how important it was for him to get a win at a grand tour. Beyond that, the stage really didn't have that many memorable moments leading up to the sprint. An early breakaway was easily caught, and the peloton seemed content to relax until the bunch finish. This pace also meant that Gilbert easily kept his lead and there wasn't much change in the general classification.
The most memorable thing of the day was the morning tribute to Laurent Fignon, who passed away yesterday afternoon. There was a moment of rememberance before hte stage started, and then the riders got going for another day of racing.
Tomorrow seems like a sprint, but there is one small but incredibly steep hill (the Cresta del Gallo) that can take out many of the traditional sprinters. I predict that we will be seeing a smaller peloton with riders not traditionally considered as sprinters having their own sprint to decide the stage. I believe Gilbert is in good enough form to stay with the leaders over the Crest, so he should keep his lead another day.
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