Another Monday, Another Roundup

With the Grand Depart just five days away, it’s time for a couple of Tour-related items. And maybe we’ll throw in a couple of other random musings. First up …

Do Ya Feel Lucky? Well, Do Ya … ?

What would the start of the Tour de France be without various sports writers and pundits taking their guesses at who’s in a position to win the Tour. Well, over at Smithers MINNEAPOLIS, you can take your own shot at pro cycling prognostication as part of his 2009 Tour de France pool. Study the rosters of the various teams (CyclingNews.com is a good resource, as is the official TdF web site — once they’ve posted the team rosters) and take your best shot at who’s going to win, show and place — along with who will win the various jerseys and who will win a number of stages within the Grandest of the Grand Tours. Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. Central time on July 3rd.

Chris Horner Explains

For those who weren’t following the comments on the previous post, here’s the scoop on Chris Horner and why he isn’t headed across the pond right now. In a blog posting at OregonLive.com, pro cyclist Chris Horner explains how it came to pass that he was left off the 2009 Astana Tour de France squad. In a word, “politics.” As Horner recounted:

Like everything you do in life, politics exist even in cycling. And, like in every other aspect of life, they limit the power people have to make decisions. As a result, Johan’s hands were tied.

It was always going to be a difficult decision, with so many interests weighing in on the nine precious roster positions.

One spot would go to a Kazakh, for the sponsors. Dmitriy Muravyev got it.

Four would go to our top GC riders — Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden — all of whom have finished on the podium at the Tour.

Two went to Haimar Zubeldia and Yaroslav Popovych, who were selected early as support riders.

The eighth spot went to Gregory Rast, a big guy who could help tackle the flats.

That left one final spot — the spot I had believed to be mine.

But instead, Alberto, whom the team was being built around, wanted to take one of his “boys” with him as a support rider. So Sergio Paulinho was in and I was suddenly the odd man out.

After the call I did what I always do when things are going badly; I rode my bike.

The next day, we got everything loaded up, and I thanked Lance and Levi for their efforts to get me on the team, since they both did more than their fair share of lobbying on my behalf. I thanked Lance once again for putting me up in a great place in Aspen to train with him and Levi, not to mention the great racing in Nevada City, Calif., last Sunday.

Horner’s account is remarkable for the graciousness in how he writes about what must be a bitter disappointment. In closing his post, Horner notes:

Before I go I would like to thank Johan again for his efforts. Don’t be too hard on him — he has a difficult job and was stuck in an impossible position. Everybody has to make hard decisions sometimes, and in that situation it’s impossible to make everyone happy. This time I’m sure he’s not the one at fault, and I appreciate all he has done for me in the two years that I have been with the team.

Sometimes things have to be done because the people paying the bills say so, and sometimes things are out of our control. As Chris Horner said, politics even exists in cycling.

Meanwhile, Out in California

According to a press release from the OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis:

Benicia, CA – As John Murphy of the OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis noted after the Cytomax Benicia Criterium, “you don’t want to leave empty handed from a race sponsored by one of your sponsors.”

Murphy took this race by the hands and came away with the win after attacking out of a small break with four laps to go and soloing in for the victory on an afternoon where temperatures hovered around the 100-degree mark.

Murphy and teammate Roman Kilun helped make the race early, joining a 12-rider lead group just a handful of laps into the 60-minute race that would prove to be the decisive move.

With a number of top teams represented in the break, and packing plenty of horsepower, the front group steadily extended its gap to the peloton, eventually gaining 0:50 on the main bunch. With about a dozen laps remaining, the break splintered, with five riders up front group, including Murphy and Kilun along with Scott Swizanski (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and a resurgent Chad Gerlach (Amore e Vita).

They steadily gained on their former break-mates, while former team member Mike Sayers (Amgen) spearheaded a chase out of the peloton marked by Floyd Landis of OUCH Presented by Maxxis. While the chase closed the gap a bit, they never threatened the lead group, leaving the five riders to contest the closing laps for the win.

As the five-rider group closed in on the back end of the main peloton, Bobby Lea of OUCH Presented by Maxxis dropped back to the back end of the main bunch and paced his two teammates, as well as the other members of the break, to the front of the bunch. Within a lap, the break was once again clear of the peloton! .

On the fifth lap from the end, Swizanski put in a dig which Gerlach covered. When that came back, Murphy dove the first left-hander after crossing the start/finish line and drove it. The sprinter, also known to be a strong time trialist, put his engine to work and opened a 10-second gap with two laps remaining.

Swizanski and Gerlach were leading the chase while Kilun covered. Murphy went into the bell lap holding a five-second lead, with a highly motivated Gerlach trying to shut it down. Coming out of the final turn, Murphy was hanging on to a two-second lead, with Gerlach starting to close on the 300-meter, slightly uphill drag to the line. Murphy took a quick look behind him and dug deep for one last effort over the final 150 meters, holding off Gerlach by several bike lengths, while Swizanski came home in 3rd place. Kilun rolled in for 5th.

“I saw Gerlach coming after the last turn and I just put my head down and went one last time,” Murphy said. “I was really glad I had Cytomax in me today.”