Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, France, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)

Stage 6     July 7     Dinan - Lisieux     226 km

Results:
1 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 5:13:37   
2 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad     
3 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo

General Classification:  
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 22:50:34   
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:01   
3 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:00:04  

Skippy report:  Spotted Simon Gerrans at the sign on today, suggested he could get in a break over today's 226k (it's the longest stage of Le Tour).  Mute response.  Cadel, the master linguist spoke to France 2  with better than schoolboy French. They love him for that.  Just how many latin lovers has he had, to speak this well?

Tom Boonen Report:  After crashing badly yesterday, he finished 13 mins behind the winner, with a seriously bloodied hip. Today he raced through the crowd to the sign on (note press running after him in the background here) stopping for no one.  I guess he didn't want to talk about it...  
I like Tommeke, but also like the Belgy we met, during Le Tour a few years ago, his point being "I said to my son, since he (tommy) bought that Lamborghini...... nothing!"

Ivan Basso has gone mad report:  This is his latest tweet (in fact he has been tweeting like this for most of the tour)  私の日本のファンのために自分のアプリケーションをダウンロードする方法
You guessed it, he currently sits in 20th place, not right out of contention, but wtf?  How many japanese fans does he have?

Giro Donne Report:  (Women's Tour of Italy)
Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) continued her remarkable string of success at the Giro Donne with a solo victory on a stage which tackled the feared Passo Mortirolo ascent.  Shara Gillow (Aust) dropped to 7th while Judith Arndt moved into 4th.  Judith is grouse, comes on our TV show ever year, and is a very good sport.

Cuisine Report:  Tonight, the chef joined our table for a post dinner chat, and asked what I meant by phallic, a comment I made the other night in reference to his entrée.  I explained, and added that it was possibly latin based, he replied ‘yeah, well, I'm Irish'.  
We don't care.  Feargal is his name and the place is Le Vieux Moulin. Of the many places we dine in Europe, this is this year's ‘find'.  

Tomorrow:  Stage 7     July 8     Le Mans - Châteauroux     215 km   
Look for us in Buzancais, roadside, at the sprint, about 25k from the finish.

In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, France, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)

Stage 5, July 6     Carhaix - Cap Fréhel     158 km             

Results:
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Highroad 3:38:32   
2 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto     
3 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team

General Classification:  
Result 1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 17:36:57   
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:01   
3 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:00:04  

Cap Fréhel is beautiful, just another one of the lovely places that bike racing takes us too, that I would normally never visit in a thousand years.

Cavendish Report:  Good Boy Cavvy.

Skippy report:  I thought today, against all others, might be a good day for Matt Goss to shine, because, maybe, you know, Cav was having a bad week, you know, and one, maybe Matt Goss, might find in the last few K's, you know, in the cross-winds, the bends and the bumps, that Cav was not on his wheel, sort of drifted away behind, and, you know, he might just pedal a bit harder, and ride for himself, and sort of, you know, take the win?  
PS Skippy report:  Cadel got more support in yesterday's race from Lotto, than he did in all the time he rode for them.

‘The lack of good French GC riders in the last 25 years' report:  Our hostess in Hede, Virginie, told us a little story this morning, that was quite revealing.  About how as a child she was taken to the TdF every year, made to sit road side on every stage and watch Benard Hinault fight for the yellow jersey.  Many kids of her era were forced to do the same by, usually, their fathers.  Apparently deaf to their children's pleas, begging for a normal family holiday, by the beach.  Herein lies the answer as to why no Frenchmen have managed to succeed him.  They all hated it.  
The ‘Badger's' successes and his fans dedication, effectively killed the enthusiasm of the next generation.  C'est la vie Frenchies!  (Suffer in ya chamois')      

Giro Donne Report:  (Women's Tour of Italy)
1 Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit 16:03:46   
2 Sylwia Kapusta (Pol) Gauss 0:00:24   
3 Emma Pooley (GBr) Garmin - Cervelo 0:00:52   
4 Shara Gillow (Aus) Bizkaia-Durango 0:01:31   
5 Sharon Laws (GBr) Garmin - Cervelo 0:01:35  

RIP Carly Hibberd

Cuisine Report:  Last night's entrée was rather phallic and, while savoury, still contained a ball of ice cream.  Served on a waffle.  I truly thought the meal was being served backwards until the dessert arrived. Wish I knew it's name.  I asked for it to be written down, as I could not translate the verbal French, but I slipped under the table with sunken pleasure before it arrived.  There was Gazpacho (cold spicy tomatoe soup)  to start also.  No photos of the fish main, I snuffed it out before the camera was remembered.  

Tomorrow:  Stage 6     July 7     Dinan - Lisieux     226 km             

In The (Time) Zone by David Olle, France, +39 333 5959 217 (twitter feed @DavidOLLE)

Stage 4     July 5     Lorient - Mûr-de-Bretagne     172 km             
results:  
1 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 4:11:39   
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard     
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Pro Team Astana

General Classification:  
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 13:58:25   
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:01   
3 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:00:04  

Skippy report:  Cadel's first TdF road stage win.  Let's remember the clichés, take a deep breath and repeat them with me now:  ‘It's only the first week', ‘It's a long way to Paris', ‘A week is a long time in cycling' ‘It's the third week that counts'.  Bugger it, let's celebrate now.   

Contador Report:  bang-bang, cop that pistolero.
(hmmm, don't get to say that often)  

Giro Donne Report:  (Women's Tour of Italy)
Twitter from:  @rachelneylan (Australian riding for Diadora - Pasta Zara, now let me guess, that'd be  an Italian team?)
"lucked out with a Best Western for the eve in Piacenza.. dont laugh.. a bath tub & fluffy white towels are luxury in women's cycling!"

Olympic champion Nicole Cooke (Wales) took her first victory of the year for her MCipollini Giordana team with a solo effort into Verona after 135.2km.  Nicole Cook is grouse.  So is Rach Neylan. 

Media Report:  Yesterday, during the TdF, France 2 ran a small highlights segment and today updated us with information direct from the Women's Giro d'Italia.  Who can match that?  The AFL?  The World Cup?  Darts?    

Cuisine Report:  Carrying it over to tomorrow.  In the mean time watch our own French cook, Jean-Marie at work (a Frenchman, living in France)

Tomorrow:  Stage 5     July 6     Carhaix - Cap Fréhel     158 km            
We also run good bike tours.