... a Tour stage finally gets really exciting towards the end. O'Grady clearly just played his great experience (and his strength of course - Backstedt isn't exactly a young guy either).
Though I had the feeling that the three more active riders in the group of five let the other two (Backstedt and Casar had fallen back slightly) catch up on the final climb. Which would be okay after a breakaway group over almost the entire stage. Riding 190 kilometers alone at the front in that lousy weather is quite a performance.
The main field, meanwhile, was busy staging the most impressive mass crashes. Shortly before the breakaway arrived at the finish, they managed it and knocked over some 20-30 riders and sent another bunch into the dirt.
And otherwise? Voeckler gets the yellow jersey. Aldag the prize for the most impressive looping (hopefully everything is still intact!). And Haselbacher the golden lemon for the wildest action in a sprint.
Yes, I'm working from home today and happen to have the TV running in the background. So what?