rest-dayI’ve enjoyed my day of rest from the Tour de France and blogging. Yes I recognize I’m blogging now, but this is the equivalent of an easy warm-up ride – just a short post to keep my Tour-mind sharp-ish and ready for the next two weeks of racing.

I did take a 32 mile bike ride this morning  – no rated climbs – a course more like Stage 9, but a nice ride. Watching the Tour always makes me want to ride more, in spite of the heat. July is always one of my highest mileage months. 

Rest Day News:

Remy Di Gregario, who rides for Cofidis was arrested for doping and suspended from the Tour. Not quite what the former Astana rider had in mind for his rest (arrest) day.

Tony Martin pulled out of the Tour to heal up and prepare for the Olympics. Lampre’s Matt Lloyd also abandoned due to a fractured elbow that occurred in a crash on Stage 8. Rumor has it that Fabian Cancellara might leave too to join his wife who is expecting their 2nd child soon.

Stage 10 Preview:

Tomorrow the Tour boys get to climb that beast of a climb, the HC rated Col de Colombiere, the first true alpine climb in the Alps – and what a doozy!

stage 10

We may see Cadel Evans and/or Vincenzo Nibali attack tomorrow on the Colombiere and then take all kinds of chances on the descents to gain time on Wiggins, same goes for Jurgen Vanden Broeck. Or we may see Sky setting such a hard pace on the climb that it’s just Wiggins and Froome alone at the summit. We’ll for sure see a breakaway and depending on who is in it, Sky might just let them go.

Hopefully we will see some good racing tomorrow. If not tomorrow though, we are bound to see it on Stage 11, the toughest stage in the Alps – complete with a summit finish.