[Tour 2004]Stage 4 - Team Time Trial

[tour-junkie]

Stage 4 - Team Time Trial - Cambrai to Arras 64.5 km

High speed bicycle  ballet today.  Perhaps the only cycling event which
requires more delicate interaction would be the 4 man Pursuit on the track.
Of course, that's a much more controlled environment than what we find today
- it is a snotty, rainy afternoon, and the roads are slick.  You probably
couldn't have made worse weather.

Saeco slides out in the near-last corner, and Gilberto Simoni is left to
chase as a teammate drops back to pace him.  They yell at Salvatore Comesso
who can sense only the finish and so does not slow down.  The team finishes
with the second fastest time, but Simoni will not actually share in this,
being give a slower overall time.

The rains had let loose with about 30 minutes beore the start of the stage
today.  Maybe too close to the start for any kind of of technical
adjustments for tires.

T-Mobile went through the first check at roughly 45 seconds behind the
current best time - they are only 7th best currently.  The first part of the
course twists through town and numerous painted stripes, so you couldn't
fault them if they kept things throttled down.

Alessio pulls through strongly over the last bits, but cannot quite unseat
Euskatel as the new leader.

T-Mobile - Guiseppe Guerini hails the team car and gets a quick rear tire
change.  It's early enough that they should ease up just enough to let him
catch back on.

Phonak seems to be running with 7 riders, and they splay across the road  to
let him catch back on.  Tyler Hamilton himself drops back from the group to
see where the dickens the guy has gone.  Back to 8, they reassemble and
drive the pace again.

CSC has already fallen off by 58 seconds at the first check - having waited
for Jens Voight to get back onto the bunch after a mechanical.  A few more
turns find three riders slapping onto the wet tarmac - Nikki Sorensen and
two other riders dump it on a turn - team leader Ivan Basso
immediately requires a new bike and shakes his right arm to get

T-Mobile have found their rhythm in the second section, runing through the
time check at 42 km with the second best time

Illes Baleares thumps along to the finish - 1:13:18 gives them the new best
time on the roadway.  Euskatel slips to second on the roadway.

Another Phonak mechanical - a rear wheel change.

USPS rider Benjamin Noval has been clipped away from the herd - after his
hard crash yesterday, he may be suffering just a bit too much to be of help
today - at the 19 km time check they come through in 5th place, about 11
seconds ahead of T-Mobile's effort.

Rabobank pulls through the 42 km check at 47:35 - 4th best at this point.

Phonak finds themselves down to six riders, as another rider falls away as
they approach the second time check.  They still manage to hold 3rd best
time.

T-Mobile rider Sergei Ivanov drifts off the back of the bunch while the team
motors on.  

Liberty Seguros has gobbled up the gap and scream past FDJeux.com, who have
now lost their 5 minute start gap.  They hurtle through the soaked streets
of Arras, but will not nick Balears - finishing with a time of 1:14:28 for
second place.

The rain seems to have lessened somewhat as the USPS team sweep along
towards the 42 km check.

Fassa Bortolo seesm to be tapping tempo as they have only the 12th best
time, having dropped a good 2 plus minutes to this point.

T-Mobile hammers home along the slick cobbles and find themselves only 4
seconds behind Balears - notching into 2nd overall with a time of 1:13:22

US Postal has gone through the second check at 46:30 - a new best split
time.

Phonak suffers again - they now ride with only 5 riders. Despite the
hardship, they are running in second on the roadway, with a good shot at the
stage-leading time of the Spanish squad.

Rabobank come through with a respectable finish, holding third with 1:13:56.

Phonak come under the 1 km to go banner - Tyler Hamilton leads them safely
throught he last hard left, and they have a good cushion!  They finish at
1:13:10 with five riders! New leader of the stage with a stunning effort.

CSC form a ragged wedge on the roadway, trying to maintain a descent echelon
with all 9 riders.  Finally seeing the 1 km to go banner, they have left
their problems behind them on the roadway 1:13:49 - fourth place on the
roadway.  

10 km to go for the USPS team.  The precision and organization of the USPS
squad is stunning - they are riding in such a tight bunch that you know they
have spent a significant amont of hours on this discipline.

Just in case you are wondering, Fassa Bortolo comes across at 1:14:55, not
lookiing terribly energized by the experience.

An intensely concentrated and slightly soggy blue train rolls around the
last couple turns with a wad of time in hand, 1:12:03 - they have set the
fastest time and smiles rip through the bunch - Lance Armstrong will put on
his first Yellow Jersey of this year's Tour de France.

If you are keeping track, this will be his 60th Yellow Jersey.  Meanwhile,
the top spaces in the overall look like a USPS team photo.

Stage 4 - Team Time Trial Results
1 - USPS - 1:12:03
2 - Phonak - 1:31:10
3 - ibalears - 1:13:18
4 - T-Mobile - 1:13:22
5 - CSC - 1:13:49

General Classification -
1 - Lance Armstrong - 14:54:53
2 - George Hincapie - :10
3 - Floyd Landis - :16
4 - Jose Azevedo - :22
5 - Jose Rubiera - :24

Other riders:
8 - Tyler Hamilton - :36
16 - Jan Ullrich - :55
18 - Bobby Julich - 1:00

==========================
Tomorrow's Stage - Amiens to Chartres - 200 km
We may end up with an actual day for the sprinters - a flat profile
(although there is a little Category 4 bump at around 70 km)with no
craziness may finally let the fast men rub elbows at speed.


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