Quote:
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Originally Posted by AcesPease
...An amazing ride by Floyd Landis today  |
true.... here's a compressed rundown:
stage 15
Near the end of the stage, Landis breaks away from the peloton, catching, and (for the most part) dropping an earlier breakaway. He beats the current race leader, Pereiro, by approximately 1:40, earning him the yellow jersey by 10 seconds. After such a strong showing, it is generally assumed that he will gain even more time in the next two mountain stages, and has more or less one le tour. Until...
stage 16
Isolated in a leading group full of big GC names, Landis suffers constant attacks and challenges, but has no teammates to support. He was unable to respond to an attack by rival Menchov with 14 km to go or one by Sastre at 12 km. He bonks spectacularly, and finishes a devastating 10:04 behind the stage winner. With a gap of 8:08 between him and the yellow jersey, it is generally assumed that he is out of the running for an over-all victory, and probably won't even make a podium finish. Until...
stage 17
50 km into the stage, and 150 from the end, in a move that’s been described as "one of the most audacious and bravest...seen in the modern era of the Tour de France" Landis launches a solo attack on a already winded and disorganized peloton. He chased down, and dropped an earlier breakaway that had a significant time advantage. Despite a mechanical problem that forced him to change bikes at 150 km, and the best efforts of an angry peloton, Floyd finished alone, with a 5:42 advantage of a the next racer, and 7:08 over the yellow jersey. After time bonuses, Landis is in third place, :30 behind the yellow jersey, and back in the race.