Tour Analysis: Bewildering tactics of CSC-SAXO

There’s an old bicycle racing saying that goes, “The race route does not make the race difficult, it is the cyclists who can make the race difficult.” In other words, the route may be steep and long but if the riders take it easy, then racing is not hard. But if the route is flat and racing is fast and furious, then you have a hard race. That basically summed up yesterday’s race.

The team with was supposed to take the race by the scruff of the neck just did the opposite. Either CSC-SAXO had no more ammo left, or that they were just scared of doing the thing they were supposed to do- distance Carlos Sastre and Frank Schleck from Cadel Evans of SILENCE-LOTTO and Dennis Menchov of RABOBANK.

CSC-SAXO set up its tactic to perfection: they had three riders on the breakaways and the plan was for them to slow down on the last climb, wait for Schleck and Sastre, set a furious pace, blow the peloton up and put into difficulty their nemesis Menchov, Evans, Christian Vandevelde and Bernhard Kohl. Disappointingly, CSC-SAXO could not execute.

The pace set by the CSC-SAXO domestiques were too timid. There were only two attacks (this must be a record!) in the last climb- one by an out of contention Alejandro Valverde and the other, a probing pseudo attack by Sastre which was immediately covered by Kohl. The pace set by CSC-SAXO was so slow that Evans and Menchov were never put in a hurt, unlike what happened last Sunday. If the same scenario occurs tonight at the Alpe d’Huez tonight, CSC-SAXO might as well gift wrap 2008 crown to Evans.

A few observations from last stage 17:

1. Riis is not the great tactician some people believed him to be. He allowed an opportunity to distance Evans slip away.

2. CSC-SAXO is a great team without a great leader. SILENCE-LOTTO has a great leader in but without a great team. Well, this even things up in a road race, not in the ITT for which Evans is a master.

3. Valverde and Vandevelde can’t climb. Both were dropped in the final climb. So much for the next American winner. But if Vandevelde can maintain his position after Alpe d’Huez, then he has a good chance of a podium finish with his TT skills.

4. Menchov and Vandevelde can’t descend fast. Menchov tiptoed in the 20km technical downhill finish and lost 35sec. Vandevelde crashed and limped home and is 3’15” behind Schleck instead of the 39sec he had going into this stage.

5. This 2008 edition should be without doubt now be called as “Le BORE de FRANCE!”