Desde la barrira. On the other side of the fence.
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Petacchi is Incredible! That is what the headlines will say tomorrow but
there is a little more to the story. Let me tell you how I saw today’s stage.
I had the best seat available to watch the stage. Today’s road was perfect
for racing. It was wide with new asphalt and to top it off we had a great
tailwind allowing us to travel at more than 60kms an hour. These favorable
conditions allowed the peloton to be like a ball. We were spread out from one
side of the road to the other with lots of room in between riders. In these
circumstances the middle of the pack is the best spot because you can just float
along effortlessly even when you are going 60kms per hour. This is where I was
and from this vantage point I could see the head of the peloton when I sat up a
bit in the saddle.
During this year’s Vuelta we are getting quite used to attacks in the first
kilometer of racing, and today was no different. I got to watch all the action
from my spot, and it was incredibly entertaining watching attack after attack.
Today I was quite content to watch instead of participate in the attacks of the
day. For most of the stage I was with David Millar and Roberto Laiseka, from my
former team Euskaltel, watching the attacks and chatting. At some point Laiseka
realized that during this entire Vuelta he had not yet finished a stage with the
same time as the stage’s winner. If it was a bunch sprint something would happen
and he would find himself coming in a few seconds behind. I just checked, and
today was no different. I guess he should try to go for a personal best.
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Today was only the second time during this tour that I was able to take a bag
in the feed zone. In all the other stages we have not slowed down enough for
everyone to take bags. The etiquette during the feed zones has been pathetic
this tour with people attacking, etc.
Bingen Fernandez Bustinza
Cofidis
Yellow Jersey Tours
www.yellowjerseytours.com
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