It was Paris-Nice, last day, and in the UK we only got the last 27k to watch.
We were greeted with our commentators telling us about the five riders who failed to start today, and the 15 or so who had already abandoned... I could feel the hateful phrase "Schleck-chute" hovering in the wind, unspoken, but luckily it continued to be unspoken, and Andy wasn't mentioned.
I took this as a good sign: if he had withdrawn, they would surely have been making a bit deal about it *rolls eyes and sighs* so as they haven't mentioned him....
As the coverage starts, LLB is laughing at Sean Kelly pronouncing Rojas as Roe-Djass, which is quite a nice counterbalance to Rob Hatch and his exuberant over-pronunciation.
Talking of which, I was Tweeting earlier in the race, and I'd said something about being distracted by Rob Hatch's pronunciation... he took me up on it!
I do love it when they respond... during the same day, I got this response to a casual comment from the PR department at Omega Pharma Armbands:
It's such a little thing for them to do, but it means so much.... one day, one day I'll get a tweet from Andy... *sighs*
Sooo, back to the race: "Oh dear, here we go again, at the back" says Hatch. It's Andy! *waves*
We had just been watching Tirreno with nothing but Contador for the final 30k, and LLB had been complaining that we don't get to see anyone in the top ten, just the front and back of the race. Hence my pleasure at Andy being right at the back - at least we get to see him!
Frankie is working well, as is Jakob: Frankie is now leading the group, and to great excitement on the sofa - well, on my end of the sofa - he pings off the front. And again! It's all very thrilling, until we see a sharp bend approaching, one with an arnco barrier... noooo! Don't look at it, Frankie!
Luckily he managed to avert his eyes and misses it, then leads the leaders, if you see what I mean, over the top of the hill. "He's doing much better than his brother" says Hatch the Hatchet Man. Hmmm. Rob, I shall go off you if you keep saying mean things like that! But it's true, Frankie is descending well, even though it's not his best skill, and especially considering that just the previous day, he was hanging over the barrier.
There are a lot of comments about Frankie's descending, and how generally impressive it is, although I could have done without the snide suggestions that he'd been practising "while he was away". Yes, yes, we all know he was (wrongly) banned for a year...
At 10k to go, Frankie and one of the Dark Lords - Spilak - are working really well together, and I make a mental note that some time, I really must tell Rob Hatch that it's not Froink, it's Fraaaank, as in Frank Sinatra. You might remember that we know this, due to one of Frankie's former school teachers, who told us so, back in Schleckland days.
Meanwhile, Jakob is leading the group which is 20 seconds behind Frankie and the Dark Lord, and they are all steaming along. Frankie keeps on pushing, even when the Dark Lord sits up and gives up for the day: not our Frankie, he even attacks again! Go Frankie! Of course, the group of chasers catch him up just a few metres from the line, but he nearly made it!
Meanwhile there has been a huge crash, and Rui Costa scares us all by lying inert at the base of the barrier. Luckily, like G, he manages to get himself together, is lifted onto a new bike, and wobbles over the line under his own steam.
We return to the finish line to find that Frankie is officially 6th in this final stage, which puts him 34th overall. Jakob finishes 5th overall, just 29 seconds down, which is pretty darned good: a big group comes over the line some 7 minutes down, and there is Andy, and he is grinning! He must have heard the news on race radio. He is 65th today, which puts him, by coincidence, 66th overall, 41 minutes down.
I don't care, I'm extremely happy to see him finish, and he said on the jangly, here-comes-your-headache Trek website,
“I am feeling fitter after this week, and I am really motivated to get back home to train hard. We have a good plan [for me] and I am really excited and to get back on the level I had before. I have no doubt I will be ready for the Ardennes Classics."
Let's hope so - go, Andy!
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