Inside Team Car OUCH
THE DAY’s OBJECTIVES: The object of the day could be to win the stage, move up on GC, or move closer to securing a particular jersey (KOM, Best Young Rider, Most Courageous).
The secondary but ongoing objective is to get a rider in the break. There’s always a break in a road race. Sometimes the riders are caught and sometimes they’re not. If the hosting team car (team OUCH in this case) gets a rider in the break, OUCH car #2 will, at some point, leap frog up to the break to talk to, feed and potentially, clothe the rider. That’s another action or photo opportunity. Team OUCH, however, was not in the day’s break. That left us further, to our own devices for entertainment.
Other traces of action might come in the form of others misfortune. There’s always a healthy of dose friendly jousting happening in the caravan. One’s misfortune is another man’s laughter. Most of the caravan was wondering where Jelly Belly Director Sportif, Danny Van Haute’s rear window had gone. Apparently something had lodged itself inbetween the trunk closure and when the mechanic slammed it shut during race action (likely changing a flat or assisting a downed rider), the rear window simply shattered. But that was only half of it. Jelly Belly’s Team Car #2 was missing a rear driver’s side window. What? Not a good day for the one of the most popular teams on the circuit (free Jelly Belly’s to anyone, just for the asking).
Then there’s the random rider spew after a crash or close call:
Doesn’t the ^*&(%!! guy know he’s supposed to put his *^&%(!! jacket in his team car, not in his *&($%!! spokes? (heard following the Sevilla, Landis, Kirchen crash – resulting in a broken collar bone for Kirchen).
Floyd Landis having a chat with Team OUCH car following a slam to the pavement
Thus, while one truly never hopes for flats, mechanicals or crashes (that’s just bad form),during a long day in the car – with the group mainly in tact – such misfortune can be the extent of the action from inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment