THE FRENCH WIN STAGE 5!

Stage 5 today was a massive WIN for the FRENCH! Little Tommy Voeckler broke away with a group of six early in the race and against all odds managed to break from that group at the end and bring home the bacon!

In the 2004 Tour de France, Tommy was the favorite of everyone as he won the yellow jersey for ten days in a row! But, he has never won a Stage in the Tour de France until today! I remember the names of all of the top riders from the past years since we began to watch this race, but Tommy is the only one of the pack that I always watch for and pray that he has a place on the podium again! It was very exciting today to see him in the lead sprint group and then actually win the Stage!

Below is a story that I found on the Internet after today’s race; it says it all in my book. Written by Crazy Jane of Pro Cycling News on July 27, 2004 at the end of the 2004 Tour de France:

• Thomas Voeckler's Huge Ride on the Plateau de Beille. People, it just does not get better than Little Tommy Voeckler, does it? This little man happened into the Maillot Jaune by going with the break on a day when the peloton let it go long, and he made it look good; but that was only the beginning of the story. Ten days later, and despite every prediction, Ti Ti would still be in yellow, after having unpacked an apparently bottomlesssuitcase of courage in the Pyrenees. By slipping into the Maillot Jaune, Voeckler met his destiny head-on, and freaking LET IT ROLL, baby; finding grinta and deep reserves that he more than likely never knew were in there. In that 10 days, he became a hero, a heartthrob, and most importantly, a very impressive Tour de France bike racer.

Voeckler's ride up the Plateau de Beille, after getting dropped on every prior climb on the toughest mountain stage in this year's Tour, and then battling back to hang onto a slim lead of only 22 seconds was the most riveting moment in this year's tour. Watching Voeckler struggle towards the summit, I could barely look at my television, but when I did, he was climbing out of his skin, swerving with exhaustion, and working that 1000 yard stare to come to the line and raise one triumphant fist, and let me tell you that this race fan cried real tears. Heart like that is rare and beautiful, and Tommy?

And with that note I close today....more in tomorrow's posting about our 2004 story about our trip to follow the race where we fell in love with little Tommy Voeckler!