By Simon Gerrans
If there was one person I felt sorry for today, it was Cadel Evans after his crash in the Pyrenees. I didn't see the fall. But when I came around the corner where he and several others had crashed 106 km into the 224km ninth stage from Toulouse to Bagneres de Bigorre in Pyrenees, they were just picking themselves up. From what I understand the Eusklaltel-Euskadi rider took the corner too hot, too quick and that caused a bit of a reaction behind and a half dozen guys went down.
Cadel wasn't looking real happy after it though. I didn't hear him say anything. I left him alone. I saw a few guys going up to him, asking: "what happened, how are you, are you alright" and those sort of things. So I sort of let him be. I figured he just needed that time to himself. At the time of his crash, the Euskaltel-Euskadi team were riding at the front, and riding pretty damn hard trying to bring back that break of three riders that got away early. But they eased up quite a bit. They all stayed up the front and kept rolling through, but they eased up quite alot out of respect for Cadel. No one wants to see anyone lose the Tour from a crash. So again out of respect they waited for him to come back on. Pretty much his whole team waited, got him back on and they went at it again. Throughout it all there was no talk of going harder to drop Cadel though. It is an unwritten law in cycling that if the circumstances are unfair, or out of a rider's control, their misfortune will not be used as a way to bring your fortune.It was great to hear that Cadel did not suffer any broken bones though. But either way, he will hurt. Some people are saying he will feel worse tomorrow - the day after - but I find that after crashes like that you normally pull up sore two days after. Either way, it is a bit like when you go to the gym and give yourself a hiding for the first time in months - the next day or two you are so sore you can barely move. In some ways, Cadel is even lucky: he has a rest day on Tuesday and not another big mountain stage in the Pyrenees. He may be in some trouble tomorrow. But he has good staff and I am sure he will be taken care off. That rest day will still come at a good time. However bruised and sore Cadel is for stage 10 to the mountain top finish at Hautacam, he is not alone in feeling a little worse for where. What I heard today, is that Valverde - the biggest Tour favourite after Cadel and racing hot off his win in the Dauphine Libere in France - is in a bit of strife. So have we seen the best of Valverde? He might be in for a struggle himself. That is the thing about the Tour, you never know what to expect.
That's a large part of this great race's mystique.
