Stage 5: Like Sean Kelly

Brave & bloodied.

Photo: Pascal Pavani

I write this post with a sore swollen right little finger caught in a folding chair. My pain is relative compared to Tom Boonen's painfully brave ordeal today on carnage day stage 5.

It seems after four stages free from serious incidents the heavens opened up with loads of spills and unpleasantness. So many riders had the bad luck bug bite them... hard. The serious, Janez Brajkovic had to abandon after fallen heavily on his head and breaking his left collarbone.

King Kelly knew a thing or two
about suffering.

velonews.com

The oddest and shocking was Dane Nicki Sorensen knocked and thrown onto the ground by a motor bike. His bike was dragged, by the motor bike, and sparks could be seen for some 200 meters. Thankfully Sorensen is ok but the motor bike driver is fired from the race.

I would have to say my Sean Kelly tough guy award has to go to ...Tom Boonen. After seeing him down, dazed and confused he remounted and looked so much in pain back to the race. That's with 60 km to go and he bravely rode jersey in shreds and bleeding from his hip. He looked like a casualty from Paris-Roubaix!

He had help from his teammate, Addy Engels. The two trying to make it within the time cut of 18 minutes and doing so 13 minutes and change behind winner Mark Cavendish.

I don't know if Boonen will start tomorrow but his brave tough as nails ride to finish is so...  like Sean Kelly!

Juan Manuel Garate

Photo: Koen Van Weel

Cavendish turning UP the hurt!

Photo: Pascal Pavani