FTDF Stage 9 & rest day - Hoogerland Hooked, Kolobnev a Knob

You've got to admire those Tour de France blokes. Riding day in, day out, through all kinds of weather, and quite often falling off. It's tough old game to be sure. I may be a lowly blogger, but I'm having trouble keeping up. The riders in the Tour this year had their first rest day today, and finally got a chance to take it easy after all the turmoil of the first week. I couldn't even make it as far as today, and put my blogging feet up yesterday, for I've yet to tell you about stage 9.

So, there was a plucky break, which included those breakaway favorites Tommy Voeckler and Johnny Hoogerland. Everything was going nicely, until this happened.



That car took out Juan Antonio Flecha and Hoogerland. And messed them up pretty good, check out Hoogerland's injuries if you're not at work.

The breakaway riders who were left upright managed to stay away to the finish, where Luis Leon Sanchez got the stage win, and Voeckler took over the Yellow Jersey from Thor Hushovd.

Stage 9 was also a day that saw probably biggest names so far hitting the tarmac. Here's a summary of the victims of the race, courtesy of CyclingNews.

Stage 9:
DNF Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team - illness
DNF Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha Team
DNF Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Pro Team Astana - crash, broken head of the femur
DNF David Zabriskie (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo - crash, broken wrist
DNF Frederik Willems (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - crash, broken collarbone
DNF Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - crash, collapsed lung, three broken ribs and broken shoulder blade
DNF Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - crash, broken collarbone
DNS Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team - crash on stage 5, arm and hip injuries

Stage 8:

DNF Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team - crash on stage 1, broken radius bone (elbow)
DNS Christopher Horner (USA) Team RadioShack - crash on stage 7, head trauma, broken nose

Stage 7:
DNF Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling - crash, broken collarbone
DNF Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team - crash on stage 5, injured shoulder
DNF Rémi Pauriol (Fra) FDJ - crash, broken collarbone

Stage 6:
HD Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team
DNS Iván Velasco Murillo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - crash, broken collarbone

Stage 5:
DNF Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team RadioShack - crash, broken collarbone
DNS Christophe Kern (Fra) Team Europcar - knee tendonitis

Stage 4:
DNF Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - crash on stage 1, shoulder injury

And we can now also add the first positive drug test so far, courtesy of Alexandr Kolobnev.

So a tough old game then, and by now chances are that you're at least one man down in your Fantasy team. Or if you're the Smugblokes, three men down. I don't like to brag, but I must point out that the Bile Beans are still on top in the scores.

Stage 10 tomorrow is another one that might be good for a breakaway. Voeckler's Europcar team may have to work pretty hard to make sure that he keeps his yellow jersey for a few more days, till the race hits the Pyrenees on Thursday. I don't know who'll win, but Pip Gilbert is sure to be around somewhere.