Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 4: Argyle Smile

The news on Timmy Duggan continues to be encouraging, what a relief. And the day just got better from there, as Slipstream-Chipotle pulled off a most excellent win in the TTT. They burned all their booster rockets, just four guys left crossing the line, but all the key players were there. Duggan wasn't able to help in the way Jonathan Vaughters originally planned for today, but he still played a key role, giving the rest of the guys that extra inspiration to lay it all out there. (Okay, I'm going to stop linking to Slipstream, but while you're there, check out Vaughter's piece on the dangers of cycling, very nice.)

Tom Danielson drilling it before the nasty hill, Dave Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde powering through like old pros, great effort by the whole team. Speaking of great efforts, there's nothing prettier than Papa George Hincapie in a TTT. (Yeah, that name is sticking, hope he likes it!) [Uh oh, just watched the videos at VeloNews, great as always, and he doesn't want it to stick! Sorry George, you might lose this one!] On a blood bath of a day when every team was shedding riders left and right, Team High Road was very impressive, keeping most of the team intact. Not only did they not lose sprinter Greg Henderson, he led them across the line, keeping himself in yellow for one more day.

This TTT on a race track was one wacky idea, but it sure made for intriguing viewing. That steep hill was wild - guys losing chains, losing contact, losing their lunch. I loved the race official on the moto, wagging his finger at the Jittery Joe's team car, that was hilarious. And it was just such a random setting, but great for attracting the crowds!

Radio Guy made my head explode a couple of times - "cycling is, at its core, an individual sport, [so how in the heck do they handle this crazy team concept on special days like today]?" "Slipstream is down to seven riders, they’ve dropped one…" Yes dear, that would be the one in the ICU. Then, when Slipstream was actually losing riders, he was giggling like a school girl, making an awful comment on the Basinger/Baldwin divorce, and then a lame joke about all his favorite actresses buying all the towns in the area. Seriously, dude, get a grip. (I do know his name, but he's Radio Guy until he earns something otherwise.) I will say, he almost gets a Steve for being all over the Ivan Dominguez question.

WCSN totally redeemed itself today, though, with a visit by Danielson and Vande Velde to the booth. They were a hoot, obviously pumped after such a great ride. Astana was riding while they were there, perfect, the trash talk was flying. Nothing nasty, just lots of healthy swagger. And a little post-race amnesia on Tommy's part, seemed to forget they dropped a few guys too! Classic CVV - I'm sure JV was giving us lots of great info, but I took my radio out before the start. It was great to see them so happy, I hope they and the rest of the Argyle boys have a great evening and are able to share it in some way with Timmy.