CYCLING/Tour de France: The sprinters of the Tour de France live on the edge. Disaster is only a touch of wheels or a clash of elbows away and, when the adrenaline kicks in during the final surge to the line, the limits are similar to those in the contact area of any sport, be it the front row of the scrum or the start in Formula One: what is deemed to be safe on the day and what the judges can see.
Yesterday the Belgian Tom Boonen sped majestically to his second sprint victory in two days but the all-antipodean scrap between two of the emphatically beaten men behind him was what caught the eye, with the double points winner Robbie McEwen crossing the line with his head tucked in the shoulder of another pretender to the title, Stuart O'Grady, a former winner of the Tour of Britain.
The cherubic, puckishly tousled McEwen, in spite of his name, does not have Scottish blood but he might as well, for he put in an emphatic two-wheeled, 45mph Glasgow kiss that lasted some 50 metres as the pair fought to stay on Boonen's coat-tails.
The bout began when Boonen leant briefly on McEwen, continued when O'Grady nudged McEwen with his shoulder and went nasty as O'Grady attempted to cut in from McEwen's right and the Brisbaner responded.
"I saw Boonen coming past and the next thing Robbie started to headbutt me," responded O'Grady. "It was pretty dangerous. I'm coming past and he throws out his elbows and headbutts."
McEwen's version differed. "O'Grady started things by leaning on me. He put his elbow out and I had to lean on him to stop myself from falling. I didn't butt him. My arm was trapped under O'Grady's elbow. That twisted my body and pulled my head towards him."
Boonen's reaction was worthy of Arsene Wenger after another red card: "I think he was trying to avoid a crash. Perhaps there was a spectator in the way." No doubt he is aware that it may be his neck on the finish line next time.
The fact that both men stayed upright was worth at least a six for artistic impression but the judges did not see it that way and McEwen was relegated from third to 186th place, to his disgust. That may have ramifications beyond yesterday: Boonen picked up 35 points for the second day running and now has a 44-point lead in the green jersey standings over the double winner. "I can forget winning it now," said McEwen.
The rising Belgian star was understandably delighted, and pointed out that Tours is a classic finish for a sprinter to rank alongside the Champs Elysees, where he won last year. This was indeed a classic finish of its kind, up there with a bottle-bunging episode at Marennes in 1997 as an example of road rage.
Today the antics of the sprinters will seem a little frivolous compared with the serious, precise business of the team time-trial, over 42 miles among the chateaux of the Loire valley. The timing of the trial is subject to a system of limits which only masters of virtual maths or Single Farm Payments can truly understand, but the philosophy is simple - finish as many men as possible as fast as possible - and today's subtext is easily read.
For the wearer of the yellow jersey Dave Zabriskie and his team, damage limitation will not be enough: the six times winner Armstrong will take the jersey if his team finishes more than two seconds faster than Zabriskie's CSC.
Yesterday the pair were seen talking during the stage and Zabriskie was asked later what the great man was saying to him. "Lance said, 'You seem to be enjoying the yellow jersey' and he asked if he could have a turn, so I said 'Why not'?"
The team time-trial is a matter of delicate calculation: should they gamble on dry-weather tyres and risk riders crashing in a shower? If a rider punctures, do they wait or leave him behind? As in yesterday's finish sprint, it is all about split-second timing.
Guardian Service
STAGE THREE (La Chataigneraie - Tours, 212 km): 1. T Boonen (Belgium/Quick-Step) 4:36:09, 2. P Wrolich (Austria/Gerolsteiner) ST, 3. S O'Grady (Australia/Cofidis), 4. B Eisel (Austria/Francaise des Jeux), 5. A Davis (Australia/Liberty Seguros), 6. R Foerster (Germany/Gerolsteiner), 7. M Backstedt (Sweden/Liquigas), 8. A Geslin (France/Bouygues Telecom), 9. T Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole), 10. A Furlan (Italy/Domina Vacanze).
Overall: 1. D Zabriskie (United States/Team CSC) 8:48:31, 2. L Armstrong (United States/Discovery Channel) +2 secs, 3. L Bodrogi (Hungary/Credit Agricole) +47, 4. A Vinokourov (Kazakhstan/T-Mobile) +53, 5. G Hincapie (United States/Discovery Channel) +57. Team: 1. Team CSC 26:27:44, 2. Discovery Channel +4 secs, 3. Phonak +1:33.
