there are riders in the Tour de France that don’t know how to ride bikes. Actually, by watching all the stupid shit going on, it shouldn’t amaze me.

Case in point. During today’s coverage, I think before they got to the first cobble section, rider #26 on RadioShack, Dmitriy Muravyev, (a guy from KAZ that I’ve never heard of) was holding onto either the medical car or the RadioShack Team car. I couldn’t believe that he had his right hand out on his shift lever hood.

I’ve held onto a bunch of cars just out riding. I’ve probably held onto cars going over 60 mph. Maybe faster. Bob Roll once passed me on a Coor’s Classic stage near Squaw Valley going at least 60 mph holding onto a highway patrol motorcycle.

But, this hand position was so dangerous. It’s something that I learned not to do the first couple years I started riding. He needed to have his hand on top of the bar as close to the stem as possible. He is very lucky he didn’t fall.

If this is any indication of how most of these riders do things that are a little out of the ordinary, then it doesn’t surprise me why so many are so worried about getting hurt. Who wants to be riding around in a field of guys with so little knowledge? Not me.

Even this guy has better hand position than Dmitriy.

I don’t know Mark Cavendish personally. But, by observing his actions, I bet he has a confidence and self esteem problem. I know sprinters are a fickle bunch. But, his ying/yang deal is beyond just being a sprinter. He makes pretty brazen statements. He replies that he’ll go 85% instead of 80% if challenged by Tyler Farrar. Two days ago he somehow completely misses a right hand corner with less than 2km to left, goes straight and takes out Oscar Freire. Yesterday he gets a great leadout and finishes 12th, just two places ahead of Brent Brookwater.

Today he had it right wins. Then starts balling on the podium. It was his 11th Tour de France stage win. It was meaningful to him. So, if it’s so important to him to redeem himself, then he should probably just let his results do his talking and not put up this persona of “I don’t give a shit of what anyone else thinks”. Obviously it is important to him.

One of his better finish salutes.