The "Tour of Nerves" is upon us, and Tony Rominger may be its first casualty. With the first 10 days now behind the race and 10 days still ahead, five minutes separate the top-10 riders on overall classification. Rominger, for so long in Miguel Indurain’s shadow, has been gripped by the realization that, at 35, this may be the chance of a lifetime, his moment of Tour glory. But has that revelation affected his concentration?
For a rider who for almost four years has talked of an honorable high placing, the prospect of actually defeating the imperial Spaniard at the Tour may yet prove too much. If Rominger, perhaps the most physically and mentally fragile of this Tour’s major contenders, is to win, his nerve must hold steady. Today’s stage, supposedly a transitionary 202 km taking the field to the Massif Central, saw five abandons, three bad crashes, and numerous punctures. There were attacks from Alex Zulle, Bjarne Riis and Rominger himself, while rumors continued to circulate that Mapei/GB are planning to work with ONCE. Yet another insists that Spanish blood is thicker than water and that Banesto and ONCE will cooperate to prevent a first-ever Danish win from Telekom’s Riis. Rominger’s fall re-awoke speculation over his mental capacity to win the Tour de France. As Mapei surprisingly confirmed that his tumble on the descent of the Col des Limouches could be put down wholly to rider error, the Swiss begins to look frail.
Indurain and Riis negotiated that particular corner without problem, but perhaps they’re not quite so tired. On the other hand, this was the first stage after the rest day, so surely Rominger would expect to be feeling relatively fresh?
The cumulative fatigue of this year’s Tour is now sweeping the field, and only 146 of the 197 starters remain in the race. If the Massif Central and Pyrenean stages turn out to be as brutal in reality as they appear on paper, it’s possible that fewer than 100 riders will sweep onto the Champs Elysees on July 21. Today’s events have left the press room wondering whether an apparently skittish Rominger will be among them.