2015 Tour de France Notebook Stage 6

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Here is my Stage 6 notebook entry:

Shorthand translation:

Great beauty, triumph, and heartache in this stage.  Beauty in the amazing Normandy scenery.  Triumph in Daniel Tekleheimanot being the first African rider to earn the Polka-Dot Jersey.  And heartache in Tony Martin crashing in the last few kilometers of the stage.  Mom and I are hoping he recovers tonight and is back in yellow tomorrow.  Quite a stage.

2015 Tour de France Notebook Stage 5

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Here is my Stage 5 notebook entry:

Shorthand translation:

Rooting for Cavendish to win the sprint, but a thrilling finish all the same with a well-earned victory by Greipel.  Rain through much of this stage, and wind -- which caused a large break in the peloton once again.  But for me I will remember most the beautiful wide open spaces of the countryside, the World War I memorials, and (as pictured above) the beautifully well-organized teams at the front of the peloton, keeping their GC contenders safe throughout the stage.

2015 Tour de France Notebook -- Stage 4

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Here is my Stage 4 notebook entry:

Shorthand translation:

Pave or cobblestones -- whatever you want to call them, they defined this stage.  All the favorites did well -- especially Nibali & Froome, who not only stayed in the front when the peloton split, but drove the race through some of the most difficult pave sections.  But then the real shining star at the end was Tony Martin, who after switching a bike with a teammate within the last 10K, then pulled ahead of the pack to win the stage.  Amazing!  After three stages of disappointment, it was wonderful to finally see him take yellow.