"Brajkovic is down!"

Parece que hoje correram todos alimentados a loucura.

"Each day the Tour doctors issue a medical bulletin, some days recording innocuous items such as sunburn and bee stings. Yesterday's was a butcher's bill: a bruised right shoulder for the French champion Sylvain Chavanel, concussion and a broken collarbone for the Slovenian Janez Brajkovic, an outside chance for a top six placing, cut knees and elbows for the Dutchman Robert Gesink, a man with his eyes on the podium.

Broken collarbones are most common: Brajkovic's put him out of the race while the Spaniard Ivan Velasco was another victim. The 2004 world champion Tom Boonen was another faller, riding the last 30 miles well behind the peloton, with a large bloodstain on the hip of his shorts, but the most bizarre incident involved Contador's team mate Nicky Sorensen.

The Dane became entangled with a photographer's motorbike as it overtook the field, and, surreally, fell out of the peloton sans bike. The moto had dragged it from under him, and he was last seen running up the roadside like a small child whose favourite toy had been whipped away by a playground bully. The motorbike will not be seen in the race again."