Bush saves blushes, but costs seconds
Tour of Belgium winner Stijn Devolder has been hampered in a bid for a strong placing in the Tour de Suisse, incurring a twenty second time bonus during the second stage of the race.
The 30 year old suffered sudden stomach problems during yesterday’s leg to Sierre, and took to the foliage in order to spare his blushes.
“Stijn suddenly felt bubbling in his gut and dived into a bush as fast as he could,” explained team manager Rik Verbrugghe, according to the Gazet Van Antwerpen .
He chased back on and rolled in 44th, crossing the line in the same time as the stage winner Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo Test Team). However he was slapped with a twenty second penalty, as the race organisers charged him with slipstreaming cars when returning.
Organisers sometimes turn a blind eye to pacing when the rider concerned has incurred a problem rather than being dropped. Devolder will regret the penalty, as he had finished a solid fifteenth in the opening time trial, conceding 17 seconds to Fabian Cancellara.
He dropped to 45th overall after the sanction, and was 37 seconds behind Cancellara heading into today’s third stage.
The Belgian was faulted earlier this year by Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere, after a disappointing spring campaign. However he bounced back and won the Tour of Belgium. A strong showing in the Tour de Suisse would most likely secure his place at the Tour de France, and also improve his contract negotiations for 2011.