S&M - The Stuart O'Grady & Matt White diary

During the Tour de France Cofidis team-mates Stuart O'Grady and Matt White will be taking turns to give us an inside look at the daily goings-on in the peloton and the team hotel. An Olympic gold medalist on the track, O'Grady is a rider to watch in the sprints and long breakaways, while White is an experienced grand tour rider who has been kept out of the Tour de France by a run of lousy luck that's finally ended this year.

O'Grady has had a rollercoaster ride at the last few Tours, wearing the yellow jersey in 2001 and green in 2002, but never quite managing to hang on to green all the way to Paris. In the last couple of years he's shifted his emphasis away from sprint speed and remodelled himself as a Classics and long breakaway expert.

White is finally riding the Tour after breaking his collarbone just before the start of last year's Tour. In 2001 he was expected to ride the Tour but did not make his US Postal's final selection and in 1999 his Vini Caldirola team had its Tour invitation withdrawn when Sergei Gontchar failed a haematocrit test at the Tour of Switzerland. After that, he's due some good luck in 2005!

Index to all entries

July 16, 2005: Hot, hard, and fast

By Stuart O'Grady

It was hot, hard, and fast today. The break went away early so I didn't have to worry about the intermediate sprints, I just had to worry about getting through the stage without over cooking. It's a matter of not going too deep into the red zone.

These mountain stages are all about saving as much energy as possible, and picking opportunities to get some points. Hopefully, in the final week, there will be some stages where I can use my good climbing form (well good for me) to put a gap between myself, Thor and Robbie.

But it won't be easy. Thor is a tough nut but he doesn't like the heat too much, and although I would normally prefer it a bit cooler, I hope the mercury hits 100 tomorrow.

I will probably have to have a go in the first two sprints tomorrow, because they are before the climbs and I am feeling pretty good. It is time to start reducing the gap to Thor and it is a matter of just pecking away and taking every opportunity as it arises.

Of course Robbie is sprinting very fast but there doesn't look like there will be many bunch sprints for stage wins until Paris. It looks like it will be another close one and it will be won by however has the best form over the final week.

July 15, 2005: So close...

By Matt White

Boy, it was a hot day and they raced it hard. For a lot of guys, it was a last chance to win a stage. For us, we wanted break to go and take the intermediate sprints so we didn't have to contest them. It worked perfect for us and it meant it was left to the Lotto team to chase the break down. They did a good job too and as it turned out, Stuey gave Robbie a run for his money.

Stuey had an up and down sort of day. Sometimes he said he felt good, and other times not so good, but he took some points from Hushovd but lost a few to Robbie.

We were in a funny position nearing the finish when Sylvain Chavanel got clear and he was going strong. I was just setting up to chase for Stuey and then we had to sit on it. The team is riding really well and the spirits are high.

It was a mad dash for bottles today and it was a bit of a traffic jam at times. I reckon we drank more bottles today than any two days so far.

It is shaping up to be a real interesting battle for the green jersey. Hushovd is not a fan of the hot weather and Robbie and Stuey seem to be sprinting more consistently.

We have two big days now in the Pyrenees and it will be gruppetto again for me. But it is the days coming up in the Massif Central that have me worried. If you have a bad day through there you are likely to be isolated and it's not a nice place to be.

Matt White after a hard day at the Giro

Stuart O'Grady at the Dauphine Photo ©: Luc Claessen

2005 entries - the Tour de France

• July 24 - Switch off, switch on
• July 21 - Tomorrow's the day
• July 19 - Thinking of Amy
• July 17-18 - Busting a gut & A well deserved break
• July 15-16 - So close... & Hot, hard, and fast
• July 13-14 - A great day & You can count on Vino
• July 12 - It's all about conservation
• July 10-11 - Rest day at last & Can't complain
• July 9 - I felt like Moses
• July 7-8 - Another hectic finish & Russian roulette
• July 6 - An impressive victory
• July 5 - A fantastic château
• July 4 - An action packed day
• July 3 - Not a bad start
• July 2 - Hoping to avoid the carnage
• July 1 - The calm before the storm

Previous Cyclingnews interviews with Stuart O'Grady & Matt White

• Stuart O'Grady, January 2005: Every second counts
• Stuart O'Grady, October 2004 : The Year of Living Dangerously
• Stuart O'Grady, July 2004: Life goes on like a song
• Stuart O'Grady, April 2004: Cobbles and broken ribs don't mix
• Stuart O'Grady, July 2003: Scratching the seven year itch
• Stuart O'Grady, July 2002 - "Ready to do everything I can to keep the green jersey"
• Stuart O'Grady, May 2002 - Like having new legs
• An Evening with Stuart O'Grady, January 2002 - Answering questions from the fans
• Matthew White, May 2003 - White knight boards the blue train