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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
2002 Tour de France journals
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Mike Tomalaris, SBS broadcaster
Nationality: Australian
Mike Tomalaris is the producer and sometimes presenter of SBS TV's Toyota World Sports, the only daily prime time sports show on Australian TV. Mike has covered the Tour de France for SBS Sport since 1996, and always brings a distinct Australian perspective to the network's coverage of the world's biggest annual sporting event.
Stage 2 - Monday July 8: Luxembourg - Saarbrücken (Germany), 181 km
Where did he come from?
Along with the throng of international media, I was watching the stage 2 sprint at the finish in Saarbrucken on the huge screens provided by the Tour de France organisers.
It looked simple enough - Erik Zabel and Robbie McEwen going for it. It should have been a 1-2 finish and the only questionwas, in what order? Robbie was tracking the right side of the runway, Erik on the left - who would touch the line first?
What do you mean it was Oscar?
The Spanish world champion came from the inside and upstaged everyone. Robbie couldn't believe it and as for Erik I'm sure a victory in front of his German people would have been more than fitting.
McEwen rolled up to my SBS camera crew seconds after missing out. The shock on his face told the story. He kept shaking his head in disbelief. I'm sure he was thinking: "How did I let this one slip away?"
He was gracious in defeat but knew it was the one that got away. For the first time that Freire had shown his sprinting qualities against McEwen, and while the great Ausssie hope may have thought the German would be his main concern over the first week of sprinting - well, Robbie may have just have to review the situation over the next few days.
The little Spaniard with the big heart is not going to life easy for anyone - especially when he's wearing the rainbow coloured jersey as world champion.
