Tour de France shorts: Orica GreenEdge AC/DC tribute

Orica-GreenEdge celebrate with a rocking Australian tribute

Orica GreenEdge are at it again with a fitting new song that pays tribute to Australian rock band AC/DC. The latest cover follows on from last year's cover of "Call Me Maybe". This time round, the Australian squad fittingly joins an endless list of tribute bands with hilariously fake hair and wild air guitar moves in pursuit of a chart topper.

Roche shares family love

Nicolas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) may be at this year's race  to support team leader Alberto Contador and his pursuit of a third Tour de France title but that doesn't mean he wasn't quietly cheering for his compatriot and cousin Dan Martin (Garmin Sharp) as the wiry climber attacked the leading group on the final ascent of Stage 9.  After Martin collected his first Tour win his cousin Roche was quick send his congratulates: "Amazing what @DanMartin86 did today... I'm a very proud cousin," he said on Twitter.

Tennis ball lump for Tankink

Bram Tankink can be thankful his high-speed crash did not end his Tour campaign given that he was travelling in excess of 60km/h on just the second descent of the day. Tankink later tweeted that he may have swallowed a tennis ball with a photo to show off the result of his fall. The Dutchman would end the stage into Bagnères-de-Bigorre 18:59 down on the day's winner but is expected to start following the Tour's first rest day.

"On the descent following the second climb, I was just about to rejoin the first group after I had flatted but then I took a spill. I got cut off by a motorcycle. Going sixty kilometres per hour, I had to deviate from my line and could not make the turn. My shoulder and hip are giving me trouble but I don’t have too much pain. I feel very good and I hope that this fall does not affect the good form I have been enjoying. With the rest day off tomorrow and a few easier stages thereafter, I think I should be fine," he later said on his team site.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step in the money

It's not just stage wins that contribute to a team's prize money haul but entering the first rest day the squad of Mark Cavendish and Omega Pharma - Quick-Step sit at the top of the prize money table. The Manxman's stage win, numerous placings, intermediate sprints, Michal Kwiatkowski's time in the white jersey and their TTT efforts have led them to accumulate €32,030.

Last year it was Team Sky who left Paris with the majority of the cash but at this point in the race they have to be satisfied with €23,860. Two stage wins and time in the yellow has yielded a solid haul by Orica GreenEdge of €29,610 - who currently fill the second spot. Third place is held by Cannondale with green jersey leader Peter Sagan swallowing up plenty of prizes in the opening week for a total of €29,100.

The biggest prizes are still to come with overall classification winners taking home a significant sum. With Sky's Chris Froome already looking comfortable in his yellow jersey, expect his GB squad's tally to inflate significantly as the race makes its way to the Champs-Élysées.

 

 

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