Australia's first Paris-Roubaix winner, Stuart O'Grady, was disappointed with his Tour de France start after 'biting the dust' in the opening prologue. The Team CSC rider crashed on a section of the London opening which he had already identified to his squad as a cause of concern.
"It was a disappointing day," he confessed. "A very special day with an amazing crowd and a brilliant buzz, but it was terrible spot to bite the dust. I told the team this morning that it could be the most dangerous place.
O'Grady had been on the limit, well on the way to posting a potential stage-winning time, when he clipped a barricade on one of the course's final corners.
"It was the fastest corner and also the narrowest," he described. "I had been on the limit for nine minutes and I just went in a fraction too quick. I thought I had a good apex but obviously I didn't get it right. I was in the zone and unfortunately I was doing about 60 kph when I should have been doing 58."
"But the worst part is the frustration," added the South Australian. "The Tour is the biggest event and you really want to get it right and it is really disappointing to crash. I felt like I was on a good ride but that was not too be.
Despite his mistake O'Grady had a positive outlook on the remainder of the event, where he will work for the squad's general classification men Carlos Sastre and David Zabriskie.
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"I am looking forward to the next week and I reckon there is going to be some exciting racing," he concluded.
