I took the opinion that Hushovd's win just evened out Cancarella pulling rank the day before. I did wonder what would've happened if he wasn't in that leading group, would Thomas have had a real chance of winning the stage, or be let win the stage for his efforts at the front given Canceralla got the yellow back and Schlek gained time on his rivals which may have been reward enough for them?
In terms of excitement, a good start; don't think I could ever say I enjoy watching crashes, but the cobbles yesterday provided quite a spectacle generally and, as others have said, livened up the first week which can be a bit sterile in terms of GC reckoning. Was really interesting watching the tactics and how they coped. Sean Kelly's insight was interesting in terms of the pyschology of not being able to resist the gutters when the going gets tough, despite deep down knowing the risk of punctures.
