A bit late but in time for the mountains. First day of big climbs tomorrow with the ascents of the Tourmalet and Hautacam. All the favourites looking strong so far, though no one really stands out. Valverde needs to take some time out of his rivals in the mountains because he will lose some in the final time trial.

7/12/2008 10:40:03 PM

For a new team (or any team in general) , team Columbia is looking great with Cavendish on the sprint, plus having the white and yellow jerseys. Can Vandevelde hold up for team Garmin in the mountains for the good old USA?

7/12/2008 11:37:50 PM

Just in time, the mountains is where the tour is really narrowed down and the champion arises.

But I just dont think its as entertaining without a doped up Lance Armstrong or Floyd Landis to beast everyone up champs alyssez (or whatever) this year....

7/13/2008 1:16:48 PM

Oops I got mixed up....the Hautacam stage is tomorrow. Great stage today though. Let's hope Ricco is the real thing! Good showing from Evans too after the crash.

7/13/2008 6:32:35 PM

I'm glad I also watched CBS' tour summary today. I never heard why Leipheimer and Contador were out until watching that today. I would have thought that Paul and Phil would be making a big deal about that every day.

Tomorrow is brutal, and should be great to watch. But I can't wait until Alpe D'Huez.

7/13/2008 9:31:15 PM

Well, looks like Valverde may be done. Saunier-Duval is shining in the mountains.

7/14/2008 1:20:31 PM

Quote :

"I just dont think its as entertaining without a doped up Lance Armstrong or Floyd Landis to beast everyone up champs alyssez (or whatever) this year...."

the Tour without Lance = ZERO casual fan interest

kind of like the rest of the PGA season now that Tiger is out

note i said 'casual' fan

7/14/2008 1:22:41 PM

Yeah, I can't say that I get thrilled for flat stages, with the exception of the last mile. The mountains and time trials are what get me watching (and without the dominant force, it has actually been ver fun to watch). If Vandevelde somehow finds a way to hang in, or even lead, then there is a chance that interest here could go up.

7/14/2008 1:27:54 PM

Do they have the same theme song this year AGAIN?

7/14/2008 1:36:42 PM

Riccardo Ricco is going to be a force next year. Whats up with Cancellara? Almost an hour behind already is not good for anyone less than halfway through the race.

7/14/2008 3:03:50 PM

Quote :

"France"

7/14/2008 3:13:29 PM

^^ Cancellara is never usually a contender for the GC. In the mountains, his job is to ride his legs off for Sastre (team CSC leader) and after today, Frank Schleck perhaps.

7/14/2008 8:58:41 PM

Ricco caught out for taking EPO.

7/17/2008 10:40:31 AM

Sucks about Ricco. Mostly for the team who left. Maybe they were cheaters themselves though.

7/17/2008 2:42:44 PM

Because grown men on bicycles is so entertaining.

7/17/2008 5:26:59 PM

So much for "The Cobra."

7/17/2008 11:36:37 PM

More news - Saunier Duval kicked both Ricco AND Piepoli off the team

7/18/2008 9:56:27 AM

Today was phenomenal, with the exception of Oscar's accident. Now, the top 6 are within 1 minute of the lead. I want to see if Vandevelde can attack, or if he's just along for the ride. He seemed to look to attack once or twice today, but mainly held steady. It all starts again on Tuesday, after the rest day.

7/20/2008 11:52:12 PM

Yeah what a stage that was yesterday. Terrible for Oscar - what a fall that was.

Bernard Kohl looked really good yesterday and Cadel was very isolated with no one from Silence Lotto with him on the last mountain and attack after attack from the others. CSC is a phenomenal team and they're definitely going to try and set Sastre and Schleck up a few more times in the Alps.

7/21/2008 10:55:17 AM

I know that technically, Sastre was set to be the team leader. But I wonder if CSC sees Schleck as team leader instead. Sastre always seems to be there, but doesn't do anything to win the Tour. So I wonder if Sastre will work for Schleck, or will the yellow jersey be a domestique? Cadel looked extremely vulnerable, particularly in the last 2 km. And if Menchov can keep his bike under him, he could just take it from all of them. I really hope Vandevelde does find a way to do it, but he has a difficult task ahead of him.

7/21/2008 9:39:51 PM

Menchov will be a big threat because he can ride a good time trial. And don't forget Frank Schleck won up Alpe D'Huez in 2006, though he was allowed to win since he wasn't an overall threat. If I had to pick one from CSC though, I'd still go for Sastre.

7/21/2008 10:03:16 PM

Super ride from Sastre, as I predicted

Don't think he has enough to hang on to yellow in the time trial with a gap of 1:34 to Evans, but the yellow jersey does strange things. Evans in prime position to win...what about Menchov if he can manage to ride a stunning time trial?. He's only 1:15 behind Evans.

7/23/2008 1:23:57 PM

Sastre must have read my post from yesterday, because he threw everything he had out there today. I don't have a clue as to what will happen in the time trial. I know Evans will beat Sastre, but will it be enough? Tomorrow, they have a cat. 2 climb before the end, so maybe Sastre can try to get another couple of seconds. Who knows, we may actually have a race in Paris for the yellow.

7/23/2008 1:35:53 PM