I know, it's not really beer related. But what the hell.
2005 Final Standings
Yellow Jersey: Lance ARMSTRONG - Discovery
Green Jersey: Thor HUSHOVD - Credit Agricole
Polka-dot Jersey: Mickael RASMUSSEN - Rabobank
White Jersey: Yaroslav POPOVYCH - Discovery
Overall Team: TEAM T-MOBILE
Pena heads to the podium again.
France's Christophe Mengin puts on the best climber's dotted jersey after the 6th stage
Alessandro Petacchi of Italy, signals four, for his fourth stage victory, on the podium after winning the 6th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Nevers and Lyon, central France, Friday, July 11, 2003.
Petacchi is finished, legs are gone, dropped out on 7.
I saw that yesterday. Visited the in-laws and watched TdF coverage for about 3 hours.
Lance is in the lead I hear. Haven't had a chance to look at anything official.
Iban Mayo made an insane climb to win Stage 8, Lance is in yellow.
Stage 8 Results
1 MAYO Iban ESP EUS in 5h 57' 30"
2 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 01' 45"
3 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP at 02' 12"
4 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 02' 12"
5 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 02' 12"
6 BELOKI Joseba ESP ONE at 02' 12"
7 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 02' 12"
8 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 02' 12"
9 LAISEKA Roberto ESP EUS at 02' 12"
10 CAUCCHIOLI Pietro ITA ALS at 03' 36"
Overall Results through Stage 8
1 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 35h 12' 50"
2 BELOKI Joseba ESP ONE at 00' 40"
3 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 01' 10"
4 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 01' 17"
5 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 01' 37"
6 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 01' 52"
7 HERAS Roberto ESP USP at 01' 58"
8 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 02' 10"
9 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 02' 25"
10 JAKSCHE Jorg GER ONE at 03' 19"
Live updates show that Armstrong is on the attack in climb #3
Beloki Bids Farewell As 'Vino' Moves Forward
Is there nothing Alexandre Vinokourov can’t do? The Telekom rider was one of two riders able to escape the vice-like grip of Lance Armstrong en route to the summit of Alpe d’Huez. He can win stage races and Classics while coming to terms with the death of his best friend. And today he proved that he will once again rise to the challenge of redeeming a team which has enjoyed little success in the event they based their entire season around.
Vino’ won the incredibly animated ninth stage and, with the time bonuses earned, would have risen to second overall because of his efforts. No matter the external circumstances, Alexandre deserves to receive just plaudits for his perfect performance. But there is a bigger story from the final day in the French Alps. Joseba Beloki crashed out of the Tour de France in a spectacular manner on the final descent!
It could have been anyone in the race. Accidents are part of what makes the Tour more than just a test of body and mind. Beloki, however, isn’t just another rider. He is the man who has finished on the podium of every Tour he’s contested.
The Spaniard had served his apprenticeship and his attacking approach to the past two stages showed that he had learned to stop talking about his ambition of challenging the indefatigable American for the Tour’s centenary title and start using his obvious ability. Beloki’s ONCE-Eroski had built a team around the rider who showed he had the form to not only follow Armstrong, but take him on when the conditions called for the strongest in the race to come to the fore.
Stage nine boasted the beautiful summit of the Col d’Izoard. Racing over this barren mountain is part of what makes this show such a spectacle. Today, however, the Izoard served a different purpose. It put fatigue into legs which have yet another day to race before getting any relief from the incessant pace of such a special edition of the Tour. The lower-ranked hills at the stage conclusion were what made today’s stage such an epic.
Over the Cote de Saint-Apollinaire even Beloki and Armstrong struggled to turn their pedals. Then came the crucial Cote de la Rochette...
The summit of the final climb was eight kilometers from the finish and when the peloton arrived at the top of the 1,120 meter high climb, the selection was akin to yesterday’s top 10. The only difference was that Vinokourov was racing for the win rather than second place. Armstrong was second, Beloki third. And a battle for pride forced them to race at a pace they may not have otherwise contemplated.
Lance was frantic on the descent. Beloki was no longer prepared to simply follow. And these two heroes swapped turns within a whiff of Vinokourov's slender lead. Pushing ahead of Lance for the last time in this year’s race, Beloki’s pace was inspiring... but also debilitating.
Coming into a mild right-hand turn he panicked, grabbed a fistful of brakes and slid his back wheel. Think of Valentino Rossi’s back wheel slide in the Moto Grand Prix and you can draw a mental picture of his state. Now imagine an 18mm tire instead of Rossi’s bold Michelins biting into hot tarmac and grabbing hold. It really is better not to watch the footage again for the image of Joseba’s tire snapping off his rim and his bike high-siding him onto his left shoulder and hip makes you cringe.
Now contemplate the rapid thinking required by Armstrong who was wrestling his bike to stay in Beloki’s slipstream. There wasn’t time to consider the options. Armstrong let instinct take over and, luckily for the Texan, the terrain suited his reaction. He ploughed across a field of tall grass, skipping out a hairpin turn and arriving adjacent to the four kilometer to go banner on the next stretch of the real 'parcours'.
By the time Lance un-clipped his pedals and nursed his bike down an embankment, the remnants of the elite escape group were upon him. Iban Mayo, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso blasted past. Tyler Hamilton lifted his good arm and tapped his former colleague on the back and encouraged him back into his posse.
It is yet another scene in the Hollywood script of Armstrong’s career. Spectacular and surprising and further evidence that luck continues to shine on him.
The same cannot be said for Joseba. His challenge is over a day after it truly began. And Vinokourov has become the rightful heir for the second place position. What happens next in this magical mystery Tour is anyone’s guess, but you can count on one thing, the riders who remain won’t rest until they’ve tested every ounce of Armstrong’s remarkable staying power.
Stage 9 Results
1 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL in 5h 02' 00"
2 BETTINI Paolo ITA QSD at 00' 36"
3 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 00' 36"
4 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP at 00' 36"
5 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 00' 36"
6 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 00' 36"
7 TOTSCHNIG Georg AUT GST at 00' 36"
8 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 00' 36"
9 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 00' 36"
10 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 00' 36"
. . . and we see now that Vinokourov and Mayo appear to be legit young lions ready to challenge Armstrong. The second phase of the race (after the first rest day) I recall begins with an individual time trial and three more mountain stages -- that will likely tell us a lot about the final outcome.
Some nice words from Phil about the loss of Beloki to the tour (broken femur, ouch!).
Stage 9
The Tour de France is a beast that will never be tamed. It has for 100 years produced the tales that have made it the great event it is. For the few who have won it, they should feel proud, as they have partially tamed this unique animal.
Today, we said au revoir to Joseba Beloki, who came to this race with his best-ever form and a reputation of never having finished lower than third in three races.
How he has left the race is well documented, but the sight of his two teammates, Jose Azevedo and Jorg Jaksche will remain with me for a long time. They stood at the roadside were Beloki crashed just staring at their fallen leader in disbelief that he had crashed so near to the finish.
They waited, hoping that he would soon stand up and continue, but instead team manager Monolo Saiz told then to continue. It caused Jaksche, the hero of the long day, to fall from 10th to 18th, while all Joseba could do was scream with pain and leave with a broken femur.
Lance Armstrong will not be celebrating over the loss of such a great adversary. He will feel sad, too, as he relishes a challenge and wants only to win because he is the best.
This has been a remarkable race and I am sure it will continue as such, but there is no doubt we have lost one of the great animators, and everyone is very sorry about that.
Once Eroski sports director Manuel Saiz of Spain, right, comforts compatriot Joseba Beloki after he fell in a turn less than 5 miles before the finish in Gap, Monday, July 14, 2003, during the 9th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Bourg d'Oisans and Gap, southeastern France. Beloki pulled out of the race
Poor Joseba
Overall leader Lance Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, rides through a field after he missed a turn, evading Joseba Beloki of Spain, who fell in front of him les than 5 miles before the finish in Gap, Monday, July 14, 2003, during the 9th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Bourg d'Oisans and Gap, southeastern France. Beloki pulled out of the race, while Armstrong retained the lead of the race.
I saw Beloki's crash, it was freaking ugly.
Was quite sad.
And then Lance off-roads it through the field. Absolutely amazing. The advertising mavens at Subaru are already salivating over the possibilities for the next ad...
"Because you never know when you will need all-wheel drive" or some such, eh?
What a crash! Lance off-roading, the entire descent. This race is so cool.
Speaking of cool, when you read this list, keep in mind that #5, Tyler Hamilton, has been racing with a broken collarbone since day 2. What a stud.
Jakob Piil of Denmark won Stage 10 of the Tour de France
on Tuesday. The following are the top 20 overall cyclists:
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 40 hours, 15 minutes 26 seconds
 2. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) 21 seconds behind
 3. Iban Mayo (Spain) 1:02
 4. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) 1:37
 5. Tyler Hamilton (USA) 1:52
 6. Jan Ullrich (Germany) 2:10
 7. Ivan Basso (Italy) 2:25
 8. Roberto Heras (Spain) 2:28
 9. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain) 3:25
10. Denis Menchov (Russia) 3:45
11. Roberto Laiseka (Spain) 4:03
12. Christophe Moreau (France) 4:04
13. Manuel Beltran (Spain) 4:31
14. Georg Totschnig (Austria) 4:58
15. Pietro Caucchioli (Italy) 5:17
16. Richard Virenque (France) 5:59
17. Carlos Sastre (Spain) 5:59
18. Jorg Jaksche (Germany) 7:05
19. David Millar (Britain) 7:15
20. Peter Luttenberger (Austria) 8:20
The pack rides through the old harbour of Marseille during the 10th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Gap, southeastern France, and Marseille, southern France, Tuesday, July 15, 2003.
Jakob Piil of Denmark reacts as he wins the 10th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Gap, southeastern France, and Marseille, southern France, Tuesday, July 15, 2003. Piil won the final sprint against Italy's Fabio Sacchi.
Those looking for updates can check out VeloNews online, they have a ticker that is updated every 5 minutes for those of us stuck at work or who don't have OLN.
Happy vacationing Frosti, you old sod!
P.S. Going to put up a link to the picture page? That would be fun. I think.
Maybe I'll put a link in the ectoplasm thread, just to keep this one uncluttered (you're not talking TdF pics, right?).
Rest day today, no racing. I'll be incommunicado until Sunday at the earliest, camping on the river. No updates until then, unless somebody else takes the task up.
Darn off-topic posters like me are so annoying. :)
So far in today's stage, group all together at the 45km mark. Bit of a brouhaha about Tyler Hamilton, evidently some yahbo thinks his example of raw clavicular fortitude is "bad for the sport" of cycling.
following is from the VeloNews live coverage ticker. (Slow morning, they're throwing in filler) :)
Roche: Hamilton show is "bad for cycling"
Tyler Hamilton's brave bid to finish the Tour de France has been dubbed "ridiculous" and worthy of some candle-lighting in the religious city of Lourdes by former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche.
The Irishman, who in 1987 won the Tour, the Giro and the world championships, feels the brouhaha surrounding the American rider's efforts are doing the sport no favours.
Hamilton has been racing with a double fracture of his collarbone,
diagnosed by the Tour's official doctor, since a mass crash marred the Tour's first stage on July 6.
The 32-year-old CSC team leader, who had been expected to gain a top five finish in the centenary race, has been given painkilling injections and his bike has been adapted so that he can ride in less pain.
He survived three days in the Alps and even managed to attack Lance
Armstrong, his former boss at U.S. Postal, on the daunting climb up the Alpe d'Huez.
But Roche, who saw his own team-mate Pascal Simon crash out with a shoulder injury while wearing the yellow jersey during the 1987 Tour, is not convinced.
"It's definitely been blown out of proportion. It's totally ridiculous," Roche told AFP prior to the start of the 11th stage from Narbonne to Toulouse.
"If the doctor says it's broken or fractured then he shouldn't be racing.
It's as simple as that and if he falls off the bike then his shoulder could be sevrely damaged," added Roche, who feels that Hamilton's determination to finish the race after his successful season so far is bad for the sport.
"I mean, it's not doing any favours for the image of cycling. For the past few years cycling has been getting its act together (vis-a-vis doping) and the commentators on TV are going mad about Hamilton - 'he's in the saddle, and
he's out of the saddle etc etc'.
"But I think all he and his team are doing is giving the public a gun to shoot us with.
"People watching what's happening are going to be asking themselves, 'is this guy for real' or they are going to be saying 'what kind of shit (drugs) are they giving him?'
"Sitting in the saddle with a fractured collarbone is hard enough, getting up out of the saddle is even harder, and attacking is almost impossible."
Hamilton is in fifth place, 1min 52sec behind Armstrong ahead of Thursday's 11th stage.
Roche says the American might achieve his aims - if he lights a candle or
two in the holy city of Lourdes, where the sick and crippled seek miracles.
"A top five finish? I think it's still possible. He got through the Alps okay and so the Pyrenees shouldn't be any problem.
"We'll be passing nearby Lourdes soon, so maybe he should light a candle."
yellow jersey today, but he is only up 21 seconds overall on Valenque (sp?), and some other very capable riders like Ullrich are not far behind. Team Postal's coach is hoping Lance has a good mountain stage in the Pyrenes or he might have trouble with his 5th consecutive.
(pardon the spelling, AM ugh)
Flecha takes Tour stage into Toulouse
This report filed July 17, 2003
Argentine-born Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha surged away 13km from the finish to win the 153.5km 11th stage of the Tour de France between Narbonne and Toulouse on Thursday.
The Ibanesto.com rider parted company with seven other breakaway riders to score his first major victory while the favorites relaxed ahead of the first long individual time trial on Friday.
American Lance Armstrong will hold a 21-second lead over Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov in Friday's potentially decisive 47km test, in which the four-time Tour winner enters as a favorite.
Flecha, a 25-year-old Ibanesto.com rider who was born in Buenos Aires, came over the finish line alone in just under three and a half hours after his late attack from a breakaway group of eight riders was challenged too late to have any effect.
Armstrong, who arrived with the peloton minutes later, retained the race leader's yellow jersey and still holds a 21sec lead over Telekom's Alexandre Vinokourov with Euskaltel's Iban Mayo in third at 1:02.
However the American four-time winner of the Tour warned ahead of Friday's time trial that he would have to be on top of the 47km race against the clock if he was to go into four days of climbing in the Pyrenees feeling relaxed.
"It's a very important day for everyone tomorrow," said Armstrong.
"The results in the overall standings are still pretty tight so I'm hoping to do well. I know the course pretty well - it's not too hard but not too easy either.
Armstrong later went on the post-race podium alongside Hollywood film star and aspiring politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, who lifted Armstrong's arm high in the air in a victory salute.
Flecha meanwhile claimed his first significant victory for his Spanish team and it was their first win on the race.
The rider who joined the Spanish outfit last year took his chance with an attack 14km from the finish line and despite a late chase by Australian Michael Rogers and Frenchman Carlos Da Cruz, there was no stopping the Spaniard.
At the finish line he afforded himself a quick look behind but Dutchman Bram de Groot (Rabobank) and Spaniard Isidro Nozal (ONCE) could not catch him.
As he crossed the line, the ibanesto.com rider - whose surname translates as 'arrow' in English - strung a virtual bow and shot it forward.
"It's my signature every time I win," said Flecha, who admitted he was prompted to attack by the thought of having to dispute a sprint alongside his breakaway companions.
"It's my first big victory for the team - and I want to thank everbody connected to Ibanesto.com, and my girlfriend also works in Toulouse," Flecha said. "It's the best win of my career."
During the stage German Jens Voigt (Credit Agricole) pulled out after struggling to ride because of stomach problems.
In the battle for points at the finish Australian Baden Cooke, in the green jersey, could not hold off compatriot Robbie McEwen who thus took a point advantage over Cooke.
What the hell? What is Arnold doing on the podium with Lance? Is this some kind of insane pre-gubernatorial election stunt? Is Arnold a secret TDF nut?
Hamilton, Ullrich and Zubeldia seem to be the strongest of the time trialers in the top 15 riders in the standings -- the only ones capable of staying near Armstrong's time in a trial.
And with an individual time trial as the next to last stage, the race sets up in Armstrong's favor. Of course, even with two time trials ahead, it will only take one bad day in the mountains to lose more time than Armstrong could ever hope to make up in the trials.
It would appear that the race will be won or lost in the next five days of racing (including the last mountain stage on the 23rd -- after the final rest day).
What is Arnold doing on the podium with Lance?
Yeah, read about Arnold's interest in the Tour. . . as an Austrian, it's not unrealistic that he would be familiar with bicycle tour racing. . . unlike the Yank fans who prolly couldn't name any other tour or any rider whose name isn't Armstrong or LeMond.
It just paints a very incongrous picture in my mind. The thought of Ah-nold barely contained in a jersey balancing atop a sagging thin-frame makes me giggle.
And even if he's a fan, does he need/deserve to be up there with Armstrong?
this just in off the VeloNews ticker - Jan Ullrich has blistered the road! Looks like Armstrong will gain some ground on Vino, but I need to look to see how far back Ullrich was...
5:15 p.m. Armstrong finishes in 1:00:08, 1:35 off of Ullrich's amazing 58:32.
Final top five:
1. ULLRICH 58:32.920
2. ARMSTRONG 1:00:08.050 at 01:35
3. VINOKOUROV 1:00:38.860 at 02:05
4. ZUBELDIA 1:01:12.310 at 02:39
5. HAMILTON 1:01:15.440 at 02:42
Ullrich was 2:10 back, so looks like he will move into second about 30 seconds behind Armstrong, with Vinokourov about 55 seconds out.
This will certainly make the mountain stages exciting in the days to come. :)
Ullrich came thru at 30.2 miles per hour. Armstrong was at 29.4. Of course, every piece of ground is a bit different, but I recall during Armstrong's peak years, he tended to pull off time trials at about 32 mph.
Vinokourov, for me, is the surprise of this group. The others clearly had sprint capability, but it wasn't clear to me that he would hang with this group. He (and Iban Mayo) both looked very comfortable when they brokeaway in the Alps -- Vinokourov on two consecutive days.
As Armstrong remains in the yellow, I have to say he remains the man to beat, but at this point none of these five (six including Mayo) can be permitted to breakaway in the Pyrenees.
At this point, no one will give Vinokourov or Mayo a pass if they take off, and, if noone can get the breakaway, the last time trial (in the 20th -- next to last stage) becomes crucial.
Armstrong still in yellow. He really went to town on the last climb of today's stage, put some time between himself and Ullrich. Vino dropped off the map during one of the climbs, came back a little.
Stages over the weekend were really hot, LA suffered again - still not fully rehydrated from the time trial. He said he would get better in the mountain stages and showed it today. Weather was cooler again too, probably helped him.
There was a crash today too, LA went down, Ullrich & the rest of the group waited for them to get going again. Class tells.
I wonder if Ullrich is rethinking that decision now that Lance came back to beat him in the stage.
OVERALL STANDINGS after Stage 15
1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 65:36:23
2. Jan Ullrich (G), Bianchi, 01:07
3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Telekom, 02:45
4. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 05:16
5. Iban Mayo (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 05:25
6. Ivan Basso (I), Fassa Bortolo, 08:08
7. Tyler Hamilton (USA), CSC, 09:02
8. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 11:09
9. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), iBanesto.com, 16:05
10. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 16:12
11. Denis Menchov (Rus), iBanesto.com, 17:09
Here's a quote from the VeloNews article - "However the cyclists' unwritten rule that rivals do not benefit from accidents or toilet stops was soon applied and Ullrich's group slowed down to wait for Armstrong."
It's just payback courtesy - Lance waited for him two years back on the mountains they did yesterday when Ullrich crashed. :)
It sounds like the way Lance went, he would have caught him anyway if he hadn't waited. Wish I could have seen that, maybe OLN will re-run it tonight and I can tape it.
Here's an article from VeloNews.
Vinokourov sees a two-man race, now
By Reuters
This report filed July 21, 2003
Alexander Vinokourov saw his Tour de France chances severely dented when he finished more than two minutes behind dfending champion Lance Armstrong in the 15th stage on Monday.
The Kazakh lies third overall, 2:45 behind Armstrong, but he has vowed to keep fighting and wished his former Telekom team chief Jan Ullrich good luck.
"The last climb was very hard," he said of the 13.5 km ride from the foot of the mountain to Luz-Ardiden.
"But it was even worse on the Tourmalet," added Vinokourov, who was dropped on the way to the renowned Pyrénées summit, the penultimate climb of the day. "I'm paying for all my efforts so far in the Tour. Everybody can have a bad day and it's not so terrible," he said.
"But I really must thank my teammates. I owe them a lot," added Vinokourov, stage winner in Gap a week ago, who was brought back by Giuseppe Guerini and Santiago Botero when he starting to drift back.
With a last mountain stage between Pau and Bayonne on Wednesday after the rest day, Vinokourov said he would try again.
"I'm not desperate and I will try to keep attacking like I've done since the start," he said.
But the Telekom leader, silver-medalist behind Ullrich in the road race at the Sydney Olympics, confessed that the Tour now looks like a race between his former teammate and four-time champion Armstrong.
"I wish good luck to Jan, who is a very close friend of mine," he said.
"He's very strong right now and probably at his very best ever. As for Armstrong, he's not too far from his best either now."
Very exciting finish, watching as Ullrich and group dropped Armstrong off the back and seeing Armstrong desperately catch the wheel of another rider and gather himself, seemingly as if from nowhere to cross the finish line within seconds of Ullrich.
Missed Sunday's results until today, but it sounds like another tremendous mountain stage. With the rest day, maybe I will still have a chance to see it.
It has been really amazing to watch what is prolly the most exciting Tour of France since watching Hinault's fifth win, when LeMond appeared poised to beat him, but was committed as a teammate to helping Hinault win.
WOW!\03
WOW!
Today's best tour update (so far):
3:04 p.m. The chase is not coming hard from the peloton... indeed, Armstrong is now taking a ... a... a rolling nature break, always an impressive feat that not all riders can manage.
With 30km to go, Hamilton still has a lead of 5:11.
Just a reminder, Hamilton is the dude with the broken collarbone. Wow.
4:04 p.m. Hamilton has passed under the 10km-to-go banner ...that's 6.21 miles for all of you writing in to tell us to do this stuff in miles :-)
He is still 4:07 ahead of the field
4:08 p.m. This is un-frickin-believable.
Hamilton is now 7.0km from the finish and is STILL 3.45 ahead of the field.
4:09 p.m. Folks, he is gonna pull this thing off! This is amazing. He has been on the attack for nearly 140 kilometers, riding with an injury that would have had this commentator curled up in the fetal position weeping in the corner of my room.
4:10 p.m. Five kilometers from the finish and Hamilton is still 3:30 ahead.
4:12 p.m. Four kilometers to go and the lead is still 3:20
4:13 p.m.With 3km to go, Hamilton is still 3:09 ahead of the peloton.
4:14 p.m. Hamilton is now 2.25 km from the finish and is holding on to a 3:03 lead.
4:15 p.m. 2km to go.
4:16 p.m. One kilometer to go! The gap remains at 2:45.
4:17 p.m. Tyler Hamilton wins!
He might not even make it through tomorrow, but he showed his heart today. My heartfelt congratulations to the guy!
Pretty amazing.
Well that was pretty cool.
nubmer
2:17 p.m. At 77km, the leaders are holding their advantage at 14:45... yup, these are the sorts of updates you get on a stage like this: kilometer/time - kilometer/time - kilometer/time.... but at least you cubicle jockeys sneaking a peek at the race from the office might be able to get a little work done after yesterday's stage. Did your officemates ever figure out why you were screaming yesterday?