Tour de France

True.  But still, if it didn't have to happen.  Oh well.  Things should smooth out now, after the madness of the first few days.

Can't wait for cable TV.  I haven't been able to watch daily coverage for 6 years!

Team time trials today.  Should be interesting and uneventful at the same time.

Nice!

Due to a peleton too lazy to chase down a 5-man day-long breakaway, Lance is out of the yellow jersey and I'm out a 6-pack of beer.  Mellow Johnny, indeed.  Hmph.

Yes, you did.

This morning's stage is looking equally dull. 

I'm not gonna watch it at all until the cable company gets their act together and hooks me up!

From OLNtv.com's live coverage:

16 H 28 - Will Someone Attack? (Please)

The top five in stage eight are:
1. Thor Hushovd (C.A)
2. Kim Kirchen (FAS) at st
3. Erik Zabel (TMO) at st
4. Robbie McEwen (LOT) at st
5. Andreas Kloden (TMO) at st

The Top 10 Overall After Stage Eight

After 1,449.1km of racing the top of the general classification is as follows:
1. Thomas Voeckler (France) BLB 33h03'36" (43.831km/h)
2. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) COF at 3'01"
3. Sandy Casar (France) FDJ at 4'06"
4. Magnus Backstedt (Sweden) ALB at 6'27"
5. Jakob Piil (Denmark) CSC at 7'09"
6. Lance Armstrong (US) USP at 9'35"
7. George Hincapie (US) USP at 9'45"
8. Jose Azevedo (Portugal) USP at 9'57"
9. Jose Gutierrez (Spain) PHO at 10'02"
10. Erik Zabel (Germany) TMO 10'06"

Rest day tommorow, speaking of yawning.  That's one day I'm glad I don't have cable, because I would just sit and watch highlights that I've already seen.

Why would you want to do that?

The Top 10 Of Stage Nine

The top 10 in stage nine are:
1. Robbie McEwen (LOT)
2. Thor Hushovd (C.A)
3. Stuart O'Grady (COF)
4. Jerome Pineau (BLB)
5. Erik Zabel (TMO)
6. Janeck Tombak (COF)
7. Tom Boonen (QSD)
8. Danilo Hondo (GST)
9. Sergio Marinangeli (DVE)
10. Inigo Landaluze (EUS) all at same time.

The Top 10 In Stage 10...

The top 10 riders in the 10th stage of the 2004 Tour de France are:
1. Richard Virenque (QSD) 237km in 6h00'24" (39.456km/h)
2. Andreas Kloden (TMO) at 5'19"
3. Erik Zabel (TMO)
4. Francisco Mancebo (IBB)
5. Thomas Voeckler (BLB)
6. Lance Armstrong (USP)
7. Georg Totschnig (GST)
8. Kim Kirchen (FAS)
9. Michele Scarponi (DVE)
10. Pietro Caucchioli (ALB)

Nice to see Lance's name back in the top 10.  Looks like he's getting geared up to get serious.

Richard The Brave

One of the predictable elements of the Tour de France is Richard Virenque. If mountain points are on offer, the tactics of this irrepressible Frenchman rarely vary. Attack. Collect. Continue. This is how the Quickstep rider forced his way into the polka-dot jersey in the longest stage of the centenary Tour. And he has done it again in the 237 kilometer epic adventure from Limoges to Saint-Flour.
It might be a simple formula, but at the Tour putting any plan into action is never an easy task. What makes the difference is the fact that Richard is no longer considered a contender for the overall title. He’s allowed some leeway. And if he’s given the slightest opportunity there’s no holding him back. “The climbs help me,” declared the emotional winner of the 10th stage. “If I wasn’t interested in collecting points I would not have tried to escape in the first place. Now, for the second year in a row, I’ve won a stage and taken the polka-dot jersey.
The 34-year-old is the phoenix of the peloton. Year after year he returns to the Tour with the same ambition. And the moment you write him off as a burned out veteran he rises from the ashes, flies up the climbs, collects the points and, inevitably returns to the podium to put on the spotted top.
Six times in the last decade Virenque has won the jersey that signifies the best climber in the race. And, until today, he’d won six stages in the Tour. This year his quest is a record seventh King of the Mountains crown. His seventh stage victory was a consolation prize earned after going on the attack with over 200 kilometers yet to race. Richard is not the rider he once was. Now he is fueled by emotion and the cheers of the fans who scream his name in every town and village on the race route. He’s the hero of many French fans despite a colorful history and for him to succeed on the national holiday for Bastille Day was too much for him to consider at the finish. Half way through his victory speech he was overwhelmed by tears of joy. “Last year it was a lot easier because I was part of a group,” he said after a long pause.
“When I went off on my own today, I didn’t do it on purpose,” explained Virenque about the moment he dropped his escape companion for 135km, Axel Merckx. The son of the last rider to win both the yellow and polka-dot jerseys (Eddy, in 1970) simply couldn’t cope with the gradient of the first category-one col of the 91st Tour. And as Richard rose from the saddle to maintain his rhythm Axel lost contact. Riding the final 62km of the stage alone wasn’t part of the plan. It would be a bold man to attempt such a thing in a stage that included nine categorized climbs. He was once brash and bold. He’s more humble now and these days it’s Richard the brave. “I couldn’t feel my body at the end because I was in too much pain,” he said about how he felt on the final short ascent to Saint-Flour. He is willing to exhibit courage; capable of pushing his body to the point of agony but now he knows there’s a limit. Asked if he will try these tactics again in the Pyrenees which greet the Tour in two days time he offered a realistic response. “I really don’t know. I have to rest first.

and meanwhile Virenque who seems to be a capable rider has gotten a huge leg up in the GC standings.

Yabbut he's only got 3 minutes on Lance.

And the beautiful thing is the strategy behind the scenes.  Getting your guys to lead out and act as decoys, and bring you food and water.  Talk about strategy and planning.

There's some.  Glad to have another soul to participate.  Welcome back!

This is why we love the tour...

Peloton Held Up By Six Cows...

The peloton had to ease off the pace of its chase because six cows were in the middle of the road.