WRAP-UP FOR 2009

What an interesting race with compelling story lines:

1. The return of Lance Armstrong to the Tour after 3 years of retirement.

2. Lance and 2007 Tour champ Alberto Contador at the top of the strongest team.

3. The duel/rivalry between two American teams--Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia-HTC.

4. The incredible sprinting power of Mark Cavendish--who iced the cake with a 6th stage victory on the Champs Elysees.

5. The Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank of Luxembourg. Andy finished 2nd overall with the sacrificial support of Frank.

6. Epic climbs and mountain-top finishes, particularly at Verbier and Ventoux.

7. The stage George Hincapie should have ridden into the Yellow Jersey but was denied(by just 5 seconds) by now finger-pointing American teams and former teammates.

8. Contador's overall dominance confirmed but significant immaturity exposed.

9. Lance finishing 3rd overall, after sacrificing his chances of contending with Contador for top spot by staying back to mark Bradley Wiggins in Stage 18. Lance showed a grace in this race not previously known.

10. Fabian Cancellara's dominance in individual time trials.

11. Levi Leipheimer crashing out while in 4th place overall.

12. No doping scandals!

Great, clean, well-ridden race.

FIRST MOUNTAIN FALLOUT

A few story lines from the first difficult mountain stage with a mountain finish (the most fun to watch/follow):

KUDOS TO THE ESCAPEES. Eight of a group of nine escapees made it to the line ahead of the select bunch who are in real contention for winning the Tour de France. Kudos to Frenchman Brice Feilleu who won Stage 7 and to Italian Rinaldo Nocentini for donning the Yellow Jersey as race leader. Both cyclists were part of a long breakaway group of nine riders who successfully stayed ahead of the peloton all day.

STYING IN CONTENTION. Every legitimate contender to win the race was in the group of cyclists who finished together over three minutes after Feilleu crossed the line: Cadel Evans, Lance Armstrong, Frank Schleck, Levi Leipheimer, Bradley Wiggins, Tony Martin, Denis Menchov, Carlos Sastre, Christian Vande Velde. Out of this group (plus one) will come the 2009 Tour de France champion.

CONTADOR MAKES A POWER GRAB. And 20 seconds ahead of this group of contenders was 2007 Tour winner Spaniard Alberto Contador. Contador attacked this select group in the last kilometer, going against this team's plan, to erase his 19-second deficit to teammate Lance Armstrong. The move was likely calculated to give him the Yellow Jersey, but it failed. It moved Contador from third to second place in the overall standings and puts him two seconds ahead of third-place Armstrong.

TIT FOR TAT. Those few seconds may have cost Contador much more. His move was a power grab and a direct assault on/insult to Armstrong. We'll see how Armstrong responds. Contador may have "fired a shot across Armstrong's bow" (to quote VeloNews), but he may have lost the confidence of his teammates and ensured that Armstrong is now free to attack him whenever he feels like it. Interesting team dynamics, eh?

CANCELLARA'S REIGN ENDS. Fabian Cancellara, who has worn the Yellow Jersey since Stage 1, gave it up and will not wear it again in this year's Tour. The Swiss is not enough of a mountain climber to compete with the elite ones. He may win a few more stages, but his leadership of the Tour is over.

JERSEY, JERSEY, WHO WANTS THE JERSEY? Look for the Yellow Jersey to switch backs quite a few times over the next two weeks. Whoever is wearing the Maillot Jaune, watch for the ultimate winner to come from the group listed above. I think it's going to come down to Armstrong and Contador. And my sentimental favorite Armstrong.

CONFESSION OF A MANIA

I'm addicted to the Tour de France. There. I've said it.

EVERY JULY. I try to keep a lid on my enthusiasm. I know most folks really don't care to hear about it. They But they hear about it from me anyway. I bend my schedule around it. I read everything I can and tune in to little online video windows to watch early in the morning. I buy expanded cable access for one month to watch the specter. For ten years running now, I've had a mania for the Tour de France.

BEYOND BIKE HIKING. I enjoy bicycling nearly every day, either on my road bike or mountain bike. I participate in regional group cycling events like the Hilly Hundred and NITE Ride. I guess I'm what you'd call a bicycling enthusiast or advocate. I've even ridden 2,000 miles on a bicycle through India. But none of this explains to me the mania that emerges full force when the Tour de France rolls around each July.

FIRST WATCH. I began following the Tour closely after reading an article in Bicycling magazine about Lance Armstrong's bout with cancer and his upcoming attempt to ride the Tour de France. I followed that first post-cancer campaign with real interest, unaware of the nature of the Tour de France, the terms the announcers used (peloton, escape, breakaway, wheel sucker, bonking, etc.), or the real test of stamina and power it represented. By the end of it, however, I was hooked.

TEN-YEAR ADDICTION. It's been a decade of this July enthusiasm. Who would've imagined Lance Armstrong winning seven Tours in a row? Even after the American disappeared from the scene, my intense interest held. No doubt, the presence of real American contenders in the Tour like Levi Leipheimer and Christian Vande Velde, kept me particularly interested. But now the return of Armstrong to the Tour heightens my interest significantly.

SEARCHNG FOR SOURCES. My mania must be some combination of love for cycling, recognition of the pain and struggle of being in the saddle long hours and struggling up steeps, the complexity of the Tour's diverse stages and format, the incredible beauty of the countrysides, villages, and mountains of the Tour, the team strategies, the unexpected breakthroughs and turns in the drama of the race, the presence of Americans in a European-dominated sport, and the post-cancer feat of Lance Armstrong. It all adds up.

GOTTA GO... I'd write more, but Stage 7 is underway. I don't want to miss what could be the defining stage of this year's event. It's the first day in the mountains. The long stage has a Category 1 mountain climb in the middle and a Hors Categorie--beyond categorization--mountain climb at the end. Armstrong said yesterday that this stage "separates the contenders from the pretenders." We'll see where he stands in that assessment. If he's a real contender, he could be wearing the Maillot Jaune--the yellow jersey of the overall race leader--at the of the day. We'll see!

NOVELTY NO MORE

FAUX STORY LINES. Lance Armstrong's return to the Tour de France was thought to be a novelty. The story had nice lines to it. A has-been champion coming out of retirement to once more ride in the race he once dominated. A senior on the PGA tour. Michael Jordan trying to get back in the game. A publicity stunt for cancer research. What harm could it do? You really couldn't take him too seriously. He was along for the ride.

THE JESTER STRIKES AGAIN. Some of these are story lines Lance himself has perpetuated since announcing his intention to come out of "retirement" last fall. And once again, the Texan with an unquenchable desire to dominate and a chip on his shoulder half a mile wide, along with a seasoned ability to seduce his rivals and the press with bait-and-switch tactics, has turned the tables. The jester strikes again.

TO BE RECKONED WITH. Four stages into the 21-stage Tour, Armstrong has emerged as the virtual leader and positioned himself as the man to beat. Again. Whether or not he ultimately wins is beside the point. The point is, Lance is back in full force, full physical capacity, full intimidating control. He is the man who will be reckoned with. Like it or not.

MAKING ADVANTAGE. By taking--or making--advantage in an opportune breakaway in Stage 3, Armstrong put himself into serious contention, moving from 10th to 3rd place. After Team Astana's dominating ride to win the Stage 4 Team Time Trial on Tuesday, it moved five riders into the top ten positions and severely diminished the chances of some of the Tour's top contenders. More importantly, it brought Armstrong to within 2 hundredths of a second of donning the Yellow Jersey.

THE WAY IT IS. Fabian Cancellara will wear the Maillot Jaune for a few more days. But Cancellara cannot climb mountains well. The Swiss champion is not in contention to win the Tour. Armstrong is the virtual Tour leader. Any doubts about that will only fuel his anger and bring humbling consequences to the riders and teams who seek to prove otherwise. Apparently, that's just the way a Tour with a healthy Lance Armstrong in it is.

FORGET ONE STORY LINE. No doubt, several main story lines remain. The rivalry between Armstrong and Alberto Contador is real and will play out. Astana's ability to hold together amid that rivalry is real. Armstrong's ability to respond to attacks in the mountains from contenders is a question mark. But forget the story line about the old man who made a cameo appearance in the most demanding sporting event in the world.

CAVENDISH AND ARMSTRONG MAKE THEIR MARKS

So, we have several stories developing after just three stages of the 2009 Tour de France.

CAVENDISH ROMPS. One story is of a young British sprinter named Mark Cavendish: He's won, hands down, the first two sprint finishes of the Tour. He's the man to beat when it comes down to a bunch sprint for the line. Will anyone rival him for the Green Jersey?

LANCE INTO 3RD PLACE. Another story is about you know who...Lance Armstrong. By getting into a successful breakaway of two dozen or so escapees about 30 km from the finish in a particularly windy section of the course in Monday's Stage 3, Armstrong gathered about 40 seconds from his rivals. He leapfrogged from 10th place to 3rd place in the General Classification contest (the rider with the best time).

RIVAL TEAMMATES. What's more, Armstrong took an 11-second lead over his own teammate and former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. There is speculation of an intense intra-team rivalry between Armstrong and Contador, and today's action on the course did nothing to diminish that. Who will lead Astana into the mountains? We'll see.

TTT ON TUESDAY. Interesting scenario: Tuesday, Stage 4, is a Team Time Trial. Astana is expected to win it. If they do, and if their time is at least 40 seconds better than that of Columbia-HTC and Saxo Bank, then Lance Armstrong will be wearing the Yellow Jersey tomorrow evening. We'll see if it happens.

POST STAGE 1 REFLECTIONS

AND...THEY'RE OFF! Great start to what will be a dramatic Tour de France. American Lance Armstrong set the early pace in this individual time trial through beautiful Monaco. Teammate Levi Leipheimer set the mark to beat. And only the top contenders, riding last, met and beat the challenge. As expected, Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara bested everyone. 2007 champion Alberto Contador finished strong, as did Cadel Evans of Australia, last year's 2nd-place finisher. The ITT did its work of separating contenders from supporters.

TOP TEN. Here's the top ten after Stage 1:

Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank	0:19:32
Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana	0:00:18
Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream	0:00:19
Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana	0:00:22
Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto	0:00:23
Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana	0:00:30
Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas	0:00:32
Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC	0:00:33
Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas	0:00:37
Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana	0:00:40

LANCE WATCH. I think Lance will finish in the top five of the Tdf, for sure. He rode conservatively today to a 10th-place finish. If the dude gets angry (and it won't take too much to make him angry), he can win it.

HOW IT WILL DEVELOP. Don't look for anything to happen in the first week, except for sprinters to duke it out on fantastic finishes. Don't expect much separation among the contenders in the second, which includes climbs through the Pyrenees mountains. The third week...will be wild. The Alps will tell all. And the next to the last stage (the day before Paris) is the climb to Mount Ventoux. This is the queen stage of this year's route. Hearts will break. Legs will fail. Men will cry. Heroes will be made. This is what makes the TdF the legend that it is.

ASTANA: GREAT...OR FRAGILE? Astana is loaded. Four riders are placed in the top 10 after Stage 1. Leipheimer, Armstrong, Contador, and Andreas Kloden each could be leaders on any other team. Each can time trial, each can climb, each is a proven winner. But can they work together? Will they? A few years ago, Ullrich, Kloden and Vinokourov (each capable of winning) were stacked on a team and they blew up in division in the mountains. No good chemistry between Contador and Armstrong. Armstrong's loyalties lie with...Armstrong. I'll be very surprised if we see him work for Alberto. Watch that rivalry.

'09 TdF JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY

Hard to believe it's that time of year again. School's out, summer's beginning, June is half over, and the best endurance athletes in the world are gearing up for the greatest sporting event in the world. Yes, I am biased. Yes, I'm a little bit crazy. But, no, I am not kidding. It's time for the 2009 Tour de France. We'll celebrate Independence Day on July 4 in America. In France, July 4 kicks off the first of 21 day-long stages that will take over 180 professional cyclists across more than 2,000 miles of terrain. The rider with the least accumulated time will don the Maillot Jaune, the Yellow Jersey, as the best of the best.

This year's Tour de France is a wide open race with lots of legitimate contenders, four past winners, and the returning presence of seven-time TdF winner Lance Armstrong. Over the next three weeks, I'll share what I'm reading and gleaning from professional cycling journals and news outlets to set up the race. After each stage, I'll share my own reflections and comments and updates. I hope to make a few more fans of the Tour de France out of this little mania of mine. If nothing else, it's an outlet for my own enthusiasm for the event. Stay tuned!

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

I've been tracking the Tour of California...and wishing I were there

ON SUCH A WINTER'S DAY. While we're dealing with the continuing winter with freezing temperatures in the American Midwest, cyclists have been racing through sunny California. It hasn't all been warm and sunny--take last Sunday's Stage 1 day-long downpour, for example. But it certainly has been a beautiful Tour of California to follow online and on Versus TV.

LEIPHEIMER TO THREEPEAT? American Levi Leipheimer leads the race heading into its final stages. Should he hang on to the lead, it would be his 3rd straight ToC victory. Lance Armstrong's comeback bid is playing out well; the 7-time Tour de France champion is in 6th place after the prologue and five stages.

MAYBE NEXT YEAR. Wish I were there. It would be great to be in Pasadena on Saturday afternoon when the best cyclists in the world roll in from an 89-mile ride from Santa Clarita. Maybe I can plan a vacation for this week next year and follow what has become America's premier professional cycling race (folks who oversee the Tour of Georgia may argue with me about that). Follow the Tour of California and Lance Armstrong's comeback at http://www.cyclingnews.com/.

In the spirit of dialog, I welcome comments and/or questions. Click on "responses" below to post. They're moderated only to reduce incivility. Shalom!

LANCE IS BACK

DRAMA DEVELOPING. You've likely heard one of leading stories in sporting news this week: Lance Armstrong is planning to make a comeback as a professional cyclist, hoping to ride and win the Tour de France in 2009. This will be a dramatic story to follow as it develops.

AGE FACTOR. Is he crazy? Is he too old? Will he actually win? I will post developing story lines and comments here.

NUMBER EIGHT? Armstrong is a phenomenon already. The Texan came back from a devastating range of cancer, surgery and chemotherapy to win the grueling three-week, 2,000-mile Tour de France an unprecedented seven consecutive times. After his 2006 win at age 34, Armstrong "retired." But, apparently, he still feels like he's got a win in him. Certainly, he's got a cause burning within him. He's dedicating his effort to raising further awareness and funds for cancer research.

WHO'S NOT CONTESTING THIS YEAR'S TOUR

EMERGENT CROP. In the most recent years, Carlos Sastre has been a consistent also ran. Cadel Evans has been lurking, but not ripe for a podium finish in Paris. Christian VandeVelde rode support, as did Denis Menchov. These capable riders have moved forward as the Armstrong-era strongmen have, for one reason after another, moved aside.

LEGITIMATE CHAMPION. Every Tour de France is raced without at least a few "should have been there," "could have won it" cyclists. But they were injured. But their team wasn't invited. But they were under suspicion of doping. But... The eventual champion of this year's Tour de France will be a legitimate winner because he rode the full 21-stage course over 2,000 miles better and faster than anyone else who had equal opportunity to ride it. So, cheers to the eventual champion and every contestant who crosses the finish line in Paris.

ABSENT FROM THE FIELD. On the other hand, look who's not in this year's race: Alberto Contador, the defending champion. American Levi Leipheimer (in photo), last year's runner-up. Contador and Leipheimer's team wasn't invited to this year's race. Then there's Alexander Vinokourov, proverbial dark horse who was kicked out of last year's Tour for doping. And Floyd Landis, 2006 winner, stripped of his title for doping. Michael Rasmussen--out for doping. The list goes on. Some of the "not present" contenders should be there. Some should not. Perhaps some of them will have another opportunity to contest the Tour before they're too old. Others, tainted by doping, should just stay away for their sport's sake.

STAGE 18: STATUS QUO UNTIL SATURDAY

TRANSITION STAGE. This late in the race, it's hard to get focused on the goings on within a transition stage. Finished with the Alps, the Tour is moving back into central France--transitioning from the mountains to the flatlands. Today, a series of breakaways and jockeying for points over minor climbs produced, at the line, yet another stage win for American-based Team Columbia with Germany's Marcus Burghardt prevailing. The sportswear company is getting great mileage out of its recent choice to sponsor a team!

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO SATURDAY. The spotlight for the overall win--the General Classification--remains on Saturday's individual time trial (ITT) showdown between current Yellow Jersey man Spaniard Carlos Sastre and pre-tour favorite Australian Cadel Evans. The Tour championship will be won and lost based on the ride of these two worthy riders. Trailing Sastre by 1 minute, 34 seconds, Evans must ride the time trial of his life and hope his time is at least 1 minute, 35 seconds better than Sastre's. Sastre will be the last rider on the ITT course. It will come down to the very last second. Hang on to your hats!

STAGE 17: SASTRE TAKES YELLOW ON L'ALPE d'HUEZ

MAGIC NUMBER FOR EVANS. Cadel Evans' magic number: 1 minute, 16 seconds. That's how much faster he was than Carlos Sastre in the first Individual Time Trial (Stage 4). After Sastre's scamper up fabled L'Alpe d'Huez to a Stage 17 win today, Cadel now trails Sastre 1.34. Barring unexpected and unforeseen shake-ups on Thursday's Stage 18 and Friday's Stage 19, the championship of the 2008 Tour de France looks to come down to Saturday's Stage 20 ITT.

EVANS VS SASTRE ON SATURDAY. After Sastre's CSC-Saxo teammates helped launch him to a powerful attack and win on L'Alpe d'Huez today, the Spaniard took over the Yellow Jersey and a 1 minute, 34 second lead over Evans. Frank Schleck of Luxemburg and Bernhard Kohl of Austria are also ahead of Evans, but neither of them have proven that they can time trial well enough to maintain their advantage over him. Cadel Evans is, by far, the best time trialer of all the contenders. Evans is substantially faster in a time trial than Sastre. But is he THAT much faster than Sastre?

EPIC FINISH. So, it will come down to whether or not Evans can overcome the 1.34 he's behind Sastre on Saturday. This looks to be an epic finish. Don't count out American Christian VandeVelde as a possible podium finisher. It will be either he or Russian Denis Menchov in 3rd place.

REST DAY 2 UPDATE: IT'S UP FOR GRABS

LAST WEEK, THIS WEEK. My twice-a-day speaking schedule at the West Virginia camp, along with trying to get in some afternoon road and mountain bike riding in those beautiful mountains and limited Internet accessed shut me out of daily updates on the last week's stages of the Tour. But I'm "back home again in Indiana" and ready to track the last week of the closest Tour de France in recent memory!

CHAMPIONSHIP UP FOR GRABS. Who'd have thought that less than a minute would separate the top six contenders after 15 stages? More than that, only eight seconds separate race leader Frank Schleck of Luxemburg, Bernhard Kohl of Germany and Cadel Evans of Australia. Back only 38 seconds is Denis Menchov of Russia. Down only 39 seconds is American Christian VandeVelde. Spaniard Carlos Sastre is at 49 seconds. And there are three others within still within striking distance. We're looking at a very exciting week at the top of the leaderboard.

TWO MORE MOUNTAIN STAGES. The outcome of this year's race rests on two more mountan stages and then, on Saturday, an individual time trial. Tomorrow, the cyclists tackle two highest category (HC) climbs, including the highest point in this year's Tour. On Wednesday they face three HC climbs, including a mountain top finish on the fabled L'Alpe d'Huez. While there are categorized climbs during Thursday and Friday's stages, nothing's there to separate the contenders. Wednesday is do or die day! It will be epic!

INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL ON SATURDAY. If Cadel Evans can remain within 30 seconds of the lead going into Saturday's Stage 20 Individual Time Trial, he could well be this year's winner. He's, by far, the best time trialer of the top ten contenders. Only Denis Menchov and Christian VandeVelde can match his time in the ITT. Frank Schleck and Bernhard Kohl finished minutes behind Evans in the Stage 4 ITT. But, you never know...

DOPERS OUT. Emerging Italian phenom Riccardo Ricco, after winning two stages in this year's Tour, is out--along with his whole Saunier-Duval team--after his urine test revealed EPO. A Barloworld rider got caught, too. No room for cheaters in the Tour de France. Let's keep cleaning it up, leveling the playing field, and restoring integrity to the sport.


MARK CAVENDISH - FOUR STAGE WINS. The young British rider riding for American Team Columbia made quite a name for himself by winning four sprint-finishes stages in this year's Tour. Few cyclists can do this. Let's see if he repeats the feat next year.

STAGE 10: SPREAD THE GLORY AROUND

EVANS IN YELLOW. Two highest category mountain climbs brought the first real fireworks of this year's Tour. Two Frenchmen crested the first mountain, Tourmalet, well ahead of the peloton--something of a French victory on Bastille Day. The second mountain, Hautecam, brought a first-time stage victory for Italian Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier-Duval). More importantly, it brought the Yellow Jersey to Australian Cadel Evans, and put distance between him and contenders like Alejandro Valverde, Damiano Cunego, and Kim Kirchen.

AMERICAN VANDE VELDE INTO THIRD. There was something for Americans to celebrate, too. Christian Vande Velde, leader of the Garmin-Chipotle team, finished the stage alongside Evans, moving him up to third place in the General Classification rankings. This was a breakthrough for Vande Velde, who can now be considered a dark horse for the Tour win or podium finish. Vande Velde has lots of experience and tends to ride more strongly in the last week of a 3-week tour.

RESTING, REVELING, PREPARING. Tomorrow is a much-needed rest day for the cyclists. Evans can revel in his good fortune, since he crashed badly on Saturday and raced with bandages today. He is the race leader, but he is just one second ahead of Frank Schleck of Luxemburg. Schleck is a bonafide contender. The riders will consider the mountains that are ahead of them. The heart of the Tour de France has yet to be raced.

CATCHING UP ON BASTILLE DAY

MOUNTAIN RETREAT. So, I've been a literal TV and Internet blackout for the past two days. Only by cell phone have I kept track of the Tour progreess. I'm at a camp in the West Virginia mountains and Wi-Fi hotspots are miles away. So, tracking and comment may be patchy this week.

KICKING TRAILS, STEEP ROADS. On the other hand, I'm getting in some great rides, both on my road bike and mountain bike. The trails around here are awesome. They kick me, humble me. The road biking is dangerous. Roads are narrow, windy and steep. Treacherous, really. But it is the most challenging terrian I've ever attempted. No complaints ever again about the climbs in the Hilly Hundred.

STAGE 7: SANCHEZ WINS STAGE; CUNEGO CRASHES

The end of the first week of the Tour de France keeps bringing surpises (not the least of which is that the cyclists have two more days of riding before their first rest day). Luis Leon Sanchez (shown leading the stage) dug deep on the long descent and beat all the leaders to the finish line by six seconds. Kim Kirchen retains the Yellow Jersey, but Italian contender Damiano Cunego crashed and damaged his chances to be on the podium in Paris.

STAGE 6: SUPER BESSE SHAKES IT UP

GLORY AND DISAPPOINTMENT. A mountain stage in the first week is rare, not that Super Besse was an HC or Category 1 climb. But, apparently, the constant up-and-down terrain all day took its toll and the final climb up Super Besse really separated the Tour de France peloton. It brought glory for a few and disappointment for others. At the end of the day, the race leadership was shaken up (again).

ITALIAN ROOKIE TOPS. Tour rookie Italian Riccardo Ricco beat all the contenders to the top of Super Besse. Right on his heels was top contenders Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans, and, right behind them, Frank Schleck and Kim Kirchen. Unfortunately, race leader Stefan Schumacher crashed in the final kilometer and lost the Yellow Jersey. Kirchen takes over as the race leader.

STAGE 5: ONE FOR THE BRITS!

YOUTH MOVEMENT. Mark Cavendish of Britain out-sprinted the best of the best sprinters at the finish line of the longest day of this year's Tour de France (232 km) to claim a striking win. The charging peloton swallowed up a day-long breakaway group of three within the last kilometer. Several teams worked to set up to spring their best sprinter across the finish line. Oscar Freire was there. Thor Hushovd was there. Eric Zabel was there. And there, also, powering ahead of these sprint greats, was a 23-year old from England riding for American team Columbia.

A STAR IS BORN? This was the first Tour de France stage win for Cavendish. Racing folks took note of him in the Giro d'Italia, in which his sprinting ability stood out. It was the first stage win for a British rider since David Millar won a stage in 2003. He's one to watch for the rest of the sprint finishes in this race and for the future.

THOR IN GREEN...FOR NOW. With his fourth-pace finish in the stage, Norwegian Thor Hushovd took over the Green Jersey from Kim Kirchen. Hushovd has won the Green Jersey competition before, but he will certainly have to fight to keep it amongst a carnivorous group of capable sprinters. Yet to win a sprint finish: Australian Robbie McEwen (though he out-sprinted all others behind the 3 breakaway riders in Stage 3).

STATUS QUO. No significant changes in the General Classification (overall standings).

NOW THAT'S AMERICAN!

I love this wide angle photo of American Christian Vande Velde riding in Tuesday's Stage 4 Individual Time Trial of the Tour de France. You know, Vande Velde didn't HAVE to put the image of an American flag on his American-made Zipp wheels (made in Speedway, Indiana, actually!), but he did! I think that's cool. I usually don't go in for flag-waving expressions of patriotism, but every now and then some graphic strikes me as fitting and fun. This is one. Vande Velde finished well enough to put himself in the top ten overall for the race after four stages.

STAGE 4: INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL SHAKES IT UP

CHANGE, CHANGE. First it was Spain that celebrated. Yesterday the French could celebrate. Today, it's the Germans. Tomorrow?

SCHUMACHER BURNS UP THE COURSE. Today's Individual Time Trial was a short 29.5 kilometer ride that called for a sustained blast of energy. Most riders finished the course in about 40 minutes, but the winner, Stefan Schumacher of Germany completed it in 35.44 minutes, averaging 49.534 km/h. Schumacher's time was not only good enough for the Stage 4 win, but good enough to put him in the Yellow Jersey as the third leader in 4 stages of this year's Tour de France. Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara was heavily favored to win this stage, but he finished fifth. What happened?

SHAKE UP. The ITT shook up the leadership of the Tour, making the race leadership look more like it would have looked like had there been the usual Prologue prior to Stage 1. It looks good for Cadel Evans and Kim Kirchen, even Christian Vande Velde. On the other hand, it looks like Alejandro Valdverde is not yet strong enough in time trials to stamp his leadership on the Tour.

AMERICANS. Two Americans, George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde finished in the top ten in the ITT. Danny Pate was in the top 15. The Americans have learned from Lance Armstrong that a key ingredient to a successful Tour is to work hard on and ride well in individual and team time trials.

TOP TEN. Here are the top ten times in the race after Stage 4 (name, nation, team, time):

1 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner total lapsed time: 14 hrs. 4 min. 14 sec.
2 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Columbia -0.12
3 David Millar (GBr) Garmin Chipotle -0.12
4 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto -0.21
5 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) CSC-Saxo Bank -0.23
6 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin Chipotle -0.37
7 George Hincapie (USA) Columbia -0.41
8 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Columbia -0.47
9 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas -0.58
10 José Iván Gutierrez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne -1.01

OTHER CONTENDERS. Here's where others considered contenders to win this Tour are placed after Stage 4:

11 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank -1.12
16 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre -1.26
17 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne -1.27
18 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC-Saxo Bank -1.29
23 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC-Saxo Bank -1.43

SIX TO WATCH. After four stages, the race appears to be up for grabs among six riders. Count David Millar and Cancellara out of the running; they are not mountain climbers. Hincapie and Lovkvist will sacrifice themselves for Kirchen in the mountains (too bad for Hincapie, because I think he's got the stuff to lead Columbia and be on the Paris podium). Nibali and Gutierrez, likewise, are support riders. Team leaders Denis Menchov, Damiano Cunego, and Valverde are great mountain climbers and they can readily erase 90-second deficits. But can they put enough time ahead of Evans, Kirchen and Vande Velde in the mountains before the second Individual Time Trial to keep the lead, should they capture it? We'll see.

HOW TO LOSE IT IN THE FIRST WEEK. Lance Armstrong was quoted recently as saying (repeating): "You can't win the Tour in the first week, but you can lose it." How to lose it: (1) wreck in the peloton, (2) do a poor Individual Time Trial, (3) fail to respond aggressively to breakaways. It looks like Evans and Kirchen are following his formula closely.