FRENCH BEAUTY

Those who originally conceived of the Tour de France could not have imagined the vast impact an annual bicycle tour of the nation would eventually have. Each year as I watch the Tour weave its way around the country, passing through vineyards and mountains, villages and cities, historic landmarks and contemporary sites--in addition to observing its people, I marvel at the beauty of France. Is there any place in the world that enjoys such annual and generous exposure of its natural and developed assets?

STAGE 7 - GERMAN YOUTH STEALS BASTILLE DAY

YOUTH MOVEMENT. A 24-year old German youth named Linus Gerdemann sped away from 15 escapees and out-climbed all the Tour favorites on the Category 1 Col de la Columbiere to win the first Alp mountain stage and claim the Yellow Jersey. It was Gerdemann's (T-Mobile) first stage win in the Tour de France. His only other professional stage win was in the Tour de Suisse in 2005, his rookie year as a pro. The Tour continues to surprise and create opportunities for emerging champions.

TOP CONTENDERS TOGETHER. The pre-race favorites all finished in a bunch together about four minutes after Gerdemann crossed the line. This group of 20 did not make it into the GC top ten, as I expected they would, but they distinguished themselves from the rest of the field as a select group out of which the eventual Tour champion will emerge. This group included Christophe Moreau (my sentimental favorite to win the race), Alejandro Valverde, Levi Leipheimer, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre, Iban Mayo, Michael Rasmussen, Frank Schleck, Yaroslav Popovych, Vladimir Gusev, and Vladimir Karpets.

Stage 7 wrap-up & complete results @ cyclingnews.com

SPRINTERS FALL BACK. As expected, all the sprinters fell out of the top ten in the General Classification today, including Fabian Cancellara, who preserved the Yellow Jersey for eight days. He will now work for his CSC teammates to keep their best climber in the hunt for a podium finish.

SORRY, GEORGE. One of my predictions for the day did not fare well. American George Hincapie fell behind the main group and is now officially considered out of contention for the Yellow Jersey. He will work to keep fellow American and Discovery Channel team member Levi Leipheimer's podium hopes alive. I hope George will still go for a stage win a bit later in the race.

COMEBACK KIDS. I'm impressed that Astana teammates Andreas Kloden and Alexandre Vinokourov have recovered from injuries suffered in big crashes a few days ago. I thought Kloden would be long gone and Vino limping along. But both finished in the main group today. Those of us who counted them out counted wrong.

TOUGHEST DAY (SO FAR) TOMORROW. Today was mild compared to tomorrow's stage. Today featured one Category 1 climb. Sunday's Stage 8 features three Category 1 climbs, including a mountain-top finish. Further distinction of the Tour contenders will be featured. It should be a very dramatic day in the Alps. I look for another shake up in the General Classification top 10. Those who made it into the top 10 based on their breakaway today will not likely be around at the finish of that monster stage. The serious contenders for Yellow Jersey and "King of the Mountains" contests will rise to the occasion.

OKAY, HERE'S MY SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE

NOW'S THE TIME TO PICK A WINNER. Since the eventual winner of this Tour de France seems wide open at this point, and since that perception will likely change over the next three stages, now's the time to pick a winner. After Tuesday, it will likely be too easy or obvious, and what's the fun in that? So, here's my take. It's not based on much more than sentimentality and a wish.

WHAT FRANCE REALLY WANTS. What has France been wanting for years? What's been fueling the French press's journalistic stretches to try to discredit Lance Armstrong and invalidate Floyd Landis' victory? Here's what I think: The French need a local champion. They deeply believe and desire that the Yellow Jersey should return to French soil. Maybe that would be a good thing. Maybe that would curb some of the mud slinging. Maybe that would restore order in the cycling universe. So, I say let's have a French champion. Let there be an heir to Bernard Hinault, France's last Tour de France champion.

BASTILLE DAY GLORY? And there's real potential for a French champion in Christophe Moreau. He's currently lurking among the top contenders, trailing Fabian Cancellara by just over one minute. He does well in time trials. He performs even better in the mountains. Moreau is the current national champion and he's having the best year of his professional career, having won the Dauphine Libere this spring. And now the Tour is heading into his backyard--the Alps of southeastern France. So, I'll cheer for Moreau. Saturday is Bastille Day, so let's see Christophe and company shine. Viva la France!

Who's your pick to be wearing the Yellow Jersey in Paris...and why?

EL DIABLO CASTING A SPELL?

It woudn't be the Tour de France without seeing El Diablo along the roadside of every stage. It's German Didi Senft, the Tour's #1 fan, or at least #1 most recognizable fan. But is Didi casting a spell that's causing all these crashes? Maybe the Tour needs a few more angels, instead...

(Photo: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

STAGE 6 - BOONEN ASSERTS HIS SPRINT SUPERIORITY

WITHOUT McEWEN. Well, my question is: why wasn't Robbie McEwen one of the top five sprinters at the finish line in this wide open bunch sprint finish at the end of Stage 6? It was not a surprise that Tom Boonen was there. It was not a surprise that Eric Zabel was there, or Oscar Freire. But where's the Aussie who usually thrives in such a chaotic, 50-mph charge to the line? The answer may be in injuries suffered during Stage 1. We'll see.

BOONEN IN GREEN...AGAIN. Boonen's back in the Green Jersey with today's win. It's shaping up to be a contest between he, Zabel and Hushovd at this point. McEwen's points are adding up; Boonen and Zabel's points are multiplying. I'm pulling for Robbie, but wouldn't mind seeing Boonen take the Green in Paris. Regarding the sprinter in the Tour de France over the past few years, my quip has been: "Anybody but Pettachi." Of course, Pettachi is sidelined from this Tour because of some discrepancies in the amount of prescription medication in his blood.

BIDING THEIR TIME. Where, o where, are the mountains? The cyclists who are contending for the overall win (General Classification, Yellow Jersey) must be going stir crazy riding along in the peloton. They tuck in and try to stay out of harm's way. They let a few escapees grab momentary glory. They dismiss the sprinter who will surely fall far behind in the mountains. They bide their time. They conserve their resources. They antcipate their opportunities...which begin tomorrow and Sunday. Sunday will decimate many. My, how this race is about to change.

PREDICTIONS FOR STAGE 7. Let me go out on a limb and make a few predictions for how things will look at the end of tomorrow's Stage 7, which includes a Category 1 climb toward the end of a long trek:

• Fabian Cancellara will yield the Yellow Jersey. It's been a nice ride, Fabian; you wore it well.
• American George Hincapie will don the Yellow Jersey. Andreas Kloden (currently 2nd GC) is injured and the rest of the top ten are not climbers. All Hincapie (currently 6th GC at 43 seconds behind Cancellara) has to do is hang with the main group at the finish to emerge with the maillot jaune...at least for the day. If not Hincapie, then possible his Russian teammate Vladimir Gusev, current wearer of the White Jersey.
• Frenchman Christophe Moreau, American Levi Leipheimer, Australian Cadel Evans, Russian Denis Menchov and Spaniards Oscar Periero and Alejandro Valverde will move into the Top Ten in the General Classification. This will begin the real selection of who will be on the podium in Paris.
• Alexandre Vinokourov will move closer to his rivals, making up time lost in Stage 5. I look for him to make his real moves next week.

We'll see...

WHEN I SEE THESE CRASHES

I see these crashes in the peloton and I not only wince, I feel their pain. I relive a bit of my own recent fall.

Taking a big spill while mountain biking on an oft-ridden trail last month, I ended up with 17 fractures and I'm relegated to six weeks in a torso brace. Before this, I'd never had so much as a scrape in 4,000+ cycling miles a year for 25+ years. But now I know the feel of a bad fall. I know now that two crashes which look similar can have dramatically dissimilar results.

I also know that I cannot wait to get back on both my Cannondale road bike and my Raleigh mountain bike. I hope to have great time in some fall tours. I cannot predict at this point, however, what I will be thinking about potential hazards on the road and trail.

For now, I watch and empathize with the guys who hit the pavement and ditches.

THAT'S THE SPIRIT

Just be glad this cow, showing its udder love for the Tour de France, is behind a fence. Having bicycled 2000 miles thru India back in January, I am trying to imagine cows and all kinds of animals wandering the French roads amid this high-speed cycling race. We're talking major carnage.

Explore my ride thru India. I daily blogged the 2000-mile trek - Bicycle India 2007

STAGE 5 - ONE WILD RIDE

CANCELLARA STILL IN YELLOW. No one would have predicted that Fabian Cancellara would still be wearing the Yellow Jersey at the end of this first mountain stage. But there he was, at the head of the peloton heading into Autun. And there he was, missing a downhill turn, going off into the grass (he quickly corrected and finished with the lead bunch). And there he was, donning the maillot jaune for the sixth day in a row.

VINO FALLS BEHIND. No one would have predicted that race favorite Alexandre Vinokourov would lose over minute against his main rivals on this 182.5-kilometer stage that provided no less than eight categorized climbs. But there he was, sprawling beside the road, badly scraped and bleeding. And there he was, charging hard the last 30 kilometers of the course, trying to catch the main peloton. The Kazakh fell 1'24" behind his main rivals this day. That's a significant gap he will likely work hard to erase in the Alps beginning on Sunday.

POPPO AT THE LINE. No one would have predicted another bunch sprint finish in this mountain stage. But there they were, charging toward the line at over 50 miles per hour after 113 miles and eight climbs. The day's glory went to a 25-year old Italian who made a public prediction yesterday that he would win today's stage. Filippo Pozzato out-manuevered and out-kicked his fellow sprinters to win the stage by a wheel. It was his first stage win in the Tour de France.

TOO FAST, TOO FURIOUS. There were lots of wrecks and injuries during today's stage; more than usual. Several contenders were involved in crashes. Andreas Kloden, last year's third-place finisher, crashed and may have fractured his arm. The pace was also very fast, which does not bode well for tired legs heading into the mountain stages. Those cyclists who can recover well will be ready for Sunday's monster stage 8; those who have spent themselves on the flats will fall far behind. Anyone thinking this year's Tour de France would be lackluster because some of the "big names" aren't present were sorely wrong.

STAGE 4 - SPREADING AROUND THE SPRINT GLORY

McEWEN HAS COMPANY. Well, my thought that Robbie McEwen would dominate the limited number of sprint finishes available in the Tour de France has gone out the window. After the Aussie came from the back of the peloton after a crash and blew the field of sprinters away at the end of Stage 1, I thought he'd follow that up with subsequent stage wins this week.

GREEN JERSEY CHANGE. Instead, the other great sprint contenders have taken their turn in the spotlight. Gert Steegmans and Tom Boonen crossed the line in a one-two Belgian finish for Quickstep in Stage 2. Boonen grabbed the Green Jersey from McEwen and has kept it ever since. Yellow Jersey wearer Fabian Cancellara surprised all hopeful sprinters at the end of Stage 3, powering the last 1ooo meters to solo Swiss glory at the line.

CAN YOU SAY "THOR?" And today it was Thor Hushovd's (in green in photo) turn to shine as he outpowered the field in as long and wide and open a bunch sprint finish you could ever witness. The finish was perfect for the big Norwegian, who was led to the line perfectly by his teammates, each spending themselves on the point while he trailed in their slipstream until the last most crucial moment. Hushovd's stage win gave him enough bonus time to move him into third place overall in the race.

SPRINTERS WILL STAND DOWN. The sprinters will not likely be in the mix at the end of tomorrow's Stage 5. There are several categorized climbs spread out through the course. When the race heads into the mountains, the sprinters yield to the mountain climbing specialists. Some sprinters won't make it thru to the end of the race, such a toll the Alps and Pyrenees will take. Those who DO survive through the mountains will live to have a few more chances to shine on some flat stages and Paris.

STAGE 3 - CANCELLARA'S SERIOUS

UNEXPECTED. Sure, the reigning world time trial champ had a good day in the London Prologue last Saturday, winning the 5.7 mile jaunt to don the Yellow Jersey. That could have been expected. But this...this wasn't expected.

LIKE A ROCKET. Nobody expected Fabian Cancellara to contend for a stage that rolled on endlessly--237 kilometers, 147 miles; not a stage that was designed to feature the world's top sprinters pushing and shoving each other for glory. But with the finish line in sight as the peloton gobbled up four day-long escapees, the big Swiss overwhelmed eveyone--shooting ahead of the pack like a rocket.

MAKING A STATEMENT. It's not usual for the wearer of the Yellow Jersey to try to win such a stage, since he would have received the same time as the first-place finisher even if he'd been the last rider in the main bunch. But Fabian Cancellara is apparently not interested in just "protecting" the maillot jaune. He's interested in asserting his hold on it as long as he can. Today's finish was a strong a statement as he could make. Awesome!

GO, DOG, GO! As I watched part of the race, the peloton was moving along about at 20 miles per hour for most of the course. I was thinking, "I could do that!" Commentators said they were "loafing." It's not racing, that's for sure. Now, come on, 20 mph certainly isn't loafing, at least not for amateurs. But when the peloton got serious about chasing down the four escapees, they put the hammer down, flying between 35-40 miles per hour for the last 25 miles. Whoa! I was thinking, "I cannot do that!"

FIVE RACES WITHIN ONE

WHICH ONE TO WATCH? If you're new to following the Tour de France, there's more to it than watching who's wearing the Yellow Jersey of the overall race leader. Granted, the Yellow Jersey is the one that gets most of the recognition, but watching four other contests makes the Tour all the more interesting. Here are the five main contests within the Tour.

YELLOW JERSEY. The Yellow Jersey (maillot jaune) is the most-watched contest within the Tour de France. The overall race leader is the one with the lowest accumulated time from stage to stage. This is called the General Classification or GC. Whichever rider has the lowest accumulated time gets to wear the Yellow Jersey. The one wearing it at the end is considered the Champion.

GREEN JERSEY. The Green Jersey (maillot vert) is for sprinters and the points are awarded for intermediate and finish-line sprints during stages. This called the Points Classification. The sprinter with the most points at the finish line in Paris wins this contest. Robbie McEwen is the defending Green Jersey champ.

POLKA-DOT JERSEY. The Polka-dot Jersey (maillot pois) is for mountain climbers and points are awarded for the first three to five riders over each mountain top. This is called the Mountains Classification. The climber with the most points by the time the Tour reaches Paris wins this contest.

WHITE JERSEY. The White Jersey is awarded to the best-placed cyclist who is under age 25. This recognizes and awards up-and-coming riders. The average age of Tour de France cyclists is 30.

TEAM CONTEST. Each team of 9 cyclists also contest for the best overall time for its riders. The team with the best time averaged among its top riders wins the Team Classification.

STAGE 2 - BELGIAN WINS IN BELGIUM

STEEGMANS PREVAILS. The trek from Dunkirk, France to Ghent, Belgium was long, flat, and wet in parts. Three escapees spent most of the day trying to stay clear of the peloton. But, as usual, they were gobbled up about three kilometers from the finish. This set up a dramatic bunch sprint finish that was marred by a major crash and pile up. At the line, the Belgians prevailed today where they faltered yesterday. Gert Steegmans of QuickStep crossed the line just ahead of his team captain Tom Boonen, also a Belgian. So, there's joy in Belgium tonight. But we'll wait to find out the extent of injuries to the many riders caught up in the big crash.

BOONEN MOVES UP. Tom Boonen, the most highly-regarded athlete in Belgium, moved into the overall Top Ten based on bonus time for his second-place finish. He also moved one point ahead of Robbie McEwen for the sprint championship contest represented by the Green Jersey. One of the things to watch throughout the Tour's flat stages is this context for the Green Jersey, maillot vert.

DAVID MILLAR SAYS "THANK YOU, ENGLAND"

I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING. David Millar paid tribute to his fellow British citizens today with his breakaway. He relayed his intentions and feelings to Cyclingnews this way: "I just tried to kind of be in the race today, so this [Polka-dot Jersey] is a total bonus. I just attacked because I was kind of in a dark angry mood this morning, so I wanted to do something."

ON A SUICIDE MISSION. "I remember in '94 when I came to the Tour when I was a kid. I queued up in Brighton at the barriers for like four hours for the race to come through and then the two riders came through and ten minutes later Boardman had attacked off the front. I remember that made my whole day, seeing Boardman off the front. And so, I thought today, 'you know what, I'm just going to go on a suicide mission,' and it ended up being productive, which is a real bonus."

I JUST WANTED TO SAY 'THANK YOU.' "I just wanted to say 'thank you' to everyone, it's just been such an opportunity, it was the one opportunity in my life to do that. It's been amazing, there were flags and my name painted out and everyone was just cheering my name, it was nice to hear 'David' being shouted out in an English accent and not 'Davide, Davide.' It was the first time I've had 'David, David' the whole road, so that was great, it was just like wonderful, it's a big 'thank you' to everyone for coming out and supporting us. It was a good day. The crowd was huge, insane. Everywhere we went people were supporting us racing."

STAGE 1 - McEWEN SPRINTS TO INCREDIBLE FINISH AT CANTERBURY

FROM OUT OF NOWHERE. He crashed within 25 kilometers of the finish line. Pain from the wreck prevented him from joining the main group of hard-charging riders until 5 k from the finish. When the sprint specialists were lining up their trains at the 1 k mark, he didn't seem to be in sight. But within the last 200 meters, there he was--a wound-up coil springing with power and speed that caught all the other top guns off guard. Robbie McEwen, the little Aussie dynamo, made the impossible look easy and grabbed his 12th Tour de France stage win. McEwen won the Green Jersey (given for sprint points) in last year's tour and this finish signals his readiness to defend it in 2007.

RIDING PROUD IN HIS NATION. The 203 k ride from London to the Canterbury coast featured a long solo escape by a son of Great Britain, David Millar. What a show of national pride the Scot put on. He was eventually joined by three other escapees and the four cyclists worked together to remain ahead of the peloton for as long as possible. They were eventually reeled in and swept up by the peloton, but not before Millar claimed enough cleared enough points on the few mild climbs of the stage to be presented the Polka-dot Jersey (Maillot Pois) at day's end.

AU REVOIR, ENGLAND. Hundreds of thousands of Brits came out to the roadsides to cheer on the Tour participants on another sunny day. English landmarks both in London and Canterbury marked the route. Enthusiasm and support for the race on British soil should signal a sooner than later future return for Tour organizers. Tonight, the cyclists will be transported across the English Channel and spend the night in Dunkirk, France. Tomorrow's stage will take them from Dunkirk to Ghent, Belgium in a long, flat stage that promises another bunch sprint finish. Can McEwen do it again?

STAGE NOTES:

• Fabian Cancellara retains the Yellow Jersey and there were few changes in the General Classification standings. David Millar moved into 3rd place, based on bonus time added for his climbing points in Stage 1. Thor Hushovd also moved into the GC Top Ten based on bonus time added for his sprinting efforts in Stage 1.
  
• Average speed for the day: 27.1 miles per hour. Try that for 125 miles sometime.
  
• If you are not familiar with bicycle racing terms, please use my "Tour lingo" guide in the right sidebar. It's taken me several years to comprehend Tour lingo and I'm still building my understand of the vocabulary.

LONDON PROLOGUE GOES SWISS

GLORY IN ENGLAND. What an incredible day of racing through the streets of London! Hundreds of thousands of Londoners turned out for the tour depart. The 8-kilometer Prologue of the Tour de France wound its way past such historic places as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. London has never shined quite like this, nor has it been treated to such a spectacle--the world's best 189 cyclists going flat out through the old city to launch the 94th Tour de France. (photo: a cyclist flies past Buckingham Palace)

WHY A PROLOGUE? The Prologue is a short time trial, each rider out on the road alone, competing against the clock. Its role in the Tour is to set the stage, giving an initial time and placement for each rider before the 20 stages begin. At 8 kilometers, today's course was short and fast--less than 10 minutes! Tomorrow's Stage 1 will be over 200 kilometers from London to Canterbury--a multi-hour ordeal. The Prologue rarely predicts the race winner, but few Tour de France winners ever finish outside of the top 20 of this first test.

HOW IT UNFOLDED. After two Russians--Vladimir Karpets and Vladimir Gusev (Discovery Channel)--laid down a challenging time for the top contenders, the fireworks started. German Andreas Kloden (Astana) set a new, seemingly unapproachable mark--12 seconds better than Gusev. American George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) rode well to finish third on the day, proving he's made his way back after a broken wrist in the Tour of California. All London cheered as its native son, Bradley Wiggins, crossed the finish line just hundredths of a second behind Hincapie's time. But the day's glory went to the current world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (in photo). The CSC rider from Switzerland blistered the course, finishing in 8 minutes, 50 seconds--13 seconds better than Kloden. He will wear the Yellow Jersey as the race leader tomorrow.

TOP TEN AFTER THE PROLOGUE. Here are the top 10 finishers for the Prologue, along with the marks of other pre-race contenders for the tour win:
1. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland - CSC - 8'50")
2. Andreas Kloden (Germany - Astana - -13")
3. George Hincapie (America - Discovery Channel - -23")
4. Bradley Wiggins (England - Cofidis - -23")
5. Vladimir Gusev (Russia - Discovery Channel - -25")
6. Vladimir Karpets (Russia - Caisse d’Espargne - -26")
7. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan - Astana - -30")
8. Thomas Dekker (Netherlands - Rabobank - -31")
9. Manuel Quinziato (Italy - Liqui gas - -32")
10. Benoit Vaugrenard (France - Francaise des Jeux - -32")
---
11. David Zabriskie (America - CSC - -32")
17. Cadel Evans (Australia - Predictor/Lotto - -36")
21. Oscar Pereiro (Spaing - Caisse d'Epargne - -37")
26. Levi Leipheimer (America - Discovery Channel - -40")
27. Denis Menchov (Russia - Rabobank - -40")
32. Alejandro Valverde (Spaine - Caisse d'Epargne - -43")
56. Christophe Moreau (France - AG2r Prévoyance - -49")
92. Carlos Sastre (Spain - CSC - -56")
95. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg - CSC - -57")

WHAT IT MEANS. The Prologue, being a short time trial, is a day for cyclists that specialize in time trials to shine. However, the Tour de France is won by riders who can achieve well in all three types of stages: (1) time trials, (2) flat stages with sprint finishes, and (3) mountain climbs. For instance, Carlos Sastre is nearly a minute behind Fabian Cancellara. Sastre's specialty is mountain climbing. Cancellara is no worry to Sastre. He will easily eclipse Cancellara's time when the Tour gets into the mountains next weekend. But Alexandre Vinokourov IS a worry to Sastre. "Vino" is a great mountain climber AND he did well in the time trial. Sastre's mediocre performance in the time trial means he has to find a way to make up 26 seconds just to be even with Vino. Every second counts. The Tour de France is usually won, after over 2,000 miles and 21 stages, by less than 40 seconds.

VINO IN THE CATBIRD SEAT. It seems to me that Alexandre Vinokourov (in photo) put himself in the catbird seat with his 7th-place finish today. The rest of the best will be chasing for more than a week just to try to make up the time gap he opened over them. It will be Vinokourov's race to lose. If this long-time lone ranger can discipline himself to work with his very talented Astana team, he should win the race. If he impulsively "goes off," as he typically does, the podium in Paris is wide open.

AMERICAN FARING. George Hincapie powered his way into third place today. It's a great start. Hincapie is also a good mountain climber. But he's not the designated "team leader" for Discovery Channel. That's Levi Leipheimer, who finished 17 seconds behind Hincapie in the Prologue. This is a good time trial finish for Leipheimer, but he will have to do better in subsequent time trials and bring his best-ever game to the mountains in order to make the podium. David Zabriskie finished 11th today; he won the Prologue in 2005.

PROOF THAT YOU'RE IN LONDON

"But," says American David Zabriske of Danish team CSC, "I thought this was the Tour de France!"

FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

HOW I BEGIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE

I was training for the Tour de France, but, alas, on June 20, I rode my mountain bike over the side of a trail bridge, fell eight feet, landed on my back, and suffered multiple fractures to my ribs, sternum, right shoulder blade, and spine--17 fractures total.

So, I won't be able to ride the Tour de France this year. Not that I would have anyway, but this torso brace really puts me out of contention...even in my dreams. Maybe next year.
Still, I'll be following the Tour each day and sharing my enthusiasm as the drama unfolds. Hope you enjoy the ride.

Let's be careful out there!

ON THE EVE OF THE 94th TdF

STARTING IN LONDON. The 94th edition of the greatest spectacle in bicycling begins Saturday, July 7, 2007. The Tour de France initiates, for the first time, on the streets of London. What an awesome sight that will be! Daily TV coverage will be on Versus (formerly OLN) and several online resources will carry live audio and periodic updates and graphic summaries of the progress of each stage. It is estimated that over 3 billion people will tune in to the Tour de France at some point during the next three weeks.

3547 KILOMETERS IN 21 DAYS. The Tour route is different each year, but always provides a wide range of terrain, beauty, and pageantry as it circles around France, making forays into England, Belgium, Germany, and Spain. The Prologue (a time trial on Saturday, July 7) and 20 day-long stages will cover 3547 kilometres (that's 2204 miles) of riding, starting in London and ending in Paris. There will be 11 flat stages, two individual time trials and six mountain stages, including three grueling mountain-top finishes. The three-week ordeal will include two rest days. What better way to enjoy "dog days" and the month of July?

LEADING AMERICAN. Levi Leipheimer (in photo) is the best-placed American in this year's Tour. Now riding for the American-based Discovery Channel team developed by Lance Armstrong, Leipheimer has placed in the top 10 several times. He has a chance to finish on the podium in Paris (top three). Leipheimer will be assisted by a strong team that includes former Armstrong lieutenant George Hincapie. There are other notable Americans in the Tour; more on them later.

TOP CONTENDER A KHAZAK. The experts and many of the Tour de France participants think that Alexandre Vinkourov of Khazakstan will be wearing the Yellow Jersey, the Maillot Jaune, when the Tour concludes in Paris on July 29. Vinokourov has been a hard-charging rider for several years, performing well both in time trials as well as mountain-climbing stages. He has won several stages in past Tours de France. "Vino" is explosive and powerful, but tends to be ride like a lone ranger. It is yet to be seen if he can work well enough with his team to win the race outright. More about other contenders for the Yellow Jersey and the other categories later.

DOPING CHALLENGES. Make no mistake: charges and confessions of the use of banned performance-enhancing substances have thoroughly rocked the world of professional cycling over the past year. The verdict is still out on what happened with last year's Tour winner American Floyd Landis that his blood samples showed elevated levels of exogenous testosterone after one stage. One former Tour de France winner, 1997 Danish rider Bjarne Riis, has confessed to using EPO the year he won. Top contender Spaniard Ivan Basso has confessed to working with a physician to hide his use of banned substances and blood transfusions. Others have confessed or been accused. Laboratory integrity and anti-doping procedures have been called into question, also. It's a grand mess right now. Still, any rider currently under investigation for doping in any way will not be permitted to start this year's race. All riders are subject to urine and blood samples at any point during the race. Doping remains a challenge for this and many other professional sports and athletes.

BUT THAT WON'T SPOIL IT. While some riders may somehow slip through the doping dragnet and others may be falsely accused, the system in place is trying to vigorously address illegal doping to end it. Still, when we look at the raw challenge of the Tour de France, we are looking at one of the greatest physical and mental tests in the world of sports competition. These cyclists are incredibly-trained, highly-disciplined, and thoroughly-dedicated athletes. They are riding over the most challenging course (parcours) in the world. It will test them in every way. We will witness a thing of beauty. Hope you can tune in at least every now and then.TO

FOLLOW THE TOUR DE FRANCE. Again this year, like the past five years, I will likely be sharing my enthusiasm and comments on this TdF blog, "The Tour de France for the Rest of Us." I am no expert, just a big TdF fan. For really expert race coverage, here are a few links I use to track the Tour de France:

Cyclingnews - Online coverage: updates every two minutes, good daily summaries and photos for each stage. Also, good video clips. Follow appropriate links.

Official TdF site - Online coverage: updates every two minutes, daily summaries and some video clips. Not a good source for photos. Follow appropriate links.

Velonews - Online coverage: periodic updates during each stage, some streaming video, and daily summaries. Follow links.

Cyclingfans - During the race, this site offers links to live streaming TV/video coverage via various internet TV sites around the world. Patchy, but fun to watch online when available.

Yahoo!/Eurosport - Online coverage similar to Cyclingnews, but offers more of a European perspective and slant.

OH MY...WHERE DO WE BEGIN?

I don't know about you...but I got so fed up with allegations and revelations and accusations and misstatements and misrepresentations and fresh admissions and old denials last autumn that I left this blog project alone. I wasn't sure I would return to it this spring, the time when all cycling enthusiasts begin to think about...you know, the Tour de France.

Yeah, I thought about the Tour throughout the spring. I read http://www.cyclingnews.com/ every few days or so. But I just kept sighing and wincing and getting disgusted through all the continuing allegations, revelations, etc. I now wonder when, or if, the Tour de France and professional cycling will recover from these past twelve months?

But I recently decided to give my blog and the Tour de France another go. I'm one who would rather see something beautiful that is badly wounded through to healing and hope than dismiss it and walk away. As far gone as professional road racing seems to be right now, there is some hope and there are some clean cyclists and programs (they say!).

Two caveats:

(1) I distrust the Tour de France organizers, the anti-doping organizations, the labs who serve at their bidding, and the French press that has its own self-serving agendas. ASO has taken the approach of "guilty until proven innocent" and "guilty by association or suspicion" and has alienated lots of folks. The anti-doping organizations pass questionable methods and imprecise science off as infallible truth. Some labs have acted unethically and bungled simple projects. And the French sports press, well, read it for yourself.

(2) I distrust the riders and their team directors. I don't think all are doping or cheating in other ways, but at this point you have to keep perspective: some of those who've been proclaiming their innocence for years have, in fact, been lying.

So, with this I mind for the sake of keeping reality somewhere on the horizon, I'll reengage the Tour de France. I do so with hope at heart. It may take years for the integrity and luster of the Tour de France and professional cycling to be restored...so let the restoration begin.