Anyone else a cycling fan out there? This is Lance Armstrong's final Tour, and he certainly started it off with a bang today.

Jan Ullrich (one of Armstrong's main threats) was passed by Armstrong (who started the time trial a minute later). Ullrich can't be pleased with the way he started the tour.

Official Tour web site.

Lance Armstrong's official web site.

Anyone else watching?

Should he not win in his swan song what he's accomplished til now is truly one of the amazing accomplishments in sports...
I grew up cheering for Eddie Merck and even he didn't come close to Lance's streak.
I'm pulling for him all the way !

patio.

Not only is he one hack of an athlete, (probably one of the greatest) his comeback story is what really drew me to him. You have to give that guy a lot of credit for his will. While im not a cycling fan, i really want to see him win.

Sean

If it's true he was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time, I truly envy him. He is a symbol for all atheletes or hopefuls, never give up, you can fulfill your hopes no matter what anyone says, all that matters is confidence and self belief. Even so, he's a fantastic athelete and deserves all the praise, even all of us but together would struggle to endure what he has to endure. The man is a avatar of stamina, strength and hope! I'm not a cycling fan, but I am happy for him for his achievements.

Tomorrow (team time trials) will probably be when Lance and the Discovery team make a move. It should be an interesting day tomorrow.

Armsrong has certainly done some great things for cycling. Quite a few people that don't follow cycling still end up watching the Tour only because they want to see how he is doing.

Today's finish line looked like rush hour traffic in mid-town Manhattan...

patio.

i enjoy cycling as somewhat of a hobby, and am rooting for lance. riding a real hog on the american highways is way more fun, in my opinion.

Just as expected, Armstrong got the yellow jersey today. David Zabriskie (man who was wearing the yellow jersey) crashed with less than a mile left in the team time trial and fell back to 9th overall.

People are now wondering whether or not Armstrong is going to defend the jersey or let someone else have it for a few days.

Yes it comes down to a cat and mouse game now. Do you keep the jersey and keep the pressure, or give it away and ride a little lighter in hopes of regaining it another day?

Italian Lorenzo Bernucci won the stage today, but only because the Frenchman leading the race (Christophe Mengin) wiped out (sharp turn with wet pavement) with under a kilometer left. It is a real shame because he led something like 14 or 15 miles. :eek:

They head into Germany tomorrow! The first round of mountains are coming up in a few days, so the race should become really interesting.

I think that he is going to do his best to keep the jersey now. His team has been riding extremely well, so they might as well keep it.

It only makes sense to me, just keep whooping tail and keep growing your lead.

The Definition of Class....

Lance Armstrong in the lead...

Armstrong took the yellow jersey Tuesday from fellow American David Zabriskie, a Team CSC rider who fell in a dramatic crash in the final moments of the stage.

The six-time Tour winner started the day opting not to wear the leader's yellow jersey, citing ``respect'' for Zabriskie. Armstrong set off in his Discovery Channel uniform in the pre-race ride, but race officials stopped everybody before the starting line and asked Armstrong to wear it.

``There was no problem, just a little confusion in the beginning, having not started in the jersey,'' Armstrong said. ``I didn't feel that it was right to start in the jersey.''

Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc got strict about the rule book, which states that the overall race leader ``must wear'' the yellow jersey.

``There was no negotiation,'' Armstrong said. ``Jean-Marie said: 'You don't start in the jersey, and you don't start tomorrow.' So I said 'OK.'''

Full Story Here...

patio.

Today was a great stage for sprinters, and that was evident because Robbie McEwen ended up winning the stage. No major turns at the end of the race (unlike yesterday) so nothing too shocking happened at the end. Lance Armstrong finished safely and still has his overall lead.

Armstrong has to be excited because tomorrow they head into the mountains. Not only is this the part of the tour where the possible yellow jersey winners will wake up, the peloton will shrink down in size a bit.

As expected, Armstrong gave up the yellow jersey yesterday. Jens Voigt now has a 1:50 advantage over Christophe Moreau and a 2:18 lead over LA. Don't worry, LA will probably take it back in a few days. Team Discovery also did a good job making sure that LA wasn't alone and they did a good job of protecting him.

Yesterday's stage winner, Michael Rasmussen, almost led the entire stage. He did an absolutely awesome job, and he certainly earned the victory. He is also 48 points ahead in the king of the mountain race.

David Zabriskie also threw in the towel yesterday and quit the tour. He didn't mention what happened, but many speculate it was because of the crash he suffered during the TTT.

Jan Ullrich (after crashing, again) was cleared to stay in the tour, after x-rays were negative. He is currently almost 4 minutes behind Voigt for the overall lead, but many say that the race really starts tomorrow.

Overall Standings:
1. Jens Voigt 32:18:23
2. Christophe Moreau 1:50 behind
3. Lance Armstrong 2:18
4. Mickael Rasmussen 2:43
5. Alexandre Vinokourov 3:20
6. Bobby Julich 3:25
7. Ivan Basso 3:44
8. Jan Ullrich 3:54
9. Carlos Sastre 3:54
10. George Hincapie 4:05

Lance Armstrong won another Tour de France. Quite a few Americans probably won't even bother ordering OLN next year.

Overall GC Standings:
1. Lance ARMSTRONG 86:15:02
2. Ivan BASSO 4:40 behind
3. Jan ULLRICH 6:21
4. Francisco MANCEBO 9:59
5. Alexandre VINOKOUROV 11:01
6. Levi LEIPHEIMER 11:21
7. Mickael RASMUSSEN 11:33
8. Cadel EVANS 11:55
9. Floyd LANDIS 12:44
10. Oscar Pereiro SIO 16:04

I am going to continue supporting "big" Jan, and I hope that he stays in shape and stays out of trouble until the next tour.

'twas some quality cycleage. a true endurance sport...