On Vacation - Final Week Of The Tour

Happily I plan to watch the final week of the tour in peace. Most years I actually have vacation for the entire tour, but this year it didn't work out that way and its been a bit of a challenge. But now that the tour has turned up into the Alps, with the most exciting and potentially important stages ahead, I'm happy to have the time to watch. I will DVR the races early each morning, do my regular rides and come home and watch while fast-forwarding through the commercials.



Yesterday's first mountain finish in over a week ended, as everyone should have expected, with Alberto Contador in the Yellow Jersey. My dark horse pick to win the tour, Andy Schleck couldn't quite stay with Alberto and came in about 40 seconds behind. Watching Contador accelerate in the mountains is truly amazing and it is difficult to think that anyone can defeat him. But the Alps can produce strange events and Schleck is not out of it yet. the favorite of the media, Lance Armstrong, probably is, although he too is well within striking distance if Contador proves to be human. And Bradley Wiggins has turned out to be this year's sentimental favorite, taking over from his teammate Christian Vandevelde. It could be an exciting week.

Annie and I had good riding over the weekend, nearly 50 miles all told. Today she went out early for the usual loop and I slept in on vacation schedule and then went out for a lovely 30 mile ride.