Today’s stage, if you haven’t heard already, was a nail biter from the git-go. Contador attacked on the Telegraphe; that is, the very first part of the very first climb on the day. I’ll take whatever he’s on! What a champion though to make a move like that, although I won’t give up anything to Andy’s similar risky ride yesterday.

I’m not going to give you the results, in case you are waiting to get home and see the highlights, but you might remember that I, along with nearly 10,000 others, raced this very course last week, making this stage a bit more personal than the previous 18.

Other than it being a joy to watch other people suffer up the same 3 mythic climbs I did, it was a tad depressing to see how fast they were doing it. It seemed like they sprinted up Telegraphe and Galibier, and I had barely enough time to drink my beer on the Alpe d’Huez. Incredible speeds. How fast?

Today’s winner crossed the line at 3 hours and 19 minutes, or an average speed of around 33 kph (remember, this is nearly all vertical riding)! I finished in 5 hours 40 minutes, or just under 20 kph. I think I’ve got some more training to do.

Tomorrow’s time trial, by the way, is not to be missed. Cancel everything (including sleep North Americans) to watch it.