The Tour de France needs no introduction to cycling fans. It draws million of fans onto the roads of France for what is generally considered to be the most difficult bicycle race there is.
This year's race started in Monaco today, and will visit France, Spain, Andorra and Switzerland before ending in Paris on July 26 on the Champs Elysée.
Each day will see a different Stage, and there are various kinds of stages. There will be 10 general stages on flat open roads, 2 Time-Trials for individual riders against the clock, 1 Time-Trial for teams against the clock, and 8 for the most gruelling of all the stages, mountain stages. Mountain stages result in many riders abandoning, and the tour is often won and lost during them. Each stage begins around lunchtime, with all riders leaving together (Except for time trials of course.) Stages generally finish around 5pm.
The Tour will be extensively covered on Digital Journal, and for readers who would like to know more about the rules and conventions of this fascinating test of man and machine before reading stage reports, there is a
detailed article to be read here. It is highly recommended reading for those who are not yet familiar with the race's intricacies.
This year's favourites are the discreet Spanish rider and winner of last year's tour, Carlos Sastre (Cervéko team,) the Australian Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto team,) Russian rider Denis Menchov (Rabobank) Alberto Contador and the very much in form Schleck brothers (Saxobank.)
But the name on everyone's lips is of course that of the almost mythical American rider, Lance Armstorng, who is back this year trying for a record 8th win.
The tour began in brilliant sunshine in Monaco, although storms were predicted towards the end of the day. Today's stage was, as is the custom, an individual time trial. The circuit was just over 15 kilometers long. Riders left at two-minute intervals and were classed at the end according to fastest times. A time trial begins the Tour because it is not too hard on riders and allows them to get into the swing of things gradually.
The first half consisted of a not-too-steep climb, then the circuit flattened out a little before descending back down into Monaco.
This meant that it was considered to be suitable for most riders, including climbers and sprinters, and this automatically gave many riders a chance to win it and put on the famous tour leader's yellow jersey.
Armstrong was 18th to leave the starting ramp and he was also the first of the favourites to leave.
He climbed well and his mid-distance time placed him first at that time. He looked fairly relaxed, just as he had been during pre-stage interviews and whilst chatting to the other riders waiting to leave.
He finished with a time of 20m12, 30 seconds in front of the second-placed rider.
But much stiffer competition was to come, and the other favourites had the advantage of knowing his time.
Tony Martin, the German all-round rider, came in 7 seconds quicker than Armstrong a short while later. The very talented Levi Leipheimer, one of Armstrong's team mates, just clipped Martin's time and Armstrong was then in third position.
Armstrong spoke to the press at around that time and said "It's a difficult circuit. I found it difficult to find the right rhythm. But I wasn't kidding myself, and I knew I wouldn't take the yellow jersey today. But I felt good in general terms. I had a lot of fun.
He must have been quite happy to learn that he was still third and only a few seconds behind the leaders, after half the riders had finished.
But there were still some big guns to come.
Kreutziger pushed Armstrong down to fourth before Andreas Klöden, the German rider, was the first to finish in under 20 minutes, with a time of 19m54. Levi Leipheimer was second at that moment, 8 seconds behind.
At 18h40, only 20 riders were left to run, and they included some of the strongest. Armstrong would soon see "what sauce he was going to be cooked in" as they say in France.
It then began to rain. This was not going to favour those left to ride, particularly during the rather technical and twisting descent.
Still to come were Fabian Cancellara and Contador, both of them big favourites today because of their all-round ability. Also waiting in ambush were Cadel Evans and Carlos Sastre, both excellent climbers, not that their climbing prowess would be crucial on the relatively easy climb.
19h17 and Alberto Contador is provisionally first as he gets to the summit of the climb, halfway around the circuit.
The race was extremely close at that time, with Sastre having just been launched on his ascent of the climb.
Contador did not do the descent too well however, and the Swiss rider Fabien Cancellara, who started just after him, completed an audacious and almost reckless descent to pick up a provisional first place.
19:27 and Cadel Evans takes 5th place, just 22 seconds behind the leader, Cancellara.
All eyes are now riveted on Carlos Sastre, who has just begun the rain-slippery descent.
Cancellara can only wait and pray.
His prayers must have paid off, because Sastre too does not take any risks on the descent and finishes 1:06 behind him.
The coveted yellow jersey goes to Cancellara, who deserved his win if only because of his enormous courage during the very dangerous descent, which had just enough rain on it to be easy in places, but deceptively slippery in others.
He finished in 20m38, just 18 seconds in front of Contador who edged Bradley Wiggins into third place by one tiny second, in a very close race.
Armstrong finally ended up in 10th position, 40 seconds behind the leader. 40 seconds is not a long time at this early stage in the Tour, but he will surely be looking to keep tabs on Cancellara and Contador in tomorrow's stage, a general stage with not too many stiff climbs or steep descents, which will follow the Riviera coast and arrive in Brignoles after 187 kilometers.
