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Tour de France, France

Stage 1, Fromentine - Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile TT, 19K

2 July

The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Psychological Warfare

Stages and Maps, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap

I knew there was a reason I love the month of July. Not only are the days long and the weather good, but it's also Tour de France time. It's like there is an electricity in the air. For our American readers out there, it's like having the Superbowl everyday for three weeks. A new story every day filled with excitement and drama. Vive le ciclisme!

Wow, what a day. The DD would like to tip his hat to young David Zabriskie. What can you say about his performance? This is his first ever Tour de France appearance and he walks away with a stage victory and a yellow jersey. Not a bad day's work. Zabriskie now joins an elite fraternity of riders that have won a stage in each of the three grand tours. And, he's the only American to achieve that feat. Not even Lance can lay claim to that.

I wouldn't exactly call Zabriskie an underdog for the time trials. He did after all win the TT in last month's Giro d'Italia. Many people picked him to do well today. But few would have bet that he would beat the TT juggernaut, Lance Armstrong. I for one, like seeing the little man get some well-deserved attention. This is yet another example of how master motivator Bjarne Riis has worked his magic and created a champion in Zabriskie.

I got to think that right about now Ullrich is thinking to himself that it's going to be a painful 3 weeks. Armstrong absolutely scorched the TT course. I mean, Ullrich is no average rider against the clock. For him to get caught and passed by Armstrong is a major psychological blow for the German. The DD is a big fan of "Der Kaiser", but I think he'll have a hard time repairing his fragile psyche after that beating. Lets hope that for the sake of the race Ullrich gets it together in the mountains along with the other contenders so that we don't have a repeat of last year's "Lance Show."

Armstrong took full advantage of the opportunities this stage presented to the riders. First, he dealt a major death blow to his opponents. Cycling is psychological warfare and Armstrong clearly won today's battle. Secondly, he gave himself a nice margin going into the mountains. Now, the onus is on his opponents to take time out of him.
- The Dust Devil