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93rd Tour de France - presented by

Prologue, Strasbourg TT, 7K

1 July

Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Tour Drama

Dust Devil's Daily Wrap, Stage List, Stage Profile, Photos

The first thing I have to say is involving Operación Puerto. I know,I know......"we've heard enough about it!". I just want to say a few things about Jan Ullrich. Jan Ullrich has to have had one of the most frustrating careers of anybody, ever. If he's not getting raked over the coals endlessly for being too fat, he's injured with knee problems. If not that, then he's up against a winning machine Lance Armstrong and resolved to racing for second place.

Now, he's on his best form possibly since 1997, with a race that's the most wide open since 1998 (when he started as the overwhelming favorite), and he gets suspended THE DAY BEFORE THE TOUR STARTS!!! I wanted to cry for him. Every man has a breaking point, and we can all only take so much. I would expect to hear Jan announce his retirement very soon and say (In German, of course)"screw it, I've had enough!".

OK, enough said. Now, the race. The big surprise for me was the late start by "No-Show" Floyd Landis. For a few seconds I thought he might be staging a protest by not showing. Floyd is my man for the GC. I would love to see him win the overall in Paris. The Tour needs a personality like him to lighten things up. I think he stands a great chance.

There's a pretty damn good chance for an all-American top 5, for that matter, with the recent developments.

Big George lost out at the last second, as is his style. We will see how the role of team leadership suits him. He hasn't had the best luck during the Classics, even though he is often cited by the entire peloton as the strongest man out there. He can definitely do a top 5 though, I think.

All aspiring TT men out there should pay close attention to Dave Zabriskie. Did you notice how "quiet" his upper body is while riding against the clock? Even while getting out of the saddle, his upper body was completely still and he maintained a very low, aero position.

Now, Alejandro Valverde was a big surpise. For a little guy who is not exactly renowned as a specialist, he faired pretty well against the clock and against the big boys. A 50k TT on wide open roads is another story though.

I would be surprised (I must admit), if Valverde makes it all the way to the finish. Not due to lack of form, but rather as another casualty of Operación Puerto. As one of the biggest named Spaniards to come off un-scathed, he's a bit of an anomoly. But some big names have gone down in flames in the last week and nothing would surprise me anymore.

For now, the big Norwegian Thor Hushovd is the man of the hour. He has a great possibility to hold on to the Maillot Jaune for a good portion of the first week, barring catastrophe.

Tomorrow though it's going to go toRobbie McEwen. I think the finish is a bit too technical for Tom Boonen.
- The Dust Devil