STAGE FIVE: Thomas Defies The CW
That was a good example of what happens when the breakaway loses their sense of purpose. They started clowning around and watching each other with about 5k to go and that should all really wait until 2k to go. When the Katusha guy attacked the other guys all worked together – it was a gentleman's agreement with them that the Katusha rider would not win.

It was a deserving winner that got to the finish line first, although he kept himself busy showboating for the last 500 meters. The stage was really hard because the riders were nervous with all the battles going on and it was windy, especially on the coast.

A cool thing about today was that after the stage we jumped in the car as we always do, only this time we arrived in Spain, not France. We immediately headed out for food and we had some nice tapas and some Spanish wine. The Brits (Lightest & Sherwin) were all jealous because despite their bourgeois front, they don't have the wine depth that I do and they didn't know what to order. I got the last, best bottle of wine in the place not to mention the best meal Ive had on the Tour so far. Those are the type of things that help you get through the three weeks on the road!

Thor is king of the planet in Barcelona
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)

STAGE SIX: Millar Strikes Out, But Thor Gets It
David Millar struck out alone on an impressive solo mission to try and steal the stage win for Garmin. At the end of the day he would fail, but he reminded us all that life can always be snatched from the jaws of death so long as hope is kept alive.

The other riders in the break with him did not deviate from conventional wisdom which dictates that the break-away is doomed from the beginning if the peloton does not give them more than a couple of minutes. In the end, conventional wisdom was right, but you have to appreciate the audacity of the attempt.

From the peloton Mark Cavendish could not handle the false flats before the finish and instead, a rider who is perhaps is not quite as quick, but has more staying power - Thor Hushovd – won the stage. Team Cervelo is a new team and the expectation that they would win a stage has been understandably low. But Thor has now justified the investment into the team by their sponsors and at least for 24 hours he is the king of the planet.

With the Tour de France now being in Spain for a day, it has given us the most massive crowds seen so far this year....crowds that the Tour cannot guarantee in France. The reason is simple. The Spaniards have an armada full of overall contenders, including of course Alberto Contador, while the French have none.