Contador feels the pain of his first attack
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)

Lance is like a prophet, but the internal meaning is much more obvious than if he'd stated the obvious. Lance took a page from the Cro-Magnon playbook - use your mind as well as your hunting skills and you will survive.  Most of the other guys looked like Neanderthals plodding along to their extinction.

Alberto is gonna have a hard time winning without the cooperation of his teammates. They won't race against him, but if the collective will decides you won't win, it's impossible to win. Alberto needs to be more judicious with his accelerations.

Rinaldo Nocentini might not have the yellow jersey past Saturday's stage, but either way, one day with the jersey is better than none, especially for a French team.

The problem with having the yellow jersey is that you have to defend it and if you get it now and try to keep through Paris, well, that's a whole other kettle of fish than having it for just three days. Lance understands that big picture better than most and how the energy expended with the yellow – both on and off the bike – can burn you up. The yellow jersey may be prized, but it is a burden as well.

It's a lot harder than it looks
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)

I just got to do my first short ride of the Tour and it was fabulous. I think it should be mandatory for every journalist to ride at least one steep climb in the race. Most of them have probably never turned a pedal and if they did so they might show more empathy for the riders by having a slight clue how painful it is.