Eric, have faith, man!

Voekler lost NINE MINUTES to Lance over the last two days. I agree that Mayo is more of a threat, but he's not a sprinter, and there's still some sprinting to come. Plus, even he didn't hang with lance through the end last year. I think he's hoping to make a good impression for next year, when Lance won't be around.

It should be very interesting, but I'm thinking the race is pretty much over. Hamilton's back injury was a major disappointment, but Ullrich is washed up.

Bryan, I think you meant "Basso" instead of "Mayo" (too many non-Russian Ivans in the race! ;-). Anyway, I haven't lost faith; I'm just pointing out that things may be a bit more complicated than they appear from the typical American sportswriter's point of view.

I've also heard that Lance may be back for #7, by the way. I've got mixed feelings about that.

Armstrong's got a lot more challenges ahead than just the race.

Like the petty, spoilsport LOSERS they are, the French are doing everything they can to ruin Armstrong's victory off the course as well.

First the rules get changed in a manner which, as you pointed out, seem deliberately designed to eliminate Armstrong's strengths.

Second, French authors print a smear book claiming Armstrong uses drugs. French courts reject Armstrong's libel suit against the authors (surprise, surprise) and FINE him for bringing the charges!

Third, now there's MORE fabricated accusations of drug use with only Armstrong being selected for a very special new "blood test".
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports/article/0,1299,DRMN_2_3041332,00.html

None of the OTHER riders are getting it? How come?

Because Armstrong is (in order of importance):

A.) American
B.) Beating the French on their own soil in spite of everything they've done to make him lose.

On top of all that, French spectators were jeering him when he finished today. Looks like the French are turning out to be losers in more ways than one.

We can expect more unsportsman-like behavior from the French fans and more accusations of drugs from the French press if Armstrong wins.

Nothing like a solid "hate-America" attitude wrecking international sports.

Yeah, I meant Basso (all those "o" names sound the same to me :-P)

But I think Lance has the right frame of mind. He's taking nothing for granted, but he also knows that the second half of the race is what's key (as he said before the race began).

The doping stuff and anti-americanism are petty, but also typical of the race. He's never been embraced by the french, and I think that actually makes him more motivated.

Anyway, it's going to be interesting. But it's possible Basso will fade before the time trial.

The one thing I'm not worried about is Lance being distracted by any of the media circus going on around him. He's dealt with it his entire career. And, actually, he's more popular with the average French racing fan than you might think (he wasn't always; learning the language and living there during racing season has helped drop the barriers). At the same time, as long as a French rider is wearing the yellow jersey, that's where their allegiance will naturally fall. I don't blame them for that.

Anyway, what Lance CAN control, Lance WILL control. He's that strong.

An SI.com article quotes Lance as saying they tried to get Basso on the USPS team, so Basso may not be as big a surprise to them as he is to the rest of us.

I'm sad to see Jan Ullrich fading out. I wanted to see him win another Tour. Maybe next year.

I have mixed feelings about Lance going for #7, too. If he wins #6, I think he should retire while he's at the top of his game.

Denise, while it's true that Lance himself wanted Basso on his team, I don't think it was because he or anyone else thought of him as a legitimate contender for an overall victory. You recruit team members for their specialty strengths: strong climber, strong time trialer, high pain threshold to lead pack-breaking attacks. I think Basso is proving to be more of an all-around leader than anyone thought.

Of course, just the opposite could be true. Lance wanted Basso on his team to keep him from competing for the overall victory! As "they" say, keep your friends close, and your rivals even closer.

Well, you've proven not so much the prognosticator today. Voekler played it safe, satisfied to keep the yellow and a :22 lead.

I didn't see any of the race today, but I didn't really expect any changes at the top. My description of the possibilities of this stage was just to cover my rear in case something really wild happened!

Here's one prediction that I'll wager money on: there will be no change in the leaderboard tomorrow either! ;-)

Armstrong wasn't selected for some super-secret special test that no one else had to take.

The Tour organization, in an attempt to address widespread belief that riders might be doping, decided shortly before the Tour to add blood testing to the urine testing (plus hematocrit) that they've always done.

More here:
http://www.tdfblog.com/2004/06/more_on_doping_.html

Anyway, dozens of riders have been blood tested, chosen by team, and USPS was one of the teams tested.

Thanks for the clarification, Frank.