The Tour de France this year was the most exciting in years. After 7 years of dominance by Lance Armstrong, nobody could guess who would come forward this year to take the win. Surprisingly, another American has won; only the 3rd in history, behind Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong. Floyd Landis won it in an exciting manner, not dominating like Lance has in the past, but really working for it.
Last Wednesday, Landis cracked during a very tough mountain stage, and fell from 1st to 11th, losing over 8 minutes to the new leader. When everyone thought he was out of it, he came back the next day on another tough mountain stage, and broke away at the first of several climbs, in the end winning by a huge margin. He ended up in 3rd place overall at the end of the day, just 30 seconds from the lead.
On Saturday, he rode incredibly well during the final time trial, gaining back the lead, with a 59 second lead over second place. What a great tour, with a record number of riders in the Yellow Jersey, and a very exciting finish.
DB.
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I just don't get why the last day has to be a walkover for the leader. 59 seconds doesn't seem like a formidable lead. There must be some way for the second place rider and his team to strategize about how to make that up. Sure, Landis had a team to help him too, but why can't the last day ever be a race instead of just a leisurely stroll through Paris?
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