Tally's Tour de Lance  Stage 19

5:12am - Wow it's early. Wow my sleep is so screwed up. Wow I can't
believe how frackin tired I am.

Today is the last open stage in Lance's professional career. Tomorrow
is the Individual Time Trial, and Sunday is the celebration into Paris
where by tradition if the leader has a substantial enough lead, no one
attacks he Malliot Jaune.

Todays semi-climbing stage runs from Issoire 153.5k, over the summit of
an extinct volcano, to Le Puy-en-Velay. Gorgeous sunny day in the 80s.
They're calling for rain on Sunday in Paris which would be a tragedy,
but apropos. It would be the universe mourning the retirement of one of
the great cyclists of all time. Certainly a man who has done more for
the sport than anyone else.

Jan Ullrich is carrying a teddy bear on his bike! No wonder he can't
get up the hills faster than Lance.

5:20 - Breakaways are attempted. Breakaways are reeled in immediately.
Lance is 2'46" ahead of Basso, but the fight for 2nd and 3rd place in
Paris is tight. There is also still the team competition in contention
with TDC 11min behind T-Mobile, as well as the Green Jersey (sprint
competition), with Thor Hushovd only 14 points in front of Stuart
O'Grady and Robbie McEwen 8 points behind Stuart. The White jersey
(best young rider under 25) is pretty much a lock by TDC's Popovych who
is over 7min ahead of the rest of the group. The King Of The Mountains
is locked for sure by Mikael Rasmussen as long as he crosses the finish
line in Paris on Sunday, since there aren't enough mountain points left
in the Tour to knock him out.
Today is going to be interesting.

5:30am - Pellizotti, Pereiro, Guerini (TMO) and Casar are 45" ahead of
the peloton. Not much of a breakaway....yet. There are lots of sprint
points up for grabs today, so the sprinters should be balls out, which
could get a little dangerous. They are all on their way towards the
last CAT 2 climb of the tour.

5:45am - The gap to the front four is 1'10" ahead of the peloton. There
is also a chase group of 9 including Azevedo (TDC), Flecha, Chavanel,
Grabsch, Commesso, Da Cruz, Bertolini, Arvesen, Weening, are just 45
sec behind them.

6:00am - Gap is now 2'. They've begun the climb, with TDC leading the
peloton and slowing things down a bit, allowing the break. However they
can't let the gap get out of hand like the last two days, since Pereiro
is 17' behind Lance, and Guerini is 33'.

6:15am - Gap is 3'42". Still climbing.

6:45am - Gap is 6'42". They've all passed the feeding zone, and the
chase should begin soon. I hope. Pereiro is now a threat to several
members of the top ten in the overall GC.

7:00am - Gap is 8'41", and no teams are willing to chase with 54k to
go. Pereiro is in virtual 7th place now.

7:05am - Gap is 8'55". Team Illes Baleras has come up front at last to
pick up the pace.

7:40am - Gap is down to 7'08" with 29k to go.

8:00am - Gap is 5'34". 5k to go.

8:10am - Guerini (TMO) attacks the breakaway, and wins the stage. He
also puts T-Mobile well into the lead of the team competition.

Lance celebrates his 81st day in the Malliot Jaune, and goes into
tomorrow's ITT 2'46" ahead of Ivan Basso, who he passed in the ITT up
Alpe d'Huez last year, like he passed Ullrich in this years prologue.
Ullrich might actually get some time on both Rasmussen who's still in
third overall, and Basso. It's going to be an amazing stage!

GO LANCE!


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