Here is a video recap of today's stage of the Tour de France. British cyclist Mark Cavendish (who hails from the Isle of Man) won his fifth stage of this year's Tour. No other sprinter can stay with him. The only change on G.C. is that Lance Armstrong took four seconds out of his rivals. How did he do this? By paying attention. There was a small split in the peloton at the finish. Lance ensured that he was in the front part. Wouldn't it be something if Lance leapt over Andy Schleck by fewer than four seconds? That would give Lance second place instead of third overall and teach the kid a lesson about attentiveness.
There are two stages remaining: tomorrow's wicked ascent of Mont Ventoux (after a long day of riding) and Sunday's ceremonial stage into Paris. There will be no time gains on the final stage, so tomorrow is the last time to move up in the standings. Lance lies third, 1:10 behind Andy Schleck. Three riders, including Lance's teammate Andreas Klöden, are within 38 seconds of him. Obviously, Lance wants to stand on the podium Sunday. Here are Lance's goals, as best I can ascertain them (from most to least desired):
1. Win the stage and take second place from Andy Schleck.
2. Lose the stage, but take second place.
3. Win the stage, but stay in third place.
4. Lose the stage and stay in third place.
Lance came close to winning on Mont Ventoux several years ago. He foolishly allowed Marco Pantani to win the stage, then, even more foolishly, announced that he had allowed Pantani to win. This infuriated Pantani, and rightly so. It made it seem as though Pantani couldn't have won the stage in a two-up sprint. Mont Ventoux is a prestigious climb, so Lance wants to win it. There will be no gifts this year, one way or another.
Lance, I'm sure, would be content with outcome 4. He would be disappointed not to win the stage, but pleased to reach the podium. Outcome 3 is better than outcome 4, for obvious reasons. Lance would join the greats as a winner of a stage to Mont Ventoux and still reach the podium. Outcome 2 is better than outcome 3, for I think Lance values second place more than winning the stage. Why? Because if Alberto Contador should be disqualified for cheating, Lance would move up and become the overall winner of the Tour, giving him eight Tour victories. Outcome 1 is better than outcome 2, for obvious reasons. Lance would get stage glory, plus the chance to win the Tour should Contador be disqualified. Please note that I'm not suggesting that Contador will be disqualified. I have no inside information that he is cheating. But these things happen. We saw it in 2006, when Floyd Landis had his title stripped from him after the Tour ended.
Here is tomorrow's historic stage. I'm sure every cyclist who is still in the Tour will sleep poorly tonight, knowing what is to come. Here are images of Mont Ventoux.
Addendum: Did you watch the video? Did you see Oscar Freire bunny hop the curb and ride over the grass on the roundabout? He was probably going 35 miles per hour at the time, maybe 40. These are not only the best athletes in the world; they're the best bike-handlers. I once heard a story about Andy Hampsten. He was on a training ride in Colorado. On a descent, traveling at 50 miles per hour, he put on a rain jacket. Yes, that means no hands.
Addendum 2: Don't watch this video if you're faint of heart. I realize that it's sped up, but it's still frightening. Watch out for the dog! (Jesus. What is a dog doing on Mont Ventoux?)
Addendum 3: Longtime reader Adam Handwork sent a link to this collection of cycling images. Thanks, Adam!
Addendum 4: Here are two recent posts from Lance's Twitter page:
"Surprise" antidoping control here @ the hotel. #11 for this Tour. I'll consider it my appetizer b4 dinner.
Big day 2morrow… The "Giant of Provence" Mt. Ventoux. Know it well, we're old friends but haven't always gotten along. Two times 2nd. Ugh.
Lance has been tested for drugs 11 times already in this year's Tour. This ought to put to rest the idea that Lance cheated during his seven Tour victories. Why? Because he's 37 years old and about to finish third in the Tour while riding clean. He only recently came out of retirement and isn't really recovered from a broken collarbone. The two men ahead of him are kids. The reasoning is simple: If Lance can ride this well, clean, under these conditions, then surely he could have ridden that well when he was (1) younger and (2) healthier. As for the second Twitter post, it sounds to me as though Lance wants to win tomorrow. What do you think?
Addendum 5: The French people are slow on the uptake. They finally realize, after all these years, that Lance Armstrong is a human being, with frailties and vulnerabilities. Were they paying attention when the man was dying of cancer?
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 
