Here are video highlights of today's stage of the Tour de France. The stage winner was French cyclist Pierrick Fedrigo, who averaged 22.42 miles per hour for 123.9 miles. One of Fedrigo's breakaway companions was Lance Armstrong. It would have been nice to see Armstrong win the stage, but he didn't have enough strength when he needed it. With four stages to go, the highest-placed Americans are Levi Leipheimer (seventh), Chris Horner (14th), and Armstrong (25th). Tomorrow is a rest day.
Addendum: Steve Walsh asked in a comment on a previous post about the unwritten rule that one does not take advantage of a rival's misfortune. It's a matter of sportsmanship. If I beat you not because I am stronger than you are, but because you had a mechanical problem, what have I accomplished? The reason I think Alberto Contador acted properly yesterday is that Andy Schleck was in the process of attacking him when his misfortune occurred. Had they been riding side by side when it occurred, it would have been unsporting for Contador to attack. Think of it this way. When Schleck attacked, he was saying, "The race is on, Alberto!" Can he simultaneously say, "The race is on, Alberto! Oh wait, never mind; I dropped my chain"? I say that the moment he attacked, he forfeited his right to have Contador wait for him.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 