With television coverage focused solely on the battle for final podium places, audiences would miss two more outstanding performances by the riders that animated the 97th Tour de France Prologue.

Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia), the young German who sat in the hot seat for hours before Cancellara bested his time in the Prologue, had the benefit of the later start time on the 52km Stage 19 Individual Time Trial. Martin would set the fastest time at the first intermediate checkpoint, but he was unable to match the World Champion for the remainder of the race. But, he was not alone.

Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank) sat comfortably on the leader's perch all day after seeing Martin's finish as no one would even pose a serious threat to his time of 1:00:56. Ultimately, Martin would finish in second, while teammate Bert Grabsch, another early starter, finished in third.

Stage 19 Results
1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank
2. Tony Martin (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia
3. Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia

The battle for podium places went relatively as expected. Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) fought valiantly, but was unable to make up the 8 second gap to Alberto Contador (Team Astana) to reclaim the maillot jaune. The Luxembourger would lose thirty-one seconds to Contador, which coincidentally was the gap between the two when a mechanical felled Schleck in the mountains.

Denis Menchov (Rabobank) proved to be the better time trialist between he and Samuel Sanchez (Euskatel-Euskadi). The quiet Russian easily made up the 21 second gap to Sanchez, who had an off-day, to take the final podium spot in Paris.

General Classification After Stage 19
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:39
3. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank - 0:02:01
4. Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 0:03:40
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - 0:06:54
6. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank - 0:09:31
7. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions - 0:10:15
8. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha - 0:11:37
9. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo - 0:11:54
10. Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack - 0:12:02

Jersey Leaders After Stage 19
maillot jaune - Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
maillot vert - Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
maillot à pois rouges - Anthony Charteau (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom
maillot blanc - Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank

Next: Stage 20 -Longjumeau to Paris (102.5km)
The final stage and promenade in Paris...

Photo: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

The final, and perhaps decisive, mountain stage of the 97th Tour de France was billed as the dual on the Tourmalet.

With the steep inclines and foggy weather serving as the background, this year's top two riders, Alberto Contador (Astana) and Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) stood toe-to-toe on the fabled mountain pass as thousands of crazed cycling fans and even a herd of sheep tuned in in hopes of a memorable spectacle.

What ensued was a battle reminiscent of Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault in 1986 as maillot jaune wearer, Contador, metered every twitch and refused to cede a single second to Schleck. Though Schleck could never be confused with the Badger, or Contador for Lemond for that matter, Schleck worked relentlessly to shake the Spaniard from his wheel. The Luxembourger never laid down a massive attack, such as the one that saw him drop his chain on Stage 15, which might have disappointed some fans, but he would nonetheless garner his second stage win in this year's Tour.

Joaquin Rodriguez (Team Katusha) rounded out the day's podium in third.

Stage 17 Results
1. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
2. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
3. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha

Tooting His Own Horn

Those who envisioned Chris Horner in the top ten of the General Classification as well as being the highest placed Team RadioShack rider by Tour's end certainly have cause to celebrate.

The 38-year old, who was left off of last year's Tour de France squad, solidified his place on the GC by finishing 1:45 in arrears to Schleck and Contador.

General Classification After Stage 17
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:08
3. Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 0:03:32
4. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank - 0:03:53
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - 0:05:27
6. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank - 0:06:41
7. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha - 0:07:03
8. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions - 0:09:18
9. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo - 0:10:12
10. Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack - 0:10:37

Jersey Leaders After Stage 17
maillot jaune - Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
maillot vert - Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
maillot à pois rouges - Anthony Charteau (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom
maillot blanc - Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank

Next: Stage 18 -Salies-de-Béarn to Bordeaux (198km)The sprinters will finally be able to stretch their legs after biding their time in the comfort of the autobus.

Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The 213 kilometer Stage 3 from Wanze to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, with seven cobbled sectors, was billed as the first real selection, but it may eventually prove to be the tipping point for those contenders to the crown and in the rivalry between Lance Armstrong (Team Radio Shack) and Alberto Contador (Astana).

Upset with the previous day's decision to neutralize the race, Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) would finally get another opportunity to claim a stage as well as the maillot vert, green points jersey. The best sprinter in an elite lead group of six riders that included Geraint Thomas (Sky Professional Cycling Team), Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin - Transitions), and the Team Saxo Bank pair of Andy Schleck and Fabian Cancellara, Hushovd easily laid claim to a classic stage that was revered by some and cursed by others afterward.

Geraint Thomas (Sky Professional Cycling Team) would cross in second and Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) in third.

Stage 3 Results
1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
2. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team
3. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team

Natural Selection

As Tour de France director, Christian Prudhomme, stated during the unveiling of this year's route, "We don't put cobblestones for riders to fall, but to make a selection...There will be some damage." And despite the protestations by riders and team directors alike, that is exactly what transpired on Stage 3 of the 97th Tour de France; cycling's version of natural selection.

These days, stage racing and especially Grand Tour stage races, have become formulaic and riders specialized. If you can time trial and climb, you will be in contention to win a Grand Tour. Gone are the days of great champions such as Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Sean Kelly; true all-rounders who won Grand Tours and the cobbled Classics alike.

It was pure delight to see a rider like Andy Schleck, and for that matter Alberto Contador, a wiry thin climber fly over the cobbles with some alacrity and wreak havoc on the true hard-men of the peloton. After all, shouldn't the champion of the biggest race also be the best rider?

Lots of Luck

As the cycling axiom goes, what is hoped for is not good luck, but not to have any bad. On Stage 3 of the 97th Tour de France, there was plenty of luck thrown around, unfortunately most of it was bad.

The definitive winners from the aftermath of the pave sectors were: Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega-Pharma Lotto), as each pulled themselves up in the General Classification while putting some time on their rivals.

The definitive losers of Stage 3 were: Team Saxo Bank, Lance Armstrong, Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia), and Carlos Sastre (Cervelo TestTeam). The latter three all lost significant time to their rivals and placed their Tour hopes in serious jeopardy, while the loss of Frank Schleck will certainly affect Team Saxo Bank in the mountains.

General Classification After Stage 3
1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank
2. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team - 0:00:23
3. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team - 0:00:39
4. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions - 0:00:46
5. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step - 0:01:01
6. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:01:09
7. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team - 0:01:19
8. Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana - 0:01:31
9. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 0:01:40
10. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - 0:01:42

After a strong ride, which seemed more in support of his leader, Andy Schleck, rather than for his own fortunes, Fabian Cancellara received a bigger prize than a stage victory, the maillot jaune. The anticipated shake up in the General Classification occurred as Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador, and Jurgen Van Den Broeck are now all well placed to stake their claim on the final yellow jersey in Paris.

Jersey Leaders After Stage 3
maillot jaune - Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank
maillot vert - Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
maillot à pois rouges - Jerome Pineau (Fra) Quick Step
maillot blanc - Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team

Next: Stage 4 - Cambrai to Reims (153.5km)
Short and flat, what else could a sprinter ask for? Follow our LIVE Tour de France coverage of Stage 4 on LIVESTRONG.com.

Photo: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

One hundred and ninety-seven* men would start today's Prologue in Rotterdam, but at the end the story would be written by only four of them.

Tony Martin (Team HTC-Columbia), one of the revelations of last year's Tour de France, was given the dubious honor of being one of the first riders, 11th, out of the start house. The wearer of the maillot blanc, for best young rider, for 12 days and runner-up on last year's Stage 20 up Mont Ventoux; however, had more ambitious plans than simply being the hare to the wolves, who were sitting in wait well down the start list.

The 25-year old German went out and set the early, best mark, covering the 8.9km route in 10'10". He would sit anxiously and hopefully in the hot seat as one rider after another failed to best his mark. As the final three riders took to the road, it finally became apparent that he might lose his grip on the Prologue when 196th rider out of the start house came in under his intermediate mark.

Ultimately, Martin would only have to slide down one spot into second, losing the honor of wearing the first maillot jaune of the 2010 Tour de France by only 10 seconds. Though disappointed the HTC-Columbia rider garnered a measure of solace in the fact that it took the quality of a World Time Trial Champion to beat him.

Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank) came out as he usually does in the shorter time trial events, with engine revved on high and his piston-like legs firing in concert. Next to last coming out of the start house, the current World Time Trial Champion wasted little time in proving that he deserved each and everyone of those championship stripes. With Martin's time clearly in his sight, Cancellara came in under the young German's time by 10" at day's end. For his efforts, the Swiss rider would once again take home the most honored prize of the race, the maillot jaune.

* Xavier Florencio of the Cervelo TestTeam was a non-starter.

Its Not Just About Two Guys, Really?

Though the Tour organizers may have their faults, they are not without a sense of history. They understand that much of what makes the Tour, well The Tour, are the rivalries among its teams and between its riders.

With the exception of the final starting spot in an opening time trial event, which is usually reserved for the previous year's winner, each starting assignment is up to their discretion. So it was not without coincidence that Lance Armstrong (Team Radio Shack) and Alberto Contador (Astana) started only one rider apart in today's 8.9km Prologue.

As the two took to the road, all the hype surrounding their rivalry and seeming disdain for each other, whether real or manufactured, overshadowed everything else in the race. For a moment, it was not about who would win the stage, as someone eventually has to, but more about who would get the first jab in, who would draw first blood.

When it was all said and done, Armstrong took home a bigger prize than an opening day stage win. The Texan was able to put 5" into his biggest rival, and perhaps more importantly placed Contador immediately into a defensive position.

Prologue Results
1. Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank)
2. Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia)
3. David Millar (Team Garmin-Transitions)
4. Lance Armstrong (Team Radio Shack)
5. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)
6. Alberto Contador (Astana)
7. Levi Leipheimer (Team Radioshack)
8. Tyler Farrar (Team Garmin-Transitions)
9. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky)
10. Janez Brajkovic (Team Radio Shack)

Argyle In Style

With the Tour spotlight firmly entrenched on Armstrong and Contador, it would be easy to overlook the efforts put in by a pair of Team Garmin-Transitions riders, David Millar and Tyler Farrar.

Without the weight of external pressure and expectation, Millar finally showed his talents in the event for which he known. A former British National Pursuit and Time Trial champion, Millar would finish third on the day.

I'm satisfied, I was hoping to go well and, contrary to my usual performances of late, I actually went well, said Millar afterward. "The wet roads weren't nearly as hazardous as I thought they'd be. There were one or two corners where I was too cautious. I knew I was going really fast and I didn't want to be slapped off and make a fool of myself. I'm 33 after all. I followed Tyler and had a look at the course beforehand and I'm blown away by how fast he went. It fills me and, no doubt, our team with confidence for the coming days."

While many expected Millar to do well in the Prologue, the same cannot be said for his teammate Tyler Farrar. The former Classics man turned sprinter sat in second place for most of the day and finally finished in eighth.

"It was really a surprise. I went into today assuming that I was just riding to get through to the sprint stages and I happened to have a good ride," commented Farrar on his performance. "I think I'm as surprised as anyone. And pleased."

The high placing will certainly help Farrar in the chase for the maillot vert.

General Classification After Prologue
1. Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank)
2. Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia)
3. David Millar (Team Garmin-Transitions)
4. Lance Armstrong (Team Radio Shack)
5. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)
6. Alberto Contador (Astana)
7. Levi Leipheimer (Team Radioshack)
8. Tyler Farrar (Team Garmin-Transitions)
9. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky)
10. Janez Brajkovic (Team Radio Shack)

Jersey Leaders After Prologue
maillot jaune - Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank)
maillot vert - David Millar (Team Garmin-Transitions)
maillot blanc - Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia)

Next: Stage 1 - Rotterdam to Bruxelles (225.5km)
A long, but relatively flat stage awaits. Look for the sprinters to have their day. Follow our LIVE Tour de France coverage of Stage 1 on LIVESTRONG.com.

Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Pyrenees, Not Cobbles Will Be Decisive

When the route for the 2010 Tour de France was unveiled in October of last year, it looked as if the the Tour organizers had once again reached into their devilish bag of tricks to test the mettle of its participants.

Beginning on July 3rd and running through to the 25th, the route for the 97th Tour de France is highlighted by cobblestones and high mountains. In the early going, the Tour will pay homage to the Classics by incorporating seven cobblestone sectors, traditionally used in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Paris-Roubaix, on Stage 3. And with only one Individual Time Trial, on the next to last day before the stroll into Paris, the organizers were certainly looking for the cobbles to help make the initial selection.

"We don't put cobblestones for riders to fall, but to make a selection," said race director, Christian Prudhomme. "There will be 11 kilometers of cobblestones in the last 30 kilometers. There will be some damage."

While the placement of the cobbled sectors and the cobbles themselves have many including Lance Armstrong believing that there will be some carnage, do not expect it to decide the overall. With 18 stages remaining, any of the contenders that make it through the cobbled gauntlet safely will still have plenty of road to make up any lost time.

The final, and perhaps decisive selection; however, will be made in the Pyrenees. There will be plenty of high mountain drama in Alberto Contador's backyard during the Tour's final week as it includes not one, but two ascents of the Col du Tourmalet, which is being celebrated for it's 100th anniversary from its first inclusion in the race. The first pass through will be as part of the legendary gauntlet of the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet and Aubisque, better known as "The Circle of Death," on Stage 16, and the second will be on the following stage as one of only three mountain top finishes along the entire route.

Schedule
Prologue - 3 July : Rotterdam ITT, 8.9 km
Stage: 1 - 4 July : Rotterdam - Bruxelles, 223.5 km
Stage: 2 - 5 July : Bruxelles - Spa, 201 km
Stage: 3 - 6 July : Wanze - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, 213 km
Stage: 4 - 7 July : Cambrai - Reims, 153.5 km
Stage: 5 - 8 July : Épernay - Montargis, 187.5 km
Stage: 6 - 9 July : Montargis - Gueugnon, 227.5 km
Stage: 7 - 10 July : Tournus - Station des Rousses, 165.5 km
Stage: 8 - 11 July : Station des Rousses - Morzine-Avoriaz, 189 km
Stage: 9 - 13 July : Morzine-Avoriaz - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, 204.5 km
Stage: 10 - 14 July : Chambéry - Gap, 179 km
Stage: 11 - 15 July : Sisteron - Bourg-lès-Valence, 184.5 km
Stage: 12 - 16 July : Bourg-de-Péage - Mende, 210.5 km
Stage: 13 - 17 July : Rodez - Revel, 196 km
Stage: 14 - 18 July : Revel - Ax-3 Domaines, 184.5 km
Stage: 15 - 19 July : Pamiers - Bagnères-de-Luchon, 187.5 km
Stage: 16 - 20 July : Bagnères-de-Luchon - Pau, 199.5 km
Stage: 17 - 22 July : Pau - Col du Tourmalet, 174 km
Stage: 18 - 23 July : Salies-de-Béarn - Bordeaux, 198 km
Stage: 19 - 24 July : Bordeaux - Pauillac ITT, 52 km
Stage: 20 - 25 July : Longjumeau - Paris Champs-Élysées, 102.5 km

A Young Man's Game - The Contenders

Any list of contenders has to begin and end with the current and three time Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador (Astana), but if he should happen to win this, the 97th Tour de France, it will not be easy.

Alberto Contador (Astana) - He is without doubt the best stage racer at this moment. If the young Spaniard does not fall by the wayside on the cobbles as former Tour contender and countryman, Iban Mayo, did in 2004 he will certainly be salivating once the high mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees come into play. Prediction - 1st

Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) - Second only to Contador last year, Schleck has not shown particularly great form this year, but if he has timed his training well and peaks in the final week look for him to be on the podium again. Prediction - 3rd

Lance Armstrong (Team Radio Shack) - What else can be said about the former 7-time Tour de France champion? He seems to have lost the decisive accelerations in the high mountains that he repeatedly used during his previous seven Tour victories, but with his impending retirement from the Grand Boucle no one will have more motivation to win the the race. Prediction - 2nd

Carlos Sastre (Cervelo Test Team) - The former Tour de France champion has much to prove given last year's underwhelming performance in the race. The Spaniard is still considered a good to great climber, but will need a great deal of team support to put him into any type of contention. Prediction - Top 15

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions) - A fourth place in 2008, a healthy Vande Velde will have the use of a strong and flexible team to help him garner a podium placing. Prediction - 4th

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) - Riding for the first British team to compete in the Tour de France in 20 years, Wiggins and Sky will most likely impress early, but it remains to be seen whether he will have enough help to contend in the mountains. Prediction - Top 10

Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) - The 2010 Amgen Tour of California winner has yet to put it all together in July, but has HTC-Columbia sacrificed his chances in supporting Mark Cavendish? Prediction - Top 10

Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) - Evans represented himself well at this year's Giro d'Italia, but how much does he have left in the tank? Prediction - Top 10

Denis Menchov (Rabobank) - The Russian has been a perennial contender and only needs to win the Tour de France in order to claim victories in all three Grand Tours. A strong fighter, Menchov will be in the mix. Prediction - Top 10

Roman Kreuzinger (Liquigas-Doimo) - If you are looking for a true dark-horse, look no further than Kreuzinger, who could be the first Czech on the fabled Tour podium Prediction - 5th

Tony Martin (HITC-Columbia) - The same that was said about Kreuzinger certainly applies to this young German. One of last year's revelation of the Tour, Martin is sure to be in the mix again. Prediction - Top 10

Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharm Lotto) - The Belgian was a revelation at the Giro a few years ago and should not be discounted. Can he finally shake the up-and-comer label and compete in the biggest race? Prediction - Top 15

The Biggest Race, The Most Confident

Big events usually bring out the best in the most competitive. Lance Armstrong proved it time and time again, and the same can be said of HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish. While it may be sometime before anyone can shake away any of the Brits' confidence in the sprint, he still has a ways to go to claim the maillot vert in Paris.

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) - Unfortunately for Manxman, the maillot vert goes to the most consistent finisher over the span of the three week race and not the most dominant sprinter. Cavendish is sure to win his share of sprint stages, but his inability to climb well will hurt him at this edition of the race which features miles and miles of mountains. Prediction - 2nd

Tyler Farrar (Team Garmin-Transitions) - Farrar has certainly come into his own as a sprinter and this year he has the team to compete with Cavendish's HTC-Columbia train. Prediction - 3th

Thor Hushovd (Team Cervelo Test Team) - A former maillot vert winner, the ever consistent Norwegian will be vying for the jersey all the way up to the finish on the Champs-Elysees. Prediction - 1st

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) - The former multiple World Champion will certainly be in the mix of every bunch sprint, but he will have a hard time catching a wheel and working his way through the teams fielding strong lead out trains. Prediction - 4th

Dots In My Eyes

Its often difficult to name the contenders for the maillot pois a rouges, let alone predict who might win it as there are a host of good climbers in the race who may be allowed to venture off the front at anytime during the race. Here are but a few.

Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) - Always one to go off the front, Chavanel will represent his Quick Step sponsors well. Prediction - 2nd

Christophe Moreau (Caisse d'Epargne) - Similar to Chavanel in thought process, this may be Moreau's jersey to lose. Prediction - 1st

Robert Gesink (Ned) - An extremely strong climber, Gesink could certainly be considered as one of the maillot jaune contenders in the future. He may be given the freedom to ride for stage wins late in the race, if team leader Menchov falls out of contention. Prediction - Top 10

Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) - A former maillot jaune wearer, the Italian may have other designs on which jersey to compete for this year. Prediction - Top 10

Amets Txurruka (Euskatel Euskadi) - Another great Spanish climber who will have his day in the sun once the mountain stages arrive. - Prediction - 3rd

Start List

Prologue - Rotterdam ITT, 8.9 km
It all kicks off in the Netherlands this year, a country which will surely be clad in orange after their national team's victory over Brazil in the World Cup. Look for Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team), Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank), David Zabriskie (Team Garmin-Transitions) and Levi Leipheimer (Team Radio Shack) to pull on the first maillot jaune of 2010. Follow our LIVE Tour de France coverage on LIVESTRONG.com.

Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) displayed the form that earned him a set of World Championship stripes last year in capturing the 74th La Flèche Wallonne.

In the frenzied final rush up the famous Mur de Huy, the 33-year old Australian showed the uncanny patience of a man seemingly in complete control of his environment before unleashing his own decisive burst of power.  Evans would stream past a host of Spanish climbers, including Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador (Astana), in the final kilometers to take the second of the three Ardennes Classics.

"I've finished second, fifth, ninth - I've finished in every position but first in Flèche Wallonne, so to win is fantastic," Evans would tell Cyclingnews. "It seems I came here with good legs and it's certainly my best result...It's a good morale booster for the team. We've been close to victory but this is a good way to do it. Better late than never."

Contador would end up third on the day; a step below his countryman, Joaquin Rodriguez (Team Katusha) on the podium.

Results
1. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
2. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha
3. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana

Other Notables
5. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
6. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
7. Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack
8. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
9. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
10. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions
13. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
14. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française Des Jeux
15. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 0:00:19
18. Daniel Martin (Can) Garmin - Transitions
20. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
24. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Radioshack
25. Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) Team Radioshack
42. Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
48. Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin - Transitions
52. Tony Martin (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia
67. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team
79. Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Quick Step
87. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
88. Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
89. Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank
94. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo
98. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Astana
100. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank
121. Craig Lewis (USA) Team HTC - Columbia
123. Christian Meier (Can) Garmin - Transitions
127. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
DNF Steven Cozza (USA) Garmin - Transitions
DNF Trent Lowe (Aus) Garmin - Transitions
DNF Danny Pate (USA) Garmin - Transitions
DNF Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Katusha
DNF Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team

With the 2010 road cycling season set to kick-off with the Tour Down Under this weekend, the Associated Press checked in with arguably the greatest cyclist of all-time, Eddy Merckx, at a presentation in Paris for next month's inaugural Tour of Oman, for his take on this summer's battle in France.

Although Merckx expects the main  battle to be waged by former Astana teammates Lance Armstrong, who will line up for the first time this year with his new squad, Team RadioShack, this Sunday in Australia and Alberto Contador, the reigning Tour de France champion, he also cautions Armstrong to be wary of other rising stars.

"Contador has shown he is the most complete rider, when you see the way he won the Tour de France. He is much younger than Lance,'' Merckx said. "But there's not just him, there's other young wolves like the Schleck brothers ... I think it will be a very open Tour.''

While "skeptics argue that Armstrong's age is a barrier to success given that the Tour's oldest winner, the Belgian rider Firmin Lambot, was 36 when he triumphed in 1922 [Armstrong incidentally was 33 when he won his last, the 2005 edition], Merckx argues that Armstrong's 3 1/2-year retirement after winning his seventh straight Tour may have helped keep his body younger. While others trudged up the torturous climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees, Armstrong's body was spared that punishment during those doping-marred 2006-08 Tours."

"That also counts. We'll see, it's a challenge and hats off to what he is doing,'' Merckx said. "What wears you out is the competing, not the training.''

In the end, Merckx feels little can dim Armstrong's ambition to win an unprecedented 8th Tour.  "He's doing it for himself,'' Merckx said.

On Saturday, the annual blood feud between The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan will take place on the gridiron in Ann Arbor, MI.

And while the outcome of The Game has been a bit one sided as of late, it is still considered the greatest rivalry in sports.

The rivalry began began in 1897, and is in it 106th edition, which incidentally is the same number of years that the Tour de France has been around.

Parallels to this year’s main Tour rivals can easily be drawn as like Lance Armstrong, the prideful Michigan Wolverines, the winningest collegiate football program of all-time, look to regain their form against their foe, which like Alberto Contador, has been virtually unstoppable as of late.

Sadly, this year's game also features a cancer storyline.

Stefanie Spielman, wife of Chris Spielman — an All-American linebacker at Ohio State University, 10-year veteran of the National Football League, and current ESPN college football analyst — succumbed to breast cancer yesterday after a long and arduous battle. She was 42.

First diagnosed in July 1998, Stefanie and her husband founded The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute in order to emphasize the importance of early detection, education and prevention.

“We have lost a leader in the fight against cancer,” said seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. “Stefanie was a living example of courage and strength to everyone around her. Her perseverance was unmatchable. While the cancer community marks her passing, my family and I will keep the Spielman’s in our thoughts as they say goodbye to their beloved wife and mother. For her sake, we will continue the battle she fought against a disease that claims too many women all over the world.”

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research or the Stefanie Spielman Fund Patient Assistance Fund at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Contributions to either fund should be sent to the James Development Office, 660 Ackerman Road, P.O. Box 183112, Columbus, Ohio 43218-3112.

Photo: Emily Meyer, The Ohio State University

As the apparent tensions, war of words, between now former Astana teammates continues to be played out in the media, we take a closer look at the final outcome of this year's Tour de France. So without further adieu...fresh from the home office in Omaha, NE, here are the Top 10 Reasons Lance Armstrong Did Not Win the 2009 Tour de France.

10. More hair equals more weight, equals slower time.

In comparison to the closely shorn Armstrong of 2005 (left), the 2009 version looked more like Vladimir Karpets than Levi Leipheimer. As the weight weenies of cycling know, any extra weight can have a deleterious effect on the all important power to weight ratio in the mountains. Although the weight of a single hair is relatively negligible, the combined weight of Armstrong's grown out lid may have been responsible for his final time deficit of 05:24.

One theory being floated for Armstrong's increased hair length was for its extra protection. With Giro once again lightening their helmets, from the Ionos to the Prolight, it was postulated that the combined tensile strength of a fuller head of hair would serve to enhance the helmet's CPSC and CEN safety ratings. According to Dr. Hermann Beigel's 1869 book, "The human hair: its structure, growth, diseases, and their treatment," a single 8" long hair possesses the strength to bear two ounces.

Thus, the extra grams of weight, and therefore the time sacrificed may have been done solely for safety reasons.

9. Feeding the Twitterati turns into all-nighter

Going all the way back to his days with Discovery Channel, Armstrong was eagerly waiting for the advent of a social networking tool such as Twitter. When asked one evening by his long time Director Sportif, Johan Bruyneel, why he would sit up nights with his laptop open, but without his fingers moving, Armstrong would reply with the story of how the engineers in a small Italian village laid down train tracks well before a train would ever reach the town. "It's because they knew one would eventually come," he would end the story emphatically.

8. Knock, Knock. It's time to take some more blood and urine.

7. Tweeting while ascending Mont Ventoux.

While video evidence was unavailable to fully substantiate whether Armstrong's cyclo-computer was actually an iPhone mounted to his handlebars, the Twitter feed obtained from his website, above, tells a different story.

6. Due to poor signal strength, Armstrong unable to download latest iPhone Spanish translation app.

5. Knock, Knock. "Lance, its Chris. Time for another LIVESTRONG.com video update."

4. Miscommunication with Contador during crucial mountain stages; only Spanish he remembered from his last Tour participation was, Venga, Venga, Venga!

3. Official Dominican birth certificate states Lance is actually 45! Who knew...

2. Knock, Knock. "What? Another doping control…c'mon guys this is the 30th time this morning!"

1. Worked late nights with new Team RadioShack developing wireless communication. Ground Control to Major Tom...READY for 2010!

Meanwhile, The Onion breaks down Alberto Contador's Strong side & Weak side.

An exultant Alberto Contador (Astana) stood on top of the final Tour de France podium for the second time in his short cycling career. The 2007 Tour de France champion can now boast of consecutive Tour victories (a team exclusion in 2008 prevented him from defending his Tour crown) and a total of four consecutive Grand Tour championships (winner of the 2008 Giro d'Italia and 2008 Vuelta a Espana).

He is undoubtedly the strongest stage racer currently in the peloton.

Where The Tour Was Won
In looking back on the 96th Tour de France, many pundits will point to Contador's dominating performances on Stage 15, the climb to Verbier, and on Stage 18, winning the Individual Time Trial in Annecy, as keys to his overall victory. But the true foundation of his victory came in two seemingly insignificant gestures, both of which would raise questions of his tactical abilities and also his loyalties as a teammate.

The first was his late attack on Stage 7. Left out of the selection on the windy Stage 3, where he failed to keep the wheel of the rider in front of him, Contador would attack on the slopes of the Andorre Arcalis. His manuever would gain back the time that he lost on Stage 3, and effectively help him leapfrog his teammate, Lance Armstrong, in the overall standings by two seconds. Although neither teammate would claim the yellow jersey on that day, Contador placed himself in the better position to take it if Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) or his team failed to defend it.

The second was his late attack on Stage 17. On the Queen stage of this year's Tour, Contador's decision to attack on the final slope to La Grand Bornand helped elevate Andy and Frank Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) in the overall standings, to second and third, while simultaneously putting time into his teammates, Lance Armstrong and Andreas Kloden, before the final time trial. Although many were focused on how Contador's actions essentially ruined the opportunity for an Astana sweep of the final Tour podium, it presented Contador with the comfortable proposition of having to out duel the Schleck brothers in the Annecy time trial rather than his more accomplished teammates.

Although both of his superlative efforts on Stage 15 and on Stage 18 ruled the above points of argument moot, if neither of these occurred we may be talking about Lance Armstrong's 8th Tour de France championship or Andy Schleck's first.

Cavendish's Half-Dozen
Before relief turned into exultation for Contador, the other matter of the drag race on the Champs-Élysées had to be settled. The other dominant force in this year's race, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia - HTC), would win easily and lead a Columbia 1-2 on the final stage of the 96th Tour de France. The victory marked his sixth during this year's race, and his tenth Tour win overall.

During the final finishing circuits; however, it looked as if Garmin-Slipstream had finally come up with a plan to diffuse the explosive Columbia - HTC locomotive. But lead-out men George Hincapie and Mark Renshaw would have none of it. When they launched their final assault, none were able to stay in their streamline. The 24-year-old from the Isle of Man cruised to a victory as final lead-out man Renshaw celebrated from behind and claimed second. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) would follow in third.

Stage 21 Results
1. Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia - HTC)
2. Mark Renshaw (Team Columbia - HTC)
3. Tyler Farar (Garmin - Slipstream)

Final General Classification
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 81:46:17
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:04:11
3. Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana - 0:05:24
4. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:06:01
5. Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:06:04
6. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana - 0:06:42
7. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas - 0:07:35
8. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:12:04
9. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas - 0:14:16
10. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux - 0:14:25

Final Leaders' Jerseys Classification
Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana


Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team


Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas


Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank


Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas


Astana - Best Team Classification


Highlights & Revelations

• Juergen van de Broeck (Silence-Lotto) - Could he be the next great Belgian stage racer?
• Andy Shcleck (Team Saxo Bank) - Attacks like a fiend, and is improving in the time trial
• Tony Martin (Columbia-HTC) - On a team dominated by a sprinter, Martin did it mostly by himself.
• Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) - Lighter and more effective, will he focus solely on the road?
• Brice Feillu (Agritubel) - A French champion in the making?
• Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test Team) - An emotional win for a sprinter during a mountain stage
• Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) - At 24-years-old, the sky is the limit.