And into Italy we go

Stage 15 is where the heat gets turned up on the riders. The hills become alive with the whir of the cassette and the riders start to feel lactic acid build up in their legs.

Little climbers will go skyward and sprinters will abandon the tour. In fact, I'll check with race radio in a second to see if there really are 157 riders left in the Tour at the start of this stage.

Also, even with six stages left after today, the riders get one more rest day tomorrow and then it's north toward Paris.

If you've been slouching and not paying attention, the only think you've missed so far are two doping scandals, one team abandoning the race (an entire team), a rider from the UK winning FOUR stages and Australian Cadel Evans solidifying his hold on the overall lead.

This will be dual posted at JeffCutler.com and at TDF08.com. But if you're rabid for racing news, come on over to TDF08.com for regular stage updates.

As always, no spoilers until after 9PM EST.

SPOILER - Winner of Stage 13 in Nimes

With 10KM to go, the breakaway ended and Terpstra was caught after being on the attack for 172KM.

After the capture, the teams put on a furious pace to the finish line. They were moving along fine when at about 8KM, Sylvain Chavanel attacked and opened a lead of 150 meters. He was caught at the 3KM mark.

Team Columbia then took over the pacemaking for a bit and then QuickStep and Milram came front.

Only one KM away, it's a morass of wheels and riders and different colored jerseys at the front.

And with so much confusion at the front, and such a fantastic speed, who but Robbie Mc Ewen could blast ahead for the win? I'll tell you who! Mark Cavendish!

The Englishman has won his FOURTH stage of the 2008 Tour de France.

Here are the top 10 of the 182km stage from Narbonne to Nimes:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) COL - 182km in 4h25’42"
2. Robbie McEwen (AUS) SIL
3. Roman Feillu (FRA) AGR
4. Heinrich Haussler (GER) GST
5. Oscar Freire (ESP) RAB
6. Thor Hushovd (NOR) C.A
7. Leonardo Duque (COL) COF
8. Erik Zabel (GER) MRM
9. Julian Dean (NZL) TSL
10. Sebastian Chavanel (FRA) FDJ

According to letour,

Cavendish is making this sprinting game look easy. He was blocked in the middle of the bunch with 500m to go but when he opened it up, there was no one who could get close. Stage win number four for the Columbia rider!

More info in the next post.

120KM into Stage 13

We're about three hours into Stage 13 and the two riders in the breakaway are losing their advantage quickly. It's down to around two minutes (after a high of more than nine minutes) and the peloton looks poised to catch them.

Again, this stage isn't chock full of climbs...it's got a lot of flat...and that spells out a nearly certain bunch sprint at the end.

Some people on race radio are speculating that Mark Cavendish could win this stage again. I'm guessing that it will be the aim of Thor Hushovd and Robbie Mc Ewen to do everything in their power to ensure that doesn't happen.

Switching now to SPOILER mode. See you at 9PM tonight. Oh, I'll get the Saab word of the day for you in a moment.

SPOILER - 3.5KM To Go

All together again and the pace is blistering. 64.8KMH! I don't know what that comes out to but the riders are all single-file because they're going so fast.

In the time that I've typed this, they have gone all the way down to 2.2KM to go. Holy moses. Team Columbia is moving to the front and keeping the pace SUPER high.

Just now, at 1.5KM to go (can you believe it?) QuickStep have jumped forwrad and it's a mad bunch at the front.

Here comes the sprint finish.

SPOILER - 2KM to go - 33MPH!

The peloton has caught the breakaway and Team Columbia is setting the pace at 33MPH. QuickStep is now leading at 33.6MPH.

RIGHT HAND TURN!

Middle of the pack is slowed almost to a stop. Long way to go to the finish. No crashes.

HUGE acceleration after the turn. They're on the finishing straight. All the sprinters are in line.

SPOILER - Leaders with 6K to go

There are two leaders about 0:20 ahead of the peloton with about 6KM to go.

Sprinters are getting anxious because the roads are wet and they don't want to crash in the finishing straight.

Hard right-hand turn at 1KM to go. I'll let you know if there's major carnage in that turn.

Team Columbia is out front right now pulling back the two breakaway riders. Behind them are Mc Ewen, Hushovd and others.

Stage 5 Overview

Stage five is about 145 miles. The official figures put it at 232KM and my math gives me 145 miles. Sue me if I'm wrong.

It's mainly flat - as I said yesterday - and I think it's a stage for teh sprinters. Interestingly, it's the longest stage of the 2008 Tour de France, so the sprinters could be in some trouble if there's a long breakaway.

This is the second time the tour has ended in Chateauroux (it goes from Cholet to Chateauroux today) with the last visit here being in 1998.

I'll post my thoughts on possible stage winners in a few moments.

Discussions, sprinters, Stage 5

Here we are at Stage 5 of the 2008 Tour de France and I'm mystified. Not because it's been a crazy Tour so far. Not because three different riders have been in yellow over the first four days. Not because my pick for the overall win when these three weeks are up has fallen fast and is down by nearly two minutes after a horrible showing yesterday.

But because I just had a conversation with Koko and she told me that she knew who won today. I gave her three names and NONE was right.

This stage is a stage for sprinters (or so I think having not watched it yet). And the names I gave her should have easily wrapped up the race today in places 1, 2 and 3.

But NO!

So I'm firing up the Tivo and turning on the stage. More to come in a minute about the particulars of this stage and about my thoughts...bearing in mind that I know three people who didn't win today.