SPOILER - Stage 14 Stage Standings

They line up like this in today's Stage 14...

1. FREIRE Oscar 133 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08"
2. DUQUE Leonardo 186 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
3. ZABEL Erik 151 TEAM MILRAM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
4. DEAN Julian 193 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
5. DE JONGH Steven 94 QUICK STEP 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
6. BALLAN Alessandro 72 LAMPRE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
7. PEREZ Ruben 26 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
8. PINEAU Jérôme 145 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
9. TOSATTO Matteo 98 QUICK STEP 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
10. HUSHOVD Thor 81 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
11. FLORENCIO Xavier 143 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
12. SCHUMACHER Stefan 111 GEROLSTEINER 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
13. ELMIGER Martin 105 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
14. LANG Sebastian 117 GEROLSTEINER 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
15. POZZATO Filippo 61 LIQUIGAS 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
16. LEQUATRE Geoffroy 128 AGRITUBEL 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
17. AUGUSTYN John-Lee 52 BARLOWORLD 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
18. FROOME Christopher 57 BARLOWORLD 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
19. ISASI Inaki 23 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
20. KIRCHEN Kim 41 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
21. VANDEVELDE Christian 191 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
22. CIOLEK Gerald 44 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
23. PEREIRO SIO Oscar 37 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
24. CANCELLARA Fabian 13 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
25. VALVERDE Alejandro 31 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
26. FOFONOV Dmitriy 85 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
27. FEILLU Romain 124 AGRITUBEL 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
28. EVANS Cadel 1 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
29. SIUTSOU Konstantsin 49 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
30. VELITS Peter 158 TEAM MILRAM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
31. POPOVYCH Yaroslav 7 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
32. KOHL Bernhard 115 GEROLSTEINER 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
33. KNEES Christian 153 TEAM MILRAM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
34. SCHLECK Frank 17 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
35. GONZALO RAMIREZ Eduardo 125 AGRITUBEL 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
36. AERTS Mario 2 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
37. CARRARA Matteo 93 QUICK STEP 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
38. SANCHEZ Samuel 27 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
39. PORTAL Nicolas 38 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
40. MONFORT Maxime 189 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
41. ARVESEN Kurt-Asle 12 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
42. KREUZIGER Roman 65 LIQUIGAS 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
43. HINCAPIE George 47 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
44. BOTCHAROV Alexandre 83 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
45. BRUSEGHIN Marzio 74 LAMPRE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
46. VAN DE WALLE Jurgen 99 QUICK STEP 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
47. FLECHA Juan Antonio 132 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
48. TERPSTRA Niki 157 TEAM MILRAM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
49. GILBERT Philippe 165 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
50. FOTHEN Markus 113 GEROLSTEINER 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
51. DUMOULIN Samuel 185 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
52. LÖVKVIST Thomas 48 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
53. CUNEGO Damiano 71 LAMPRE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
54. EFIMKIN Vladimir 104 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
55. SCHLECK Andy 16 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
56. ASTARLOZA Mikel 22 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
57. GERRANS Simon 86 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
58. VALJAVEC Tadej 109 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
59. PAURIOL Rémi 88 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
60. NIBALI Vincenzo 67 LIQUIGAS 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
61. PATE Danny 199 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
62. LE MEVEL Christophe 87 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
63. SASTRE Carlos 11 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
64. MENCHOV Denis 131 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
65. CASAR Sandy 161 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
66. MOERENHOUT Koos 135 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
67. WEENING Pieter 139 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
68. FISCHER Murilo Antoniobil 64 LIQUIGAS 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
69. ZUBELDIA Haimar 21 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
70. DESSEL Cyril 101 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
71. GOUBERT Stephane 107 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
72. VAUGRENARD Benoît 169 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
73. TEN DAM Laurens 138 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
74. TXURRUKA Amets 28 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
75. GUSTOV Volodymir 14 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
76. ARROYO David 32 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
77. DUPONT Hubert 103 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
78. SZMYD Sylvester 78 LAMPRE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
79. MARTINEZ Egoi 24 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
80. MOINARD Amaël 187 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
81. LELAY David 127 AGRITUBEL 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
82. MILLAR David 198 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
83. LEFEVRE Laurent 144 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
84. VELO Marco 159 TEAM MILRAM 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
85. VOGONDY Nicolas 129 AGRITUBEL 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
86. DEVOLDER Stijn 91 QUICK STEP 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
87. LOPEZ GARCIA David 36 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
88. POSTHUMA Joost 136 RABOBANK 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
89. SCHOLZ Ronny 118 GEROLSTEINER 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
90. MONCOUTIE David 188 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 13' 08" + 00' 00"
91. MARZANO Marco 75 LAMPRE 4h 13' 25" + 00' 17"
92. CHAVANEL Sylvain 181 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 13' 25" + 00' 17"
93. BURGHARDT Marcus 42 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 52" + 00' 44"
94. HANSEN Adam 46 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 13' 57" + 00' 49"
95. SCHRÖDER Björn 156 TEAM MILRAM 4h 13' 57" + 00' 49"
96. HESJEDAL Ryder 195 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 14' 12" + 01' 04"
97. HUNTER Robert 58 BARLOWORLD 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
98. BARREDO Carlos 92 QUICK STEP 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
99. AUGE Stéphane 182 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
100. HAUSSLER Heinrich 114 GEROLSTEINER 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
101. DI GREGORIO Rémy 163 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
102. FEDRIGO Pierrick 141 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
103. BICHOT Freddy 122 AGRITUBEL 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
104. TIRALONGO Paolo 79 LAMPRE 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
105. SANCHEZ Luis-Leon 39 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 15' 58" + 02' 50"
106. O’GRADY Stuart 15 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
107. VOIGT Jens 19 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
108. CAVENDISH Mark 43 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
109. LANCASTER Brett Daniel 154 TEAM MILRAM 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
110. ROSSELER Sébastien 96 QUICK STEP 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
111. SORENSEN Nicki 18 TEAM CSC SAXO BANK 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
112. TSCHOPP Johann 148 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
113. CASPER Jimmy 123 AGRITUBEL 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
114. ENGOULVENT Jimmy 84 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
115. GERARD Arnaud 164 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
116. LOWE Trent 196 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
117. RIGHI Daniele 77 LAMPRE 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
118. CHEULA Gianpaolo 54 BARLOWORLD 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
119. OROZ Juan José 25 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 16' 35" + 03' 27"
120. MORI Massimiliano 76 LAMPRE 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
121. MAASKANT Martijn 197 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
122. COYOT Arnaud 33 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
123. VERDUGO Gorka 29 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
124. LANGEVELD Sebastian 134 RABOBANK 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
125. ARRIETA Jose Luis 102 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
126. ROY Jérémy 168 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
127. WEGMANN Fabian 119 GEROLSTEINER 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
128. WILLEMS Frederik 69 LIQUIGAS 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
129. LE BOULANGER Yoann 167 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
130. BRANDT Christophe 3 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 18' 06" + 04' 58"
131. CHICCHI Francesco 63 LIQUIGAS 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
132. QUINZIATO Manuel 68 LIQUIGAS 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
133. GRABSCH Ralf 152 TEAM MILRAM 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
134. GARCIA ACOSTA Vicente 34 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
135. BONO Matteo 73 LAMPRE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
136. GUTIERREZ José Ivan 35 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
137. CLEMENT Stef 142 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
138. KRAUSS Sven 116 GEROLSTEINER 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
139. TANKINK Bram 137 RABOBANK 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
140. RIBLON Christophe 108 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
141. VOECKLER Thomas 149 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
142. BONNET William 82 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
143. BRARD Florent 183 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
144. STEEGMANS Gert 97 QUICK STEP 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
145. MC EWEN Robbie 6 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
146. EISEL Bernhard 45 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
147. KUSCHYNSKI Aleksandr 66 LIQUIGAS 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
148. MÜLLER Martin 155 TEAM MILRAM 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
149. FÖRSTER Robert 112 GEROLSTEINER 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
150. FRISCHKORN William 194 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
151. CIONI Dario 4 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
152. HOSTE Leif 5 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
153. VAN SUMMEREN Johan 8 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
154. VANSEVENANT Wim 9 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 20' 51" + 07' 43"
155. RENSHAW Mark 89 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 21' 37" + 08' 29"
156. SPRICK Matthieu 146 BOUYGUES TELECOM 4h 21' 41" + 08' 33"
157. CHAVANEL Sébastien 162 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 26' 12" + 13' 04"

Only 157 riders left. And I'm an idiot. Did I pick Chavanel to win today...or was that his brother? Hmmm.

SPOILER - Stage 14 Top 10

Here's how Stage 14 shaped up in the top 10 after Freire's stage win. Look down the line to see how close to the top Evans finished (that's right, he's not there. He finished 28th). And this stage might have put the nail in Valverde's chances to win this year. He's WAY down now.

1. Oscar Freire (ESP) RAB - 4h16’08" (46.102km/h)
2. Leonardo Duque (COL) COF
3. Erik Zabel (GER) MRM
4. Julian Dean (NZL) TSL
5. Steven De Jongh (NED) QST
6. Alessandro Ballan (ITA) LAM
7. Ruben Perez (ESP) EUS
8. Jerome Pineau (FRA) BTL
9. Matteo Tosatto (ITA) QT
10. Thor Hushovd (NOR) C.A)

SPOILER - 12KM to go in Stage 14

It's like a boxing match. If you follow the on TV, here's how the online version showed up today. They missed telling us where and when Gutierrez got caught.

Freire has given Rabobank its first stage win in the 2008 Tour. He celebrated in green by beating Duque and Zabel to the line in Digne-les-Bains.
16:36 - Freire Wins The Day!

Oscar Freire has finally picked up the stage win he wanted so much. Not bad at all for a guy who insists he wasn’t in the peak condition only yesterday.
16:35 - ’Flamme Rouge’ - Columbia & Milram In Control...

Burghardt is leading Zabel in the last kilometer of the 14th stage. We’ll wait for the sprint and post the winner in a matter of moments.
16:34 - Escape Over

Chavanel will have to try another day. The peloton is now setting up a sprint and Valverde is following an Euskaltel rider who attacked at the 1,500m to go mark.
16:34 - Lead Just Five Seconds!

Chavanel’s advantage over the peloton is just five seconds. There are riders from Milram and Columbia trying to spoil his party and it seems that they will (again!).
16:33 - 3km To Go...

With 3km to go Chavanel is still in the lead. He was caught at this mark in yesterday’s stage but this time he appears to have a better advantage.
16:32 - 4km To Go...

Chavanel is still in the lead of the stage. Could this be the day that his attacking antics pay off? He’s tried and tried and tried and tried... etc. But never yet has he won a stage of the Tour. His advantage is 10".
16:31 - 5km To Go...

Sylvain Chavanel has a lead of 10" with 5km to go in the stage. The Columbia team is now driving the peloton. Cavendish has been dropped but they stated earlier today that Ciolek will be their ace today.
16:30 - Chavanel Attacking... Again

Sylvain Chavanel has attacked the peloton with 6km to go. He has a lead of about 100m and is trying his luck again just as he did yesterday.
16:30 - Gutierrez: Wins Most Aggressive Prize

The judges have voted Gutierrez the most aggressive rider in the 14th stage. He was caught on the final climb.
16:29 - Results Of Final Climb

The points for the final climb were won by:
1. Kreuziger (LIQ) 3pts
2. Kohl (GST) 2pts
3. Andy Schleck (CSC) 1pt
16:28 - Pereiro Leading Peloton

The peloton is being led by Pereiro. We believe Gutierrez has been caught although we haven’t seen any images of his capture.
16:27 - Evans Accelerating

Near the top of the climb, Evans has come through with a fast turn to limit his losses to the attacking riders that include Valverde.
16:26 - Cavendish Dropped

Cavendish won’t get his hat-trick. He has been dropped by the peloton on the final climb.
16:25 - Barredo Caught

The attack by Barredo is rendered void by the Liquigas team.
16:25 - 10km To Go...

Barredo has attacked the peloton on the final climb. He has caught Tirralongo and just passed under the 10km mark.
16:24 - Voeckler Chased Down...

Voeckler has been caught and passed by a rider from Lampre, Tirralongo.
16:23 - Gutierrez On Final Climb

Gutierrez is on the final ascent. There has been attack from Voeckler at the head of the peloton... ah, so that’s what the Bougyues Boys have been planning!

See? Well, Oscar Freire has won Stage 14 of the 2008 Tour de France.

Jalabert abandons, Barloworld dumps cycling

Those are two stories.

Nicolas Jalabert of the Agritubel team has abandoned the Tour de France.

And team Barloworld has decided that it will cease sponsorship of cycling effective the day after the end of the 2008 Tour de France.

Jalabert was just tired and he decided enough was enough with Alps coming tomorrow.

Barloworld made their move because their rider - and the winner of the time trial in stage 6 - tested positive for EPO. And their company policy forbids drug use. So, to be consistent they cannot rightly keep paying riders if any of those riders are using drugs.

Idiot riders! Stupid doping.

Yellow numbers

As an American, I really like it when my team is in the lead. This year, my team is Columbia. But as of today's stage (or really after stage 13) team CSC has taken over the team lead.

If you're watching the Tour on television, you can tell which team is winning this contest by looking at their numbers. The team that has their numbers in yellow is in the lead.

Just a little FYI as I watch the riders blast toward the Alps.

Word of the day - Saab

Here's the Saab Fly to the Finish Sweepstakes word for Stage 14.

"Cervelo"

Could this word of the day be any more blatant advertising. C'est la vie.

78KM done in Stage 14

And the breakaway group of 21 has been gobbled up EXCEPT for four riders. They are Sandy Casar (FDJ), Jose Ivan Gutierrez (GCE), Bram Tankink (RAB) and William Bonnet (C.A).

This works in perfectly with my prediction that Sandy Casar will win today's stage. Well, my prediction took place AFTER I saw he was in the breakaway.

We'll see what happens.

Missed two

In the 21-person breakaway are Sandy Casar and Stuart O'Grady. I think maybe Casar could be the stage winner unless O'Grady can stay with the pack all the way to the finish. Then he's the sure winner as he's the only pure sprinter in that bunch.

More in a second. I guess I'd better read a little more carefully.

Less than 10KM into Stage 14, a 21-person breakaway

21 riders dashed away from the peloton today after less than 10KM. The size of the breakaway makes it likely that someone in this aggressive group will stay away for the entire 194.5KM.

Here's who's in the breakaway, courtesy of letour.fr...

At the 5km mark, Stijn Devolder instigated the first successful escape of stage 14. The riders involved are: O’Grady (CSC), Oroz and Txurruka (EUS), Garcia-Acosta and Gutierrez (GCE), Eisel (COL), Quinziato (LIQ), Bono (LAM), Bonnet (C.A), Devolder (QST), Riblon (ALM), Haussler (GST), Gonzalo Ramirez and Lelay (AGR), Tankink (RAB), Sprick and Voeckler (BTL), Velo (MRM), Casar and Sebastian Chavanel (FDJ), Frischkorn (GAR).
The teams not represented are: Silence-Lotto, Barloworld and Cofidis.

My guess for the two guys who might stick it out and win today's stage are Voeckler and Chavanel.

Phew. Finally Home.

No, not the riders...ME. I've been all over Boston today. Attended Podcamp Boston 3 PCB3 and also did a scooter ride at a rally in Boston. About 25 or more scooters drove all over the city and ended up in South Boston at the Castle Island recreation area.

A perfect day for being on two wheels. Just like I'm sure I'll find out as I watch the Tour de France's Stage 14 in a few minutes.

As it stands now, Cadel Evans is still in Yellow and is ahead of Frank Schleck by one second. The rest of the field is jumbled below him. Take a look at my second-to-last post from yesterday for all the standings before Stage 14.

Now into the race...

Stage 14 Overview, Picks and Comment

With a couple of category 4 climbs and a 194.5KM journey to the Alps, stage 14 is going to shake out a few riders I bet.

We'll probably see a little larger rift in the field as some of the sprinters realize their chance is gone for glory with Cavendish slamming home win after win. Teams will look at Columbia and realize that team glory is going to have to come in second place because Columbia now has a ton of money and a bunch of wins.

My guess for this stage is the predicted winners will take over unless the entire peloton is surprised by a major breakaway.

Stage 14 will either go to Menchov, Evans, Vandevelde or Valverde. They're going to have to start battling because anything can happen with Alpe d'Huez around the bend.

If it's not a major name in this stage, it's gonna be someone like Kim Kirchen or Damiano Cunego. I've been wrong 13 times in a row, let's keep up my perfect record.

By the way, tomorrow and Sunday I'm covering events for the Boston Globe. I will get to my recaps and commentary at some point before the weekend is over, but I urge you to catch some of the British Open and the Tour de France on TV and I'll see you back here in earnest on Tuesday.

MONDAY IS A REST DAY. SUNDAY and TUESDAY are the ONLY days the Tour is in a country other than France this year. And only for the end of one stage and the beginning of another. The country is Italy. More on that before the weekend is over.