Stage 2 played out exactly as one would expect. The peleton chased down a non threatening breakaway, ending in a typical sprinters dual, with Cavendish beating all and Tyler Farrar best of the rest. Hushovd coming in a respectful 4th.
Stage 3 showed the value of experience. Only Cavendish and Hushovd made the break when team Columbia-HTC made the break, making an even easier victory for Cavendish.
The biggest story of Stage 3 is obviously Armstrong (with years of experience) who was ready to go with Team Columbia-HTC when they made the break, leaving teammates Contador, Leipheimer, and Kloden behind, catapulting Armstrong to third place overall.
Stage 4 team time trial had few surprises, leaving a nail biter as results were tabulated for the Yellow Jersey. At the end of the day, Cancellera ended up fractions of a second overall ahead of Armstrong. The top three teams finished in the order you would expect with Astana on top, Garmin second and Saxo Bank 3rd.
Denis Menchov of Rabobank
The biggest losers were Denis Menchov and Cadell Evans, losing big time to both Armstrong and Contador.
Stage 5 will be another flat stage for the sprinters. Watch for Cadell Evan’s Silence-Lotto or Denis Menchov’s Rabobank teams to try and make a break to take the victory away from the sprinters and get back some of the time they are behind.
The real battle will begin when we get to the mountains, and the youth of Contador goes head to head with the experience of Armstrong.
Menchov and Evans better make up time tomorrow or they are toast in only the first week.
Not much margin for error in this race, Menchov better find his legs in a hurry