Tour de France 2009...

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Skil-Shimano just rollesd down the start ramp. Fumiyuki Beppu is the second Japanese rider in the Tour. He rode on Discovery Channel for two years.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

There are three time checks along the route today. None of them have reached the third yet. Caisse d'Epargne is setting the best time at the first two.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

From the first time check at 10km:

1. CAISSE D

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From the second time check at 19.5km:

1. CAISSE D

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Caisse d'Epargne just crossed the line with 47:58 at 48.8kph

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Astana has an interesting problem with so many leaders. Who do they NOT wait for? Armstrong and Contador, sure, and probably Leipheimer and Kloden, too, but what happens if the team has to deal with multiple issues? A flat, a crash, a split? It will be interesting to see how they handle it.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

FOUR Bbox just fell off the road, too hot into a sweeping right-hander

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

That has to be the day's WTF moment.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

It looks as though the lead rider took the wrong line into the turn.

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Katusha across the line with new fastest time: 47:52

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Nice sparkling gold helmets the Agritubel boys are sporting

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Pierre Roland from BBox has been dropped. Man, oh, man... these boys are NOT having a happy day.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Evans' Silence guys are getting ready.

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Rabobank is about 2km from the finish.

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Cavendish is ticking off his season haul of victories with hash marks across his top tube, much like a fighter pilot recording his kills. Cavendish now has 15 wins on the 2009 season, most of any pro

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Silence-Lotto is on the road. This is a key moment for a team that includes a potential GC challenger. They are picking their way through the first kilometer very carefully.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Rabobank stopped clock in 48:49, meaning Menchov could lose another 2-3 minutes today.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

1. Katusha, 47:52

2. Caisse d'Epargne, at 0:08

3. Rabobank, at 0:57

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Four teams have hit the third time check at 30.5km thus far.

1. Katusha, 38:41

2. Caisse d'Epargne, at 0:02

3. Rabobank, at 0:52

4. Lampre, at 1:50.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Three of the first five teams had crashes. This course is tricky.