I waited until almost 9:00 p.m. to go for my run, just so it would cool off a little bit. About halfway into my jog, two off-leash rat dogs started chasing me and nipping at my heels. I was quite tempted to try punting one like a football. Maybe if the owners hadn't been standing right there.

Before my run, while I was waiting for things to cool off, I watched the Tour, of course. I have to admit, as much as I love the Tour, this stage was quite boring until about 5k to go. The pay-off for sitting through the tedium, however, was one of the most exciting finishes I can recall. Cancellara, resplendent in the Yellow Jersey, powered away from the peloton as they negotiated a dangerous, cobbled turned 1k from the finish line. He then blasted past the four-man breakaway 500 meters from the end so quickly no one could jump into his draft. Using all of his pure power, he held on as the big-gun sprinters closed in on him. I was jumping up and down as I cheered for him to stay off the front. I wasn't certain he was going to hold on, and I think Zabel would have nipped him at the line if the race had been 10 meters longer. Here's a stage recap from VeloNewsTV.

Cancellara's victory reminded me of the way he won Paris-Roubaix in 2006, although he was much more dominant then. I found that interesting because today's stage covered many of the same roads as Paris-Roubaix, only in reverse.

Tomorrow's Stage: Stage 4 - Villers-Cotteręts to Joigny (193km)

Even though this stage is a bit lumpy, I don't think a breakaway will stay clear. I expect another bunch sprint. The hills could keep Milram and Quickstep from setting up their trains, and we all know who wins when the sprint is disorganized. That's right, Robbie McEwen. McEwen looked pretty sharp today, too, until Robbie Hunter interfered with his sprint. You could see McEwen quit sprinting and coast over the line after almost getting knocked from his bike.  ¶ 11:26 PM