So, the big news today is that Alexandre Vinokourov failed a doping test after his big time trial win on Saturday. This whole mess kind of dampens my ardor for the Tour. I'm still going to watch, mind you, but the whole proceedings will be tainted with bitterness.

On Friday night, Jake and I played the Phil and Paul drinking game that I outlined last year, with a few amendments. ("Undulations" was the word that did the trick in this particular stage, by the way.) Because of that, I'm having a hard time recalling exactly what happened. I do know that the lead-out for the sprint took forever to kick off—they didn't spool up until 800 meters to go—and that Tom Boonen won. Other than that, there was a breakaway that almost stayed clear, but inevitably got caught.

Saturday, Jake and I rolled down to Tenino and played paintball for DaStud's bachelor party. I had a lot of fun, even if I'm now covered in little round bruises and mosquito bites. That evening, when we got back to my place, we struggled to stay awake through the recording of that day's Tour stage, which was the ill-fated time trial. I mostly remember lots of crashes. It was a technical course, and when the rain fell, the corners got slippery. Canellara crashed fairly badly and pretty much gave up, pedaling in at an easy cadence. Gusev slid head-first into a curb, but bounced up and seemed to recover. Vino crushed everybody, but now we know why. Rasmussen rode well and managed to keep the Yellow Jersey. I'd like to think it had something to do with the roads drying out by the time he left the start house, but maybe it has something to do with those missed dope tests. (See, I'm getting cynical.)

After seeing the stage profile, I predicted—to myself, at least—that Alberto Contador would win Sunday's stage. He did. The stage was epic. Vino folded like a cheap lawn chair. Discovery Channel, mostly through Hincapie and Popovych, started tearing the peloton apart, finally leaving a small group of G.C. contenders. After several attacks and catches, Rasmussen sprung clear. Contador leaped onto his wheel, but was the only rider who could follow. In fact, he counterattacked. Rasmussen hung with every move that Contador made. Eventually, they settled down and worked together to make time over the other riders. Leipheimer hung in there, finishing just a little bit back, but Contador looked so good Bruyneel has to put Discovery Channel's chances of winning on his shoulders.

Monday was another great stage, and I didn't even bother to predict a winner. I figured it would be wide open, and it was. Vino surprised everyone again with his aggressive riding and attacking style, winning with élan. Too bad it's now covered with a black cloud. Haimar Zubeldia finally showed up, finishing third in a sprint to the line with Kim Kirchen of T-Mobile. Maybe the man in orange can ride like he did in 2003 and finish in the top five. Contador pounded Rasmussen again and again, but he just couldn't shake the skinny Dane.

Tomorrow's Stage: Stage 16 - Orthez to Gourette (218.5km)

Wednesday's stage up the Col d'Aubisque could make the race. If Contador can make time on Rasmussen and keep Cadel Evans at a distance, he wins. If Rasmussen stays close to or beats Contador while making time on Evans, he's got it. If Evans can hang in with the two pure climbers, he still has a chance to take overall victory with a great ride in Saturday's time trial. It's too bad that Vino's positive has cast a shadow over what is turning out to be a nail-biter of a Tour. My prediction: Contador wins the stage, but takes fewer than thirty seconds out of Rasmussen.  ¶ 11:09 PM