Today was my rest day. It felt nice to relax.

Tour Talk

I called another one! The finish worked out about like I imagined: a strong group churned out a hard tempo over the last couple of kilometers, shedding riders left and right, until Ricco sprang clear with only a few hundred meters left, claiming victory. Valverde looked strong finishing second, even though he was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Schumacher, the Yellow Jersey holder, fell a few hundred meters from the end, but since it was a mountaintop finish, he wasn't awarded the same time as his group. I know it must sting, but it's hard for me to feel sorry for him after he won the Eneco Tour over George Hincapie in a similar incident. When Christian Vande Velde broke away with 5k to go, I got a little excited. He ranked high enough on the GC to have a shot at the overall, and I would have loved to see another American in Yellow. Alas, he was swept up by the hard tempo set by Valverde's team, Caisse d'Epargne.

Stage Seven: Brioude to Aurillac, 159 Kilometers

Tomorrow's stage is a tough ride. It undulates slowly upwards for 117 kilometers until reaching the summit of the Category 2 Pas de Peyrol. Then it's a long descent until hitting a Category 3 speed bump just before the finish. The run up to the line looks flat, but I expect the field will break apart over the final climb. A classics rider who's not too high on the GC seems like the type of rider to take this stage. Might as well pick Philippe Gilbert, the Belgian on the Française des Jeux squad—he fits the criteria.  ¶ 11:22 PM