2006 TOUR DE FRANCE : Let the real race begin

Stage 10 was the first foray of the peloton into the mountains. In the last 7 years, Lance Armstrong and his team would take control at this point of the race. "Taking control" means taking the yellow jersey with the team chasing dangerous breaks or setting a pace so hard it would discourage any attacks.

Yesterday, nothing of that sort happened. The leaders knew that the course, (which had a 40km descent after the last climb) will negate what lead they will gain over the mountains. So why work hard today?

Well, you have to ask T-Mobile why they worked hard today. T-Mobile is not exactly a smart team when it comes to tactics but yesterday, they were acting like they were protecting the "virtual" yellow jersey in Andreas Kloden (5th overall) while letting the actual yellow jersey, Sergiy Gonchar, do domestique chores. Sitting pretty behind their slipstream were the favorites- Floyd Landis, Cadel Evans, Paolo Savoldelli, George Hincapie, Dennis Menchov and the usual suspects.

With a mountain top finish today, the grain will finally be separated from the chaff. There is no more bluffing, faking or hedging in the mountains.

With Frenchman Cyril Dessel taking over yellow today, his French team, AG2R, will defend it to death. They know that they can't bring the yellow jersey to Paris with there current line up so milking the yellow jersey for what its worth would be the team tactic for today.

While everybody was expecting attacks from the favorites, it never came. I think that they were saving their legs for the four categorized climbs today. T-Mobile will have a hard time trying to control the peloton tomorrow as most of their riders have tired legs. But then, without a Lance or a Jan, anything can happen.

Will the real yellow jersey please stand up? Tour notes:

For many years now, the French have claimed that the peloton is raced in two levels, the doped riders and the un-doped riders like themselves and the reason for their poor performance but it was brushed aside as sour-graping. Today, France is back in the winning circle. Although they don't have a podium candidate this year, the fact that they are winning stages and getting to wear the yellow jersey gives a little credence to their claim. With so many prominent riders out for doping suspensions, is the tour really raced on a level playing field?

Tour by the numbers

Calories consumed by a rider per day: 5,900 average, 9,000 max. . . .Calories burned by a rider in the course of the Tour: 123,900 (based on 5900-per day average at 21 days of racing). . . .Number of pedal strokes taken per rider for the three weeks: 324,000 (at 60 rpm); 486,000 (at 90 rpm) . . . .Number (or miles) of barricades erected and torn down for the race: 217 miles.. . . Number of gendarmes (French military police officers) on the Tour: 13,000. . . . Number of chains worn out by a single rider: 3 (Armstrong went through a chain a week). . . .Total number of tires used by the peloton: 792. . . .Number of finishers, worst-ever year: 10 in 1919 (out of 69 starters). . . .Most stages won by a single rider, career total: 34, Eddy Merckx (1969: six stages and overall; 1970: eight stages and overall; 1971: four stages and overall; 1972: six stages and overall; 1974: eight stages and overall; 1975: two stages.