Tour de France Duds: 4 GC Riders Who Lost Prestige, Promise at the 2010 Tour

It was a banner year for many riders at this year's Tour de France, including Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Mark Cavendish, Alessandro Petacchi and more. But there were several riders who did not fare as well at the Tour. In fact, the argument could be made that some riders put in such poor performances that they will no longer be considered top-flight contenders for future stage races. Below follow four riders that fell short at the 2010 Tour . . . and that could see their chances to lead diminish in the coming years.

Carlos Sastre

Sastre is still a tough little climber capable of winning stages in the tour, but his days of hoping to be an overall contender in any stage race are over. The Spaniard seems a shell of his former self and it hard to believe that only a couple of seasons ago he won the overall at the Tour. Sastre will go down in history as one of the best riders of his generation, but he seems to lack the motivation to be with the best in the grand tours. Still, perhaps he can re-load for the remainder of 2010 and snag a stage win or two at the upcoming Vuelta.

Michael Rogers

Mick Rogers came into the Tour this year with big ambitions. He had a stellar early season lead up to the Tour, and the Aussie looked to be in good position to challenge for a top 10 placing. As the Tour wore on though, it became apparent that Rogers lacked the speed to stay with the best climbers on the toughest climbs. Instead, he ended up finishing in 37th place, more than an hour behind Contador's winning time. Had his loss been in the realm of 15 minutes it could besaid that he could improve, but with as much time as he lost, Rogers should write off any future hopes of grand tour glory. Instead, former world time trial champion should thrown himself at the one week stage races (Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour de Suisse, Tour of California) and try to rack up as many wins as he can in those for the remainder of his career.

Levi Leipheimer

Leipheimer was thrust into the leader's role at this year's Tour after Lance Armstrong's tough crash put him out of the running. Unfortunately for Radioshack though, Leipheimer just wasn't up to the task of contending against the top Tour riders. Leipheimer finished third at the Tour just a few years ago, but much has happened since then, including the development of a slew of young stage racing talent. Like rogers, Leipheimer would be better off going for the shorter stage races on the calendar rather than trying for a high overall finish at the Tour. The Santa Rosa native had his time in the grand tours, and now it is time to re-prioritize.

Brad Wiggins

Wiggins came into the Tour as one of the big favorites, but is was immediately clear that he would not be a factor, as he lost time right from the start at the prologue. The Brit, ever positive, says he knows what went wrong and that he'll make the right changes for next year, but realistically it looks as though he should be considered at best a dark horse candidate for grand tours in the future. Increasingly, it looks as though leaving Jonathan Vaughters and his Garmin team has hurt more than helped. Add to the picture the enormous pressure of being a British team leader on a British team, and the walls come crashing down around Wiggins. He is not completely written off yet, but Wiggins is fast approaching obscurity in stage races only one year after his greatest triumph.

2010 Tour de France Final Thoughts: Death of Sportsmanship, Old Schoolers and the Year Ahead

The 2010 Tour de France is over and done, with Alberto Contador winning the event for the second year in a row. After a 2009 campaign that saw the Spaniard dominate the three week event, his 2010 win pales in comparison after a controversial decision to leave Andy Schleck behind just as he was experiencing a mechanical during the Tour's 15th stage.

There continues to be much debate regarding the developments of stage 15, where Andy Schleck suffered a skipped chain in the midst of gapping Alberto Contador. As the Luxembourger, wearing the yellow jersey, slowed to a stop, Contador, Denis Menchov and Sammy Sanchez continued on, never allowing Schleck to rejoin the trio. As it would turn out, the amount of time that Contador took from Schleck on that stage would be the exact amount he would win the Tour by. Whether you agree with Contador's decision to leave Schleck behind or not, it cannot be refuted that the Tour would have turned out drastically differently had Schleck been allowed to ride back to the leading group of three.

At the end of the stage, Contador gained the lead in the race but faced a hostile crowd who jeered him for his tactics during the stage. It is said that Tour de France fans are the most savvy in all of cycling. If the crowd on hand saw fit to boo Contador, then it is fair to assume that his tactics weren't in good sport. Not only was Schleck on the verge of putting more time into Contador at the time of his mechanical issue, but he was also wearing the yellow jersey. To say that Contador was not out of line is innapropriate, especially based on past precedence involving the yellow jersey. More about those thoughts here. Either way, Contador wins the 2010 Tour due to a rival's mechanical failure. Not the most glorious way to win the biggest bike race in the world.

The old schoolers must have silently nodded their heads approvingly as 36 year old Alessandro Petacchi used both his legs and his mind to win his first sprinter's green jersey at the Tour. The Italian took two early stage wins at the Tour, and after mark Cavendish started the Tour slowly the Italian quickly realized that he had a real chance at carrying the green jersey all the way to Paris. As the stages ticked by, Petacchi got closer to his goal and after a 2nd place finish to Cavendish in the final stage, the green was on Petacchi's back for good, and for the first time in his illustrious career.

With his green jersey victory, Petacchi has now one the sprinter's jersey in all three grand tours. He now has 46 grand tour stage wins in his career, putting him among the best sprinter's ever to race their bikes. A doping inquiry continues to hound Petacchi, but the Italian veteran soldiers on, content in his green jersey win. And although Petacchi probably only has one or two more good seasons left in him, he'll always be able to cherish his 2010 Tour green jersey.

As we look ahead to the 2011 Tour, surely the main topic for the overall will be Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. While contador negotiates a contract extension that will keep him on the Astana team, Schleck and his brother have already made plans to start their own team in 2011. They will leave Bjarne Riis and strike out on their own, as they try to win the Tour de france again next year. Not having Riis could have a bad affect on Schleck's 2011 campaign. Riis has a well-oiled machine in his Saxo Bank squad and he also has the tactical know-how to groom Tour de France champions. He took Ivan Basso to the brink before his doping suspension, won the event with Carlos Sastre and then guided Schleck to back to back 2nd placings. Whether Schelck will be able to duplicate his successes without Riis remains to be seen.

Going back to Contador's decision to drop Schleck during a mechanical, the decision that Contador made could have a profound affect on stage racing into the future. Now that a yellow jersey has been decided on a sporting issue rather than pure tactics and strength, it will be interesting to see if other riders decide to ignore the unwritten rules of pro cycling. And it isn't just Contador who has recently won a grand tour due to a rival's mechanical issue. In the 2009 Vuelta a Espana, Cadel Evans suffered a horribly timed flat tire on the ascent of the Sierra Nevada climb.

Evans ended up losing 2:24 on the stage and lost the Vuelta by 1:32. Clearly, had the contenders waited for the Aussie, he would have taken his first grand tour win. The only fact on the side of the big contenders was the fact that Evans was not in the lead at the time of his puncture. Had he been wearing the leader's jersey, it can only be assumed that his rivals would have had the class to wait for him.

The 2010 Tour de France will be remembered by those that watched it as a two man race for the title. A brutal parcours meant there was never a day of rest and in the end only two riders were up to fighting for the overall win. Whether the best man won will be debated until the end of time. One thing is for sure though, Andy Schleck is getting closer to beating Alberto Contador, and the 2011 Tour should be another for the ages.

No Class: Alberto Contador In Yellow After Andy Schleck's Mechanical

How anyone, be them Phil Ligget or anyone else, could think that the tactics employed by Alberto Contador, Denis Menchov and Sammy Sanchez in today's stage 15 in the Tour de France were anything but classless should have their head examined. After experiencing a horribly timed mechanical toward the top of the final day's climb, Andy Schleck watched as the race went up the road without him, costing him his overall lead in the race. He now sits a handful of seconds out of yellow behind Alberto Contador.

Schleck looked poised to drop Contador yet again at the moment of his mechanical problem, showing once again that he is superior to Contador on the toughest climbs. There are still some very difficult stages remaining (especially stage 17) and Schleck will have the chance to take time back on Contador in the coming days, but the fact remains that he lost about 30 seconds today through no fault of his own. The fact that Contador especially didn't wait for him to reconnect with the front of the group is simply wrong.

Alberto Contador was being dropped again by Andy Schleck just as the mechanical happened. There is no doubt that Contador is strong and perhaps would have closed the gap to Schleck had the mechanical not happened, but to see the Spaniard rise out of the saddle and accelerate just as Schleck was experienceing his equipment malfunction was hard to watch . . . and it cheapens Contador's lead in the race. Should the Spaniard win this year's race by less than a minute, those who watched will remember that he is not truly the winner of the 2010 Tour.

In the past, with few exceptions in recent history, whenever a protagonist had a mechanical, his rivals have been gracious, at least giving him a chance to reconnect with the front of the race before attacking. Lance Armstrong was on both sides of the arguement during his string of 7 Tour wins. When Jan Ullrich crashed off the road on the descent of the Col de Peyresourde in the 2001 Tour, Armstrong waited for him before eventually riding away from the German for another amazing stage win. Armstrong's sporting gesture made his victory that much sweeter on that day, and neither Ullrich or anyone else could question the validity of his win. It was the right thing to do, and it only helped to augment Armstrong's dominance over his German rival.

Ullrich for his part would repay Armstrong's favor a couple of years later, but to his detriment. As Armstrong, Ullrich and Iban Mayo climbed together in the 2005 Tour, Armstrong was famously hooked by a fan's mussette bag and went down hard in the 2003 Tour. Ullrich waited and was eventually dropped, losing his chance at possibly winning a second Tour title. When asked about why he waited, Ullrich's response was a simple one: "Of course, I would wait," Ullrich said Tuesday morning at his hotel here, where Stage 16 begins today. "If I would have won this race by taking advantage of someone's bad luck, then the race was not worth winning." Winning fair and square should be paramount in the mind of a true athlete, but this message has clearly been lost on Contador who chose instead to leave Schleck behind in search of the yellow jersey.

Winning with honor should be the only option for any athlete, but clearly Contador and his break companions didn't feel that way. It will be remembered the way that Contador acted when faced with a tough decision. And although less culpable, Denis Menchov and Sammy Sanchez too should have known to wait for Schleck. All in all, it is a sad outcome for all three riders, who will now have to face the scrutiny of the world's media for the rest of the Tour. Now for Schleck, it is time to take no prisoners out on the road. Should Contador or anyone else suffer bad luck, it is now Schleck's duty to twist the knife, showing no mercy as he tries to take back the time that was stole from him. Karma has an interesting way of evening things out, and it will be interesting to see if Contador suffers any problems in the coming days. One can only hope that he will, allowing him to get a taste of what poor sportsmanship feels like.

The Final Chapter: The Tour de France Heads Into the Pyrenees, Final Podium Clearer

After a very interesting first day in the Pyrenees, the battle for the top step of the Tour de France podium has only just begun. Andy Schleck holds a tenuous lead over Alberto Contador, but the 30 seconds he is ahead aren't enough to ensure a Tour win by the end of the race. The Luxembourgian will have to find a way to take time in the coming stages as he sets the stage for a tense final time trial toward the end of the Tour.

For the rest of the contenders, there are fewer and fewer threats to Contador and Schleck, not to mention third place. Bradley Wiggins is gone from the top of the classification, and salvaging a top 20 ride will be a task in itself for the philosophical Brit. In fact, after losing an additional 5 minutes to the leaders, he now sits better than 11 minutes behind Schleck, in 18th place overall. Should he continue to experience poor performances in the high mountains (which looks likely), he could find himself out of the top 20 come Paris. Either way, his confident talk ahead of the Tour has been replaced with resignation that his 2009 ride was perhaps a fluke and his 2010 season can now officially be called a bust.

Other riders who struggled to hold on to the front of the peloton in stage 14 were Ivan Basso, Romain Kreuziger, Carlos Sastre, Levi Leipheimer, Cadel Evans and Mick Rogers. In fact, unless something strange happens, all of the above riders are out of contention for a podium appearance. Now there are only a few riders battling for third place heading into the Tour's final week.

Foremost among the third place competitors is Denis Menchov. Using the Contador/Schleck duel to his advantage in stage 14, Menchov shot off the front of the main group on the final climb and was able to take back a handful of seconds on the two leading riders. He now sits at 2:44 off the pace, just behind Sammy Sanchez, who also has ridden brilliantly in this year's Tour. Between Sanchez and Menchov, it is probably Menchov who has the best chance of making the podium. He is improving by the day and will probably launch more attacks over the final few mountain stages. He'll also likely ride a strong time trial, or at least stronger than Sanchez.

Before the Tour began, it looked like an open competition. There were more than ten legitimate threats for the overall, and each of them looked primed for a run at the coveted Tour title. But as the days passed, crashes, bad luck and plain poor form doomed many of the Tour hopefuls, leaving us with only four riders left in the race with a legit shot at taking the title. As the brutal final week continues to unfold, it will be interesting to see if either Menchov or Sanchez can thwart the Schleck/Contador duo. Equally interesting is the one-on-one duel that is developing between Contador and Schleck. Neither of them seem capable of dropping the other on the climbs, and so it looks likely that the Tour will come down to the final time trial on stage 19.

Tour de France 2010: Highs and Lows from Week One

It's been an amazing first week of the Tour de France. Tough stages has meant that the GC has been significantly affected early on, and already there are GC riders well out of contention for the overall. Then again, we must remember this past year's Giro d'Italia, where eventual overall winner Ivan Basso was over ten minutes down on the GC after the first week. Only problem was, it wasn't Alberto Contador ad Andy Shleck that were ahead of him by that much time. So, keeping that mind, here are the goods and bads thus far from this year's Tour.

As was the case in 2009, Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador are clearly head and shoulders above everyone else when it comes to climbing. The two have put minutes between themselves and their competition, and should their form hold the Tour is fast shaping up to be a two horse race for the top step of the podium. Schleck seems to be best on the uphills right now, but Contador is improving every day, and will likely strike in the final week.

The race for the third meanwhile is also very compelling, with Sammy Sanchez leading, Denis Menchov, Jurgen Van Den Brouk and Levi Leipheimer all a minute or less behind Sanchez. Further down, teammates Ivan Basso and Romain Kreuziger trail Sanchez by three minutes. Of these second tier riders, Leipheimer and Sanchez look the strongest on the climbs. However, Basso seems to get better the longer a stage race goes on and Menchov has an excellent time trialing capability. These above riders will ensure the final two weeks of the Tour aren't boring, even if they aren't the ones battling for the top step in Paris.

On the team scene, not enough can be said about Saxo Bank. They have worn the yellow jersey for three stages with two different teammates and now their GC leader Andy Schleck is in the driver's seat heading into the last half of the race. Bjarne Riis' teams are always successful in big races throughout the year, but they have separated themselves in this year's Tour as the best overall team, at least so far. With all of their success year in and year out, it is hard to believe that Bjarne Riis had trouble finding a sponsor for 2011 and beyond.

Cadel Evans, Mick Rogers, Brad Wiggins. All out of the running for the GC. Yes, something strange could happen, seeing one of them move back up the classification. In reality though, they are likely done and the PR machine can start now for each one.

In the most hot water will be Brad Wiggins, who signed with the new British Sky team for 2010 with one singular goal: To win the Tour de France. The outspoken Brit claimed that he needed a better team to support him if he were to hope to make the Tour podium and Sky answered the call. Wiggins though has deflated from the beginning and has never really been in the conversation for the GC. He seems to have come back down to earth after having left the tuteledge of Garmin's Jonathan Vaughters and it is looking like his 2010 season is sunk. He'll have to go on the offensive for the remainder of the Tour, hoping for a change in his fortune.

Cadel Evans, like he did in 2009, has lost big time in the high mountains. The reigning world champion just has not looked as fresh as the other GC riders, and he was caught out in a big way in today's stage 9. He isn;t completely out of the race yet, but like Wiggins it isn't looking good. A 5th overall at the Giro shows he can still contend in stage races, but two sub-par performances in a row for the Tour never bode well for a rider.

Mick Rogers was quietly confident heading into this year's Tour, having taken two stage race victories, including the Amgen Tour of California. Yet the Aussie seems a level below most of the other GC riders, close but not close enough in both the time trials and mountains. Rogers is still a great stage racer, but he is probably better suited to the one week long stage races instead of the grand tours. Because of his great early season Rogers can still ride with little pressure, but like the others he'll hope to be in the conversation for a stage win at some point over the final two weeks.

With two weeks yet remaining, there will surely be more surprises, but thus far this year's Tour has been one for the ages. Now, we will see if Contador is as dominant as last year, or whether he'll finally be unseated.

Not Like This: Why Lance Armstrong Must Contest the 2011 Tour de France

Lance Armstrong has been laid low by an unprecedented string of bad luck at this year's Tour de France. He has crashed several times, suffered mechanical breakdowns and been forced to the brink of abandonment . . . and we're only just starting the second week of the three week event. The Radioshack team leader has been philosophical and humble regarding his circumstances, and has stated that he'll work on behalf of his teammates and enjoy his final Tour participation, content that his chance for the overall is over.

Like him or not, Lance Armstrong is a great champion. It is easy to forget just how dominant he was in his run of 7 straight Tour titles. He dispatched the world's greatest climbers emphatically throughout his winning run, showing a dominance never before seen at the Tour. Yes, his approach to cycling was largely one dimensional as he focused solely on the Tour for most of his career, but the fact remains that when it came to preparing for a Tour assault, no one did it like Armstrong.

Coming into this year's Tour Armstrong looked poised to make a serious run at the overall. He put in a scintillating prologue ride and was sitting pretty heading into the tough cobbled stag three . . . and then his luck turned bad in a big way. A flat tire saw him lose time to the favorites during that stage, and after a horrific crash in yesterday's stage 8, the nail was driven into his 2010 Tour coffin. With two weeks left, his campaign has been reduced to a team helper role and a possible stage win try along the way. For his legions of fans around the world, it simply should not end this way.

Preparing for the Tour de France is a arduous process, one that takes full commitment from both body and mind. Armstrong is admittedly older and is feeling the pull of his family more than ever, but will he really be OK walking away from the Tour for good under these circumstances? One hopes not.

He is riding as a part of a very powerful Radioshack team that he has galvanized over the past year. He still clearly has the fitness to contend at the Tour. So then why walk away now in the darkest hour? Why not ride out the rest of this Tour, re-load and then take one last stab? Sure, there is a risk of a repeat of this year's problems, but it isn't likely. Were he to return for the 2011 edition, he could be reasonably confident that his luck would be a shade better. Having the fitness, the team and a little bit of luck, perhaps he could go out with at least one more podium appearance in 2011. Or he could retire after this Tour, remembered as a battered champion struck down by bad fortune in his final hours.

No matter his decision for 2011, Lance Armstrong has had an amazing career and holds the title of best American cyclist ever now and in the future. It is unlikely that any rider will ever win 7 Tours in a career let alone in a row, so his record is likely safe. But when things quiet down and it is only Lance and his thoughts, he'll likely come to the truth: He can still win the Tour de France, and if he passes on a 2011 assault he could regret it for the rest of his life.

Mark Cavendish Tour de France 2010: Struggling to Find Form and Gather Wins

Mark Cavendish is simply not the rider he was in 2009, there is no other way to say it. After positively dominating the 2009 cycling season from wire to wire, Cavendish has had a bumpy 2010, notching only a handful of wins en route to his big target for 2010, the Tour de France. Cavendish has been speaking since the end of last season about his plan to win the green jersey as well as stages at this year's Tour, but so far he has been dusted by an older yet clearly superior Alessandro Petacchi.

"Ale Jet" is back in a big way, having taken his second stage win just today in stage four. The Italian seems to have his old power back, which is bad news for Cavendish and the rest of the Tour field. Thor Hushovd meanwhile keeps the green points jersey, which already seems out of reach for Cavendish. Now, the Briton will have to hope to take at least one stage win between now and the end of the Tour. If he doesn't, the backlash from the fans and media will be unbelievable.

Robbie McEwen spoke recently about the need for all pro riders to accept that each season is unique, and that some years will be better than others. He suggested that Cavendish may be feeling the pressure in regards to Andre Greipel, the other big sprinter on the HTC team that as had a better season thus far than Cavendish. What McEwen failed to mention though is the fact that Cavendish's team in 2010 is much different than the 2009 version. The argument can be made that Cavendish's lead out train is far weaker than in 2009.

As the stages continue to unfold, it will be interesting to see how Cavendish reacts to the adversity before him. Will he crack under the pressure, receding into himself and losing his confidence? Or will the challenge galvanize him and his team to work even harder to win in the coming stages? Finally, if Cavendish fails to win one stage at the Tour, does Greipel become more important to re-sign for the HTC team? Suddenly, things are becoming very complicated for Mark Cavendish, but just one win can set things straight in an instant.

Another Epic Early Stage at the 2010 Tour de France: Nice!

I just cannot get on board with the notion that cobbles and other non-typical cycling course characteristics are a bad thing for the Tour de France and other three week stage races. After a wet and slippery stage 2, the 2010 Tour brought the peloton to the feared cobbles of Northern France. The usual cobbled chaos ensued, as both crashes and shrewd tactics saw many of the GC favorites lose time.

The Saxo Bank team is probably the worse off as a team, as their co-leader for the GC, Frank Schleck, crashed out of the Tour with a broken collar bone. But by the same token, the other Schleck brother Andy made the front group of six, and now sits ahead of rivals Denis Menchov, Alberto Contador and others. Joining Schleck as the best placed of the GC contenders after three stages is world champion Cadel Evans, who like Andy Schleck made the front group of six.

Most of the other GC candidates also made it past stage three in relatively good shape. Alberto Contador is only 30 seconds behind Schleck on the GC now. Brad Wiggins and Denis Menchov too are is good shape, less than a minute behind Schleck. For others though, significant time gaps cost them big time on the day, including Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong lost over two minutes on the stage, and is now back on the defensive after a scintillating prologue put him into perfect position heading into stage three. He is not out of the running, but his path to the podium is tougher now than it was at the beginning of the day. Mick Rogers is now two plus minutes in back of Schleck, and the same can be said about Ivan Basso, Sammy Sanchez and Carlos Sastre. As expected, the Italian and Spanish GC hopes, with exception to Contador, lost big time in stage three.

All this early race drama can only be a good thing for the Tour. Yes, it is sad that Frank Schleck crashed out. Yes, it is sad that Armstrong flatted and lost time due only to bad luck (same with Rogers). But that's bike racing ain't it? Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes not. Christian Vande Velde knows it. Despite not starting stage three, he was nevertheless philosophical about his situation. Armstrong too has handled his adversity well, perhaps remembering that he went 7 years without much bad luck during his 7 year long Tour run.

Some say that cobbles and windswept stages shouldn't be a part of the Tour, but that sentiment will never be expressed on this site. The Tour winner should be able to handle all types of terrain, and the winner of this year's Tour will be remembered as a man capable of all types of riding. The cobbles and weather conditions will only serve to elevate the status of this year's winner. And that can only be a good thing for cycling.

Tour de France Climbs and Cobbles in the First Week: The Right move for Early Race Drama

You've got to hand it the ASO, the organizers of the Tour de France as they finally figured out a way to make the first few days of the Tour exciting . . . and meaningful for the GC . . . all at the same time. Poor weather coupled with challenging courses featuring narrow roadways has seen chaos reign down on this year's Tour field, and there are already casualties in the GC fight only two days into the event. The drama is already so thick you can cut it with a knife and the Tour hasn't even entered France yet.

In past years, the first few days of the Tour have been little more than training rides with a sprint at the end of them. The field, nervous and jumpy, would roll through each stage before queueing up for a frenetic sprint finish which would often result in a massive crash. This year though, things have been much different and we're only just beginning the Tour.

After a prologue that saw all of the GC contenders concede time to Lance Armstrong, stage two was a crashed-marred massacre that resulted in some of the GC favorites being eliminated from the overall picture. Rain-slicked roads were the order of the day, and many of the top GC favorites were none to pleased at the course chosen by the race organizers.

Ironically though, many of the roads featured in the second stage are used earlier in the year for the hilly classics, in particular Leige-Bastogne-Leige. That the Tour route was announced long ago should have quieted any complaints from the riders, but it didn't. Instead, the normally nervous feeling for the first stages of the Tour de France has been amplified, leaving the peloton flustered and skittish. Worst of all for the field is tomorrow's stage three, which travels over some of the same feared cobbled roads featured at Paris-Roubaix. It should be, in a word, epic.

It is of course the Spaniards and Italians that seem the most vulnerable for stage three, but really no one is immune from the forest of Arenberg. Flat tires and other equipment failures will be common, and there will likely be some big crashes as well. Expect to see Lance Armstrong and his Radioshack team at the front once the cobbles begin, with help from the BMC and Sky teams. Contador, Basso, Sanchez, Menchov and others will hope to limit their losses and keep upright to live ot fight in the final two weeks of the race.

For possible stage winners, look toward Fabian Cancellara of course, but give favorite status to George Hincapie. If the BMC team allows him to ride his own race, Hincapie would emerge as the stage winner on the tough cobbled roads. Other riders that are dangerous for stage consideration include Manuel Quinziato, Juna Antonio Flecha, Johan Van Summeren and Thor Hushovd.

It's Tour de France Time Again: The Best Time of the Year for American Cycling Fans

In America, the Amgen Tour of California's popularity has swelled year over year. But for the American sports fan, there is still only one race that truly holds any weight: The Tour de France. The cobbled classics are amazing races, but few in America can relate to obscure cobbled roads in Belgium. The Giro is great, but the lack of TV coverage in America cripples the attention it gets in the US. The Tour, with non-stop VS coverage from dawn to dusk, brings each day of the Tour into the living rooms of America, allowing them the chance to see the beauty and power that is professional cycling.

The 2010 Tour, like 2009, is setting up to be an amazing race. A challenging race course is waiting for the best cyclists in the world, and it is true that the field is one of the most open in recent history. It is often said that the Tour is an "open" competition, but it was never truer than for this year's edition. Just look at the race roster to see the level of talent entered.

Alberto Contador is, without a doubt, the number one favorite. The Spaniard has not lost a three week stage race in years, and he'll look for his 3rd Tour title. Just behind Contador are several other big favorites. Denis Menchov, he of three grand tour overall wins to his credit, has staked his entire season on the Tour, and his pre-race comments suggest that his form is top notch. The Schleck brothers, possibly riding their final Tour under the leadership of Bjarne Riis, will form a fearsome one-two combo against Contador.

Also dangerous is Lance Armstrong and his Radioshack team. The red and black Shack squad will undoubtedly be active early, as the try to deliver Armstrong to an 8th Tour win. And who could forget about 2009 Giro winner Ivan Basso. The Italian returns to the Tour after a five year exile, and he'll be at the front trying to pull off the legendary Giro/Tour double.

For the first time in a long time a reigning world champion will enter the Tour as an overall favorite. Cadel Evans has had an amazing season thus far, and he'll look to at least podium at the Tour after a terrible 2009 performance. Also in with a very realistic chance at a podium is HTC-Columbia's Mick Rogers. The Aussie, like Cadel Evans, has had an amazing 2010 season thus far. All the stars seem aligned for Rogers, it's a now or never moment at the Tour for the likeable Aussie.

Further down the ladder, there is still some serious talent capable of winning the Tour. Brad Wiggins joined Sky in the off season with hopes of delivering England its first Tour title. Like Menchov, Wiggins claims he is ready to win and despite the pressure he must be feeling, he insists his form is as good or better than 2009. Sammy Sanchez, the reigning Olympic gold medalist on the road, is solely focused on Tour glory, and although he may not have the strongest team, the Spaniard has the pedigree to do a good Tour. Christian Vande Velde, always underestimated, is back again for another crack at the tour, as he has sole leadership of a powerful Garmin-Transitions team. And Carlos Sastre, down but not out, will lurk as a long shot hoping for a huge ride on one of the mountain top stages.

Considering the above listed overall hopes, one truly can claim that this year's Tour de France is the most open competition in recent history. They say the riders make the race, and for this year's Tour has some of the very best riders in the world ready to pounce on the Tour parcours.