True Grit

I think True Grit is actually the name of a John Wayne Western, but today it was in the form of Lance Armstrong. I mentioned last week the way to attack Lance and his team was to take control of the race before Discovery did, then attack and isolate Armstrong until he can't respond to the attacks. Finally, someone listened to me. T-Mobile, the team of Ullrich, Vinokourov, and Kloden, attacked on the lower slopes of the Port de Pailheres, ridding Armstrong of his team, making him vulnerable. But Armstrong responded like the true champion he is, not panicking and answering every attack. Then, it was Armstrong who sprinted to the top of Ax-3-Domaines, finishing 2nd to Georg Totschnig, who had been part of an early breakaway group of 10. Totschnig left his breakaway group on the Pailheres, and started the final climb 5 minutes ahead of the Armstrong group. Slowly, the Armstrong group became just Armstrong, helped by attacks from Ivan Basso and Ullrich, as they looked to improve their overall standing. The victims of Basso and Ullrich's attacks were Michael Rasmussen (still 2nd, but now 1:41 behind), and Christophe Moreau (fell from 3rd to 10th). At the end of the climb, it was just Armstrong, Basso, and Ullrich together, but Armstrong sprinted the last 1500 meters to send a message to Basso and Ullrich that he was in command.

Tomorrow is the "Queen Stage" of the Tour. This is what the riders face: Col de Portet Aspet (Category 2, 6K long @ average road grade of 6.9%), Col de Mente (Category 1, 7K @ 8.6%), Col du Portillon (Category 1, 8.4K @ 7.3%), Col de Pereysourde (Category 1, 13K @ 7%), Col de Val-Louron Azet (Category 1, 7.4K @ 8.3%), and finally the ascent to Pla D'Adet (Above Category, 10.3K @ 8.3%). I will be very surprised if Lance does not win tomorrow's stage. This is the stage of all stages, the one he's circled on his calendar since the route came out. In addition, the Portet Aspet is where former teammate Fabio Casartelli crashed and died during the 1995 Tour. Everytime the Tour has climbed the Portet Aspet, Armstrong has won that particular stage. Make sure you watch tomorrow. Coverage on Outdoor Life starts at 7:30am.

In the 3rd round of the British Open, Tiger Woods did not run away with the tournament as many, including myself, thought he would. Paired with Colin Montgomerie, his pairing turned into a Ryder Cup-like atmosphere, the St. Andrews crowd turning partisan to support the Scotsman. When Monty got within one shot of Tiger, the Old Course went crazy, feeling more like the Belfry. But Tiger remained steady, shooting 71, holding onto a 2 shot lead over Jose Maria Olazabal. Monty, who if it were match play would've beaten Tiger 1 UP, is 3 behind along with Retief Goosen. Other notables include Sergio Garcia 5 behind, John Daly 6 behind, and Phil Mickelson 9 behind. I would be shocked if Tiger doesn't win tomorrow.

I did manage to get 8 hours of sleep last night, so I'm feeling a lot better today. I think it also helped that it was a little less humid last night, which my sinuses liked. It's hard to believe I only have 3 weeks left in my Oxford apartment. Again, my thesis is done, now it's just a matter of getting the logisitics in order so I can defend it and formally finish.

That is all for tonight.