The beginning of the end.

Sadly three eventful weeks of crashes, Cancellara, Cav, chain-gate, Contador and some cycling has to come to an end. So after failing to topple Contador at the top Schleck trails by 8 seconds going into the time trial.
Historically Contador is far stronger at this than Schleck, so the expectation is for him to extend his lead by anything up to a couple of minutes.

Stage 19: Individual Time Trial: Bordeaux > Pauillac: Saturday 24th

So going into the stage there are many things that could be decided by today's Time Trial.
The yellow Jersey:
If Contador has a bad day, a mechanical or crash then Schleck could steal the Yellow Jersey off him. Unlikely but stranger things have happened. Schleck is not a brilliant Time Trialist (despite being the Luxembourg Time Trial Champion!! Only he and his brother contest that each year im sure!) but has improved since last year where he lost lots of time. Has improved enough?
Third Place:
Yes it is an assumption that Sanchez or Menchov won't be 4 minute 40 seconds quicker than Schleck and steal second but it is unlikely he'll lose that much. So it comes down to a straight fight between Menchov and Sanchez with an outside chance that Van den Broeck will get in the mix a further 1 minute 30 seconds down.
Sanchez took a nasty fall on Thursday so it remains to be seen whether the 'Silent Assassin' can pick him off before Paris.
Lantern Rouge:
Bert Grabsch is 2 minutes off the penultimate place in this years Tour. A good time trial would enable him to lose the unwanted trophy. Wikipedia tells me he was the German National Time Trial Champion last year, and World Time Trial Champion the year before, hmmmmmmm
Green Jersey:
Unaffected by today's stage that will be decided on the road to Paris!
Team Jersey:
Radioshack are 8 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Caisse D'Epargne so unlikely to change the lead.
White Jersey:
Young rider jersey is held by Schleck (his last year in it at 25 years old). Gesink is 6 and a half minutes down on him, Schlecks for the taking this on.
As usual the Time Trial is run in reverse order, meaning Grabsch goes first. And prompty sets the fastest overall time (Duh!)
Today will be an opportunity for some pride to be salvaged (Team Sky I'm looking in your direction!) and for others to ease their way through to prepare for tomorrows sprint.
Grabsch time is beaten by Tony Martin, who held the top spot in the Prologue for most of the day.
He can be pleased that none of the 26 people above him were faster, and he has shed his Lantern Rouge position, he was 5 minutes quicker than the guy above him!
Tony Martin only holds onto the top spot for a few riders before Spartacus (Cancellara) beats it. He's not World Time Trial Champion for nothing you know!
Cancellara powers over the line in a fraction over 1 hr (stage distance was 52km so that's, erm, 52km/h then!) beating Tony Martin by 17seconds! By the way 52km/h is 31.2mph!! Awesome!!
As the rest of the riders cross the line Cancellara's time looks increasingly safe, especially since the conditions are deteriorating.

David Millar crosses the line 4 minutes 20 seconds over Cancellara's time, a good ride from the broken and bruised Garmin rider.
Geraint sets a blistering pace through the checkpoints 4th at the first, 5th at the second and eventually coming in 3 minutes and 33 seconds down on Cancellara. A very respectable time that puts him easily in the top ten currently. Winds beginning to pick up as well.
Wiggo's out of the start gate and making smooth progress, third fastest at the first check.
Second check shows he's slowed up a bit down to eight fastest.
Wiggo comes in and has crossed the line 5 seconds faster than Geraint! They lie 9th and 10th and with the wind picking up they are likely to stay there! Go Team Sky!
Manchov, Sanchez, Contador and Schleck are all out on the road chasing down the time gaps.
By the first check point Menchov has already overtaken Sanchez for third place, its looking a bad day in the saddle for Sanchez, his 21 second lead gone in just 18km. Poor Sammy.
Schleck approaches the first checkpoint, 23 minutes 10 seconds, 39 seconds slower than Menchov, but no ones bothered about that, they are looking for Contador..........
who crosses the 6 seconds SLOWER than Schleck
Yes 6 seconds slower
Contador now has a 2 second lead, Schleck is having the Time Trial of his life!!
Game On
Menchov thunders over the line 13 seconds slower than Geraint, a brilliant ride and 11th on today's stage has surely secured him 3rd place. He was so quick he over took Van den Broeck in the finishing straight. He started 3 minutes ahead of Menchov!!!!!
Sanchez wheezes over the 2m minutes slower than Menchov, he looks exhausted and gutted, so close yet so far.
Just Schleck and Contador left out there and Contador has had to put the hammer down. Schleck is pushing him all the way. Contador is beginning to panic a little and is showing the strain. Will he crack?
No. The next checkpoint has him up by 4 seconds on the day, giving him 12 seconds overall. Has Schleck set off too fast?
Schleck looks tired and like he has given it his all as he crosses the line in 1 hour 7 minutes and 10 seconds, 6 minutes 14 seconds slower than his team mate Cancellara.
Contador has done it!
He crosses the line in 1 hour 6 minutes and 39 seconds. He finishes up 39 seconds ahead of Schleck, 31 seconds gained on the stage.
39 seconds rings a bell though, where have I seen that before...................stage 15 per chance.
Incredibly Contador has won the Tour by the exact margin he gained back and over Schleck on the slopes of the Tourmalet on Stage 15 in the Chain-gate saga.
Seriously you couldn't write this stuff!
Amazing! In my book that makes Schleck the winner if you follow the logic that Contador shouldn't have attacked. Oh well I'm sure that debate will rumble on and on whilst Schleck has that rarest of things in cycling; the moral high ground!
For excitement today's stage has epitomised the Tour as a whole, twists and turns to the end. Can the final stage sprint offer the same excitement?

Stage 20: Longjumeau > Paris Champs-Elyesees: Sunday 25th

As is tradition, the stage starts with lots of photo opportunities, the Yellow Jersey's team with champagne, the Jerseys together, Team Jersey winners together etc.
Lance Armstrong seems to be in the spirit of things when his Team Radioshack come out wearing special black and yellow Livestrong Jerseys to celebrate their team win and Armstrongs Livestrong Cancer foundation. A noble cause to highlight the estimate 28 million cancer suffers worldwide.
Except the Commissaires don't see it that way. Orders are given to change back into their normal jerseys and the stage is delayed by 15 minutes as this happens.
Lance resists but eventually has to change, Lance 0 Commissaires 1
Once again the Commissaires use the opportunity to flex their muscle to show the Peleton who's boss, this time it's a cancer charity feeling the brunt. Well done you must be so proud our yourselves you blinkered, moronic imbeciles. That's one thing I've not enjoyed this year, but enough on that.
Quaffing of champagne and jersey swapping over the real business of hauling in the inevitable break and launching the sprinters gets under way.
Today's stage is the shortest in the Tour at 102km. Once over the line it will bring up a not insignificant 3642km over 3 weeks. That's 2185miles in 20 days (109 miles per day, the equivalent of London to Bournemouth everyday!!)
More Radioshack problems, the Commissaires (argh just go away already!!) aren't happy with their race numbers, they've had to stop to pin them on. Mean while the Peleton slows to allow them to catch up.
Schleck and Contador have a little lark around on the front with a pretend break away and then Schleck has a mechanical and has to swap bikes. Contador waits for him. Oh the irony!!
Anyway as per normal not a lot happens until they hit the cobbles and loops of the Champs-Elyesees
Finally some action! Into the first lap a mini break away goes off the front, 6 riders looking to spoil the sprinters party?
This one is soon reeled back in but another goes with 10 men in it. The mini breaks are eating up all the intermediate sprint points available meaning it will go down to the stage win to decide the Green Jersey!
The break get 25 seconds clear of the hard chasing Peleton, lead by Cav's HTC team, who also have one man tactically in the break.
3 laps to go and the gap is falling, it's going to be a sprinters day surely?
Yup with 6km to go on the final lap the whole field is together again.
Team Lampre are trying to get Petacchi to the front and Cervelo are moving Hushovd up but HTC are keeping control for now.
Its all going to come down to the last sequence of turns the quick left right. Get in a good position through them and you have the advantage. Team Sky have come to the front Geraint and Wiggo doing good pacey stints on the front for Boasson Hagen.
Going into the final corner each of the top riders has their lead out man ahead of them to slingshot them to the finish.
Hushovd goes followed by Petacchi, Cav starts to accelerate on the outside......
Cav pulls clear with 15m to go.

CAV WINS THE STAGE FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING!!!

Another emphatic victory for Cav!! The Manx Missile was unstoppable as he shot through from behind Hushovd and Petacchi. 5 stage wins this year and second place in the Green Jersey are a huge coup considering he had such bad form in the first week. With 15 stage wins in the Tour to his name he is easily going to get up there in the most ever stage wins top 10 if he carries on sprinting like he does! Unstoppable!!
The Manx Missile has had a really mixed Tour and still come away with 5 stage wins and almost got the Green Jersey. He's got to be happy with that, it's been emotional for him.
So to round it all up:
Team Astana's Alberto Contador takes the Yellow Jersey from Andy Schleck by 39 seconds.
Andy Schleck of Team Saxo Bank takes the White Young Riders Jersey.
Anthony Charteau takes the King of the Mountains Polkadot Jersey.
Alessandro Petacchi takes the Green Jersey.
Lance Armstrong's Radioshack Team take the Team Jersey.
Mark Cavendish takes the most individual stage wins with 5 this year.
Sylvain Chavanel rounds off a successful Tour for the French by taking the Combative Jersey for the most attacking rider.
Wow what a Tour it's been, full of excitement, controversy, thrills and spills, and thankfully thus far untainted by drugs speculation mid tour, although Armstrong and Petacchi have court summons to attend to........
Bring on next years Tour, I'm going who's up for joining me.........