Yesterday at Le' Tour: 08

Now it begins.
Focus turns to the riders whose names I can't spell (or pronounce properly).
The death or glory boys are hanging out the back of the autobus and all the contenders are getting twitchy.
9 men break away and slowly get whittled down.
I'm surprised to see a HTC rider (I thought they were just missile launchers) going off the front and, seeing T.J.'s mighty effort, I will him on with shouts of encouragement for this is his first tour.
Sadly he faded but not before getting himself into the Polka Dot jersey.

Then a worrying development.
Vinokourov breaks from the bunch and goes away.
Vino has form and I get the feeling no one wants to see him in yellow.
Academic.
The big boys put the hammer down and he's sucked up.

All that's left of the original 9 man break is Costa.
Brave Costa!
He takes the stage as is only right and proper after the effort he put in.

Now, who'd have thought it?
On the podium, beaming from ear to ear, the God of Thunder finds himself still in yellow.