Congrats to Cadel Evans for a gutty Tour de France win. He rode the smartest Tour I've seen since Armstrong. He was protected by his team and always in the front of the peloton. He didn't win a stage, but passively controlled the Tour, always in a position to fend off an attack by his closest rival. Contador had terrible luck, but most of that is on him; he was caught behind crashes he should have been in front of if he were paying attention. The Brothers Schleck were just fantastic, but Andy just didn't have the legs after having to attack so early in the Alps on the Col du Galibier. Frank supported his brother by guarding Evans. He was good enough to win it if he weren't supporting his brother. This was one of the best Tours I've seen in years. It was a brutal first week, with crash after crash. It was great to see Hushovd and Voeckler spend so much time in yellow. Who knew Hushovd could climb and TV held on to yellow like grim death, only beaten by the Alpe d'Huez. The American teams had far and away the best teams. Radio Shack had a brutal tour, but will be back next year. BMC took the yellow, HTC High Road won the Green and Garmin took the team title. The ending ceremonies were the best I can recall. Clearly the podium had three cyclists who really liked each other. Good for Australia and seeing the Schleck Sandwich (with a filling of Cadel) was amazing. Now my mornings will feel empty without Paul and Phil and their terrific commentary. Let the hangover begin. Vive le Tour!
