Today was the eighth stage of the 2003 Tour de France.  This year marks the 100th anniversary of “Le Tour,” although it’s only the 90th running.  The Tour was suspended during the world wars.  I’ll refrain from speculating on the outcome of a bicycle race through a war zone.

It’s been an interesting week of racing, but I’ll spare you the details.  If you’re interested, check out www.letour.com, www.lancearmstrong.com, www.velonews.com, or www.cyclingnews.com.  All have very good race coverage.  I especially like the web cast live coverage provided by Outdoor Life Network.

Okay, just two details:

• Lance Armstrong took the overall lead today, although he’s yet to win a stage.  Everybody thought he’d stamp his mark on Alpe d’Huez like he did two years ago, but he rode conservatively to save his strength.  He doesn’t have a commanding lead over the entire field, but he did manage to put some serious time between him and many of his rivals.
• Tyler Hamilton broke his collar bone in a big crash during the last kilometer of the first stage.  Everybody thought that he would pull out of the race, but he’s continued to ride every day.  Today he managed to stay with Armstrong throughout the stage, and is now in 6th place overall.  Some in the Tour have nicknamed him “Superman.”