Le Tour 2010 - Au Revoir Armstrong as Le Tour gets Real interesting : Stage 8

Wow - what a day. The 189 km Stage 7 from Station des Rousses to the 1796 metre heights of Morzine-Avoriaz had it all:

• Cadel Evans (BMC) inheriting the maillot jaune after a strong effort and Chavanel's expected slowdown on the significant slopes to Morzine;
• Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) taking his first ever Tour stage win in emphatic style and sending out a significant message to all other GC contenders, moving up into 2nd in the GC classification;
• Lance Armstrong (Radio Shack) imploding after a series of offs (including the most significant self-induced one - a bad fall, hitting the deck and losing skin, energy and time), losing nearly 12 minutes, and any title chance;
• Alberto Contador (Astana) apparently not having the best of days, unable to go with Schleck, but with his team also demonstrating their strength in the climbs - his boys single handedly destroying all but a select few of the peloton;
• Denis Menchov (Rabobank) executing a polished, under-the-radar, and seemingly untroubled ride with the select group;
• Roman Kreuziger and Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) and Carlos Sastre (Cervelo) also doing likewise;
• Levi Leipheimer (Radio Shack) finishing in the select bunch and surely stamping his ownership as the Radio Shack GC primo contender, and presumably now being in charge of Lance's future efforts in the Tour,
• Michael Rogers (HTC - Columbia) pulling out a gutsy effort and staying with the biggies for all but the last 500 metres to crack a top 10 GC place;
• Bradley Wiggins (Sky) popping on the last climb and losing 1:45 to drop out of the GC top 10;
• Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) going top 4 GC with a great ride. 

I'm not going to get into ride specifics on this stage as there was just so much to see and take in, and at one point, here in Oz the entire SBS network went off air for around 15-20 minutes. Overall, just a really fascinating and historic day, what with Schleck's first stage win (why does it seem he must have won before?) and Armstrong's implosion.

So, a big sorting out day leading into the rest day, and with another tough, tough stage immediately following, there will be further shake ups.

Le Tour is getting le engrossing!

Ride Safe!