Le Tour

The Tour the France is said not to stop for anyone. With that in mind I left home early this morning to head for todays finish-town; ski-resort Verbier. I was not the only one. The one hour wait for the cable-car at Le Chable should have made me suspicious: what a circus!

A preview of the finish area

This days race was one of the few mountain races, with a final ascent just before the finish of around 800 meters. For those not into cycling: this was one of the days where the final winner could make the difference (or, in cycling-terms: a day when the men would be separated from the boys).

So, after arrival, I slowly started making my way down the mountain to find a spot where I could relax and wait for the riders to pass. To put this in perspective: this was four hours before the actual passing of the Tour. Luckily I found a great little slope, with food and drinks nearby. Not too long before others noticed too!

The Norwegians sent a delegation to cheer for Thor

So after enjoying the sun for four hours, the Tour was finally there! As if the mountain was just flat, Contador raced by first. Not unexpectedly, though it was good to see my personal favourite Andy Schleck was not too far behind. Now I'll just have to wait for one more week to see who will make it in the yellow jersey to Paris. Contador clearly made his mark today.

Alberto Contador on his way to the finish