Tour de France Stage 17

Today's stage went up the Col du Tourmalet a second time. Gapped by :08 to Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck needed to attack. He tried, but his effort wasn't enough. I for one was underwhelmed.

The atmosphere though was electric. It may have saved my viewing experience. There was mist and sheep., honking team cars and wild fans crowding the road. The race commentators said they had not seen an atmosphere quite like it before, and they have seen a lot of Tours. The stage finished on the Tourmalet, which enhanced the moment. However, I wished Andy Schleck had more in the tank to pressure Contador. The white jersey of Schleck never made a time gain on the maillot jaune. That would have made Stage 17 a whole lot more interesting I think.