Stage 5: 5:30 am

Another crack-o-dawn start for Tour viewing. Today should be a "sprinter's" stage - very flat and long - 144 miles. Ride from South Corvallis to Portland, then hang a left and follow the Columbia out towards the sea to Astoria, oh did I mention average 30 m.p.h. and then spin up the turbo to as much as 40 m.p.h. for a sprint frenzy for the last hundreds of yards (or couple miles). However, to guarantee a shot at a stage win, launch a breakaway and go it alone - good luck!

Velo News has a great web page entitled Tour de France 101. Good explanations of the basics of the race:  tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/78643/tour-de-france-101

Check this out to get the basics. Understanding team tactics really brings the race to life.

Another interesting site is the Polar site (listed to on the right hand column) - they have live data for 3 riders each day with regard to heart rate, speed and altitude. More than anything it shows how fit these guys are.

Nothing like waking up to the voices of Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin. Anyone out there remember a show from the 70's called Soccer Made in Germany? In my day that was the only outlet for soccer on tv. Phil reminds me of Toby Charles - a great Brit commentator. Many goals were scored in my back yard as we mimicked his accent and excitement. I'm sure we'll do the same with Phil and Paul as we try to haul ourselves up some of the classic climbs in the Pyrenees and Alpes. 

Submit some classic Phil(isms) and I'll list them on the site.