It was an exciting day in the Pyrenees, where the attacks kept coming before the Saunier Duval-Scott team proved they're a bunch of climbing machines. But the story of the day was CSC, who put the hammer down on the peloton.

Click below to listen to Frankie Andreu talk about all this and more, including the strategy and health of Cadel Evans and Riccardo Ricco's high hematocrit levels.

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First Week

It feels like a lot longer than a week has passed since the Tour started. I still can't believe I try to fit each day into an under 3 min recording; there is just too much going on every day. This first week had some disappointment and some surprises out on the course. For starters the first few days were extremely windy and it provided an opportunity for echelons and some exciting racing, it never materialized. Without a strong favorite, or a powerhouse team, the riders were timid, they were afraid to test themselves so early in the Tour. The result was a break that made it to the finish in the first week of the Tour, unheard of. At the same time the sprinters have been getting ripped off, hills at the end of the stages during the first week, unheard of. I guess I could comment on the French rider winning a stage but it only shows the lack of effort by the peloton in the first week.

What did become evident were the objectives of certain teams for the Tour de France. The French teams were out to get exposure and make the race exciting and to motivate the breaks. Voeckler rode a great first week getting in the breaks and having the mtn. jersey for a few days. The climbers, who normally hide for ten days, also showed their form early with Valverde and Ricco taking stage wins. At the same time we saw Evans put in a good time trial, have a good finish at the first summit finish, and he paid attention during Stage 7 when the peloton was ripped apart. We also saw from Evans that he is the strongest member of his team; perhaps the only member from his team that can go uphill fast. This will surely haunt him in the later mountain stages. No..Popovoch won't be able to help him.

As for the sprinters, they took what they could when they could. Cavendish was amazingly fast and Thor took the pressure off Credit Agricole with his early stage win. Now Thor's fight will be for the green jersey and this could be the first year we see the green jersey go to a non sprinter because of the way the stages are laid out. Normally my top pick, McEwen, so far is having a horrible Tour. I've never seen McEwen do so poorly in any race much less nine days in a row. The fact that his team has deserted him for the general classification has ripped him apart and I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave to a different team next year.

I can't forget to mention Garmin, they have been doing a super job. Riding in the front, and paying attention each day, is harder then it sounds. They have been very good at it. They have had Frishkorn in the break and get 2nd on a stage, Millar 3rd in the TT, Pate with a good TT, and VandeVelde right there in 4th on the G.C. before we hit the big mountains. VandeVelde will be hard pressed to maintain that position but I like his attitude of leaving it out on the road.

Then there is Columbia, who has had the most successful first week of any team here at the Tour but possibly of any team recently in past Tours. Who takes home 2 stage wins, multiple days in the Yellow jersey, along with the Green, and White jersey? Pretty good stack of podium appearances for them. To obtain all those goals Columbia has had to put out a lot of effort and there is good chance this will set them back during the third week. To use as much energy as Columbia has, during the first week, is dangerous if you have your sights set on Paris. Team CSC has been quite and they have their eyes on Paris. Probably the strongest team so far is Caisse d'Epargne, very dangerous in the mountains and for the overall if Valverde can get a three minute time trial cushion.

This next week we hit the Peyreenes and then some transition days as we head to the Alps. Hautacam will be critical as the new climb when we enter Italy.

The Tour is far from where it started but it's also far from over.

"The day that I've been waiting forthe crosswinds, the battles and everybody hammering in the gutterthat happened today...For an hour and a half we had a drag race."

Listen to Frankie Andreu break down one of the most exciting stages of the Tour so far. Also, what's Cadel Evans's weakness? (Hint: It's not himself.)

And for those of you who are wondering (after listening to the podcast), 92 kilometers per hour equals just over 52 miles per hour...

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Click below to hear Frankie Andreu wonder why Robbie McEwen hasn't found a spot on a stage podium and make the observation: "I can totally see him leaving this team..." Plus: Team Columbia steps up to the plate, who the biggest cheers were for at the Stage 4 time trial and how Stefan Schumacher ended up with old Oakleys.

Frankie's prediction for Stage 6: "Kirchen has a great chance to take the yellow jersey."

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Today, Frankie gives props to Will Frischkorn, wonders what game the sprinters in the race are playing at, remarks about Cadel Evans' Free Tibet crusade, marvels at Robbie McEwen's new Ridley and makes a prediction for tomorrow's individual time trial.

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A Tour like no other has started. What makes this Tour different is that it starts with a field that has no stand out favorite. In the past we have had riders that have won repeatedly, which would automatically mark them as a favorite, but this year is different. Many speak of Cadel Evans, who has cracked before in a three-week race, and some say is too inconsistent to be able to move to the top step of the podium. Others look for Alejandro Valverde to shine, but he has never even been on the podium at the TDF.

Carlos Sastre has shared the podium in Paris, and has had many top ten finishes in the Tour, but his age will count against him. The list goes on with riders that have many strengths but they also seem to have a few negatives which prevent them from getting a full blessing as the favorite to win.

For now the excitement comes from the field sprinters. The speed demons that are so aggressive it's dangerous to fight against them. They have dominated the first part of the race and it should be no surprise because every year between 1993 and 2007, except for 2002, the first stage of the Tour has always resulted in a bunch gallop for the line. Also changing from the Tour's traditional departure was the fact that this is the first year since 1966 where there is no prologue. To throw more change into the mix the Tour has eliminated the time bonuses in all of the intermediate and finish sprints.

All of this had no effect on Valverde, who showed an explosive uphill sprint that no one could match and put him in the Yellow Jersey one second ahead of a small group right behind him. This means that more than likely, unless he gets dropped which is unlikely, that he will keep the Yellow Jersey until the time trial (TT). It will be a miracle if he keeps it at the TT because that is his biggest weakness.

A couple of tech stuff. The new electronic Shimano gruppo is on many bikes here at the Tour. Also, the new mechanical Shimano (7900) looks awesome, with clean cut lines. It feels even better and everything about it is aggressive. Something I saw for the first time was Shimano electronic on Sebastian Lang's TT bike. Two little buttons are all he has to push to be able to shift--very aero and very cool.

Team Columbia also has a new TT bike. The top tube is flat and that goes into a flat stem. On the front is on oversized headset which is shaped like a fairing. The cables are internal but they actually come out underneath the front fork below the hidden brake. You actually can't turn that much, because of the tension of the cables, so it's lucky there are no 180's in the TT's.

Lastly, we saw the Liquigas bus filling up at a petrol station that we were at. Check out the price tag on one fill up (632 Euros). That will put a dent in the budget quick!

A day before Stage 1 starts in Brest, Frankie Andreu checks out the new electronic shifting that Gerolsteiner will be using, gets the story on Team Columbia's frantic change from Team High Road and discovers how one bike company decided to reward its employees.

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