Here's some updates:
- Juan Mauricio Soler, a favorite to compete for the King of the Mountains jersey*, crashed in the first stage and withdrew after crashing in the first stage and breaking bones in his hand.
- If I'm not mistaken, the overall leader--the guy who wears the Yellow Jersey and is leading the race--has changed every day. As of today, however, Kim Kirchen, a rider from US-owned Team Columbia, has led two consecutive days. It's been a wild race so far with many lead changes.
- Yesterday's stage was the first with big mountains and I saw something that incited a Google Field Trip: At the top of a mountain climb a rider grabbed a handful of newspaper from a spectator and stuffed it into the front of his jersey. Apparently at the top of a climb the riders are incredibly sweaty and use this low-tech method to protect and insulate their body from cooling off too fast as they fly down the mountain.
- Speaking of going downhill, the riders will reach speeds of 90 km/h (55 mph) while descending some mountains.
- Finally, there are only four American riders in the race, but one, Christian Vandevelde, sits in fourth place overall and is considered a contender for the overall win.
- Yellow Jersey: Overall leader based on time.
- Green Jersey: Points leader based on winning designated sprints that are spread throughout the race.
- Polka Dot Jersey: My favorite, the King of the Mountains jersey is given to the rider who demonstrates the best climbing ability.
- White Jersey: Best Young Rider jersey given to the highest ranked rider under 25 years old.
Now, back to watching the race!
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