Welcome to Raodcycling.com once again for the greatest spectacle in sports!

A scenery change for the start in England is refreshing.

The special of the day seems to be 5 at 5. That is, there are five riders in

the break who manage to hover with a 5 minute or so gap for most of the race.

Hometown boy David Millar is giving the Brits something to be proud of. He's

actually going for the polka dot jersey. I find this a bit odd but it's not

like we're talking mountain stages here. Millar seems to be napping on the

Goudhurst hill when Bichot pulls out with a sneak attack and rips some

points away from Millar. Those Frenchmen are sneaky buggers. After that,

David seems to fizzle a bit. Later in the stage, his team pulls enough on

the front for him to eek out enough points to give him the climber's jersey.

It just seems odd to even say it, let alone write about it!

A few crashes interrupt the flow of the peloton. A Spanish rider reportedly

is out of the race. The level of fatigue increases and concentration

decreases as fewer kilometers remain in the race. McEwen crashes just as the

pace is quickening while the teams were preparing the table for their

sprinters. Robbie fades from the peloton. Too bad he won't be in the sprint

finish. He'll never be able to get through the peloton in time. I've got my

money on Boonen.

What the hell? McEwen comes from nowhere to blast across the line and win

the stage! He stuns the other sprinters. This guy is God (or maybe Moses

parting the peloton). I wish there was a video of him coming through. My

ignorance stands out when I wrote (no pun intended) him off.

The Tour could end today and I would be happy. McEwen's amazing finish was

spectacular. The drama with the Tour de France is constant. I'm glad it was

about the race today instead of off season allegations and investigations.